"No."
Zheng Wei, from beginning to end, had kept his eyes fixed on Zheng Xiang, showing no intention of retreating.
After a long stare-down, Zheng Xiang suddenly waved his hand, "Search the place! Go through every corner of this courtyard."
Zhao San and the others, without any delay, darted into Zheng Wei's room.
This was their Prince's mansion's small courtyard, which had been uninhabited until now. Today, it finally welcomed its first resident.
It was because of this person that they were all unable to sleep in the middle of the night, forced to accompany him in searching the rooms.
Thinking this, they all secretly lamented their misfortune.
However, their actions did not stop, and their expressions were grave.
Zhao San and the others rushed past Zheng Wei, but Zheng Wei remained unfazed.
Not only did he not enter the room to stop them, but he even deliberately moved aside, allowing them to proceed quickly, acting as if he knew nothing and was letting them search freely.
Zheng Xiang had also been watching Zheng Wei. Seeing his composure, he couldn't help but doubt himself. Was he overthinking things? Did Zheng Wei truly not know of Kong Huangwei's existence? How could he have rescued her in such a short time?
This thought flashed through his mind and disappeared, but Zheng Xiang reinforced his initial conviction.
Regardless of the truth, a search was necessary at this moment.
Otherwise, not only would he lose face,
but Zheng Wei might not even be grateful to him.
He knew Zheng Wei's temperament well.
With his foul temper, even if he apologized, Zheng Wei would likely just smile and refuse to accept it.
Since the matter had already begun, there was no reason to back down.
Zheng Wei watched the expression in Zheng Xiang's eyes change continuously, his aura shifting. Finally, as Zheng Xiang's mind settled, Zheng Wei felt a sense of relief.
This Zheng Xiang was truly indecisive.
He had to thoroughly calculate everything in his heart before taking action.
With such a temperament, how could he be a Grand Marshal?
If he was like this during a battle, wouldn't his own men be wiped out before he devised a strategy?
After more than half an hour, Zhao San and the others stood before Zheng Xiang again.
Although Zheng Xiang had not explicitly instructed them to find anything specific, based on their experience, anything the Prince wanted to take must be important.
Since it was important, it was unlikely to be a common item.
Therefore, before the search, Zhao San had already instructed everyone to bring anything they didn't recognize.
Unfortunately, Zhao San himself searched everywhere, both accessible and hidden places, but found nothing.
Everything he saw were the furnishings expected in a guest room, with no superfluous items.
Looking at the others around him, they were all the same, empty-handed.
With just a glance, Zhao San knew that they had all come back with nothing.
Zhao San's face turned somewhat unsightly.
It had taken some effort for His Highness to assign them a task, but they had failed so miserably. If His Highness became angry, what would their lives be like in the future?
Zheng Xiang looked at the people before him, but said nothing.
He didn't need to ask; he knew from their appearance that they had found nothing.
If this was the case, did it prove that Zheng Wei was indeed not involved?
Then where had Kong Huangwei gone?
Zheng Wei had been waiting for Zheng Xiang to speak first. But seeing Zheng Xiang's expression, he knew the Prince was lost in thought. So, he could only speak himself, "Does Your Highness happen to have found what you were looking for?"
Zheng Xiang snapped back to attention. Seeing Zheng Wei's amused expression, he looked at him with some confusion.
Did he really know nothing?
Otherwise, why would he ask if he had found what he was looking for?
Even if it was an illusion, he would only ask who he was looking for, right?
After all, no one would refer to a loved one as "something."
But Zheng Xiang didn't know that Zheng Wei was an exception.
For him, the most important thing was to achieve his goal.
How he achieved it was of no consequence to him.
As for whether Kong Huangwei would care, Zheng Wei believed that in the face of such trivial words, his son, whom he had just met, was more important.
Since nothing had been found, Zheng Xiang should naturally leave.
But Zheng Xiang was still somewhat unwilling.
After pondering for half a moment, a smile suddenly bloomed on Zheng Xiang's face. He looked at Zheng Wei and said, "I'll be sleeping in this small courtyard tonight as well. What do you think?"
Zheng Wei shrugged indifferently, "This is the Prince Duan's mansion. Of course, everything belongs to Your Highness. Wherever Your Highness wishes to stay, why do you need to ask permission from an outsider like me?"
Zheng Xiang was unfazed by Zheng Wei's attitude. He smiled and said, "In that case, hurry up and tidy up a room. I'll be staying here tonight."
Upon hearing this, the servants were all excited and nervous.
Although they were servants in the Prince's mansion, they saw His Highness very rarely throughout the year.
Let alone serving him closely; that was completely a fantasy.
The fact that His Highness was willing to stay tonight was truly the best news imaginable.
Perhaps if one of them served him to his satisfaction, he might even ask them to accompany him when he left the next morning.
