Disappearance and the Smart Med-Pack Activation

Sweet Dumpling learned from Lady Min that the Imperial Palace holds many secrets. Before Prince Nolan and Serena Feng departed for Northlyn, Sweet Dumpling had already asked Prince Nolan if she could go treasure-hunting in the palace.

Prince Nolan knew nearly all the secrets of the palace and had cleared away every danger, so of course he didn't object to Sweet Dumpling's treasure hunt. He was even curious to see just how capable she was. However...

What Prince Nolan didn't know was that the very first place Sweet Dumpling found was his own secret storeroom.

There was nothing especially remarkable about this storeroom, except that Prince Nolan used it to keep things he didn't want anyone else to know about. Sweet Dumpling had opened it purely by accident.

Sweet Dumpling walked into the storeroom and saw an ebony box. Curious, she opened it—and was instantly dumbfounded: What on earth were these things?

A sachet?

A flower petal?

A strand of hair?

A little jade pendant?

......

There were all sorts of little things scattered about, but everything was arranged with meticulous care, showing just how much the owner valued them.

Sweet Dumpling didn’t dare touch anything carelessly, afraid she might break something.

Some of these things seemed very old and fragile—just a light touch and they’d turn to dust.

Besides these trinkets, there were also several sheets of paper. The pages were yellowed with age but preserved perfectly, the writing still clear—obviously kept with special care. The owner must have treasured them deeply.

Sweet Dumpling didn’t dare touch the other things, worried she’d damage them. But the papers seemed sturdy enough, so she picked them up to take a look—and instantly burst out laughing...

It turned out these pages were filled with love poems the Empress had written to the Emperor—there were more than a dozen of them.

Though they were just words, Sweet Dumpling could feel the Empress’s deep love for the Emperor shining through. Even in her innocence, she couldn’t help but envy such a powerful bond.

"So these belong to the Emperor—I’d better put them back. If he left them here, he clearly didn’t want anyone to find them." Sweet Dumpling grinned mischievously.

Who would have thought the cold and proud Emperor could be so thoughtful? The Empress was lucky enough to make anyone jealous.

Sweet Dumpling laughed out loud, feeling proud that she’d discovered the Emperor’s secret...

"Stinky brother, there's no way I'm telling you—keep dreaming!" Sweet Dumpling laughed triumphantly, putting the letters back exactly as she found them. She would never let anyone know she'd discovered the Emperor's secret stash.

Even though she wanted to see the Emperor fly into a flustered rage, that price was way too high...

With how stingy the Emperor was, he’d definitely give her a beating—maybe even toss her into the Imperial Mausoleum.

Sweet Dumpling put everything back in its place, but just as she was about to leave, she spotted something unusual in the corner—a very peculiar object...

"What is this?" Sweet Dumpling picked it up, turning it over in her hands, curiosity piqued. The next second, she froze—a voice seemed to sound inside her head: "Huaxia first-generation Smart Med-Pack, Unit 001, activation complete. Owner identity confirmed. Please proceed with installation..."

Then came a string of beeping sounds, each one faster and more urgent than the last. But... but?

"Is this the Smart Med-Pack Mother told me about? How do you even install it? And isn’t Mother supposed to be the owner?" Sweet Dumpling stared at the Smart Med-Pack, utterly confused...

The voice in her head kept urging her to install it, but Sweet Dumpling felt no temptation at all.

She knew the Smart Med-Pack was valuable, but it didn’t belong to her. No matter how good it was, it had nothing to do with her—she wasn’t interested at all.

Sweet Dumpling had no idea how to turn off the Smart Med-Pack, so she put it back where she found it. She was ready to risk a scolding from the Emperor just to tell the Empress about it. But then...

Just as Sweet Dumpling put the Smart Med-Pack back, the voice in her head spoke again: "Installation failed. Unit 001 Smart Med-Pack initiating auto-destruct sequence. Countdown: three..."

"No, stop!" Sweet Dumpling jumped in fright and grabbed at the Smart Med-Pack.

This was her mother's thing—it couldn't be destroyed.

But it was too late—the Smart Med-Pack's countdown sped up...

Two...

By the time Sweet Dumpling grabbed the Smart Med-Pack, the countdown had reached one. All she heard in her head was: "Destruction sequence initiated."

Suddenly, a blinding white light flashed before her eyes. With a deafening boom, Sweet Dumpling felt herself blasted into the air, her body floating upward—the force was even more terrifying than a thousand thunder-blast grenades...

"Ah—!" Sweet Dumpling screamed as she lost consciousness, sinking into darkness. Meanwhile, the entire palace was thrown into chaos.

"It’s the princess—I heard the princess’s voice!"

"Hurry! There was an explosion—the princess is in trouble!"

......

Everyone rushed toward the sound, but when they arrived, they found the palace had been reduced to ruins—and there was no sign of Sweet Dumpling anywhere inside.

"Quick, report to His Highness!" The guards and shadow guards panicked. The shadow guards had seen Sweet Dumpling go in, but now...

The palace was now a pile of rubble—could their princess have survived?

Just thinking about it left the shadow guards ashen-faced. With a thud, they knelt before His Highness...

Little Dumpling arrived and saw the scene, a terrible feeling rising in his chest. Trembling, he asked, "What happened? Where’s Sweet Dumpling? Where’s the princess?"

"Your Highness, please be strong. The princess... the princess was inside..." A guard pointed to the ruined palace, tears streaming down his face.

Just a quarter of an hour ago, the princess had been laughing and cheerful. Now, no one knew what had become of her.

"No, no, that’s impossible! How could Sweet Dumpling be inside? How could anything have happened to her?" Little Dumpling refused to accept it—he couldn’t believe his sister might be hurt...

"Find her—dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but bring Sweet Dumpling back! If you can’t find her, you’ll all pay with your lives!" Little Dumpling shouted in fury, but inside, his dread only grew. He felt...

Sweet Dumpling seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from him.

Little Dumpling’s heart ached terribly. Ignoring the guards’ attempts to stop him, he rushed into the ruins, tearing at the debris with his bare hands...

"No, Xiaoxiao... I know I was wrong. I’ll never bully you again. Whatever you want, I’ll bring it to you myself. Xiaoxiao, don’t leave me—Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and I all need you."

"Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao..."

Little Dumpling kept digging and shouting Sweet Dumpling’s name. The guards and shadow guards didn’t dare stop him—they could only join in, hoping to find her. But...

Nothing. Nothing at all...

They cleared away huge sections of rubble, but still found no sign of Sweet Dumpling—not even a body.

"Xiaoxiao must be alive—she definitely survived." Just finding Sweet Dumpling’s body would mean she was still alive; Little Dumpling’s broken heart revived with hope.

"I knew it, Xiaoxiao—you wouldn’t just leave us. How could you bear to leave Father Emperor and Mother Empress, or me? You couldn’t stand two years in the Imperial Mausoleum, so how could you ever leave us forever?"

Little Dumpling was overjoyed. He ordered the guards, eunuchs, and maids to clear away the rubble as quickly as possible and rescue Sweet Dumpling. But...