The two leaped over the palace wall and headed straight for the Princess's residence.

Lanterns hung beneath the gate tower of the princess's residence, their soft light illuminating the vermilion gate, maintaining its grandeur.

Xiang Song glanced at the gatekeeper but didn't go up to knock on the door.

Xiao Jingzhao glanced around and quickly ran back along the high wall.

The two of them roughly crossed the front hall, then leaped over the wall and entered.

The courtyard was silent. The yellow chrysanthemum lanterns under the eaves had all been replaced with red lanterns used by ordinary households. The night breeze blew and the lantern shadows swayed.

The courtyard was too quiet, giving it an eerie atmosphere.

Xiang Song's eyes were sharp. He looked away and asked, "Master, where should we begin our search?"

“The Princess’s mansion is vast, with countless buildings, and perhaps even underground secret chambers. There’s no need to search them one by one. No one else in the capital would target Chang Le and Sui Sui. We should strike at the heart of the matter and find Song Yunzhi directly.” Xiao Jingzhao’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he flew towards the backyard.

The princess's residence used to have over a hundred servants and countless guards, a stark contrast to its current desolate state.

As the two arrived at the main courtyard, more than a dozen guards drew their swords and rushed forward.

"Who's there! Breaking into a private residence at night, what are you trying to do?"

Xiao Jingzhao moved his feet, dodging the swords and blades that were swinging in his face. With a flash of cold light, the sword in his hand was placed against the guard's neck.

He shouted sternly, "Speak! Where is Song Yunzhi?"

The leading guard felt a slight chill on his neck. He wanted to resist again, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the newcomer was wearing a bright yellow robe.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this humble subject does not know."

"ah!"

A stinging sensation followed, and the smell of blood spread through the air.

"Your Majesty, I...I really don't know."

Upon seeing that it was the Emperor, the remaining guards dropped their swords and knelt down in unison, trembling as they said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Xiang Song pointed his sword at the kneeling guard, "If you want to live, you'd better confess honestly, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

The leader was grimacing in pain but still claimed he didn't know.

A guard kneeling on the ground said, "Madam ordered us to guard the main courtyard. She went to the small Buddhist hall in the mansion yesterday and hasn't come out yet."

Xiao Jingzhao sheathed his sword and said coldly, "Lead the way!"

The head guard avoided eye contact, covered his neck, and bowed, saying, "The small Buddhist hall is in the east wing. Your Majesty, please follow me."

Upon arriving outside the small Buddhist shrine, a strong smell of incense and candles wafted towards us.

The door to the small Buddhist shrine was closed, but the inside was brightly lit.

A whooshing sound came from the air, and several dark figures floated down from the shadows. "Your Majesty, the person is inside and hasn't come out all day."

The bodyguards who appeared were the ones monitoring Song Yunzhi.

"Go in."

"Master, please wait. There may be a trap. I will go and investigate first."

With a single glance from Xiang Song, the remaining guards immediately positioned themselves to protect the Emperor on either side.

Xiao Jingzhao was extremely anxious. He clenched his fists, strode forward, and kicked open the door.

"Bang!"

"ah!"

A woman screamed from inside the house, and Xiang Song quickly followed her in.

Then the emperor pointed his sword at a woman who had slumped limply on the prayer mat.

The woman was dressed in plain clothes, and her figure was about 80% similar to Song Yunzhi's.

She wore her hair in the same bun as Song Yunzhi and was dressed in Song Yunzhi's clothes. From behind, there was no flaw in her appearance, which explains why the guards didn't notice anything.

The woman trembled violently, pleading repeatedly, "Your Majesty, spare my life! The Madam made me change my clothes with her, and she told me to stay in the Buddhist hall. I dared not disobey!"

Having missed his target, Xiao Jingzhao gritted his teeth.

Undeterred, Xiang Song asked, "Do you know where your wife went?"

The maid lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face, shaking her head violently.

The emperor's sword was pointed at her forehead; if he pressed it any further, she would surely be killed instantly.

