Chapter 29: .The missing prince (part 1)

Today is a bit weird.
This idea came to Jie Hai the moment he woke up.
He was not aimless, the reason was that he was lying on his left hand, with cold tentacles, and bronze lines with bumps on it. Jie Hai leaned his head on the side of the bed and looked at the dilapidated hardcover book, confused.
Isn't this book taken away by A Shun? Why did you suddenly come back to my room? He stared at the book cover in a daze. Could it be that A Shun asked someone to send it over? When did it come... He didn't notice anyone in the room before, besides, where did he come in from?
He glanced at the window subconsciously. In the late autumn and early winter, he no longer opened the window to sleep, and was still firmly locked. He turned his head and looked at the door again. The safety clasp and the door frame were tightly attached, and there was no sign of opening.
Could it be... it was sent automatically? Jie Hai thought of the scene that this old book suddenly appeared in a golden light a few days ago, and he secretly speculated. Yes, the last time he appeared in his bag for no reason, he was only seen by A Shun. He thought it was a mistake, but now it seems that it must have been passed into the backpack by itself. Thinking of this, Jie Hai felt strangely running home after losing his pet, and couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Still nothing..." He opened the book and flipped through it, muttering softly. Why does this book follow itself? Is it because I picked it up first? He secretly guessed, but didn't go into too much. There are too many miraculous things in this world. He has heard many unbelievable rumors in the South, not to mention the capital, which is called the land given by the gods. It is not surprising what happened. After all, this is nothing more than a strange book that can be automatically returned.
But this is not my own thing after all, so I have to put it back in the bookstore sooner. I don't know if the store manager is back...I haven't seen him for a long time, but I really miss him. Jiehai thought about it for a long time, then glanced at the wall clock at the door. After 7:30, he quickly got up and stuffed the old book into his backpack, ran to the bathroom to wash, and he must not be late for school.
The sky in the early morning was a little gloomy, the sun had not yet passed through the gray dark clouds, and the cold wind was rustling the banyan leaves beside the boulevard. Wearing a winter uniform with velvet lining, Jie Hai hurried to the teaching building with his schoolbag on his back. He was naturally not afraid of cold and heat. For him, the winter in Beijing was a "pleasant" climate.
He quickly reached the bottom of the building and was about to climb up the stone ladder when he suddenly noticed the strange atmosphere around him. Today is Monday, and the students had a brief separation on the weekend, which should be a good time for lively chat, but at this moment, the stairs are a little too quiet. Jie Hai stopped and took a glance around. There were a lot of whispering students around the door of the first-grade classroom. When he saw him walking by, they all cast strange eyes. Even people who didn’t know each other would look at him more when they passed by. At a glance.
What's wrong... Jie Hai continued to walk upwards without a sigh, and listened to a few conversations.
"Is that him?"
"Look at the broken schoolbag, you know, I have never seen him change it."
"Do you say he really knows the inside story?"
"It's hard to say, because of his identity, I don't think it is necessarily..."
A few thoughtless and ridiculous remarks made Jie Hai even more in the cloud. He still has some popularity in the academy. Of course, most of it is because of his relationship with Ashun, but it is not as well known. ...What happened? Jiehai guessed for a long time and couldn't think of any clues, so let's find an acquaintance to ask...He frowned slightly, ignored these gossips, and ran towards the classroom quickly.
The classroom in Class 4 of the second year was noisy, almost like a grocery market. Just as Jie Hai stepped into the door with his head down, the noisy classroom suddenly became quiet. The classmates all turned their heads and stared at him closely, with different eyes and subtle expressions, the scene almost frozen.
Jie Hai actually felt that he had returned to the scene where he first came to the academy a year ago, and it was the same at that time. Countless realities of sight shot from him, almost piercing his whole body, like a speechless trial. . At that time, I was still in the mood of a pilgrimage, full of good expectations for everything in the capital, but I didn't expect... Fortunately, with the help of Lu Ang, I later met A Shun and Brother Jinyuan by accident...
