He quickly summoned everyone and changed the direction of the investigation.
Song Chaoyu did not wish for others to compare her to Song Yuan; she truly could not bring herself to smile and merely lowered her head.
Song Yuan had not expected Song Chaoyu to analyze the matter so thoroughly.
He looked down at Song Chaoyu with admiration, "Fourth girl, you are good. If you have anything else to say, you can tell Lord Cui!"
He must have felt proud that he had brought honor to the Song family, which was why he was so happy.
Song Chaoyu nodded. After Lord Cui finished giving his orders, she stepped forward again, "This humble girl believes that even if it were江湖帮派 (jianghu gangs), they would not have taken so many women too far. They should still be near Ping'an Mountain."
Song Chaoyu had not deduced this through analysis but through memories from her previous life. "Especially the small villages below Ping'an Mountain; is it possible they were controlled or occupied by them?"
She remembered that in her previous life, those people had controlled all the women in a village.
However, she could not recall the specific name of that village.
Moreover, if she were to state it directly now, she would likely be considered a demon or a ghost.
However, Song Chaoyu's words greatly excited Lord Cui, "Good, good! I will focus on having people search those villages. You just wait for my good news! Wonderful!"
He praised Song Chaoyu without reservation, "If you were not a girl, I would certainly have brought you to my Ministry of Justice to help! Lord Song, you have truly given birth to a good daughter! If I truly discover the truth of this matter, I will definitely tell the Emperor that it is all thanks to your daughter's merit."
"Oh, oh, oh, Lord Cui is too kind!"
Song Yuan's mouth was so wide with a smile that it could not close, yet he still maintained his humility. "Lord Cui was merely disturbed today and could not think properly. My daughter merely provided Lord Cui with a line of thought. She cannot steal credit, and Lord Cui need not insist on mentioning this to the Emperor. We all hope to find the people as quickly as possible."
Lord Cui clasped his hands in farewell and hurried off to his own affairs.
Song Yuan also turned and looked at Song Chaoyu with admiration, "Fourth girl, you are good."
Song Chaoyu looked at Song Jiayang. In truth, he had one more thing he wished to accomplish, but with Song Yuan present, it was inconvenient.
Song Jiayang had been staring at Song Chaoyu curiously from beginning to end.
For some reason, he had a feeling that Song Chaoyu seemed to know this would happen.
But he quickly dismissed this thought. Seeing that Song Chaoyu looked at him as if she had something to say, he said to Song Yuan, "Father, I will take Fourth girl to the back to have a look."
Song Yuan, while looking at the side rooms where the old madam and Song Yanrou had stayed, nodded, "Go. There are many people here; you must protect your sister."
Song Jiayang nodded, then pulled Song Chaoyu to a secluded spot, "Fourth girl, do you have something to say?"
Song Chaoyu looked at Song Jiayang gratefully, "Brother, I just heard that Prince Wen has also arrived. Before you fell ill, you had a good relationship with him. Can you take me to see him?"
Song Jiayang frowned, "Do you know something?"
Song Chaoyu bit her lip, knowing that Song Yuan was not as easily fooled as Song Yuan. "Yes and no. In any case, I will not harm you, my brother, nor will I disgrace the Song family's reputation."
"Silly girl."
Song Jiayang smiled, then took Song Chaoyu towards Prince Wen's location, "You don't need to explain these things. I know you have your own thoughts in your heart. Come, I will take you to see Prince Wen."
Song Chaoyu followed behind Song Jiayang, heading towards Consort Hai's side room.
Consort Hai, upon arriving at Ping'an Temple, naturally resided in the largest and most secluded side room.
Now, as Song Chaoyu approached, she found that the side room had been turned inside out.
Prince Wen stood in front of the side room with a somber expression. Only His Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Chang accompanied him; no one else was present.
Song Chaoyu had not expected Mu Changxi to be there. The moment their eyes met, Song Chaoyu lowered her head.
When Prince Wen saw Song Jiayang arrive, he frowned, as if he did not wish him to be there, but still spoke courteously, "Young Master Song, you are here too? I heard your grandmother is also here. Do not worry; we will all search together."
Song Jiayang smiled, "My fourth sister may have some clues and wishes to tell Your Highness."
"Oh?"
If it were someone else, Prince Wen might have thought they were coming to claim credit or cause trouble.
But everyone in the capital knew that Song Jiayang was a very steady person. Moreover, after his serious illness and recovery, he had no need to seek trouble with him.
Therefore, Prince Wen also looked at Song Chaoyu, "What clues do you have?"
Song Chaoyu truly wanted to save Consort Hai, disregarding her past life. She opened her mouth and said, "Lord Cui just analyzed that this might not be a rebellion by bandits, but a premeditated and planned action by jianghu gangs."
Her words caused Prince Wen's expression to darken. Naturally, he realized that if there were a specific target, Consort Hai's situation would be extremely dangerous.
His gaze towards Song Chaoyu lost its previous impatience and suspicion, "Tell me!"
Song Chaoyu continued, "Those jianghu gangs have only one or two sets of rules in their actions. Taking a group of women and the Consort, they cannot go far. So, if Your Highness believes me, you can send people to investigate the villages around Ping'an Mountain, and you might find traces. Especially those small villages hidden at the foot or on the mountainside, they might have been occupied by those people, disguised as villagers to deceive the officials."
Song Chaoyu's words startled Prince Wen greatly, "How does a mere庶女 (shu nü - daughter of a concubine) like you know how jianghu gangs operate? Have you heard something? Or seen someone? Or did you already know about this matter?"
Prince Wen's sharp gaze and quick wit made Song Chaoyu's heart turn cold.
But before she could explain, she heard Mu Changxi, who was beside them, speak first, "She was raised on a manor before, so it's not surprising she's seen some jianghu people. Since there are no other options now, why doesn't Prince Wen try? Perhaps it will work. If you need my men, just ask."
Prince Wen's attention was indeed diverted, "Then thank you, Prince Chang. I truly need to use Prince Chang's men to help me search those villages; not one can be missed!"
Song Chaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful to Mu Changxi for helping her out of a difficult situation, but she still dared not look up at Mu Changxi.
Prince Wen also glanced at Song Jiayang, "Your grandmother is also inside. Everyone is concerned. If you wish, you can stay by my side and wait for news. If there is no news today, the entire capital and the palace will not be able to sleep, right?"
Prince Wen's personality... is indeed direct!
No wonder Prince Ning could never win him over.