The prince loves me like his life, but I force him to rebel

Sima Yao looked in the direction the guard pointed and indeed found that the footprints were unusual.

Judging from the width, the owner of the footprint was unnaturally thin; the narrow mark showed that the person must have been extremely slender.

However, judging from the depth of the footprints, the owner of the footprints must be very strong or fat to leave such deep footprints.

It is really incredible that these two completely contradictory characteristics appear on the same footprint at the same time. This is obviously unreasonable.

Sima Yao stood there, brows furrowed, lost in deep thought.

His eyes were fixed on the line of footprints, and various possibilities kept flashing through his mind.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and his eyes lit up. "Unless..." He whispered softly, with a hint of sudden realization in his voice.

"This person must be the one who kidnapped Mr. Gu!" Shu Huaiyuan blurted out, and this was exactly what Sima Yao thought.

This discovery caused a complex emotion in everyone's hearts. They were excited about finding possible clues, but also worried about Mr. Gu's safety.

With nervousness and anxiety, everyone followed the direction of the footprints and explored forward carefully.

Their eyes were fixed on the ground, afraid of missing any slightest clue.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, as if the slightest carelessness would completely destroy the clues that were so hard to find.

However, after walking only ten steps, the ground became dry, and the originally clearly visible footprints seemed to have evaporated into thin air and disappeared completely.

This sudden change made everyone feel a little overwhelmed for a moment, and the hope that had just arisen seemed to be poured over their heads like a basin of cold water.

Everyone looked at each other, with disappointment and confusion on their faces.

The clues seemed to be cut off at once, and everyone fell into silence, with a depressing atmosphere in the air.

Some people couldn't help but start talking at once, some sighed in frustration, some stamped their feet anxiously, and some made all kinds of wild guesses.

For a moment, various sounds intertwined together, making the scene seem a little chaotic.

At this moment, Shu Huaiyuan fell into deep thought, and suddenly a person came to his mind.

Cen Yu, the mysterious man with disabled legs.

When the previous explosion occurred, it was this person who found ways to lead Gu Nianzhi to a safe area.

If he was walking with a prosthetic limb, it would explain why the footprint was so thin, after all, the shape of the prosthetic limb is relatively slender.

And if he was the one who kidnapped Gu Nianzhi, it would be enough to explain why the footprints were so deep.

However, the mountains are high and the waters are far away, and Cen Yu is a mysterious person. How can we find his trace?

This is undoubtedly a huge problem. In this vast world, it is not easy to track down a person who deliberately hides his whereabouts.

However, Shu Huaiyuan felt that there was no need to worry too much about Gu Nianzhi's safety. After all, judging from previous situations, Cen Yu did not seem to have any ill will towards Gu Nianzhi.

The most important thing today is the negotiation with Batu tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Shu Huaiyuan, who had been silent all this time, spoke to comfort him: "Your Majesty, I think that this person kidnapped Mr. Gu with no ill intentions."

"No ill intention?" Sima Yao frowned slightly, his deep eyes full of doubt. He really didn't know what basis Shu Huaiyuan had for making this judgment.

At this moment, Sima Yao was filled with worry about Gu Nianzhi's safety, and his thoughts were a tangled mess.

Shu Huaiyuan looked at Sima Yao and explained slowly, "Your Highness, think about it. All the guards around were bewitched. This person was able to enter your tent so easily. This skill is definitely not that of an ordinary person. If he really wanted to harm Mr. Gu, with his ability, what we should see now is his body, not just being abducted. After all, abducting a person is too conspicuous on the road. It is inevitable that he will encounter patrolling soldiers along the way. If he really wanted to kill people, he would not have to ask for trouble and go to such great lengths to abduct people."

Sima Yao listened quietly to Shu Huaiyuan's analysis. His brows were still furrowed, but he began to think about these words in his heart. After a while, he nodded and said, "This sounds reasonable."

