Chapter 193 The Wise King
Lu Bin paused, his expression unfathomable. "Oh? My dear, what do you want to report?"
Upon hearing this, He Ning lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, his voice filled with unprecedented anxiety and indignation. "Your Majesty, I have a report to make. My fiancée, Jiang Qingning, went to visit relatives at the Pingjiang Marquis' Mansion yesterday. On her way back, she was kidnapped in broad daylight in the capital. Her whereabouts remain unknown to this day, and her life or death is uncertain."
"Last night, I mobilized the entire government to search all night, but found no clues. I implore Your Majesty, considering the loyalty and bravery of the Jiang family and my sincere heart, to dispatch the Imperial Guards to assist in the search and rescue Qingning from this dire situation."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Bin's already ugly expression instantly became even more ferocious.
He had just experienced the betrayal and assassination of his beloved concubine and son, and now even his minister's fiancée was kidnapped in the capital?
This was a slap in his face and a naked challenge to his imperial power.
"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"
Lu Bin was furious and slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, which caused severe pain in the wound on his arm and added fuel to the fire.
"At the foot of the capital, before the eyes of the emperor, such a horrific thing has occurred. The thieves are so rampant, do they treat me as nothing? Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me! He Ning!"
"I am here!"
"I approve your request and order the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards to dispatch a team of soldiers under your command. Search the entire city for Jiang's whereabouts. Make sure you bring her back safely!"
"Your Majesty, I bow my head in thanks!" He Ning kowtowed heavily.
Lu Bin's anger had not yet subsided, and his gloomy gaze swept across the hall, finally falling on the third prince Lu Qi, who was standing in the corner at the front row, trying hard to reduce his presence and appeared timid.
Looking at his cautious and non-confrontational appearance, and thinking of his reputation as a wise king, Lu Bin felt an inexplicable surge of evil fire in his heart.
"Lu Qi!" he shouted coldly.
The Third Prince, Lu Qi, was startled and quickly stepped out of the line and knelt down: "Son... your son is here."
"You have always been free, and haven't you always considered yourself kind and virtuous?"
Lu Bin's tone was filled with undisguised sarcasm. "Lord He, I'm afraid you alone are not capable of handling the case of the Jiang sisters' disappearance. I order you to work with He Ning to oversee this case. Please do your best to find them. If you can't find them, you will be held responsible."
Lu Qi's face turned pale and he groaned inwardly. This was clearly a hot potato.
Even if you find it, it may not be a credit; but if you don’t find it, or if something unexpected happens, it will definitely be a serious fault.
He was just about to find an excuse to shirk responsibility.
"On behalf of Qingning, I would like to thank the Third Prince." He Ning took the initiative and interrupted his possible excuses with a loud voice. He thanked him directly on his behalf, blocking his way out.
Lu Qi had to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Looking at He Ning's grateful eyes, he wanted to curse her in his heart, but he could only force a smile that was uglier than crying. He kowtowed and said, "Your son obeys your order and will do his best to help Prince He find Miss Jiang."
"Withdraw from the court!"
Lu Bin didn't want to pay any more attention to this and waved his sleeves in annoyance.
The newly promoted eunuch who was serving nearby and was trembling with fear quickly announced it in a shrill voice.
Seeing Lu Bing being escorted away, all the ministers breathed a sigh of relief as if they had been saved. However, no one dared to speak. They all lowered their heads and hurried out of the hall.
On the long palace road, He Ning walked hurriedly with a gloomy look on his face, as if he was still immersed in the anxiety of his fiancée's disappearance.
"Prince He, please stay." A gentle voice sounded behind him.
He Ning paused and turned around, only to see the third prince Lu Qi quickly catching up with him, with his usual kind smile on his face.
"Third Prince." He Ning bowed, his tone carrying just the right amount of distance and impatience caused by anxiety.
Lu Qi walked up to him, side by side, and sighed with concern, "I am also worried when I hear about Miss Jiang's matter. The capital city has indeed been in turmoil recently. Don't worry, Prince He. Since I have received the order to assist, I will definitely send more people to search for her with all my strength."
He Ning glanced at him, his eyes dark: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Lu Qi waved his hand, his eyes seemingly casually glancing at He Ning's face, and asked tentatively, "I'm just wondering about the intensity and direction of this search. Does Prince He have any special requests?"
"After all, how much Miss Jiang holds in the Crown Prince's heart is also related to how I should deploy my personnel, right?"
His question was subtle but to the point, almost asking whether Jiang Qingning was worth using his hidden power.
He Ning stopped and turned to face Lu Qi.
All the anxiety and depression on his face seemed to settle down at that moment, leaving only an almost paranoid seriousness and determination.
He looked directly into Lu Qi's eyes and spoke clearly, word for word, "Your Highness, the daughter of the Jiang family is the only person I want to marry in this life. If she is well, I will be well. If anything happens to her..."
He paused, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes, "I don't know what you will do."
Lu Qi was shocked by the undisguised madness and determination in his eyes, and his heart trembled slightly.
He immediately understood the position of Jiang Qingning in He Ning's heart. Touching that reverse scale would mean death.
The smile on his face became more sincere, and he quickly said, "Your Highness's deep love is touching. I understand. I will do my best to help you find your beloved as soon as possible."
He paused as if remembering something, lowered his voice, and with a hint of emotion as a man, his tone contained a subtle provocation:
"Speaking of which, Qin Xiu seems to have feelings for Miss Jiang... It's just a pity that the flower's intentions are unrequited. Qin Xiu's efforts are ultimately in vain."
A complex expression flashed across He Ning's face at the right moment. He forced a smile that was uglier than crying. He bowed to Lu Qi and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will go ahead and arrange the search."
"Please do as you wish, Prince." Lu Qi nodded with satisfaction.
He Ning turned around and walked away quickly, with only cold calmness and a hint of mockery on his face as he turned his back to Lu Qi.
Lu Qi stood there, looking at He Ning's receding back, a meaningful smile slowly forming on the corner of his mouth.
The water is getting more and more muddy, but perhaps this is not entirely a bad thing for him.
He straightened his robe and walked out of the palace, thinking about how he could do his best to complete the task that his father had forced upon him.
In the carriage.
He Ning closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, while the military advisor looked mysterious beside him.
"Your Highness, you truly trust the eldest daughter of the Jiang family."
There was a bittersweet jealousy in his words.
He Ning opened his eyes and laughed when he heard this: "When did you ever care about these things? If my father heard this, he would probably laugh his teeth off."
The military advisor folded his arms and said in a mysterious voice, "If the King of Zhenbei knew about the earth-shaking U-turn that His Royal Highness made after returning to the capital, he would probably be really shocked."
"Have you finished arranging things for yourself?" He Ning asked, no longer in the mood to joke.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Everything has been prepared." The military advisor bowed.
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