son, don't mess around

Hu Mansion.

In the hall.

"Still haven't found them?"

Hu Peng, the head of the Hu family, had a cold look in his eyes and a terrifyingly low voice.

"This old servant has sent men to search the entire capital, but there is still no trace of Miss..."

The old servant in front of the hall bowed his head, not daring to breathe loudly.

Miss has been missing for several days. Since she was assassinated a few days ago, after she returned, the master imprisoned her at home. Unexpectedly, she escaped from home.

Then, he disappeared without a trace.

These past few days, the entire Hu family has searched the capital, but the authorities have been unable to locate the young lady.

"A rebellious daughter, an utterly rebellious daughter!"

Hu Peng's eyes were cold and resentful.

His face turned ashen with anger.

How could such a big person run away and we can't find them?
Where could she possibly run to?
Where could a weak woman like her possibly find a place to stand?

Or……

In that instant, a terrifying thought flashed through Hu Peng's mind, and his expression changed drastically.

That rebellious daughter couldn't have already...

The thought of this possibility made Hu Peng's face gradually turn pale. The capital had been in turmoil recently, and while he didn't know exactly what had happened, he had vaguely heard that something had occurred in the palace.

Even more serious is that Hu Peng has heard these past few days that the Sixth Prince has disappeared!
I heard that the Sixth Prince disappeared after leaving Cuiwei Residence a few days ago. At the same time, people from the Secret Observatory went to Cuiwei Residence and investigated something.

Judging from all the signs, something may have happened to the Sixth Prince as well!

If something happens to the Sixth Prince, then Hu Yao...

Hu Peng suddenly thought of a terrible consequence... Over the years, the Hu family's current status was entirely due to the support of the Sixth Prince. If something happened to the Sixth Prince, even if the Hu family was not implicated, their glory would probably never return.

Moreover, how could the Hu family possibly escape being implicated?

"Somebody come!"

Thinking of this, Hu Peng couldn't sit still any longer. Just as he was about to speak, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard, and a servant from the mansion hurriedly walked in.

"Master, the young lady is back!"

The servant's voice was hurried, excited, and full of surprise.

Upon hearing this, Hu Peng suddenly looked up and gazed outside the courtyard.

A familiar figure came into view.

It was Hu Yao.

Hu Peng's face first showed surprise, then his expression changed, and his gaze became serious and cold.

"Rebellious girl!"

Hu Peng angrily retorted, "You still have the nerve to come back?!"

"Where have you been all these days? Well, you actually dared to run away from home? Who gave you the guts?"

In the courtyard, Hu Yao, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, looked as usual, though her face was a little pale, as if she hadn't rested well these past few days and was physically weak.

But her eyes held an unprecedented calm as she looked at her father and said softly, "If I don't come back, can you sleep?"

As if struck by a painful blow, Hu Peng flew into a rage: "You unfilial daughter, what did you say?!"

"Who gave you permission to talk to me like that?!"

Hu Yao calmly watched her nominal biological father break down in front of her, and found it all laughable.

Short-sighted and utterly useless. If it weren't for the Hu family's considerable wealth, and if she hadn't been hypocritical and used her body to bring the Hu family riches and honors all these years, her father wouldn't be living such a comfortable life.
Besides using his fatherly authority to boss people around and flying into a rage if things don't go his way, what other skills does he have?
"Don't you want to know about the Sixth Prince?"

Hu Yao spoke calmly.

Hu Peng's face stiffened. He suppressed his anger and stared at the rebellious daughter in front of him: "Sixth Prince, what happened?"

"he's good."

Hu Yao said calmly.

"Then why did the Secret Observatory come knocking on our door? What happened?" Hu Peng stared intently at her.

Hu Yao scoffed, "Shouldn't you know more about this than I do?"

"you……"

Hu Peng's face was ashen and extremely gloomy: "Where have you been these past few days?!"

“I stayed with the Sixth Prince.”

Hu Yao said calmly, glancing at him again: "What, do you want to know what has happened between your daughter and the Sixth Prince these past few days?"

Do you need your daughter to tell you in detail?

"Is this how you talk to your father?"

What's wrong with your daughter's attitude?

"presumptuous!"

Hu Peng was furious; he felt his dignity had been challenged.

This rebellious daughter has gone too far!
But Hu Yao remained unmoved, and she scoffed, "Isn't this the question you wanted to ask yourself, Father?"

She paused for a moment, then calmly added, "You don't need to worry about anything happening to the Hu family. The Sixth Prince is safe and sound, and he will also ensure the Hu family's safety."

