Prince Duan's Mansion.

Gu Qinlan waited inside the gate with several maids. Soon, she saw Princess Duan's carriage slowly stop in front of the gate.

Gu Qinlan personally went out to greet her, saying with a smile, "Mother, you must be tired from your journey."

When Princess Duan alighted from the carriage, she looked travel-worn and exhausted. Ignoring her own fatigue, she anxiously asked, "How is my Huiyi? What did the doctor say? Why did she suddenly become so ill?"

Before she could finish speaking, Princess Duan's tears silently streamed down her face.

Gu Qinlan immediately stepped forward to help her up, gently comforting her, "Mother, don't worry, let's go into the mansion first, and I'll tell you slowly."

Princess Duan suddenly pushed her away and scolded, "Huiyi has hardly ever been sick since she was a child. I was only gone for a month, how did she become so ill? How exactly did you take care of her?"

Gu Qinlan was pushed and staggered back a few steps, but fortunately Hongye caught her in time so she didn't fall.

This scene attracted the attention of passersby.

Gu Qinlan smiled slightly at the passersby, trying to ease the awkwardness: "Please forgive my embarrassment. My eldest daughter is seriously ill, and my mother is very worried. Please don't misunderstand."

In reality, Princess Duan didn't push her very hard; she deliberately exaggerated it. This was because she needed to solidify the fact that Zheng Huiyi was seriously ill in order to minimize the impact.

Princess Duan was clearly putting her all into portraying her anxiety and helplessness, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy. Her pride prevented her from lowering herself, so she could only wipe away her tears and stagger towards the mansion: "My darling, you don't need to panic. Your mother has returned. Your mother will definitely search for famous doctors and find the best remedy for you."

With tears streaming down her face, Princess Duan staggered into the mansion and headed straight for Zheng Huiyi's courtyard. However, upon entering the room, she found it not only empty but also completely different from what she remembered.

"What exactly happened? Where did Huiyi go?"

Princess Duan glanced at Gu Qinlan with suspicion, then her eyes widened in anger: "You didn't actually send Huiyi to another residence, did you? Qinlan, you've gone too far! Even if Huiyi has offended you in the past, you can't treat her so cruelly while she's ill!"

Gu Qinlan sighed softly and instructed Li Qiu, "Explain the situation to the old lady."

Li Qiu immediately knelt down in front of Princess Duan, tears streaming down her face: "Madam, the eldest daughter is not sick, and you have never treated her unfairly."

Princess Duan was increasingly confused: "Not sick? Then why are there rumors that she's dying? Where is she?"

With tears streaming down her face, Li Qiu explained, "The eldest daughter left without saying goodbye, and her whereabouts are still unknown."

It took Princess Duan quite a while to process this sudden news. Then, her vision went black, and she collapsed weakly into her maid's arms.

By the time Princess Consort Duan awoke, it was already dusk. She lay on the bed, bewildered for a moment, before remembering where she was. Then, tears streamed down her face: "Huiyi, my darling, where are you?"

Gu Qinlan entered the room upon hearing the sound, sat on the edge of the bed, and said earnestly, "Mother, I have done my best to cover up Huiyi's disappearance, and no one knows about it yet. But you must also strictly control the people around you. If the news of Huiyi's disappearance leaks out, her reputation will be severely damaged, and she may even have nowhere to go. This will implicate Huaiyu, and even the other women in the Zheng family."

Princess Duan was confused and often made mistakes in many matters, so Gu Qinlan had to explain things more clearly.

Princess Duan asked in alarm, "How could something as simple as getting lost have such serious consequences?"

Gu Qinlan thought to herself that her worries were indeed not unfounded.

“Mother, regardless of whether Huiyi has encountered any misfortune while she was away these days, you must pay attention to how the outside world views this matter. She is not yet engaged. If this matter gets out, which family will be willing to marry her off to us?”

It has been six days and nights since Huiyi went missing. I have sent my men to search all the obvious places. As for those hidden corners that are not suitable for our open search, I have also secretly deployed personnel to investigate them carefully.

Princess Duan's eyes widened suddenly, and her face instantly lost all color: "A place that shouldn't be searched?"

She might be somewhat confused, but she was by no means completely ignorant. She could vaguely guess what misfortunes a young woman might have suffered while alone away from home for many days without any news.

Gu Qinlan gave her a reassuring smile: "This is just in case. Huiyi will definitely be safe and sound."

Princess Duan held her hand tightly, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, "Qinlan, you must find Huiyi. No matter what difficulties she has encountered, she is still my daughter, and I could never abandon her."

Gu Qinlan gently patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "Mother, please rest assured, I am searching with all my might."

Before she could finish speaking, Hongye rushed in: "Miss, we have a lead!"

Gu Qinlan suddenly stood up: "Really?"

Hongye nodded solemnly: "The spy we placed at Aunt Lian's house just sent back news that they discovered some of the eldest daughter's precious jewelry. Aunt Lian's husband is tracing the origin of this jewelry."

Gu Qinlan could no longer sit still: "Quickly, prepare clothes for me, I want to go in person."

Princess Duan hurriedly said, "I want to go too."

Gu Qinlan turned around and gently advised, "Mother, you should stay home and wait for good news. I haven't revealed Huiyi's true identity to Aunt Lian. If you go there in person, Huiyi's disappearance will probably be exposed."

Princess Duan waved her hand anxiously and said, "Then I won't go. You go and investigate quickly. If you find any news, send someone back to inform me immediately."

After calming Princess Duan's anxiety, Gu Qinlan changed her clothes, carefully disguised herself as an ordinary girl, and hurriedly went to Aunt Lian's residence.

This time, they chose to meet at Aunt Lian's house, since the shops were too crowded for private conversations.

"I had long anticipated that Madam would come in person."

Aunt Lian warmly welcomed Gu Qinlan into the house, then took out the jewelry that her husband Jin Tianming had found from the shadows and handed it to Gu Qinlan: "Madam, take a look, are these the jewelry that was stolen from the manor?"

Gu Qinlan brought Liqiu with her on this trip, and Liqiu immediately recognized the jewelry: "That's right, these are the ones."

These pieces of jewelry are the young lady's most treasured possessions; she would never mistake them.

Aunt Lian breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'll have my husband investigate the origin of these pieces of jewelry immediately."

They had been searching for three days, but had not found a single clue. She and her husband were extremely anxious, fearing that they would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Aunt Lian summoned a clever and quick-witted servant boy from her husband's side and instructed him to quickly pass the message to Jin Tianming.

This young servant was exceptionally clever and was Jin Tianming's right-hand man. After discovering the jewelry, Jin Tianming instructed the servant to return the treasures first, while he himself stayed near the shop where the jewelry was found to continue the investigation, thus saving a great deal of precious time.