The old lady sighed helplessly, waved her hand, and her face, though adorned in fine clothes, could not hide her haggard appearance; she was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"This poetry and wine banquet was hosted by me today, and now that their whereabouts are unknown, I am truly unable to find peace of mind!"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. General Wei is highly skilled in martial arts, and Madam Wei is always intelligent. They may not be in real danger. There is always hope."

Zhang Yongzhi offered words of comfort in a low voice, pondered for a long time, and then added to the statement again.

"The most urgent thing is for *** to go back first and think carefully about how to keep their disappearance a secret. If word gets out, even if they return together later, there will be no shortage of gossip in the capital..."

"Instead of sitting and waiting, we should remove their worries. If Madam Wei is truly still alive, she will surely remember your kindness, Your Excellency!"

Actually, that was her real intention in sending the big boss back.

However, it seems that without explaining it clearly, the big boss is troubled and can't think of a solution for the time being.

Big Sister's eyes lit up.

Yes, she hadn't even considered this...

If the two of them are truly alright, once they return to the capital, their spittle alone could crush them to death!

The uncle and sister-in-law disappeared together, and then returned together...

Just thinking about it makes me realize how terrifying rumors can be.

“That’s right. Regardless of their safety, I can only assume they are still alive. I need to resolve their concerns first and prevent others from knowing that they fell off the cliff together…”

The big sister muttered to herself, her gaze slowly falling on the incessantly crying Hua Cui.

Feeling her intense gaze, Hua Cui subconsciously looked towards the big sister.

The moment their eyes met, he immediately knelt down.

"Hua Cui, let me ask you this: do you truly wish to help your young lady?"

Hua Cui nodded emphatically, "If I can help Miss, I will gladly die for her!"

"Good, you are indeed a good girl! But you don't need to die. You just need to pretend to be your young lady. From this moment on, you are her!"

The man stared at her intently, his gaze deep and his tone certain.

Hua Cui blinked in confusion, her expression stunned.

...

Half an hour later, "Jiang Mingwei," dressed in a blue horse-face skirt, boarded the grand carriage and followed the princess to the princess's residence.

It is said that the emperor especially favored her and wanted her to stay at his residence for a few days to keep Anning company.

As for Wei Jing, no one knew where he went, and no one cared.

After all, people are generally more forgiving of men than women.

...

Jiang Mingjin returned the carriage belonging to the Wei family and explained the situation.

Granny Wang immediately reported the news to Madam Zhou.

I thought Zhou would be furious upon hearing this, believing that the two must have conspired to escape for a secret rendezvous!

To her surprise, Zhou did not think that way at all. Instead, she burst into laughter, laughing so hard that she bent over backwards and the tea in her teacup overflowed.

He didn't even notice it being poured on the back of his hand; only a sinister glint flashed in his eyes...

"What do you mean, 'as a man, unrestrained'? He's probably out looking for fun! I think he's going to find the King of Hell!"

"Wei Jing, Wei Jing, what good is it if you're so proud? I've said it before, everything you own belongs to my son and my grandson. You will get nothing!"

"You lowly concubine's daughter, you can only be a stepping stone for my Wei family. Now that we have the General's Mansion, it's time for you to die!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Wang turned pale, covered her mouth in surprise, and looked utterly astonished.

"Madam, what do you mean by that? Second Master has been murdered? How do you know about this? Could it be..."

She didn't continue speaking, but her eyes revealed fear and worry.

His legs were trembling, and he even instinctively turned around to run away!

After thinking it over and over, he still knelt down on the ground with a thud.

His body was practically riddled with holes...

"Please spare me, Madam! Please spare me, Madam! I know nothing, I heard nothing!"

"This servant has always been loyal to the old lady. You...you must understand that this servant is utterly devoted to you and has never had any disloyal intentions!"

Her body trembled, her head buried in the ground, not daring to look into the old lady's eyes, afraid of seeing the expression that would terrify her.

Because she had been Zhou's personal maid for many years, Granny Wang knew her character better than anyone else.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they have depended on each other for decades and should be the closest people in this household, especially since I am the daughter of her wet nurse!

But Zhou was ruthless by nature. Apart from herself, she didn't love anyone, including her own son. Even though she always acted as if she was heartbroken, it was only because she couldn't bear to see Wei Jing doing well.

If she can be so hypocritical to her own son, how much more so to a servant like her?

Even though they had been together for decades, Granny Wang was certain that if she offended Madam Zhou, she would still meet a terrible end.

Therefore, at this moment, she dared not gamble on her special status in the eyes of the Zhou family.

He could only prostrate himself on the ground, begging for her mercy, hoping that she would spare his life in consideration of the many years he had served her and the hard work he had done, even if he hadn't done anything particularly meritorious!

After a long while, she did not receive a word from Zhou, but was gently helped up.

She saw a cryptic smile on Zhou's face.

It was somewhat creepy, making her afraid to look up; her scalp tingled.

"Look at you, I haven't even said anything yet, why are you so nervous?" she said with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.

He reached out and patted Granny Wang's hand, his face beaming with a kind smile.

The more she acted this way, the more frightened and terrified Wang Mama became.

"Madam... Madam, I am truly devoted to you, you know that, right?"

"Of course! You've been by my side for so many years, longer than that heartless man. How could I not trust you? It's just that there are some things I can't tell you right now. Just keep it to yourself."

"Don't make this public. Since they want to keep the news of that bastard's death a secret, let them keep it a secret. It won't be long before they can't hide it anymore, and they might even be charged with deceiving the emperor."

"Then there will be something interesting to see! We can just sit back and reap the benefits..."

Granny Wang nodded tremblingly, but she had too many doubts in her heart.

Seeing Zhou's determined look, he thought for a while, mustered his courage, and cautiously asked her for more information.

"Madam, if I may be so bold, why are you so certain that the Second Master is indeed dead? If he is not dead, wouldn't that be extremely bad?"

"May I ask who attacked the Second Master? How could you trust him so much, Madam? If not, we must find a way to finish him off!"

Zhou slowly raised her head, a sinister smile on her face. "Guess?"