After I transmigrated, the cold king clung to me every day.

Chapter 284 Mother and son connect with each other

Upon seeing this, Lin Qianqian quickly stepped forward, cupped her hands in a respectful bow, her posture elegant and her expression sincere, a gentle smile on her face, and slowly said, "Madam, my surname is Lin, and my given name is Qian. This is my pageboy, Xiaochongzi. I am truly sorry to have disturbed you and the young lady. There is a reason for my visit."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness and determination flashing in her eyes.

“My parents have arranged a marriage for me without my consent, but I already have a beloved woman in my heart. We are deeply in love and wish to spend our lives together, but I cannot disobey my parents’ wishes. I am unwilling to go against my own heart, nor do I want to delay that girl's life. After much deliberation, I have no choice but to elope and come out to find my beloved. I have been traveling all this way, enduring wind and rain, and now I have nowhere to go. Fortunately, Miss Li is kind-hearted and has shamelessly followed me. I hope you can take us in for the night, and we will leave tomorrow without disturbing you any further.”

Xiaodie listened from the side, secretly thinking that the reason was a bit absurd, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

But she reacted quickly and immediately realized something was wrong. She nodded hurriedly, pretending to be serious, and chimed in, "Yes, yes, my young master has been frowning over this matter the whole way. Please, madam, have mercy."

Upon hearing the words "elopement," Sun Lan's eyes flashed with surprise. She then frowned slightly, scrutinizing Lin Qianqian from head to toe with a look of scrutiny and suspicion, as if trying to see through her. She repeated, "Elopement?"

Li Yue's eyes were filled with curiosity and admiration, and her gaze softened as she looked at Lin Qianqian. She said sincerely, "Young Master, I never imagined... you were such a devoted person..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianqian blushed slightly, looking somewhat shy, but her eyes revealed a hint of relief. She lowered her head gently and said humbly, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss. I just didn't want to betray your sincerity."

Seeing this, Li Yue quickly tugged at Sun Lan's sleeve, her face full of pleading, and said in a coquettish tone, "Mom~ He's so pitiful, let's take them in for one night. It's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks, we can't just watch them wander the streets."

Sun Lan sighed, shook her head helplessly, and although there was still some hesitation in her eyes, she finally compromised: "Alright, please come in, you two!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianqian and Xiaodie exchanged glances, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, as if they couldn't believe they had received such a smooth agreement.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Qianqian stepped forward with a grateful expression, cupped her hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Auntie, Miss Li, I am deeply grateful and will never forget your help. I will repay you with all my might if you ever need my assistance in the future."

Xiaodie nodded vigorously, echoing, "Yes, yes, thank you, auntie, thank you, young lady!"

Li Yue's face beamed with a warm smile, her eyes crinkling into crescents. She stepped aside and gestured for them to come in, saying cheerfully, "Come in, don't be shy! Although my home is simple, it'll make sure you have a comfortable night's rest." With that, she led Lin Qianqian and Xiao Die into the house.

Inside the Ninth Prince's mansion, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the calm before a storm. In the luxurious hall, Murong Yi sat upright in the main seat, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

When he learned that Lin Qianqian had run away, a fierce glint flashed in his already deep eyes. Then, with a loud "bang," he stood up abruptly and slammed his hand on the table in front of him in a fit of rage. The teacups on the table jumped up and made a crisp clinking sound.

"Hmph! What were you thinking? How could you let him get away!" Murong Yi's voice seemed to be wrapped in frost, cold and full of intimidation, and it slammed straight down on the two guards kneeling on the ground.

These two guards were incredibly unlucky; their outer garments had already been stripped off, leaving them shirtless, and they were shivering in the slightly chilly room.

At that moment, they lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly from fear and cold.

One of the slightly bolder ones mustered his courage and raised his head, his face full of grievance and fear, his voice trembling with tears as he said, "Your Highness, this is what happened. We heard painful sounds coming from inside, and then we heard the Princess say that she was in terrible pain. We couldn't just stand by and do nothing, so we opened the door to check. As soon as we opened the door, we saw the Princess lying on the ground. Without saying a word, we went in to see her..."

Murong Yi frowned, pondered for a moment, and said coldly, "And then? How did you all end up like this?"

