The Prince's Mansion of Minzhou.
"Where is my daughter?" The Prince of Minzhou had just returned from the palace and was looking forward to seeing his daughter, but he couldn't find her. Normally, his daughter would have already come to greet him when he returned.
The steward came up to the Prince of Minzhou and said, "The young lady said she wanted to go out for a walk, and she hasn't returned yet."
The Prince of Minzhou was a handsome man, and even though he was getting on in years, one could still see the dashing charm he once possessed.
He was still wearing the robes of a prince, and upon hearing the steward's words, he immediately smiled, "Very well, she's finally come to the capital, she should be allowed to tour the city more. Where is the princess consort? She's not here either?"
He and the Princess Consort were childhood sweethearts, and their relationship had remained strong over the years. Although the Princess Consort had only given birth to a daughter, the Prince didn't care; he simply loved his wife.
The steward hurriedly replied, "Madam has gone to a banquet and said she would be back in the evening."
The Prince of Minzhou suddenly felt like he had become a lonely man, a bit...alone.
"Alright, I'll wash up and prepare the meal first, so the girl won't be left without a hot meal when she gets back." He strode towards the main courtyard, thinking he would change his clothes first and then have someone buy some snacks.
My daughter is still young, so it's fine for her to eat something nice.
The Prince of Minzhou, who had just changed his clothes, suddenly asked the steward, "How did the men I sent out today fare?"
Even if his daughter can't be empress, she must be the most honored woman below the empress. It's said the emperor recently took a favorite concubine, but her status is quite low. None of that matters; if his daughter enters the palace, she will surely be empress.
But he couldn't bear to see his daughter suffer so much, especially since she had been thinking about Prince Chen all these years, and it was she who insisted on coming to the capital this time.
After all, the news of Prince Chen's marriage was practically announced to the whole world; no one was unaware that Prince Chen had a wife.
However, by the time the news reached Minzhou, two months had passed, and the matter was already settled. In addition, his mother was unwell at the time, so the Prince of Minzhou delayed the matter.
I came to Kyoto at the beginning of the year.
She's just the daughter of a bandit leader; just kill her. She'll still be a princess then.
The steward's expression was not so good. He said to his master, "This... news just came that everyone is gone."
"That's all?" The Prince of Minzhou's face immediately turned extremely ugly.
"How could that be? Weren't the people I sent all top-notch fighters?" He really couldn't understand it. She was just a little girl; even if she brought a few guards with her, she shouldn't have such good skills.
"Many of the dead were guards from Prince Chen's residence," the steward added. "Prince Chen cared a lot about this princess, and she would take many people with her when she went out."
The Prince of Minzhou sneered twice, "The young emperor is the same way, and so is the Prince Chen. Do these two brothers only like commoners?"
Isn't Consort Rong just a commoner now? Even though her family members now hold minor official positions with little real power, they are at least living a decent life.
But this cannot change the fact that they are ordinary people at heart.
"From this perspective, Da'an's future seems predictable."
The steward hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say."
This is Kyoto, not their Minzhou. How can they talk like that? They're really courting death.
The Prince of Minzhou looked rather unwell, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and disdain.
He was telling the truth, and he didn't say anything wrong.
"Fine, then let's find a way to get her to the banquet. She's just a little girl; we can kill her easily."
The steward nodded in agreement, "You're right. These women care about their reputation; if..."
Although women can still remarry, and are even more popular after remarriage, her husband was no ordinary man; he was royalty, and the most esteemed Prince Chen at that.
How could Prince Chen not mind that his woman had slept with other men?
This is easy to handle.
The Prince of Minzhou had some of Bu Jiao's favorite pastries prepared, waiting for his daughter to return so they could chat.
He was a man who enjoyed indulging in refined pursuits, often engaging in romantic conversations and painting, and naturally, he was also quite calculating.
As evening fell, the manager rushed in, screaming, "Something terrible has happened!"
The Prince of Minzhou was painting in the courtyard when he heard this, but he didn't seem to care much. "What happened? Why are you making such a fuss? Has the young lady returned? Tell the kitchen to make some fresh pastries, just pick the ones she likes."
The steward, his face ashen, slapped his thigh. "Your Highness, the young lady... the young lady is gone."
The Prince of Minzhou immediately dropped his brush onto the paper, his brows furrowed. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"A mouth isn't for spouting nonsense. To curse a young lady for no reason is to make me think you have a death wish."
The steward, his face contorted with grief, hurriedly ordered his servant and Bu Jiao's maid to be brought in. "Something terrible has happened! Your Highness, our young lady is gone!"
The Prince of Minzhou didn't believe it. Looking at the servant and maid, one was absent-minded and the other had long whip marks on her body. It was obvious that something serious had happened.
"What happened?" He forgot about his painting, his voice filled with anger as he demanded, "Where is the girl?"
Even if something happens, at least, at the very least, your body should be intact.
He simply couldn't bring himself to say the word "corpse".
His daughter is in the prime of her life, how could anything happen to her?
The servant stammered, "Miss, Miss..." He was considering whether or not to expose Qin Su, since there couldn't possibly be bandits in the outskirts of the capital.
"Speak! Speak every single word! If you don't tell the truth, I'll take your dog's life!"
The servant was so frightened that he lost his mind and hurriedly confessed, "Miss originally wanted to go find Princess Chen. She went to the poetry gathering at Heshan Academy, but the people at the gathering wouldn't let her in."
The Prince of Minzhou was not surprised by this, after all, the students of Heshan Academy were no ordinary people.
Even the dean of the academy is said to have connections with the royal family. According to rumors, the founding emperor had a younger brother who opened an academy, Heshan Academy, to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion.
So, to be precise, Heshan Academy and the royal family have a very close relationship.
If they go to Heshan Academy to cause trouble, aren't they just kicking a hornet's nest?
The servant continued, "The young lady had someone lure Princess Chen to the mountaintop, intending to threaten her, but who knew... who knew Princess Chen would actually kill her, and even Ah Hua suffered the same fate."
Suddenly, the Prince of Minzhou grabbed the servant and slapped him across the face. The force was so great that the servant felt dizzy and half of his face swelled up.
"The girl is gone, and you're still here? Why didn't you protect her?! What use are you to me?!"
"Guards! Drag him away and beat him to death with clubs!"
He was like a raging lion, eager to unleash a massacre.
"etc."
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