Dongfang Jin analyzed various possibilities. Who could have been so bold? He checked all the bandits and rebels, but there was no possibility. Those people had the courage, but definitely not the scale. Even if they were given the food, they would not know how to transport it.
Dongfang Jin felt that the matter was becoming more and more suspicious. They did not want gold and silver, but only wanted food. It seemed inconspicuous, yet it was too obvious, forcing him to doubt Prince Ning and his wife. Could it be that they pretended to be kidnapping to threaten the court, and were preparing to rebel after getting the food?
Will Prince Ning rebel?
He thought about it and decided that it was definitely possible. However, Prince Ning had never had big ideas, so it was unlikely that he could accomplish such a big thing.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, and Dongfang Jin's head started to hurt.
However, he did not panic, but calmed down and decided to pay the ransom, but reduced the amount of grain from one million dan to thirty thousand dan.
Although 30,000 shi of grain is not a small amount, the national treasury can still spend the extra money. Moreover, 30,000 shi of grain is neither too much nor too little, and there must be traces when they transport the grain.
After sending the message, I received a reply very soon. Unexpectedly, the other party actually agreed.
Dongfang Jin was a little confused. If he had known this would happen, he should have bargained down the price.
I didn't expect that Prince Ning and his wife were worth this price in the other party's eyes.
Soon, the food was placed at the designated location, and all the soldiers withdrew to a place ten miles away. When it was getting dark, just when everyone thought that the thieves had taken the food but would not release them, Prince Ning and his wife were released, tied up and placed on a carriage with their mouths and eyes blocked. After everyone untied the ropes, they found that their heads were swollen and almost unrecognizable, and their bodies were covered in blood. It was obvious that they had suffered a lot.
After they returned to the capital, they immediately went back outside the palace to wait for the imperial edict from Emperor Yunqi. Emperor Yunqi was angry at them for not fighting back, and had previously issued an edict that they could not return to the capital without an imperial edict, so he did not summon them for a while and they just stayed in an inn in the capital.
Concubine Xian Ru summoned them.
Upon seeing the embarrassed Ning Wang and his wife, Concubine Xian almost fell down again. Qin Xiangning knelt on the ground and cried, "Mother, I thought I would never see you again in this life. I didn't expect that we would meet again. We made you worry..."
Prince Ning was also covered in wounds, but this time he was not as furious as before. Instead, he knelt at Concubine Xian's feet and said, "I know that you have been worried about me. I have been missing you at the border. I thought the day of seeing you would be far away, but I didn't expect that we would meet like this. I am ashamed of you..."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian almost cried and fell to the ground. She hugged Prince Ning and said, "Son, as long as you are alive, I am willing to do anything. As long as you are fine... Come into the house quickly, let us talk to each other properly. Don't say stupid words like apology anymore. The child does not need to apologize to his mother..."
Prince Ning suppressed his grief and helped Concubine Xian up. Concubine Xian looked them up and down, only to find that they looked like refugees, with darker and rougher skin, disheveled and messy hair, and black mud under their nails. They looked nothing like their previous delicate and tender appearance. Although she was told not to cry, she started crying again after all.
They cried and laughed in the yard, and Concubine Xian finally wiped away her tears and said, "Tell mother, who kidnapped you?"
"I didn't see their appearance clearly. When I first arrived in Su'an, the land was barren and the people were savage. There were constant harassment from bandits. Fortunately, I brought guards with me, and the emperor's uncle also sent people, so the situation was stable. But the land was too poor to grow crops. I had to find a way. I thought trade might solve my life difficulties, so I started to do business. But there were no special products in the desert area, so it was hard... That day, my son and the princess went to Su'an County to look for opportunities, but we didn't expect a group of strong men to rush out and kidnap us all the way to the capital. They didn't talk to us. We didn't know until we were rescued that those people had exchanged us for 30,000 stones of grain. I think father must be very sad."
After Prince Ning finished speaking, his face showed a humility and self-reflection that had never been seen before, which made Concubine Xian sad and relieved. Her son had been gone for more than half a year, and he had actually matured to this point. Although he had suffered some pain, this was also a great gain: "You don't blame your father for saving you too late, and you care about your father so much. I am really happy..."
The virtuous concubine didn't say it in the end. She went to ask the emperor for help. She didn't want the father and son to become enemies.
Prince Ning nodded: "Mother is the one who suffers the most, it's her son's fault."
"Don't say that. This matter is a disaster, but it may also be a blessing. Mother should tell your father to keep you here and not go to that wild place again. This matter can happen once or twice. It is too dangerous. How can mother feel at ease? Even if mother risks her life, she will let you stay. Today, it is getting late. You should find an inn to stay and wait for mother's news tomorrow."
Qin Xiangning remained silent beside her with a timid expression on her face. Concubine Xian thought she was frightened by the thieves and thought she would be fine in a few days. In fact, that was not the case at all.