Sima Yao felt that what Shu Huaiyuan said was indeed reasonable, and thinking this way, his worries about Gu Nianzhi's life safety were slightly alleviated. However, soon another worry surged into his mind uncontrollably.

Sima Yao's eyes became more serious, and he said worriedly: "Is there a possibility that the other party's target is me, so they took the risk to enter my tent, but after entering, they did not see me, so they kidnapped Nianzhi to threaten me?"

Sima Yao paced back and forth as he spoke, his anxiety clearly evident on his face.

After hearing this, Shu Huaiyuan also fell into deep thought. He seriously thought about the possibility raised by Sima Yao.

After a while, he responded, "Your Highness, I think if this is the case, the robbers should leave a note or other clues to convey their purpose and demands, instead of leaving no information like now, leaving us guessing without any clues. After all, if they want to threaten you, Your Highness, they must let you know their demands. Moreover, after kidnapping Mr. Gu, there have been no other abnormal signs or news along the way, which does not seem to be consistent with using Mr. Gu to threaten you, Your Highness."

Sima Yao stopped and stood there quietly, staring into the distance, as if trying to sort out his confused thoughts.

He had to admit that what Shu Huaiyuan said made sense, but Gu Nianzhi's whereabouts were unknown, which made him unable to truly feel at ease.

"Then what should we do now? We can't find that person's trace, and we can't be sure of Nianzhi's safety. We can't just wait like this." Sima Yao's voice was filled with a hint of anxiety and helplessness.

Shu Huaiyuan looked at Sima Yao with a firm look in his eyes. He said, "Your Highness, we should first prepare for the negotiation with Batu tomorrow. After all, this is of great importance. As for Mr. Gu, we can continue to look for clues while waiting for news. I believe that Mr. Gu will be fine."

Shu Huaiyuan's analysis was very logical. If what he said was true, Gu Nianzhi's life was safe at this moment. However, Sima Yao was worried and confused. The anxiety in his heart was burning like a flame, making him extremely anxious.

"Mobilize the troops and search everywhere. I must find Mr. Gu's whereabouts."

Sima Yao said anxiously, his voice full of determination and unquestionable. At this moment, his mind was full of Gu Nianzhi's safety, and everything else was temporarily thrown behind him.

Such a decision was obviously irrational at this critical juncture of the war. The soldiers looked at each other, and they all showed embarrassment on their faces.

Everyone is well aware of the delicacy and complexity of the situation at the moment. Rashly mobilizing troops to search for Gu Nianzhi is likely to lead to a series of unpredictable consequences.

But faced with Sima Yao's order, they didn't know what to do for a moment.

Finally, it was Shu Huaiyuan who spoke. He took a step forward and said solemnly, "Your Highness, we are also very worried about Mr. Gu's disappearance. I know your friendship for him. But if we search for him now, I am afraid it will make the soldiers panic. After all, we are in an extraordinary period. There are not many troops stationed in the camp now, and the camp is empty. If the enemy launches a sneak attack, we will be in a very dangerous situation. Moreover, we are not sure where the people who kidnapped Mr. Gu took him. Blindly searching may be futile and will waste our manpower and material resources. Your Highness, I hope you can think twice."

Shu Huaiyuan's words were sincere and genuine. He was only concerned about the overall situation and hoped that Sima Yao could calm down and look at the current situation rationally.

After hearing Shu Huaiyuan's words, Sima Yao's body shook slightly, his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes revealed a sense of uneasiness and anger.

He knew that what Shu Huaiyuan said made sense, but when he thought that Gu Nianzhi was somewhere unknown and might be in danger, he couldn't calm down.

"Are we just going to wait like this? Do nothing?" Sima Yao's voice was low and suppressed, his heart was struggling in pain.

"Your Highness, we certainly cannot sit idly by." Shu Huaiyuan said quickly, "We can secretly dispatch some smart and capable soldiers to search quietly without causing too much noise. At the same time, we must strengthen the defense of the camp to ensure that we do not give the enemy an opportunity. In addition, we can also look for clues through other means, such as asking the people around, or checking to see if there are any clues left. This way we can find Mr. Gu without having too much impact on our current situation." Shu Huaiyuan racked his brains to come up with these methods, hoping to satisfy Sima Yao's eagerness while taking into account the overall situation.

