Female Master: The Cold Prince

The next day, as the sky gradually brightened, the silence of the little mountain village was suddenly broken by a burst of miserable crying. Xiahou Jiuyue looked towards the place where Ye Er was hiding.

After receiving the signal, Ye Er, who was hiding in the dark, disappeared instantly.

People in the village have the habit of getting up early. At this time, people from every household have already gone up the mountain to work, and the village chief and his family have prepared breakfast and are waiting for them.

Everyone was sitting around the table. At this moment, the village chief Feng Chun came in from outside with a heavy face. When she felt everyone's eyes were on her, she forced a smile on her face.

"Everyone is up, so let's have breakfast first!" As she said this, a deep sadness could be seen between her brows.

After she sat down, Xiahou Jiuyue asked with an unclear look in her eyes, "Village Chief, what happened in the village?"

The miserable cries that filled the entire village sounded like those of a family. Could it be that someone had died?

"Hey! Xiao Zhang next door is gone. Her family didn't see her early in the morning, so they looked for her everywhere. Unexpectedly, they found her in the small woods on the back mountain."

"When we found her, she had already hanged herself on a crooked tree. Alas!" Feng Chun said with a heavy face.

Xiahou Jiuyue frowned slightly when she heard this and said, "Why is she so depressed? Was there anything unusual about her before?"

Could this person be related to the dark shadow last night?

"It's a long story. Xiao Zhang was originally an honest man, very kind to her husband and children, but...

"Ever since, she ignored the advice of the villagers and went to Dongchengzhou to work alone, who would have thought that she would come back less than three months later. When she came back, she looked crazy and no one recognized her. No one knew what she had been through."

"Oh! What a pity." Feng Chun sighed heavily.

Hearing this, Xiahou Jiuyue's eyes darkened. Dongchengzhou? Isn't that her fiefdom?

"She is not only crazy on weekdays, but also often runs to other people's homes to cry in the middle of the night. Tell me, how ridiculous is this? Many villagers were almost scared to death by her." At this time, Feng Chun's husband interrupted.

"Okay, the man is dead, so just say less!" Feng Chun said to her husband with an unhappy look on her face.

Then, she said with a worried look on her face: "Oh! How will her family live in the future?"

When she thought of that family, old and young, she realized that without the pillar of the family, they would all starve to death.

Hearing this, her husband immediately got angry and said, "How she lives is her family's business, what does it have to do with ours?"

"At the beginning, you, my wife, had already advised her not to go, but she refused to listen. Now look what has happened. Not only has she killed herself, but she has also dragged down the whole family. It would be a relief if she died, but who will take care of the family she leaves behind?" Feng Chun's husband said with a grim expression.

He no longer cared about the people present because he knew too well what kind of person his wife was.

The wife's attitude at this time clearly shows that she wants to take responsibility for the future life of the whole family.

Feng Chun's face darkened immediately, and he sternly rebuked, "Okay, why did she insist on going to Dongchengzhou in the first place? Wasn't it to improve the lives of her family? But things are unpredictable, who can predict what will happen in the world?"

"Now that she's dead, as the village chief, I have the responsibility to take care of her family. What do you know about a husband? Don't talk nonsense."

Xiahou Jiuyue and others had different thoughts and none of them did not get involved in the argument between the couple.

However, Xiahou Jiuyue had doubts in her heart. If that villager was the man in black last night, then why did she hang herself in the woods?

How did this person avoid her and Ye Er's pursuit? Could it be that there were actually other people in the woods at that time?

After the meal, the village chief and his wife had an argument over the future livelihood of the family.

Feng Chun went to the deceased's home to comfort and visit, but her husband, dissatisfied with her behavior, took the children to do needlework at home.

Xiahou Jiuyue asked everyone to pack their luggage first and set off after Ye Er came back. The matter of the fiefdom was urgent, and if they went too late, no one knew what would happen.

After Ye Er came back, everyone bid farewell to the village chief's family. Ye Yi took out some silver from his pocket and handed it to Feng Chun's husband, and thanked them for their hospitality last night.

After leaving the village, the group took a carriage and headed towards Dongchengzhou. During the trip, Ye Er told the village chief everything he had heard, which was basically the same as what the village chief had said.

As for what the villager experienced after arriving in Dongchengzhou and why he became crazy, there is no way of knowing. Perhaps the answer can only be found by arriving in Dongchengzhou.

----- Dividing Line -----

capital city, royal palace

In Fengyi Palace, Xiahou Zhiruo had a solemn expression on his face as he recounted what he had discovered recently.

"Father, I have recently discovered that some ministers in the court who originally stood on my side have suddenly remained neutral. It seems that there is a force behind them controlling them and making them obey my orders."

"Is this true?" Feng Jun asked in surprise.

"Yes, I have investigated secretly but found nothing. I am worried that this matter might be targeting me." Xiahou Zhiruo expressed his inner speculation.

Ever since the fifth princess returned to the palace, she has been acting very low-key, helping her mother with court affairs in the imperial study every day, and no one can find fault with her.

At this moment, the court ministers who supported her suddenly turned against her. It might be that someone deliberately instigated them, or someone promised these ministers some benefits.

Feng Jun thought for a moment and then asked, "Has Prince Chen made any unusual moves recently?"

He still has no clues about Xu Ziqiao's death, and His Majesty no longer comes to his palace. Is he suspecting him?

"It's strange that the Fourth Princess suddenly didn't attend the morning court these two days. Could it be that this matter is related to the Fourth Princess?" Xiahou Zhiruo frowned and asked suspiciously.

"That may not be the case. Did your mother say anything?" The Prince of Chen has not attended the morning court for two days. His Majesty must know something.

"No, the Queen Mother didn't ask about it, but she seemed to know about it." Xiahou Zhiruo said.

Nothing major has happened in the court recently. What could have happened that caused the Queen Mother to exempt the Fourth Princess from the morning court?

"If that's the case, I'm afraid Prince Chen is no longer in the capital now." Feng Jun narrowed his eyes and concluded.

"Not in the capital! Where did the fourth princess go?" Xiahou Zhiruo was shocked when he heard this.

Her people were everywhere outside the city gate, so why didn't she receive any news about Prince Chen leaving the city?

Seeing her shocked expression, he knew that she knew nothing about this matter. Feng Jun immediately pinched his brows and said, "It's time to clean up those good-for-nothings under your command. Don't let me down again."

Xiahou Zhiruo knew that he had displeased his father, so he knelt down and promised, "Yes, father, I will never let you down again."