Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

"Sir, I have searched this place before. It's too big, and the light inside is blocked by big pine trees. We can't light torches, so we gave up before we were halfway through the search. We didn't find any clues outside. If we want to search this place more deeply, I'm afraid the government office doesn't have enough manpower. Besides, the weather has become colder these days, and it snowed yesterday. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to search." Lin Feng said.

Mu Cheng nodded. "Take my seal and go to Xi Kun, the governor of the state, to mobilize over a hundred men. Also, check all the boats on the Liuxi River to see if there are any signs of ships docked near the black pine forest." He handed the seal to Lin Feng and emphasized again, "Search thoroughly!" Thinking that this matter might be related to Youdu, and remembering where Mu Yunxi had mentioned Princess Yongle's hiding place, Mu Cheng narrowed his eyes and said, "Search underground as well."

Lin Feng looked embarrassed, but did not refute and left. Mu Cheng also rushed to the lobby and met Afeng, a servant, walking towards him quickly with a food box in his hand.

The servants Afeng and Ajiu, like Jingqi and Jingba, were all sent by the emperor to protect him. Afeng was responsible for taking care of him, Ajiu was responsible for traveling, and Jingqi and Jingba were the guards in public; there were also six secret guards.

He left Jing Qi in the mansion to protect Mu Yunxiao and Mu Yunyue. He was relieved that Xiao Yao was with Xiao Shan and the others. Jing Ba went to the capital to deliver a letter. This incident might be related to the aristocratic families in the capital. What would the emperor's attitude be? Or what would he do?

Ah Feng had already arrived. He bowed and said, "My Lord, your humble servant, I greet you! You haven't had breakfast yet. Madam prepared this for you personally. She also told me to tell you to eat well and take care of yourself."

"I'll go to the lobby first and come back to use it." He said and was about to leave.

A Feng hurried to catch up, "Sir, the weather is cold and the food will get cold soon. It's not too late for you to finish eating first!"

Mu Cheng didn't stop, but just asked Afeng to follow.

In the lobby, a middle-aged man pounded his chest and stamped his feet, "Master Shen, haven't they found my father yet? He's almost sixty. I wonder if he can make it through this winter?" A dozen other people also stepped forward to inquire. The lobby suddenly became noisy and chaotic.

In this chaotic scene, people's faces were filled with anxiety and uneasiness. Everyone gathered together, noisy and chattering, asking their fathers, brothers, or other relatives about the progress of the search.

"Why hasn't my father come back yet? Is there any clue about him?" a young man asked anxiously, his eyes revealing deep worry.

"Where is my brother? Have they found anything?" another person shouted, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

People gathered around, chatting and talking, and the atmosphere grew tense. Some people paced back and forth, while others clenched their fists, anxiously awaiting news.

"Everyone, calm down!" Shen Yitai tried to maintain order. "Our superiors have already sent detectives and bailiffs to conduct a full-scale search. We will notify you as soon as we have any news."

However, people's anxiety did not ease, and they continued to ask questions, hoping to get more information.

"What should I do? I hope my son is okay?" An old woman couldn't help crying, her voice sounded particularly sad in the noisy environment.

"Don't worry, we will find them." Another woman next to her comforted her, but her face was also full of anxiety.

In this chaotic scene, time seemed to stretch incredibly long, and every minute and every second was excruciating. Everyone prayed silently in their hearts, hoping that their loved ones would return safely.

This was the scene Mu Cheng saw when he arrived. Everyone greeted him with greetings. After asking them to excuse themselves, he reassured them, "I know you're all worried about your families, but the enemy is truly cunning, and I've already made some progress. Please wait a little longer; there should be news soon."

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise. They were about to start asking questions again, but Mu Cheng raised his hand to signal for silence. "Ask one by one, no rush!"

Then Gou Yuqing, the second son of the head of the Gou family, who was pushed out by everyone as one of the representatives, asked worriedly: "Sir, when will we have news today? It has been more than half a month now. Is anything wrong with my father and the others? My mother is so worried that she is sick." He asked the question that everyone present was worried about.

In fact, Mu Cheng was not sure whether there would be any news, but he needed to calm these people down right now. County governments throughout Youzhou were conducting investigations. Some counties were far away from the provincial capital, and only reported in the past few days.

Looking at everyone's eager inquiring eyes, Mu Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if you have discovered one thing? The bodies of all the missing people have not been found, and there is no trace; it's as if they suddenly disappeared." Everyone nodded.

Mu Cheng continued, "But quite a few people have gone missing after going to the trade. The smallest team has more than a dozen people. There are rumors of ghosts haunting the place, but I don't believe it."