"As for the rest, that's your own business."

After saying this, Hu Yao didn't say anything more and walked into the courtyard.

Hu Peng remained standing there, and when he heard that the Sixth Prince was unharmed and the Hu family was also safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless, as long as the Sixth Prince is safe, the Hu family will naturally be at peace as well. Furthermore, the fact that this rebellious daughter has been spending time with the Sixth Prince these past few days shows that he still has feelings for her.

In this way, he wouldn't have to worry about the safety of the Hu family.

Thinking of this, Hu Peng felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

But then, a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

This rebellious daughter, how dare she speak to him like that?

That's incredibly audacious!
It seems I've been too lenient with her lately!
"Somebody come!"

Hu Peng's face darkened: "Send men to keep a close eye on this rebellious daughter. If she gets lost again, you're all fired."

"..."

Night was falling.

The inner courtyard of the Hu residence.

Outside the courtyard, a cold wind howled, frost and snow drifted, and the world was desolate and cold. Inside the room, Hu Yao sat at the table, on which lay several unfinished letters.

Hu Yao stared blankly at the letter on the table. After a long while, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. Then she picked up the letter and placed it on the oil lamp on the table.

Soon, the lamplight ignited the letter, burning it completely.

After doing all this, Hu Yao's eyes returned to their lifeless state, without a trace of emotion.

She stood up and looked around, gazing at the room with a touch of nostalgia. Her eyes swept over everything before finally looking away.

She stepped to the door and pushed it open.

A cold wind rushed in instantly, and Hu Yao wrapped her thick coat tighter around herself before stepping out of the room.

"Miss!"

Two guards stood ready under the eaves outside the courtyard.

"Don't worry, I won't leave."

Seemingly sensing their wariness, Hu Yao sneered, "Go back and tell my father that if I want to leave, I won't come back."

The two guards looked at each other and said with a wry smile, "Miss, please don't make things difficult for us."

Hu Yao didn't speak. She just gazed at the courtyard at night. The sky was pitch black, with twinkling lights in the mansion and snow covering the courtyard.

The courtyard scenery that she used to love so much has now become inexplicably dull and uninteresting.

Hu Yao withdrew her gaze and glanced at the two of them: "If you two don't want to die, you'd better leave now."

After saying that, Hu Yao didn't say anything more and turned to go back to her room.

The two remaining guards at the door looked at each other, bewildered.

Miss, what's wrong?
Threaten them?

Neither of the guards spoke, nor did they take the young lady's words to heart. They had received a strict order from their master that if the young lady escaped again, they would be expelled from the manor.

We need to keep a close eye on them!
……

As night deepened, the surroundings gradually quieted down, and even the wind and snow in the world gradually stopped.

Inside the courtyard, under the eaves, two guards remained dutifully stationed at the entrance. The weather was freezing, and the two men frequently shifted their bodies to warm themselves.

The night was silent, so quiet that there wasn't a single sound.

A deadly threat also crept in under the cover of darkness.

The two guards at the entrance, who were still warming up, suddenly heard a noise in the darkness.

"what?"

The two guards looked up, but before they could react, or even make a move, "Whoosh!"

In the darkness, two cold lights flashed.

The two guards froze abruptly, their pupils dilating.

Then, she collapsed softly.

In the darkness of night, several assassins in black, hidden in the shadows, silently appeared in the courtyard and converged on the brightly lit room.

With a 'click', the door opened.

Several assassins dressed in black quickly rushed into the room, their target being the person inside.

But when the assassins rushed into the room, they found it empty, without a single person in sight.

"What about people?"

The assassins who rushed into the room were all stunned for a moment, and then realized something.

"No, I fell into a trap!"

But by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.

"boom!"

The door behind me suddenly closed.

……

Eastern suburbs of Beijing.

It's quiet at night.

Inside the bungalow, the lights were on.

Fires burned all around, their flames constantly rising. Yet, even so, a chill still permeated the air.

Li Chang'an sat in the corner of the room, his gaze gloomy, the shape of the firelight reflected in his pupils, making him appear extremely gloomy.

"Not back yet?"

Li Chang'an's voice was hoarse.

The guard beside him said, "Your Highness, this afternoon our men confirmed that Hu Yao has returned to the Hu family. This time we have dispatched our elite experts, and we will definitely not let her live again!"

Li Chang'an's gaze remained gloomy.

He felt uneasy all the time, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Hu Yao!"

He muttered to himself that this woman, whom he had previously regarded as a plaything and never paid any attention to, had now become a threat that was stuck in his throat.

