After leaving the house and turning three corners to the west, and crossing a small bridge, you arrive at a bustling and lively morning market in the east of the city, packed with people.

From the moment the fifth drum sounds, you can find everything here: antiques, calligraphy and paintings, clothing, hats, fans and curtains, bonsai and flowers, fresh fish, pork and mutton, pastries and candied fruits, melons, fruits and vegetables.

The street is not very big in the West Qin Imperial City, but it is full of well-known old shops whose reputation is hidden deep in the alley.

"Kuri no Sai" is one of them.

From afar, Yan'er heard the familiar shouts of the shopkeeper at the entrance of Lizhizhai: "Dear customers from all over the country, don't miss out! Come and take a look! Lizhizhai's freshly roasted chestnuts are crispy and easy to peel, sweet and delicious, reasonably priced, and honest to all."

Yan'er stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, as if even the air here was filled with the sweet and sticky smell she had been longing for for so long.

Unable to resist any longer, she suddenly opened her eyes and hurriedly ran towards the entrance of Kuri no Sakae's shop.

Meanwhile, at a restaurant on the street corner, Young Master Yi had gotten completely drunk early in the morning.

All that could be heard was him calling out from time to time: "Girl, where are you? Where are you?"

The two maids beside him exchanged a glance, and Bai Zhi shook her head slightly, clearly having no way to deal with him.

Zisu was heartbroken and couldn't bear to watch any longer.

After a while, she frowned deeply, reached out and grabbed the wine pot on the table, advising him, "Third Young Master, please don't drink anymore!"

Yi San Shao paused, staring at the wine pot he was controlling for a moment, then glanced at it again. Unexpectedly, he then gulped down the wine in his hand.

Zisu thought that these days, besides searching for Yi Shangyun's whereabouts, all she did was search for Yi Shangyun's whereabouts.

However, the only information they found out was from a servant in the Yi family that Yi Shangyun had indeed left the Yi family alone on that rainy night and never returned.

The three of them have been staking out the Prince of Qin's residence for several days now, but not even a sparrow has been seen flying out.

Young Master Yi was extremely worried about this and felt extremely guilty. Why had he failed to take good care of her?

He disregarded the repeated orders from the King of Nan'an to return to Nan'an as soon as possible to discuss important matters, and was only focused on finding the whereabouts of Yi Shangyun.

But as the days went by, there was no progress at all, as if the clouds on the clothes had vanished into thin air on that rainy night.

Zisu said sadly, "Third Young Master's constant drinking to drown his sorrows is of no use. That night, with such heavy rain, how far could a pregnant woman have gone? Now, we have already turned the entire Western Qin Imperial City upside down, but we have not found any news about her. I'm afraid... I'm afraid she is probably dead..."

Before he could finish speaking, Young Master Yi immediately scolded and stopped him, saying, "Shut up! I won't allow you to have such thoughts. The girl is lucky and will be fine!"

Upon hearing the reprimand, Bai Zhi shuddered in surprise, but she had no choice but to sit down and quietly remind him, "But... Third Young Master, this morning, the King has sent a secret letter for the sixth time, requesting that you return to the country as soon as possible. If you don't go back, the King will be furious!"

It is common knowledge that the current situation in various countries is tense. The reason why the King of Nan'an is so anxious to summon Young Master Yi back to the country must be because of the matter of Nan'an raising troops.

At this moment, Zisu came up with a plan and said, "How about we let Baizhi accompany Third Young Master back to Nan'an for the time being, while I stay in Xiqin to continue searching for the young lady's whereabouts? Once there is any news, I will report to Third Young Master immediately. What do you think, Third Young Master?"

Upon hearing that she was about to part ways with Zisu and that Zisu would be left alone in the Western Qin Kingdom, Baizhi was truly reluctant and extremely worried, saying, "Zisu..."

Zisu shook her head and smiled slightly, implying that he shouldn't worry about her.

Upon hearing this, Young Master Yi reached out again to snatch the wine pot from Zisu's hand.

Zisu still refused to give in, and Young Master Yi was not going to let go either. Zisu couldn't persuade him otherwise, and finally slowly let go.

As Young Master Yi continued to pour and drink his wine, he was secretly thinking about many things.

Although in his heart, the safety of Yi Shangyun was more important than anything else.

Regardless, he was still the only son of the King of Nan'an. Even if we didn't consider his situation, we should at least think about the difficult circumstances his mother was in.

From childhood to adulthood, aside from her love, his mother never asked anything of him. He never reciprocated in any way, and he also constantly shirked the responsibilities that came with him.

But no matter what happened in the past, things are completely different now.

This matter concerns the life and death of the nation. The situation has come to this point, and it is a matter of duty. I cannot deceive myself or completely distance myself from it.

...

So he gritted his teeth and finally nodded in agreement, then instructed Zisu, "You must find the girl at all costs and protect her!"

"Yes!" Zisu replied earnestly.

After finally coming up with a plan, Young Master Yi and Bai Zhi got up and went downstairs to leave.

Zisu rose to see him off.

