To search for the children, Fan Zehao ate a simple meal to fill his stomach and then led his men down again.
This time, they planned to search in all directions, so they might not return that night.
Although Zhao Jiaqi felt sorry for her husband, for the sake of the children, he had to step up as a father.
“You go, I’ll wait for you here!”
What she waited for was not just her husband and news, but also information from Ding Bei Liao and Xuan Yuan Guo.
At night, the temperature was still a bit low, so they lit some bonfires, partly for warmth and partly to ward off wild beasts.
Pai Ting endured until the middle of the night, her eyes heavy with sleep. Finally, she fell asleep on Zhao Jiaqi’s lap.
She kept her eyes open until dawn, waiting anxiously. The rope beneath her had become her hope.
As the sky brightened and the sun gradually rose, people returned. This time, they brought back a few pairs of shoes, but otherwise, they had found nothing.
However, they did receive an important piece of information.
Fan Zehao relayed the important news to Zhao Jiaqi: "Yu Meng left me a message, but it was intermittent and incomplete."
"The handwriting on the message is the same style you taught us. Others wouldn't recognize it and would think it was some kind of symbol."
Hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi’s dry eyes immediately lit up. She grabbed Fan Zehao’s sleeve and asked urgently, "What did it say? Hurry up and tell me, you're killing me with suspense."
Fan Zehao leaned close to her ear and whispered, "The children are all safe, but the people searching for them behind them are too close, so they had no choice but to flee."
Zhao Jiaqi stamped her feet anxiously. After her husband finished speaking, her eyes widened. She quickly asked, "That's… that's it?"
What was the point of saying this?
Since she could leave a message, she could figure out these things with her toes. Why did he need to tell her?
Besides, Yu Meng wasn't a verbose person. If she left a message, it must be for a very important reason.
Fan Zehao’s stern face saw his wife stamping her feet anxiously. He chuckled, and his stubble shook, making Zhao Jiaqi’s heart tremble.
"Yu Meng said that the three of them discussed and decided to follow a small path towards a nearby village or town, or even a prefecture. They threw away their shoes because they were afraid their footprints would be revealed."
Zhao Jiaqi was dumbfounded after hearing this.
"Village? Town? Prefecture?"
She looked up and asked, "Is it a village or a town? Is it a state or a prefecture? Why isn't there any precise information? Where are we supposed to look?"
Fan Zehao pressed her agitated body and explained, "They are at the bottom of the cliff. They don't know if they will encounter a village or a town first on the way out. So, Yu Meng's message is to tell me to follow the path they took. Along the way, I might find more clues she left."
When her husband explained it like this, she immediately understood.
Zhao Jiaqi had waited two days for results, and finally, there were some.
Seeing that his wife was no longer restless, Fan Zehao comforted her for a while before instructing her, "I received an urgent dispatch from the Commander, stating that the Emperor and Empress of Ding Bei Liao are personally visiting, and the Emperor of Xuan Yuan Guo is also on his way. I believe these three will arrive in the Inner City soon. You go back and receive them."
Zhao Jiaqi was disinclined to entertain three "wobblers." She said, "I'm going to find the children. You go back and deal with the three of them."
"No, the search is fraught with danger. You are a delicate woman with no martial arts skills. If you encounter danger, should I protect you or fight enemies? Wouldn't that just be a burden?"
Fan Zehao refused her request without hesitation.
Seeing his wife pouting and on the verge of tears, Fan Zehao patiently explained, "My dear, don't forget about those assassins. We don't know if they are chasing them or if they simply want to capture Yu Meng. With all these uncertainties, how can I possibly let you go looking?"
"Be good, the matters of the Inner City cannot be neglected. Xiao Ce wouldn't dare to take charge of the Inner City, and even if he wanted to deploy troops, he couldn't do it alone. If you don't go back, it's equivalent to handing over our base to others, don't you agree, my dear?"
Fan Zehao cajoled the person in his arms: "Don't worry, I will find the children for you. If I can't find them, I won't come back either, okay?"
Since he had said this, if she were to be willful again, it would seem very unreasonable. Even if she wanted to be willful, she couldn't joke about the entire army and civilians of the Inner City.
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, acknowledging his words: "If the children can't be found, you can't go missing either!"
Now that she knew the children were alive, there was a glimmer of hope for finding them. If he disappeared, she would be overwhelmed.
She couldn't possibly split herself in two, one half to find the children and the other half to find him.
Fan Zehao smiled, pinched her cheek, and tugged it twice. "You go back. As soon as I get the latest news from Yu Meng, I'll send you a letter."
Zhao Jiaqi understood the gravity of the situation and dared not delay. Before leaving, she told him a piece of information: "I've sent two people to Zong Sheng and the Inner City separately. Xiao Ce will bring people to support you. As for Zong Sheng Guo, I don't know who will be coming yet."
Fan Zehao nodded, understanding. He was already pondering how to search for them now that everyone was here, and whether to mislead those assassins.
Perhaps there were assassins lurking around them. He didn't dare to tell his wife these things, for fear that she would lose her usual wisdom in her anxiety, which would be a loss.
Zhao Jiaqi gave him a few more instructions, then led Pai Ting into the carriage heading back to the Inner City. Eight guards followed the carriage. As the carriage gradually moved away, Fan Zehao's mood plummeted.
Fan Xudong stepped forward and stood beside him, watching the carriage leave. He said softly, "When the lady is here, your mood is one way. When she leaves, it feels like the backbone is gone."
Fan Zehao nodded. When someone was there to discuss matters with, it was different. When his wife left, there was no one left to strategize with.
He felt lost, but the thought that the children needed him to save them forced him to muster all his spirit.
The journey, which originally took five or six days, was completed in three days to reach the Inner City.
Along the way, they only made brief stops for meals; the rest of the time was spent rushing.
Upon returning to the mansion, the sky outside darkened. Glancing up, he saw heavy clouds.
Zhao Jiaqi sighed. It was the calm before the storm. If it was truly going to be a storm, then let the rain come down even harder.
Pai Ting imitated her sister-in-law's actions, but her mind was filled with worries about whether her husband would get wet, if he had a straw raincoat, and if he would catch a cold.
All her worries were written on her face, but she dared not complain to her sister-in-law, for fear of upsetting her, especially since the children were lost.
Outside, a sparse drizzle began to fall. In less than fifteen minutes, lightning flashed and thunder roared, followed by a torrential downpour. The rain was fast, heavy, and large. Within half an hour, the courtyard of the royal mansion was already accumulating rainwater.
Zhao Jiaqi stood under the eaves, looking at the steaming rain, and felt a headache coming on.
If this rain continued, within five days, the entire Inner City would become a veritable water town.