Chapter 1883: 1871: The Queen Is Missing

Chapter 1883: Chapter 1871: The Queen Is Missing

Since Qi Le had already seen their guests off, Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin got up and took their leave.

Though it wasn’t too late yet, outside, the night was deepening, the moon was bright with few stars, and large bonfires were lit by the guards surrounding the camp. In the distance, guards with torches were patrolling back and forth.

The camp was relatively quiet because there weren’t many people from the other courtyard; besides Qi Le and Bi Zhu, there were only the couple.

The servant girls serving below didn’t dare to leave their tents once darkness fell. Their status was low, and if they wandered around the camp and ended up in a deserted area, they could be dragged away by a centurion from the camp soldiers without anyone caring.

So it was silent all around, without seeing a single shadow of a person.

Hand in hand, the couple slowly walked through the camp, naturally discussing what Qi Le had just said.

According to what Qi Le said, the reason for the Qi Family being raided and exiled was found, though it was unknown if those from the Qi Family knew it was because of this reason?

Of course, what Qi Le said about marrying into the Grasslands for the Qi Family’s protection was probably just nonsense!

The most likely scenario was that she couldn’t find the Golden Seal, and upon hearing about the Dragon Cave Ground Palace, decided to search the underground palace first, and then look for the Golden Seal.

So it was not for the Qi Family at all. If it really were for the Qi Family, as the saying goes, not to mention Qi Huan, wouldn’t she have been able to rescue those exiled members of the Qi Family?

As for Qi Le’s final outright threat, giving them a few days to consider their options, now the couple was trapped in this courtyard, without even a guard, surrounded by Qi Le’s people, and even if they wanted to escape, there was no way out.

Was she certain the Golden Seal was now in their hands?

Initially, Wang Yongzhu wanted to wait a bit longer until news from Fu Jian arrived to understand what was happening between Qi Le and the King of the Grasslands. Would the King of the Grasslands make any moves? After all, he’s still the King of the Grasslands, and it wouldn’t be good to alert the enemy.

But seeing Qi Le’s stance, she didn’t want to wait any longer.

The situation in the Grasslands Royal City was also unclear, so they all decided not to wait anymore.

Thinking of this, Wang Yongzhu gestured a few words in Song Chongjin’s palm.

Song Chongjin looked solemn but eventually nodded.

Having made a decision, they headed towards the tent and encountered Bi Zhu halfway there.

By her appearance, it seemed she had just come out of Qi Le’s tent.

Seeing the couple, Bi Zhu waved the servant girl behind her to stand back and walked a few steps forward before speaking, “The Queen is in a bad mood. This time she brought most of her trusted aides with her. Though the camp appears inconspicuous, it is actually tightly surrounded.”

“Without the Queen’s order, not even a mosquito can get in or out! Moreover, there’s a contingent of the Grassland’s most elite troops stationed ten miles away. They are loyal to Queen Ah Lan, numbering over five thousand!”

“If you know what’s good for you, it’s best to obediently hand over the items the Queen needs; otherwise—” Though Bi Zhu didn’t finish her sentence, the implication was clear to everyone.

Wang Yongzhu smiled and suddenly said in a low voice, “Princess Consort, what if, what if the Queen has an accident, then who would these elite troops and her trusted aides listen to? You or someone else?”

Bi Zhu was taken aback, an unusual gleam flashing in her eyes. She quickly replied ambiguously, “Currently, the one Queen Ah Lan trusts most is me, and Queen Ah Lan has a Gold Medal. The one who sees the Gold Medal sees her—”

Everyone understood instantly.

Wang Yongzhu, holding Song Chongjin’s hand, didn’t forget to throw a harsh word, “Then let us wait and see—”

Passing by Bi Zhu, she lowered her voice and added, “We will make the Queen temporarily disappear to create an opportunity for you. If you want to take action, you must do it quickly. Otherwise—”

Bi Zhu nodded quietly.

Watching the couple leave, she stood still for a moment before returning to her tent.

That night, Bi Zhu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about Wang Yongzhu’s words and pondering what method Wang Yongzhu might use to make the Queen disappear.

She also planned what she should do if the Queen really disappeared, mentally going over all the necessary actions and thoughts multiple times, ensuring no slip-ups before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, as soon as she awoke, her head still hazy, she heard a burst of commotion outside.

Already having a headache, the noise outside irritated her, and she couldn’t help but lose her temper, “What’s going on outside? Doesn’t anyone know the Queen likes her peace? Drag those noisy people out and lash them twenty times!”

A panicking servant girl pulled back the tent flap and rushed in, her expression as if the sky had collapsed, “Princess Consort, Princess Consort, something terrible has happened! Queen Ah Lan is missing—”

Bi Zhu froze and shot up, “What? The Queen is missing? When was she found missing? What happened?” A series of questions revealed her panic.

The servant girl trembled, unable to speak coherently.

Bi Zhu didn’t even have time to freshen up, her heart a mix of panic, joy, and astonishment, as she threw on a cloak and headed to Qi Le’s tent.

The area around the tent was even more chaotic, with Qi Le’s maid and servant girls tied up, their heads being stepped on, while being interrogated about something.

The tent was surrounded on all sides by soldiers, who, seeing Bi Zhu, bowed and let her through.

Inside the tent were Qi Le’s usual confidants, who, upon seeing Bi Zhu, didn’t bother with needless formalities.

Bi Zhu asked directly, “What exactly happened? Last night, before I left, the Queen was perfectly fine. How can she be missing now? Has the area been searched? Could she have gone nearby to clear her mind at least?”

Batu stepped forward, his face filled with concern, “Princess Consort, the Queen’s maid discovered her absence early in the morning. There were no signs of entry or exit in the tent, and the surrounding guards saw no one leave the camp. However, we’ve already sent people to search and notified those ten miles away—”

Bi Zhu nodded, “And what about the maids? How were they serving her that they didn’t even notice where the Queen went? Surely she couldn’t have disappeared without a trace, right? Are you sure no one entered the tent after I left?”

Batu waved his hand, and a guard dragged over one of Qi Le’s usually favored maids. Her face, previously fair and radiant, was now swollen like a pig’s head, with footprints visible on it, looking a far cry from her once delicate beauty.

Upon hearing Bi Zhu’s question, tears streamed down the maid’s face as she sobbed, “Princess Consort, you know that we, along with the other sisters, serve the Queen in shifts. Last night, it was my turn with Wu Yun and Ji Ya. The three of us watched over the Queen until she fell asleep before withdrawing.”

“We didn’t dare go far, just stayed by the side and watched. During the night, the Queen slept well. She didn’t ask for water or get up. We three sisters have some skills. If someone had entered the tent, we would have noticed.”

“But we didn’t notice anyone entering last night. This morning, when we woke up, we found the Queen wasn’t in her bed, and there was no residual warmth left in the bedding. We thought maybe the Queen went out early for a walk, so we went out to search for her, only to learn that the Queen hadn’t left the camp at all. That’s why—”

Bi Zhu looked at Batu, who nodded, indicating the maid wasn’t lying.

At the very least, her story matched what the other maids said.

Bi Zhu thought for a moment, “Is it possible that someone used a sedative smoke to knock out the Queen and the maids and then smuggled her out?”

Batu shook his head, “We suspected that too and have searched through it. There’s no trace of sedative smoke or incense in the tent, and the Queen never liked lighting incense. There’s no smell of incense or smoke in the tent, and there are no footprints outside.”

Bi Zhu showed a look of astonishment, truly surprised at how Wang Yongzhu and his group managed to take the Queen away right under everyone’s noses.

Could she still be hiding somewhere in the camp?