Zhi’er was in the garden, sitting next to Feng Fuce, enjoying the sweet pastries.

Soon, Song Qingying found her.

"Miss Jing, where has my sister gone?"

Song Qingying first went to the Princess Consort’s room, only to hear from the servant that Song Qingrui had already left.

She thought Song Qingrui left together with Zhi’er.

But upon arriving at the garden, she saw that Zhi’er was only with her friends.

Song Qingrui was nowhere to be found!

Zhi’er seemed puzzled: "You ask me, how would I know?"

Song Qingying furrowed her brows: "The princess consort kept you both to talk, could it be my sister left on her own?"

Zhi’er put down her teacup: "It’s true she kept us to talk, but we didn’t conversate for long before the princess consort asked everyone else to leave first."

"Qing Rui said she’d wait for me at the door, but I didn’t see her when I came out. I thought she went to find you."

Song Qingying said in surprise: "But I also haven’t seen her."

Then, she thought for a moment, and a cold smile flashed in her eyes.

"I know now, my sister must be planning something and is waiting for the banquet to begin to shine brilliantly."

"Miss Jing and I don’t need to worry, when the banquet starts, she’ll definitely appear."

After saying this, Song Qingying left.

Zhi’er slightly furrowed her delicate brows.

She looked at Feng Fuce: "I feel something’s wrong."

Feng Fuce’s cold eyes were calm: "What’s wrong?"

Zhi’er pondered: "Song Qingrui said she’d wait for me at the door, yet I didn’t see her after coming out."

"At the time, she was clearly worried I’d be punished by the princess consort, so she wouldn’t leave easily."

"I thought she’d left with Song Qingying, but Song Qingying didn’t see her either."

"It’s been thirty minutes, and she still hasn’t appeared."

Feng Fuce followed up: "Could she have gone somewhere else, or seen some other friends?"

Zhi’er felt something was wrong.

She pointed to the nearby area: "Song Qingrui came to the banquet for Heir Ming Yang."

"Wei Mingyang is still sitting there, where could she have gone for so long without coming back?"

In the distance, Wei Mingyang noticed Zhi’er pointing at him and conversed with his lover.

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Were they discussing him?

Was she deliberately discussing something about him with her lover?

Zhi’er pinched her fingers for divination.

The result was a very bad sign.

Indicating Song Qingrui was in danger.

Zhi’er quickly stood up: "It’s not good, Brother Ce, we have to find her."

Wei Mingyang was guessing what they were talking about.

But then he saw the girl pulling the man next to her, quickly leaving.

The smile on his face gradually faded, turning into confusion.

Where are they going?

Following the direction indicated by the divination, Zhi’er headed southwest, and reached the secluded garden in the back courtyard.

Feng Fuce slightly raised his eyebrows: "Just ahead is the entrance to the secret passage."

Not far ahead was where they had discovered the hidden compartment last time at Prince Li Zheng Mansion.

Zhi’er was puzzled: "Could Song Qingrui have discovered it too?"

Luckily, no house servants passed by.

Today is Heir Mingyang’s birthday, most servants in the mansion went to the front garden to help.

Zhi’er approached and activated the mechanism, as the rockery slowly opened, a familiar secret passage appeared.

She was about to go down, but Feng Fuce suddenly turned his head.

He narrowed his cold eyes: "Someone’s coming."

Zhi’er hurriedly said: "Then I’ll go down first, Brother Ce, help me stall them!"

With that, she quickly walked into the passage, and Feng Fuce touched the mechanism, closing the rockery again.