Chapter 138 Cancel Your Marriage to the Prime Minister's Daughter

Jiang Wanning has disappeared!

He was kidnapped in the middle of the night in his own mansion.

He has been missing for a day and a night.

No one knows who did it, and no one in the Prime Minister's residence noticed that someone had broken into Jiang Wanning's room that night.

After daybreak, when the maids in the mansion noticed that Jiang Wanning had not gotten up for a long time, they went into the room to check and found that no one was in the room.

The bedding was exactly as it had been when I fell asleep last night, and everything in the room was as usual, except for a note left on the table.

"You old scoundrel, if you dare to advocate for my annihilation, then I will destroy your daughter!"

This note reveals the "misfortune" that Jiang Wanning is about to face.

The Prime Minister's residence was immediately thrown into chaos.

Upon seeing the note, Prime Minister Jiang was both shocked and furious. His face turned ashen, and he immediately ordered the news to be kept under wraps.

At the same time, all available personnel were dispatched to search secretly, and a great deal of underhanded resources were also used in an attempt to find Jiang Wanning before the news got out.

A day and a night passed, and Jiang Wanning seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

The truth will eventually come out.

The news that the Prime Minister's eldest daughter had been kidnapped from her own residence spread like wildfire among the powerful and influential circles in the capital.

Various speculations and conflicting opinions arose.

Some say it was the work of Prime Minister Jiang's political enemies, while others say it was revenge by rivals from the martial arts world.

But the most common speculation is whether it is related to the matter that Prime Minister Jiang and Prince Xiao argued in court recently.

Recently, a group of organized and disciplined bandits have arrived in the Lingnan area outside the city. They specialize in robbing merchant caravans traveling on the official roads, and they are extremely brazen.

The government launched several campaigns to suppress the rebellion, but all ended in failure.

Those bandits were all skilled fighters and had considerable reconnaissance abilities; they were clearly not ordinary bandits.

This incident caused great anxiety among the merchants, who dared not freely enter or leave the capital.

In the imperial court, the ministers disagreed on how to resolve the matter.

Half advocated for fighting them, saying that these petty bandits were so arrogant and should be wiped out.

The other half, however, advocated for persuading them to surrender, saying that this group was both intelligent and militarily capable.

If they could be recruited and incorporated into the imperial court, they might be useful to the court, thus avoiding unnecessary casualties and losses.

The faction advocating "exterminating the bandits" was led by Prime Minister Jiang. They took a hard line, believing that the bandit problem must be eradicated to serve as a warning to others and to demonstrate the majesty of the court.

The party advocating "amnesty" is represented by Prince Xiao, Qin Ye, who has recently begun to participate in court affairs.

The two factions were locked in a stalemate and had been arguing in the court for several days.

Now that Jiang Wanning has been kidnapped at this critical juncture, and the note he left behind points directly to the hatred of "annihilating me," it's hard not to connect this matter with that group of vicious mountain bandits.

If it was indeed the work of bandits, then this would be the strongest and most direct retaliation and provocation against Prime Minister Jiang.

When the news reached the Xiao Prince's residence, Yun Si was reading a book by the window.

After hearing Mu Ze's report, her fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused slightly before she resumed her normal posture and simply replied, "I understand."

Upon hearing this news, the servants in the mansion were not only astonished, but also fell into an indescribable silence.

No one cheered, and no one sighed.

But the atmosphere subtly relaxed.

If the person cannot be found, then the marriage can be called off.

However, Jiang Wanning suddenly returned the day before the wedding.

However, she didn't come back on her own, nor was she found and brought back; instead, she was abandoned in front of the Prime Minister's residence.

From disappearance to return, it took one day and two nights.

Her clothes were tattered and barely covered her body, and they were covered in mud and dark bloodstains.

His exposed skin was covered with purplish-blue pinch marks, whip marks, and some indescribable, ambiguous red marks.

shocking.

