The Great Xuan Dynasty, the Prince Rui's Mansion.

"What did you say?" Shen Hanshan roared in fury. "You guys can lose track of even one person? Are you just sitting around doing nothing?"

"Your Highness, we've been drugged. Those people didn't hurt anyone or rob us; they only took Lord Zhao and his wife away," the guard in charge of monitoring Zhao Shouzhen's convoy reported.

"They didn't harm anyone, nor did they rob anyone..." Shen Hanshan muttered to himself thoughtfully, "Their actions don't seem to be in cahoots with the group that burned down the Prince's Mansion. The Yun Dynasty people!"

In a flash, Chen Hanshan stood up abruptly. "How could I not have thought of that? Zhao Zhi might not be hidden in the Da Xuan Imperial Palace! Her sworn brother, Cui Shenghe, has business dealings in both Da Xuan and Yun Chao. Although I know very little about him, from the few times we've met, I can tell that Cui Shenghe cares a lot about Zhizhi. With his wealth and connections, he could easily send Zhao Zhi to Yun Chao without anyone noticing, and then transfer Zhao Shouzhen and his wife there as well."

Du Heng also slapped his head hard.

"Yes, Your Highness, I never expected that! Perhaps His Majesty gave us this information gap, which allowed His Highness and the Prince to completely deceive the Prince. So, Your Highness, should we still save him?"

Shen Hanshan stared at him coldly: "What do you think?"

Du Heng said with distress, "Your Highness, Her Highness is, after all, your wife in name only. If we don't save her, wouldn't it make you seem heartless? But if we do save her, the world is vast, and even the Emperor can't help us. Where are we supposed to find someone?"

Shen Hanshan slowly walked to the window, gazing at a corner of the Prince's Mansion in the night outside, pondering every possible course of action.

After a long pause, he turned around and said in a deep and powerful voice, "Du Heng, immediately issue the order to secretly mobilize our spies in Yunchao and confirm the whereabouts of Zhao Shouzhen and his wife and Zhao Zhi as soon as possible."

At the same time, strengthen communication with spies within the Da Xuan Imperial Palace to investigate whether the Emperor was truly unaware of the matter or acting deliberately.

Shen Hanshan's words exuded an irresistible authority.

Upon hearing this, Du Heng immediately straightened his back and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness! I will make the arrangements immediately."

Having said that, he turned to leave, but then seemed to remember something, stopped, and hesitated, saying, "Your Highness, there is one more thing... regarding Miss Zhao's sworn brother, Young Master Cui, wouldn't it be easy to find Miss Zhao if we went directly to him?"

Shen Hanshan pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "We must not act rashly. Although Cui Shenghe and Zhao Zhi are deeply in love, his identity is unknown and he acts cautiously. If we make contact rashly, we will only alert him and may even make him wary, which will be detrimental to our search for Zhao Zhi. Do as I say for now, investigate secretly, and make further plans when the time is right."

Du Heng nodded in agreement and then withdrew to carry out the order.

Shen Hanshan remained alone in his study, gazing at the scroll on the table depicting the maps of Da Xuan and Yun Chao, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Not long after he was transferred to Chaoyang County by Zhao Yi, the Prince's Mansion was attacked by bandits, followed by the incident of assassins setting fire to the palace.

Each and every one of these things is strange.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was a well-planned scheme that had been brewing for some time!

As night deepened, the lights in the Prince's mansion dimmed, but Shen Hanshan's study remained brightly lit.

The next morning, Du Heng led a large number of guards in a massive search of Lingyang City, showing everyone the image of the Princess and asking if anyone had seen her. Anyone found acting suspiciously was arrested without explanation and thrown into prison.

Panic gripped Lingyang City, and everyone felt insecure. Merchants from other places dared not venture into Lingyang City to conduct business.

In no time, everyone in the court and the marketplace knew that Prince Rui had gone mad because of the abduction of the Princess.

Officials who had initially sympathized with Prince Rui began submitting memorials one after another, impeaching him for disrupting the order of Lingyang City for his own selfish reasons, causing unrest among the people and hindering business travel.

As time went by, the atmosphere in Lingyang City quietly changed.

The popular support and prestige that Prince Rui, Shen Hanshan, had built up through his heroic resistance against the enemy and defense of the territory were gradually eroded by a series of disturbances that seemed to be caused by personal feelings.

In the imperial court, a storm was brewing. Officials who had once held deep sympathy and respect for Prince Rui were now writing impeachment memorials with earnest words.

Some of these memorials bitterly denounced Prince Rui for neglecting the country due to personal feelings, disregarding the overall situation, and arbitrarily mobilizing troops to search for the missing Princess Zhao Chunhua, resulting in the city being poorly guarded, giving criminals an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, and causing the people to be unable to live in peace, sleepless at night, and uneasy day and night.

Some recounted the chain reaction triggered by Prince Rui's actions, with merchants and travelers taking detours due to concerns about security, causing Lingyang, once a prosperous commercial town, to become deserted, with few merchants, severe economic damage, and people's livelihoods in dire straits.

Some even elevated the matter to the level of national stability, stating that Prince Rui's actions went against the emperor's will and challenged imperial authority; if not stopped in time, it could trigger greater turmoil and unrest.

For a time, discussions arose both inside and outside the court, and Prince Rui, Shen Hanshan, was once again thrust into the spotlight.

Zhao Yi had no choice but to react.

In the Golden Palace, Li An, his eyes filled with pain, glanced at Shen Hanshan, and then his shrill, effeminate voice suddenly rang out in the hall:

"Prince Rui, Shen Zhi, receive the imperial decree—"

Shen Hanshan smiled calmly, holding his jade tablet, and slowly stepped forward. He announced loudly, "Your subject receives the decree—"

“Prince Rui, Shen Zhi, was once a man of great military achievements and meritorious service in protecting the country, which greatly pleased me. However, in recent months, Shen Zhi has been troubled by personal matters and has arbitrarily mobilized troops to search for the whereabouts of the Eldest Princess, resulting in the city of Lingyang being undefended, the people being in a state of panic, merchants being displaced, and the city's order being thrown into chaos, with far-reaching consequences.”

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