My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

The foreman wiped his sweat with his sleeve and said, "The excavators haven't found any burnt gold or silver yet..."

Prince Duan said with displeasure, "Keep digging deeper. Have someone personally oversee it."

The steward said with difficulty, "But all the people from the Prince's mansion have been sent out, and... there are no spare people at the moment."

Prince Duan was furious. "Absurd! My entire royal palace has no one capable of serving me?"

The steward broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself, "Your Highness! Don't you even look at how many people you sent out? Everyone has been so busy since the fire started last night that they're spinning like tops. Forget about the extra manpower, even these old bones are about to collapse from exhaustion."

However, he only dared to think these words in his heart, and dared not say them out loud.

Just as he was wondering what to do, someone from the Military Affairs Bureau came to report back to Prince Duan.

Prince Duan, disregarding the matter of the slush fund, waved his hand, ordering the steward to leave for the time being.

The Military Command was mainly responsible for patrolling and arresting thieves in Ningdu, dredging streets and ditches, and handling matters such as prisoners and fire bans.

The one who came to report the situation to Prince Duan was Su Muchen, the commander of the military command.

"Your Highness, a group of thieves suspected of arson have been discovered. They have been apprehended. Should the city gates be reopened to traffic?"

He carefully considered his words and said, "Because of the closure of the city gates this morning, there are already many rumors circulating in the city. I'm afraid that if these rumors continue to spread, it will be detrimental to Your Highness."

Prince Duan's gaze was sharp as lightning, and his expression was icy as he scrutinized him.

Su Muchen's expression showed some pressure, but his eyes were clear, without any guilt or evasion.

Su Muchen is 27 years old this year. Although he is not old, he is steady and reliable in his work. He is the commander of the military command, whom Su Muchen brought from the capital and personally promoted.

Aside from his personal guards, this was arguably the person he trusted most.

Looking at his expression, Prince Duan realized he had been overly suspicious. He said, "Bring the man here; I want to interrogate him myself."

“Yes!” Su Muchen replied, bowing his head.

Prince Duan inquired again about the progress in the search for the Han and Xu families.

Su Muchen said, "Your Highness, why not allow the city gates to be open to traffic as usual, and strengthen the search at each city gate?"

Prince Duan glanced at him coldly, said nothing, but gestured with his eyes for him to continue.

“Although we have searched the entire city, there are bound to be places we haven’t found. If we conduct a thorough search of the city and open the city gates, the people who kidnapped the princess will have to find a way to transport her out. This may be more efficient than us searching with the city gates closed.”

After careful consideration, Prince Duan agreed to Su Muchen's suggestion.

Although he agreed to Su Muchen's suggestion to open the city gates, he sent secret guards to supervise the search of each gate.

At the city gate, all vehicles and horses attempting to leave the city will be subject to strict inspection.

Even the chamber pots being transported out of the city were checked by soldiers who would pinch their noses and use wooden sticks to inspect them thoroughly, in order to prevent anyone from hiding inside and escaping.

The stench at the city gate was overwhelming, and the queues to leave the city stretched out in long lines. People were full of complaints, but no one dared to express their dissatisfaction, for fear of angering the officials.

Only the bolder ones gathered in twos and threes, quietly discussing what was going on and who the soldiers at the city gate were searching for.

Most people guessed that the soldiers were going to such lengths to capture the arsonist.

However, some people noticed something unusual from the secret guards supervising the city gate.

Prince Duan's bodyguards did more than just ensure his safety. Some of them served as his confidants, handling secret tasks for him.

These bodyguards who have already shown themselves, strictly speaking, can no longer be considered bodyguards. Prince Duan did not establish a separate department to manage them independently.

However, these bodyguards who had revealed their faces held a special place in the eyes of the officials. Their presence often represented Prince Duan.

This operation is not as simple as just searching for an arsonist.

Entering the city is much simpler than leaving it.

When Ji Yunshuang and Zhao Haisheng entered the city together, the soldiers guarding the city gate simply checked their household registration documents and let them pass.

Ji Yunshuang's household registration certificate was naturally forged by herself.

She has all sorts of official documents and seals from the Prince Duan, so she could easily make as many fake household registration certificates as she wanted.

Watching the soldiers check her and let her pass, she secretly rejoiced that this era was not as technologically advanced as modern times, and there were no cameras or other technological means.

She could easily forge a new identity for herself and use it to develop her power in Ningxing Prefecture.

Today, she and Zhao Haisheng have finalized all the details of buying the estate.

Originally, if the city gates hadn't been opened, she had planned to only accept Bai Qi for the time being.

But now that the city gates are open, she doesn't mind getting these white contracts officially registered at the government office. She can also take a look at the Xu family's shops in the city; if they're suitable, she'll acquire them as well.

Anyway, she is not short of money now.

Zhao Haisheng had already realized from today's purchase of the estate that the young woman in front of him was truly wealthy. Therefore, he also intended to sell her all the shops in the city that were for sale.

This will solve the host's predicament in one fell swoop.

After entering the city, Zhao Haisheng enthusiastically took Ji Yunshuang to see the shops that the Xu family wanted to sell.

The Xu family is a prominent family in Ningcheng, and the shops they are selling are all in very good locations.

Ji Yunshuang took a liking to them at first sight and bought them all without hesitation.

“Young lady, this business is huge. I need to report back to the head of the family. Would you please come with me to the Xu family and meet my head of the family?”

Ji Yunshuang thought to herself, "The Xu family must be in a bit of trouble right now!"

Others might not know, or what the lockdown at the city gates was for, but she did.

That night at the Prince's mansion, she had actually considered whether to take Han and Xu with her, but before she could make a decision, another group of people took advantage of the chaos and took the two away.

Both men were carrying secrets. If they disappeared, wouldn't Prince Duan be worried?

I'm afraid that by now, the Xu family is already being monitored by Prince Duan's men.

However, she couldn't say anything about it, but it would be good to go and meet the Xu family.

In her view, with Xu's actions exposed, regardless of whether the Xu family can overcome this crisis, Prince Duan will never trust the Xu family again.

If she tries to win them over, maybe the Xu family can become her people.

Ji Yunshuang went to the Xu family with Zhao Haisheng and found that there were indeed many experts lurking outside the Xu family, watching their every move.

She guessed that Prince Duan had only sent experts to keep an eye on the Xu family, instead of directly sending troops to surround them. He probably listened to Xu Shi and did not intend to make it public that Xu Shi was cuckolding him and that the children under his name were not his biological children.

He is currently only secretly sent to keep an eye on the Xu family to see if the Xu family has been abducted.

If it hadn't been stolen by the Xu family, they probably would have planned to punish them later.

At this moment, the Xu family members were completely unaware of the hidden experts lurking outside the mansion.

The eldest son of the Xu family was throbbing with anger, his veins bulging. Madam Xu, meanwhile, sat to the side, clutching her face with a handkerchief, trying to suppress her sobs.

Just then, a servant announced from outside the door that Steward Zhao had returned and wanted to report something to him.