As for why chose this time to strike, the reason was simple: guests from all directions had gathered here, and Inzi City was full of hidden talents. A person with ill intentions could easily pin the Crown Prince’s death on an enemy nation.

Sure enough, not long after, Xu Lin reopened the Shun Dong Feng incident, testifying that the Crown Prince had also been in the building when Captain Ma suddenly died. The implication was clear: the Wei people’s true target had been the Crown Prince all along!

If they had intentions of assassination and failed the first time, who knew if there would be a second attempt? This action might even be revenge for Wei envoy Qi Tianxing’s death.

When the King of Yao saw this report, his hands trembled with anger. His son had grown up under his watchful eye, and he firmly believed he couldn’t have misjudged him, so he resolutely refused to believe that Miao Fengxian had killed his brother. Therefore, the only reasonable explanation left was:

It was the Wei people’s doing.

Yet again, no real evidence of this assassination could be found.

As days passed, the excessively grieving King of Yao became increasingly irritable, often taking out his anger on servants. All the palace staff at Mingshuyuan had already been executed, and court officials walked on eggshells, trembling with fear.

In the outer city, the City Defense forces were searching everywhere for suspects, and those taken in were never seen again. The entire Inzi City was enveloped in an atmosphere of violence and bloodshed.

Under these circumstances, the embassy was a haven, protecting foreign envoys from harassment. But Feng Miaojun was deeply worried—she was concerned about the Feng establishment.

Would Xu Lin abuse his power and arrest Pengbai and Miss Xu? He now had royal orders to arrest people, and no one dared oppose him. If he had truly participated in the Crown Prince’s assassination, he would now be enjoying his success, at the peak of his satisfaction. If he turned his attention to Miss Xu, Feng Miaojun would be powerless to save her.

With Xu Lin’s miraculous reinstatement, the situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. What could be done?

Even Yun Ya noticed her anxiety: “Why are you so restless?”

Feng Miaojun couldn’t tell the truth, so she said: “With Inzi City completely sealed off, will we be able to return home?”

“Just the other day we saw the Yan envoy. Unless Yao plans to declare war on so many countries simultaneously, they will eventually let us leave,” Yun Ya looked at her deeply. “This isn’t the reason for your anxiety.” Such a minor matter wouldn’t trouble Feng Miaojun. She must be worried about something else. How interesting—she came to the Yao capital alone, what other concerns could she have?

Anxiety—that word was apt. She pouted glumly: “Then when can we leave?”

He gave her a meaningful look: “Soon.”

Under his gaze, Feng Miaojun didn’t dare continue with excuses: “I’m considering the connections between these events, and wondering where Princess Hanyue might be now.” She knew that the Crown Prince’s death was unrelated to Yun Ya. If it wasn’t the Wei people who did it, then the culprit must be Yao himself. In such a situation, could the missing Princess Hanyue still be alive?

She had another suspicion: had Princess Hanyue run away from her marriage again?

After all, this princess had a history of escaping, and on the day of the wedding ceremony, she had left a letter in the royal carriage for Miao Fengxian. Perhaps the kidnapper’s extortion was the princess’s farewell.

She wondered what Mo Tizhun had been doing lately. With one major event after another in Inzi City, the King of Yao’s focus was no longer on his missing daughter-in-law.

Yun Ya smiled: “You truly care for her.”

Feng Miaojun sighed lightly: “Even if our paths diverge in the future, I wouldn’t wish for her life to end in Inzi City.”

Yun Ya, unusually, consoled her: “Don’t worry, you will get your wish.”

That afternoon, Yun Ya met with Tan Qingshuang again at the restaurant.

What they discussed, Feng Miaojun didn’t know. She had been sent out to guard the door, and a barrier had been placed inside.

Hmph, even if these two were behind closed doors doing something suspicious, she couldn’t hear anything.

Feng Miaojun ordered a pot of sweet wine and half a plate of spicy broad beans in the main hall, eating and waiting when her gaze casually swept past the entrance, and she spotted a tall, familiar figure walking in.

She wouldn’t mistake this person even if he were burned to ash.

Mo Tizhun!

What was he doing here? Feng Miaojun instinctively ducked her head.

Mo Tizhun surveyed the entire hall, then walked toward a table in the corner and sat down.

This table was already occupied by a large man. Feng Miaojun hadn’t looked closely at him before, but once Mo Tizhun sat down, she sensed something was afoot.

With the Grand State Preceptor here, she didn’t dare extend her spiritual sense to scan, so she could only steal glances while tilting her head back to drink.

The man sitting across from Mo Tizhun was equally broad-shouldered and strong, with a neatly trimmed beard that concealed much of his face. But his eyes were bright and spirited. After a few more looks, Feng Miaojun finally recognized who he was:

Miao Fengxian.

These two were sitting together drinking?

Feng Miaojun sensed the coming conversation would be fascinating and quickly perked up her ears.

Fortunately, their table wasn’t far from hers.

Mo Tizhun raised the wine pot, gulped it all down as a gesture of respect, and then said: “She was taken by force, definitely not leaving without saying goodbye. Right now, I don’t know where she’s suffering.”

Miao Fengxian laughed, but it was a cold laugh: “She left me a letter of separation, so it wasn’t exactly leaving without notice.” He tossed a peanut into his mouth. “‘With you, I break all ties, henceforth each to our marriages, no longer connected’—State Preceptor Mo has read that letter too; the handwriting couldn’t be fake, could it?”

He recited a few lines, giving Feng Miaojun a great shock.

It sounded like Princess Hanyue’s tone! Had this bold, audacious princess run from her marriage?

No wonder Miao Fengxian’s face had darkened like the bottom of a pot after seeing the letter at the wedding ceremony. This humiliation was something no man could tolerate.

Mo Tizhun shook his head: “Handwriting can be forged. Besides, the Moon Lake Temple was heavily guarded. How could a young girl alone in a foreign country escape under everyone’s watch? It’s more likely she was kidnapped.”

“Is that so?” Miao Fengxian folded his arms across his chest. “I heard that Princess Hanyue tried to escape after the Cliff Mountain passage was destroyed, only to be stopped by you, State Preceptor Mo. She was unwilling to marry into Yao, and would take any opportunity to escape.”

“Who told you that?”

Miao Fengxian let out a snort: “You came to the Yao capital from afar; surely you met quite a few people along the way.”

Mo Tizhun suddenly realized: “The Fu Lingchuan siblings?”

Miao Fengxian shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

Mo Tizhun took a deep breath: “Princess Hanyue will only be seventeen after the New Year, still at an age of playfulness. After I had a deep conversation with her, she had decided to stay in Yao and marry you willingly.”

Miao Fengxian said coldly: “How do you know she wouldn’t change her mind again?”

“She had already sworn an oath before the ancestral kings of Jin,” Mo Tizhun said solemnly. “No matter how mischievous she is, she wouldn’t dare break such a serious vow.”

Miao Fengxian took a deep breath, containing his anger, and his tone returned to calmness: “If Princess Hanyue was truly kidnapped, as long as she can be rescued, regardless of what treatment she has endured, she will still be my wife; but if she ran away on her own, then—”