She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

Song Cheng was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

Lu Yuan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, my daughter is young and ignorant, and must have been bewitched. Please be lenient with her."

Chu Zhiyi looked at Lu Yuan with icy eyes, "Lord Lu, you are guilty of failing to discipline your family. Moreover, this is a murder case, how can you use your youth and ignorance as an excuse?"

Lu Yuan wanted to plead for leniency again, but Chu Zhiyi raised his hand to stop him. "Yao Ping and Lu Jing are to be imprisoned pending trial. The Lu family is to be fined one thousand taels of silver as punishment. Song Cheng is to be dismissed and investigated for dereliction of duty. Kong Minghui is to be released without charge!"

The crowd shouted that His Highness was wise.

After the case was concluded and she left the courtroom, Shen Man was about to thank Chu Zhiyi when she saw a person running up in a panic. The person whispered something in Chu Zhiyi's ear, and Chu Zhiyi's expression changed drastically. He turned around and flew away.

Shen Man recognized the person who had just spoken to him; it was Xun Yan, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

She felt a vague unease, wondering what had happened to make them so tense.

Although she was somewhat worried, she did not leave with them, because she still had to wait for Master Kong to come out and see if he was alright.

While waiting for Master Kong to be released from prison, Shen Man kept thinking about the strange thing about Chu Zhiyi's hurried departure.

She had a feeling that something big was about to happen, and that feeling of unease grew stronger.

"Man'er, we are so grateful to His Highness the First Prince for his timely arrival today. If it weren't for him, this case would have been much more complicated," Zhu Jing said.

"Yes!" Shen Man replied absentmindedly, her gaze still fixed on the direction where Chu Zhiyi had disappeared.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Jing felt a sudden surge of panic. He forced himself to calm down and asked softly, "Man'er, do you have feelings for His Highness the First Prince?"

Shen Man was startled, her cheeks flushed, and she scolded, "Don't talk nonsense."

Zhu Jing felt slightly relieved, but still had doubts.

Finally, Master Kong walked out of the prison cell. He looked somewhat haggard, but his eyes revealed the relief of surviving a disaster.

"Thank you so much, Miss Ding and Lord Zhu, for saving me. If it weren't for you, I, Kong Laosan, would probably have died unjustly in prison," Kong Laosan said gratefully.

Shen Man waved her hand and said, "Third Master, you don't need to be so polite. We're from the same hometown and business partners. I'll naturally do my best to help you if I can. Now that you've been released from prison safely, I'm relieved!"

After chatting for a while, Shen Man made an excuse to leave.

Upon returning home, she immediately summoned the Golden Armor Guards and ordered them to inquire about what had happened to Chu Zhiyi.

On the other side, the reason why Chu Zhiyi left in a hurry without saying a word to Shen Man was because Xun Yan reported that his mother, Li Muyun, who lived in the cold palace, had suddenly disappeared.

"Xunyan, when exactly did my mother disappear?"

"Your Highness," Xun Yan said anxiously, his voice trembling slightly, "when I went to deliver the Empress's meal at noon, I found that she was not there. I searched the entire Cold Palace, but no one could find her. I dared not delay and came to find you immediately."

Chu Zhiyi frowned, his heart filled with anxiety, and hurried towards the Cold Palace.

Throughout the journey, his mind was filled with the image of his mother's gentle yet weathered face, and his heart ached.

He knew that in the cold palace, his mother, Li Muyun, had no contact with anyone else and therefore would not make enemies.

This mysterious disappearance must be the culmination of a huge conspiracy.

Upon arriving at the Cold Palace, Chu Zhiyi disregarded everyone's attempts to stop him and rushed straight into his mother's residence.

Everything inside was the same as before, but Mother was nowhere to be seen. The familiar scent lingered, but the most important person was missing.

He suppressed his inner panic and searched the room thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked.

Finally, he found a letter under his mother's pillow.

Chu Zhiyi's hands trembled slightly as he unfolded the letter. On it, written crookedly, were the words: "If you want to save your mother, go alone to the abandoned City God Temple outside the West Gate. Do not bring anyone with you. Otherwise, you can expect to be collecting her corpse."

After reading the letter, Chu Zhiyi's eyes instantly turned cold and resolute. He clenched the letter tightly in his hand and turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Xun Yan hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, where are you going?"

"I'm going to save my mother!" Chu Zhiyi said, tossing the letter in her hand to him.

Xun Yan quickly finished reading the letter and advised him, "Your Highness, this is clearly a trap. You cannot risk going alone!"

Chu Zhiyi stopped, his gaze sharp, and said in a deep voice, "My mother is in their hands, how can I not go? You stay here and continue searching for clues, I'll be right back."

Having said that, he ignored Xun Yan's desperate pleas and flew away.

Meanwhile, Shen Man's golden-armored guards, who had been sent out to inquire around, finally managed to gather some information.

They rushed back and informed Shen Man of the intelligence they had obtained.

When Shen Man learned that Chu Zhiyi's mother had gone missing and that he had gone alone to the dilapidated temple in the west of the city to rescue her, his expression changed drastically.

"What? His Highness is so reckless, venturing into dangerous territory alone! No, I have to go help him." Shen Man was extremely anxious and immediately got up to leave.

"Young lady, those people want His Highness the Crown Prince to go alone. If they find out you're going, they might kill Consort Li..."

Shen Man paused, "But I can't just stand by and watch him put himself in danger."

"The fact that those people were able to sneak past His Highness the Crown Prince's guards and kidnap Consort Li shows they are quite capable. If something happens to Consort Li because of your appearance, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely hate you!"

Shen Man was torn between two conflicting emotions, her eyes swirling with anxiety and turmoil. She bit her lower lip tightly, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white from the force.

Reason told her that Jin Jiawei's words made sense, but the thought of Chu Zhiyi venturing into danger alone, his life hanging in the balance, made her feel restless, as if a thousand cats were scratching at her.

“No, I can’t let His Highness face the danger alone.” Shen Man suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in her eyes. “I will be careful and not let them find out.”

After saying this, she ignored everyone's advice, took her soft sword, and quietly left her residence.

At this time, the sky gradually darkened, and thick dark clouds obscured the moonlight, shrouding the entire capital in a depressing darkness.

Shen Man spurred her horse and galloped towards the west gate. The fierce wind whipped her face, but it couldn't dispel the worry in her heart.

Meanwhile, Chu Zhiyi had already arrived at the abandoned City God Temple.

The temple door was half-closed, creaking in the cold wind, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

He took a deep breath, gripped the sword at his waist, and cautiously stepped inside.

"Come out! I've done what you asked for, hand over my mother!"

Chu Zhiyi's voice echoed in the empty temple, carrying an undeniable authority.

The only response he received was a sinister laugh, "Your Highness, you certainly have guts. However, saving your mother won't be so easy."

As the sound rang out, several dark figures slowly emerged from the shadows and surrounded Chu Zhiyi.

Moonlight streamed through the dilapidated roof, illuminating the狰狞 masks on their faces.

"Who are you people? Why did you kidnap my mother?"

Chu Zhiyi's eyes were sharp as he scanned the surrounding enemies.

The leader of the men in black did not answer, but simply waved his hand, and the crowd pounced on him like wolves.