On Chinese New Year's Eve, other people's homes are full of firecrackers, and the back garden of the mighty Houfu is full of people.

Wei Yao called the people of the hundred and tenth people in the house, held the torches high, and came to the back garden. There was a huge search.

Two hours passed, and the sky was white, and Wei Yao, who had found nothing, returned to the Warm Pavilion of the Flower Hall in frustration.

"How's it going?"

The eldest princess, who had not slept all night, closed her eyes and asked tiredly while lying on the kang.

"Back to my mother, I didn't find it." Wei Yao's eyes were also bloodshot and his expression was depressed.

The eldest princess opened her eyes and glanced at him: "All the courtyard gates don't see her go out, and people should still be in the mansion." Search, make sure to find her for me. It doesn't matter what she looks like, the two children can't be fine. ”

"Yes."

Wei Yao promised and was about to go out, but Wei Huai'an stopped him.

"Daddy, there's something my son feels very strange. A pregnant woman, still holding a one-year-old child, hid outside for a few hours in the cold, unlikely. Even if she doesn't think about herself, she should think about her second brother and the child in her belly. The son suspects that the aunt is afraid that she is no longer in the house,"

"But several porters have asked, but no one has seen her go out."

"Last night was Chinese New Year's Eve, and there was a vigil throughout the house. It is not impossible for the subordinates to drink a few more glasses and derelict their duties. Daddy was busy all night, so he rested here for a while, and his son took someone to check. ”

"Huai'an, you're just getting better......"

The eldest princess felt sorry for Wei Huai'an's body that had just been on hunger strike for a few days, and didn't want to let him go.

Wei Huaian smiled at the eldest princess: "Grandmother, don't worry, I will sit in a soft sedan chair, and it won't take much effort." ”

After Wei Huai'an finished speaking, he pulled through the big curtain and walked out of the door quickly.

Sitting on a soft chair and taking a few nursing homes, Wei Huai'an checked and interrogated one courtyard door to another, and when he arrived at the west corner gate, he saw the gatekeeper staggering out in a daze.

Wei Huai'an frowned slightly, and asked someone to put him down. Walking to the concierge, Wei Huai'an asked:

"Can anyone go out from here from the time of the child to the time of the day?"

The porter had already dealt with a cross-examination before, and looking at Shizi, he replied with a grin:

"No, the minion has not slept in the house all the time, and the minion swears that no one will go out from here."

Wei Huai'an asked people to come to the door with lanterns, looked up and down carefully, and suddenly became angry.

"Why isn't this door locked?"

When the porter heard this, he woke up three points of drunkenness.

"No, every night the minions close and lock the door on time, it's impossible to forget."

"See for yourself." Wei Huai'an's voice was full of emotion.

The porter hurriedly came to the door, and when he saw that he was not tight, his legs were weak, and he collapsed directly on the ground.

"Come on, lock him up, and let the Hou Ye drop him afterwards."

Wei Huai'an took people to several other places, and the far doors were locked.

Back in the warm pavilion, Wei Huai'an returned to Wei Yao: "I have checked all the courtyard doors in the house, only the west corner door is open." So, I'm sure that Aunt Hua escaped from the West Corner Gate. ”

"West Corner Gate, I asked just now...... I'm going to have to twist his head. ”

Wei Yao's face turned red with anger, and he couldn't wait to cut the porter alive immediately. The eldest princess was very surprised by the results found out by Wei Huai'an, and she meditated for a moment and ordered:

"Report to the police. said that the new nurse in the house secretly took it away for the second son. A few pieces of jewelry and barley were also stolen. ”

The ugliness of the family should not be publicized, saying that the concubine of Houfu stole her own son, and the eldest princess could not afford to lose it.

"Yes. Son, let people go. Wei Yao walked away in chagrin.

Hua Xiangjun is gone, he is not a pity. A concubine can be bought for a few taels of silver. He regretted the second son and the child in her belly. Those two are the descendants of his Houfu, and they are not allowed and cannot be left out.

Early in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lord Jingzhao Yin Hu, who had just been lying down, received a report: the second son of the mighty Houfu was missing.

The elder of the mighty mansion was the eldest princess respected by the emperor, and Lord Hu immediately paid attention to it.

In order to prevent Hua Xiangjun from escaping from the capital, a quarter of an hour before the city gate was opened, all the gates in the capital received portraits of the second prince of the mighty Houfu and Hua Xiangjun. As long as there are women with children, they will be strictly investigated and interrogated.

Not only that, but Lord Hu also ordered a search of all the inns in the capital. The mighty candidate even offered a reward of two thousand taels of silver, which was the driving force.

The second son disappeared, and Wei Huai'an's proposal to Su Muling was also delayed. Although Wei Huai'an was also in a hurry, it was not good to urge the eldest princess to do it at this time.

He wrote a letter to Su Muling, explaining the reason why he couldn't come to the door as promised.

The letter arrived in Matsue three days later. Xichun and Pomegranate took the letter and didn't know what to do.

Su Muling had been robbed for a few days at this time. Wuying and "Xing Zhutou" were chasing along the road with Su Haoran. At this time, there was already an epidemic in Songjiang and several nearby towns. Tell Wei Huai'an about this, and he will definitely risk his life to go.

Xichun discussed with Pomegranate and decided to hide the matter. They took Su Muling's previous handwriting to the street, found a person who wrote the letter on his behalf, copied Su Muling's handwriting, wrote a reply to Wei Huai'an, and sent it back to the capital.

The letter comforted Wei Huai'an, there was no urgency in this matter, and let him accompany the eldest princess at home.

Wei Huai'an received Su Muling's letter, and this heart that had nowhere to put it could be considered to be temporarily grounded.

