The scumbag was secretly having an affair, while I was openly having an affair with the prince.

Chapter 121 The Arrival of the Horses

"Awake?" Madam Wen squatted down in front of her, pinched her cheek, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that a lowly servant like you would be so smooth and beautiful. Once I've exchanged enough money for you, I'll sell you to a brothel and make another fortune, haha!"

"Madam Hou, you should know whose people I am. Aren't you afraid of offending Prince Cheng by arresting me?" Ninth Aunt stared at her coldly.

Since following Ye Shishu, she had come to know the people around him. She had thought that Lady Wen, the wife of Marquis Yufeng, was just a bit shameless, but she hadn't expected that Lady Wen was not only shameless, but also arrogant enough to oppose the Prince Cheng's Mansion!

"Haha!" Wen laughed disdainfully. "Nobody knows I arrested you, so what do I have to be afraid of?"

Ninth Aunt glanced at the masked man; there was no need to ask any more questions. This was the person her princess was looking for.

Hua Ping, a disciple who was expelled from Huaxiang Pavilion ten years ago!

A fake Ni Xiao appeared in the Prince's mansion. She originally wanted to go back to the mansion to see what was going on, but when she heard that the Prince, the Princess, and the fake Ni Xiao had gone to the palace, she went to wait outside the palace gate.

Unexpectedly, that fake Ni Xiao actually kidnapped Consort Lan.

Unable to approach, she hid in the distance.

When the fake Ni Xiao rode away, she couldn't help but chase after her, wanting to catch her without making a sound.

During the chase, something unexpected happened: a masked man blocked the path of the fake Ni Xiao. The two were clearly acquainted. Just when she thought the masked man was an accomplice of the fake Ni Xiao and was going to help her escape, the masked man unexpectedly killed the fake Ni Xiao!

Curious about the masked man's identity, she decided to follow him, but he noticed her and unexpectedly sprinkled a handful of sleeping potion on her.

She composed herself, her expression hardening, and asked calmly, "Tell me, what is your purpose in arresting me?"

Wen looked up at the masked man, then stood up and stepped aside.

The masked man stared down at her, asking in a gruff voice, "What is the relationship between Prince Cheng and Huaxiang Pavilion? Why are the disciples of Huaxiang Pavilion allowed to break the rules and show off in public?"

Ninth Aunt said calmly, "My lord once saved the life of the Hua Xiang Pavilion Master. Hua Xin came down the mountain to treat my lord's leg ailment and facial injury. At the same time, she was ordered by the Hua Xiang Pavilion Master to stay by my lord's side to protect him."

She answered fluently, showing no sign of guilt, but the masked man's eyes still held a hint of hostility. "Hua Xiang Pavilion has strict rules and has never made an exception for anyone. Even if Prince Cheng saved the Pavilion Master's life, it is impossible for the Pavilion Master to make an exception for him!"

Aunt Jiu remained calm and said, "I heard that Huaxiang Pavilion changed its leader many years ago. Perhaps the new leader wanted to break with old customs. Of course, this is just my guess, and I have no way of knowing the real reason."

The masked man fell silent.

But those eyes, like those of an eagle, were fixed on Ninth Aunt, as if pondering how much of her words were true and how much were false.

Just then, a sound came from the stone gate.

Wen went to open the door.

Before long, she returned to the stone chamber and said to the masked man, "The Prime Minister's wife invited me to the Prime Minister's residence tonight, surely because of this maid. I need to go and make preparations; I'll leave this place to you."

The masked man nodded.

After Wen left, he squatted down, pinched Aunt Jiu's chin, and continued to ask in his rough voice, "Do you want to live?"

Ninth Aunt rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

A soft hum came from beneath the masked man's mask, "But I don't see any will to live in you."

Aunt Jiu ignored his question and asked directly, "Just tell me, what do you want me to do?"

The masked man let out a chilling laugh. "Anyone who can work for Prince Cheng is truly extraordinary, and knows what's good for them! The Lady of the Marquis wants to use you to exchange for money with the Princess Consort of Cheng, but as for me, I'd rather you help me get my hands on Huaxin. Tell me, is there any way to have the best of both worlds?"

"Changing silver is easy, but dealing with Hua Xin is beyond my capabilities." Ninth Aunt looked at him frankly. "After all, the disciples of Hua Xiang Pavilion are not ordinary people. If I had that ability, I wouldn't have fallen into your hands, would I?"

“That’s true.” The masked man nodded at first, but then changed his tone and let out a chilling laugh, “However, we can have Hua Xin bring the ransom to rescue you, haha!”

"..." Aunt Jiu gritted her teeth, and her calm face instantly lost all color.

……

Ninth Aunt did not return home all night. In the past, Shi Shu would not have asked where she was the night before.

But before they knew it, it was already the second night, and she hadn't sent any message back to the manor. Even when Wen Yan and Wen Mo went to look for her, they couldn't find any news of her.

"Your Highness, has Ninth Aunt ever experienced this before?"

"Something must have happened to her!" Yu Chi Ling made a deep judgment.

Ye Shishu's face drained of color instantly. "Something happened? Ninth Aunt is quite skilled, how could something have happened to her so easily?"

She couldn't sit still any longer, so she got up and ran outside.

Just as he stepped out the door, Wenyan returned to deliver the message.

"Your Highness, something has happened to Ninth Aunt! Our men found a secret mark left by Ninth Aunt and followed it, but the mark broke at Shili Slope!"

Without hesitation, Ye Shishu immediately ordered, "Gather your men and head to Shili Slope!"

Upon hearing the news, Ye Shijun and Gu Simo were also on tenterhooks and went out with them to search for the person.

……

General's Mansion.

Ye Gengxin was busy in the study until late at night. Hao Fu urged him several times to go back to his room to rest, but he refused each time.

"Father!" Ye Shiting suddenly strode into the study.

Seeing that his son was still awake, Ye Gengxin looked up and asked, "What's the matter that's causing such a panic so late at night?"

Ye Shiting said with a stern face, "A message came from the Prince Cheng's Mansion saying that Ninth Aunt has gone missing at Shili Slope!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Gengxin jumped up from his seat. "What? Missing?"

Ye Shiting frowned and shook his head. "I don't know the specifics either. I only heard that my younger sister and the others rushed to Shilipo to look for someone." After a pause, he added in a deep voice, "Something must have happened."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ye Gengxin walked around the desk and rushed to the door, shouting, "Someone! Prepare the horses!"

……

The residence of Marquis Yufeng.

Although the two sons of the You family, You Jianbin and You Jianchuan, have not officially separated their businesses, they have lived almost entirely their own lives for more than ten years.

You Jianchuan and Madam Ma also had a son and a daughter, but they were severely suppressed by their elder brother and sister-in-law, You Jianbin and Madam Wen. The family of four lived in a cramped courtyard in the Marquis's mansion, and their livelihood depended entirely on You Jianchuan's small business.

These past two days, You Jianchuan went to collect debts in other towns, and You Hongxin took the initiative to stay with her mother, Ma, until she fell asleep.

"Mother, you didn't go out today, so you have no idea how strange things are in the manor." Before going to sleep, You Hongxin chatted with Madam Ma as usual.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Ma asked curiously.

"My cousin is going back to her parents' home tomorrow, and my aunt should be making preparations. But she didn't show up at home today. I went to borrow an awl from Liu Ma earlier, and when I passed by the main courtyard on my way back, I saw my aunt dressed in new clothes going out. It was already dark, and I don't know what she was doing dressed so well."