This is a later story.
The next day, Concubine Xian found Emperor Yunqi. His health had weakened again. The imperial doctors were busy treating him. An Qingran was also beside the bed, and of course Dongfang Jin was there too. Concubine Xian took advantage of the fact that there were few people around and begged him softly.
Emperor Yunqi on the couch sighed: "You guys, you don't understand my thoughts at all. Since they want to come back, then let them come back. As the old saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If it is a blessing, it is not a disaster. If it is a disaster, it is inevitable..."
He said these words one after another, which made Concubine Xian happy and confused, but no matter what, they could finally stay, and she didn't care about anything else.
The emperor agreed to let them continue to live in the old location.
Concubine Xian had already sent people to clean up Prince Ning's mansion. When they returned to the mansion, the people arranged by Concubine Xian had already taken care of everything in the mansion and arranged a lot of servants, so they were able to settle down.
However, no one in the capital dared to meet them, because their identities were too special. Everyone was watching the wind direction, but no one dared to act rashly before seeing clearly.
Dongfang Jin has already arranged people to secretly investigate the grain, and he is afraid that the conclusion will be found soon.
Due to Emperor Yunqi's health condition, other matters were put on hold for the time being.
April 16th.
Emperor Yunqi’s birthday.
A grand banquet was held in the palace for all the ministers.
The weather was fine that day, and the palace hadn't held a banquet for a long time. In addition, the Queen Mother was in a good mood and held a banquet for her son, and she even used her own allowance to host one. Therefore, the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs couldn't help but work hard, spending a lot of effort on food and decorations. An Qingran was pregnant and couldn't do it herself, but she also kept an eye on it.
On that day, Prince Ning and his wife were also present and presented a jade Guanyin.
An Qingran sat there feeling a little depressed, then she walked out when she saw no one was paying attention. Ren Dong supported her and said, "Master, you haven't eaten anything. If you are hungry, I can get you some cakes."
An Qingran walked to a bunch of peonies in full bloom, plucked one, and played with it carefully in her hands: "This peony is considered to be blooming late this year. It would have withered at this time in previous years..."
Honeysuckle looked at An Qingran in confusion. She really didn't understand why he said that, so she nodded and said, "Yes, this year's solar term is a little later than in previous years."
"Yes, it's been such a long time since I've really appreciated the flowers. Fortunately, it stays for me." An Qingran said as she inserted the flowers into her hair. A faint scent followed, which was very pleasant.
When she glanced around, she saw a figure ducking sideways, which frightened An Qingran: "Who?"
Honeysuckle also turned around to take a closer look, and saw a pink corner showing behind the green camphor tree, which turned out to be the hem of a skirt. She heard the shouts of the master and servant, and the person behind the tree slowly walked out. She was tall but extremely thin, with black hair, and it was Qin Xiangning.
I haven't had any private conversations with her.
She only knew that they had returned to Beijing and were living in Prince Ning's mansion, but she didn't care too much. After all, Prince Ning had caused a big storm in his previous life when he followed Prince Kang, and now Prince Kang looked decadent, hanging around in prostitutes all day, with no fighting spirit. So she was relieved about Prince Ning as well.
But he didn't want to see Qin Xiangning again. Why did she look like this? She looked much more haggard. It was understandable, but her eyes were evasive, as if she was afraid of being punished for doing something wrong. She stepped forward and said, "Meet the Crown Princess."
An Qingran nodded slightly: "Princess Ning has suffered a lot in the past few days. Now she is back in Beijing. Is there anything you need? If I can help you, just let me know."
"Oh, no need." Qin Xiangning said, looked behind her, and stood there without saying a word.
He spoke in a dull and slow manner, without any of his former wit.
An Qingran thought she was up to something, so she couldn't help but be more cautious: "Princess Ning, why did you come out from the banquet? I guess it's not to your liking?"
"No, I just feel hot and stuffy."
"It's cooler here than in Su'an."
"I don't know. It's been a month since we left there. When we came here, it wasn't that hot there. It's the heat in the capital that's making people uncomfortable..." Qin Xiangning said, sighed, and smiled awkwardly, "I won't bother the Crown Princess anymore. I'll go back to the table now."
After chatting for a few words, they saw a figure in red approaching. It was the newlywed Dongfang Ruoxue. The scars on her face were no longer visible. She looked smoother and more delicate than before. Her body was also plump and round. She looked like a plump pearl. An Qingran smiled with her hands covering her mouth. Qin Xiangning also saw Dongfang Ruoxue at this moment and quickly dodged to the side: "Greetings, Princess."
Dongfang Ruoxue was surprised when she saw her: "Princess Ning is here too, she's hiding so leisurely..."
Qin Xiangning nodded: "Long time no see, Princess Ruoxue is very happy. I should go back to the palace for the banquet. If I'm out for too long, Prince Ning will look for me."
Having said that, he left in a hurry.
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