The Marquise of Qingjiang was indeed the eldest daughter of the Duke of Jin, and when she had an outburst, none of her three sisters-in-law dared to be slow, including the Princess Changxing, who all stood up and apologized repeatedly.

  "What crime have I committed against you?" Qing Jiang's mistress said discontentedly, "Sending someone to call your husband over is the proper thing to do! They can neglect others if they want, but how can they not give face to my fifth sister!?"

  Nie Wu Yan's origins were already a topic of gossip, and if her siblings could humiliate her like that, who would look up to her in the future?

  Song Yixiao and others also understood this truth, although they knew that their husbands were indeed very busy during this period, under the pressure of Qingjiang County's main, they still sent people to pass on the message - it was just that after receiving the news, whether they would come over or not, no one could guarantee.

  After a while, the Princess of Jin arrived and saw that the atmosphere in the hall was strange. She couldn't help but be surprised: "Why isn't anyone speaking?" After taking her seat at the top, she returned the courtesy of the crowd and then asked, "Where's Sakura?"

  "The fifth sister has something to attend to and will be leaving for the time being." The calm and composed Qingjiang County Master said, "The younger brothers all have things to do today, they might not be able to come until later."

  The Princess of Jin State was displeased upon hearing this: "What nonsense! It's already the end of the year, what kind of urgent official business could there be that requires handling today? Send someone to fetch them and have them come over immediately!"

  "Boyi hastily smiled: 'As for what you said, I've already sent someone to urge her!'"

  "What's with the pearl flower on your head?" The Grand Duchess of Jin finally calmed down and looked at Dou An's large pearl flower on her head, unable to help but laugh and ask, "Who put that on you?"

  "It was chosen by my granddaughter herself." Du Anfu ran over and asked eagerly, "Grandma, does it look good?"

  The Empress Dowager looked at the majestic and elegant peony, then glanced at her granddaughter with a childish face and unopened eyebrows, before forcing a smile and saying: "Very beautiful!"

  Below, Bo Shi and others saw this scene clearly, turned their heads one after another, and couldn't help but burst out laughing!

  Taking advantage of Du Anfu's presence, the hall finally regained its liveliness.

  It's not just that Su Rou has been waiting for a long time without seeing Dou Yueli, but even Nie Wuyan hasn't returned yet. The Qingjiang County Master couldn't help but frown and took the opportunity to say: "Mother, I haven't come to see you in a long time, I want to go out for a walk, you chat with my younger siblings first!"

  The Princess of Jin State understood her intention and didn't expose it, saying: "You can go."

  Song Yi smiled and hesitated for a moment before getting up and saying: "Mother, I'll accompany big sister out for a walk?"

  After the princess nodded, the two of them went out the door one after the other. After walking down a corridor for a while, Qing Jiang stopped in her tracks and waited until she caught up before saying in a low voice: "Fifth sister is as meticulous as a hair, Ah Xū really shouldn't have come!"

  Song Yi smiled awkwardly and said: "Yes, but he's really busy."

  "No matter how busy you are, don't let down your own family!" Qing Jiang's mistress sighed, "Otherwise, there will always be a time for regret that is too late!"

  Song Yi smiled with a red face and flushed ears, repeatedly saying yes.

  The county master didn't say anything else, and led her to where Nie Wu Xiang lived - this was a spacious yet delicate courtyard in the southeast corner of the Long Princess's estate. The entrance opened up to a lotus pond with nothing to block the view, and on the bank of the pond, a small bridge had been built. At the head of the bridge, a flat boat was tied up, its body carved with flowers and grasses, inlaid with pearls and jade, clearly for Nie Wu Xiang's use when she wanted to take a leisurely boat ride on the lake.

  After entering, the spotless courtyard was swept clean, and on several bare ancient trees, many lifelike silk flowers were hung, presumably arranged specially to celebrate Nie Wu Xian's birthday today.

  Under one of the ancient trees, a swing was set up, gently swaying in the north wind.

  "Is Fifth Sister in?" Qingjiang County Master glanced at the swing and asked loudly into the house.

  "Who is it?" The person inside heard and hurriedly opened the door, but it was a 17 or 18-year-old maid, who still held a black cat with white paws in her arms. Seeing Qingjiang County Master and Song Yixiao, she quickly put the cat on the ground, curtsied, and said: "The young lady has gone to the back hall early!"

