Investigation III

"Lang Huan went to the Second Prince's mansion yesterday?" Feng Yao asked Qiu Yue.

"Yes."

Feng Yao fell silent for a long time. Then she frowned and murmured, "Lang Huan...you're really tired of living. At least you should find out who your enemy is."

Seeing Feng Yao annoyed, A Li wanted to say something but held back. The tension in the room was palpable, making even the air feel heavy.

Just then, a maid approached carefully, wanting to report the arrival of a guest. But as soon as she sensed the heavy silence in the room, she stopped and did not dare to step forward. The maid lowered her gaze, unsure if she should interrupt.

A Li, noticing her hesitation, turned to her and asked, "What's the matter?"

The maid lowered her voice and whispered something in A Li's ear.

A Li hesitated for a moment before turning to Feng Yao. "A servant from the Duke's mansion is here to deliver an important document. It must be received directly by Your Highness," she relayed the maid's message.

Feng Yao leaned back in her rattan chair, gazing into the blooming Chrysanthemum. After a brief pause, she said, "Let him in."

 Moments later, A Cai stepped inside, his heart pounding. It was his first time meeting the princess, and Lang Huan had spent the entire night scaring him with stories about how she loved to kill and torture people.

A Cai immediately knelt and give salute. His hands trembled as he carefully presented the scroll. A Li stepped forward, taking the scroll from A Cai's shaking hands and passing it to Feng Yao.

Feng Yao frowned, puzzled by A Cai's obvious fear. She knew Lang Huan had filled his head with nonsense. "What's your name?"

A Cai stiffened and quickly lowered his head. "T-this humble servant's name is A Cai," he answered nervously.

Feng Yao unrolled the scroll and scanned its contents. Her eyes lingered on the messy handwriting, her expression darkening with each passing second. She was already busy with many important matters and dealing with Lang Huan's mess only added to her frustration.

After a long pause, she casually tossed the scroll onto the floor. "Is this… supposed to be human handwriting?"

A Cai's face turned green upon hearing that. The Young Master had spent the whole night working on this so-called masterpiece, only for the princess to throw it away. The princess was hard to please—Young Master's life was so hard. He sighed inwardly.

Feng Yao massaged her temples and turned to A Li, pointing at the scroll on the floor. "A Li, let's go to the Duke's Mansion," she said.

"Yes, Your Highness," A Li replied while picking up the scroll.

---

At Duke Mansion, Lang Huan had just returned to her room, ready to sleep after staying up all night. This was the third day of the investigation, and if the Second Prince didn't show any flaw, she would have to find a faster way.

Thinking about the victims who had yet to be freed, Lang Huan felt anxious. Just as she closed her eyes, A Cai's voice suddenly rang out. "Young Master! Young Master! Open the door!"

Lang Huan lazily got up and opened the door. She had just untied her hair and was only wearing her inner robes when A Cai's panicked voice reached her ears. 

"Her Highness is waiting for you in the study room."

Lang Huan immediately tensed. "Why is she here? Where is my Mother?"

A Cai pulled her without giving her a chance to tidy herself up. "Madam is not at home. Young Master! You have made Her Highness very angry."

"Why?" Lang Huan asked, confused.

Upon arriving at the study room, A Cai swiftly opened the door, pushed Lang Huan inside, and quickly shut it behind her. Still drowsy, Lang Huan stumbled forward and rolled like a panda before mumbling, "Long live Your Highness."

 Feng Yao raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "This is my first visit to the duke's mansion—I didn't expect you to welcome me with such a grand ceremony," she said with a smile, amused by Lang Huan's panda-like eyes.

A Li quickly stepped out, giving space for Lang Huan and Feng Yao.

Lang Huan stood up, rolled her eyes, and said, "Let's talk about our business." She didn't want to beat around the bush.

"Feng Yao, you already know the mastermind is the Second Prince, right? What exactly do you want from me?" Her tone was sharp, and she no longer bothered with formalities or manner.

