Her heart was filled with fear and regret, the two emotions intertwined into a chaotic ocean.
Fear was like a shadow in the dark night, fearing that the madam would mistakenly believe that she was secretly colluding with the young lady and that she was secretly helping the young lady escape on her own.
Regret was like the sunlight in the daytime. She regretted not heeding her mother's advice. If she had followed her mother's instructions, although the young lady might have suffered some hardships, she would never have brought about such a terrible disaster.
She couldn't foresee the severe consequences she would face if the young lady encountered misfortune in the outside world.
Gu Qinlan snapped out of her panic and asked anxiously, "How much time has passed?"
Li Dong replied in a trembling voice, "It's been almost an hour."
Gu Qinlan's heart tightened instantly, and she immediately issued an order: "Summon all the maids and servants in the manor at once and conduct a thorough search of every corner of the manor to see if the young lady is hiding somewhere. The male servants, change into plain clothes and go out to search. You must remain silent and not reveal your true identities to anyone. Spread the search outwards in all directions, with the Duan Prince's manor as the core!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye quickly took action. Soon, all the maids and servants in the mansion began to quietly search for Zheng Huiyi's whereabouts. Because Gu Qinlan had specifically emphasized secrecy, everyone tried to avoid making any noise during the search, silently searching in every corner.
In the guest room area, the Jiang family had just finished washing up and were preparing to go to bed when they suddenly heard some noise outside, so they got up and went out to check.
However, as soon as they reached the entrance of the guest courtyard, they were stopped by two male servants.
"Young Master Jiang, please wait a moment. There are some trivial matters to attend to at home, so it is not advisable for you to go out for the time being. If you have any needs, please feel free to tell me."
The one who came out to investigate was Jiang Yi, the second son of the Jiang family.
Jiang Yi was quick-witted. After hearing the servant's explanation, she said it was alright and turned back to report to her parents.
Jiang Wenyuan said, "Since Qin Lan won't let us go out, it means she definitely doesn't want us to know about this. So let's behave ourselves and not cause her any more trouble."
So, the Jiang family members each returned to their bedrooms to rest.
Madam Yao looked worried: "I don't know what happened, but it's such a big deal and so serious. It seems that this matter is indeed quite serious."
Jiang Wenyuan speculated: "This matter is probably related to the women in the household."
Mrs. Yao sighed with pity: "She is only eighteen years old, still a naive child, yet she has to bear such a heavy responsibility. We should find a place to live and move out as soon as possible to avoid causing her more trouble here."
Jiang Wenyuan nodded slightly. He had never wanted to set foot in this place in the first place. His large family, with children and grandchildren, was vastly different in status from the prestigious Duanwang Mansion, which made others prejudiced against Gu Qinlan.
However, the maid sent by Gu Qinlan made it clear that if they refused to keep the appointment, she would personally visit them to invite them.
Left with no other choice, he led his family into the mansion.
I had long anticipated that Gu Qinlan's life after marrying into the Duan Prince's mansion would not be peaceful, but I never expected it to be so full of twists and turns.
The couple looked on with pity, but were unable to offer any help. They could only sigh repeatedly, their voices filled with helplessness.
Deep inside the inner courtyard.
Gu Qinlan sat in the room with a solemn expression. The maids around her held their breath and remained silent, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
Li Dong and the two gatekeepers knelt on the ground, their faces as pale as paper.
After a long while, Jiang Ye hurried over to report: "Madam, we have searched the manor three times, but we still haven't found any trace of the eldest young lady. We found this under the corner of the west gate wall."
Jiang Ye opened his palm, revealing a delicate earring.
Gu Qinlan said coldly, "Let Lidong identify it."
Li Dong quickly looked up and immediately recognized the earrings: "These are the young lady's earrings."
Gu Qinlan laughed angrily: "The eldest daughter of the prestigious Prince Duan's mansion actually escaped through a dog hole! This is truly an unprecedented and unheard-of event!"
Before she could finish speaking, another maid rushed in and reported, "Madam, I have thoroughly searched the young lady's residence. She was carrying a thousand taels of silver notes, several dozen taels of loose silver, and most of her jewelry, totaling about five hundred taels in value."
Gu Qinlan's headache worsened.
A simple-minded young lady from a wealthy family, who is completely helpless and has no ability to protect herself, is undoubtedly a sitting duck with such a huge amount of wealth on her person!
If Zheng Huiyi were to have even the slightest bad luck in the dead of night, the consequences would be unimaginable.
With tears streaming down her face, Li Dong suggested, "Madam, why don't we report this to the authorities and ask them to help us find the body..."
The number of servants in the Prince Duan's mansion was limited, making it incredibly difficult to search for one person throughout the entire city.
Hongye angrily rebuked, "Foolish fellow! Do you want to ruin your mistress's reputation? Do you know why Madam has been holding back? Once tonight's events are exposed, even if the young lady returns unharmed, her reputation will be completely destroyed!"
I even want to report this to the authorities!
How incredibly stupid would someone have to be to do that!
As the saying goes, like master, like servant.
A bunch of brainless idiots!
Gu Qinlan felt a sharp pain in her head, as if it were being cut by a knife.
If Zheng Huiyi had not returned by the time dawn broke, it would be necessary to announce that the eldest daughter of the Prince Duan's mansion had unfortunately fallen seriously ill and was in imminent danger of death.
Only in this way can Zheng Huiyi's reputation be protected to the greatest extent possible.
Even if Zheng Huiyi encounters misfortune outside, she can cleverly cover it up by using the excuse that she is bedridden and has not gone out.
However, deep down, she still desperately hoped to find that foolish guy tonight.
Although she didn't have much affection for Zheng Huiyi, she still didn't want to see her in danger outside.
Firstly, because the world is too harsh on women; once their reputation is damaged, their lives may be ruined.
Secondly, she didn't want Zheng Huiyi to encounter any mishap while she was in charge of the household affairs alone. Even though she wasn't afraid of being blamed by the Zheng family, it was better to avoid trouble.
Having not slept all night, Gu Qinlan sat motionless in the spacious living room.
Li Dong and the two servants knelt on the ground, not daring to slacken in the slightest, until Li Dong fainted due to the dual pressure on his body and mind.
Gu Qinlan showed no mercy and had Li Dong roused by being doused with water, forcing her to continue kneeling as punishment!
If Lidong hadn't repeatedly made misjudgments, tonight's tragedy wouldn't have happened.
Mistakes must be investigated and punished; otherwise, who will care about right and wrong?
The sky gradually brightened.
The servants returned one after another to report the results of the search.
Without exception, no one found any trace of Zheng Huiyi.
Gu Qinlan had actually anticipated this outcome, so she did not show much shock. She simply ordered in a deep voice, "Announce to the outside world that Huiyi is seriously ill."
"At the same time, we will send people to the temple where the old lady prayed for blessings to search. We will also send people to inquire with the collateral relatives of the Zheng family and Zheng Huiyi's maternal family. In addition, we will send people to search on the road leading to the northern border."
When a woman from a large, secluded family runs away from home, she will most likely seek refuge with her relatives.
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