Chapter 274
Chapter 274
Xu Heming and Xie Jincheng breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Li Zhiwei and Lady Yao were safe and sound.
The two men did not go over to greet them; instead, they went to find the Grand Princess first.
However, they did not know whether the maid who stole the child was still in the estate.
Qinxin Courtyard
"Greetings, Grand Princess!"
The two bowed to the Grand Princess, who was seated in the position of honor.
"Prince An, I know you are looking for the Heir of Prince An. It's just that I also do not know where he is right now," the Grand Princess said with a headache.
She thought to herself that once she found the mastermind behind this, she would definitely not let them off lightly.
"Grand Princess, my son has already returned to the estate," Xu Heming stated truthfully.
"Returned?" Now it was the Grand Princess's turn to be shocked.
"Then Young Master Xie and the Heir of the Marquis of Yongding have also returned?" The Grand Princess directed this question to Xie Jincheng, who was standing to the side.
"Grand Princess, my son and Young Heir Jiang are both at the Prince An Estate," Xie Jincheng confirmed.
"When did the children go back? Why did no one in the estate see them leave?" A sliver of hope rose in the Grand Princess's heart. Could it be that they saw who took Nuonuo away?
"We don't know the exact time they went back. However, Grand Princess, have you lost an important treasure?" Xu Heming was actually not entirely sure if the child was the Grand Princess Estate's granddaughter.
After all, she was lost a bit too easily.
This inevitably made Xu Heming suspicious.
"My little granddaughter, who is only a month old, was stolen by some unknown thief." As the Grand Princess said this, she angrily slammed her hand on the table beside her.
Ruan Jinge, who was standing beside her, wept sorrowfully.
"Grand Princess, the children secretly followed the person who carried the child away and left the estate. They brought back a little infant. It's just that we are not sure if that child is the estate's pearl," Xu Heming said directly, not beating around the bush with the Grand Princess.
"Really? Nuonuo is at the Prince An Estate?" Lady Ruan, who had been shedding tears just a moment ago, stood up in pleasant surprise and looked at Prince An as she asked.
"There is a little infant in the estate whom the children picked up by the river. But I am not certain if that child is your pearl," Xu Heming explained once more.
"It must be Nuonuo, it must be my Nuonuo." After saying that, Lady Ruan wanted to head out.
"Come back!" The Grand Princess frowned and scolded, "If you go out looking like this, wouldn't you be losing my face as the Grand Princess? Prince An, may I know where the child is?"
The look the Grand Princess gave Xu Heming softened significantly.
If that child was truly her Nuonuo, then she would have to thank the three children.
As for the possibility that the three children stole her granddaughter, it wasn't that she hadn't considered it.
However, she still didn't believe that three young children could take the baby away without making a sound.
"Yunshu, take Jinge to the Prince An Estate to see if it is Nuonuo," the Grand Princess instructed her youngest son standing nearby.
"Mother, I understand." Gu Yunshu was also overjoyed in his heart.
His daughter was found.
"As for other matters, let us talk about them after you have seen the child," Xu Heming said as he looked at the Grand Princess.
"Right! Right! Right!" The Grand Princess also hoped in her heart that the child would be her Nuonuo.
He Yushan, who was off to the side, did not expect the child to be found so quickly. She felt a bit of regret in her heart; it would have been better if the child hadn't been found. However, she didn't dare to show even the slightest hint of such thoughts.
"Prince An, Lord Xie, I presume you haven't told Miss Li and Lady Xie that the Heir of Prince An and Young Master Xie have already returned to the estate? Why don't you go and tell them the news first, so as to save them from worrying?" The Grand Princess, thinking that the children had saved her granddaughter, felt she should return the favor.
Besides, Li Zhiwei and Lady Xie had indeed been looking for the children earlier.
"Then thank you for your kindness, Grand Princess. Please excuse us." Hearing that Li Zhiwei would be worried, Xu Heming immediately went out, and Xie Jincheng hurriedly followed.
"Princess, do you think it could be the Heir of Prince An and the others who stole the Little Miss?" Nanny Qi asked in a low voice only after Prince An and Xie Jincheng had left.
"The Heir of Prince An and his companions are just children. Even if they wanted to take the child away, they wouldn't be able to send away all the servants in the estate. The culprit is someone else." The Grand Princess still firmly believed in her own judgment. The mastermind behind this was either someone from within the estate or someone who had an inside accomplice.
"You are still the most thoughtful, Princess." Hearing the Grand Princess's words, Nanny Qi felt they made perfect sense.
"Alright, let them all leave." The Grand Princess rubbed her forehead. She was referring to the female guests outside.
After all, keeping them in the estate indefinitely was not a solution.
It would only cause the Emperor to worry later on.
Although the Emperor would understand her, she didn't want to cause trouble for him.
"But, Princess, what if that child isn't the Little Miss..." Nanny Qi said with a worried look.
If the child at the Prince An Estate wasn't the Little Miss, it meant the culprit was still among these people.
"Just don't let them take out any large items, right? A child can't just be stuffed into a pocket." The Grand Princess also felt that she had let her concern cloud her judgment earlier.
Gu Yunshu brought Ruan Jinge to the Prince An Estate. First, they respectfully knelt and performed a grand bow to the Old Princess Consort.
"Oh my, what are you two doing? Hurry and get up." The Old Princess Consort quickly tried to help them up.
"Old Princess Consort, thank you for saving Nuonuo," Ruan Jinge said with red eyes.
"You two, don't thank me yet. Take a look first, is this your child?" The Old Princess Consort hurriedly had Nanny Luo bring the child over for Ruan Jinge to see.
"It is my Nuonuo." Ruan Jinge specifically checked the birthmark on the baby's back before saying with absolute certainty.
"It's good that she is. This incident was a false alarm. From now on, you must not leave the child unattended." The Old Princess Consort also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She had thought, how could anyone bear to throw away such a beautiful little baby?
Xu Qingshi had been keeping his lips pursed tightly, standing not far away, watching Gu Nuonuo being held in the arms of her parents.
At this moment, Xu Qingshi wondered in his heart: was she going back now?
"Auntie?" Xu Qingshi couldn't help but step forward, looking at Ruan Jinge.
"Young Heir, thank you all so much for today." Ruan Jinge was deeply grateful to Xu Qingshi and the others for saving her daughter.
If they hadn't secretly followed, Ruan Jinge didn't dare to imagine what kind of cruel torture Nuonuo would have faced.
"I don't want you to thank me. Can I raise her in the Prince An Estate?" Xu Qingshi asked, looking at Ruan Jinge with a face full of hope.
Even though Ruan Jinge had originally planned to agree to whatever Xu Qingshi asked, she was now left speechless.
Her daughter—how could she bear to give her away?