This filled Li Chang'an with extreme anger, an unforgivable rage, yet he was utterly helpless.

Hu Yao must die!
Only when he dies can his deeds be completely buried and the evidence of his crimes disappear.

He couldn't sleep while she was alive.

Outside the window, a cold wind howled.

Until late at night.

There was a commotion outside the bungalow, and the guards inside quickly reached for the hilt of their swords.

Then, two familiar bird calls came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, our men are back!"

The guard's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "It seems Hu Yao has been eliminated!"

Upon hearing this news, Li Chang'an's tense expression, which had been gloomy, finally eased considerably.

The guard got up, quickly went to the door of the room, and opened it.

A cold wind suddenly rushed into the room, and the guard who had walked to the door froze.

This scene did not escape Li Chang'an's eyes. His pupils contracted, and he realized that something was wrong.

"careful!"

A deep voice sounded.

"boom!"

The guard at the door seemed to have been hit by something, his body flew backward and fell heavily to the ground.

"Your Highness, quick, run!"

The guard on the ground coughed up blood and struggled to speak.

Upon realizing that something was wrong, the remaining guards around Li Chang'an changed their expressions drastically and quickly drew their swords from their waists.

One of the guards immediately kicked open the window next to him and escorted Li Chang'an out of the window to escape the place.

But just as the guards helped Li Chang'an climb out of the window and into the backyard, the previously dark surroundings were suddenly illuminated.

Countless flames lit up, surrounding the group from all sides, leaving them nowhere to go.

"who?!"

The guard's expression changed drastically; he gripped his knife, his expression fierce but his voice weak as he rebuked the guard.

"You audacious scoundrels, do you even know what you're doing?!"

A guard stepped forward, about to reveal his master's identity to intimidate the other party. But before he could even speak, he was blasted away by a strong gust of wind.

He vomited blood on the spot and fainted.

"Your Highness, let's go!"

The remaining guards were pale-faced and wanted to escort the prince away.

But now, they were surrounded by flames, with nowhere to go.

Li Chang'an turned pale and finally realized that something was wrong.

"Sixth Prince, please come with us."

At that moment, a cold, emotionless voice rang out, and a strange man stepped out from the crowd.

Li Chang'an stared at him: "Who is your master?"

"Your Highness will know when you go there."

The stranger's tone remained devoid of emotion.

Li Chang'an looked around and knew that his situation was hopeless. With a gloomy face, he took a deep breath and finally nodded.

"Very well, I will go and see your master!"

Upon seeing this, the stranger waved his hand dismissively.

"take away!"

……

It was just dawn.

The capital city, the Hu residence.

"Master, it's not good!"

The servants of the mansion staggered and hurriedly ran to the inner courtyard.

In the inner courtyard, Hu Peng had just gotten up and had his clothes dressed by a maid when he saw servants rushing over in a panic.

"Why are you so panicked?"

"Master, something terrible has happened... The Secret Celestial Bureau has arrived, and... a lot of people have come."

Upon hearing this, Hu Peng's expression changed.

Have the Secret Observatory members arrived?
What are you doing at the Hu residence?
Upon hearing this, Hu Peng dared not delay any longer and hurried to the front yard.

As soon as Hu Peng arrived at the front yard, he saw countless figures in black robes appearing all around the mansion; they were the experts from the Secret Heaven Division.

His heart sank to the bottom.

The person who came here is not kind!

"You guys, what does this mean?"

Hu Pengqiang composed himself and asked in a deep voice, "Why have you trespassed on my residence?"

In the courtyard, a black-robed protector appeared in Hu Peng's line of sight, looking at him expressionlessly: "Hu Peng, you are suspected of conspiring to murder His Highness the Prince of Lin, a heinous crime. We are acting on the orders of the leader to bring you back to the Secret Heaven Division for investigation. Please cooperate!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Peng felt a chill run through him, and his heart sank to the bottom.

"Is there some kind of misunderstanding?!"

Hu Peng's eyes were filled with fear, but he forced himself to remain calm: "How could I possibly plot against His Highness the Prince of Lin? This is all a misunderstanding!"

"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we'll find out when we get to the Secret Observatory!" The black-robed protector said expressionlessly.

"No, no..."

Hu Peng staggered, his face pale: "I... I'm one of the Sixth Prince's men, you can't arrest me!"

What kind of place is the Secret Observatory?
How could one survive if they went there?

However, the black-robed protector merely sneered, "Take him away!"

"Seize their homes, leave no one alive!"

"..." (End of this chapter)