Thinking of this, Jie Hai calmed down, he silently walked to his seat with a blank expression, and received the baptism of countless light along the way. Although he also wanted to figure out what happened, it's better to keep silent first, depending on the situation. I'll ask Lu Ang later, he must know... Jie Hai opened his schoolbag casually, took out the textbook, and began to look through it.
Perhaps because of the presence of the person involved, the students stopped making loud noises, and instead whispered in twos and threes to their ears. A buzzing like mosquitoes and flies fluttered and disturbed people even more.
Jie Hai always sat in the chair without saying a word. He quietly waited for the class bell, waiting for his friend to come and solve the doubt. However, Lu Ang still did not appear when the bell rang and the teacher walked into the classroom. Jie Hai frowned when he looked at the empty seat beside him. Is this still related to Lu Ang? He suddenly remembered the experience of going to the Ice Spring Hotel yesterday, and he had some bad feelings in his heart.
His guess was quickly confirmed. After the first class was over, a few uncontrollable classmates gathered around him and inquired round and round.
"Jiehai... I heard that you went to the Bingquan Hotel yesterday?"
"Did you get inside? Did you see His Royal Highness Shun?"
"Did your Highness ask you to go? I didn't dare to go, I heard that many people died!"
Several classmates rushed to ask questions every word, but Jie Hai felt nervous after hearing a few words. Sure enough, it was this... Could it be that A Shun had some accident? impossible! He immediately denied this speculation. As a successor to a country, the security around him is not imaginable. What's more, if there is an accident with A Shun, I'm afraid that the capital would have been turned upside down long ago, and he would have his turn to guess.
He thought for a while and decided to ask the reason first: "How do you know that I have been to a hotel?"
The three of them looked at each other. A teenager ran back to his seat and fetched today's newspaper to stand in front of Jiehai. He pointed to the news on it and said, "Look, this is all written."
The news tabloid...Jie Hai glanced at the newspaper and frowned. The newspaper actually said that the prince suffered an explosion in the port and was seriously injured and was missing. He added that he had received the news with Lu Ang in the hotel. , So I took off the big hat of the insider.
What a nonsense... Jie Hai was secretly annoyed that the inside/office news was just a verbal message, and many people there had heard it. These media people really like to reverse right and wrong!
He also understood the cause of the incident, and told the truth to the three of them: "I didn't enter the hotel. I just waited for a while in front of the door. I didn't see His Royal Highness..."
"Really not? The Highness told you where he is going before, right?" A classmate asked without giving up.
"...Why are you telling me where you go?"
"This is also..."
"Cough!" His companion coughed embarrassingly, and pulled him back, "Excuse me, excuse me..."
When the surrounding students heard the conversation just now, they were still dubious and kept looking at him. Jie Hai ignored him, sitting in a chair muffled, thinking about his thoughts: Lu Ang didn't come to school because of this, right? I don’t know what situation he is in now... He likes to read gossip tabloids the most, he must have heard the news a long time ago, he should be prepared...
Jie Hai also thought that the prince in the report had suffered an explosion and disappeared. Although he didn't believe it, he was a little worried. Don't guess at all, let's go to Lu Ang's house to see the situation before talking...Thinking about this, he sat down silently, waiting for the time when school was over.
At noon, the sun finally broke through the clouds and sprinkled hot high temperatures, dispelling the chill shrouded in the city. In the majestic and majestic palace in the northernmost part of the capital, there was also a person who closed his eyes and meditated over the disappearance of the prince.
The people of Tara people regard black as their preciousness, and the entire imperial city is covered with gloomy gray walls and ink tiles, which look staid and boring. The front hall is where the officials of various ministries handle government affairs. According to the orientation, there are six three-story black wood attics. In the middle is the Chaohui Hall, which is about 20 meters high. On the top of the hall, there is a golden phoenix statue with its head up high. Carved square bricks spread from the main hall to the palace gate, surrounded by tall ancient locust trees, and the evergreen branches and leaves envelop the dark palace.
