nucmednet Chapter 279 Insisting on Saving People
Chapter 279 Insisting on Saving People
The younger sister mumbled in response, "I've seen you... but we didn't say anything."
The younger brother chimed in, "Eldest sister, the news of Second Sister's disappearance has caused quite a stir. Many families have already come to offer their condolences today, so it's only natural that His Highness the Crown Prince would come as well."
Si Muyan glanced at her younger sister but didn't say anything.
She wasn't from here, so she didn't feel much about these generations of grudges and entanglements. Looking at the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, she felt the Crown Prince was better.
The second prince is brainless and hypocritical. In comparison, at least the crown prince has some brains.
Since my younger sister is determined to take that path, she can't hold her back.
The younger sister felt very guilty and wondered whether she should privately tell her elder sister about meeting Gui Shan that day and helping Gui Shan find the prince. But when she didn't hear her elder sister ask any further questions, she gradually calmed down.
As night fell, the rain intensified. In such heavy rain, tinderboxes for lighting were of little use; guards carried torches, but even those only provided limited visibility.
The entire hunting grounds have been searched twice, but there is still no trace of the Si family's daughter.
A guard came over and reported to the governor: "Governor, the rain is so heavy that we can't see anyone at all."
"Governor, if a torrential rain strikes, His Majesty's resting place may also be in danger."
“Governor, we’ve searched back and forth twice, but we still haven’t found her. If Miss Si were still here, there would be no way we wouldn’t be able to find her.”
The Commander of the Imperial Guard pondered for a moment, his face grim. His subordinate was right; if they stayed here, they would likely be in danger as well. The fact that they couldn't find the Second Young Lady meant she might have been taken away.
Moreover, their most important task here is to protect the Emperor.
The Commander of the Imperial Guard asked, "What are the Emperor's instructions?"
If the celestial phenomena indicate a major change in the weather tonight, the court officials will certainly urge the emperor to return to the capital immediately.
The deputy governor said, "If we wait until the Imperial Observatory detects danger, we may not be able to get back in time. Governor, protecting the Emperor is the most important thing."
The Commander of the Capital Garrison pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, pass on the notice, we will evacuate."
But when the news spread, the first to arrive was Prince Ning, who had been searching for the person.
Prince Ning arrived with his palace guards and said coldly, "His Majesty has ordered that the Second Miss Si must be found. Why does the Commander-in-Chief want to withdraw ahead of schedule?"
The Commander of the Imperial Guard bowed and said, "Your Highness, we have searched this place twice, but we have not found any trace of the Second Miss. It seems that the Second Miss must have been rescued by someone."
"Are you sure?" Prince Ning narrowed his eyes. "If you are sure, I can let you evacuate."
The commander of the Imperial Guard was blocked and became angry. He said, "What does Your Highness mean? We are acting on imperial orders, and we have indeed searched everywhere but have not found her. The most likely explanation is that she has been taken away. Moreover, given the weather, if the rainstorm worsens tonight, His Majesty will need to return to the city, and we must make necessary preparations."
"This is not an excuse. We cannot leave until we find the person."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard had long known that Prince Ning was a difficult person to deal with. Once a case was in his hands, he would definitely investigate it thoroughly and not let anyone think of getting away with it.
But this isn't a case to be solved, why is Prince Ning so troublesome?
"His Highness Prince Ning is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, in charge of major criminal cases. This matter of finding a missing person is not under his jurisdiction. Could it be that Prince Ning knows that the Marquis of Anle's residence is favored by the Emperor, which is why he is in such a hurry?"
These words probably don't explicitly say that Prince Ning is flattering the Emperor.
"you……"
Just as Ah Song was about to retort, Prince Ning raised his hand to stop him.
“I don’t have time to waste with you,” said Prince Ning. “But in front of me, no one is allowed to neglect their duties! Whether you are a noble or an ordinary citizen, you are all subjects of the Great Zhou. I will never let you do anything about it.”
He took out a token from his waist: "All guards of the capital, obey my command."
This token was personally bestowed upon Prince Ning by the Emperor. Seeing the token is as if seeing His Majesty in person; who would dare disobey?
Even though the Commander of the Imperial Guard was furious, he could only force himself to kneel down with his guards.
“Surround the entire hunting grounds, and neither men nor women may enter or leave.”
Prince Ning, accompanied by his palace guards, continued the search.
Asong, who was following behind, suddenly rode up and said, "Your Highness, I just overheard someone saying that there was a small hill they didn't go to."
Prince Ning reined in his horse: "What? Where are they?!"
Ah Song immediately ordered someone to bring over the two guards from the Imperial Guard who had spoken to him.
The two men didn't hide anything, saying, "Your Highness, it's not that we're being lazy, it's just that it's too late and that slope isn't very noticeable; most people wouldn't go there. Besides, we can't see what's below at night, and what if there's some danger down there..."
Without saying a word, Prince Ning said, "Take me there."
The two hesitated for a moment, but still advised, "Your Highness, it is indeed not safe there. Why not send someone over tomorrow during the day?"
Prince Ning said coldly, "As long as there is even the slightest possibility, I will not let it go. The reason I entered the Dali Temple in the first place was that I hoped to save more people."
The earthen slope was a remote location, and it was indeed not easy for a normal person to come here. However, after searching the entire hunting grounds inside and out, no one was found. Prince Ning felt that the most unlikely places were the most likely to be the ones that were most likely to be found.
Soon, the guards of the Prince's Palace tied the ropes, and the leader said, "Your Highness, I will go down and scout ahead."
Prince Ning replied, "I am here."
Ah Song was startled and stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, this is inappropriate and too dangerous. It's not safe for you to go down."
Prince Ning said, "It's not safe for me to go down, but would it be safe for them to go down?"
Ah Song opened his mouth, wanting to say that you are Prince Ning, different from them, but in the end he didn't say it. He just went forward and tied the rope around Prince Ning's body.
The rain intensified, slowing Prince Ning's movements; he could only probe downwards inch by inch. Suddenly, a sudden downpour caused Prince Ning to lose his footing and slip.
He quickly grabbed the rope, but he still slid down more than half a meter, and his head hit a protruding rock on the side.
The impact was quite severe; he felt dizzy and lightheaded, and it took him a while to regain his senses by leaning against the wall.
But it was this collision that gave him a vague recollection of what had happened before.
He remembered speaking, saying: I am willing to enlist, not only to secure a way of life and a future for myself, but also for her future.
This was when he enlisted. The person in front of him was Cai Xiaosi, who had brought him to the army. He recalled the time when he and Xiaosi went to the army together. People like them were just ordinary soldiers in the army, without weapons, only able to use bamboo poles as weapons. Whether they could survive on the battlefield depended on fate.
He recalled a time when he was seriously injured, and Xiao Si hugged him and said something, but he couldn't remember what Xiao Si was saying.
He remembered saying to himself: "You let her... just pretend I didn't exist..."