Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

"What the hell!"

"Could it have turned into a butterfly and flown away?"

The group of people were muttering to themselves, but Lu Laosan glared at them and they all fell silent.

The gatekeeper rushed over: "Third Master, the Patrol Division and the Black Armor Army have arrived on the next street."

Lu Laosan's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Find him quickly! A grown man can't escape. Search every nook and cranny!"

The guests watching the play were disturbed, and some began to complain and curse.

The troupe leader got anxious and grabbed Lu Laosan and the others, saying, "You've disrupted my performance, you'll have to pay for it!"

Lu Laosan swung his arm, grabbed the troupe leader by the collar, and said viciously, "I'm going to find someone. If this person is hiding in your troupe, you'll never be able to put on a show again!"

"You, you dare! This is Bianjing City, where the law prevails!"

The troupe leader didn't know who they were, but they lived together in the entertainment district and often bumped into each other.

Although this group of people looked fierce, they only came and went without harming anyone. The troupe leader and his troupe lived in the outer courtyard and performed there as well, so they basically kept to themselves and didn't pay much attention to them.

"The law? Wait until I chop off your head, then you can go to hell and talk about the law! Get out of my way!"

Lu Laosan shoved the people away roughly and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone, disperse. The show is off today."

"You're not going to sing? Then give me a refund!"

"Yeah, they said they weren't going to sing after only watching half of the show, what's going on!"

The guests watching the play began to complain in dissatisfaction.

Gu Hua, hiding under the stage, was terrified. If the play stopped, they would definitely search the stage.

She quickly lifted the curtain slightly. If the guests really left, could she take advantage of the chaos and sneak out among them?

……

Mu Junyan urged his horse forward, his heart burning with anxiety.

In the vast city of Bianjing, there were at least fifty large and small wards and markets, with a large number of people coming and going from all over the country. Finding someone was like finding a needle in a haystack.

We don't know what those thugs' purpose is. Gu Hua is physically weak and usually has a slow and gentle nature. What if she can't withstand this kind of ordeal...?

Mu Junyan dared not think any further.

He didn't realize it on ordinary days, only thinking that she wanted something from him, and he was genuinely pleased, so he simply accepted her flattery.

But once he lost her, he realized that she was not dispensable.

Just like now, his heart was burning with anxiety and pain.

That face, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, left Mu Junyan with a hollow, drafty feeling in his heart.

He quickly spurred his horse onward, and the people behind him followed closely.

They started their search from the spot where the Duke's carriage had been destroyed, and their investigation revealed that Gu Wanru had lied.

She pointed in the opposite direction, which prevented the patrol officer from catching up with the person.

Mu Junyan led his men to follow the trail, but they could no longer find the trail once they reached the bustling city center.

The area where the trail disappeared leads to the busiest and most prosperous district, with countless alleys of all sizes. The place is chaotic and crowded with people, and even if all the officers from the patrol bureau were to be mobilized, they probably wouldn't be able to search it all in a day and a night.

Akabane and his group found some colored paint commonly used by jugglers stuck on the ground, a fallen red triangular flag, and several pieces of black clothing piled together.

This person disguised themselves and blended into the crowd.

Mu Junyan frowned.

Looking at the brightly lit streets ahead, he pondered for a moment: "The main focus should be on the brothels where outsiders live together. Ask around to see if anyone has seen the people carrying the boxes leaving from here."

"Yes." Chi Yan led his men to investigate quickly.

The patrol inspectors and the Black Armor Guards also began to focus their searches on various entertainment districts.

A short while later, Chi Yan arrived with one person, saying that he had seen several acrobatic troupes carrying two large black boxes out of here and heading west of the city.

The large wooden box could be used to hide people or weapons.

At this time of year, it's the least likely time for a theatrical troupe to attract attention as they travel through the streets and alleys.

What a good plan!

Mu Junyan kept a stern face and silently calculated the time.

They hadn't even had a chance to leave the city yet.

Since they hadn't left the city, they dared not easily kill anyone to silence witnesses within Bianjing.

Mu Junyan immediately divided his men into several groups, leaving most of the patrol officers to continue searching the nearby entertainment venues and theaters, while the Black Armor Guards split into several groups and headed straight for the west of the city.

