Liu Yu's parents were filled with worry and resentment. Their son had not been heard from since he went to the palace with his niece Zhuang Shiwan. It was common for their son to not come home for a few days even though he was not very serious on weekdays.

But it was definitely not normal for him to not go home for such a long time, which made them extremely worried. They sent people to look for him everywhere but to no avail.

He also sent someone to pass a message to Concubine Qi, and the nanny beside her said that she would send people to look for her and tell Liu Yu's parents when there was any news. However, there was no result, which made them unable to sleep or eat.

They sent people to the Zhuang Mansion to inquire many times, but the answer they got was that they didn't know where Liu Yu was. Moreover, Zhuang Shiwan had smallpox, so they didn't dare to go to the door to inquire.

Madam Liu could no longer hold back, "Master, let's report it to the police! Yu'er has been missing for so long and I'm worried about him. Even though he doesn't do well, he is our biological son after all."

"We can't report it to the authorities. Shiwan brought Yu'er to the palace for the New Year's Eve dinner. If we report it to the authorities, we'll be suing the Zhuang family and Concubine Qi. How can our Liu family's business be maintained by relying on the relationship with Master Zhuang? Xuan'er also wants to pursue a career in the government. Without the support of Master Zhuang and Concubine Qi, how far can he go in officialdom?"

"We must not let the future of the entire Liu family be ruined because of a useless son."

Having said that, I still miss Liu Yu.

"Master, although our Liu family's business relies on Zhuang's support, we are the money bag for Zhuang and Concubine Qi. Tell me how much money and gifts our Liu family has given to Master Zhuang and Concubine Qi over the years. Even you may not be able to count them."

"Yu'er is missing, and Concubine Qi has been giving us the cold shoulder. Lord Zhuang also said he didn't know where Yu'er was. How could he not know where Yu'er was? It was his granddaughter who brought her into the palace. They're just trying to shirk responsibility and not help us find our son."

"Yu'er's disappearance this time made me realize that Master Zhuang and Concubine Qi were heartless and disloyal. If it weren't for the money from our Liu family supporting them, they would have used the money to manage their connections."

Liu Jizhong angrily rebuked: "Wang Shixiu's nonsense. If the Liu family's business had not been taken care of by Master Zhuang, how could they be the richest man in Jizhou today?"

Madam Liu burst into tears and said, "Master, are we just going to watch Yu'er die?"

Liu Jizhong paced back and forth in a state of annoyance. "Madam, did the steward send someone back home to tell us that Yu'er is not at the old house? Maybe she got lost on the way. Send someone back again."

"The people we sent to the old house were all old people who followed us from Jizhou to the capital. How could they have gone astray? And my second uncle also sent a message saying that Yu'er didn't return to the old house."

"Shiwan has contracted smallpox, and Concubine Qi has been perfunctory with us. If this continues, Yu'er will definitely be in danger. Even though Yu'er is not doing well, he is your own son after all. Are you just going to leave him alone like this?"

"Haven't I been sending people to look for her everywhere? Nanny also said that Concubine Qi has sent people to the palace to look for Yu'er's whereabouts. I suspect that the child has gone out of town to play."

"All those who are close to him are staying in the mansion. He wouldn't leave the city alone for so long. Something must have happened. If we don't find him in time, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Stop arguing and let me think about what to do."

"Don't think about it. Let's go to the Zhuang family and ask Mr. Zhuang first. If he doesn't care, we will report it to the police."

Liu Jizhong thought about it and decided to go to the Zhuang Mansion to find out the truth. "You wait for news at home. I'll go to the Zhuang Mansion to inquire about the situation."

"Listen to what my aunt says first, and then decide to discuss the matter of finding Yu'er with Master Zhuang."

"I know."

When they arrived at the Zhuang Mansion, after the doorman informed them, Mrs. Zhuang Liu learned that her brother was looking for her and quickly came out to meet him.

"Brother, is there any news about Yu'er?"

"Yu'er has been missing for a long time, so I came to the Zhuang Mansion to inquire about the situation."

