Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1198: Chapter 1200: The Abnormal Princess_1

”What should we do? Are we supposed to just keep waiting? What if something happens to Xiaoyao...” Princess Diao Bin couldn’t finish her sentence, anxiously stamping her feet. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she looked towards Bai Ruozhu and asked, ”Why not seek Ning Yu’s help for divination?”

”I heard divination requires an object belonging to the person in question. Do you have something that Diao Yao frequently uses?” Bai Ruozhu thought this was a good idea; after all, she was a modern thinker and had actually forgotten about the existence of divination.

The Empress Dowager looked at Princess Diao Bin with a strange expression, but Bai Ruozhu didn’t think too much of it; she assumed it was normal for the Imperial family members to know that Ning Yu could perform divination.

”Yes, when Diao Yao last visited me, she dropped her Jade Pendant from her waist. We didn’t notice at the time, and when we realized, she had already left the Palace. I’ve had someone keep it safe, thinking I would return it to her the next time she entered the Palace, but who knew she would suddenly leave with her senior brother,” said Princess Diao Bin.

Upon hearing they had an item frequently used by Diao Yao, Bai Ruozhu immediately stood up and said, ”Then we must find Ning Yu as quickly as possible.”

After hearing this, Princess Diao Bin bowed to the Empress Dowager and said, ”Mother, we will go to the Astrology Tower now and I will inform you if there is any news later.”

The Empress Dowager was somewhat distracted; startled by Princess Diao Bin’s call, she gave a somewhat absent-minded acknowledgement.

Bai Ruozhu found this strange and turned her head to see that the Empress Dowager’s gaze towards Princess Diao Bin was full of worry.

Bai Ruozhu and Princess Diao Bin first went towards her palace to retrieve the Jade Pendant. On the way, Bai Ruozhu probed, ”Princess, does everyone in the Royal family know that Ning Yu is skilled in divination?”

Princess Diao Bin was taken aback for a moment, then her face turned very awkward. She turned her head away, unable to face Bai Ruozhu, and stammered, ”I suppose they do, he is the disciple of the National Master, so naturally, he would have received the true teachings.”

”How well has he mastered it then? I remember he seems far from achieving mastery. Can he really do an accurate reading? I hope he doesn’t give us false leads in his eagerness to help,” Bai Ruozhu deliberately said.

As expected, Princess Diao Bin became anxious, ”No, Ning Yu is very talented, he will definitely be able to determine Diao Yao’s situation!”

After saying this, she suddenly realized her haste and, feeling embarrassed under Bai Ruozhu’s scrutinizing gaze, turned her head away once more.

Just then, they arrived at the entrance to her palace. She quickly said, ”I’ll have the palace maid fetch the Jade Pendant.”

Bai Ruozhu knew she was feeling embarrassed and pretended to know nothing, merely acknowledging with a sound of agreement.

But had Princess Diao Bin become intimately familiar with Ning Yu behind the scenes? Otherwise, how would she know something that no one else did? And, could she have developed feelings for Ning Yu?

Bai Ruozhu didn’t know whether it was proper for a princess to fall for the disciple of the National Master, but from the Empress Dowager’s recent behavior, it was clear the Empress Dowager was quite worried.

Moreover, Princess Diao Bin was betrothed to the Turkic Country. Could she possibly break off the engagement?

Many events had unfolded that day, leaving Bai Ruozhu’s head in turmoil. She decided to set these thoughts aside; surely, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had enough on their plates to worry about without her meddling.

Soon, the palace maid brought Diao Yao’s Jade Pendant. Princess Diao Bin, pulling Bai Ruozhu along, headed towards the Palace Gate and made for the Astrology Tower.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Astrology Tower, Bai Ruozhu suddenly felt a strange sensation as if she could see the seated, venerable National Master inside, and even sense the sorrow and helplessness in his eyes. She couldn’t explain why; perhaps it was because the Empress Dowager’s previous description had been so vivid, it conjured a strong visual impression on her.