Compared with the gloomy front hall, the apse is extremely vivid. Although with the same gray-black tone, there are verdant vegetation, full of birds, and small animals playing in the pavilions and pavilions, which is peaceful and peaceful. Although it has reached the end of autumn, the apse is still blooming like a brocade, and bees and butterflies flutter and flutter, like a hidden paradise isolated from the world.
On the westernmost side of the apse is the Imperial Study Room, the highest ruler of the empire, His Majesty Sheen Oddwin leaning on the yellow wooden couch in front of the window to meditate. The emperor, who is nearing his fate, still looks very young, as if he can't leave the mark of time. He was dressed in a silver-white plain silk palace gown, with no unnecessary decorations, and his black hair combed into a simple round bun. He has a gentle face, almost no sense of majesty, and a small smile at the corner of his mouth, he looks more like a handsome scholar.
The decoration in the study room is very simple, with a red sandalwood square table in front of the soft couch, copper bookcases surrounded by layers, a magic lamp on the side of the table, and a golden incense ball stove underneath. A quaint black wood grandfather clock stood beside the door, and the pendulum swayed lightly, bringing a touch of movement to this still room.
The oblique sunlight was warm and warm, and His Majesty the Emperor sat alone in the sunlight, like a sacred sculpture. A few knocks came from behind him, and he closed his eyes and softly answered "Come in", his voice was clear and there was no lag.
The wooden door was pushed open, and Colonel Ye Chi, still wearing a dark green uniform, walked into the room slowly. He saw the bright sunlight coming in, and he stood straight in front of the window, his tall body shielding the light.
His vision suddenly dimmed, and the emperor finally opened his eyes slowly. He looked at the expressionless officer and asked with a smile, "Is there any news?"
The colonel shook his head slowly, his face sinking in the shadows, only seeing the strangely bright eyes.
"It's okay to go out and have a look..." The emperor waved his hand into a black iron fan, opened it and shook it gently, and said as if he was talking to himself, "Let him go out and relax. Wait until next year..." The emperor had a sudden pause, as if he was remembering something, his eyes were full of nostalgia.
The officer stood beside him without saying a word, and the study fell silent again.
The emperor was silent for a moment, and suddenly sighed with emotion: "How long have we not been out of the capital..." He took the fan away and clicked on the handrail at random, "This emperor... really looks like a cage. I'm holding you firmly, and I can't break free..."
"Get used to it." The officer suddenly said such a sentence, his tone of voice was unwavering.
The emperor couldn't help but shook his head, and said with a light smile: "Yeah... I've long been used to it." He leaned on the back of the chair and shook the fan again, turning back to the topic just now.
"The hotel is handed over to the police department, so you don't have to go anymore..." The emperor looked at the officer and issued an order, "The old port area will continue to be blocked. You should take people to investigate carefully, and don't leave any hidden dangers. "
The officer nodded, and the emperor took another golden edict from the table and handed it to him: "The announcement you just drafted, by the way, you can polish Wen Ye and publish it as soon as possible..."
The colonel took the edict and didn't ask much, turned around and strode out of the study.
The emperor still sat quietly in front of the window. He closed his eyes and turned the iron fan back into light dust. He leaned on the soft cushion and continued to think about the sudden assassination. Will be involved, and now I am still playing missing, and I don't know to send a message back. I can only find an excuse to conceal it... The emperor stretched out his hand on the wooden chair and tapped consciously. Suddenly he felt some tingling in his eyes. He secretly sighed and waved his hand. An iron layer spread rapidly on the window, blocking the light. For the most part.
This eye disease can be regarded as gaining and losing... The emperor closed his eyes and immersed in the shadows, and gradually became a little sleepy. He tranced back to the past time, with a gentle smile remaining on the corner of his mouth.
The study was as quiet as ever, with only the ticking of the pendulum, like a rush, reminding the emperor of the troubles and sorrows he must face.