Who put the yellow robe on me?

Han Qingsong and He Xiaowei bumped into each other at the door. Caught off guard, he almost lost his balance and quickly used his hand to support himself on the door frame. However, He Xiaowei quickly stepped back like a frightened deer, lowered her head, and turned and hurried away without making a sound.

"Sister Xiaowei!" Han Qingsong was stunned and hurriedly called out twice, but He Xiaowei's pace became faster and faster. Not only did she ignore him, she didn't even turn her head back. The hem of her skirt drew an arc, and she disappeared at the end of the corridor in the blink of an eye.

Han Qingsong scratched his head, pushed open the study door and walked in with a puzzled look, and saw Jiang Chen sitting behind the desk, looking calm, as if he had not noticed what had just happened.

"Sir, what happened to Sister Xiaowei?" Han Qingsong couldn't help but ask, his tone full of curiosity.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen raised his head, a faint smile on his lips. His eyes were as calm as water, but it was hard to fathom the emotions hidden behind them.

He paused briefly, then said casually, "I don't know. I guess the brazier in the study is burning too brightly."

"The brazier... is burning... too strongly?" Han Qingsong repeated Jiang Chen's words. He turned his head doubtfully and looked at the brazier in the corner of the study. He saw that the charcoal ash in the brazier had already settled and cooled, and only a few half-burned charcoal sticks emitted an almost invisible residual heat.

"The brazier is almost out..." He muttered softly, his expression full of confusion.

Jiang Chen, however, seemed unconcerned. He only glanced at him calmly, then suddenly raised his voice and said, "Has Guard Zhou arrived? Please invite him in!"

"Oh, look at my brain!" Han Qingsong slapped his forehead, turned around and ran out.

A moment later, Zhou Liangwei was led in by Han Qingsong. He quickly walked up to Jiang Chen and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, the forest protection troops have made some new discoveries."

When Jiang Chenben heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he looked directly at Zhou Liangwei: "Tell me quickly, what's the news?"

Zhou Liangwei gathered his thoughts briefly and said in a deep voice, "I've been snooping among the forest rangers these past few days. When the Thirteenth Princess disappeared, two of them violated discipline by drinking in private. On their way back to their base drunken late at night, they started arguing about the time for the night watch."

Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this: "Watching the night watch? What are you arguing about?"

Zhou Liangwei nodded and continued, "They were in Guang'an Street at the time. One insisted it was already the hour of Hai, while the other believed it was just after the hour of Zi. The two got into a heated argument. At that moment, they alerted several palace guards, who drove them back to the camp."

Jiang Chen's face darkened slightly, his gaze piercing. "Palace guards appeared on Guang'an Street late at night? Isn't that the street where the Ministry of Revenue's tax treasury is located?"

"I also felt that this matter was unusual, so I specially found a painter and asked the two forest rangers to recall and draw the palace guards they saw at that time." Zhou Liangwei said, taking out a scroll of portraits from his sleeve and handing it to Jiang Chen with both hands.

Jiang Chen took the portrait and slowly unfolded it. Under the light, a stern-looking man emerged from the paper. A hideous scar on his face stood out. Jiang Chen stared at the portrait, his brows furrowed slightly, as if trying to recall something: "This man..."

"Your Highness, do you think this person looks familiar?" Zhou Liangwei asked tentatively.

Jiang Chen's eyes turned cold, and he said slowly: "Yes, I have indeed seen this person. He is the guard beside the Empress Defei."

"My subordinates have verified that this man's name is Scar, and he is indeed the personal bodyguard of Concubine De." Zhou Liangwei's tone became more serious, and there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

Jiang Chen's eyes deepened as he heard this, as if he was quickly sorting out the clues in his mind. He pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "So, could the Thirteenth Princess' disappearance be related to Consort De?"

Zhou Liangwei lowered his head and remained silent. His silence undoubtedly revealed some kind of worry, and this worry also caused ripples in Jiang Chen's heart.

After a moment, Zhou Liangwei finally couldn't help but speak, "Your Highness, tomorrow is the last day... I'm so bold as to ask, how confident are you that you can find the Thirteenth Princess?"

Although Jiang Chen's expression remained calm, his heart was already churning with turmoil. He knew that the clues he had were still too fragmentary, and that he was still a long way from solving the mystery, but there was no turning back.

He raised his eyes to look at Zhou Liangwei and said slowly, "Don't worry, everything will be settled tomorrow. Then, you just need to listen to my instructions outside the palace and act at any time."

Although Zhou Liangwei still had doubts in his heart, seeing Jiang Chen's determined expression, he had to clasp his fists and replied, "Yes!" Then he turned and left.

After Zhou Liangwei left, Jiang Chen slowly stood up and walked to the window. His mind was racing, connecting and piecing together every detail, from the clues about the forest rangers to Scar, and then to Concubine De's network of connections.

"Qingsong!" Jiang Chen suddenly shouted, his voice as cold and hard as a blade.

"Coming!" Han Qingsong came over upon hearing the voice, his eyes instantly becoming fierce, "Sir, do you have any instructions?"

"Come with me to the Ministry of Justice Prison." Jiang Chen's voice was calm and cold, leaving no room for doubt.

"Yes!" Han Qingsong quickly followed, and the two of them walked quickly towards the Ministry of Justice, one in front and one behind.

The night was dark, and a cold wind blew in their faces. Jiang Chen and Han Qingsong were walking on the road leading to the Ministry of Justice prison. The sound of their footsteps was particularly clear in the silent long street.

Although Han Qingsong had a serious expression, he couldn't suppress his doubts in his heart. He asked in a low voice: "Sir, are we going to the Ministry of Justice Prison now because of Yang..."

Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly and glanced at him: "You'll know when you get there."

Han Qingsong didn't dare ask any more questions and could only hurry to catch up. Soon after, the towering black iron gates of the Ministry of Justice's prison appeared before the two of them. The guards saw Jiang Chen and hurried forward to salute, not daring to be in the least bit negligent.

"Take me to see Yang Ai." Jiang Chen came straight to the point after arriving at the Ministry of Justice's prison. The unquestionable firmness in his tone startled Xiong Zhiheng, but he quickly responded in a low voice: "Your Highness, please follow me."

The prison in the Ministry of Justice was cold and damp. A few dim oil lamps lit the walls, and the air was filled with the stench of decay and blood. With every step, the bluestone slabs beneath my feet echoed softly.

Han Qingsong followed Jiang Chen closely, looked around, frowned and whispered: "This place is really gloomy..."

Jiang Chen did not respond, his eyes were as calm as water.

After several turns, they finally arrived at the cell where Yang Ai was imprisoned. The jailer outside the cell unlocked the iron lock, and with a creak, the heavy iron door slowly opened, and Jiang Chen stepped in.

Yang Ai was sitting in the corner, wearing a thin prison uniform, his face was haggard and his expression was a little dull.

She raised her head when she heard the noise, and when she saw that the person coming was Jiang Chen, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes - surprise, fear, and a hint of vague expectation.