Chapter 78 Ransom

It was already late, and Yang Zhe and his friends were staying in a guest house, drinking tea and chatting together.

The arrival of the wife of Marquis Wuning surprised several people.

"Are you Mr. Han?" The wife of Marquis Wuning took a glance and her eyes fell on Han Baocheng.

Han Baocheng bowed and said, "Hello, Madam Hou. You can call me Baocheng."

The wife of the Marquis of Wuning didn't bother to be polite and asked directly, "Did you meet Wei'er in the maple forest today?"

This question startled several people. Han Baocheng said, "Yes, I met Miss Tang Er. We exchanged a few words and then left."

"Weier's maid said Weier went in the direction you left. Did you meet her again later?"

Several people looked at each other and realized that something had happened to Tang Wei.

This made Han Baocheng's answer more cautious: "No, we will leave Fenglin soon."

The wife of the Marquis of Wuning stared at Han Baocheng closely, unable to discern the truth from his expression. She said in a deep voice, "Wei'er is gone."

Gone?

Although they had a premonition, these words still surprised several people.

"It's so late, and Wei'er hasn't been found yet. I'd like to trouble you to go to the maple forest and point out the way to leave." The wife of the Marquis of Wuning said it politely, but her tone did not allow for refusal.

Several people agreed.

It was a little cold at night, the grass and trees were damp, and it was no longer as comfortable as it was during the day.

There are many monks in the maple forest holding lanterns looking for people.

The few of them walked along the same route they had taken, but the servants and monks from the Marquis's Mansion who followed them still couldn't find the person.

Many pilgrims staying overnight noticed something unusual outside, including the King of Wei who came to burn incense on a whim.

"Go ask what's going on outside."

The servant who received the order went out for a walk and brought back the news.

"Reporting to the prince, it is said that the second daughter of the Wuning Marquisate has disappeared in the maple forest."

Although the wife of Marquis Wuning asked the monk not to make it public, the monk would not hide the truth in response to the inquiries of King Wei's men.

"Marquis Wuning's Mansion?" King Wei became interested.

The second young lady of the Wuning Marquis Mansion is the Crown Princess's biological sister. How could she have disappeared in Qinglu Temple?

Having nothing to do, the King of Wei decided to go out and see what was going on.

The servant was a little worried about the safety of Prince Wei: "Your Highness, I heard that Miss Tang's maid died in the forest—"

The King of Wei laughed and said, "With so many people here, what are you afraid of?"

The servant dared not say anything more.

The King of Wei walked out slowly.

Of course, due to his overly large body, he couldn't go any faster even if he wanted to.

The most lively area at this time is the guest rooms.

The wife of Marquis Wuning couldn't wait for good news from her daughter, so she held Yang Zhe and the Lin Hao sisters hostage.

"The last thing my daughter saw was you. Now she's nowhere to be found, alive or dead. Please tell me where she went."

Lin asked, "Has the Marquis reported this to the authorities?"

The wife of Marquis Wuning had a frosty face as she looked at Lin coldly.

When his daughter went missing, he initially hoped for a lucky break and ordered the servants in the mansion to look for her. Then he told the monks in the temple and asked several young masters in the Shangshu Mansion. However, he gradually lost more and more confidence. Who would report to the police in the first place?

Lin sneered, "I advise Madam Hou to report this to the authorities as soon as possible. The authorities will naturally investigate whoever they deem suspicious, instead of arresting people now and making them unable to sleep."

The wife of the Marquis of Wuning was furious. "Lin Wanqing, are you still as reckless as you were in your youth? I'm telling you, if Wei'er can't be found, no one in this temple will be free from blame!"

At that time, Lin Wanqing was the daughter of a duke, and she couldn't do anything if someone pulled out a handful of her hair. But now the situation has changed, and she, the prince's mother-in-law, can't do anything to a poor woman with no father, no husband, and no children?

"Really?" A lazy voice came.

When everyone heard the sound, they looked and saw a ball.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Everyone bowed.

The King of Wei slowly moved over and looked at the Marquis of Wuning's wife. "Madam, are you saying that until your daughter is found, we can't leave?"

"The prince is here too?" The wife of Marquis Wuning was a little surprised.

Because her eldest daughter was so ambitious, the wife of Marquis Wuning inevitably had a condescending attitude when dealing with others, but these people did not include the King of Wei.

Who made the emperor have only two sons, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei?

The King of Wei said indifferently, "If I had known that you would not be allowed to leave after coming to burn incense, I would not have dared to stay."

The wife of Marquis Wuning looked a little unhappy: "Your Majesty, you misunderstood me. That's not what I meant."

The King of Wei glanced at Lin and said, "I think this lady is right. We should find someone, report to the authorities, and take a rest. There's no need to waste time like this. What do you think, Madam?"

The wife of the Marquis of Wuning forced a smile: "Your Highness is right."

"Do we have enough people to search for your daughter? Would you like me to lend you some?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. It's not necessary. Many monks in the temple are looking for you."

"It's hard to find it in the dark. Maybe we can find it in the daytime. Madam Hou should report it to the police as soon as possible."

The King of Wei didn't want to say any more to the wife of Marquis Wuning. He put his hands behind his back, glanced at the people present, and walked towards Yang Zhe and the others.

"You are Yang Zhuangyuan, right?"

Yang Zhe bowed and said, "Yes, I am your student."

The King of Wei forced a friendly smile and said, "I have an impression of you."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness." Yang Zhe said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

King Wei looked at Han Baocheng and the others again and said with a smile, "It's a rare meeting. Please have a cup of tea with me."

Several people breathed a sigh of relief.

Accompanying the King of Wei for tea is much better than accompanying the people from the Wuning Marquis's mansion to look for someone everywhere in the middle of the night and having to endure the suspicion of the Wuning Marquis's wife.

With the words of the King of Wei, the wife of the Marquis of Wuning could no longer hold on to the man, so she sent someone back to the city to report to the authorities that night. However, the city gates had already been closed, and it would take at least until dawn for the officials to arrive.

"Madam, please go back to your room and rest for a while." The maid advised.

The wife of Marquis Wuning lived a life of luxury. Although she was worried about her daughter, she could not bear to stand outside for so long, so she nodded.

The maid helped the wife of Marquis Wuning to the guest room. When they reached the door and were about to push it open, they suddenly found a letter stuck in the crack of the door.

"Madam, please look!" The maid handed the letter to the wife of Marquis Wuning.

The wife of Marquis Wuning took it and opened it, quickly scanning it in the orange light of the lantern, and her hand holding the letter began to tremble.

After a while, the wife of Marquis Wuning shouted, "Someone, come quickly!"

Soon, the deacon monk and his men hurried over.

The wife of the Marquis of Wuning threw the letter over and said sternly, "The person who kidnapped my daughter must be someone familiar with the terrain here!"

The deacon monk glanced over the letter quickly.

The letter instructed the wife of the Marquis of Wuning to prepare a thousand taels of silver and place it under a pine tree tied with a blue cloth at the entrance of the valley near the maple forest. Only one maid was allowed to carry the silver to the pine tree. When she reached the pine tree, she would learn Tang Wei's whereabouts.

"Madam, there are warrior monks in the temple. We can ask them to go over and take a look."

"No!" Lady Wuning Hou firmly objected. "The letter says that if anyone else is found, my daughter will be treated like that maid."

It's just one thousand taels of silver, which is nothing compared to my daughter's safety.