The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 79

79: Escape

“Don’t tell anyone… Never mind, I’ll just hire a carriage myself!”

He brushed aside Xiao Zhu’s supporting hand and hurriedly walked toward the courtyard, intending to grab some money and leave immediately.

Xiao Zhu quickly chased after him. Fu Yu’an tripped over a protruding bluestone, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

His palms scraped against the rough surface, red and raw, burning with pain.

But he could barely feel the physical pain anymore.

“Your Highness!” Xiao Zhu exclaimed in alarm, rushing to help him up.

“What are you doing?”

“I… I have to leave this place. I can’t stay with Qi Ren. I can’t…”

He muttered to himself, his voice barely audible.

Xiao Zhu couldn’t hold back her tears, sniffling as she looked at him with heartache.

His Highness has no one to rely on, no one to confide in when he’s wronged, no one to stand up for him. How can I let him leave alone?

“Don’t worry, this servant will go with you! You’ve shown me such kindness—how could I let you leave by yourself?”

She helped him toward Guhe Garden. Fu Yu’an’s mind was in chaos, still unable to accept the reality of the situation, so he didn’t refuse her offer.

Xiao Zhu left him at the door and quickly packed some valuables and money before supporting him to leave.

“Your Highness, where should we go?”

“Where? Right… where do we go? To… to Nanjiang, to the south… No, no, Qi Ren is heading back to Nanjiang. We’ll go north!”

“…But your grandmother is in Nanjiang. Are you really…? She’s your only family left!”

Fu Yu’an shook his head, adamant about not going south.

He truly couldn’t face Qi Ren and had no idea how to confront him.

Standing at the gate, Fu Yu’an gazed at the sparse lantern lights in the courtyard and shook his head, resolute. “We can’t go south. We can’t.”

“…”

Xiao Zhu was helpless, but now was clearly not the time for reasoning. Given the complicated situation, the priority was to stay close and take care of him.

The master and servant slipped out through a side gate, their hoods pulled tight to conceal their faces.

The city gate was sparsely populated—most people were out enjoying the lantern festival, and few were leaving the city at this hour.

The coachman didn’t look too pleased either. After all, no one wanted to work during the New Year celebrations.

But these two employers were exceptionally generous, offering enough silver to feed a family for a month with just this one trip.

Xiao Zhu draped a cloak over his legs, her brows furrowed with worry, not daring to relax for even a moment, afraid he might suffer another mishap.

“Your Highness, let this servant bandage the wound on your hand!”

She rummaged through the bundle for a handkerchief and medicine, reaching for his hand.

Fu Yu’an stared blankly at his scraped palm, then after a long moment, let out a deep sigh. He pulled the ring off his finger and was about to toss it out the window.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Xiao Zhu quickly stopped him, snatching the ring back. “Don’t be impulsive! This was given to you by the general after all—keep it as a memento!”

He seemed not to hear her, as if her words hadn’t registered at all. He then took off the jade pendant from his neck and handed it to her.

“Take this too. Find a way to return it later.”

“…Understood.”

Xiao Zhu carefully stored it away and helped apply medicine to the wounds on his hand.

Fu Yu’an remained in a daze, staring blankly at the carriage compartment, lost in thought.

“Giddy up!”

The carriage jolted forward, bumping along the road. Behind them, the sky above the capital bloomed with dazzling fireworks, vibrant and lively—

…

Xia Xiu waited at the entrance of the general’s residence for an hour, but Fu Yu’an still hadn’t returned.

The pastry box held only crumbs now. He had meant to save some for him, but before he knew it, he had eaten everything.

Why wasn’t he back yet? Could something have happened?

His eyelids twitched, and his heart grew uneasy.

Please, no! Fu Yanxiao and Qi Ren weren’t here—if anything happened to An’an, not even the gods could save him!

He quickly jumped off the carriage and went inside to look for him. As the gate opened, he caught sight of a mother and daughter hurrying away.

The night was dark, and though they looked vaguely familiar, he couldn’t place them.

“You came at the right time—have you seen His Highness in the residence? Why hasn’t he come out yet?”

The mother and daughter kept their heads down, timidly saying they hadn’t seen him before scurrying away with their bundles, vanishing from sight.

Xia Xiu found it strange and immediately rushed inside to search for him.

A servant from the general’s residence held a lantern to light the way ahead, but Xia Xiu couldn’t stand his slow pace. He snatched the lantern and broke into a run.

An uneasy feeling gnawed at him—he really hoped nothing had happened to An’an!

But when he reached Guhe Courtyard, there was no sign of anyone.

The maids and servants had all gone out to celebrate the festival—the place was deserted.

He knocked on every door but got no response.

Fu Yu’an wasn’t in the residence.

His heart lurched in panic. He immediately returned to his own estate to find Fu Yanxiao.

Fu Yanxiao wasn’t home either, and Qi Ren’s whereabouts were unknown. Xia Xiu was frantic, dispatching all the servants to gather information, pacing anxiously.

By the time the moon hung high in the sky, Fu Yanxiao finally returned.

“Why are you only back now?! Where’s Qi Ren?”

“He went to the lantern festival? What’s going on? Why are you at the residence instead of going to the festival with His Highness?”

“What lantern festival?! Yu’an is missing! Go find Qi Ren and bring him back—how can he still be in the mood for the festival?!”

Fu Yanxiao was also startled, unsure where this was coming from.

Had the Crown Prince finally lost patience and taken action?

Or had their recent movements, though discreet, been noticed by someone?

Either scenario was bad news.

“Young Master! We have news!”

A bearded guard rushed in to report, panting heavily, not daring to delay for even a moment.

“You found him?”

“Reporting to the Young Master, we haven’t found His Highness, but someone saw two mysterious figures in hooded cloaks leaving from the alley behind the palace—one tall, one short, their builds suggesting a man and a woman.”

“Where did they go?”

“They hired a carriage and then… vanished. The coachman hasn’t returned yet.”

“Go to the lantern festival and fetch General Qi immediately—be quick!” Fu Yanxiao ordered. “Xiu’er, don’t panic. It doesn’t seem like an accident. Once Qi Ren returns, we’ll head to the general’s residence together to check if they had urgent business outside the city and didn’t have time to inform us.”

“What kind of urgent business wouldn’t even warrant a word?! Just have Qi Ren return to the residence directly. We’ll meet him at the general’s residence.”

Xia Xiu was more anxious than anyone, terrified that Yu’an had been abducted by some malicious party.

Fu Yanxiao was slightly calmer but equally unwilling for anything to go wrong at this critical juncture. He could only try to reassure Xia Xiu while dispatching more men to investigate.

Qi Ren, meanwhile, was competing with a group of young nobles for a gilded revolving lantern, scratching his head over the riddle.

He was wearing a mask, so the palace servant didn’t recognize him at first. After searching for a while, the servant noticed that his imposing stature and striking presence stood out among the crowd. Tentatively, the servant approached and called out to him.