  "Hasn't she come back?" Qingjiang County Master was taken aback upon hearing this.

  The maid exclaimed: "Is the young lady saying that Miss is no longer in the back hall? But she hasn't returned here either!"

  "Will you go somewhere else?" Song Yi hurriedly asked, "I remember that Fifth Sister likes plum blossoms. Where is the dried plum blossom in this mansion?" Only dried plums bloom during this season.

  The maid said: "There are several places in the garden - but Miss has never liked strolling in the garden!"

  Qingjiang Jun Zhu frowned and said to Song Yi with a smile: "Let's go to the garden and take a look! Maybe she went there to clear her mind today?"

  Two of them hurried to the garden gate, asked the aunt who was watching the garden, but she said that she didn't see Nie Wuqiong either. Afraid that the aunt might be lazy and missed her, they specially went in and took a circle, confirmed that Nie Wuqiong was indeed not there, and then said: "Maybe she has already gone back."

  However, when they returned to the back hall, they saw Dou Rouzhi and Jian Yirou still following Jian Xuwu's three brothers, but there was no sign of Nie Wuxian in the hall!

  "Not at Mingzhu Garden, nor in the garden?" Duke Jing's eldest princess saw that only her eldest daughter and daughter-in-law had returned, panicked, and didn't bother to put on a calm face, hastily asking, "What about other places? Have you looked for them?"

  Seeing Qingjiang County Master and Song Yixiao shaking their heads, his face suddenly sank, and he slapped the case to order his men, "Quickly go find!"

  Seeing this situation, Dou Rou and the three of them were all very embarrassed, and they stood up one after another, saying: "This is all a childish mistake, let's go find them too?"

  "Go quickly!" The Duchess of Jin rarely showed her sons a stern expression, and coldly said, "It's so cold outside, your sister is just a young girl, if she hides in some corner and gets frostbite, what then?!"

  In this way, everyone in the Chang Gong Mansion was too busy to care about the upcoming banquet and were all mobilized to search for Nie Wu Xiang.

  Who would have thought that a group of people would almost turn the backyard upside down and still not find any trace of this girl.

  Finally, it was an old woman from the second gate who came to report: "The Fifth Young Miss just left!"

  "Has she gone out?" Duke Jing's eldest princess asked in surprise, "Today is her birthday, we are all waiting to celebrate for her, where did she go? What is she doing outside?"

  The old woman was afraid of being held responsible, and trembled with fear: "Lao Nu also asked a question, but the fifth young lady didn't respond. The maid who followed the fifth young lady, Wan Xiang, kept giving Lao Nu eye signals, telling her not to speak too much... so Lao Nu didn't dare ask further!"

  "On a cold winter's day, a 12-year-old girl wants to go out, you don't dare ask, and you don't know why she came to the palace?! The Princess of Jin was furious, slamming her hand on the table, "She went out alone so quietly, only bringing Lian Xiang with her, what if she gets frozen or falls? What if she encounters bad people?! You scoundrel, this is how you guard the door?! Bring the person in and drag them down, turn them over to Minister Xue for punishment!"

  The old woman was taken away crying and wailing, but the hall remained silent as a tomb, with everyone lowering their heads and eyes, not daring to breathe loudly.

  "Even so, Princess Chang hasn't forgotten them: 'My good sons and daughters! With just this one younger sister, I'm still alive, yet you don't put me in your hearts! No wonder she wants to leave, now I want to leave too, lest I be a hindrance to your eyes!'"

  As soon as these words came out, how could the crowd still stand? They all knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

  The eldest princess sneered, "What's the point of putting on this filial act now? If you had even a little bit of sibling affection, would you have driven your sister to leave home on her birthday?"

  "Especially you, Baoyu, six years ago on your birthday, you also felt neglected and ran out! You hid in the silk store for half a day - later, your third uncle coaxed you back, and you were still sulking! What was your mood like at that time?! The hardships you've experienced yourself, yet you don't even know how to comfort your sister! How could I have such an unfeeling son like you!"

