"Young Master Dongfang, the Second Princess has been attacked and is severely injured, currently unconscious." Yin Zhu's face was pale. She felt so useless, unable to do anything in the face of danger, she could only watch as the Young Madam and the Young Master were abducted.
Dongfang Wei instantly understood the trap: "Which of the Princesses can order the city gates to be sealed?"
"Only the Second Princess."
Dongfang Wei nearly choked, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it: "Notify the Fourth and Fifth Princesses to guard the north and south city gates. Under no circumstances can we let the thieves escape. Yu Qianmo, you go to the west gate, I will guard the east. If you can't bring them back, you can wait to become Yan Yuqing's male concubine!"
Yu Qianmo gasped and disappeared into the night with a few swift movements. Fortunately, it was late at night and the city gates were already closed, but accidents were unavoidable. No one could guarantee the gates wouldn't be opened.
Dongfang Wei rushed to the east city gate. The first thing he did was check if anyone had left the city tonight. Upon investigation, it turned out several groups had left. Dongfang Wei had to order his four trusted subordinates, the Four Great Vajras, to pursue those who had left. If they found any trace of Chu Qingge and her son, they were to release a signal.
Upon hearing that Chu Qingge and her son had been abducted, the Fourth and Fifth Princesses were quite shocked. They immediately led their men to guard the north and south city gates. The Fourth Princess, being more meticulous, ordered a search of the city while guarding the gates, leaving no suspicious place unchecked. She also sent people to the Second Princess's manor to wait for her to awaken.
However, after a whole night, not only was there no trace of Chu Qingge and her son, but not a single suspicious person was found. Dongfang Wei's expression was grim. The first two hours after someone went missing were crucial. To retrieve them, it had to be within these two hours. Once that time passed, finding them would be up to fate!
"What do we do? We haven't found them, and just guarding the city gates is proving to be useless," Yu Qianmo was also very uneasy. The abduction of Chu Qingge and her son was no small matter. Usually, his recklessness was one thing, but losing these two would truly make Xiao Man fight him to the death.
"I'll go back to the palace to check. You continue guarding," Dongfang Wei felt he was overlooking something. He had guarded outside Weiyang Palace, yet Chu Qingge and her son were still missing. To be able to take them from under his nose without him noticing, the perpetrator would have to be highly skilled and capable of subduing everyone in an instant. But was there anyone capable of such a feat?
Dongfang Wei returned to the side hall of Weiyang Palace. The main hall was Xiao Man's residence, and no one dared to occupy it even in her absence. Chu Qingge and her son resided in the side hall.
Inside the room, there were no signs of a struggle. Dongfang Wei suspected there was a secret passage, but after examining every brick and wall, he found no such passage. But without a secret passage, how did the perpetrator take them away so silently?
Dongfang Wei recalled the scene when he entered the room. Yin Zhu and the wet nurse were lying unconscious, the doors and windows were tightly shut. Furthermore, he had been on the rooftop; no one could have taken them away without his notice. Had Chu Qingge and her son truly been abducted?
Dongfang Wei lifted the bedsheet and looked underneath. The bricks beneath the bed had also been inspected and were fine. Just as Dongfang Wei was about to put the bedsheet down, his gaze fell upon a beaded hairpin hanging beneath the bed. Dongfang Wei reached out and took the hairpin. This hairpin belonged to Chu Qingge!
A clear image flashed through Dongfang Wei's mind. After the enemy had drugged everyone, they hadn't taken Chu Qingge and her son out of the side hall but had hidden them beneath the bed. He and Yu Qianmo, anxious for their safety, had rushed to search outside, forgetting to search the room itself!
"Damn it!" Dongfang Wei was both furious and annoyed. He had fallen for the enemy's diversion tactic. After he and Yu Qianmo had left, the enemy had taken Chu Qingge and her son. But where had the person who drugged them hidden? Were they also hidden under the bed?
"No, something is wrong," Dongfang Wei muttered to himself. When did the enemy infiltrate this palace? Was it while he and Yu Qianmo were chasing the children? That didn't seem right either. Chu Qingge and the Second Princess were in the palace at the time. If the enemy wanted to infiltrate, they would surely alert Chu Qingge.
Moreover, Chu Qingge herself knew martial arts. After the incident of her son being stolen during the day, she would have been extremely vigilant. Yet, she hadn't had time to signal him, meaning she was subdued before she could even react. This situation had only two possibilities. First, the opponent's martial arts were extremely high, and Chu Qingge had no time to react. But even if the opponent was highly skilled, they couldn't subdue everyone instantly. The other possibility was that the enemy was someone Chu Qingge would not guard against!
Dongfang Wei's brow furrowed. He had been overlooking one person! The enemy hadn't infiltrated; they had walked in openly! They were not wary of this person, and in fact, they wouldn't be wary of this person at all!
Dongfang Wei ran out of the side hall and quickly fired a signal. If Chu Qingge and her son couldn't be found, this person had to be apprehended!
Yan Li, the leader of the Asura Guards, saw the signal flare in the sky and stood up: "Something has happened in the palace. Inform Chang Yan that there's a change in the palace. Tell him to act according to the situation."
"Yes, sir."
Yan Li frowned, his hand resting on the cross-sword at his waist, a murderous intent in his eyes. The master had made multiple preparations, yet something still happened in the palace. This could only mean one thing: there was a traitor, and the master hated traitors the most.
In the city, Chang Yan, holding his pipe, exhaled smoke rings: "This is truly troublesome. Originally, I thought with all the preparations, we could at least hold out until she safely gave birth. I never expected something to happen so soon."
"Boss Chang, what do we do?"
"Wait," Chang Yan took a puff of his smoke and exhaled slowly.
"Something has happened in the palace. If we wait here, won't that be a problem?"
Chang Yan's expression was somber: "We must wait. At this time, no one's safety is more important than the master's. We have to wait until the message returns. I hope... I hope it's not the worst outcome."
As soon as Chang Yan finished speaking, a falcon swooped down from the sky. Chang Yan extended his hand, and the falcon landed on his arm. Chang Yan took the message cylinder, read the letter, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
"Chu Qingge and her son have been abducted, Yin Zhu is missing, and Dongfang Wei suspects Yin Zhu is a spy." Chang Yan's expression became increasingly grave. Yin Zhu was a high-ranking official in the palace and was well-trusted by Xiao Man. Furthermore, Yin Zhu was Xiao Luo's person. Xiao Luo wouldn't be so foolish as to place a spy by his sister's side to harm his own wife and children, would he?
"Yin Zhu?" the attendant asked in confusion. "How could a frail woman like her, who can't even lift a chicken, abduct Chu Qingge and her son? She doesn't know any martial arts; she's just an ordinary person."
"Yes, she's just an ordinary person. How could she abduct Chu Qingge and her son?"