His hair was disheveled like straw, his cheeks were swollen, his mouth was cracked, and there was a hideous wound on his forehead that had already scabbed over.

The once arrogant and calculating look in his eyes has been replaced by an empty, lifeless numbness.

It was as if his soul had been forcibly ripped out, leaving only a battered and ravaged body.

She huddled on the cold stone steps in front of the Prime Minister's residence, shivering slightly in the morning mist.

Exclamations and commotion arose around her, but she remained unresponsive, like a tattered rag doll that had been thoroughly broken and discarded.

The crowd saw that her neck, wrists, and ankles were bound with rough ropes, leaving deep bloodstains that silently testified to the inhuman torture and humiliation she had suffered over the past two days.

This miserable and wretched state, clearly showing signs of humiliation, instantly ignited an uproar throughout the capital.

All the speculations about her being kidnapped by bandits have been brutally and directly confirmed.

Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister Jiang staggered out, and upon seeing his daughter in such a state, his vision blurred and he almost fainted.

Shame, anger, and heartache mingled together, making him look several years older in an instant.

He immediately ordered his men to wrap Jiang Wanning up tightly and carry him back to the mansion, and to strictly keep the news from spreading.

But countless eyes had already seen this scene clearly, so how could it be hidden?

The news spread like wildfire throughout the city.

The fact that the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family was violated by bandits has become an undeniable fact.

No one noticed that after Jiang Wanning was carried into the mansion, a tall figure silently withdrew from the shadows.

The news quickly reached the palace.

Upon hearing this devastating news, Jiang Xinyu nearly fainted.

She rushed to the Imperial Study and found Qin Ye inside, discussing the matter with the Jiaqing Emperor.

Emperor Jiaqing's expression was grave, a flash of anger crossing his eyes: "These bandits are far too arrogant. Prince Xiao, do you still intend to advocate for amnesty and persuasion?"

"Your subject is willing to personally lead troops to wipe out the mountain bandits and avenge Prime Minister Jiang."

Qin Ye's face was solemn, and he also looked at those mountain bandits with deep hatred.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Jiaqing's eyes narrowed slightly.

Clearly, they were satisfied with Qin Ye's answer.

However, he suddenly looked troubled, as if something was making him hesitant to make a decision.

"Father."

Qin Ye seemed to see through his thoughts and took the initiative to speak up: "The wedding is tomorrow, let's proceed as planned, and bring him into the Xiao Prince's Mansion to recuperate."

"no!"

The Jiaqing Emperor immediately objected, then paused for a moment before saying, "That would be too unfair to you. You are a prince, how could you..."

Qin Ye's expression remained unchanged, but a mocking smile subtly appeared at the corner of his lips.

Are you afraid of making him feel wronged?

They were still afraid of bringing shame upon the royal family.

"Your Majesty understands your difficulties and is willing to share your burdens."

"Never mind."

Emperor Jiaqing pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "Cancel your marriage to the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family. I will compensate the Jiang family in other ways. When you return from suppressing the bandits and avenge Miss Jiang, you will have done right by her."

"yes."

Qin Ye came out of the Imperial Study.

As he turned and stepped down the white marble steps, his lowered eyelashes concealed the fleeting coldness and indifference deep within his eyes.

His tightly pursed lips held a faint hint of mockery, so fleeting it was almost an illusion.

Jiang Xinyu overheard their conversation but did not make a fuss.

Because she knew that everything had settled down.

The royal family would never marry a woman whose body has been defiled.

No matter how noble this woman's status was, it was no longer possible.

Right now, they have no choice but to accept it.

Fortunately, Prince Xiao was still considerate and took the initiative to offer to avenge Wan Ning, which shows that the Jiang family still holds some weight in his heart.

Despite his heartache, Jiang Xinyu found some solace.

"Unpredictable".

After Qin Ye left, the Jiaqing Emperor asked in a certain direction beside him, "What do you think of this matter?"