Unrepentant

Chapter 19:In the end

Gu Hong Jian disappeared for a whole year.

Lin Si Ze spent nearly a year trying to find Gu Hong Jian.

In the beginning, Lin Si Ze had not expected Gu Hong Jian to disappear for so long and to disappear so thoroughly at that, so he had not become highly impatient when the searchers he had sent out returned empty-handed.

Half a month passed with no results, not even a bit of news on her.

Lin Si Ze became relatively resolute at this point and dispatched men to begin carefully combing through the capital, through every single room in all the inns, through every new house owner, through every house. However, there was still no news of Gu Hong Jian.

In this way, two to three months passed, and Lin Si Ze was in a completely foul mood.

Whatever the case, she must leave her hiding spot, right? To buy things at least?!

Then whether the village was lively or desolate, all would be monitored constantly!

Since she could not be found in the capital, the small villages on the outskirts of the capital would be searched!

Lin Si Ze turned the territory upside-down to unearth Gu Hong Jian, but Gu Hong Jian had seriously not emerged. She probably could not have endured staying in the capital, and even if she had stayed, she probably would not have left the house at all.

In short, Lin Si Ze could not find her.

At first, he had been in disbelief and then later enraged, before becoming worried—afterward, Lin Si Ze even harbored suspicions that Gu Hong Jian met some accident.

Except, in April of Píngchāng Year 1, nearly half a year since Gu Hong Jian's disappearance, Lin Si Ze intended to release an arrest order, only for Jiang Hai Fu to unexpectedly receive an item at that time.

The circumstances surrounding this item was relatively complex. Inside the palace, the palace maids would occasionally make some handicrafts to sell outside the palace, by which the palace eunuchs would head out to sell for them. The palace maids would receive money for those that were sold and be returned the items that did not.

And among those little palace maids Jiang Hai Fu was considered acquainted with, he knew none of them had created this handkerchief he received, upon which a message was embroidered on.

Jiang Hai Fu, tell him I am well. Soon, we will meet again. Do not yearn.1

This message had frightened a little palace maid dearly, and she hesitated for half a day before deciding to pass this matter to Jiang Hai Fu. When Jiang Hai Fu read the message, he was stunned and immediately delivered it to Lin Si Ze.

Lin Si Ze, upon reading the handkerchief once, tossed the handkerchief away with a dark face and recalled all the men searching for Gu Hong Jian.

Jiang Hai Fu silently collected the handkerchief on his behalf.

Afterward, Lin Si Ze then no longer felt committed to looking for Gu Hong Jian. After all, it was still the first year of his ascension, and he was exceedingly busy. Since he knew Gu Hong Jian would simply appear before him unexpectedly, he no longer paid her any mind.

Soon after Lin Si Ze's ascension in Píngchāng Year 1, there was the imperial examination. Regardless of civil or military affairs, Lin Si Ze held both in high importance. After all, the imperial court currently only held old state officials, and despite their council being good, it would be very difficult to cultivate trust with them. The naturally mistrustful Lin Si Ze had only one person, Gu Hong Jian, in his confidence, and since she had run away, he thus was settling on looking for more trusted aides in this next civil and military imperial examination.