Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

The night was thick and dark, pressing heavily on every inch of the Forbidden City. Inside the Shufangzhai, the air seemed filled with tension and anxiety, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. Little Swallow paced back and forth in the room, her footsteps hurried and heavy, each step seeming to pound on everyone's hearts. Liu Hong's face was streaked with tears, her head bowed, filled with self-reproach. Xiao Zhuozi, Mingyue, and Caixia huddled in a corner, barely daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the doorway, as if Little Swallow would appear skipping and hopping at any moment.

"Liu Hong, think about it again. Are there really no other clues at all?" Xiao Yanzi stopped and stared intently at Liu Hong, her voice trembling with urgency.

Liu Hong raised her head, tears welling up in her eyes, and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, this servant really can't remember! It's all my fault. If I had been more careful, the princess wouldn't have been captured!"

Little Swallow rushed forward, helped Liu Hong up, and held her hands tightly: "Liu Hong, now is not the time to blame yourself! We must find the princess as soon as possible!"

Just then, hurried footsteps approached from afar, and Hongli and Erkang strode into Shufangzhai. Hongli's face was terribly gloomy, and fine beads of sweat clung to his forehead, clearly indicating that he had rushed here.

"Your Majesty, have you found the princess?" Xiao Yanzi turned around abruptly, a glimmer of hope igniting in her eyes. But seeing the empty space behind Hongli, that hope vanished instantly, leaving only endless worry.

Hongli shook his head, his voice low and hoarse: "Not yet. However, we found this jade pendant on the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden, and it looks like it belongs to the princess." As he spoke, he opened his palm, and a lustrous jade pendant lay quietly in his hand, the very one that Little Swallow usually wore.

Little Swallow snatched the jade pendant, clutching it tightly in her hand, her voice trembling with tears: "This is Princess's jade pendant! Where on earth was she taken? What do those bad people want?"

Erkang stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, judging from the traces at the scene, there were at least two people involved, and they were quite skilled. They deliberately left the jade pendant, seemingly as a provocation against us."

"Provocation? How dare you!" A cold glint flashed in Hongli's eyes, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I want to see who is so bold as to kidnap the princess right under my nose! Is there any news from Fu Lun?"

Erkang frowned slightly and replied, "Lord Fulun has questioned all the eunuchs and maids, but no one saw the princess being taken away. However, he found some footprints near a secluded palace wall, suggesting that someone climbed over the wall from there."

"Send men to investigate immediately! Turn over every inch of land in that area!" Hongli ordered sternly, his voice echoing throughout the Shufangzhai, filled with unquestionable authority.

"Yes!" Er Kang accepted the order and turned to leave in a hurry.

Little Swallow was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth in the room, muttering to herself, "Where is Princess? Is she in danger? No, I can't just wait here like this!" With that, she turned to leave.

Hongli grabbed her arm: "Empress, you've just been attacked and haven't recovered yet. Where can you go? Stay here and wait for news!"

Little Swallow shook off his hand and shouted emotionally, "How can I stay here and wait? Princess is like my own daughter, how can I be at ease? I must go find her!"

Hongli looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache and helplessness: "If you go out now, you will only put yourself in danger and disrupt my plans! Trust me, I will definitely find the princess!"

The two were locked in a stalemate when Consort Ling rushed in. As soon as she entered, she saw the heavy atmosphere in the room and her heart tightened: "Your Majesty, Empress, have you found the Princess?"

When Xiao Yanzi saw Consort Ling, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes: "Consort Ling, you've come. Do you have any ideas? Where should we go to find the Princess?"

Consort Ling walked to Xiao Yanzi's side, gently took her hand, and comforted her, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. I heard that footprints were found near the palace wall. Perhaps the princess was taken out of the palace. We can send people to search all over the capital, post notices, and mobilize the people to help search."

Hongli nodded slightly: "What Consort Ling said makes sense. Send someone to do it immediately, and make sure to find the princess as soon as possible!"

Just as everyone was discussing the matter, Lin Yuhang rushed over. As soon as he entered, he knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I heard that the princess has gone missing, so I have come to offer my assistance!"

