Chapter 70 Searching for Someone "Ah!" The bedroom was filled with the fragrance of pear blossoms...

"ah!"

In the bedroom filled with the fragrance of pear blossoms in the canopy, a short, startled cry came from the carved canopy bed hidden by the light bed curtains.

As soon as the voice fell, two maids arrived, quickly lifting the bed curtains to the sides.

The girl, dressed in her nightgown, leaned against the pillow, panting heavily. Her forehead was covered with a thin layer of glistening sweat.

Xiangxing leaned over and carefully wiped her face, asking gently, "Miss, are you having a nightmare?"

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Xiangyue thoughtfully brought him a cup of warm water.

Jiang Zhuoying sipped the warm water gently while nodding slightly.

After drinking the warm water, she had almost calmed down. As she handed over the cup, she softly instructed, "Wake me up at 5 a.m."

"Mao Shi (5-7 AM)?" Xiangyue frowned, somewhat puzzled. Just as she was about to offer some advice, Xiangxing tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to step back.

“…Okay, then Miss, please rest for a while.”

The bed curtains were gently lowered, and darkness returned to the couch. Jiang Zhuoying slowly closed her eyes.

Starting tomorrow, things will get busy...

*

On the outskirts of Luoyang, torches blazed like stars tonight, illuminating almost the entire bottom of the cliff.

Chu Yixin counted the bodies found in the past few hours; there were already six, but she still hadn't found the missing one...

Pei Yunzheng walked over from a distance, holding a torch: "Eunuch Chu, we have already searched this area within a mile. Should we expand the search area further?"

Chu Yixin looked up and glanced around. The firelight was bright, and the bodies they found included both men and women. Judging from their appearance, most of them had been torn apart by wild animals.

And judging from the looks of it, this isn't something that's happened in just a day or two.

He sighed heavily, glanced at his master who was standing with his hands behind his back not far away, and gave Pei Yun a wink.

"try to find!"

What kind of fate does this Jiang girl have?

Taking a few deep breaths, Chu Yixin walked towards the tall and slender figure...

"Master, according to the people from the Duke of Rui's mansion, it's probably in this area. We haven't found anyone here, so maybe they were rescued?"

Qi Fan gazed into the dark depths of the valley, his fingertips trembling slightly behind his back: "Are you sure it was her who fell off the cliff?"

Chu Yixin paused for a moment: "According to Feiying's information, it was originally thought that the second young lady of the Jiang family had fallen off the cliff, and the eldest master of the Jiang family had sent people to search for her. But later, for some reason, it was a mistake. It was not the second young lady of the Jiang family who fell off the cliff, but a maid."

"According to the second young lady's personal maid, the maid who fell off the cliff was Jiang Yatou."

The series of events that happened today left even Chu Yixin bewildered and deeply incredulous, prompting her to sigh in disbelief.

Although Jiang Yatou's motives for approaching their master were not pure, she hadn't done anything truly heinous, and in his heart, he felt sorry for her.

This beautiful young girl was all smiles and laughter this morning, how come she's like this now...?

Why!

"Continue the search. If we haven't found it by tomorrow morning, we'll return to Luoyang and dispatch more people."

The voice coming from the darkness was extremely hoarse, unlike its usual cold and distant tone.

"I want to see him alive or dead."

Chu Yixin's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head: "This servant obeys!"

...

For three consecutive days, Jiang Zhuoying arrived at Ninghui Hall before dawn every day, waiting for the old Duke to get up, and then having breakfast with him, doing everything she could to make him happy.

Everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning the incident of falling off the cliff.

Jiang Zhuoying also took a good look at the servants of Ninghui Hall. According to Eunuch Chu, the Feiying who delivered the message was among these servants of the Duke's Mansion.

But who exactly is it?

To be able to hide in the Duke's mansion for so many years without being discovered, one must not be conspicuous in appearance.

Jiang Zhuoying looked at the group of people who were setting out the meal. Ninghui Hall had its own small kitchen, which was convenient for the old Duke to dine in.

"In the blink of an eye, A-Zhuo has grown into a young woman, spending her days with my old bones. How can she find any joy in that?"

Jiang Zhuoying snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head: "I've been away all these years and haven't been able to spend time with my grandfather. It's my fault for being unfilial. Now that I have the opportunity, I should naturally spend more time with him."

"Besides, A-Zhuo finds it very enjoyable and fun to be with her grandfather!"

The girl smiled brightly, her bright eyes sparkling with laughter, and her shallow dimples making her look even more innocent.

Jiang Zhuoying's biggest fear now is that her grandfather will personally arrange another marriage for her, which would be like adding fuel to the fire for her.

"Cough cough cough~" Jiang Yun suddenly coughed, and Zhang Li behind him handed him a handkerchief at the right time.

A few breaths later, the bright red on the handkerchief stung Jiang Zhuoying's eyes.

"Grandfather, what's wrong?" The girl's eyes flickered, revealing obvious worry.

Jiang Yun shook her head, handed the handkerchief back to Zhang Li, and looked at the girl with kind eyes.

“Grandfather’s old bones don’t know how much longer he can hold on. Ah Zhuo has grown up, and there are some things we have to make plans for.”

The girl slowly furrowed her brows: "Please speak."

Jiang Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more pronounced: "After Grandfather passes away, your eldest uncle will be in charge of this Duke's mansion, and I'm afraid the two of them won't be able to tolerate you."

