The Duke of Jingguo's mansion is busy preparing for Song Zhen's wedding, and Princess Jiahua is preparing to move to a new residence. Fortunately, the new residence is right next door.
When the steward came to report for the third time that Pei Zhao was requesting an audience.
Princess Jia Hua reluctantly nodded and let the person in.
A short while later, Pei Zhao rushed over, bowed to Princess Jia Hua, and said rudely, "Please release my mother, Princess."
Princess Jia Hua raised an eyebrow: "Ridiculous. Your mother is missing, so why are you coming to me demanding her back?"
“My mother has not returned since she came to the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion the night before last.”
"I did not see your mother the night before last."
Pei Zhao was surprised that Princess Jia Hua would deny it so directly. His heart skipped a beat, and his eyes showed a hint of displeasure. Princess Jia Hua sneered, "You lost your mother, so you should have reported it to the Prefect of the Capital. What if she was kidnapped by thieves? Your mother has committed many evils and caused a lot of trouble. Could it be that her enemies have come looking for her?"
That was extremely blunt.
Pei Zhao's face flushed red: "How can the princess speak like that? My mother is kind to everyone, and she has only had a few disagreements with you. You are still close friends, yet you curse my mother?"
Princess Jiahua looked at Pei Zhao and remembered how he had abused A Yue in her previous life, so she couldn't possibly give him a kind look.
"Prince Pei!" Princess Jiahua slammed her hand on the table and stood up angrily, saying, "To catch a thief red-handed, you can't just say that I detained your mother without any evidence. Coming to the door to question you is already an act of insubordination. Guards, throw him out of here."
"Young Master Pei, please." Xiu Shu pointed to the door.
Pei Zhao's expression changed slightly: "I will definitely find the evidence."
"Mother."
Suddenly, a charming and lovely voice came from outside the door, and a figure in crimson came into view, with outstanding features on her bright and beautiful face.
Song Yue was no longer the skinny little girl she was three years ago. Now she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman with bright, smiling eyes and red lips: "Mother, please help Prince Pei find someone for the sake of our past relationship."
Pei Zhao looked at the newcomer, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes.
Princess Jia Hua looked at her daughter with gentle eyes: "A Yue, come here."
As Song Yue stepped forward and passed by Pei Zhao, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted past his nose, causing his eyes to flicker slightly.
"Why not post a notice offering a reward of ten thousand taels of silver, demanding to see the person alive or dead? How could a perfectly healthy person just vanish into thin air?"
The words he uttered immediately caused Pei Zhao to frown deeply.
“No way!” Pei Zhao retorted.
Posting a notice means letting everyone know that Princess Zhennan is missing. What does it mean when a beautiful woman disappears for several days?
Public opinion is a fearsome thing.
It will be impossible to resolve this issue later.
Rumors alone can drive a person to their death.
Song Yue raised an eyebrow, looking at Pei Zhao with puzzlement: "Your Highness, human life is of paramount importance. Reputation is just an external thing. Or would you rather let the Princess of Zhennan die than save someone?"
Pei Zhao blushed: "I never said that. I will look for it myself, so there's no need to trouble the princess."
After saying that, Pei Zhao turned and left.
He indeed had no evidence, only the maid's side of the story. The strange thing was that the Princess of Zhennan left alone that night.
Watching Pei Zhao's retreating figure, Song Yue pouted her red lips: "How come I never realized he was so stupid before?"
"He was stupid to begin with."
Song Yue sighed and shook her head, then smiled sweetly as she took Princess Jiahua's arm: "I heard that a group of fake monks came to the Jokhang Temple. Maybe it was the fake monks who kidnapped people. Mother, should we announce this to the world?"
Princess Jia Hua smiled and said, "My son is right."
Once the notice was posted, the whole city knew about it.
Pei Zhao heard about the fake monk and the notice as soon as he entered the room. He stopped abruptly and grabbed the servant by the collar in disbelief: "Where is the notice?"
"Your Highness, the city is plastered with posters, including a portrait of the Princess Consort, saying that anyone who provides a clue will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver."
Pei Zhao ordered someone to fetch the notice.
A moment later, the notice was retrieved. After reading its contents, Pei Zhao was furious. He got up to go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, but was stopped by the Prince of Zhennan.
Snap!
He slapped Pei Zhao across the face.
Pei Zhao was stunned.
"Have you made enough of a scene?"
Pei Zhao covered his face: "It was the Duke of Jingguo's mansion that hid the person."
"Do you have any evidence?" the Prince of Zhennan asked angrily.
He shook his head.
The Prince of Zhennan said with a gloomy face: "This matter has caused a great uproar in the city. Everyone knows that your mother has been missing for two days and two nights. There are also fake monks in the city. Your mother's innocence has been ruined."
"Then, what should we do?" Pei Zhao was anxious. He didn't want things to turn out like this. He hadn't slept for several days while searching for his mother.
The Prince of Zhennan took a deep breath: "We can only search for people in private. The best course of action now is to protect your mother's reputation. Immediately send people to spread the word that your mother has been found. She accompanied Lady Qing to visit old friends outside the city. Find a woman to wear your mother's clothes and appear at the city gate. In this way, the rumors will be dispelled."
Pei Zhao nodded and immediately did as instructed.
In just half an hour, news of the Princess of Zhennan's discovery had already spread.
"Turns out the person wasn't lost, they just went out for a walk to clear their head."
"Oh dear, how could someone so big get lost?"
The people were talking about it privately.
Meanwhile, in a private room at Tianxiang Tower, Song Yue leaned against the window, listening to the storytelling downstairs, and occasionally overheard the discussions of the people on the street.
She held the teacup in her slender, fair fingers, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Miss, is the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion planning to give up on looking for someone?" Yun Dong asked.
Song Yue said, "I can't afford to lose face. The Prince of Zhennan is extremely concerned about his reputation. However, this matter is not up to him to decide."
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