When Xiao Yanzi saw Lin Yuhang, a warm feeling welled up in her heart: "Brother, you're here. That's great, we didn't know what to do."

Lin Yuhang stood up, his gaze resolute: "Don't worry, little sister, no matter what, I will help you find the princess!"

Hongli looked at Lin Yuhang and said, "Lin Yuhang, you've come at the right time. I order you to lead a group of guards to search every street and alley of the capital thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Lin Yuhang accepted the order and quickly turned to leave.

Time ticked by, each second feeling like torture. Little Swallow sat in her chair, clutching her jade pendant tightly, her eyes fixed on the doorway, hoping someone would bring good news.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps finally sounded outside. Little Swallow jumped up and rushed out the door, only to see Erkang returning looking exhausted, with no sign of her behind him.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the footprints found near the palace wall led to an abandoned mansion, but it's deserted and no clues have been left behind," Er Kang said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"What? The trail has gone cold again?" Xiao Yanzi felt a wave of dizziness and almost fell. Hongli quickly stepped forward to support her.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we must have other ways," Hongli said softly, but a hint of anxiety was also in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Little Swallow gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment. "There must be something we haven't noticed, there must be some clues!"

Just then, Xiao Dengzi rushed in, panicking: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, something terrible has happened! A man claiming to know the whereabouts of the Princess is requesting an audience outside the palace gates!"

"What? Bring him in quickly!" Hongli and Xiaoyanzi shouted at the same time.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in tattered clothes was brought in. Upon seeing Hongli and Xiaoyanzi, he immediately knelt on the ground with a thud: "This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress!"

"You say you know where the princess is? Tell me quickly, where is the princess?" Little Swallow asked anxiously.

The middle-aged man raised his head, a sly glint in his eyes: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, this humble subject does indeed know the princess's whereabouts. However..."

"But what? Speak quickly!" Hongli interrupted him impatiently.

The middle-aged man swallowed hard: "However, I need some reward before I will reveal the princess's hiding place."

"How dare you!" Hongli roared. "You dare to bargain in front of me? Believe me, I'll chop off your head right now!"

The middle-aged man trembled with fear: "Your Majesty, spare my life! This humble subject is simply poor and has no other choice..."

Little Swallow was extremely anxious and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. As long as he really knows the princess's whereabouts, what's wrong with rewarding him?"

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi and nodded helplessly: "Alright, as long as you tell me where the princess is, I will reward you handsomely! If you dare to play tricks, I will not let you off easily!"

The middle-aged man quickly kowtowed: "This humble subject dares not! The princess is hidden in a dilapidated temple outside the city. It is a remote place surrounded by woods, making it difficult to find her."

"A dilapidated temple outside the city?" Hongli frowned. "Are you sure?"

"This humble subject is certain! I happened to be passing by when I heard a child crying inside. Out of curiosity, I peeked out and found a little princess tied up inside," the middle-aged man quickly explained.

"Immediately send men to search the dilapidated temple outside the city!" Hongli ordered.

"Your Majesty, I'm going too!" Little Swallow said firmly.

Hongli looked at her, intending to refuse, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he finally nodded: "Alright, but you must be careful."

The group quickly prepared and, with their guards, hurried towards the dilapidated temple outside the city. Along the way, Little Swallow was extremely anxious, constantly urging the group to speed up.

Finally, they arrived at the dilapidated temple. The temple was surrounded by overgrown weeds and looked utterly desolate. Hongli waved his hand, and the guards immediately surrounded the temple.

"Princess! Princess!" Little Swallow called out as she rushed into the dilapidated temple.

The dilapidated temple was dark and damp, filled with a putrid smell. Little Swallow searched everywhere, but couldn't find Little Swallow anywhere.

"Where is she? Where is Princess?" Little Swallow turned around angrily and looked at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was pale and stammered, "I...I clearly saw Princess here, how could she be gone?"

"You dare to lie to me!" Hongli was furious. He drew his sword and held it to the middle-aged man's neck. "Tell me, where is the princess?"

The middle-aged man collapsed to the ground in terror: "Your Majesty, spare me! This humble subject really saw the princess here, I don't know why she disappeared..."

