How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

I saw the girl holding a paper boat with a candle lit on it. There was a woman beside her, who took the girl's hand and put the paper boat into the river.

"Qian'er, so you are here."

Xu Chengling was delighted and the coldness in his body disappeared. He quickly walked up to the girl and gently patted her shoulder.

"Big brother, who are you looking for?"

The girl slowly turned her head and looked at him with confusion.

At this time, the woman next to the girl took the girl's hand and whispered:

"Qiaoqiao, don't talk to strangers, leave now."

After saying that, the woman took the girl away.

Xu Chengling couldn't help but stand there in a daze, watching the mother and daughter walking away. It was obvious that they were not the people he was looking for.

He stood alone in the cold wind, holding a amulet tightly in his hand, as if he had forgotten the cold.

He felt heartbroken when he thought of the eldest lady hiding somewhere, curled up in a corner and shivering.

If he had been able to catch up with her a little longer that night and keep her, perhaps she would not have left.

The opportunity was clearly right in front of him, but he didn't seize it.

Thinking of this, Xu Chengling couldn't help but feel a sense of self-blame and regret.

How many people missed the best opportunity when they passed by each other, and how many people stood at the wrong time and place when they made the right choice.

The words that Xu Xiqian had said at the beginning were stirred up in his mind again.

It just made his heart ache even more.

Miss, Xu Xiqian, Qianer, where are you?

Chapter 56: Miss Fox Who Loves Gossip

"Go back and look for it tomorrow."

After searching for several times without success, Xu Chengling sighed and thought that he would not be able to find anyone tonight.

He turned around and headed back towards the Xiangguo Mansion.

At this moment, not far from the river bank, a graceful figure walked towards him.

Their eyes soon met, and the woman couldn't help but stop.

"I remember you are Mr. Xu from the Xiangguo Mansion?"

The woman looked at the man standing on the river bank and was a little surprised. She didn't expect to meet him in such a place.

She remembered that the other person seemed to be a servant of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Because of his outstanding and recognizable appearance, she recognized him quickly.

But she remembered that the owner of the Xiangguo Mansion was surnamed Xu, and his surname was also Xu. Was it a coincidence?

Seeing that the other person was only wearing a cloth robe and shivering in the cold night wind, she couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Xu, aren't you cold?"

"It's cold. I was in such a hurry to go out that I forgot to put on more clothes."

Xu Chengling shrugged and looked up at the woman in brocade clothes in front of him. Although she was a woman, she had a long sword on her waist and walked with a dashing posture, showing the demeanor of a female hero.

Judging from her attire, the woman is obviously a government official.

He rubbed his hands, walked under a tree, used the tree to block the wind, and stepped on the spot for a while to warm up his body.

At this time, the woman also came over, tilted her head, and looked at his behavior in confusion.

"Good evening, Miss Fox. Are you still working so late?"

Looking at the woman in brocade clothes and wearing a fox mask in front of him, Xu Chengling couldn't help but ask.

Miss Fox nodded, placed her slender hand gently on the scabbard, and replied calmly:

"The capital has been a bit uneasy at night lately, so I'm out on patrol."

She paused, looked at the man in front of her, and continued:

"Mr. Xu, have you found the thief? If you have, please let me know as soon as possible."

"Yes, if I find out."

Xu Chengling nodded and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was still trying to catch a thief, but the thief had already lived in his house.

Of course, Mo Li is her maid now, so she naturally has to protect her.

"Mr. Xu, if you have nothing to do, it's best not to walk around at night."

Miss Fox seemed to remember something, and her expression under the mask gradually became serious. She said to him:

"Recently, there have been evildoers active in the capital. All the victims had their little fingers cut off without exception. Before the Heavenly Guardian catches the murderer, you must avoid staying too long at night."

Miss Fox was very enthusiastic and reminded Xu Chengling to go back as soon as possible and stay less at night.

When Xu Chengling heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched unconsciously, and he seemed a little scared. He couldn't help but say:

"This is too cruel. Thank you Miss Fox for your reminder."

It's so horrible, who on earth would do such a cruel thing.

So it was he who assigned it. That's fine.

As luck would have it, the two people Miss Fox was looking for were both in his house.

However, the other party's words also aroused Xu Chengling's vigilance. The other party was a constable from the Jiantian Division, so it would be better to stay away from him as much as possible.

"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now."

After saying that, Xu Chengling prepared to leave.