Feng Yao raised an eyebrow "So what if I know? Do you have the evidence to prove his crime?"

Her gaze sharpened as she added, "Lang Huan, I asked you to investigate. But I warn you—avoid direct confrontation with the Second Prince."

 Lang Huan ignored the warning and sat down on the stool, her sharp eyes never leaving Feng Yao. "Why should I be afraid of him? My father's military is the most powerful. Tomorrow, I'll bring people to raid his mansion." She spoke as if the consequences didn't matter, like an ignorant child.

 Lang Huan had not tied her hair, and her black hair draped beautifully, flowing gracefully around her face. Feng Yao walked forward and gently tucked a few strands of Lang Huan's hair behind her ears.

Then, she touched Lang Huan's chin, looked into her eyes, and said, "No matter how strong the Duke of Huguo's military is, he cannot defeat the Feng. Your father is an upright and loyal soldier—even if he is powerful, he would never rebel."

Feng Yao moved and sat on Lang Huan's lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. She could feel the warmth of Lang Huan's body and the musky fragrance that lingered, calming her nerves.

Lang Huan instinctively placed her hands-on Feng Yao's waist to keep her from slipping off. Heat spread through her body, and she hated how easily this woman had control over both her body and heart. She could only stare straight ahead, not daring to meet Feng Yao's gaze.

Seeing Lang Huan's obedient look, Feng Yao gently turned Lang Huan's head to face her. "Trust me. Don't act rashly—unless you want to die miserably and fail to save the victim."

The study room was so silent, it felt as if time had stopped for a moment. Only the sound of breathing and the beating of hearts could be heard. Some time ago, Qing Meier had sat on Lang Huan's lap, and Lang Huan only felt nervous and uncomfortable—nothing more. But with Feng Yao, it was entirely different. Lang Huan felt as though her soul was being pulled in. It wasn't just physical tension; there was a magnetic attraction that made Lang Huan completely captivated by Feng Yao's charm.

As Feng Yao planned to stand, Lang Huan's strong hand pressed against her, not allowing her to move.

 Feng Yao twisted her ear. "Hiss aa..." Lang Huan cried out in pain, and Feng Yao immediately stood up and stepped on her foot. Lang Huan rubbed her sore ear and foot, wincing in pain.

"Behave yourself and don't call me by my name," Feng Yao said, her voice cold as she turned back to her princess demeanor.

A Cai, who had been chatting with A Li, was startled by Lang Huan's scream. "Is Your Highness okay?"

"Why are you asking Her Highness? It's me who screamed," Lang Huan protested to A Cai.

Then the door opened, and Feng Yao stepped out, turning to remind Lang Huan, "No need to write any trash report. In the future, whatever you want to do, you must ask for my permission first."

After escorting Feng Yao to the gate of the mansion, Lang Huan returned to the study room and stared at the scroll she had worked so hard on. Then, she tossed it into the brazier, watching it burn. The crackling fire echoed in her mind as she thought about her next move.

On the third day of the investigation, Lang Huan hadn't received any important news from Zhou Ming. She sank deep into her thoughts, not fully trusting Feng Yao. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she needed to rely on her own plan to resolve the case. She couldn't afford to put everything in Feng Yao's hands.

Where had the second prince stationed the Black Tortoise Army? How could the mansion look so peaceful? Maybe the women weren't in the second prince's mansion after all. If they weren't here, then where could they be? Lang Huan pondered deeply, her mind racing with possibilities. It was difficult to catch a tiger if it never entered the den. The only way was to use bait and lure the tiger out.

Lang Huan, exhausted from the lack of sleep and all the thinking, finally fell asleep on the couch in the study. Meanwhile, the fire in the brazier kept burning quietly.

Su Qing, who had planned to wake her up for dinner, saw how tired Lang Huan was and decided to let her rest. She gently covered Lang Huan with a blanket. Zhou Ming and Zhou An, who had been looking for Lang Huan to talk to her, stopped when they saw Su Qing's gesture, telling them not to disturb her.