Shen Hanshan was taking a bath, enjoying the warmth of the hot water, when he suddenly heard that his child was missing. He hurriedly jumped out of the bathtub and grabbed a casual garment to put on.
He was frantic, rushing out of the room while tying his belt. The princess's residence was in chaos; servants were searching for the child in every corner—the garden, the corridors, the study, and the side rooms.
Feng Hong and the others acted swiftly, and in less than half an hour, they had turned the entire princess's residence upside down.
"Your Highness, we have searched the entire mansion, but we have not found any trace of the wet nurse, the young prince, or the young princess!" a servant hurriedly reported to Zhao Zhi.
"Your Highness, we haven't found anything unusual either!" another servant reported nervously.
Shen Hanshan frowned, his heart filled with anxiety. He strode up to Zhao Zhi, looked at Feng Hong and Lan Ru, and demanded, "What happened? When did the child disappear?"
The child was Shen Hanshan's lifeblood, and the only bond between him and Zhao Zhi. He couldn't imagine what would happen to the child, and whether he and Zhao Zhi would have a future together.
"The child was still there when you and His Highness returned just now," Feng Hong and Lan Ru exchanged a glance and said guiltily.
Shen Hanshan merely glanced at the two of them, yet he keenly sensed something amiss. His brow furrowed slightly, and his gaze sharpened.
"Guards! Lanru and Fenghong failed in their duty to protect the child. Tie them up!" He roared, and the servants watching nearby involuntarily took a step back in fright.
Upon hearing this, Su Mu and Du Heng immediately stepped forward. They hesitated, glancing at their lord and then at Zhao Zhi, who remained silent to the side, before standing still.
"Your Highness, Aunt Lanru and the others are His Highness's people. If they are to be punished, it should be His Highness who should do so." Su Mu carefully walked to Shen Hanshan's side and said in a low voice.
Zhao Zhi looked at Lan Ru and Feng Hong with disappointment, waved her hand and said, "As the consort said, tie them up and I will interrogate them myself! Yes, Your Majesty!" As soon as she finished speaking, servants stepped forward and quickly tied up Lan Ru and Feng Hong, and pushed them into an empty room.
"You may all leave!" Zhao Zhi issued a stern order, and the servants all withdrew, leaving only the bound Lan Ru and Feng Hong in the room, and Shen Hanshan standing to the side.
"Ah! Your Highness, even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to make a move on the young prince!"
"Your Highness, spare us! Ah...ah...Your Highness, we really didn't lose the child on purpose!"
The sounds of whips being cracked and Lanru and Fenghong begging for mercy could be heard continuously from inside the house.
Gradually, the sound of whipping disappeared, and the voices of Lanru and the other woman pleasing for mercy also subsided.
Su Mu, Du Heng, Nan Xing, and the other servants and guards listened to the sounds coming from inside the house, trembling with fear. But not one of them dared to step forward to plead for them.
"Who on earth could steal the young princess and the young prince from the princess's residence without anyone noticing? That's incredibly audacious!"
"Yes! We were on high alert all night, but who would have thought that the enemy would so brazenly enter the princess's residence during the day and even steal the child!"
Everyone started talking at once, discussing the matter animatedly.
Inside the house, Shen Hanshan put away his whip and coldly watched as Zhao Zhi personally untied Lanru and Feng Hong, and then helped them up from the ground.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the two said in unison.
Zhao Zhi's eyes were full of praise as she said, "You two aunts are indeed the most capable people by the Empress Dowager's side! If it weren't for your advance planning, Xuan'er and Xiao Xiao would be the ones being taken away right now."
After speaking, she turned to look at Shen Hanshan, her gaze firm and full of trust, and then explained, "Keeping this from you was a last resort, just to make the whole plan seem more real and credible. Only in this way can we make the other party believe without a doubt that the child they kidnapped is my child."
"Truth and falsehood are intertwined; truth may be false, and falsehood may be true. All's fair in war, and these are all tactics I've used on the battlefield." Shen Hanshan chuckled, a sly glint in his eyes. "That's why I had my two aunts tied up, creating a tense and chaotic situation so that the enemy would mistakenly believe their plan had succeeded."
Lanru smiled and said, "The prince consort truly lives up to his reputation as a young general."
Shen Hanshan nodded slightly in understanding, but he was still somewhat worried. He raised his hand to interrupt Lan Ru and asked urgently, "Where is my child now?"
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