freenovelworld Chapter 547 She couldn't possibly run away from home!
Chapter 547 She couldn't possibly run away from home!
Master Sheng sighed and fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.
A bad feeling immediately rose in Lu Yangyang's heart.
But seeing the Second Master Sheng's expression, Lu Yangyang didn't press the matter further.
By the time they arrived at the prefect's residence, it was already dark.
After dismounting, Master Sheng instructed the gatekeeper to inform his wife, and then led Lu Yangyang and the others into the mansion.
Perhaps sensing that something was off, Wen Qingqing and Mingxiu did not speak.
Not long after entering the manor, before even reaching the backyard, the Second Madam rushed out with red eyes, "Yangyang, is that really you? Thank goodness, thank goodness, I'm so glad you're alright..."
The second madam walked up to Lu Yangyang, grabbed her arm, and looked her up and down, still unable to help but mutter, "You've lost weight, you've lost weight!"
Lu Yangyang saw that she looked the same, but she was a little haggard. The usually cheerful and straightforward person had red and slightly swollen eyes, obviously she had been crying not long ago.
Lu Yangyang grabbed her hand and said to the nanny who followed behind her, "Please trouble you to take my two sisters to rest first."
The old woman hurriedly nodded and left with Wen Qingqing and Mingxiu.
As soon as the two left, the servants were waiting in the distance. Lu Yangyang asked the Second Madam impatiently, "Second Aunt, what happened? Where is Jiaojiao?"
"Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, she..." The Second Madam had been heartbroken over this matter for days, but she had been holding back and had no one to confide in. Now that she had finally seen someone familiar, she could no longer hold back her tears. "Yangyang, please help your Second Aunt think of a solution. Your Second Aunt really can't take it anymore. Tell me, what kind of fate does our Jiaojiao have!"
"Second Aunt, don't rush, tell me slowly," Lu Yangyang said gently, supporting her.
Master Sheng sighed and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Lu Yangyang hurriedly helped the second madam into the house with Master Sheng.
The second madam wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. Master Sheng ordered someone to keep an eye on outsiders and not allow anyone to enter. Then he looked helplessly at Lu Yangyang, his voice full of bitterness: "Jiaojiao left a letter and ran away from home."
"Will not!"
"This is impossible!"
The second wife and Lu Yangyang spoke up almost simultaneously in rebuttal.
The second wife grabbed Lu Yangyang's hand: "Yangyang, you know Jiaojiao best. How could you not know what kind of child she is? She just likes to join in the fun, but she would never do something like leaving a note and running away. There must be something fishy about this. My poor Jiaojiao!"
Lu Yangyang understood: Sheng Yunjiao had run into trouble and left a note.
No wonder my second uncle hadn't spoken on the way here. He probably didn't know how to explain. Like my second aunt, he simply couldn't believe that Jiaojiao would run away from home, but he was also struggling to find any clues and worried about Jiaojiao's safety. He couldn't easily reveal this matter, otherwise, if people knew that the prefect's daughter was missing, Jiaojiao would only be in greater danger.
But Lu Yangyang knew Sheng Yunjiao well; this was definitely not something she would do.
Lu Yangyang looked at Master Sheng and said, "Second Uncle, tell me the whole story of how Jiaojiao ran away."
Master Sheng nodded. He had been feeling completely lost lately, having tried every possible method but without finding a single clue. "After Jiaojiao came to Huazhou City with us, she was all alone and quite bored, so we didn't restrict her from going out, as long as she brought someone with her. Although Huazhou City is in a remote area, the climate is good, the harvest is good, and the people are kind and honest. Jiaojiao has been going out to play without any problems. Later, she became obsessed with writing storybooks and went everywhere to listen to stories, so we got used to it. As long as she's safe and having fun, that's all that matters."
"A while ago, on the second day of the second lunar month, it was the Flower Festival in Huazhou City. Almost all the people in the city would go to the Flower Goddess Temple to worship. As the prefect, and since it was my first year hosting the Flower Festival, I attached great importance to this matter. During the Flower Festival, a talented and beautiful girl would be selected in advance to be the Flower Goddess and go to the Flower Goddess Temple to participate in the worship. Originally, the Flower Goddess was to be Hua Rui from Huayue Tower, but just before departure, Hua Rui suddenly developed a high fever that wouldn't go down, and she was unable to participate in the worship."
"With the departure imminent, we had to hastily choose another girl to act as the Flower Goddess, which was quite chaotic. Jiaojiao happened to be there to watch the fun, so we suggested that she take the role. The Flower Goddess is a symbol of blessing in Huazhou City. Although I hesitated, I saw that she was just joining in the fun, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to agree and let her change into the Flower Goddess's clothes. We went to the Flower Goddess Temple together."
"The Flower Goddess Temple was packed with people that day. After the ceremony, my colleagues pulled me away, and I only had time to tell her not to linger and to go home early. I also assigned two guards to follow her. But when I finally managed to slip away and return that evening, she still hadn't come home. I immediately suspected something had happened to her, so I quickly sent people to look for her. They searched all night but couldn't find her. Finally, her maid found a letter she had left in her room. In the letter, she said that she was too bored staying alone in Huazhou City, which was next to Jinzhou City, and she planned to go to see Young Master Yan. Isn't this ridiculous? This is absurd, and we don't believe it at all. But it was definitely her handwriting, and even the tone matched. Later, we found her previous correspondence with Young Master Yan in the drafts of her storybooks. There weren't many letters, and they were mostly about local customs and stories. Only the most recent one, before the end of last year, was from Young Master Yan, who said that there was some unrest on the southwestern border and that he might have to go on a campaign. He said he would reply later."
"After she disappeared, we were worried that she had really gone to see Young Master Yan, so we immediately sent a letter to the Jinzhou military camp, but we haven't received a reply yet. As the prefect, I can't leave my post without permission, so I asked someone to go to Jinzhou to inquire, but the news I received was that Jinzhou is currently under martial law, and not even a fly can get into the military camp, let alone send a letter. Since I can't see her or find out anything about Young Master Yan, I can only leave people to search in Jinzhou while also placing martial law in Huazhou City to see if there are any suspicious people."
After Second Master Sheng finished explaining the situation, Second Madam cried and said, "Jiaojiao is definitely not such a reckless person. Even if she really had feelings for Young Master Yan, she would never leave a note and run away without a word!"
Lu Yangyang had sensed something was wrong as soon as she heard Yan Yue's name.
Yan Yue had already disappeared before the Lunar New Year. This means that after Jiao Jiao received Yan Yue's letter saying he was going to war, there was no further news of him. Military news wouldn't easily leak out, so Jiao Jiao absolutely couldn't have known Yan Yue was missing. If she didn't know, why would she go looking for him on her own? And even if she did know, as her second aunt said, Jiao Jiao isn't that reckless; she would never leave without a word!
Lu Yangyang's mind raced through what her second uncle had just said: "Did Second Uncle interrogate Miss Huarui?"