Murong Lie had never been so flustered before.

He thought Jiang Tian would stay by his side obediently as before, becoming his personal maid.

But he never imagined that one day she would suddenly disappear.

Thinking back to his birthday that day, and the things Jiang Tian said, Murong Lie felt a chill run down his spine.

He frantically searched for his subordinates and left the palace to look for Jiang Tian.

The Empress dared not tell.

According to the Empress's attitude, any palace maid who dares to escape from the palace should be executed without mercy.

For these masters, servants are just expendable resources; if one is no longer useful, there's always another.

Murong Lie dared not alert anyone, so he sent out all the people he trusted to find Jiang Tian's whereabouts.

Where did she go?

When he thought of her saying that she would be leaving this year, Murong Lie had given up all his worries. As long as she was alright, he could put aside the fact that she had killed him in his previous life.

Even after the flower-viewing party ended, there was still no news from outside.

Those subordinates didn't bring Jiang Tian back either.

Murong Lie accompanied the Empress absentmindedly until the entire flower-viewing banquet ended, still somewhat lost in thought.

The Empress truly didn't know what was wrong with her son, and she couldn't control him anymore; as long as he was alive, that was enough.

As soon as the banquet ended, Murong Lie packed his things and left the palace.

How could they not find it? If they can't find it, then it means they didn't look carefully enough.

He will definitely find out where she is.

Murong Lie didn't know what Jiang Tian liked.

But Murong Lie knew exactly where she lived.

I really don't know where she got the guts or the method to escape from the heavily guarded palace.

But she managed to escape, and no one could catch her; that was her true nature.

Murong Lie no longer cared how she got out; his only thought now was that if he couldn't find her, he had to find her. So he rode a hundred miles to Jiang Tian's hometown.

When he finally arrived there, he realized it was a relatively prosperous village.

In such villages, there are even people who sell their daughters into slavery.

Murong Lie inquired about the location of Jiang Tian's home from others.

As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw two children, both boys, with dark eyes staring at him.

Their faces seem to bear some resemblance to Jiang Tian's.

His attire was extraordinary, and not long after, Jiang Tian's parents came out.

They knelt down hastily, looking honest and simple.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

They didn't know who he was, but they were filled with awe and respect for him.

"Get up."

Murong Lie didn't waste any words with them and asked directly, "Has the eldest daughter you bought come back during this time?"

The elderly couple hurriedly shook their heads: "Our daughter went to the palace, how could she come back?"

Murong Lie's eyes were somewhat cold: "I see that the houses you live in and the clothes you wear are not bad, so why do you want your daughters to be slaves and servants to others?"

His question seemed rather sharp, and the couple remained silent for a long time.

"explain!"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, that year our family was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat. We couldn't just let the whole family starve to death, so we sold her..."

"Then why are you all doing so well now?"

"They used the money from selling their eldest daughter to lease several acres of land. The more land they lease, the bigger it becomes, and then they'll have money! They only got the money because they sold their daughter! It's all thanks to their eldest daughter!"

A widow who was watching the commotion couldn't help but chime in.

The couple dared not argue and lowered their heads further.

"Have you ever thought about her?"

"I've thought about it, of course I've thought about it. She's our daughter, how could we not think about her..."

The couple said nice things, but Murong Lie could tell from their eyes that they hadn't paid any attention to their daughter since the moment they sold her.

They completely treated her as if she didn't exist.

With parents like that, how could Jiang Tian possibly come back to visit them?

Murong Lie said nothing and rode away.

There are pitiful people in the world, but what can be done about it?

Jiang Tian didn't return to her home, nor did she have anywhere to stay. Where could she have gone?

Murong Lie racked his brains but couldn't figure it out; he knew far too little about her.

He went to Jiang Tian's place and looked at the things she had left behind. Unexpectedly, he found a book.

This book describes a river, which is said to have clear water and beautiful scenery.

Jiang Tian folded this page specifically.

Try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

Murong Lie set off again that very night to the vicinity of that river.

He sent out everyone he could, but still couldn't find a trace of Jiang Tian.

He also went to plead with his mother.

Although the Empress was not clear about the situation of sending you this palace maid, it was the first time her son had shown such a nervous expression, and as his mother, she naturally couldn't let him down.

Everything should be done after the person has found it.

So many people were sent, but they couldn't find a single trace of them.

Murong Lie hated that the power he held was too insignificant.

The Empress was originally in the inner palace; how many people could she possibly command?

As the crown prince, he was listless and seemed to be doing nothing all day. Now that he really needed power, he couldn't offer anything, so it's no wonder that he couldn't find a single person.

Murong Lie, feeling disgusted with himself, went to the vicinity of that river.

He brought a group of people, and everyone was working hard to search.

If she really is here, if she really is... alright, maybe we can find her.

Murong Lie's hopes were dashed; the woman simply did not appear. He searched so many places, but still could not find her.

To avoid attracting too much attention and being seen by the emperor, which would only lead to more speculation, Murong Lie had no choice but to send his men back first.

For some reason, he had a premonition that the woman was definitely here, but she was hiding so well that no one had noticed her.

Even after everyone had left, Murong Lie continued his search, bit by bit.

There was a grove of trees beside the river, and the grove looked very dark; there might be something going on inside.

Murong Lie gritted his teeth and went inside anyway.

It was a clear day, so the view was excellent.

Murong Lie never expected that there would be a hidden paradise in this forest, with a river inside.

It's been several days already. If this woman is on her way, she will definitely come here. Murong Lie calculated the time and began to look for clues by the river.

He saw a footprint, very small.

Murong Lie's heart began to pound.

He had never seen what shoes Jiang Tian was wearing, but the footprint was very clearly a woman's.

Could it be her?

Murong Lie had just dismounted and was planning to approach silently.

However, to his surprise, before he could find the person, he heard a "thump" sound!

Murong Lie's heart trembled violently!