The listeners all chuckled coldly. How mighty these New Xia people were!

But then another onlooker whispered: “It’s not just New Xia. The city garrison serving the royal court and Queen are also Yao people, and they’re even more brutal when beating people!”

“There must be something fishy about this!”

Someone else tried to smooth things over: “Drink up, drink up, and be careful that trouble comes from the mouth.”

Miao Fengxian’s son had disappeared!

Just months ago, the Wei army had withdrawn from Yinzi City, and New Xia had taken over Yao territory. The Crown Prince’s consort and her son were living in Yinzi City. The situation had not yet stabilized, and this would stir up a thousand waves.

At this time and place, this was truly an earth-shattering event.

Feng Miaojun frowned, and then heard Yu Haizhen ask Yun Ya: “Does this matter have any connection to Wei Kingdom?”

The Wei Kingdom had suffered great losses at Feng Miaojun’s hands, so revenge was not impossible. Although there was an agreement between Wei and Xia, if Xiao Yan sent people to snatch away the Yao Prince’s grandson, it wouldn’t violate the treaty terms.

Even Chen Dachang showed interest in the matter. Yun Ya shrugged: “At least I’m not aware of it.”

This statement was quite skillful. Yun Ya’s control over the Wei Kingdom far exceeded the relationship between a State Preceptor and a kingdom. Under normal circumstances, if Xiao Yan made such a decision, he should have known about it. Moreover, Xiao Yan was well aware of Yun Ya’s entanglement with the New Xia Queen, so if he wanted to punish New Xia, he should have informed Yun Ya in advance.

But Yun Ya didn’t commit to a definitive answer, because for the past few months, he had been at the frontlines of the Yan-Xi war, not controlling court politics from Wei Palace as before.

Feng Miaojun’s face turned solemn as water: “Let’s hurry. We must reach Yinzi City today.” Turning to Yu Haizhen, she apologized, “I’m so sorry to embarrass you with this situation, esteemed guest.”

Yu Haizhen shook her head: “Who can escape the entanglements of state affairs?” But in her heart, she knew that this sudden incident was a perfect opportunity to evaluate Feng Miaojun and New Xia.

True to her word, Feng Miaojun reached Yinzi City before sunset.

Her original plan was to fly ahead with Chen Dachang and Yu Haizhen on cranes, while the remaining cultivators continued sightseeing without hurrying.

As for Yun Ya, she couldn’t resist his shameless insistence, so she had to bring him along too. In the end, she and Yun Ya shared the crane demon Da Hei, Chen Dachang rode San Hua alone, and Yu Haizhen summoned an avian demon from her entourage to carry her.

These cultivators each had unique abilities that New Xia needed. Feng Miaojun eagerly wanted to catch them all—no, that’s wrong—to bring them into her service.

Of course, this depended on whether Yu Haizhen would agree to become her State Preceptor for New Xia.

Nightfall, Yanhu Manor.

The Yao Kingdom no longer existed, so there was no need to rebuild the royal palace in Yinzi City. Instead, Yanhu Manor had been converted into the prefecture seat. After annexing Yao territory, New Xia no longer treated it as a whole but divided it into several large prefectures. The administrative divisions were very different from the old Yao system, serving as a means of control.

The thousand li of land including Yinzi City was merged into Yinzi Prefecture, with the prefecture seat set at Yanhu Manor in Yinzi City.

When Feng Miaojun returned here, she didn’t alert others but went directly to find Princess Hanyue.

It was only the hour of Xu (around 7 PM), yet Princess Hanyue’s palace chambers were already dark. The serving girl leading the way said: “The Princess has been crying constantly and is weighed down with worry. She retired early.” She thought to herself that the rumored friendship between the New Xia Queen and the Crown Prince’s consort must be true. Instead of summoning the Crown Prince’s consort for an audience, the Queen personally came to visit.

Feng Miaojun stood at the dark entrance to the chambers and sighed, waving her hand: “You may go.”

After everyone withdrew, she pushed open the palace doors.

With a creaking sound.

Immediately afterward, Princess Hanyue’s voice came from within, indeed low and hoarse: “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” said Feng Miaojun as she walked in slowly.

The door closed behind her, and those outside could hear nothing more.

Before the cock crowed the next day, several people met in a commoner’s dwelling in the southwest corner of Yinzi City.

No lights were lit inside, and a barrier had been set up in the courtyard.

“The New Xia Queen quietly returned to Yinzi City tonight. She first went to Princess Hanyue, then separately met with several elder ministers from both Yao and New Xia.”

“Did she inquire about the disappearance of the Yao Prince’s grandson?”

“Yes,” the first person replied. “What should we do? The New Xia Queen is known for her capabilities, unlike the weak Crown Prince’s consort.”

“Just hold position. In this matter, we hold the initiative.”

After a few more whispered discussions, the meeting dispersed.

In just one night, Feng Miaojun had clarified the situation’s entire sequence of events.

Half a month ago, Miao Fengxian and Princess Hanyue’s son, Miao Hansheng, suddenly disappeared.

After the Yinzi City incident, Princess Hanyue had been living with her son at Yanhu Manor. A month or so passed peacefully. The administrative team arranged by Feng Miaojun was operating well, and everything seemed to be getting on track.

But on one dark and windy night, the child suddenly vanished.

The wet nurse who slept with him also disappeared.

The next morning, servants hurriedly reported this, and Princess Hanyue fainted on the spot. The prefecture immediately organized an investigation.

That evening, people discovered the wet nurse’s corpse by the river, her throat cut by a sword.

After Yanhu Manor became the prefecture seat, security forces had not weakened. Even if outsiders could infiltrate, they couldn’t silently and skillfully take away a child while knowing the layout. So this case was determined to be an inside job.

After hearing the report, Feng Miaojun pressed her forehead and asked: “No clues?”

The petty judicial official responsible for the case trembled before her: “The perpetrators were very clean, leaving no clues. The wet nurse’s entire family was eliminated—seven people, adults, and children, all gone.”

“How was she selected as the child’s wet nurse? Who recommended her?”

“She was recommended by the second madam of the former General’s mansion, the Zhao family. Her background was clean, with three generations all being Yinzi City natives.” The official paused, then added, “The Zhao family’s second madam unfortunately perished when the city fell.”

“Who was the wet nurse closest to in the palace?”

“Two female officials—one died when the royal palace was captured, and the other is under our control for questioning. She says the wet nurse was honest, well-liked, and showed no strange behavior.”

“Is this something a dutiful person would do?” Feng Miaojun scoffed. “She stole the child for someone else, then met the fate of a donkey killed after the grinding was done.”

She turned to the serving girl: “I need a short rest, and will see no one else. Invite Princess Hanyue to dine with me tonight.”

Princess Hanyue was ill. After a series of misfortunes in Yinzi City, her son was her last pillar of support. When the child was stolen, she immediately took to her bed, sleeping all day.

After a deep conversation with Feng Miaojun for half the night, her spirits recovered considerably, and she could even get out of bed. The serving girls attending the Princess marveled, wondering what method the New Xia Queen had used to untangle the knot in the Princess’s heart.