Huo Chengche remained unmoved upon hearing this, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed as he carefully surveyed every house and courtyard in Deshan Village.

The boy, who hadn't slept all night, was still wearing the same clothes as last night. He hadn't had time to change at all. His cold face had a rough look, and he was sharp, arrogant, and full of murderous intent. He stood with his hands behind his back on the cliff, looking as stern and godlike as a demon.

Liang Sheng had been unable to keep his eyelids open for a long time. He secretly yawned and looked tired, but when he saw Huo Chengche's imposing aura, he didn't dare to utter a single complaint.

He had just fallen asleep in the middle of the night when a menacing-looking young man dragged him out of bed and told him that the little princess from Hengchang was gone!

So he searched the capital for most of the night, going back and forth, even going door to door. Not only the Princess's residence, but even the old prince's house, which was over seventy years old, was searched thoroughly.

In just a few short hours, he, the Prefect of the Capital, had offended almost every wealthy and noble family in the capital.

But after searching all night, from the dead of night until dawn, we couldn't find a single little baby, let alone smell the sweet, soft milky aroma of a baby.

Then, the young prince retrieved the year's files from the Jingzhao Prefecture and suddenly found himself on a desolate mountain in Linghe County outside the capital.

"Scatter the people and search every inch of this area around Linghe County, especially on this mountain."

The boy's cold voice suddenly rang out, jolting Liang Sheng, who was dozing off, awake. Before his mind could even process what was happening, he quickly responded.

The next moment, the boy's sharp gaze swept over him with a murderous intent full of displeasure. Liang Sheng immediately shuddered, his drowsiness vanished, and he quickly and energetically ordered the crowd to disperse.

In the blink of an eye, only Liang Sheng and Huo Chengche remained on the mountaintop.

Liang Sheng was still completely baffled. "Your Highness, why did you suddenly think of this place?"

Huo Chengche glanced at him, pursed his lips, and said coldly, "Whether it's Changxu or the eldest princess, they are all involved with Lian Tong. When I was reviewing the files, I found that before the villagers in the villages under the jurisdiction of Linghe County rebelled, there were a large number of records of children who were either dead or missing."

Liang Sheng suddenly realized, "Your Highness means that the place where they used young children to refine pills is here?"

Huo Chengche nodded in acquiescence, his gaze sweeping over the village below, his brows furrowed. "The only time the person behind this appeared was yesterday in the alley, when they used a strange fragrance to lure Niannian. But at least with that, I can be certain that they didn't intend to kill Niannian."

At this point, the young man glanced behind him and asked, "Gu Ran, has any news come from the palace?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Ran appeared conveniently behind the boy, bowed and cupped his hands, and replied coldly, "Your Highness, no."

Upon hearing this answer, Huo Chengche breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Before leaving the palace, Zhuangyou stopped him and told him that she was certain that before Xuandi returned, the person behind Grand Preceptor Changxu and Princess Linhuang would definitely not return, and before that, Niannian would definitely be fine.

"Your Highness! We've spotted the eunuch Li Quan near a dilapidated Taoist temple halfway up the mountain!" A yamen runner from the Jingzhao Prefecture rushed up and reported breathlessly.

Upon hearing this, Huo Chengche's expression immediately changed drastically, and he turned around abruptly, asking, "Have you seen Niannian?!"

The servant shook his head. "Your Highness, there was only a middle-aged Taoist priest with a face swollen like a pig's head by Li Quan's side. The little princess was nowhere to be seen. Judging from their appearance, they were probably also looking for the little princess."