The first assistant was missing.

Zhao Yuan went hunting in Xiuling and brought many clan members with him. The Jinwu Guards from the Nanya Forbidden Army followed the police. Since the hunting would be back soon, he ordered that everything be kept simple and no publicity was allowed. .

On the first night, they stayed at the Tangquan Palace, and on the second day, the Holy Master, the Chief Assistant and several clan members rushed to the hunting ground.

The terrain of Xiuling is steep, with high mountains and dense forests, and a deep valley. Before the arrival of the holy driver, the army and horse division had already deployed troops to set up a perimeter and blockaded the entire Xiuling.

The princes of Dayu also had to learn riding and shooting since they were young, and Zhao Yuanzi was no exception. He was pretty good at riding and shooting, but in the past, he often hunted with others, and no one dared to steal his limelight.

When he came this time, his desire to win was not diminished. He made an agreement with everyone within two hours to hunt separately. In the end, it would be a matter of who hunted the most. If someone in the clan came out on top, he would naturally be rewarded.

Jiang Weiren didn't want to go in because of his health, but the clan members persuaded him, so he had no choice but to ride into the forest. Of course he didn't care how many birds and beasts he hunted, but he just wanted to deal with it once. Go back when the time comes.

The largest number of prey in the hunting ground must be deep in the dense forest, especially in the deep valley. When they heard that there were deer in the valley, the clansmen naturally rushed there, but Jiang Weiren was only wandering around the periphery, but happened to encounter them. He married the consort of Princess Chongning, the second son of the Duke of Qi, Mu Xiulin and the Marquis of Yingchuan.

Both of them had served in the military, and their riding and shooting skills were naturally incomparable to those clansmen in the capital who were eating, drinking and having fun.

But Jiang Weiren is different. Although he is a civil servant, he has actually led troops and fought in battles. Not only that, he defeated Liang Kingdom and pushed back Beiqi. He was incomparable to those military generals in the imperial court. He was able to lead the army. For those who are chasing the enemy thousands of miles across the desert, what does it mean to shoot a few birds and beasts?

Mu Xiulin and Marquis Yingchuan could not let him deal with the matter, so they invited him to go into the deep valley. Jiang Weiren had no intention of winning or losing, but was just keeping company. Xiuling was already surrounded by soldiers and horses, so there was no danger. , so the three of them walked farther and farther until they reached a deep valley.

There are not only deer herds in the valley, but also tigers, wolves and other ferocious beasts. What a coincidence, a few lone wolves chased the deer herds, and saw the deer herds coming like a tide in the distance. Accompanied by the howling of wolves behind them, the horses of the three were frightened and ran wildly. , and was dispersed by a herd of deer. Jiang Weiren struggled to hold on to the reins, but the horse underneath him was hit by a deer, almost causing him to fall off the horse.

At this moment, there was a whistle in the forest, and it was the people from the Army and Horses Division who arrived. Sure enough, a group of light cavalry quickly surrounded them, shouting "Protect the Chief Assistant", and the leaders quickly set up their bows and drew arrows. I only heard a few whooshing sounds, and the arrows came through the air with the sound of wind.

Jiang Weiren was relieved when he saw the troops and horses arriving, but it wasn't until those arrows were shot that he realized something was wrong.

He was always cautious, so he brought a bow and arrows, and a long sword at his side. He sided to avoid the arrows and immediately drew an arrow to block, and then the arrows shot towards him like a volley of arrows.

At this time, his heart had sunk. This group of men and horses arrived so quickly. These arrows seemed to be shot at the deer around him, but the shooting skills of the soldiers and horses were not bad enough to endanger those arrows. He, the deer these people wanted to shoot was clearly him among the deer.

Not only this team of light cavalry, but also Mu Xiulin and the Marquis of Yingchuan are related. The direction in which the deer herd is running may not be driven by humans.

With a calculation in his mind, he quickly turned his horse's head. He was about to gallop out of the deer herd, but now he rushed into the deer herd and ran forward in the same direction as the deer herd.

There were dozens of people in that team. Although he had been in and out of the army, he was still a civil servant, and his kung fu was only superficial. He would definitely die if he stayed where he was.

Arrows were chasing after him like a torrent of arrows behind him. He could no longer block with his sword, and was shot into the back by an arrow. What was worse was that the horse under him was hit by several arrows, and was hit again by the deer beside him. Unable to support, crumbling.

Jiang Weiren saw the right moment, gritted his teeth and jumped onto the back of a nearby wild deer. This move narrowly escaped death. The wild deer kept running wildly, and he could only hold on to the deer's neck. Those people were still chasing behind him, and he could still vaguely hear To those who shouted "protect the chief minister".

