Mr. Dong Sr. was worried and tried to persuade Mr. Zhou, but seeing that he was still reluctant to give in, Mr. Dong Sr. went to the Second Prince Mansion. However, he couldn’t get inside, nor could he send a message, and could only wander outside. In the distance, he saw a carriage approaching and lowered his head to walk away.

Gu Yifeng lifted the curtain of the carriage, "Is that Mr. Dong Sr.?"

Li Si replied from outside, "Indeed. Master, shall I go over and stop him?"

Gu Yifeng nodded, "Call him over."

Li Si sprinted forward to catch up. Mr. Dong Sr. was startled when called from behind, trembling slightly. Li Si found it amusing, thinking Mr. Dong Sr. must have done something guilty, otherwise why would he be so frightened?

Mr. Dong Sr. stopped and turned to look at Li Si. Upon seeing him, he frowned even deeper, "It’s you, is there something you need from me?"

"Mr. Dong, our Marquis saw you and instructed me to call you over and have you wait for a moment." Li Si replied respectfully with a fist salute.

Mr. Dong Sr. frowned even tighter, giving a faint "Oh", while Gu Yifeng from the carriage stepped over, pursed his lips, and said nothing upon seeing him.

Gu Yifeng alighted from the carriage, walking forward for a greeting, "Brother, why are you here? Do you wish to enter the Second Prince’s Mansion?"

"Sister Ming is still inside the mansion, how could I not be anxious as her father? But why is the Marquis here? At this hour, shouldn’t you be at the mansion?"

"What do you mean by that, Brother?" Gu Yifeng feigned ignorance.

Mr. Dong Sr. sneered coldly, "The Marquis has been at the East Mansion ever since taking the position, rarely stepping out, especially at this late hour, hence my curiosity."

Gu Yifeng didn’t mind the sarcasm in the words, calmly smiling, "Brother, do you know what Sister Ming sent to Mrs. Dong along with other items?"

Just this one sentence changed Mr. Dong Sr.’s complexion.

He angrily retorted, "I don’t understand what the Marquis is speaking of. Sister Ming visiting her aunt is an act of filial piety, why does the Marquis have to make an issue of gifts? She could have not brought anything, and that wouldn’t be wrong, is the Marquis Mansion lacking that much?"

Gu Yifeng was in no hurry, "Naturally, it’s good not to bring anything. However, Sister Ming did bring something this time, an item strikingly similar to what was found in the Second Prince’s Mansion. Guess what it might be, Brother."

Mr. Dong Sr. was trembling all over, whether with anger or fear, only he knew. His eyes seemed ready to devour someone, and despite the darkness, one could feel the hatred emanating from them.

"Marquis, our two mansions are related through marriage. Regardless, Sister Hui is the legitimate daughter of Marquis Mansion and the granddaughter of Dong Mansion. For her sake, it’s better if the Marquis doesn’t speak much." Mr. Dong Sr. knew his threatening words were ineffective.

Yet, he couldn’t find other words to intimidate the opponent enough to stop mentioning the matter.

Gu Yifeng smiled, "I don’t wish to speak much, but Sister Ling has been taken away, and her whereabouts are unknown. If she is found, I’ll naturally discuss the matter further."

The message was clear.

Gu Yifeng was now negotiating with him, "What would the Second Prince think if he knew about this disaster and how it started? I’m quite curious."

Mr. Dong Sr. clenched his teeth, staring at Gu Yifeng, silent for a while. Gu Yifeng wasn’t in a hurry, just calmly watching him. After a quarter cup of tea’s time, he stopped speaking, turned, and left.

Mr. Dong Sr. was torn. If he remained silent, he knew the Marquis would bring this issue to the Second Prince, with his daughter still inside the mansion. If the Second Prince learned the truth, who knows how he would treat her, even executing her was possible.

But if he revealed Sister Ling’s location, the Zhou Mansion would surely learn he leaked the information, failing to escape responsibility. Seeing the Marquis quickly heading for the carriage, Mr. Dong Sr. couldn’t stay calm.

"Marquis, please wait a moment." Mr. Dong Sr. called out, regretting immediately but realizing he couldn’t delay further, continued, "Marquis, I’ve heard the Zhou Mansion has frequently gone to the estate lately."

Gu Yifeng didn’t alight the carriage, merely responding faintly, "I understand, Brother. I’ll fulfill my word, rest assured, though one’s heart should remain just."

Letting down the curtain, Gu Yifeng didn’t order, and Li Si let the carriage driver proceed.

Mr. Dong Sr. watched them gradually depart, lowered his head dejectedly, thinking how to explain when questioned by the Zhou Mansion. Left with no choice, didn’t believe they would conclusively deem him responsible for leaking the news.

Comforted himself in this thought, Mr. Dong Sr. felt slightly better, walking slowly home alone.

Meanwhile, on Gu Yifeng’s side, he instructed the Hidden Guard to focus attention on the Zhou Mansion’s estate. Originally, Gu Yifeng had arranged for investigation into the number of estates owned by the Zhou Mansion, and now it seemed easier.

That night, hearing Li Si mention Madam went to the mansion, Gu Yifeng relaxed, directly directing Li Si to head to Prince Shou Mansion. Prince Shou had entered the palace and returned, reassured by the Holy Emperor that things would be alright.

However, upon Prince Shou’s departure, the Holy Emperor summoned Consort Zhou without allowing entry into the hall, forcing her to kneel outside in the cold weather. Consort Zhou, accustomed to a life of ease, couldn’t endure this, especially since her son’s incident led to the palace’s distrust, and now the Holy Emperor disgraced her, hinting at her future palace life.

But what choice did she have?

For her son, she was compelled to act. They pushed her to this extreme measure.

Consort Zhou didn’t believe her son committed such acts, and anyone could see it was a framing. Still, the Holy Emperor’s partiality was evident, despite years of loyalty, bonding was only between mother and son. Now their family was maligned, and Consort Zhou resisted.

She only organized outside, orchestrating Sister Ling’s abduction to clear her son’s name. If they cooperated, the release was assured. Otherwise, mutual destruction awaited.

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New Book by Eight: "Rebirth: The Fallen Country Wife"