He then gave orders that if any discoveries were made, a message should be immediately sent through the lookout tower.

He himself immediately rushed to the west of the city.

In the latter half of the night in early autumn, a sudden wind blew up, and the temperature dropped sharply.

There were as many as thirty or forty brothels and theaters in the east and west of the city, and it was very time-consuming to investigate them one by one.

The crescent moon in the sky began to fade, and the horizon began to lighten.

People who got up early to do business started to come out, and the brothels and theaters that had been disturbed all night also knew what had happened last night.

With no news coming from the Watchtower, Mu Junyan's expression grew increasingly grim.

The patrol chief pointed to a large courtyard in front of him: "Lord Duke, that's the Xinghua Theater. Most of the performers there are traveling troupes from out of town. They're all lowly people watching the shows here."

Mu Junyan didn't say anything, cracked his whip, and rushed off.

……

That night, just like everyone else in the Yichun Courtyard and the Yongguo Duke's Mansion, no one could sleep peacefully.

Even the palace was not peaceful.

The emperor was woken from his concubine's bed. He glared at the chief eunuch of the Inner Palace and Xiao Guozi kneeling before him, and was furious. He immediately ordered them to be thrown into the inner prison for severe interrogation.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor would not bother with such trivial matters.

But just as the crisis was brewing in the southern border region, he was discussing countermeasures with Mu Junyan.

Although the pro-peace faction was making a lot of noise in the court, he had to keep Mu Junyan calm, in case a fight was unavoidable.

But some fools dared to touch Mu Junyan's daughter-in-law. Wasn't that just making things difficult for the emperor?

Gu Wanru and Mu An were each confined to their own courtyards, and were not allowed to see anyone.

Yao Yao heard the commotion in the courtyard and wanted to go out to see what was going on, but she was so shocked that she dared not make any rash moves when she discovered that the black-armored guards had appeared.

Enraged, Gu Wanru smashed things and yelled at the old woman Zhou Chunyu had sent to watch over her: "I'm back now, why are you still locking me up?"

The old woman, with her good temper, said, "Who would dare disobey the Duke's orders? Besides, young mistress, you've been frightened; shouldn't you get some rest?"

Gu Wanru angrily pointed at the old woman's nose and yelled, "Rest? Locking me up is to let me rest? Tomorrow, the whole capital will know that a woman from the Duke's mansion has been kidnapped. Locking me up here is to make the people of the capital think that I was the one who was kidnapped."

"The young mistress of the Duke's mansion was kidnapped and defiled. Does she want to ruin my reputation? Father, are you shameless for the sake of beauty? Protecting that little slut, disregarding your daughter-in-law's dignity! Fine, let's tear off the mask and see who loses face, the Duke's mansion or me, Gu Wanru!"

The old woman couldn't stand it anymore and frowned: "Young mistress, please watch your words."

"Be careful what you say, my foot!" Gu Wanru was furious and completely disregarded her image.

That little bitch is clearly dead, yet her father-in-law is protecting her so much.

If, if she were rescued, her plan to push Gu Hua out for conviction would be exposed.

Gu Wanru was afraid, anxious, and angry.

All her and her mother's efforts and plans will be destroyed in an instant.

"Gag him and tie him up."

A sharp shout rang out.

"Who dares! I am the young mistress!" Gu Wanru screamed like a madwoman.

But as soon as the door opened, an old lady with a cold face suddenly stood in the doorway.

Two burly old women stepped forward, tied Gu Wanru to the bed, gagged her, and covered her with a blanket.

The old lady leaned on her dragon-headed cane and approached step by step: "If you are sensible, you can still be Mu An's wife. If you really want to break ties with the Duke's mansion, then do as you please. But you must shut up until Hua'er returns."

Gu Wanru stared blankly at the lucid old lady in front of her.

Is she awake?

No, wasn't she once mentally challenged?

Regardless of what she thought, the old lady turned and left.

"Madam, the young mistress's mouth isn't kept shut," Yi Niang said softly, supporting the old lady.

"From this day forward, the old woman's dementia is cured!"

The old lady stood tall and straight, her eyes darkening as she slammed her dragon-headed cane into the ground.

The bluestone slab cracked, revealing several fissures.