Compared to the servants' excitement, Zheng Wei remained much more composed. He simply smiled at Zheng Xiang, not saying another word.
Just then, Zhao San suddenly spoke, "Since Your Highness wishes to stay, your subordinate cannot say much more. I will lead people to guard the courtyard. Your Highness may rest assured. However..."
Zheng Xiang was very pleased with Zhao San's tactfulness.
Listening to his words, he secretly rejoiced that he had not noticed it before; Zhao San was indeed a talented individual.
Hearing Zhao San say "however," Zheng Xiang quickly asked, "What else do you wish to say? Feel free to speak."
Zhao San quickly looked up at Zheng Xiang, then glanced at Zheng Wei, before lowering his eyes and saying, "Your Highness may not care, but we subordinates cannot allow Your Highness to be so casual. Otherwise, the Princess Consort will scold us for not being diligent tomorrow."
Zheng Xiang's eyes flickered upon hearing this, but he asked calmly, "Then, according to you, what is the meaning of this?"
Zhao San chuckled softly, "Your Highness is staying in your own mansion, so there is naturally no reason to stay in a guest room or a side room. Since you are to stay in a guest room now, you certainly cannot stay in a side room."
Zheng Xiang's eyes suddenly brightened upon hearing this.
He hadn't thought of this matter just now. He only wanted to stay tonight, and after confirming that there was nothing amiss, he could have a good rest.
However, Zhao San's words suddenly enlightened Zheng Xiang.
Why should he wait to discuss this back at his residence?
He only needed to move into the main bedroom and prevent Zheng Wei from entering, and he was sure he would find something.
Acting on his thoughts, Zheng Xiang pretended to be troubled as he looked at Zheng Wei, "Look at this. My subordinates are all so chatty. But I know they are all concerned about me."
Zheng Wei nodded earnestly, completely agreeing with Zheng Xiang's words, "In that case, you live in the main bedroom. I can sleep in any room. It doesn't need to be cleaned. Given the state of the house now, it's probably like a pigsty..."
Zheng Wei's words were not finished, but Zheng Xiang understood. He was willing.
At that moment, Zheng Xiang wasted no more time. "Then I'll go to bed. I had some wine tonight, and my head is starting to ache."
After speaking, Zheng Wei headed towards the east side room.
Watching Zheng Wei's figure recede, finally climbing the steps, entering the room, and closing the door.
Zheng Xiang stared at the door for a moment before waving Zhao San over, "You searched earlier. Are there any problems with this room?"
Zhao San had initially thought Zheng Xiang was asking if the main room had been thoroughly checked. But at this moment, he saw Zheng Xiang staring intently at the east side room.
Zhao San had a sudden realization. It seemed the relationship between His Highness and Zheng Wei was not that good.
"Reporting to Your Highness, we have checked everything. There are no issues."
Hearing this answer again, Zheng Xiang felt a little more at ease.
"In that case, you all guard the courtyard diligently. The rest of the people should go about their business." He gave his orders.
After arranging everyone, Zheng Xiang quickly entered the main room alone and then, with a bang, closed the door.
Zhao San and the others were startled by the sudden slamming of the door, but in the next moment, they returned to their normal composure.
Each took their positions, performing their duties, their eyes unblinking.
The remaining servants, seeing that there was nothing for them to do, all returned to their own rooms to continue sleeping.
In the main room, Zheng Xiang was carefully examining every inch of the floor, every shelf, and every cabinet.
Whether it was the hanging ornaments, decorations, or furniture, they were vastly different from what he usually used.
Zheng Xiang frowned as he looked at these things.
However, he wasn't here to sleep.
These could be ignored.
After surveying the surroundings, Zheng Xiang began his carpet-like search.
To say it was a carpet-like search was almost an understatement. Zheng Xiang felt his way through every bit, with his own hands.
Sometimes, fearing he might miss something, he would touch it once and then turn back to touch it again.
Unfortunately, after he had touched the entire room, he slumped to the ground in dejection.
He didn't know what the room was like before, but after personally touching it, he was certain that this room was very ordinary.
It could even be said to be very normal.
No mechanisms, no secret passages.
No place to hide a person.
Now, all he lacked was to pry open the wooden boards one by one to see if there were any hidden layers.
But even if there were hidden layers, it would be impossible for a living person to hide inside.
Therefore, all this could only indicate that this room was very normal.
Zheng Xiang trusted the efficiency of Zhao San and the others.
Although they would not be as meticulous as he was just now, he believed that nothing could be hidden within the items they had searched.
Did Zheng Wei truly know nothing about Kong Huangwei's existence?
Even if, hypothetically, Zheng Wei had rescued Kong Huangwei, in total, it had not been an hour. Where could he have hidden a living person?
Just now, it wasn't just the small courtyard that was being searched.