My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 17 Miss disappeared, Song was beaten.

Even though it was late at night, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was still brightly lit.

"Yu'er hasn't returned yet?"

Chu Wenchen asked again.

It was only at lunchtime that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion discovered that Chu Lengyu and Lüyun were missing.

The maids and servants in the courtyard were dissatisfied with being assigned to monitor the young lady. They were careless and inattentive in their work. They didn't take it seriously when they didn't see Chu Lengyu and Lüyun all morning.

When no one came out by lunchtime, they realized something was wrong. Finding no one inside, they searched everywhere but couldn't find anyone, and then hurriedly reported it to Madam Song.

When Song heard that Chu Lengyu had disappeared, she was initially shocked, fearing that she might run out of the mansion and complain to someone, causing trouble for her husband.

But then a thought struck her, and she sat down calmly again.

If things really get out of hand, Madam Song already has a plan in mind.

Ultimately, Chu Lengyu had no evidence. Could her words alone be as credible as those of a noblewoman?

For young women confined to their homes, the most important thing is their reputation.

A person's reputation is like a flawless jade; once damaged, it is difficult to recover.

Chu Lengyu left the manor without permission this time and was alone outside. What happened in between? Can anyone explain it clearly?

She planned to secretly send people to spread rumors, falsely accusing Chu Lengyu of being immoral and disgraced. Even if Chu Lengyu returned, she would find it difficult to clear her name.

Once her reputation is ruined, Madam Song will step in and arrange a marriage for her at random. At that time, she will be a young girl who will be panicked and helpless, and will have no choice but to accept her fate.

It would be best to marry Chu Lengyu off to some remote, impoverished place, so she could never return to the capital.

The Song family had planned everything perfectly, keeping the news of Chu Lengyu's disappearance a tight secret and forbidding the servants from spreading it.

He didn't even tell his own daughter, Chu Wen'er.

Therefore, Chu Wenchen was unaware of this matter when he returned.

It was only through a private report from one of his trusted confidants in the manor that he learned of the disappearance of Chu Lengyu and her maid, Lüyun.

Chu Wenchen was so angry he laughed. He had really spoiled Madam Song. She dared to keep such a big thing from him.

Without saying a word, Chu Wenchen went to Song's room, dismissed the servants, and closed the door.

Chu Wen'er was also there at the time, but he still walked straight to Song Shi and slapped her.

The slap landed squarely on Song's face, stunning her and causing her to fall to the ground.

When she came to her senses, she cried out in disbelief, "Master, what are you doing?"

Chu Wen'er was also terrified. She screamed and rushed to help her mother, angrily saying, "Father, why did you hit Mother?"

"Why don't you ask your mother what good deeds she's done!" Chu Wenchen said coldly.

Seeing Song crying with tears streaming down her face, his heart softened, but he did not intend to let her off easily.

He would never allow the Song family to deceive him.

As the master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, he would never allow anyone to challenge his authority, not even his wife, Lady Song.

Seeing his menacing manner, Song dared not act childishly in front of him.

She quickly realized why he had come to see her, and immediately said aggrievedly, "Master, it's just that girl Chu Lengyu ran away, why are you so angry with me?"

Chu Wen'er, who had been listening intently, blurted out upon hearing the news, "She ran away? How can that be? Father, Mother, quickly send someone to bring her back!"

Hearing his daughter's words, Chu Wenchen's anger flared even more.

“Wen’er knew to bring her back, but what about you?” He pointed at Madam Song, his fingers trembling with anger. “I really don’t understand what you’re thinking. Would you be happy if you lost the title of Duke of Zhenguo?”

"No, no, no, sir, that's not what I meant!" Madam Song was terrified and hurriedly explained, "She's just a maid, I was thinking..."

However, Chu Wenchen interrupted her angrily: "You treat her like a maid, but she is still the 'eldest daughter' of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion!"

The word "Young Miss" pierced Chu Wen'er's heart.

Even her father believed that Chu Lengyu was the true "eldest daughter" of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

How dare an adopted daughter be compared to her, the legitimate daughter, or even surpass her?!

In other households, the legitimate daughter is the most noble, while the illegitimate daughter is not even qualified to appear in front of the legitimate daughter, let alone be ranked according to seniority!

But at this moment, no one cared about how Chu Wen'er felt.

Song's lips trembled. She forced herself to calm down and tried to defend her thoughts: "So what? She only has a title. In this capital city, who would really take her seriously?"

As she spoke, it seemed she had finally found her way, and she hurriedly explained her plans one by one.

Upon hearing this, Chu Wen'er seemed to already see Chu Lengyu's disgrace and ruin.

She almost clapped her hands, excitedly saying, "Mother is right, this is how we ruin her!"

Chu Wenchen looked at the mother and daughter with disappointment and shook his head repeatedly.

"Foolish! Short-sighted!" he cursed twice, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then continued, "The method you came up with does indeed have a chance of being implemented."

The moment a hint of surprise appeared on Song's face, it was immediately shattered by his next words.

Chu Wenchen said sternly, "Do you think you're the only smart one? Everyone else in the capital is dumber than you and can't think of these things?"

Even if it's just a title, Yu'er is still a member of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Do you think that just because her reputation is ruined, we can remain unscathed and no one will take advantage of her misfortune?

Besides, even if you want to scheme against her, you have to keep her under control to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

If she runs away and encounters villains or even has an accident, that's fine. But if she runs into some important person, I can handle it; I can go to their residence and, even if I lose face, get her back.

But if she doesn't want to live anymore, she can drag our whole family down with her. Don't you understand?

Song's eyes were misty, and she hadn't absorbed much of what she heard. Her mind was a mess, and when she heard the words "to be buried alive with someone," her heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. After a long while, she managed to speak with difficulty, her voice trembling slightly: "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Chu Wen'er stood there dumbfounded, her eyes filled with astonishment and confusion. She had never imagined that her father would value Chu Lengyu's adopted daughter so much.

Judging from the mother and daughter's reactions, Chu Wenchen knew that they had neither listened nor understood, and might even have interpreted it as something else entirely.

He was furious and didn't want to waste time explaining, but he was also afraid that they wouldn't realize the gravity of the situation and might do something else foolish.

He had no choice but to deliberately say something serious, and said in a cold voice, "If Chu Lengyu were to risk everything and assassinate the king tonight, do you think it would be better to exterminate his three clans or his nine clans?"

Upon hearing this, Song was utterly terrified, her face turned pale, and she collapsed to the ground, completely at a loss for what to do for a long time.