Princess Diao Bin eagerly told the young boy at the door that they were looking for Ning Yu. The boy didn’t ask many questions, seeming to already be familiar with Princess Diao Bin.

Before long, the boy returned and said, ”The young master invites you in to talk.”

Princess Diao Bin pulled Bai Ruozhu and rushed in, no longer caring whether Bai Ruozhu would suspect anything. Upon seeing Ning Yu, she said, ”Ning Yu, my friend Diao Yao is in trouble. She’s gone missing, and the only person who knows the situation, Chu Hai, has been unconscious until now. Can you help her with a divination?”

Having said that, Princess Diao Bin handed over Diao Yao’s Jade Pendant, ”This is her frequently used Jade Pendant; see if it works.”

”Do you know her birth date and time?” Ning Yu asked.

Princess Diao Bin thought for a moment. She remembered that Diao Yao was a little more than three years younger than her and also recalled Diao Yao’s birthday, which she then told to Ning Yu.

Ning Yu nodded, ”Okay, I’ll try to do a divination and see.”

Bai Ruozhu stepped aside and quietly waited. She really didn’t dare to get too close to Ning Yu.

Ning Yu lit the incense burner, placed Diao Yao’s Jade Pendant in front of it, and then chanted a series of spells for quite some time. He picked up the incense and let the ash fall.

After a long while, he finally stopped. The incense in his hand had extinguished, leaving only a third of its original length.

He set the incense aside and looked at Princess Diao Bin, ”Since I don’t have the exact time of your friend’s birth, the information is very vague. It only shows that she is still alive, surrounded by lots of water, and also...”

He paused, as if there was something difficult to say outright.

”What else is there, say it quickly! Human lives are at stake; do you want to watch an innocent child get harmed? Diao Yao is only fifteen!” Princess Diao Bin cried out urgently.

Ning Yu glanced in a certain direction, a look that seemed to penetrate everything, reaching a distant place. Bai Ruozhu followed his gaze, guessing that direction might be where the National Master was meditating in seclusion.

He finally withdrew his gaze, his voice much lower, ”The people who captured her are related to the Imperial Palace. We from the Astrology Tower exist to protect the Palace and the Royal Family. I should not be saying these things.”

”The Imperial Palace? There are many people in the Palace. Who knows if the person who captured Diao Yao is targeting me?” Princess Diao Bin yelled, somewhat out of control.

Bai Ruozhu hurried over and calmed her down with a gentle voice, then turned to Ning Yu and asked, ”Can we narrow it down? There might be ill-intentioned people hiding in the Palace; perhaps this matter is not simple.”

Ning Yu shook his head, ”It would be easier if we knew her birth time.”

The problem came back to where it started. Chu Hai must know Diao Yao’s birth time, as he had said she was his biological sister, but Chu Hai had not woken up yet.

”I will return and report this to the Empress Mother right away, to have her arrange for a search within the Palace. Perhaps it’s one of the Emperor’s consorts who is behind this,” Princess Diao Bin said as she turned and walked away. Bai Ruozhu quickly followed her.

Could it be because Diao Yao had been favored by the Empress Dowager on her last visit to the Palace and got along well with Princess Diao Bin, that a Lady of the Palace, fearing her share of the Emperor’s affection might be compromised, staged this incident? Bai Ruozhu wondered as she walked but then thought if that was the case, why did it take so long for them to act after Diao Yao and Chu Hai left the Bai Residence? Could something be illogical here?

Or could these incidents be related to Diao Yao’s background?

Thinking of this, Bai Ruozhu admonished Princess Diao Bin once again not to act rashly, to investigate covertly instead. After that, she took her leave and returned to the Bai Residence.

She checked Chu Hai’s pulse and prescribed some formulas before hurrying back to the Jiang Residence.

Jiang Yichun had already returned to the Jiang Residence. Upon seeing her, he immediately said, ”Reliable information suggests they left the Capital City before the New Year, heading westward. As for whether they returned to the Capital City and where they encountered trouble, that remains uncertain. However, someone did inquire about Diao Yao at the Bihai Sect...”