Little Swallow was extremely anxious and searched everywhere in the dilapidated temple. Suddenly, she found a small piece of cloth on the ground, which was from Little Swallow's clothes.

"Your Majesty, look! This is a piece of cloth from the princess's clothes!" Little Swallow exclaimed hurriedly.

Hongli took the piece of cloth and examined it carefully: "It seems that the princess really was brought here. They must have realized we were coming, so they moved the princess."

"These despicable guys! What are they trying to do?" Little Swallow gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger.

Just then, a guard rushed in: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, some new footprints have been found behind the ruined temple, and they seem to be heading west."

"Chase!" Hongli gave the order, and everyone immediately followed the direction of the footprints.

They weaved through the woods, and darkness gradually fell. Little Swallow was anxious and quickened her pace. Suddenly, she tripped over a branch and fell to the ground.

"Empress!" Hongli quickly stepped forward to help her up.

"I'm fine, keep chasing!" Little Swallow struggled to her feet and continued chasing forward.

Finally, before it got completely dark, they arrived at an abandoned manor. The manor gates were tightly shut, and the surroundings were deathly silent.

"Could Princess be inside?" Little Swallow whispered.

Hongli nodded: "Very likely. Everyone, proceed with caution and surround the manor!"

The guards quickly surrounded the manor. Hongli and Xiaoyanzi led the way into the manor. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the houses were dilapidated, looking like they had been abandoned for a long time.

"Princess! Princess!" Little Swallow called softly, her voice echoing in the quiet courtyard.

Suddenly, a slight noise came from a room. Xiao Yanzi and Hongli exchanged a glance and quietly approached the room.

They gently pushed open the door, and a strong smell of medicine filled the room. In the dim light, they saw Little Swallow lying on the bed, her eyes closed and her face pale.

"Princess!" Little Swallow exclaimed and rushed over.

Just then, several men in black suddenly rushed out of the house, wielding sharp blades, and pounced on them. Hongli quickly drew his sword and engaged the men in black in combat.

"Protect the Empress and the Princess!" Hongli shouted as he fought the men in black.

The guards rushed in and engaged the men in black in a fierce battle. Little Swallow, disregarding the danger, rushed to Little Swallow's side and hugged her tightly, crying, "Princess, wake up, wake up!"

Little Swallow slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Little Swallow, a tear welled up in her eyes: "Empress Mother, I'm so scared..."

"Don't be afraid, Princess, Your Majesty is here. She won't let anything happen to you again!" Little Swallow hugged Little Swallow tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

With the guards' efforts, the men in black gradually lost their hold and fled. Hongli breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Xiao Yanzi and Xiao Xiao Yanzi were safe and sound.

"Your Majesty, the princess is alright, she was just drugged," Xiao Yanzi said, looking up at Hongli.

Hongli walked to the bedside, looking at Little Swallow with heartache in his eyes: "It's good that you're alright. Return to the palace immediately and summon the imperial physician!"

The group quickly returned to the palace. Along the way, Little Swallow held her little daughter tightly, afraid that she might suffer any further harm.

Upon returning to the palace, the imperial physician immediately treated Little Swallow. Fortunately, it was just some sleeping potion, and she was fine. Little Swallow stayed by her bedside until Little Swallow fell into a deep sleep before she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, we owe you so much this time. Otherwise, we don't know what would have happened to the princess." Xiao Yanzi looked at Hongli with gratitude in her eyes.

Hongli gently held her hand: "We are husband and wife, why say such things? As long as you are safe and sound, that's all that matters."

"Who are those bad guys? Why did they kidnap the princess?" Little Swallow frowned, looking puzzled.

Hongli pondered for a moment: "I've been thinking about this too. This matter is too strange; there must be some conspiracy behind it."

"No matter who they are, I will not let them get away with it!" Little Swallow gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes.

"Rest assured, I will investigate this thoroughly and give you and the princess an explanation!" A cold glint flashed in Hongli's eyes.

Night had fallen, and the entire palace was shrouded in silence. But Xiao Yanzi and Hongli knew that this was merely the calm before the storm; the real crisis might be yet to come…

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.