CHAPTER 516: CHAPTER 516: ANGER

If it were someone else, Lady Yongcheng wouldn’t be too worried.

But the one the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng provoked was Su Jin.

That was someone even Princess Shouning dared to bring back to the palace.

The hornets wreaked havoc, affecting the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and even the Emperor.

Although Qingyun Mountain isn’t a bandit lair, the aura of the Princess Consort Zhenbei is no ruse.

Fearless and daring, there are truly few like her in the Capital.

Lady Yongcheng tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, as her eyelids twitched incessantly.

If it weren’t for the curfew and the closed city gates, she would have rushed out of the city overnight to salvage the situation for the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng.

After a night of restless turning, as dawn broke, she got up and hurriedly got onto a carriage.

At the city gate, she waited for a quarter-hour before it opened.

Lady Yongcheng was the first to leave the city.

She galloped all the way to the other courtyard.

The servants in the other courtyard were not yet awake, yawning as they opened the door, "Who is it, knocking so early in the morning?"

Upon opening the door and seeing Lady Yongcheng’s anxious expression,

the servant’s drowsiness was immediately dispelled.

"Ma... Madam, why are you here?" the servant nervously asked.

The maid beside Lady Yongcheng quickly asked, "Is the Young Master in the other courtyard?"

The servant was bewildered.

"The Young Master hasn’t come to the other courtyard," he replied.

Lady Yongcheng’s brows knitted into a tight knot.

How could he not be here?!

She turned to look at the servant, who was the driver of the carriage yesterday.

He said, "Yesterday, the Young Master personally said he was coming here, I dare not deceive Madam."

Lady Yongcheng trembled with anxiety.

"Someone, go out and find him!" Her voice nearly shattered with tremors.

The servant dared not delay and had all the maids and servants in the courtyard go out to search.

Lady Yongcheng waited in the other courtyard, exhausted by her sleepless night and worry.

Political Discussion Hall.

As usual, the Emperor and ministers attended the morning court, discussing state affairs.

But today was unlike any other day.

The court was noticeably emptier.

The Old Prince, Prince, Marquis Dongxiang, Marquis Jibei, and the two Masters from Jibei Marquis Mansion were all absent.

The Emperor sat on the Dragon Chair, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Is this... have they all agreed to take leave together?" The Emperor wore an expression of displeasure.

Not a single trusted minister was present.

Aside from a few like Prince NanAn, most were from Duke Chong’s faction.

Was it still necessary to discuss state affairs?

Even as the Emperor, if his views were unsupported by ministers, even the presence of the Supreme Emperor would be in vain.

A minister stepped forward to report that none of the absent nobles had submitted leave requests.

The Emperor’s frown deepened.

No leave requests were submitted, yet they were absent—

If it were just Marquis Dongxiang, it wouldn’t matter.

He was habitually late to morning courts.

But the Old Prince and Marquis Jibei were exemplary in observing rules; could they have been led astray by Marquis Dongxiang?

This clearly wasn’t possible.

Since Marquis Dongxiang’s reinstatement, he had seldom been late.

Previously, his tardiness was merely to better obscure his former bandit identity, a mere smokescreen.

The Emperor looked towards the Third Master of Prince Zhenbei Mansion, "Why didn’t the Old Prince attend court?"

The Third Master was somewhat awkward; he had no idea what had happened but knew that Xie Jingchen and Su Jin went to the Great Buddha Temple to pray and hadn’t returned overnight.

But the Old Prince wouldn’t skip court just because two young folks hadn’t returned overnight.

The Third Master shook his head, "Your servant does not know."

Useless fool.

These words spun inside the Emperor’s throat, but he held back from cursing.

An emperor could not lay out obscenities casually, especially not before the court ministers.

After briefly discussing affairs, the Emperor dismissed the court.

Back in the Imperial Study, the Emperor threw the memorials onto the Dragon Desk, saying, "Have Marquis Dongxiang come rolling into the palace!"

Eunuch Fu’s heart trembled.

He felt something must have happened.

Immediately, he dispatched a trusted little eunuch to deliver the message to Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Marquis Dongxiang had been worried all night and was in a foul mood. Hearing the little eunuch relay the Emperor’s exact words, his anger flared, "Tell the Emperor to come rolling out of the palace!"

The little eunuch, "..."

Truly.

It’s rare enough for the Emperor to command ministers to roll in.

For a minister to tell the Emperor to roll out, now that has never happened.

Marquis Dongxiang’s words left the little eunuch stunned for a while, unable to respond.

He doubted whether he had misheard.

But—

He dared not ask again.

Marquis Dongxiang was in such a temper, and if he misspoke, wouldn’t he be ripped apart on the spot?

The little eunuch stepped back, asking a servant of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, "Why is the Marquis in such a foul mood?"

The servant sighed, "Our young miss and son-in-law have both gone missing."

The little eunuch, "..."

Is that possible?

Who would be so bold and fearless to abduct not only the Heir of Prince Zhenbei but also dare to kidnap the Princess Consort?

You have to commend that person for their audacity!

No wonder both Marquis Dongxiang and Prince Zhenbei didn’t attend morning court.

One is the jewel of Marquis Dongxiang’s eye, the other Prince Zhenbei’s beloved son.

Their children’s disappearance, coupled with no urgent court matters, missing court for a day or two isn’t significant.

It’s just that their concurrent absence alarmed the Emperor.

The little eunuch rode swiftly back to the palace, heading straight for the Imperial Study.

The Emperor wasn’t in the Imperial Study; Eunuch Fu was.

The little eunuch approached, and Eunuch Fu asked, "Why didn’t Marquis Dongxiang come to the palace?"

The little eunuch said, "The Heir of Prince Zhenbei and the Princess Consort have both gone missing."

Eunuch Fu, "..."

"Marquis Dongxiang is worried and angry. When the Emperor told him to roll into the palace, he said the Emperor should roll out of the palace."

"..."

"Eunuch Fu, should I report this truthfully to the Emperor later?" the little eunuch asked.

Eunuch Fu was about to say that if you aren’t afraid of death, you should report it, when he felt a wave of anger directed at him.

No need to report.

The Emperor had already heard.

The Emperor’s face darkened to the color of a pot bottom.

Half from anger at Marquis Dongxiang, and half from worry over Su Jin and Xie Jingchen.

Daring to commit an abduction right under the Emperor’s domain, truly borrowing courage from the heavens!

Once the true culprit is found, they must not be spared lightly.

Marquis Dongxiang and the Old Prince didn’t attend the court because they feared that if they did, the kidnappers might send a message.

Even if they attended in worry, they couldn’t focus.

Moreover, every day in court is a battle of wits with Duke Chong’s faction.

Marquis Dongxiang has a fiery temper; ordinarily, he could control it, but flaring up in court might lead to a fight.

But after waiting repeatedly, still no message arrived, driving Marquis Dongxiang’s explosive temper and turning his eyes blood-red.

Meanwhile, the servant of Uncle Yongcheng Mansion searched around the Capital, going back and forth for half a day without finding any trace of the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng.

Until they found a golden hairpin in the vines by a side path.

The servant instantly recognized it as worn on Su Jin’s head by mistake.

The servants looked toward another path.

Their faces changed in unison.

The end of this path is a cliff.

The servants ran forward.

From afar, they saw a man lying on the ground.

Dressed in brocade attire, the servant who recognized the brocade robe’s legs turned weak because that sword was too conspicuous.

The servants turned pale.

The Heir was the only son of Uncle Yongcheng Mansion!