Jade of Another World

Upon learning of Lin Wan's disappearance, the Crown Prince's face instantly darkened, his heart filled with worry. His father was already displeased with the disappearance of Crown Princess Peng Yingchun, and now Lin Ning, whom he thought was a sure thing, had also slipped away. These matters weighed heavily on his mind, like a heavy stone he couldn't shake off. And now, Lin Wan had gone missing—it was like adding insult to injury.

The Crown Prince paced back and forth in the room, his brows furrowed deeply. He knew very well that Lin Wan was no saint, and her disappearance would inevitably incur the wrath of the Lin and Liu families. The Peng and Lin families might even collude, and given their power and status in court, they would surely impeach him severely. Especially considering his previous schemes to obtain Lin Ning, including orchestrating Peng Yingchun's "abduction," those schemes couldn't be kept secret for long. It was a risky move on his part, and he had planned to release Peng Yingchun once he had Lin Ning, making everything fall into place naturally. But Lin Wan was missing… and neither the Peng nor the Lin families would let it go so easily.

The Crown Prince grew increasingly frightened, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. He knew that if these two families impeached him in court, his scheme might be exposed, and his father, the Emperor, would connect the dots, potentially costing him his position as Crown Prince. Therefore, he dared not delay. He immediately summoned his trusted subordinates, lowered his voice, and anxiously ordered, "Listen carefully! You must find Lin Wan as quickly as possible. This matter must not be leaked. If anyone finds out about Lin Wan's disappearance, I will hold you all accountable!"

Seeing the Crown Prince's serious and anxious appearance, his trusted men dared not slack off and took their orders to begin a secret search of the Crown Prince's residence, leaving no corner unchecked, hoping to find Lin Wan as soon as possible.

The Crown Prince searched the entire Crown Prince's residence with great anxiety, but still could not find Lin Wan. He was extremely worried about the worsening situation. After much thought, he decided to go to the palace to seek help from his mother, the Noble Consort Xi.

The Crown Prince hurried into the palace and arrived at the residence of Consort Xi. A servant went in to announce his arrival and heard voices coming from inside. It turned out that Consort De was chatting with Consort Xi, discussing trivial matters in the palace, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

The Crown Prince, disregarding everything else, braced himself and went inside. He first bowed to the two consorts, then looked anxiously at Consort Xi, hesitant to speak. Consort Xi, being extremely astute, knew from the Crown Prince's expression that something serious must have happened, but she refrained from asking directly because Consort De was still present.

Consort De was naturally a perceptive person. Seeing the Crown Prince's appearance, she guessed that something must be wrong, and he seemed quite anxious. She tactfully stood up and said to Consort Xi with a smile, "Sister, you and His Highness the Crown Prince must have important matters to discuss, so I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now." After saying that, she curtsied and slowly withdrew.

As Consort De walked out, she pondered to herself that the Crown Prince's hurried manner suggested something was amiss, perhaps even a secret. Not wanting to miss any such news, she quietly summoned her trusted maid after leaving the Imperial Concubine's chambers and whispered, "Go quickly and send a message to my father, Grand Tutor Liu, telling him that there's been unusual activity at the Crown Prince's residence. Tell him to keep an eye on things at the Crown Prince's residence and report back immediately if anything happens."

The palace maid responded and hurriedly carried out Consort De's instructions. Consort De stood there, gazing thoughtfully at Consort Xi's palace, wondering what problem the Crown Prince had encountered and how it would affect the future situation. She secretly decided to have Grand Tutor Liu keep a close eye on things, lest she fall behind in the palace intrigues.

Meanwhile, seeing that Consort De had left, the Crown Prince hurriedly approached Consort Xi and told her everything about Lin Wan's disappearance, the Crown Princess's previous disappearance, and his worries about being exposed. He hoped that his mother could give him some advice and help him resolve this crisis.

With Nangong Jin's help, Lin Ning was finally out of danger, and her strength gradually returned. Nangong Jin carefully escorted Lin Ning back to the Lin residence, and only after seeing Lin Ning enter the gate unharmed did he feel a little relieved.

Before Nangong Jin had gone far from the Lin residence, his subordinates rushed over, their expressions slightly grave, to report that they had received news of unusual activity at the Crown Prince's residence. Upon hearing this, Nangong Jin frowned slightly, immediately becoming suspicious. He thought to himself that the scheme Lin Ning had encountered at the Crown Prince's residence had been quite strange, and now that there was unusual activity at the Crown Prince's residence again, could it be that they were plotting something shady again?

At this moment, Nangong Jin dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest. He immediately ordered his subordinates to continue gathering more detailed information, determined to find out exactly what had happened in the Crown Prince's residence, who was behind it, and what their purpose was. At the same time, Nangong Jin himself began his own investigation. He first used his connections in the capital to question those who had dealings with the Crown Prince's residence, hoping to glean some clues from them.

Next, Nangong Jin quietly went to the vicinity of the Crown Prince's residence, found a secluded spot to hide, and secretly observed the people coming and going. He carefully paid attention to their expressions and actions, trying to glean some clues. He noticed that the guards at the Crown Prince's residence were more stringent than usual, and servants were frequently seen hurrying in and out, indicating that something unusual was indeed taking place.

Nangong Jin's gaze grew increasingly profound. He secretly resolved to thoroughly investigate the truth behind the unusual events at the Crown Prince's residence and to ensure that Lin Ning would never fall into danger again. However, the investigation was unlikely to be smooth sailing, and he didn't know how many obstacles he would encounter or what complex political situations he would be involved in.

