We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Unlike the Left Prime Minister's Mansion which was just watching from the sidelines, the Duke of Zheng's Mansion was in chaos at this moment.

Although Chang Wudi died young, as a founding father, his descendants were deeply protected by his legacy.

Not only did they inherit the title of Duke of Zheng, they also held important positions in the court.

Even though it was such a prominent family, the eldest daughter was missing for a whole day and night.

Duke Zheng was so angry that he almost fainted. All the servants and private soldiers in his house were sent out to look for the whereabouts of the eldest daughter.

One day and one night, in that era when unmarried women were not allowed to leave the house, this was a very serious matter.

What's more, the eldest daughter is about to become the Crown Princess, which is something everyone knows.

Ever since the death of the previous Crown Princess, the Crown Prince has not remarried for three years. How many people are eyeing that position?

The Chang family finally got this opportunity, but they didn't expect the person to disappear.

What if someone with ulterior motives finds out and uses it to slander the young lady and ruin her innocence? Wouldn’t this good thing be ruined?

Duke Chang Pan of Zheng was currently sitting on the main seat in the hall with a grim expression, listening to the reports from his household guards.

"Master, we have searched the entire imperial capital, but we haven't found the young lady."

"Then go look outside the city!" Tokiwa glared. "What's the point of having you? It's been so long, and you can't even find a little girl?"

"Yes!" The general broke out in a cold sweat and dared not say anything more. He had to obey the order and leave.

Chang Pan couldn't sit still, so he stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.

Madam Liu's crying made him even more upset.

"Cry, cry, cry, what's the point of crying?!" Chang Pan couldn't help but scold, "That girl Ning Xue was spoiled by you. It's okay that she likes to wield swords and sticks on weekdays, but now, she stays out all night!"

"What's the point of saying this now?" Liu's eyes were red. "Why don't you hurry up and go to the palace to see His Majesty and ask His Majesty to order the Imperial Guards to search for him!"

"You foolish woman!" Chang Pan became even angrier upon hearing this. "His Majesty hasn't issued the decree granting the marriage yet. If word of this reaches His Majesty and the Crown Prince, how will I explain it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu cried even harder. "The maids said Ningxue ran away in anger after hearing that the Sixth Prince was disrespectful to the Crown Prince. Do you think this has something to do with the Sixth Prince?"

"The Sixth Prince has always been a coward and would never do such a thing. But your daughter is so bold..."

Tokiwa paused, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"She has always admired the Crown Prince. If she were to assassinate the Sixth Prince for this very reason, our Chang family would be doomed."

No matter how incompetent the Sixth Prince is, he is still a prince.

It's okay for the emperor to kill the prince, and it's okay for the prince to frame his brothers.

But if these ministers were to assassinate the prince, their entire clan would be exterminated!

"I hope that Ningxue isn't stupid enough to actually try to assassinate the Sixth Prince."

Tokiwa sat on the steps with a pale face, sighing.

. . . . . .

As dusk fell and the moon and stars were sparse, the towering city walls of Yecheng, a hundred miles away from the imperial capital, looked even more majestic in the night.

At the city gate, an inn was brightly lit. On the rooftop, a woman leaned on the railing and looked into the distance, her brow full of impatience.

"Then why hasn't Li Che come yet?!" the woman murmured in a low voice, with a hint of anger in her tone.

"Miss, it's late at night and the city gates are closed. It seems he won't come today." A woman in black replied respectfully behind her.

"He's such a loser, he can't even reach Yecheng in a day?" Chang Ningxue snorted contemptuously. "How dare such a useless prince disrespect the Crown Prince?"

Chang Ningxue is not very old, but she has bright eyes, white teeth, fair skin and a graceful figure.

I don’t know if it’s because Zheng Guofu eats too well, but her breasts are bulging high, and the size doesn’t look like that of a teenage girl at all.

The woman in black looked worried: "Miss, let's go back."

"What? Are you scared?" Chang Ningxue asked, turning around.

"You saved our lives, young lady. How could we be afraid?" the black-clad woman replied. "But assassinating the prince is a grave crime. If it's ever exposed..."

"Don't worry, I'll cover my face, so who will be able to tell?" Chang Ningxue smiled confidently. "Besides, I've never heard of the Sixth Prince having any martial arts skills. You just need to hold the guards back. I only need one sword strike to take his life!"

The woman in black sighed secretly and stopped persuading her.

Although their young lady was very kind to them, the servants, she was too simple-minded and did not look like the legitimate daughter of a duke's mansion at all.

No matter how incompetent the Sixth Prince was, he was still a legitimate prince and was definitely not someone they could deal with.

Do you really think that these women who have some martial arts skills can assassinate the prince?

I just hope that when the Sixth Prince arrives, the guards accompanying him will be more vigilant, so that the young lady will give up.

. . . . . .

The next morning, after breakfast, Li Che ordered the convoy to continue on the road.

Qian Bin rode along, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, Yecheng is the barrier of the imperial capital. We can reach it today. Why not enter the city to rest for a while and replenish our food and supplies?"

Li Che raised his eyebrows, his eyes flashing: "Not only do we need to purchase supplies and food, but we also need to recruit some manpower."

"Manpower?" Qian Bin asked curiously, "Are the civilians in the team enough for now?"

"Not ordinary laborers, but skilled craftsmen, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, bricklayers, and even doctors."

Li Che thought about it last night. Since he was planning to invite some doctors to join the team, why not invite some other technical talents as well?

We must unite all forces that can be united.

"Your Highness, most of these people are unwilling to leave their homes, so it may be difficult for them to achieve their wish." Qian Bin raised the same question as Hua Changan.

"It's okay." Li Che smiled kindly, "Master Qian, have you forgotten how I invited you here in the first place?"

Qian Bin's mouth twitched.

Is this a proper "please"?

Since when did putting a sack on your head become considered a favor?

"Your Highness, if you continue to invite people like this, I'm afraid something might happen," Qian Bin advised. "Why not go to the pawnbrokers and see if they have the person Your Highness needs?"

Hearing Qian Bin's words, Li Che's eyes suddenly lit up.

Yes, this was in ancient times, and there were brokerages specializing in buying and selling human beings.

Those human traffickers have many runaways and slaves, and maybe some of them have special skills.

The most important thing is that these human traffickers are not good people. Robbing them feels no burden at all, so it can be considered as doing justice, right?

"Master Qian, this is a brilliant idea. I will go there and take a look!"

Qian Bin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

Your Highness still listened to the advice, but I don’t know where this bandit learned these habits.

He never imagined that Li Che had not given up on hiring people, but was preparing to hire a large number of people.