He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

"The time is not right."

Jiang Bingning's voice was not loud, but it was unusually firm.

Jiang Bingning walked slowly to the table and poured Ji Chengyun another cup of tea.

"You're in too much of a hurry."

Her voice remained calm.

"You know better than I what the Prince Xin's Mansion is. There are eyes and ears everywhere here."

"Even our conversation here today has to be conducted in such secrecy."

"If you were to investigate a case from over ten years ago in such a high-profile manner..."

Jiang Bingning paused, then looked up at him.

"What do you think they'll find out?"

"Or are you just trying to let certain people know that we've started to have doubts?"

Ji Chengyun's chest was still heaving violently, but the flame in his eyes was gradually suppressed by reason.

He slumped back into his chair.

"Of course I know..."

His voice came through in a muffled tone.

"Of course I know I shouldn't be in such a hurry..."

"But……"

He looked up, his eyes filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

"It's been over a decade! This is the first time I've found a clue that can truly be traced back to!"

"Judging from Lin's recent actions, she is clearly unable to hold back any longer."

"I'm afraid if we're even a step too late, she'll wipe out even this last bit of clue!"

Jiang Bingning listened quietly without interrupting him.

She only spoke slowly after the excitement in his eyes had subsided slightly.

"Haste makes waste."

Her voice has a calming power.

"Like you said, more than a decade has passed, so a few more days won't make a difference."

"The more critical the moment, the more we need to remain calm."

Ji Chengyun looked at her, let out a long breath, and nodded in acknowledgment of her words.

"You're right."

He picked up the cup of tea, which had long since gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

"So... in your opinion, what should we do next?"

Jiang Bingning pondered for a moment, then her gaze fell once again on the letter paper covered with names.

Her fingertips gently touched the two characters "Cold Branch".

"Investigate internally first."

"Let's start with the relationship between these cold branches."

"The information on all the servants in the Prince's mansion could not possibly be limited to just a few entries in the personnel files; the records department must have much more detailed records."

A light rekindled in Ji Chengyun's eyes.

"I see."

-----------------

The next day, early morning.

In Consort Lin's courtyard.

Aunt Zhao was diligently serving dishes to Consort Lin, her face plastered with a fawning smile.

"Your Highness, please try this bird's nest porridge. It was just cooked this morning in the kitchen, and the heat is just right."

Consort Lin lazily raised her eyelids and gently stirred the porridge in the bowl with a silver spoon, but she had no appetite.

Aunt Zhao's eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice.

"Your Highness, guess who I saw this morning?"

Consort Lin raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"Young Master!"

Aunt Zhao's tone revealed a hint of schadenfreude.

"He took Changfu with him early in the morning, and they hurried off to the registration office!"

"Oh?" Consort Lin became interested. "What are you going to that place for?"

Aunt Zhao's face was all wrinkled from laughing, and the sarcasm in her voice was almost overflowing.

"I heard it's because the young master feels sorry for that Lady Jiang!"

"They say that when Jinse Courtyard caught fire last time, all the servants inside were suspects. They want to go to the registry office themselves to select a few clean and efficient maids and servants for that young lady."

She pouted, her tone sarcastic.

"Tsk tsk, look at our young master, he's really taken a liking to that Lady Jiang!"

"Personally selecting servants—that's incredibly prestigious! Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the future mistress of the Prince Xin's mansion!"

Consort Lin paused upon hearing this.

She put down the silver spoon and elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

She squinted, a cold, poisonous glint flashing in her eyes.

"Ha, let him make a scene."

"Aren't all men like that?"

Her voice was light and airy.

"Our young master usually seems as cold as a rock, but in reality? He's a lecherous man who can't resist a pretty face!"

"Jiang Bingning is quite beautiful and can dance that kind of captivating dance, so it's not surprising that she bewitched him."

Consort Lin picked up her teacup and blew away the foam.

"Let them make a fuss. The more they take it to heart, the harder they'll fall."

She took a leisurely sip of tea.

"Anyway, that Jiang woman's good days are numbered."

"Once the palace banquet is over, make her disappear completely!"

-----------------

The Prince Xin's Mansion, Archives Office.

The air was filled with the smell of dust.

Rows of tall bookshelves were crammed with thick volumes of files.

Ji Chengyun waved away the old servant guarding the records office and personally closed the heavy wooden door.

"Squeak—"

He turned around and looked at the person behind him who was wearing a Changfu robe and had his head down.

"how?"

Ji Chengyun raised an eyebrow.

"My trick of deceiving everyone worked pretty well, didn't it?"

"Last night, as soon as I returned to the courtyard, I loudly instructed Changfu in front of everyone that I wanted to come here with him today to select servants."

"The Lin family must have received the news by now."

Standing opposite him, "Changfu" raised his hand and slowly took off his hood.

Beneath the hood lies Jiang Bingning's exquisitely beautiful face.

Looking at Ji Chengyun's slightly childlike appearance, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Um."

She nodded gently, a hint of a smile appearing in her cool eyes.

"The young master is indeed meticulous; this plan is brilliant."

Hearing her praise, Ji Chengyun felt indescribably comfortable and happy.

But the next second, when his gaze fell on the fleeting smile on her face, he was suddenly stunned.

He had seen her indifferent side, her angry side, and her calm and calculating side.

But I've never seen her smile like that before.

In that instant, Ji Chengyun felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart.

A strange heat crept up my neck and onto my cheeks.

"cough!"

Ji Chengyun turned around abruptly, covering up his lapse with a dry cough.

His cheeks felt a little hot.

"Let's get started without delay."

As he spoke, he quickly walked towards the depths of the bookshelf.

Jiang Bingning immediately composed herself and followed.

The two men dug out the servants' files from more than ten years ago one by one, and soon they found Hanzhi's file.

The file was a thin sheet of paper, and the records on it were pitifully simple.

Name: Hanzhi.

Place of origin: Suburbs of Beijing.

Date of entering the government office...

There is nothing else.

There is no information about family members, and no specific village address.

The comments in the last column were even more hastily written.

"Suspecting he was homesick, he left the residence on his own and his whereabouts are unknown."

As Ji Chengyun looked at those words, the light that had just ignited in his eyes dimmed again.

"Is that all?"