"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Feng Jiu, who had approached from not far away, asked upon seeing her master standing in front of the tent in a daze.
"How is the investigation you were tasked with regarding Marquis Ji'an's estate coming along?"
Feng Jiu replied, "Your subordinate has completed the investigation."
Xue Xingyue nodded. "Let's go inside to talk."
Inside the tent, Feng Jiu recounted everything she had discovered about Marquis Ji'an's estate.
After listening, Xue Xingyue wasn't particularly interested in Ji Wuran's past. However, one detail caught her attention. She asked, "Was Ji Wuran ever missing?"
Feng Jiu nodded. "Yes, but Marquis Ji'an strictly forbade anyone in the household from mentioning it. Only some of the older servants have a vague recollection, and those who knew the details were sent away from the estate by Marquis Ji'an for various reasons."
"Have you tried to find those who knew back then?" Xue Xingyue inquired.
Feng Jiu replied, "Your subordinate sent people to look, but those individuals seemed to have vanished into thin air. We finally found one person, but they were like a mute."
Xue Xingyue's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Although young Marquis Ji's kidnapping caused Marquis Ji'an's estate to lose its reputation, it shouldn't have led to the murder of all who knew the truth, should it?"
Feng Jiu continued, "However, your subordinate did manage to find out one thing."
"Tell me."
"It is said that after young Marquis Ji returned, his temperament changed drastically."
"That's understandable. Ji Wuran must have suffered greatly during the years he was kidnapped. Upon his return, he found his past and present irreconcilable, which would naturally cause some discomfort."
"Your Highness speaks wisely," Feng Jiu said.
"Send people to keep an eye on Ji Wuran," Xue Xingyue instructed.
Feng Jiu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Your Highness suspects young Marquis Ji?"
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling he is not a simple person."
Upon hearing this, Feng Jiu replied, "Your subordinate will issue the order immediately."
Xue Xingyue nodded. "Go ahead. I wish to rest for a while."
"Yes, your subordinate takes leave!"
Xue Xingyue was left alone in the tent. She let out a slight sigh of relief. It had been ten days since her return from Zhen Wu Guan, but she still hadn't fully adjusted. Both the complexities of people's hearts and other matters had left her physically and mentally exhausted.
She longed to return to Zhen Wu Guan, to a life of drinking heartily and eating heartily.
Perhaps it was due to recent fatigue, but she drifted off to sleep before she knew it.
A gentle breeze blew in from outside the tent, and a figure landed within.
In her semi-conscious state, Xue Xingyue felt a cool breeze brush past. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw a fleeting figure.
Her senses alerted, she quickly chased after it. Outside the tent, only the guards on duty remained.
The guards in the distance saw Xue Xingyue emerge from the tent and quickly stepped forward, bowing. "Your Highness."
"Did you see anyone leaving my tent just now?"
The guard was startled and replied, "Your Highness, this subordinate did not see anyone leave your tent."
Xue Xingyue's brows furrowed slightly. Had she seen wrongly?
"Your Highness, what is it?" Feng Ming, who was approaching from afar, asked, seeing Xue Xingyue with a solemn expression.
Xue Xingyue shook her head. "It's nothing. Perhaps I saw wrongly."
Feng Ming said, "Your Highness must be tired from your constant efforts."
Xue Xingyue nodded. "That's possible!"
Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "When does the hunt begin?"
Feng Ming replied, "Tomorrow."
"Alright, I understand."
Xue Xingyue returned to her tent. It must have been her imagination. Guards had been stationed in every corner of the hunting grounds; how could anyone evade them and enter her tent?
It must be that she had become too complacent recently and forgotten the importance of being vigilant in times of peace.
A figure landed in Marquis Ji'an's tent. Marquis Ji'an looked at the man inside, his gaze turning cold. "Ji Wuran, this is the hunting grounds, and the Imperial Guards are all around. Do you think this is a place where you can move about as you please?"
Upon hearing this, a trace of coldness flashed across Ji Wuran's handsome face. "Ji Xiangyun, do you think I wish to be here?"
"You..."
"What? Do you want to scold me again?"
Ji Xiangyun's angry gaze, after a moment, turned to one of guilt. "Fine. As long as you don't stir up any more trouble, this Marquis will not hold it against you, but..."
"You must remember, this is..."
"Ji Xiangyun, you've said this no less than ten times. If you're so worried, you didn't have to bring me."
"You..."
"It's nothing, I'm leaving." Saying this, before Marquis Ji'an could finish speaking, Ji Wuran turned and left the tent.
Ji Xiangyun, enraged, threw a teacup from the table onto the ground.
"Marquis, what are you doing?" Marquis Ji'an's wife, who had just entered, exclaimed upon seeing his actions.
Marquis Ji'an looked up, saw his wife, and sighed, "Misfortune, misfortune!"
Seeing this, Marquis Ji'an's wife curtsied. "Marquis, has Wu Ran angered you again? I beg your pardon. Wu Ran, he..."
Marquis Ji'an quickly helped his wife up. "My dear, what are you doing? How can this be your fault?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Ji'an's wife's eyes welled up with tears. "If it weren't for me back then, how could Wu Ran have been kidnapped? He returned at sixteen, having endured twelve years of hardship. He has finally reunited with his parents, but his behavior angers the Marquis. It is my fault."
"My dear, how can this be your fault? This Marquis also made mistakes."
"Marquis, you have no fault; it is I..."
"Enough, let's not bring those matters up again. This Marquis has indeed been too strict with Wu Ran, but it was all for his own good. After all, the Ji'an Marquis Estate will have to be supported by him in the future."
Marquis Ji'an's wife wiped her tears and said, "Marquis, you don't need to worry. Since the imperial decree of marriage, Young Master Meng has become much more steady. Marquis, don't you think it's time to find a wife for Wu Ran?"
Marquis Ji'an nodded upon hearing this. "My dear is right. Wu Ran is already eighteen; it's time for him to marry and have children."
"Since Marquis also feels it's time, shall I take this opportunity during the hunt to look for a match for Wu Ran?"
"Thank you for your trouble, my dear," Marquis Ji'an said.
Outside the tent, Ji Wuran's gaze grew colder. These two were actually trying to arrange a marriage for him?
"Master," a figure landed before Ji Wuran and was about to kneel on one knee.
Ji Wuran stopped him and said, "Let's speak in my tent."
Upon arriving in the tent, Ji Wuran asked, "Do you have news?"
"Master, in the past few days, someone has been inquiring about your disappearance in the estate."
Ji Wuran's brows rose slightly upon hearing this. "Is that so? Have they found anything out?"
"Master, rest assured, your subordinate has dealt with all those who knew the truth back then. No one will know the details of that year."
"Is that so? But I still heard that one of the informants became mute."
"Master, your subordinate..."
"I said to send those people to a distant place. Why did you kill them, An Hei?"