There was a blood groove on the arrow cluster that was embedded in his back. The blood was flowing non-stop, soaking half of his clothes. The strength in his hand was gradually weakening, but if he let go, even if he was not shot by those people, he would be trampled by the deer. Into meat paste.

Seeing a mountain stream in front of him with fast water, he hugged the deer's neck with one hand, took out the dagger he carried from his boot with the other hand, and stabbed the deer in the belly. The deer couldn't bear the severe pain and went crazy, rushing out of the herd.

"What!" Zhao Yuan raised the case, "He is missing?"

"The chief assistant mistakenly entered the herd of deer, and the team of soldiers and horses rushed by the army followed the herd to save Mr. Jiang. But the deer passed by. Mountain stream, my lord, he fell off his horse and fell into the mountain stream. The water was so fast that he disappeared instantly!"

What he said was half true and half false. At first, everyone saw Jiang Weiren fall into the mountain stream, and finally disappeared with the water. But why Jiang Weiren was forced to go there, he deliberately obscured the facts.

"This humble minister has neglected his duty, please punish me!" The general of the Military and Horse Department knelt down to apologize.

"Search for me. I will search the entire Xiuling to find you!" He clenched his fists and suppressed his anger and said, "Sir, he is responsible for the responsibility of the family and the country. If he is fine, I will spare you the death penalty. If he is, ...You go and apologize to the people of the world!"

Zhao Yuan personally guarded Xiuling, and the Soldiers and Horses Division mobilized troops in the capital to surround and search almost the entire Xiuling, but there were no survivors or corpses. No trace was found.

"Your Majesty..." Mu Xiulin advised, "Please express my condolences. You must be in charge of the overall situation of the DPRK. Don't stay here for too long. There is only one possibility for such an outcome..."

"What possibility?" Zhao Yuan He asked, looking at the clan members and generals sitting down.

"If Mr. Jiang is here in Xiuling, unless he is eaten by wild beasts, we should find him whether alive or dead. But even if he is eaten by wild beasts, there will be remnants of clothing left behind, and there will be no trace at all. "

Mu Xiulin said slowly, "Due to the geothermal heat in Xiuling, water flows continuously in the mountains, but downstream of the stream, the water surface has been frozen for several feet. Mr. Jiang was held hostage by the turbulence of the mountain stream, and he is afraid that he is there now. Under several feet of ice, unless the ice is cut open, your body will not appear. But no matter what, three days have passed, and there is no possibility of Mr. Jiang surviving..."

Zhao Yuan was silent and did not speak for a long time. Seeing him like this, the clan members said one after another: "Your Majesty, please express your condolences!"

After a while, he said seriously: "Go back to Luan..."

Before Zhao Yuan returned to Beijing, he ordered the news of Jiang Weiren's disappearance to be blocked until Zhao Yuan returned to Beijing. He didn't make the news public until he returned to Beijing.

Xue Shiying is Jiang Weiren's only relative in the imperial capital now. The news is that Zhao Yuan specially asked Zhang Fang to report to Qionghua Pavilion in person. Unexpectedly, Xiao Huangmen came back soon.

"Your Majesty!" Huang Men looked panicked, "My Majesty, she was very sad after hearing the news. She had fetal motility, and the imperial doctor has passed away."

Zhao Yuan hurried over and saw Xue Shiying lying on the brocade quilt with a pale face. The appearance is shocking. When Xue Shiying saw him coming, she sat up suddenly. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, but she didn't realize it. She looked at him and asked, "Your Majesty, brother-in-law... what happened to him?"

"I will continue to let people know. I'm looking for someone in Xiuling, but...you have to express your condolences!"

"No, nothing will happen!" She lifted up the quilt and ran to him barefoot, "Your Majesty, we must find my brother-in-law, he must be alive!"

Zhang Fang and Aluan both exclaimed at the side, and Aluan advised: "Mother, the imperial doctor just said, you can't be overly emotional anymore!"

As he said that, Xue Shiying suddenly covered his abdomen and frowned, frightening Zhao Yuan His face turned pale, "What's wrong?"

He picked her up and said loudly: "Where is the imperial doctor? Imperial doctor!"

The imperial doctor was waiting outside the palace, then hurried in. After checking her pulse, he only shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, you can't be frightened anymore... ..."

After the imperial doctor prescribed the medicine and retired, Zhao Yuan stayed by her bed, with Zhang Fang serving beside her. Suddenly, he heard him murmuring in a low voice: "Is she so sad because of Jiang Weiren...

" After half an hour, Xue Shiying slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Zhao Yuan beside the couch. She looked around and her mind slowly came to her senses.

"Your Majesty," she looked at Zhao Yuan and asked, "does the Queen Mother Shengyi know about her brother-in-law?"

He looked at her and replied quietly: "I have sent someone to report it."

"Then she, is she okay?" she blurted out.

