Huan Yan had never disappeared like this before, so Meng Wan guessed that something must have happened. She wasn't worried about anything else, only that Huan Yan was in danger, and the longer she couldn't find Huan Yan, the greater her own danger became.
Thinking of this, Meng Wan frowned even more, her gaze fixed on the outside, unable to relax for a long time.
--
Huangfu Mi immediately ordered a city-wide search, but the results were unsatisfactory. They searched from noon until nightfall without finding any trace of the suspect.
Meanwhile, Meng Wan paced back and forth in the courtyard. Mu Ci watched from the side, feeling anxious, but could only comfort her, "Miss, don't worry, go back to your room first. The Prince has already sent people to look for her, and we should have news soon."
Meng Wan nodded, but remained motionless, her eyes fixed on the doorway.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Thinking there was news, Meng Wan rushed out, only to find that it was the cook from the kitchen who was bringing food with her.
Meng Wan was clearly disappointed. She waved her hand impatiently at the group and said, "I have no appetite. Leave!"
“But Miss…” Mu Ci spoke up to stop them: “Miss’s health is already weak. If you don’t eat or drink and get sick, even if Sister Huanyan comes back, I’m afraid you won’t have the strength to see her.”
But... "I really have no appetite."
"Then let's use some, more or less."
He then winked at the maids, saying, "Take the food in."
The group responded and went inside, but Meng Wan had no appetite for food. Watching the maids carrying their food boxes, she turned her head away, her mind heavy, and looked towards the door. Just then, the last maid caught her eye.
They weren't acquaintances, but the hairpin in her hair caught Meng Wan's eye. She grabbed Meng Wan's wrist and walked straight up to her.
"you..."
Thinking she had done something wrong, the girl hurriedly knelt down, but Meng Wan ignored her and took the hairpin out of the girl's hair. She examined it carefully and then froze, asking, "Where did you get this hairpin?"
The urgent tone startled the girl, who glanced at the hairpin and turned pale. She was so trembling that she couldn't speak for a long time.
Meng Wan grew anxious, grabbed her collar, and forced her to look up and meet her gaze. With a dazed look in her eyes, she raised her voice and asked, "I'm asking you, where did this hairpin come from?"
Everyone was terrified.
Everyone knows that the princess has the best temper. She rarely scolds her maids or even raises her voice. But now she has lost control like this.
The head cook immediately walked over and said to the kneeling maid, "Are you deaf? The princess is asking you a question. Answer her truthfully at once!"
"Yes...yes..." The girl lowered her head, and after a long while, she finally managed to utter a complete sentence: "I found it."
Where did you find it?
"say!"
The girl trembled even more violently: "The...the well in the backyard."
Meng Wan's face paled, and she released the maid's collar. The maid, not even bothering to catch her breath, hurriedly kowtowed and said, "It really was picked up by me. I'm not lying. I really found it by the well. I thought it was pretty, so I kept it. Your Highness, please believe me..."
Before she finished speaking, Meng Wan rushed out, stirring up a biting wind. Her white skirt fluttered sadly in the dark night.
--
The well in the backyard was specially left behind when the Prince of Jianheng's mansion was built, for the purpose of storing water.
When Meng Wan arrived, Mu Ci had already ordered the water to be drained. Someone was holding an octagonal lantern and lying on the well opening. The well was very deep, and by the light, a figure could be vaguely seen lying at the bottom. He turned around and shouted, "There's someone down there!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan's heart sank to the bottom. She almost staggered and lost her balance. If Mu Ci hadn't been supporting her, she would have fallen. At this moment, she could only hold Mu Ci's hand tightly, her whole body trembling.
She was afraid. Even though she was used to life and death, she still couldn't imagine what would happen if Mu Ci were pulled out of the well. She also couldn't imagine what it would be like to have been soaked in such a well for a whole day.
She dared not think about it, she really dared not think about it. She could only stand there, one hand holding Mu Ci, the other hand tightly gripping the hairpin, the hairpin she had personally put on Huan Yan's head this morning, unable to move at all.
----
V60 Who is the murderer?
Meng Wan often thought how wonderful it would be if she had a younger sister like Huan Yan, not Meng Junyao, but Huan Yan.
We grew up together, got married together, and then took care of our parents together, watching Xiaoyun grow up together.
She often thought that it didn't matter if they weren't blood sisters. In her heart, Huan Yan was just as important as family. Even without blood ties, they were still sisters. She would arrange the best for Huan Yan and would never wrong her in the slightest.
In her previous life, this wish was dashed, as Huan Yan left her at a young age. She had thought that she would finally have a chance to make amends in this life, but fate played another cruel joke on her.
Huanyan died. She had been soaking in the cold water for an unknown amount of time, lying there stiffly, her usual radiant smile gone. She just lay there quietly, motionless.
Meng Wan could hardly believe her eyes. She stood not far away and stared at it quietly for a long time, unable to move an inch.
She simply couldn't believe it. She was perfectly fine just moments before, and they had met early that morning. Her voice and smile were still vivid in her mind. How could she have passed away so suddenly?
This is simply unacceptable!
"Miss--" Meng Wan stood to the side, watching Meng Wan stand there stiffly with her back straight, her gaze fixed on Huan Yan without blinking, yet she didn't move at all, just staring quietly. Meng Wan couldn't help but feel flustered and called out softly.
Meng Wan remained motionless, as if everything had frozen in time. Only two streams of hot tears unconsciously rolled down her cheeks, one or two drops, silently sliding down her clothes and dissipating in the wind and rain.
--
Meng Wan seemed to be having a long dream. In the dream, there were countless figures moving around. She wanted to see them, but she couldn't see them clearly no matter what she did. She just felt dizzy and lightheaded.
She frowned, wondering what was wrong with her. Why was she so dizzy?
Her thoughts drifted back to the scene before she fainted; she seemed to be by the well in the backyard, with what appeared to be a large group of people...
people..