"The young lady once wrote to you, hoping that you could do something to curb the arrogance of the madam. However, the madam held a grudge because of the young lady's complaint and actually imprisoned her in a dark room, not even allowing servants to bring her the most basic food. The young lady struggled in despair and finally could not bear it any longer, so she managed to escape from that gloomy mansion."
As Zheng Dingxi wiped away his tears, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Highness, you must find a solution as soon as possible. The eldest daughter has been missing for more than ten days. The old lady is away from home to worship Buddha and is probably still unaware of the situation. The madam and the eldest daughter have always had a tense relationship, so I'm afraid she will find it difficult to devote herself fully to the search."
Zheng Dinglian clenched his fists, veins bulging: "Is everything you said true?"
Zheng Dingxi replied through sobs, “What you say is true, Your Highness. It was because the Lady was worried that the eldest daughter would seek refuge with you that she sent me to the northern frontier to search for her. I dared not slacken my efforts along the way, inquiring about the eldest daughter's whereabouts as I traveled, but even after arriving here, I still have not found any trace of her.”
"This young woman has lived in a sheltered environment since childhood, never experiencing hardship or adversity, and utterly lacking the ability to defend herself. If she were to unfortunately encounter some wicked person... I simply cannot bear to imagine what might happen to her..."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Dinglian's face turned ashen, and he resolutely ordered, "Prepare the horses! I must return to Jindu immediately!"
Mo Lin hurriedly stopped him, his tone urgent: "Your Highness, please don't act rashly. You are the commander-in-chief of an army. If you leave, what will become of these many soldiers? What if the enemy takes advantage of the situation and attacks? How will we deal with the battle? You cannot let personal matters interfere with public duty and disregard national security!"
Zheng Dinglian shoved him away, his anger blazing: "She's my sister! My only sister! She's missing! If she's somewhere waiting for rescue and I ignore her, she has no hope of survival!"
Mo Lin retorted angrily, "Her life is precious, but are the lives of these soldiers not worth mentioning? As the commander-in-chief, if you abandon them and miss the opportunity to win, your own life will also be in grave danger!"
Zheng Dinglian remained unmoved and resolutely said, "I can't worry about anything else! I must go find her!"
After saying this, he grabbed the reins of a warhorse beside him, leaped onto the horse, and prepared to leave.
Mo Lin followed closely behind, holding a long spear to intercept him: "Your Highness, you cannot do this!"
Without hesitation, Zheng Dinglian drew his long whip and swung it fiercely at Mo Lin's spear. The tip of the whip tightly wrapped around the spear, and with a strong pull, the spear flew out of Mo Lin's hand.
"No one can stop me from moving forward!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he kicked the horse's belly hard. The warhorse neighed loudly, rolled on all fours, and galloped away from the camp.
Upon seeing this, Zheng Dingxi hurriedly mounted his warhorse and followed closely behind Zheng Dinglian.
Mo Lin was extremely anxious, stamping his feet repeatedly and shouting loudly at Zheng Dinglian's retreating figure, but in the end he could not stop him. Finally, he turned around angrily and roared, "I will definitely report to the court and impeach him for disloyalty!"
Zheng Dinglian rode his steed at breakneck speed through the night until the stars dimmed and the night deepened. Finally, his loyal horse, exhausted, refused to go any further, and he had no choice but to stop and rest.
Zheng Dingxi hurriedly caught up, quickly lit a campfire, and then took out a bag of dry rations and dried meat slices, along with a water bottle, and handed them to Zheng Dinglian: "Young master, although the journey is urgent, health is also an asset. Fill your stomach first."
Zheng Dinglian took the food and water, first drinking a few mouthfuls of water, then grabbing some dry rations and chewing them in large bites: "Dingxi, tell me in detail everything that the lady has done since she entered the household."
Zheng Dingxi dared not delay and immediately began to slowly recount the series of actions Gu Qinlan had taken since joining the family.
"The lady is highly skilled; she managed to imprison the head steward and several other stewards one by one, a fact that has already spread throughout Jindu City. The old lady has also been completely fooled by her. The eldest young lady, fearing that the lady would shake the foundation of the Duan Prince's Mansion, has repeatedly tried to stop her, but all her attempts have failed. The eldest young master has also been bewitched by the lady, neglecting his studies and spending his days idly wandering around the mansion. Even when the clan head personally intervened, the lady cleverly deflected his inquiries..."
Zheng Dinglian's face grew increasingly gloomy, and upon hearing this, he slapped his thigh violently: "This is utterly absurd!"
Zheng Dingxi sighed and continued, "Young master, while we servants dare not speak ill of our masters, it is indeed unsuitable for Madam to serve as the mistress of the Duan Prince's mansion. Her humble origins and lack of necessary knowledge will only plunge the Duan Prince's mansion into chaos."
Zheng Dinglian's face was even more somber than the night. He swallowed his dry rations in a few bites, then got up to continue his journey.
Zheng Dingxi quickly followed behind, his eyes fixed on him the whole time.
Zheng Dinglian came to the horse, grasped the saddle and tried to mount, but found that he could not reach the stirrups.
He tried again, but found that his limbs were starting to become unresponsive.
"What's wrong?"
Zheng Dingxi's voice came from behind: "Young master, what's wrong? Why aren't you mounting your horse? Do you need my help?"
Zheng Dinglian turned around abruptly, glaring sharply at Zheng Dingxi: "What did you do to me?"
Zheng Dingxi smiled slightly, his tone teasing: "Young master, there's no need to be agitated. I simply had you take some special medicine so that you can calmly accept your impending fate."
Zheng Dinglian's expression changed drastically: "You are a spy from an enemy country!"
Before he could finish speaking, he raised his hand to draw his sword, but everything went black before his eyes and his body swayed violently. He quickly grabbed a tree trunk to steady himself.
Zheng Dingxi's lips curled into a sly smile as he slowly spoke: "That's right, I am indeed a citizen of Dongling Kingdom. Not only me, but my ancestors and even my bloodline are deeply rooted in the soil of Dongling Kingdom. Our family has been lurking under your Zheng family for generations, with only one purpose—to steal the core secrets of the Zheng family and deliver a fatal blow to the Zheng family at a critical moment."
"Now, you are the only one left in the Zheng family. Once I eliminate you, the Zheng family will be completely wiped out. At that time, your country's army will also be no match for you."
Zheng Dinglian's face was ashen, and he said in a cold voice, "Do you think you can kill me all by yourself? Even if I am poisoned, you may not be entirely confident."
Zheng Dingxi laughed loudly, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes: "What you say is absolutely right, Your Highness. I really cannot take your life myself. Therefore, I have specially prepared a generous gift for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he clapped his hands lightly.
Under the cover of night, several mysterious figures dressed in black cloaks suddenly appeared.
“These people are the most elite assassins in our Dongling Kingdom. Having them send the Crown Prince on his way is enough to demonstrate his nobility.”
Zheng Dingxi took a few steps back, and with a wave of his arm, the black-clad assassins immediately surrounded Zheng Dinglian.
Just as the assassins in black were wielding their blades and attacking Zheng Dinglian, Zheng Dinglian, who had been leaning against a tree, suddenly launched a fierce counterattack.
Zheng Dinglian was exceptionally skilled in martial arts; otherwise, Zheng Dingxi and his accomplices wouldn't have poisoned him first. However, the assassins Zheng Dingxi brought were equally adept.
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