"Wait, are you looking for someone?"

Miss Fox called out to him and asked.

When she was on patrol before, she saw a group of servants from the Prime Minister's Mansion looking for someone everywhere, as if the eldest lady was lost.

"Well, I am indeed looking for someone, but I have no clue where he is at the moment."

Xu Chengling couldn't help but sigh, and he didn't intend to hide it. Since the other party asked this, he must have known it a long time ago.

Moreover, his current identity is a servant, so in order not to reveal his identity, he can only say this.

After saying that, he prepared to leave, and this time he was really leaving.

"Wait, let me help you find it."

Miss Fox thought for a moment, called him again, and suggested that they look for someone together.

Xu Chengling frowned. Although it would be a lot easier to have help from government officials, he didn't want to get too close to the people from the Tianjiansi.

You know, the people the other party is pursuing are all in his house, and the Heavenly Supervisor is under the command of the Empress. It would be bad if the other party finds any evidence on him.

"Don't bother, don't you still have work?"

To be on the safe side, Xu Chengling had to politely decline Miss Fox's kindness.

"It's past office hours now, so I'm free."

"This is too much trouble for you."

"It's dangerous to be alone at night. It will be safer if I follow you."

"OK then."

Xu Chengling couldn't resist the other party's enthusiasm. This Miss Fox was so enthusiastic. If she saw an old lady crossing the road on the side of the road, she would definitely be the first one to help her.

He couldn't refuse the other party's kindness, so he agreed.

Xu Chengling thought about it carefully. Since Miss Fox was from the Tianjian Division, she must have some ability to find people. At least she was more professional than him.

Moreover, one more person means more strength.

"Can you tell me the details, such as when did the young lady go missing, is there anyone she knows, or a place she often goes to?"

Before looking for someone, Miss Fox asked about the specific situation first.

Xu Chengling informed the other party of the situation one by one, of course, from the perspective of a servant.

Because the eldest daughter ran away from home late at night, no one saw where she went.

"I understand. Don't worry. As a young...constable of the Tianjian Division, I will help you find the young lady."

Miss Fox patted her chest gently and assured him.

Before being transferred to Beijing, the office where she worked was relatively peaceful. She usually just helped old ladies cross the street and looked for lost cats and dogs, which were all idle tasks.

So she is quite experienced in finding people.

"By the way, Mr. Xu, do you have any of the other party's personal belongings?"

"Personal belongings, yes."

Xu Chengling took out the amulet Xu Xiqian gave him from his pocket.

"The amulet, could it be a gift from the young lady?"

Miss Fox was very curious. Amulets are usually given to loved ones, so how could a servant have the young lady's amulet?

Her keen sense of smell told her that there was a smell of gossip.

"The eldest lady...maybe she has a crush on me."

Xu Chengling scratched his face and quickly explained.

"What? The young lady fell in love with the servant. Tell me what's going on?"

Miss Fox's eyes suddenly lit up, her interest was aroused, and she completely forgot what she was going to do.

Xu Chengling looked at Miss Fox with shining eyes and understood one thing.

This Miss Fox seems to be very interested in all kinds of gossip.

So Xu Chengling satisfied her and made up a story about a noble lady and a humble servant breaking through the feudal barriers and falling in love with each other.

The eldest lady asked for a peace amulet for her servant. Just when the two were in love, the eldest lady suddenly learned that she was betrothed to the young master of another wealthy family.

Upon hearing the news, the eldest daughter was devastated and the bloody plot of running away from home unfolded.

This story was made up by Xu Chengling on the spot, half true and half false, just to explain why he had the eldest lady's amulet.

The key is that Miss Fox believed it.

This made her more determined to help the other party find the eldest lady.

"Give me this."

Miss Fox said, so Xu Chengling handed the amulet in his hand to the other party.

She sniffed a few times, frowned slightly, and walked around for a while, sniffing the surrounding smells.

Miss Fox has a very keen sense of smell. Although she doesn't want to admit it, her nose is indeed better than that of a dog.

Because this place is remote and few people come here, the smell lingering in the air has not completely dissipated.

Soon, she made an unexpected discovery.

"There's her scent around here, and it's still fresh."

Miss Fox said calmly.

Chapter 57 There is only one truth!

"Ms. Fox, you are a dog..."

After being glared at by the murderous eyes under the fox mask, Xu Chengling quickly changed his words:

"Miss Fox, did you find anything?"

"Well, there is a very important discovery."