A woman suddenly interrupted and said, "What should we do if it really is a ghost? How can an ordinary person make someone disappear without a trace?" She began to sob as she spoke.

The others also had worried expressions on their faces, but they also agreed in their hearts.

At this moment, a steady voice rang out, "I don't believe in ghosts, I believe in Master Mu." He bowed to the crowd. "I believe these criminals have other motives in abducting our relatives. Furthermore, like me, I believe none of you have received any letters from them so far. So what are they up to? Every family here, whether in the county or the prefecture, is wealthy. If they're after money, wouldn't it be quicker to hold someone hostage? Since they haven't done that, we can imagine they're aiming for something bigger, something far greater. So, let's not burden you, Master, and just understand the progress."

Mu Cheng looked at the man. He knew the Xu family, the richest in Youzhou. This man, Xu Guoliang, was only twenty-six years old and the future head of the Xu family. The missing Xu family member was his eldest sister, Xu Guohui, thirty-five years old. Because their mother had gone to find their father to remarry, her sister, worried about him, had not married him off and had instead chosen a common scholar as her husband. With a family full of business prodigies, it was no surprise that he was the richest man in Youzhou.

His words made the mood of everyone present fall to the bottom again. One of them could not hide his sadness and said with a sob: "That's not it, that's not it... There is no way to survive." After that, he burst into tears.

Mu Cheng was about to appease them when he heard Xu Guoliang's voice say in a somewhat cold voice, "If this is fate, you and I will bury them properly."

The man wanted to argue, but seeing his red eyes, he stopped talking. Everyone in Youzhou knew Xu Guohui. The Xu family wasn't as prosperous as it is now. It was the family fortune Xu Guohui had earned through a bet with his father, Xu Sheng, to avoid marrying and stay to take care of the young Xu Guoliang. In just three years, the teenage girl had established the Xu family in Youzhou, and within another ten, they had become the richest people in the state. He also knew how much Xu Guoliang respected his eldest sister. Now that he could say this, he was preparing for the worst.

The man was helpless and collapsed to the ground, pounding the ground with his fists, and roared with tears in his eyes: "Dad! Your son shouldn't have let you go! Why didn't you let me go! Please let me go!" Seeing him like this, everyone felt bad. An old man who knew him advised: "Xiao He, get up! Your father is stubborn, he doesn't blame you." As he said that, he helped the man up. Seeing the old man helping him, the man wiped his tears with his sleeves, quickly stood up and bowed to apologize, "Uncle You, Changxing made a fool of yourself!"

Old You waved his hand and said, "Your elder brother Rong and the others disappeared only two days later than your father." Then he sighed and said, "Everyone's situation is similar. No one is feeling well." After that, he patted He Changxing's shoulder to comfort him.

Then everyone lowered their heads and remained silent. Mu Cheng had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but he was also glad that the people present were not the kind of people who would make unreasonable demands.

At this time Gou Yuqing said: "Perhaps, they are all okay?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on him. He spoke calmly, "Just now, Brother Xu said that these villains must have other motives. They used a trick to trick our head of family into doing business, and they used the same excuse. They weren't afraid of us all finding out later. It only takes half a month to get from the capital to Qingyuan County, but my father hasn't returned for almost a month. That's why I sent people to look for him, but they said he had never been there. Later, I realized something was wrong and reported it to the authorities."

Everyone echoed this sentiment. A young man said, "I once asked my father why he would trust strangers so easily with such a large deal. He simply said that the terms offered were very tempting, and that they claimed to be new clients introduced by an old partner of ours, guaranteeing their credibility. Now it seems this is probably part of their elaborate scam."

Mu Cheng frowned and asked, "Why haven't I heard you mention any partners before?"

The young man replied, "Because he's missing too."

"Who is it?" Mu Cheng asked.

"The Chen family in Roma Village, everyone calls him Master Chen San." The young man continued.

"Roma Manor... Mr. Chen San..." Mu Cheng murmured to himself, trying to recall if this person was among the missing people. Shen Yitai stepped forward and whispered, "There is such a person."

At this time, a woman said, "My master also said that he wanted to do business with this person. He said that this person is generous and there must be a big buyer behind him. He has known this person for a few months and has some trust in him."

Mu Cheng suddenly grasped something in his mind. He stood up excitedly and asked, "Are you talking about this Mr. Chen San?"

The woman nodded.

Mu Cheng looked at the others again, "What about you?"

Everyone nodded.

"Do you know the specific time of contact with your family?" Mu Cheng asked again.

The woman thought for a moment and said, "It was probably around the end of last year when the master came back and told me he'd made a good friend. He was a great businessman and a great talker, and he hit it off right away. He even invited him to visit his home often."

Seeing this, everyone also reported the approximate time.