A few more days have passed, and Hua Xiangjun still has no news. The eldest princess asked Wei Yao to urge the government to strengthen the search, and at the same time started to discuss Wei Huai'an's marriage in the mansion.

It is reasonable to propose that there is no need to prepare any gifts, as long as the matchmaker comes to the door. But Weiwu Houfu is not ordinary from ordinary people, when the family is the eldest princess, it is the only baby bump in Weiwu Houfu who wants to get married. Nature should be different from ordinary people.

The eldest princess took some thought to prepare a gift, and waited for the next day to leave for Songjiang.

But on this day, Wei Yao returned from the dynasty and brought home bad news.

“…… Songjiang Prefecture and the nearby towns of Lu County, Jinrong and Huaxi have had an epidemic. The emperor has sent Zuo Shuochen to take the imperial doctor to check the disaster. I'm afraid this time it's more dangerous than the one in Bingzhou. ”

"Matsue?" As soon as Wei Huai'an stepped into the threshold with one foot, he heard Wei Yao's words.

"Daddy? It's true? ”

Wei Yao nodded, looking at him with regret: "Now that the epidemic is in charge, it seems that your family affairs will be put on hold for the time being." ”

"Grandmother, I'm going to Songjiang."

Wei Huai'an's face was covered with gloom. He knew that as long as the news reached the capital, it would not take a few days for the epidemic to be sealed, and he was afraid that he would not be able to enter it if he wanted to.

"You don't want to die? It's an epidemic. It is even more dangerous than that time in Bingzhou, at this time everyone wants to run out, how can anyone go in without dying. ”

Wei Yao's son has not been heard from, and he can't let this only son-in-law take any more risks.

"Yes, Huai'an, obedient. A few days ago, there was an accident at home that delayed the proposal of relatives, and now this kind of thing has happened in Songjiang, it seems that God left you to let you stay in the capital for a few days. As for the proposal...... It depends. ”

The eldest princess also did not agree with Wei Huai'an to go to Songjiang at this time.

Wei Huai'an stopped saying a word and silently returned to his room.

That night, Wei Huai'an left a letter and braved the wind and snow to leave the capital with Chen Sheng and Su Han and go straight to Songjiang.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier, and there are few pedestrians along the way. When Wei Huai'an traveled to the area of Ju County, he was stopped by several officers and soldiers.

"There is a collapse ahead, and the road is impassable. Let's go back. An officer and soldier persuaded.

"How long will it take for this road to be repaired?" Chen Sheng asked.

"It's repairing in front of this, and the snow keeps falling, and it won't be able to pass for ten or eight days."

The officers and soldiers looked at the goose feathers flying in the sky and rubbed their frozen hands.

"Shizi, I can't get through it in ten days or eight days, or let's go back."

Chen Sheng ran back and said to Wei Huai'an, who was looking out of the window.

"So long?" Wei Huai'an thought for a moment and then said, "Go to the town and find a place to live first." "Wait until the road is open.

Chen Sheng jumped on the frame. Su Han waved his horsewhip and went all the way to Ju County.

Wei Huai'an lived in Ju County for another ten days, and when he finally got to Songjiang, Songjiang Mansion had been closed.

Wei Huai'an asked people to negotiate with the officers and soldiers guarding the city with the sign of the mighty Houfu, but it was not easy.

The officers and men told them very conscientiously and responsibly: "We are sealing the city by order, and those inside cannot leave without an order, and those outside cannot enter without an order." If you are allowed to go in and be infected with the epidemic, I will not be able to bear this responsibility. ”

"What you said is true, but our son promises that no matter what happens inside, it has nothing to do with you. Please make it easier for you. ”

Chen Sheng said and took the hands of the officers and soldiers guarding the city, and put the heavy fifty taels of silver into his palm.

"Look...... It's not that I won't let you in, the epidemic in Songjiang is not optimistic, I'm afraid that it will be easy for you to go in and difficult to get out! ”

"Don't worry, we won't think about coming out when we go in."

"That'...... Since it was sent by the Mighty Houfu to inspect, let's come in. ”

The officers and men shrank their hands, and the silver fell into their sleeves.

Chen Sheng hugged his fists and thanked him, ran back a few steps, jumped into the carriage, and went straight to Su's house in the east of the city.

Along the way, all kinds of shops were closed, the streets were empty, and the whole Songjiang seemed to be a dead city.

Stepping on the thick snow, Wei Huaian and his entourage came to the door of the Su family.

Chen Sheng stepped forward and called the door for a long time, but no one answered.

Wei Huai'an glanced at him, Chen Sheng understood, saw that there was no one around, and took off and climbed over the wall.

"You? How did you get in? The butler was stunned.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, several courtyards of the Su family are not allowed to let people in without his order.

Just now, someone knocked on the door outside, and Yang Lin, the porter, hurriedly called the housekeeper to come over, and before he reached the door, he took a look at Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng smiled: "The prince is back, just outside." ”

Is the prince back? At a time when outsiders can't avoid it?

"Open the door."

The housekeeper hurriedly ordered the porter Yang Lin to open the door.

Welcoming Wei Huaian in, the housekeeper was a little excited.

"Why did the prince come here at this time? Matsue is dangerous right now. A lot of people can't get out of the city, and you still ......."

"It is precisely because of the danger that I want to be with Ling'er. What about Ling'er? Is she okay? ”

Wei Huai'an said and strode towards Su Muling's courtyard.

The housekeeper followed behind him and hurriedly replied: "It's unfortunate that the prince is here, the young lady and the master are not at home. ”

"Not at home? Where did it go? Wei Huai'an stopped and looked at the housekeeper in surprise.

"Miss was robbed a few years ago, and the city was sealed after the master took someone to rescue her, so the master and the young lady were isolated in Zhuangzi outside the city."