Chapter 330
Chapter 330
"Then I shall thank Her Majesty the Empress. I hope Her Majesty will forgive me, but a situation has arisen in my estate. I will enter the palace to express my gratitude to Her Majesty on another day," Li Zhiwei said with a smile.
"May I ask what has happened in your estate? Do you need any help?" Upon hearing that something had happened to the Li family, Eunuch Li quickly asked.
"Thank you, Eunuch Li. If there is a need, I will definitely ask Her Majesty for help. However, my father and Prince An's Heir are currently missing, and I am in a hurry to go to Prince An's Manor to inquire about the situation." Li Zhiwei did not hide anything and spoke frankly.
"Then this old servant will not disturb Miss Li anymore." Hearing this, Eunuch Li was startled. He hadn't expected that Li Tianyou would also go missing.
And taking Prince An's Heir with him?
With such a thing happening, Li Zhiwei had no mood to say more to him, which was perfectly understandable.
Li Zhiwei hurriedly went to Prince An's Manor. Xu Heming was not surprised to see her, but he had dark circles under his eyes, clearly showing he hadn't rested well.
"You're here." Seeing Li Zhiwei arrive, Xu Heming felt a bit uneasy.
After all, a whole night had passed, and his men still hadn't brought back any news.
"Your Highness, why don't you rest for a while?" Li Zhiwei asked worriedly upon seeing Xu Heming.
"I'm fine. Don't worry, I will definitely find my father-in-law and bring him back," Xu Heming looked at Li Zhiwei and promised.
"I believe you, Your Highness," Li Zhiwei said earnestly, looking at Xu Heming.
She was also quite worried; after all, a night had passed, and there was still no news of Li Tianyou and Xu Qingshi.
However, she had to admit that at a time like this, no news was the best news.
"Your Highness, I'll go see The Old Princess first." Li Zhiwei thought about it. Since she had come to Prince An's Manor, it was only right and proper for her to go and pay her respects to The Old Princess.
"Go ahead, but don't tell her about Qingshi going missing," Xu Heming quickly added, worried that Li Zhiwei might let it slip.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I understand." Li Zhiwei hadn't planned to mention it to The Old Princess anyway.
However, now that Xu Heming had reminded her, she knew that this matter was being kept a secret from The Old Princess.
"Go on!" Xu Heming sighed, thinking that with Li Zhiwei's company, The Old Princess's mood might improve a bit.
Yet, concerning his son's whereabouts, Xu Heming's brows remained tightly furrowed.
He felt a pang of regret in his heart. If he had known, should he have tied the boy to his belt?
At Ci'an Hall, The Old Princess was overjoyed to see Li Zhiwei arrive.
"Zhiwei is here?"
"Greetings to The Old Princess, wishing you boundless blessings." Li Zhiwei obediently bowed to The Old Princess.
"You child, there's no need for so many formalities in the manor." Seeing Li Zhiwei, The Old Princess's mood improved significantly.
She also felt a bit of regret in her heart. Why hadn't she given birth to a daughter back then?
Realizing she wasn't destined to have a daughter, she wondered if she was destined to hold a granddaughter anytime soon.
"How have you been feeling these past two days, Old Princess?" Li Zhiwei smiled and asked.
"Alas, this old woman is useless now." The Old Princess thought about how her failing health was due to her own poor judgment of character.
She felt a bitter taste in her heart.
"What are you saying, Old Princess? You must get well soon. His Highness and the Princess Consort's grand wedding will still need you to manage it," Nanny Luo, who was standing to the side, quickly consoled.
"You must get well soon, Old Princess," Li Zhiwei echoed gently.
As for the subtle hints pushing for marriage in The Old Princess and Nanny Luo's words, Li Zhiwei made no response.
Seeing Li Zhiwei's expression, The Old Princess's heart sank to the bottom. It seemed the girl really didn't want to marry her blockhead of a son. Otherwise, having been engaged for so long and being of suitable ages, why had they delayed setting a wedding date?
Thinking of this, The Old Princess felt annoyed at her son for being so disappointing.
"Sigh, Qingshi has been nowhere to be seen lately. His father is also unreliable. With my health like this, I can't do much either." Thinking of her only little grandson, The Old Princess felt distressed again.
Xu Qingshi was always missing, which made The Old Princess feel even worse.
She couldn't see her son, and she couldn't see her grandson.
"Old Princess, Qingshi is at a playful age right now. Perhaps something has caught his attention. He will surely come looking for you later." Li Zhiwei was momentarily stunned. If one didn't know better, they might think The Old Princess had discovered something and was deliberately trying to trick her into confessing.
However, Li Zhiwei quickly found an excuse to smooth things over.
Otherwise, she was worried that The Old Princess wouldn't be able to handle the news of Xu Qingshi's repeated disappearances.
"I think they just despise me for being old. One by one, none of them want to pay attention to this old woman anymore," The Old Princess said, still looking a bit displeased.
"Old Princess, it's not like that. Qingshi loves you, his grandmother, the most," Li Zhiwei quickly comforted her.
In her heart, she also hoped that Xu Qingshi and her father could be found soon.
The current events had long deviated from the trajectory of her previous life. She had no idea who had abducted her father and Xu Qingshi.
Even though she was someone who had been reborn, she still had no way to save her father and Xu Qingshi.
"You are a good child. Qingshi is also a child with a bitter fate, ending up with a father like that. In the future, I will leave Qingshi in your hands," The Old Princess said, patting Li Zhiwei's hand.
This startled Li Zhiwei. Why did she feel like she was being entrusted with a heavy responsibility by The Old Princess?
Also, did The Old Princess know something?
Or was she deliberately saying this to push for the marriage?
"Old Princess, I am still young and don't understand many things. Qingshi and I still have a lot to learn and need your guidance," Li Zhiwei said, feigning a bit of embarrassment.
"Old Princess, when the Princess Consort enters the manor in the future, won't she need your frequent guidance?" Nanny Luo chimed in with a smile.
On the outskirts of the city
Hearing the sound of people talking outside, Li Tianyou quickly opened his eyes.
It seemed that someone had indeed intentionally captured them.
"Go and see if they're awake yet," Zhou Zuo said to a servant beside him.
He thought to himself that he would take that brat to see the prince later.
Hearing this, Li Tianyou was startled. He wanted to continue pretending to be asleep, but he was worried about Xu Qingshi.
Li Tianyou gently nudged Xu Qingshi. "Qingshi, wake up. Someone is coming."
"Mmm?" Although Xu Qingshi had been held by Li Tianyou while sleeping the whole night, he still felt uncomfortable. After all, growing up, he had never suffered such hardship.
"Shh, don't speak. Someone is coming outside. Let's pretend to be asleep for now. Be careful," Li Tianyou quickly covered Xu Qingshi's mouth and whispered.
At this moment, he couldn't afford to worry about whether Xu Qingshi could understand his words.
Or whether Xu Qingshi would be afraid knowing there were people outside.