First: The Marquis of Yonghe was not in Yongzhou.

The Marquis was known for his integrity and selflessness; had he been there, the kidnappers’ threats with the young master would have been less effective.

However, since he was absent, the heir was in power.

As the young master’s biological father, the heir was naturally different from the Marquis.

The reason the Marquis was away was that the new emperor had summoned him back due to his ascension, and the country would change its era name after the new year.

The Marquis commanded an army of fifty thousand, so the new emperor naturally wanted to win him over, or there might be other motives.

Second: The new emperor faced a crisis with the kidnapping in Yongzhou right after his ascension, which would be a blow to him.

If he were to become furious, he might hold the Marquis’ family accountable.

At that time, sending a new general might not produce a hardliner like the Marquis, and Yongzhou might easily fall.

Indeed, the new emperor had ascended before the new year.

The downfall of the Yang family, the maid’s transformation from a slave to a free citizen to be married off to soldiers, the nanny escaping with the prince, and the new emperor’s ascension were all interconnected.

Four years ago, the new emperor was the most favored prince of the late emperor, known as Prince Yuan.

The term “Yuan” means “origin,” and thus, both the imperial harem and the court considered Prince Yuan the favored choice for the heir, a notion that the emperor did not hide.

However, due to the struggle for the throne, factions supporting other princes naturally aimed to ruin Prince Yuan.

Nevertheless, the late emperor had great trust in him, and Prince Yuan skillfully avoided many plots.

Yet, they concocted an even more vicious scheme involving Prince Yuan’s wife.

Once, when Prince Yuan and his wife entered the palace, she was schemed against and ended up in a relationship with the emperor, becoming one of his women.

The trust and bond between father and son were completely shattered.

Though the emperor doted on Prince Yuan, the prince understood this was a conspiracy.

However, no man could bear to see the woman he loved with another man, especially when that man was his father.

To the emperor, any woman he had slept with could not be with his son—that was the authority of an emperor.

Furthermore, even if Prince Yuan’s wife were innocent in the matter, she would no longer qualify to be his wife in the emperor’s eyes.

The emperor’s harem gained an inconspicuous concubine, and soon after, the emperor fabricated a baseless charge to cast her into the cold palace.

Although Prince Yuan never showed it publicly, he often secretly visited the cold palace.

The two, already in love and tormented by reality, succumbed to their desires.

After a few encounters, the prince’s wife in the cold palace became pregnant.

Thanks to Prince Yuan’s protection, this matter remained undisclosed.

On the emperor’s side, he felt guilty toward his son and thus arranged a powerful family for him to marry.

Naturally, news of Prince Yuan’s wedding reached the cold palace.

Upon hearing of the marriage, the love-struck Prince Yuan’s wife came to her senses and began to avoid him, wanting to sever ties.

This also intensified Prince Yuan’s determination to seize the throne.

He believed that only by becoming emperor could he bring his beloved woman back to his side.

Four years later, this year, the struggle for the throne began.

With substantial support, Prince Yuan emerged as the biggest victor, while the Yang family, which had backed the other princes, fell into defeat.

However, amid the fierce competition for the throne, Prince Yuan’s wife had a trusted maid take their child and escape from the palace amidst the chaos.

After the child escaped, she committed suicide.

Prince Yuan’s wife had her own plans.

If Prince Yuan were to fail and others succeeded, the secret of her child’s birth in the cold palace would be revealed, resulting in severe consequences.

If Prince Yuan succeeded, although her child would be safe, the identity would still be awkward.

She didn’t want her son to live a life marked by such shame, a life that had ruined hers.

She wanted her son to have the freedom to live outside in a world untainted by their past.

With the maid’s careful planning and the funds the wife had given her, even if her son could only become a small landowner, that would suffice.

The maid successfully escaped with the child.

After securing the child’s safety, she returned to the palace, citing the death of the Empress Dowager and the dispersal of the palace maids as her reasons for leaving.

She then took the child to Yongzhou, the territory of the Marquis of Yonghe.

The new emperor could never have imagined that the child would end up beside a maid who had been dismissed from the palace, eventually ending up beside the general, Han Zhen.

Subsequently, the maid raised the prince in Han Zhen’s household, living a modest life until Han Zhen gained more accolades and they moved to the capital, where the maid was inadvertently recognized by the new emperor(Prince Yuan).

Upon discovering that the prince was still alive, the new emperor began to make plans for him, first arranging a reasonable identity for him.

He found a girl who had been pregnant out of wedlock over a decade ago; this girl, having given birth, had drowned herself.

No one knew what happened after her death, so it became impossible for others to investigate the child’s background.

As for the girl’s family, they had already been relocated by the new emperor.

Thus, other factions in the court couldn’t uncover any dirt on the prince.

Moreover, to outsiders, the affair between the prince’s mother and the new emperor was merely a romantic escapade.

Although the prince’s mother had died, she was posthumously honored as a concubine, and her son was no different from those born to other concubines.

Unlike other children, the prince did not fall under the category of an illegitimate child, which would be an insult to the emperor.

Thus, there were only legitimate and illegitimate princes.

