The princess regretted it.

In Feiyu Hall, Jin An, dressed in elegant attire, was sitting in the courtyard with Qingli, Madam Zhao, and a few others. The sunlight shone on them, as if covering them with a layer of golden gauze.

On the stone table before them lay a plate of freshly baked osmanthus cake. It was pristine white, emitting a rich sweet fragrance. Jin An gently lifted a piece and placed it in her mouth, savoring it carefully. The cake was soft and glutinous, sweet but not greasy. The fragrance of the sweet osmanthus filled her mouth, bringing a satisfied smile to her face.

Qingli and Aunt Zhao also savored their sweet-scented osmanthus cakes, chatting quietly as they ate. A warm and harmonious atmosphere permeated the entire courtyard.

Suddenly, Jin An heard the rhythmic chirping of birds. She lowered her eyelids, put the remaining osmanthus cake in her hand into her mouth, stood up as if nothing had happened, and gracefully adjusted her dress. Her expression was calm, and no one could tell anything was wrong. Then, she said softly, "You guys eat slowly. I'm going back to my room to rest for a while. You don't need to come with me." Qingli, Zhao Ma and the others exchanged a glance. Although they were a little confused, they didn't ask any more questions. They just replied respectfully, "Yes, Princess."

Jin An gracefully turned and walked towards the room. When she entered, An Yi was standing respectfully by the window, waiting. Upon seeing Jin An come in, he stepped forward and bowed, "Princess, the people sent by the Dali Temple to investigate Cheng Xiao are back. They should have arrived at the Dali Temple by now."

Jin An nodded slightly, her expression calm. She walked to the side and sat down, her elegant posture revealing a sense of nobility and composure. "It's going to be lively again. Find a way to let Cheng Zijing hear it." Jin An's voice was neither hurried nor slow.

Ye Yi bowed and replied, "Yes."

"Also, how is the guard recovering now?" Jin An suddenly thought of this question and asked.

"Your Highness, you are able to get out of bed and move around now. An Er is already keeping an eye on those guys. If time is tight, you don't need him to take action, just take him with you to observe." Ye Yi replied.

"Well! Don't be in a hurry. Let's wait until the Cheng family's affairs become a commotion before making any arrangements. The bigger the incident becomes, the better the show will be." Jin An said in a light tone.

.......

"Where did Lord Wang send those three people to? Why did they return in such a miserable state?" In the Dali Temple, a bailiff held a stack of case files in his arms and asked his companions in a low voice.

"I'm not quite sure either. I just heard that he seemed to have gone to Cheng Shaoqing's hometown." Another person responded in a low voice, "Hey, don't say too much about this matter, so as not to get into trouble." The two hurried away with the case file.

At the corner of the corridor behind where they had just left, Cheng Zhijing slowly appeared, his expression gloomy and unreadable. He watched the two men's backs as they retreated, paused briefly, and then turned and walked in a direction that was exactly where the Dali Temple's office was located.

At this time, Wang Zhengxing, the Minister of Justice of the Dali Temple, was sitting at his desk, listening to the report of the three dusty men. When he learned that none of Miss Cheng's group had returned home, Wang Zhengxing secretly wondered: Could it be that Cheng Zhijing lied and didn't send his daughter back at all?

However, what the three men said next shocked him. "Sir, on our way back to the capital, we heard some people discussing a bizarre incident. I wonder if we are involved in this matter."

"tell me the story."

"When I and my colleagues were taking a break, we heard someone say that a murder had happened there not long ago. At that time, a group of people were traveling on the official road, including a carriage, as well as old women, maids and servants. It was obvious that they were a wealthy family traveling. As a result, they were killed by a group of people. A woodcutter saw this from afar and was so scared that he didn't dare to set foot in the forest for a long time. I found the woodcutter and asked him to take us to the forest. There were indeed some not-so-obvious signs of fighting, which seemed to have happened a long time ago. It's just strange that no body was found. I and my colleagues didn't find any useful clues, so we didn't continue the investigation, and we can't be sure whether it is related to Miss Cheng. My lord, what do you think?" After Lord Wang's confidant finished telling the story, Lord Wang suddenly felt something was wrong.

These words not only shocked Lord Wang, but also Lord Cheng, who was eavesdropping outside, paled instantly. His mind flashed back to his wife's last night's mutterings: Xiao'er should have sent someone back to report her safety, yet there was no news yet. Perhaps something had happened? He had even reprimanded her. If this was really Xiao'er, no, it couldn't be. He couldn't imagine this outcome.

Cheng Zhijing felt his legs go weak, and he leaned against a nearby pillar, trying to calm himself down. He kept telling himself that the murder couldn't possibly be related to Xiao'er, and it must be a coincidence.

But the uneasiness in his heart continued to surge like a tide. He gritted his teeth and decided that he could not sit idly by. He had no right to participate in this case now. So he arranged for his own investigation and would find his daughter's whereabouts at all costs. He turned and hurriedly left the Dali Temple, ready to go home and discuss the matter with his wife.

When he returned home, his wife saw that he looked extremely unhappy and had a bad feeling in her heart. "Master, what happened?"

Cheng Zhijing told his wife what he had heard in the Dali Temple with a heavy face. When his wife heard this, her eyes went dark, her body softened, and she fell backwards. Cheng Zhijing quickly hugged her. He pinched her philtrum, and she regained consciousness and burst into tears. "Master, Xiao'er will be fine, right? Our Xiao'er will be fine."

Cheng Zhijing held his wife's hand tightly and comforted her, "Don't panic, Madam. This matter has not been confirmed yet. It may just be a misunderstanding. I have decided to send people to my hometown to conduct a thorough investigation. I will definitely find Xiao'er's whereabouts."

The lady nodded while sobbing, "Master, you must find Xiao'er. I can't live without her."

Cheng Zhijing immediately arranged for several capable men to rush to his hometown and find the whereabouts of the eldest lady. He himself inquired about the news in the capital, not missing any clues that might be related to Xiao'er.

Cheng Zhijing and his wife waited anxiously for news. Every hour seemed to stretch endlessly, as they had no idea where their Xiao'er was, or if she was safe.