  Song Yi Xiao's heart skipped a beat as she heard the words, and she quietly nodded her head, looking at her husband - because she was kneeling behind Jian Yu Bai, she couldn't see his expression, but caught sight of his hand on his knee suddenly clenching into a fist. His originally pale and smooth hands now had several blue veins bulging out, clearly showing that he was extremely agitated.

  "It's not just Jian Yu Bai who didn't plan to come today!" She couldn't help but secretly sympathize with him, "The old lady only knows how to pick on her youngest son, it's too biased!"

  "This belly is not yet extinct, and the eldest princess of Jin country scolded Du Rou Chen and Jian Yi You again: 'Six years ago it was Ah Xū, now it's Ying Er, you are such elder brothers?! Can't bear to see your younger brother and sister being good?! In my previous life, I must have done a lot of evil, to raise such heartless things! If I had known earlier, I would not have lived until now, and died early would be more at ease!"

  "Please calm down, Your Ladyship..."

  "You're also stupid!" But before she could even open her mouth, the eldest princess of Jin State turned her spearhead at her and shouted angrily, "Just now when Xiang'er said she wanted to go out, you should have followed her immediately since you were present! Don't you ever think that this child is still so young? She suffered injustice and ran out alone, without even someone to comfort her! How could she not overthink things? It's fine if her sisters-in-law didn't chase after her, but they're just her younger sisters-in-law. You, as her older sister, are also sitting idly by, unmoved! Letting her become so heartbroken that she ran out..."

  Everyone's face turned pale at the same time!

  The princess took a cold breath and muttered: "That child won't really...". Has she lost her mind in grief?!

  The princess couldn't even be bothered to scold her children anymore and hastily ordered someone to go out of the mansion to find someone!

  "Qingjiang County Master and others hurriedly said: "The imperial capital is so big, and sister has been out for some time, the single daughter's mansion may not have enough manpower. We will return to the mansion to mobilize people, maybe we can find sister faster!"

  "Go quickly!" The Empress Dowager said with a sob, "If anything happens to Xiang'er, you all will not recognize me as your mother from now on! I couldn't even protect an adopted daughter, what face do I have left to be called 'mother'?"

  She threw out these words, who dares to slack off from now on?

  Jian Xu Bai and others quickly took out the tokens they carried with them, ordering their trusted guards to rush back to the mansion to gather people, search for Nie Wu Xing, and personally led the remaining followers to start searching from the streets near the Long Princess's mansion.

  Everyone was so busy that they didn't even have time for lunch, and it wasn't until the afternoon that the sun began to set. Despite all the feedback from various sources, there was still no news - The Jin State's Princess, who was in charge of the mansion, heard the news and felt a blackness before her eyes, grabbing onto Jia Yue's arm to steady herself: "Could it be that the child really..."

  This will not only be found in the Ning Wu Yan's line, after all, so many people are looking for someone everywhere, and the high-ranking families in the imperial capital are not blind and deaf. It is said that the "adopted daughter" of Princess Chang has run away in a huff, how can they not intervene?

  Apart from the Imperial Guards who are defending the city, everyone from top to bottom is helping with the search, but still can't find anything, which clearly isn't a good omen!

  Jia Yue also suspected in her heart that Nie Wu Xian might have encountered some trouble, but she didn't dare say this to the Eldest Princess: "Perhaps Fifth Miss met a good person, and just temporarily didn't know you were looking for her, and her anger hasn't dissipated yet, so she hasn't returned?"

  The Empress Dowager had also been hoping for this, but she knew that her promise was just a comfort to herself. She couldn't help but shed tears: "If only I had listened to the Empress's advice back then and sent her to Jiangnan to be adopted by someone else, and then acknowledged her as my adopted daughter when she grew up... I thought that raising her by my side would allow me to take better care of her, but who knew..."

  Jia Yue hastily wiped away her tears, and his own eyes also welled up with tears as he choked back a sob: "Your Highness, don't be like this. No news is good news for now, perhaps the next moment will bring good news."

  As soon as her words fell, a loud and urgent footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the door being pushed open with force. Song Yishang rushed in with disheveled hair and slightly askew collar, still holding up her skirt, and before she could even finish her greeting, she hastily reported: "Mother, the sixth and seventh young ladies of the Su family sent someone to report that Fifth Sister is currently at their place, safe and sound!"