Bai Zhi looked back at Zi Su every few steps with reluctance, and Zi Su smiled and waved to her.

They watched as the figures of the master and servant gradually disappeared into the bustling street corner.

At this moment, Zisu composed herself and suddenly shifted her gaze, just in time to see Yan'er walking out of the Chestnut Shop across the street with a full load of purchases. After a moment's thought, she looked again carefully and exclaimed in surprise, "It's that girl!"

But after thinking about it again, she asked with some doubt, "Isn't she Yi Shangyun's personal maid? How come she would appear in the market in the east of the city, so far from the Yi residence, so early in the morning?"

As he spoke, he took out a few copper coins from his waist, slapped them on the table, and hurriedly went downstairs with his sword.

Little did they know that everything that had just happened between the three of them had been seen by two men and a woman sitting in another corner of the restaurant.

These three were none other than Tuoba Ze, Mei Xiyuan, and Lu Tianjiao, who were also lurking near the Qin Prince's Mansion looking for an opportunity.

Seeing that the three had all left, Mei Xiyuan felt that the inn where she was staying was not far from the restaurant, and she could go back with her maid.

So Tuoba Ze and Lu Tianjiao left first, and then Tuoba Ze followed them downstairs.

"Are you sure that by following Young Master Yi and the others, we can catch that bitch?"

Stepping out of the restaurant and weaving through the bustling crowds of the market, Lu Tianjiao asked Tuoba Ze.

Tuoba Ze curled his lips into a sarcastic smile and said, "If Miss Lu doesn't believe me, she can always find a way to arrest someone from the Qin Prince's mansion herself! I remember that Miss Lu has quite a connection with the Qin Prince's mansion and has been a frequent visitor there since she was a child, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao's face instantly flushed red with anger, and he said, "Tuoba Ze...you..."

Seeing that he was already angry, Tuoba Ze was secretly pleased. He then earnestly explained to him, "The Qin Prince's mansion is always heavily guarded, and it is impossible for us to sneak in. Since we can't get in, the only way now is to wait for the girl to show herself so that we can have a chance to make our move."

Lu Tianjiao thought about it carefully and realized that what he said made sense. This was the only way for now. Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. In the end, he had ruined his friendship with the Prince of Qin's mansion with his own hands.

So the two of them followed closely behind Zisu, wanting to find out what was going on.

Meanwhile, in a secluded alleyway behind the restaurant.

After parting ways with the two at the restaurant, Mei Xiyuan, who was about to return to the inn alone, encountered a major problem on the way.

As soon as they came down from the restaurant and stepped outside, Mei Xiyuan, despite being extremely cautious, first looked around and then both she and her maid covered themselves with long white veils.

However, in a dark corner, she was spotted by two furtive men who had been hiding there, and they followed her.

Because it was a bustling area, it wasn't until they entered this secluded alley that Mei Xiyuan vaguely sensed someone following her and realized what was happening.

She gripped the maid's hand tightly, and the maid, noticing her unusual reaction, asked, "Princess, what's wrong?"

Mei Xiyuan lowered her voice and said, "Someone is following us."

"What... someone is following us..." Upon hearing this, the maid panicked and tried to turn around to check.

Mei Xiyuan quickly grabbed her arm and whispered, "Don't turn around, hurry up and go!"

The maid was so frightened that she dared not utter another sound, and tremblingly quickened her pace along with him.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the alley, another man suddenly burst in from another alley in front of them.

Startled, the master and servant immediately stopped and slowly retreated.

Just then, the man following behind was about to catch up.

The mistress and servant held each other's hands tightly when the maid suddenly lifted her foot and bumped directly into the arms of the man who had caught up from behind.

The moment the maid realized she had touched the man's body, she was so frightened that she broke free from Mei Xiyuan's grasp and jumped up, turning around to shout at her, "Get away! Don't touch me, or I'll call for help!"

As she spoke, the maid raised her voice in panic, trying to beg for help: "Help..."

In an instant, a gleaming dagger was placed against the maid's neck.

Immediately afterwards, the man brazenly leaned close to the maid's ear and said, "Shout, why aren't you shouting anymore?"

"No, don't kill her." Mei Xiyuan seemed to freeze in place for a moment.

The other man seemed certain that no one would rescue them, showing no concern whatsoever. He even gave a smirk and a teasing sound.

He approached Mei Xiyuan and said, "Few people pass by here, so shouting your lungs out won't help. You might as well behave and serve us brothers for a bit. Maybe if we're in a good mood today, we'll take you and your servant home, one of you as the head and the other as the concubine, how about that?"

"You scoundrels, do you even know who my mistress is?" The maid, who was clearly terrified, suddenly mustered the courage to say this as the man reached out to lift Mei Xiyuan's veil.

Upon hearing this, the man who was restraining the maid said fiercely, "Don't move! The knife in my hand doesn't have eyes. I don't care who you are. I advise you two not to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. If you anger us, you'll be going to see the King of Hell soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ripped off the veil from the maid's head and then reached down to the maid's collar.

"stop!"