After returning to the Lin residence, Lin Ning locked herself in her room and began to carefully review the series of events that had recently occurred. She had initially thought that the matter of Feng Nu wouldn't affect her; she had only intended to help Lin Wan and stir up some trouble. But now, after experiencing the crisis at the Crown Prince's residence, she deeply realized that things were far more complex than she had imagined.

She knew all too well that as long as the rumors about the Phoenix Maiden persisted, she would remain in the eye of the storm, even if they were completely unfounded. She would still be coveted and schemed against by various forces. The Crown Prince, in his quest for power, had resorted to such insidious traps. Therefore, she understood that to prevent herself from being threatened by these things any longer, she had to change her strategy immediately.

Lin Ning originally intended to rescue Lin Wan out of sisterly affection, but unexpectedly, she found herself not only entangled and in danger, but Yingchun had also disappeared. She suspected these events might be related to the Crown Prince, but with Nangong Jin in the capital, the Crown Prince usually kept a low profile. How could he be so audacious now? Could it be because Nangong Jin hadn't returned to the palace and was indeed operating in the shadows? What was he investigating? Was it related to the Crown Prince's actions? The current situation left her no room for further hesitation.

So Lin Ning summoned his trusted aide, his eyes filled with determination, and whispered, "Do as I say. Find a reliable fortune teller and spread the word that Feng Nu is Lin Wan. Do not make direct contact with her, and make sure no one can trace the source of the information."

The confidant replied, "Yes, Miss." The confidant then left to carry out the order.

Lin Ning sat in her room and sighed deeply. She knew that she had taken a risky step, but in order to find a way out in this unpredictable situation, she had no other choice. She just didn't know what kind of chain reaction this news would trigger, or how the various forces would respond. She could only wait quietly and prepare for all kinds of variables.

Seeing the Crown Prince's anxious and worried expression, Consort Xi quickly stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder, softly comforting him, "Your Highness, don't be so worried. It wouldn't be good if others saw you like this. Although that bitch Lin Wan has disappeared, she might come back on her own in a few days. She might just be hiding somewhere waiting for you to worry."

The Crown Prince frowned, his face full of worry, and said, "Mother, you don't know, Lin Wan knows some things. What if she is used by someone with ulterior motives and reveals some things from the past? That would be troublesome."

Consort Xi frowned slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her gentle demeanor and continued, "Don't worry, I will send people to search for her whereabouts carefully. I have been in this palace for many years and have a few capable people under my command."

The prince felt a little more at ease after hearing his mother's words, but he still couldn't help but say, "Thank you, Mother."

Consort Xi lowered her voice slightly and said, "Peng Yingchun is indeed a hidden danger. You have to be careful. Before we completely win over that girl Lin Ning and get her to willingly stand on our side, we must keep a close eye on Peng Yingchun. If she suddenly appears and exposes our previous plans, then everything we've done will have been in vain."

The Crown Prince quickly nodded in agreement and said, "Your Majesty is right. I understand the implications, but now that Lin Wan has disappeared, I don't know if it's related to Peng Yingchun's matter. It's really a headache."

Consort Xi pondered for a moment and said, "Regardless of whether we are involved or not, our primary task right now is to find Lin Wan first, and then find a way to deal with Lin Ning. We must keep both of them under our control and not let them ruin our plans. You should go back to the Crown Prince's residence first and wait for news from me. I will inform you as soon as I discover anything."

The Crown Prince responded, bowed to Consort Xi, and then turned to leave, returning to his residence. Consort Xi immediately summoned her trusted maid and whispered instructions to search for information related to Lin Wan. A covert struggle among the group continued quietly beneath the seemingly calm surface.

The next morning, as the sun was just beginning to shine through the streets and alleys of the capital, the teahouses, usually bustling with activity, were already packed with all sorts of people. The patrons were sipping their morning tea and chatting idly about everything under the sun.

Just then, a few low, mysterious words came from somewhere: "Have you heard? The legendary Phoenix Maiden, who's been talked about like a god, seems to be an illegitimate daughter."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples. The surrounding tea drinkers perked up their ears and crowded around, asking curiously, "Oh? What do you mean? Who exactly is this Phoenix Maiden?"

The first person to speak glanced around at everyone with a mysterious air before slowly saying, "I've heard from reliable sources that this Phoenix Maiden is actually an illegitimate daughter of the Lin family. Illegitimate daughters have always been of noble status and raised in the capital with a high and mighty lifestyle. They must know this."

The news spread like wildfire throughout the teahouse. Some people looked astonished, finding it unbelievable; others seemed thoughtful, as if pondering the implications; still others began whispering and discussing it animatedly.

"How could this concubine's daughter be a phoenix girl? There were rumors before, and it seemed like she should be the legitimate daughter. Could there be some hidden story?"

"Who knows? But the eldest daughter has always been raised in the countryside. Children from aristocratic families have their fortunes told from birth, so it's naturally better for them to stay in the mansion."

As people came and went in the teahouse, the rumor spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of the capital. The situation, where everyone had their own thoughts, seemed to be disrupted all at once.

Those who had originally hoped to gain benefits and power by relying on Lin Ning, the "Phoenix Girl," were now filled with doubt and reconsidering. Upon hearing this news, the Crown Prince's expression changed drastically. He was both shocked and furious. He was shocked that the story had suddenly changed, and furious that if the rumor was true, all his previous schemes against Lin Ning would be in vain, and he would have to start thinking about Lin Wan, the "Phoenix Girl," all over again.