Little Sizi came to my house and became the family's darling, and Li Shimin got anxious.

Taiji Palace, Lizheng Hall.

A group of servants knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to look up.

Li Shimin was furious. He paced back and forth in the palace, shouting, "A bunch of useless fools! You can't even keep an eye on a three-year-old princess! If you can't find her, none of you will live!"

Just now, Princess Jinyang mysteriously disappeared.

As the youngest daughter of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun, this legitimate princess was the darling of the royal family from birth, enjoying unparalleled affection.

The news sent shockwaves through the royal family.

Upon hearing the news, all the children born to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun rushed to Fengyang Pavilion.

Empress Zhangsun leaned against the bed, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the emperor pacing back and forth: "Second Prince, how could Sizi suddenly disappear... You must find Sizi!"

"Sigh!" Li Shimin sighed heavily, his furrowed brows revealing his anxiety.

But when he turned to face his beloved wife, his voice was extremely gentle: "Guanyinbi, do not worry, and do not harm your health. I assure you, Sizi will not be lost for no reason. I will search the ground three feet deep to find her."

Empress Zhangsun was already frail and sickly, and had been bedridden for many years. If she were to suffer a serious illness due to the disappearance of her beloved daughter, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Shimin originally intended to conceal the news, but perhaps due to the bond between mother and daughter, Empress Zhangsun, despite her illness, went directly to Fengyang Pavilion.

In the center of the hall, the eldest princess, Li Lizhi, who was only thirteen years old, had already shed her childishness.

Her expression was solemn as she stared directly at the kneeling palace maid, Qinglan, her tone sharp: "Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened? How could Sizi have vanished into thin air?"

Qinglan was already pale with fright, and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, this servant... this servant doesn't know either. After Your Highness had breakfast, you wanted to play hide-and-seek, and this servant dared not disobey. This servant clearly saw Your Highness hide in the wardrobe with your own eyes, but... but..."

"Just what? Why are you stammering!"

Li Lizhi questioned sharply, and as the eldest princess who assisted the empress in managing the harem, her authority was in no way inferior.

Qinglan trembled, and forced herself to explain, "But when I finished counting and went to look for him, the wardrobe... was already empty. His Highness was gone."

Upon hearing this clichéd explanation, Li Shimin could no longer contain his anger. "Insolence! You still dare to deceive me even now? The rhinoceros hid in the cupboard; how could a living person simply vanish into thin air? Could it be that you were lazy and shirked your duties, failing to take proper care of it, and now that it's lost, you're making up lies!"

Qinglan was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant would never dare to neglect Your Highness! Although I turned my back to count, I kept an eye on Your Highness out of the corner of my eye and saw with my own eyes that Your Highness hid in the wardrobe and never came out. Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly!"

Empress Zhangsun suppressed her panic: "Second Prince, Qinglan and the others have served Prince Si for many years with utmost loyalty. Perhaps they weren't lying. This matter seems suspicious. Why don't we summon Li Chunfeng to the palace to investigate?"

The palace servants who serve the princess are all handpicked by her and whom she knows well; she would never intentionally neglect them.

If it weren't for some inexplicable strange event, how could a three-year-old child simply vanish into thin air? If something were to happen to Sizi, she probably wouldn't be able to survive either.

Seeing this, Li Lizhi quickly helped Empress Zhangsun up, looked at Li Shimin with a worried expression, and gently advised, "Father, what Mother says makes sense. Qinglan and the others are usually very careful and would never joke about the safety of the child. Now that the palace is heavily guarded, and the child has disappeared into thin air, perhaps... we really should ask Chengwu Lang to come and take a look."

Li Shimin knew that this matter was too treacherous, and he would not be at ease until he got to the bottom of it.

Just as Li Shimin was about to issue the decree, Li Chengqian stepped forward and whispered, "Father, I think this is inappropriate. The fewer people who know about such bizarre things happening in the harem, the better. If it becomes a big fuss, it might be used by others, which would be very detrimental to the reputation of the Empress."

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun exchanged a glance, both agreeing wholeheartedly.

Li Shimin coldly swept his gaze over the palace servants.

Everyone immediately knelt on the ground, saying, "This servant will certainly keep her mouth shut and will never dare to utter a single word!"

"Hmph, if anyone dares to divulge even a single word, I will execute them without mercy!" Li Shimin was, after all, an emperor who conquered the world on horseback. His angry shout was filled with murderous intent, which frightened everyone into silence.

Subsequently, Li Shimin publicly announced that he had found Princess Jinyang in order to deceive others.

Immediately afterwards, he dismissed all other people and ordered Li Chengqian, Li Tai, and Li Zhi to return to the palace first, but in reality, he ordered his confidants to secretly search for the whereabouts of Princess Jinyang.

Before long, only Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, Li Lizhi, and Princess Chengyang remained in Fengyang Pavilion.

Seeing her worried parents, Li Lizhi gently comforted them, "Father, Mother, we don't need to worry too much. Sizi is blessed with good fortune and will surely turn misfortune into good luck and be safe and sound."

……

Blue Star.

With her keen foodie instincts, the little princess had already torn open a bag of potato chips.

The aroma fills the air as soon as the bag of potato chips is opened.

The little princess sniffed, immediately captivated by the rich aroma.

She reached out her little hand, picked up a piece, and put it directly into her mouth.

With a crisp "crack," the taste buds were completely conquered.

The little princess's round eyes lit up instantly, as if they were filled with starlight.

His mouth was slightly agape in surprise, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a satisfied smile.

Wow~~

The little princess let out a joyful cheer.

"Crispy~"

"This one is so cute, Qi Ya~"

Although the little princess is young, she understands the principle that it's better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone, and naturally wants to share delicious food.

So, she grabbed the remaining bag of potato chips with one hand and held the taro chips in the other, her small figure swayed again, and then disappeared into thin air.

Even though Emperor Li Shimin was burning with anxiety and worried about his missing young daughter, he couldn't afford to waste his time in Fengyang Pavilion with mountains of state affairs to attend to.

He had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and return to the Lizheng Hall to review the memorials.

As a result, only Empress Zhangsun and Li Lizhi remained in Fengyang Pavilion.

Princess Chengyang was still young, and her personal maid Mingzhu had already taken her to a side hall for a nap.

Although Empress Zhangsun was sitting on the couch dealing with the trivial matters of the inner palace, she would get up every so often and walk around the inner palace, her eyes eagerly scanning every corner, hoping to see that familiar little figure.

Seeing Empress Zhangsun's appearance, Li Lizhi forced herself to remain even calmer.

She knew that if she panicked again at this moment, it would only make her mother more disoriented.

As the eldest sister, she had to stay calm.

The maids and eunuchs throughout the hall dared not even breathe loudly, and the vast Fengyang Pavilion was extremely quiet.

Just as Empress Zhangsun rose for the tenth time, the little princess's voice suddenly came from deep within the inner palace.