Another guard continued to cry out, "Your Highness, we went in together to take a look, but who would have thought that as soon as we entered, it was as if we had stepped on a trap, and then they hoisted us up. By the time they realized what was happening, they had already fallen into the princess's trap!"

The guard continued, "The princess gave us... what's it called... a medicine to make us sleep. After we took it, we fell asleep shortly after, and this is what we looked like when we woke up..."

The two of them lowered their heads, not daring to look Murong Yi in the eye, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Murong Yi glared down at the two kneeling guards, her facial muscles twitching slightly with anger, her eyes filled with disgust. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "Two useless things!" Her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with endless rage and disappointment.

Immediately, he flicked his sleeve and sternly ordered the servants waiting nearby, "Drag them away and give them twenty lashes! If they don't learn their lesson, what will they be able to accomplish in the future!"

"Ah!!! Your Highness, spare us! Your Highness, spare us..." The two cried out as they were dragged away, their cries echoing throughout the hall, a truly gruesome sight.

A fierce glint flashed in Murong Yi's eyes, as if he could see through everything. He muttered to himself, "Lin Qianqian, no matter where you run to, I will find you!"

At this moment, Wuming, who was standing to the side, was somewhat absent-minded, immersed in his own thoughts.

Murong Yi turned to look at Wuming, her brows furrowed, and said coldly, "Wuming!"

"Your Highness!" Wuming was startled, as if he had been electrocuted. He immediately came to his senses, subconsciously straightened up, and his face was full of fear.

Murong Yi stared coldly at him and said, word by word, "Send men to search every corner of the entire capital! Dig three feet into the ground, find the Ninth Princess for me!"

Wuming dared not delay for a moment, nodding hurriedly, his voice tinged with nervousness: "Yes, Your Highness! Your subordinate will do your utmost!"

After receiving the order, he turned to leave, but a subtle worry quietly surfaced in his eyes, as if he had a premonition of the thorny and complicated nature of the matter.

The quiet inner chamber of the Prince's mansion was suddenly shattered by a sharp cry of a newborn baby.

The wet nurse held little Huaijin anxiously, gently rocking him while humming a soft lullaby. But no matter how she tried to soothe him, little Huaijin kept crying, one cry after another, which was unsettling.

Murong Yi strode over at the sound, his brows furrowed slightly, his expression concerned. He looked at the wet nurse and asked, "What happened?"

The wet nurse looked up, her face full of helplessness and worry, her voice tinged with exhaustion: "Your Highness, for some reason, the young prince keeps crying. This old servant has tried everything, but nothing works! Perhaps..."

Murong Yi's expression tightened, and she pressed for an answer: "What is it...?"

The wet nurse hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "Perhaps... she misses her mother!"

"What!" Murong Yi blurted out, her face full of surprise.

Seeing this, the wet nurse quickly explained, "Your Highness, you don't know, children are all spiritual beings. There is a wonderful spiritual connection between mother and child. Ever since the Princess Consort left, the little prince has been crying and fussing, and nothing we do can soothe him. This old servant thinks that the child must miss his mother."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yi was startled, her brows furrowed tightly, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

Looking at the incessantly crying Huaijin, he felt a pang of heartache. He quickly stepped forward, gently took the child from the wet nurse's arms, and soothed him with tenderness...

At first, little Huaijin cried even harder, squirming in Murong Yi's arms. But gradually, her crying subsided, and with glistening tears still on her face, she fell into a deep sleep in Murong Yi's arms.

Watching this scene, the wet nurse couldn't help but sigh, "It's true that father and son are connected at heart. The prince stopped crying as soon as he held the little prince. The power of family affection is truly amazing."

Murong Yi looked at the sleeping little Huai Jin in her arms, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection, and gently stroked the child's face.

As he gazed at the scene, his thoughts drifted away, landing on Lin Qianqian. He silently murmured to himself, "Lin Qianqian, I refuse to believe you wouldn't abandon our child. You love Huaijin so much, how could you bear to let him cry all this time? I know you're just being stubborn with me, aren't you? But where are you? Do you know that my heart..."

At this moment, he was filled with mixed feelings, and the various emotions intertwined made his mood increasingly heavy.