Sima Yao was silent for a moment, his mind full of thoughts. He knew that Shu Huaiyuan was right, and at this critical moment, he couldn't make a wrong decision because of a momentary impulse.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Okay, I'll do as you say. But we must find Nianzhi's whereabouts as soon as possible." Sima Yao's voice still contained a hint of anxiety and urgency, but he also understood that acting rationally was the most important thing at this time.

The soldiers were relieved when they heard Sima Yao's decision, and they immediately arranged their deployments according to Shu Huaiyuan's instructions. Sima Yao stood there alone, staring into the distance, silently praying in his heart that Gu Nianzhi would be safe.

He recalled the moments he had spent with Gu Nianzhi, which were so beautiful and precious. He regretted not protecting Gu Nianzhi better and letting him fall into such danger.

Time passed by minute by minute, and Sima Yao was still worried. He paced back and forth in the tent, asking from time to time if there was any new progress. Every time he got a negative answer, he would feel lost and worried. He kept blaming himself in his heart, thinking that if he hadn't been careless, maybe Gu Nianzhi wouldn't have been kidnapped.

The night grew darker and darker, like a thick black curtain, slowly covering the entire world. The endless darkness seemed to carry an invisible pressure, immersing everything in the world in silence.

Gu Nianzhi finished washing up under the careful care of the maids. Her slender figure seemed a little frail under the candlelight.

The maids quietly retreated, leaving Gu Nianzhi lying alone on the bed.

She quietly looked at the thin, misty gauze curtain on the bed, but her thoughts were surging like the tide, even more chaotic than the gauze curtain.

The figure of Cen Yu kept appearing in her mind. For Cen Yu, the supreme throne was undoubtedly his most desired and unyielding goal.

In his heart, the temptation of power far outweighs everything else.

Sima Yao's life or death may not be that important to him. At this moment, his heart and eyes are filled with the throne that symbolizes supreme power.

The main reason why he was determined not to let Sima Yao go was that he had to use Sima Yao's death to make the current emperor relax his vigilance.

Only in this way can he find an opportunity to take advantage of and pave a path for his ambitions and desires.

He knew very well that only by making the emperor believe that the threat had been eliminated would he be able to accumulate strength in secret and wait for the right time to seize power in one fell swoop.

However, it is not an easy task for Cen Yu to seize power from the current emperor.

After all, his actions are bound to be met with a lot of doubts and resistance because his name is not right and his words are not justified.

Once he forcibly seizes the throne, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the court and unrest among the people. At that time, he will face countless challenges and difficulties, and may even trigger a bloody battle.

Gu Nianzhi lay there, thinking over these questions again and again. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her heart was filled with worry and uneasiness.

As he thought about it, Gu Nianzhi seemed to suddenly think of a solution.

Her eyes lit up and an inexplicable excitement surged in her heart.

She sat up from the bed as if being pulled by an invisible force.

She put on her coat quickly, with quick and decisive movements.

She had only one thought in her mind, which was to find Cen Yu as soon as possible and tell him her thoughts.

She knew that time was running out and she could not afford any hesitation or delay.

Gu Nianzhi pushed open the door, and the thick night immediately surrounded her.

"Where is Cen Yu's room?" Gu Nianzhi's voice suddenly sounded in the quiet night, as if breaking the tranquility of the night.

The maid outside the door was squatting by the door, and her consciousness was a little confused due to the sleepiness of the night.

He was startled by the sound of Gu Nianzhi opening the door, and stood up in a daze, with a confused and sleepy look in his eyes.

Hearing Gu Nianzhi's question, the maid was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously pointed to the room that Gu Nianzhi had just walked out of, and said in a voice with a hint of uncertainty and trance, "The room where the girl just slept is the master's room."