"Humph, it's all because you lost my goddaughter!" Ge Long'an glared angrily at Xin Zizhao. "You've only been newlyweds for a short while. Why has Xuan'er gone missing? Did you treat her badly, which made her leave the palace?"
Facing Ge Long'an's furious interrogation, Xin Zizhao gently closed his eyes before slowly speaking, "General Long'an, based on what you know about me, do you think I'm a vain person?"
"… No," Ge Long'an was puzzled as to why Xin Zizhao would ask him this. "I'm asking you something else. Don't change the subject. I need an explanation."
Xin Zizhao sighed and glanced at the maids and eunuchs waiting on both sides. "You may all leave first. I have something to say to General Long'an."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After the eunuchs and maids had left, Xin Zizhao turned to Ge Long'an and slowly said, "It was Xuan'er who proposed to leave on her own. She said she didn't want to stay in the palace forever. General Long'an, you should know Xuan'er's personality better than I do. It's not that I can make her stay just because I want her to."
These words left Ge Long'an at a loss for words. Indeed, based on his understanding of Wei Shuxuan, she would never force herself to marry a man she didn't like. Back then, when he asked her to marry his son Zian, she always found excuses. In the end, she even asked Emperor Jinzheng to annul the engagement.
"… I can barely accept your explanation. I suggest you find my goddaughter as soon as possible. Otherwise, I don't know what might happen to them outside."
"I won't send anyone to look for her. I once promised her that I wouldn't send anyone to bring her back. Forcing her to come back won't make her happy. I don't want her to be unhappy."
"It's fine if you don't look for her, but at least send someone to protect her properly. Have you forgotten about Uncle Wei Tu's incident? The entire Wei family was killed on their way into exile. This shows that those who killed them must have been targeting the Wei family. Can you really be at ease letting Xuan'er go out and roam with just one secret guard?"
Hearing this, Xin Zizhao's eyes widened in surprise. He really hadn't thought of this reason. Back then, he saved the seriously injured Wei Shuxuan out of pure kindness and hadn't thought that deeply.
"General Long'an, how do you know that those people specifically went to kill General Wei Tu's family?"
"Of course, I investigated the scene. But besides Xuan'er's body, there was another body that I couldn't find there."
"But before… you said that only Xuan'er was missing."
Xin Zizhao looked at Ge Long'an curiously. Ge Long'an smiled. "At that time, I was really angry with that emperor. He actually exiled Uncle Wei Tu just because of a woman's words. Even though it was just exile, I was still very angry. So, I concealed the fact that I couldn't find Uncle Wei Tu's body."
"But the number of bodies was correct except for Xuan'er… Did you find someone to take his place?" Xin Zizhao suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Yes. When I led my personal guards there, besides the bodies of the Wei family, there were also some soldiers' bodies. I scratched the face of a soldier who was about the same build as Uncle Wei Tu and presented him as Uncle Wei Tu's body."
"Did you find General Wei Tu's body later?" Xin Zizhao asked curiously.
"No. I've been secretly sending people to look for it, but I still haven't found Uncle Wei Tu's body. This is the biggest regret in my life."
"Why did you choose to tell me this?" Ge Long'an had kept this secret for so long, yet he told him so easily.
"You're Xuan'er's husband. I believe you'll protect her. But because of Xuan'er, you'll surely find out about this sooner or later. So, instead of letting you spend time investigating, it's better for me to just tell you directly. This way, we can reduce the harm that Xuan'er might suffer."
Although Wei Shuxuan wasn't Ge Long'an's biological daughter, he treated her better than his own son.
"I understand. I'll send people to look for Xuan'er later and have them protect them secretly."
Actually, Xin Zizhao wasn't unaware of Wei Shuxuan's whereabouts. Before Wei Shuxuan left, he had a conversation with Wei Wei. He hoped that after Wei Wei left with Wei Shuxuan, he could report her whereabouts to him.
At first, Wei Wei didn't agree. "Why should I agree to this condition, Young Master Xin?"
"Because I'll be Xuan'er's husband in the future. I've already promised her that I won't look for her. But I'm worried about her safety. I know she has you by her side, but sometimes, two fists can't fight off many enemies. So, I hope you can tell me your whereabouts from time to time."
Wei Wei also didn't want anything to happen to Wei Shuxuan. Moreover, Xin Zizhao's words made sense. There were only the two of them on the road. Wei Shuxuan's personality was the kind that liked to meddle in other people's business. He didn't know if she would cause any trouble. After much thought, for Wei Shuxuan's safety, Wei Wei finally agreed to Xin Zizhao's request.
"Fine, I'll agree to your request."
"I have another condition. You must keep this a secret from Xuan'er. Otherwise, if she finds out, she might say that I'm breaking my promise again."
"… Okay."
Seeing Xin Zizhao fall into deep thought for no reason, Ge Long'an was a bit puzzled. "What are you thinking about?"
"… It's nothing. I'm just thinking about a solution. General Long'an, are you sure your information is correct?"
"Definitely correct."
"If I find out where Xuan'er is, I'll send people to protect her immediately. Please rest assured, General Long'an."
"Humph, that's good. I'll go back first. If you find Xuan'er, send someone to inform me."
"I understand."
Wei Shuxuan and the other two rode their horses and left Bird Song Town, heading for the next town. On the way, they saw a teahouse on the side of the road for resting.
In the teahouse, besides the three of them, there was a young couple. The husband was constantly taking care of his wife, pouring tea for her and picking out the meat filling from the buns for her. He was very considerate.
Wei Shuxuan looked at the two of them, and a hint of envy couldn't help but appear in her eyes. She wondered if Xin Zizhao would do these things for her too.
"Miss, Miss…" Wei Wei wanted to ask Wei Shuxuan what she wanted to eat, but she ignored him.