The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

Chapter 11 The Milky Scent of a Time-Space Misalignment

In front of Xiao Qingyi, Li Chengqian suppressed the turmoil in his heart and quickly regained his usual composure. No wonder this child could appear out of thin air in the heavily guarded East Palace... Such methods of coming and going without a trace are extraordinary.

"Your Highness..." Du He's voice was still trembling, her face deathly pale, "She...she could she be...an immortal descended to earth?"

"Silence." Li Chengqian's gaze swept over them, his calm demeanor carrying an undeniable authority. "What you have seen today must not be divulged."

"Your subject understands." Du He's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately grasped the implications—the current emperor already scrutinized the crown prince, and if matters of ghosts and spirits were to be involved, it would likely arouse endless suspicion. He composed himself and solemnly agreed.

Silence returned to the hall. Li Chengqian's gaze fell on the empty table, where the exquisitely crafted packaging left by the child—something so unusual for this place—still lay. Those strangely flavored "snacks" were certainly not from any known country, much less belonging to the royal family.

Where did she go? Did she return to the "China" she spoke of? Will she come back next time...?

Countless questions swirled in my mind, yet no one could answer them.

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At the same moment, in the ancient ancestral hall in the backyard of the Li family, the air rippled slightly, and a round little figure fell down with a "plop" onto the cold floor.

Xiao Qingyi, who had just returned and was still in "aggrievance mode," was pouting and trying to compose herself, but after waiting for a long time, she received neither gentle words of comfort nor a fragrant milk bottle offered to her.

She raised her little head in confusion and looked around.

What?

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Familiar beams, familiar portraits, familiar... floor?

She's back?!

But she hasn't done anything yet! Could it be... that the ancestor used magic to send her back?

Our ancestors were amazing!

"Gurgle~~~~"

Her empty stomach let out a long and loud protest, instantly dispelling any thoughts of "how amazing it is." Xiao Qingyi touched her flat little belly and immediately threw her "grievances" to the winds.

I'm starving!

We need to find Xiaoling to help us with our milk!

She scrambled to her feet and staggered out of the ancestral hall, almost bumping into a figure rushing towards her.

"Xiaoling, please!" She grabbed the person's leg, her upturned face filled with the most urgent desire, "My tummy is so hungry! I want milk! Right now!"

Xiaoling, who was anxiously searching everywhere, was startled by the "accessory" on her leg. She looked down and immediately breathed a long sigh of relief, almost bursting into tears of joy.

"Young Miss! It's you! We've finally found you!" She crouched down and carefully examined Xiao Qingyi. Seeing that she was unharmed, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down. Heaven knows that the entire Li family was nearly turned upside down after they discovered that the young lady was missing.

"Young lady, where have you gone? Everyone was so worried!"

"I'm going to see the Ancestors!" Xiao Qingyi declared confidently, her big, cat-like eyes sparkling. "I'm going to tell on him! I'll make the Ancestors scold Daddy and stop him from making Yiyi run!"

"Oh—so our young lady went to get help and spread rumors."

A voice, devoid of emotion, slowly came from behind her.

Xiaoling looked up and saw her husband leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, looking at her with a half-smile. She immediately felt sorry for her mistress for three seconds—it was over, she had been caught red-handed, and her mistress couldn't escape this time.

Little Qingyi turned around abruptly, saw her father, was startled at first, then scurried over on her short legs, skillfully hugged Li Qi's leg, and looked up at him with a practiced, coquettish cry: "Daddy! Yiyi's back!"

Li Qi bent down and scooped the little dumpling into his arms. Heaven knows how he got through those few hours, feeling both angry and anxious. Now, holding this heavy, warm little body, his heart finally settled down, and his anger turned into helplessness.

He gave her a symbolic, light pat on the bottom, as light as brushing off dust. "So you know how to come back? Do you know how hard everyone searched for you?"

"Daddy..." Xiao Qingyi buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled, carrying the most primal desire, "I'm so hungry... I want some milk..."

Li Qi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

That heartless little thing. He was frantic and mobilized everyone to turn the house upside down, but she was hiding somewhere in peace and quiet, only remembering to come home when she got hungry.

"Go hungry." He deliberately put on a stern face, picked her up, and walked towards the living room. "Who told you to run around on your own? This is your punishment."

Upon hearing that there would be no milk for Grandma, Xiao Qingyi immediately protested. She squirmed into a restless little dumpling in her father's arms, her chubby little hands gripping his shirt collar tightly, her face puffed out in protest: "No, no! My tummy will get hungry if I don't drink Grandma! I want Grandma! I want to eat meat!"

"Want some?" Li Qi stopped and looked down at the little face in his arms, which was full of "righteous indignation." Her double chin trembled slightly with excitement. "Then tell Daddy the truth, where did you go?"

"I...I don't know?" Xiao Qingyi's eyes darted around, but she wouldn't look into her father's eyes.

lie.

Li Qi saw right through her little scheme.

"Oh? You didn't know?" He deliberately dragged out his words, picked her up, and sat her down on the sofa. "Well, there's nothing we can do then. You'll just have to go hungry. Anyway, missing a meal or two will help you lose weight."

"No—!" Little Qingyi cried out, gripping him even tighter, almost clinging to him. "If I don't eat, I'll go hungry! Daddy's naughty!"

"Then tell me." Li Qi remained unmoved. Only by finding out where she had gone could he truly be at ease. "Who did you see? Where?"

When Qingyi realized that pleading and whining were useless, she drooped her head and lowered her voice: "There... there's an uncle dressed in sparkly clothes, and an incredibly handsome ancestor who looks like he stepped out of a painting... There are so many people, and the house is so big, bigger than ours!"

As she spoke, she recalled her unpleasant experience, her little face scrunching up: "But...their meat was awful, and Grandma's cooking was terrible too! It was nowhere near as good as Xiaoling's!"

Many people? A house bigger than the Li family's? Li Qi frowned slightly. He knew all the neighbors in the area; there wasn't such a family. Ancestor? That sounded more like some kind of… title?

Could she have been kidnapped? But the surveillance footage clearly shows she disappeared in the backyard, where no one goes in or out. If someone really took her away, how could she have evaded all the surveillance and searches?

Who exactly took her away?

"Tell Daddy," he steadied himself, softening his voice, guiding his daughter's memory, "what did the two people who were with you look like? What were they wearing?"

Xiao Qingyi tilted her head and started thinking very seriously.

Features?