Back in the farmhouse, she returned to her room alone. Looking at the blanket on the bed that they had shared, she collapsed onto the kang and began to cry uncontrollably, a far cry from the composed demeanor she had outside. Xiaobai, with its head hanging low, stayed by Feng Xuxu’s side, silently watching over her.

"Feng Xuxu, please restrain your grief. Excessive sorrow could harm the little master." Xiaobai nuzzled Feng Xuxu with its tiger-like head, knowing that even Dugu Chen wouldn’t want to see her mistreating herself so.

Lifting her swollen eyes, she composed herself, knowing that her most important task at the moment was to find Dugu Chen. She had to see him alive or find his body if he was dead.

She sat quietly on the kang until the first light of dawn appeared in the east.

With a creak, the door opened, and the people in the courtyard looked unanimously at the person who had just stepped out.

"Princess," Yingsu was the closest to her and stepped forward to support her lady.

"Tian Yi, go find the local Magistrate and request additional manpower to expand the search area for the Prince." Her icy gaze carried not a trace of warmth.

"Yes, Princess." He quickly mounted his horse, raised his whip, and with hooves off the ground, he shot out like an arrow.

For five days and five nights, a large group searched the cliffs and the surrounding areas for hundreds of miles. They never saw a glimpse of the Prince. Upon hearing this, Feng Xuxu grew even more convinced that Dugu Chen was still alive and continued the relentless search, scouring every nook and cranny of Xueyan Country, leaving no stone unturned.

A month later, they still hadn’t found anything, and her belly was gradually showing. Three months pregnant, she looked as though she were four months along, as if her belly had been inflated like a balloon.

The Emperor had sent several royal decrees calling her back to the palace, but Feng Xuxu delayed her return, hoping to receive news of Dugu Chen.

"Princess should head back to the Capital City. The Emperor has already sent six royal decrees. Waiting for news in the Capital City would be just the same." Hua Wuying, having received the news, had hurried over and had now been staying in the village for nearly a month. Seeing the Princess’s belly gradually growing, she too became worried. After all, that was the Prince’s bloodline and they couldn’t afford the slightest mistake.

Sitting in the chair, her expression desolate, she closed her eyes and after a moment of silence said, "Pack up our things. We will return to the Capital City tomorrow. Leave a small group of people to continue the search and don’t overlook any corner."

"Yes, Princess. I will go at once." Hua Wuying bowed and turned to leave.

When she once again boarded the luxurious carriage, Feng Xuxu’s tears streamed down uncontrollably, recollecting every moment spent with him since they had met. The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.

Two days later, in the evening, the carriage finally stopped at the grand entrance of Prince Mei Residence.

Yingsu hopped off the carriage and lowered the step for the Princess, who was six months pregnant. After helping her down and ensuring she was steady, Feng Xuxu raised her eyes to see white mourning banners hung at the entrance of the Prince Residence. Her face, previously expressionless, turned pale and frosty upon seeing the white banners.

Shaking off Yingsu’s hand, she strode towards the main hall of the Prince Residence like the wind.

Seated in the place of honor, she exuded a chilling coldness, and the lotus mark between her brows was strikingly enchanting.

"Call the butler."

"Yes, Princess." Seeing the Princess’s unpleasant face, Yingsu exchanged a quick glance with Mei Lenglei, and then turned to find Butler Xiao.

Yingsu and Butler Xiao entered the main hall one after the other. Standing firm, Xiao En bowed his head and bent at the waist, "This old servant greets the Princess."

"Who told you the prince is dead?" His gaze was as cold as the edge of a knife, directed at the butler standing before him.

"This...," The butler was momentarily flustered, wasn’t it said that the prince had fallen off a cliff? Could it be that he didn’t die and was found? 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"The prince is just missing, not dead. Now, immediately take down those damned white cloths for me, and if anyone outside dares to spread rumors that the prince is dead, arrest them all." He slapped the table in anger and stood up, when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

"Princess!" Mei Lenglei quickly supported the princess and turned to the butler standing on the side, shouting, "Quick, go call the mansion physician."

"Yes... yes, yes, this old servant is on it." The butler ran out in a flustered manner.

Yingsu and Mei Lenglei, supporting the princess, slowly walked back to the backcourt, laying her on the bed in the bedroom, covering her with blankets, anxiously waiting for the mansion physician.

Yingsu, looking at the princess’s pained expression, boldly stepped forward to take the princess’s pulse.

"Sister Yingsu, how is the princess?" Lenglei asked worriedly, incessantly wiping the sweat from the princess’s forehead.

Yingsu furrowed her brows; besides the unstable pregnancy signs, she always felt there was a strange trace of gas in the princess’s body, flickering in and out of detection.

"Sister Yingsu, do speak, you’re really worrying me to death." Mei Lenglei paced around anxiously.

Letting go of the princess’s hand, her eyes suddenly filled with confusion, "Sister Mei, there’s a strange gas inside the princess’s body, appearing and disappearing intermittently, I can’t pinpoint where it is."

Mei Lenglei stood stunned for a moment, thinking of countless possibilities but never expecting something so bizarre.

The butler, gasping for breath, pulled the mansion physician along, "Miss Mei, the mansion physician is here."

"Quick, come in, the princess has fainted, please check what’s wrong with her?" Without caring for propriety, she snatched the mansion physician from the butler’s hand and pulled him toward the bedroom.

The mansion physician caught his breath and began taking the princess’s pulse. The time it took to burn an incense stick passed, then two sticks... Finally, after half an hour had passed, he withdrew his hand from taking her pulse.

He too was puzzled, unable to understand the nature of the gas in the princess’s body.

"The princess is suffering from excessive grief, coupled with a lack of rest for a long time. I will write a prescription for a few doses of medicine, and once the princess takes them, she should be fine in a few days." Opening the box he carried, he laid out a piece of paper and swiftly wrote down a prescription, handing it to Yingsu, who was standing by.

"Mansion physician, what’s this gas in the princess’s body?" Yingsu asked, taking the prescription, quite puzzled.

The mansion physician thought of the odd gas and was just as confused, "Miss Yingsu, I have been treating illnesses for many years, but this is the first time I’ve encountered something like this with the princess."

"Could it harm our little master?" Mei Lenglei asked, obviously tense.

The mansion physician pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "It shouldn’t, this strange gas has been in the princess’s body for more than a day or two, so it likely won’t harm the little master."

Just as they were worrying about the princess, word came from the guard at the door that the emperor’s chief eunuch, Eunuch Shi, had come to read a royal decree, specifically calling for the princess to receive the decree, and that he was already waiting in the grand hall of the front courtyard.