Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

Xiao Ce gently patted An An's back to comfort her.

"Don't worry, we'll find your mother."

All the customers who came to Baiyige left, leaving only a few flustered waitresses and the shopkeeper.

Xiao Ce went up to the innermost private room on the second floor, where the master and servants had previously stayed, with Chunhua following behind.

As soon as they entered, Chunhua pulled open the curtain of the small cubicle, revealing that there was nothing inside.

In her haste, Chunhua punched the wooden board of the inner cubicle, punching it right through.

Chunhua was taken aback. She pried open the wooden planks with her bare hands and discovered that there was a small, dark room behind them.

On the ground, Chunhua found a fallen earring and recognized it as the one the lady had worn before.

"Your Highness, these are the lady's earrings. She used to stay here."

Baihu led his men to search all the other private rooms.

"Your Highness, no."

"Pass down the order: immediately have the four city gates sealed off, and no one is allowed to enter or leave."

Bring all the people from the Hundred Robes Pavilion back to the palace's secret dungeon for rigorous interrogation.

The White Tiger is in a dilemma.

"Your Highness, you do not have the authority to seal the city gates."

Zhou Heng emerged from the shadows.

"I have already ordered the city gates to be sealed off."

"Go to Prince Ning's residence."

The Hundred Robes Pavilion was part of the late Princess Ning's dowry, and it has now fallen into the hands of the Prince Ning's heir. The incident happened at the Hundred Robes Pavilion, so it is only natural for him to go to the Prince Ning's residence to demand the person back.

After leaving Baiyi Pavilion, the group mounted their horses and rode without stopping to the Prince Ning's residence.

The people following behind arrived at the Ning Prince's residence and surrounded it without Xiao Ce's orders.

In the Ning Prince's mansion, in the waterside pavilion, the Ning Prince was lying on the chaise longue, letting three pretty young maids massage his shoulders and legs.

"Your Highness, the person has been temporarily locked up as you ordered."

"Yes, well done. We'll deal with the person once things calm down."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Prince Ning felt a surge of smugness. She was just a woman; what could he possibly do against her?

Once he pulls off a sleight of hand, the Ji family's dowry will be entirely under his control.

He's not stupid; he didn't do all this for Ji Chunjiao.

He had seen plenty of women who tried to outsmart him, so how could Ji Chunjiao possibly fool him?

If you want to take advantage of him, you'd better see if you're qualified.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a servant rushed in from outside.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! A large number of Imperial Guards and Prince Shun's men have surrounded our mansion."

Prince Ning sat up straight immediately, never expecting that the fake Ji family member was so incompetent, having been discovered in less than half a day.

"How dare Prince Shun! Tell him to come and see me!"

"I have arrived."

As soon as Prince Ning finished speaking, Xiao Ce's voice came from outside the waterside pavilion.

"Xiao Ce, how dare you! I am your imperial uncle! You actually had my palace surrounded! Does your father know you did this?!"

"Even if my father knew, he would approve of what I did."

"Ninth Imperial Uncle, you should first tell me where the Ji family has been hidden."

"What do you mean by the Ji family? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Men, search for me!"

The guards and people from the Shunwang Mansion who were following Xiao Ce and Zhou Heng immediately scattered throughout the Ningwang Mansion.

Prince Ning was so angry he jumped up and down.

"Xiao Ce, how dare you! I'm going to the palace to lodge a complaint with the Emperor!"

Ignoring the flailing Prince Ning, Xiao Ce looked down at An'an in his arms.

"An'an, do you know where your mother is?"

Zhou Heng thought that Prince Shun must have gone mad, asking where Princess Zhaoyang and Lady Hou, who were only two months old, were. What a joke!

An'an's little head darted around.

I don't know. I can count on others, but not on my mother. I can't save my mother. I'm just a useless piece of trash!

Xiao Ce immediately patted An An to comfort her.

"An'an, you're not useless, you've done a great job."

Baihu and Zhou Heng led their men to search the Ning Prince's mansion, but they couldn't find any trace of Ji Yueru.

The two approached Xiao Ce.

"Your Highness, we couldn't find it."

A smug glint flashed in Prince Ning's eyes.

"Xiao Ce, we can't let this matter go."

"Perfect, I never intended to let this go."

As Xiao Ce stepped forward, Prince Ning finally panicked upon seeing Xiao Ce's cold expression.

"What do you think you're doing! Don't forget I'm your royal uncle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his foot and rolled on the ground, clutching his deformed leg.

"Xiao Ce, I will never forgive you!"

"Tell me, where are the Ji family members?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Xiao Ce sneered and stepped forward to kick him again. The Prince of Ning's other intact leg also dangled limply to the side, and he screamed in agony once more.

"Tell me, where are the Ji family members?"

"I don't know, I really don't know!"

Xiao Ce raised his foot and crushed it heavily, shattering the bones of Prince Ning's left hand. The Prince Ning's screams never stopped.

Prince Ning hadn't expected Xiao Ce to be so daring, and was writhing on the ground in pain.

"Tell me, where is the Ji family?"

Xiao Ce's expression remained unchanged, and his tone of voice was the same as before. But Prince Ning knew that if he didn't speak up, he would definitely lose his remaining hand.

"I said she was being held in a separate courtyard of the Prince Ning's residence."

"Take Prince Ning with you to the Prince Ning's villa."

The group took Prince Ning to the Prince Ning's villa, but after searching the villa, they found nothing in the room where Ji Yueru had been imprisoned.

Xiao Ce looked at the steward of the villa.

Where are they?

The steward of the villa was also very shocked, as if he was only now realizing that Ji Yueru was not there at all.

"Your Highness, I truly do not know. I just came to check on Lady Anshun, who was lying in bed. I really do not know where she is now."

Even the Prince of Ning was afraid.

"Xiao Ce, I really don't know. I just had her locked up in a separate courtyard. Maybe she ran away on her own."

Yes, she must have run away on her own.

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Xiao Ce stepped forward and crushed the Prince of Ning's last intact hand to pieces.

Prince Ning could no longer bear it and fainted from the pain.

"Search from the villa outwards; we must find Lady Anshun."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Everyone accepted the order and dispersed in all directions.

After everyone left, Xiao Ce held An An in his arms and gently coaxed her.

"An'an, you should go to sleep now. I promise you, your mother will be back when you wake up."

She was excited to go out of the city today, but then her mother was switched and she cried for more than half an hour. Later, she was under a lot of stress and her little body could no longer hold on.

She just kept putting on a brave face.

"You promised me you'd find Mother?"

"Don't worry, I promise you."

As soon as Xiao Ce finished speaking, An An closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly, which shows how tired the child was.

Ji Yue could feel herself being stuffed into a box, and all she could see was darkness.

She must have been placed on a carriage; you can still feel the box shaking.

Finally, the carriage stopped.

What's in the car?