In an ordinary family, a child born to the head of the family with another woman would be regarded as inferior to even an illegitimate son.

The prince became a concubine-born prince, but with the backing of Han Zhen, the Marquis of Yonghe’s household, and the emperor’s favor, he had a strong position.

The new emperor(Prince Yuan), having fought through the struggle for the throne, was not the type to be swayed easily; he decisively appointed the son of his beloved woman as the crown prince and would not tolerate any dissent.

Yang Haiyan recalled the general plot and was deeply terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Her fear wasn’t due to the maid(wet nurse) and the prince; she knew that as long as she kept this palace secret to herself, she wouldn’t be in danger of death.

What frightened her was Yang Dahua.

Though she didn’t know if the kidnappers would come to their quarters, if they did hide in the family quarters and ended up next to Yang Dahua’s house, that… “ Granny Lian … Granny Lian…” Yang Haiyan rushed out in a panic.

“Madam?” Granny Lian was waiting outside.

Since her master was in the study, she naturally wouldn’t go to sleep.

Upon seeing Yang Haiyan’s anxious expression, she hurried over to support her. “Madam, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare while resting for a moment?”

Yang Haiyan shook her head, “Granny Lian, you heard what the lord just said. Because of the young master’s(Heir’s Son) matter, the county is likely in a state of panic. I’m worried the bandits might escape the county and come to our town. Please go to Han Baifu’s house, take two private guards with you, and bring Dahua back.”

Though she felt no guilt about the change in the plot, she didn’t want Yang Dahua to face any danger.

Setting aside the plot, they could be considered friends.

“Yes, you needn’t worry. I’ll go at once,” Granny Lian replied.

Although Lian Nanny left to fetch Yang Dahua, Yang Haiyan remained uneasy.

She walked back and forth in the courtyard, and when she finally heard footsteps outside, she spotted Granny Lian returning with Yang Dahua and sighed in relief.

Yang Dahua saw Yang Haiyan and called out, “Haiyan…”

Yang Haiyan steadied her nerves, “Da Hua, I’m worried about safety outside, so I had someone bring you here. You weren’t frightened, were you?”

Yang Dahua looked puzzled, “Not at all! What’s going on? Granny Lian just came to call me, saying something happened in the county, and you were worried about my situation here, so I should come over.”

Since Yang Dahua was unaware of the young master’s situation, Yang Haiyan didn’t explain, but the news about the bandits sneaking into the county was surely not a secret anymore.

Qin Fang had been summoned to the county late at night, presumably to search for the bandits, so it was fine to tell Yang Dahua about it.

Thus, she said, “There are bandits mixed in with the county. My husband has been called to discuss matters there. I’m worried they might exploit the chaos to escape, and if they make it to our family quarters, it wouldn’t be safe for you, especially as a pregnant woman. That’s why I had Granny Lian come get you.”

Yang Dahua’s expression changed as she broke into a cold sweat, “What about the situation in the county?”

Yang Haiyan patted her hand, “I don’t know. I suppose we’ll find out by tomorrow. Dahua, you shouldn’t tire yourself too much while pregnant. You should rest for now.”

Moreover, she wasn’t in the mood to talk too much with Yang Dahua; she wanted to know what had happened to the Heir’s son and whether the bandits would come here.

Yang Dahua nodded, “Alright, I’ll go.”

Granny Lian took Yang Dahua to the west wing, leaving Yang Haiyan alone in the courtyard except for Aunt Yu, who was guarding the gate.

She returned to her room but couldn’t find the will to sleep, sitting in bed waiting for Qin Fang to return, eager to know what was happening.

In the County, Yonghe Marquis’ Mansion.

The heir of Yonghe Marquis said, “Old Ao, Qin Fang, the bandits have captured the young master. I need to return to the military camp to take command and prevent the bandits from using this opportunity to attack. Those bastards took advantage of my father’s absence to pull off such a despicable act. On the surface, my marquis mansion’s guards are searching throughout the county, but secretly, I’m entrusting this matter to you. We’ll go at it from both ends.”

General Ao and Qin Fang replied, “Understood.”

General Ao added, “Young master, why not send more people?”

The heir shook his head, “If there are too many people, it will easily destabilize morale at the military camp. The reason I chose Qin Fang is that he is on duty tonight. Since he’s not in the camp now, it will appear to others that he is patrolling outside.”

Qin Fang reassured him, “Rest assured, young master, I will do everything in my power to find the young master.”

The heir frowned, “Then I’ll be counting on you both.”

General Ao and Qin Fang nodded, “Yes.”

After the heir discussed with them, he immediately returned to the military camp.

The gates of the county were shut, and no one could enter or leave at midnight.

But what about tomorrow?

Would the gates still be closed?

Even if they could remain shut tomorrow, what about the day after?

Or the day after that?

It’s important to note that with the gates of the entire county closed, this matter was serious.

However, the county wasn’t too big or too small; finding the bandits’ hiding place wouldn’t be easy.

General Ao was somewhat exasperated, “Daybreak is nearly here, and we still haven’t found the young master. If something happens to him…”

Qin Fang furrowed his brows, then after a moment, he said, “General, I have a plan.”