"Maybe he went out of town with his friends, or maybe he went back to his hometown in Jizhou."

"Several people who were close to him are in the mansion. I also sent people back to my hometown, but Yu'er didn't return, so your sister-in-law and I are extremely worried."

"A few days ago, my father-in-law learned that Yu'er and Shiwan had entered the palace and disappeared for several days. He sent people to look for them and asked the palace guards. Yu'er is not the son of an official and has never been to the palace. The guards don't recognize him."

"If Yu'er had been in trouble in the palace, the Imperial Guards would have discovered him long ago, and Concubine Qi would have definitely sent someone to notify you."

Liu Jizhong became even more flustered and said dejectedly, "How can a living person just disappear like that?"

"Where's your father-in-law?"

"My father-in-law is upset because Shiwan contracted smallpox and the emperor forbade him from attending the morning court. Please don't irritate him when you talk to him."

"I was planning to discuss the search for Yu'er with him, but judging by the situation, there will be no results today."

Liu Jizhong sighed deeply and said, "What kind of thing is this? How could a good child disappear? It's unbelievable."

"How is Shiwan's condition?"

"The doctor has been in a daze these past few days and can't even drink the medicine he prescribed. Our whole family is extremely worried and has sent people everywhere to look for famous folk doctors and Dr. Ye."

"Isn't Divine Doctor Ye in the capital?"

"Divine Doctor Ye went on a journey before the New Year. We went to ask the Princess of Ya'an again, but she said she specializes in trauma and is not proficient in difficult and complicated diseases. She was helpless even after he came."

"What should we do then? Watch Shiwan suffer?"

"There's nothing we can do. We can't ask the imperial physician to come and see us. If the imperial physician contracts smallpox and passes it on to any noble in the palace, our banker will be finished."

Mrs. Zhuang couldn't sleep or eat at night thinking about her daughter being tortured by illness. If the doctor couldn't save her daughter, what could a woman like her do in her own house do?

Tears welled up in her eyes and she sobbed.

Liu Jizhong felt bad seeing his sister crying.

"Little sister, is your father-in-law at home? I want to discuss with him about finding Yu'er. Actually, if I can't find her, I can only ask the government for help."

Liu quickly wiped away her tears and tried to stop him, saying, "Brother, you absolutely cannot report this to the authorities. Yu'er was brought into the palace by Shiwan. If you report this to the authorities, you'll be suing Shiwan and the Zhuang family. What will my father-in-law think? What will Concubine Qi think? Will my father-in-law still look after the Liu family in the future? Without my father-in-law's care, the Liu family's business will surely plummet. How will I cope in the future at the Zhuang family?"

Liu Jizhong looked hesitant. He knew that what his sister said made sense, but his son's whereabouts were always like a stone weighing on his heart.

"Little sister, what do you think we should do? We can't just sit there and wait."

Madam Zhuang wiped away her tears and said, "Brother, let's send more people to search privately. I'll also ask my father-in-law to use his connections to gather more information, and then ask Concubine Qi to search the palace. Maybe Yu'er is just trapped in a corner of the palace. As for reporting her to the authorities, absolutely not. Our Liu and Zhuang families are relatives. We share prosperity and loss together."

Liu Jizhong nodded helplessly, left the manor and quickly went back to send more people to look for Liu Yu.

Zhuang Shiwan lay in bed, eyes tightly closed, brows furrowed. She had been suffering from a high fever for days, and had fallen into a coma. She couldn't even swallow the medicine prescribed by the doctor, which made me extremely anxious.

Mr. Zhuang paced back and forth in the room, his face full of anxiety and worry.

Madam Zhuang muttered to herself, her voice trembling and filled with heartache. "Shi Wan is so young, are we just going to watch her die like this?"

Master Zhuang shouted angrily, "Don't talk nonsense. I have already sent people to search for Divine Doctor Ye. I believe that Shiwan's condition will definitely improve after Divine Doctor Ye comes."

"Hopefully!"

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