Xiao Jingzhao knew that Song Yunzhi would not tell a maid about her plan to kidnap Chang Le and Sui Sui. Even if he killed the woman in front of him, he would not get the information he wanted.

He slightly raised his right hand and sheathed his sword. "Hmph! Trying to play the 'golden cicada shedding its shell' trick on me? I'll dig her out even if I have to dig three feet into the ground."

After leaving the Buddhist hall, Xiang Song was troubled. Where could he find someone in this vast capital city?

Only a small number of guards and maids remained in the mansion, indicating that Song Yunzhi had sent out quite a few people.

Upon leaving the princess's residence, they saw Xiang Yang leading the Imperial Guards towards them.

"Your Majesty, the Prefect of the Capital is searching the inn, but we haven't received any news yet."

Xiao Jingzhao was extremely anxious. He was not only worried about the safety of Chang Le and Sui Sui, but also about how worried Jiang Shuyue must be with her son's disappearance. He couldn't even imagine it.

"Xiangyang, you take your men and continue the investigation. Don't let any empty houses go unchecked."

Xiao Jingzhao connected the dots and realized that Song Yunzhi had colluded with the Qingyi Sect. People in the martial arts world are best at avoiding attention, so it was unlikely that they could find any clues about them at the inn.

Xiang Yang accepted the order and left.

Xiao Jingzhao waved his hand, "Go to the Jiang residence."

In her haste, Jiang Shuyue chased after the horses for quite a distance until she heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats ahead.

When Qiuju saw that it was Gao Mu, she hurriedly asked, "Why did you come back? Why didn't you chase after him anymore?"

“There is a carriage abandoned in the middle of the road ahead. There is no one in the carriage. I will return to report to Miss that the other party had planned this in advance.”

Unable to leave the city at this point, Gao Mu was puzzled as to where the enemy would hide them.

Jiang Shuyue had a sudden inspiration, "We can't just search blindly anymore. Sui Sui has some medicine powder in her pocket. Quickly go and notify the people in the yamen to keep an eye on all the pharmacies and tell them that anyone who comes to buy antidote could be a suspect."

"I'll go right away."

Gao Mu spurred his horse and galloped away, quickly disappearing into the night.

Qiuju quickly supported the swaying Jiang Shuyue, "Fortunately, Miss instructed me to sew a pocket on each of the young master's trousers. I don't know if the kidnappers will search him."

Jiang Shuyue took a deep breath to calm herself down. "It's hard to say. I'm afraid that if the other party ties his hands and feet, the medicine powder in his pocket will be useless."

"Miss, we're not far from Huanhua Street. Let's go find Lin Miaoshou and get some advice."

The moon pierced through a thick layer of clouds, and the surroundings suddenly darkened.

The sound of barking dogs could be heard. Jiang Shuyue looked into the distance and saw people carrying torches knocking on doors and searching houses.

"We'll talk about it when we get back. Uncle Lin will definitely come to the Jiang residence once he finds out."

The people of the Prefect of the Capital have already taken action, and the Emperor will surely send the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Secret Guard.

Just as the two reached the entrance of Guixiang Street, Nangong Zeyue came running towards them.

Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, in his haste, he forgot the proper boundaries between men and women.

She stepped forward, grabbed Jiang Shuyue's arm, and asked urgently, "Yue Niang, do you know who kidnapped Sui Sui? Are they trying to extort money or something?"

Jiang Shuyue, trying to remain calm, saw Nangong Zeyue, her eyes blurred with tears. She shook her head, "I'm not sure. Maybe the kidnappers aren't after Sui Sui."

Nangong Zeyue was so angry he wanted to kill someone. He composed himself and said, "I'll take you back to your residence first. The kidnappers are after money and will definitely send a message to the Jiang residence. Just wait at home while I go out to search."

My senior brother has been in the capital for many years and has come into contact with all sorts of people. Asking him to gather information might be faster than the government.

...

"Ouch...it hurts!"

Chang Le slowly opened her eyes. It was pitch black all around, and her neck was throbbing slightly.

Where am I?

what happened?