"Commander Xiao, just because I saw Deputy Minister Qin that day doesn't mean I had anything to do with his disappearance. He left in a hurry, and I have no knowledge of his whereabouts," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.1

Xiao Shence's brow furrowed slightly. Despite his intuition pointing toward Fang Chen's involvement in Qin Dong's disappearance, he couldn't fathom the reason behind him taking action against a second-ranked official. Could it really be because of that maid who went missing back then? 2

The fifth prince suddenly spoke. "Your Majesty, I believe Divine General Fang's words make sense. We can't simply accuse him of kidnapping Deputy Minister Qin just because the two met before Deputy Minister Qin disappeared." His fists cupped together, he addressed the emperor respectfully. "Divine General Fang has no prior connections with Deputy Minister Qin, so...0