Zhao Yuan first stared at her, his gaze so deep that Xue Shiying felt extremely strange for a moment. The next moment, a playful smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and he said slowly: "Why do you think that something happened to Mr. Jiang?" Is the queen okay?"

Xue Shiying was stunned when asked, and felt that Zhao Yuan today was very different from usual.

Zhao Yuan saw a trace of fear flashing in her eyes, and his heart softened. After all, he couldn't bear to scare her, so he reached out and stroked her hair, softened his expression and said, "I will ask people to continue looking for you over at Xiuling. Until you find your husband, you have to take good care of yourself and don't scare me like this anymore..."

Coming out of the dormitory, Zhao Yuan's expression quickly turned cold and he said to the eunuch beside him: "The mother's fetal image is not stable. Don't be alarmed. From now on, no news from outside will come to Qionghua Palace. Don't let her go out. If she

insists on going, she must come and report to me first. Answer respectfully.

Zhang Fang thought that Zhao Yuan would be by Xue Shiying's side tonight. Unexpectedly, he walked out of the palace after Xue Shiying fell asleep.

"Show off!" he ordered the palace attendant beside him.

Zhang Fang on the side asked doubtfully: "Your Majesty, where are you planning to go?"

Zhao Yuan looked at the night in the distance, "Of course it is the Qingsi Academy..."

Yan Qing already knew the news about Jiang Weiren's disappearance. After passing by, Xiao Huangmen who came to deliver the message said exactly the same as what Mu Xiulin said at Xiuling.

"How could it be such a coincidence..." She couldn't believe it. She kept shaking her head and murmured, "He must still be in Xiuling. The Soldiers and Horses Division must not have searched Xiuling all over..."

The little Huangmen was frightened. Kneeling on the ground, Yan Qing tried his best to calm down, took a few deep breaths, and after calming down a little, said to Ayu: "Go and invite Eunuch Zhang!"

Ayu nodded, and just turned around, A voice came from outside the palace, "No need to go!"

When the man crossed the threshold, the palace people in the palace knelt down and saluted. Zhao Yuan walked in and said to Yan Qing: "Your Majesty, I was at Xiuling that day. "My son knows very well what happened that day. It's impossible for Mr. Yan to still be alive..."

Yan Qing's body swayed. Her body was already weak, and her slim-looking body was on the verge of collapse. A'yu stepped forward to help her. That allowed her to stabilize.

"Didn't you say that... nothing was found?" She frowned and said with difficulty, "Since no body was found, then he must still be alive!"

"Nothing was found, so it can only be his body. He sank under the ice on the surface of the water. Don’t worry, your son will bury your husband with great honor and dignity. I have asked the Ministry of Rites to prepare a posthumous title.”

Yan Qing walked up to him and said, “As long as the body is not seen, We have to keep looking. Now Dayu still needs him, and you need him too..."

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan actually smiled and said softly: "Is the queen still in need of him?"

Yan Qing looked at him, shocked. Somewhat unable to recover, Zhao Yuan looked cold and said to the palace attendants: "Get out of here!"

"A Yuan..." Yan Qing called out in a low voice.

Zhao Yuan looked at her calmly, his expression was the same as every time he fell in love with her before, but the words he said were as cold as the wind and snow outside, "Mother, you shouldn't be so sad. Think about it, sir." It's just right, so that the scandal between you and him will not be spread, and your father's face will not be ruined by you anymore!"

When he said the last few words, he almost gritted his teeth, and Yan Qing opened his eyes in disbelief. Looking at him, he murmured: "You...you..."

Zhao Yuan smiled coldly, "How do I know? I must have forgotten where did you get the thank you gift from last winter?" There are only a few people in the Hushan Palace in Linfang Qingyue. It's a coincidence that someone happened to peek."

Yan Qing stepped back and slowly sat down on the heated kang, holding on to the kang table. There was no trace of blood on his face. .

"So, the accident in Xiuling was arranged by you?"

Zhao Yuan looked at her with a rare wave of confusion in his eyes, "What can I do? My son can't hurt you, right? But why should my father be so unworthy? He trusts Jiang Weiren so much." , He is now the Yuan Fu of the dynasty, with unprecedented power! But how can he repay the emperor? My dear, how did the emperor treat you, and how did you treat him

? He nodded and smiled bitterly, "In the past year, what you have done in court has been just to endure it and find an opportunity to deal with him."

"This world belongs to me," he raised his voice, coldly He looked at her coldly and said, "Your Majesty, I govern the country with filial piety. I am the Son of Heaven and a role model for the world. I will not live up to your kindness in raising you.

" I also believe that your Majesty is not without guilt towards my father. I will let you People build a Buddhist temple nearby, and the empress will be in front of the Buddha to atone for her past karma. "