The little girl's pupils widened suddenly, and she murmured, "Grandfather..."

“A-Zhuo has been intelligent since childhood. Even if I don’t say it, you should be able to sense some things.”

"But... don't be afraid."

"While I'm still old and lucid, and have the face to ask for a marriage for you before the Emperor, I have only one request: you must get married before I die."

The old Duke spoke earnestly, yet his tone was forceful and left no room for argument.

Jiang Zhuoying was speechless for a moment, but her clear peach blossom eyes quickly filled with a hazy mist.

"But... Father..."

She wanted to say that her father was still alive, but if her grandfather asked her to provide evidence, how could she convince him?

"Zheng'er... I'm afraid he won't be able to come back." The voice was filled with sorrow.

Over the years, he has sent many people out, but so far he has not been able to find the father and son.

The girl slowly lowered her eyes, looking somewhat disappointed.

Jiang Yun sighed softly and looked at her again: "Grandfather will definitely find you a good marriage so that you can live a worry-free life in your later years."

Jiang Zhuoying opened her lips, looked at the other person's aged face that left no room for refusal, and nodded gently.

It's alright. Marriages arranged by the Duke's family will inevitably take a considerable amount of time, starting from the initial selection of potential partners.

She comforted herself with these words.

*

Suburbs of Luoyang.

Qi Fan stayed there for three days without changing his clothes, his eyes were bloodshot and filled with gloom.

During this time, he led his men to search inch by inch along the valley, but ultimately failed to find the person he was looking for.

Since he couldn't find the person, a few wisps of hope began to form in his mind: Could it be... that they are still alive?

Not far from him, Chu Yixin was counting the newly found corpses with Pei Yun...

Pei Yun glanced at it and lowered her voice: "How much is it now? Luckily, it's getting closer to winter."

Chu Yixin glared at him: "Pile it here for now, and report it to the authorities after these two days. It'll be a way to accumulate some good karma for Jiang girl."

Pei Yun: "..."

"Is it possible that Miss Jiang is actually alright?"

Chu Yixin frowned: "If she wasn't dead, where could such a frail little girl walk to?"

There is a shallow stream at the bottom of the cliff, but the water is too shallow to carry a person away. Besides, there are no houses for miles around, only dense forests where wild animals frequently come out at night.

If they weren't all skilled in martial arts and carried weapons, traveling in groups, they wouldn't have been able to stay here any longer.

How could a defenseless little girl possibly spend the night here?

Upon hearing this question, Pei Yun fell silent.

This mountain forest is so vast, there's no guarantee that some enormous wild beasts might roam there. Even though they haven't encountered any, it doesn't mean they haven't.

If a little girl were to encounter a giant tiger...

Recalling that beautiful face, Pei Yun looked at the pile of corpses temporarily placed there and felt a pang of sadness.

He switched the scabbard from his left hand to his right: "I'll go look for it again!"

Before Chu Yixin could reply, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead of them. He quickened his pace, shouting in a high-pitched voice, "What's going on? What's happening?"

The crowd parted to make way for Chu Yixin, who then realized that her master was already in the center of the crowd.

As soon as they arrived at the front, they heard a report.

"...The tiger was ferocious and truly terrifying. Wherever it passed, all beasts submitted. We had no choice but to retreat immediately."

The guard, kneeling on one knee to report, was panting heavily, clearly having just experienced a life-or-death ordeal.

Chu Yixin's heart sank as she watched the tall figure in front of her slowly bend down and pick up a torn top from the ground. Judging from the color and embroidery, it was clearly a young woman's garment.

He stepped forward and said, “Sir, these clothes have clearly been lost for many years. They certainly don’t belong to Jiang.”

Immediately afterwards, a dark gaze swept over her, and Chu Yixin felt a sudden chill and immediately stopped talking.

If he can see it at a glance, how could the master not see it?

What I just told Guard Pei, and now... sigh...

Not to mention the master, even he himself was feeling extremely distressed.

Qi Fan looked at the tattered clothes in his hand, his mind filled with the scars he had touched on that day in the carriage.

She cares so much about a scar less than a finger's length, but what if she encountered a wild beast after falling off the cliff?

How scared would they be?

With a slight loosening of her fingertips, the tattered garment fell to the ground, and her scarlet eyes slowly closed.

He had never had such expectations, nor had he ever prayed like this.

The only sounds were the crackling of flames, and the tall figure in the center finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

With a clear and resolute tone: "Keep searching."

...

Jiang Zhuoying had secretly instructed Wujiu to investigate the backgrounds of all the servants in the mansion, and the information was now compiled into a book and placed in front of her.

Upon examining each item, she immediately noticed something unusual about it.

One of the maids in Ninghui Hall was named Yueying. She used to work at Yuanbaolou, which she knew very well, as it was the property of the Second Prince.

After reviewing everything, only this Moon Shadow could be connected to the Second Prince.

According to the secret letter, she not only had evidence that Zhao had murdered her mother, but she could also prove that her father was currently in Jiaohai.

How can I get her to tell me anything?

...

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Jiang Zhuoying had tried almost every method, from cautious probing to coercion and enticement, but Yueying had not revealed the slightest clue.

Even Jiang Zhuoying had to sigh, "No wonder he's Qi Fan's man."

Not only is he resourceful, but he is also incredibly courageous.

Since the Moon Shadow approach is not feasible for the time being, we can only think of other methods.