Chapter 200 Ji Shu is taken hostage
The King of Qin nodded in satisfaction, walked up to her, looked her up and down, and said, "I have been thinking for the past few days about what kind of woman could make someone as noble and precious as her confine herself to such a small place."
"Now that I've met you, I understand a little better."
"What a pity—she's a widow with a child!"
Ji Shu's heart sank. As expected, they were after Pei Yanzhi. She quietly loosened her clenched fist slightly.
Fortunately, he thought Qinghe was just his child and had nothing to do with Pei Yanzhi.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be the only one standing here right now.
As he spoke, the King of Qin suddenly leaned down and took a deep sniff in front of her. "Hmm, what a fragrant scent. Is this the kind of method you used to win that person over to your bedchamber?"
"What a pity, I have always preferred unmarried young ladies and have little interest in married women, otherwise I would have certainly enjoyed them."
Ji Shu's expression remained indifferent.
The King of Qin, however, was somewhat impatient and asked, "Do you know why I have summoned you here today?"
Ji Shu shook her head and said, "I only heard that the lady of this mansion seems to be ill, so I came to see her. If I have accidentally disturbed Your Highness, please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin burst into laughter, "Pei Yanzhi seized my mine, and I seized the woman he loved. Isn't that perfect?"
Ji Shu's palms were sweating profusely, but her face remained calm. "Your Highness is joking. I don't know the person you're talking about at all."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yi's playful expression vanished, replaced by a fierce look as he lifted her chin.
He scrutinized her stunning face closely and said, "Tell me, if I were to order that mine over, what do you think His Majesty would choose?"
"I have heard that Pei Yanzhi has been on the throne for three years and his harem is still empty. Now that he is showing you such favor in Ganzhou, what do you think he will do?"
He spoke in a very low voice, his breath almost brushing against her ear: "You must have something special to make him think of you so much, right?"
Ji Shu turned her body slightly to the side, closed her eyes, and felt extremely disgusted.
With an undeniable refusal, the King of Qin looked at his hand hanging in mid-air and lightly rubbed his fingertips together.
The woman's skin was indeed soft and tender; however, after just a couple of light touches, her chin was already red.
Every word this person uttered was directed at Pei Yanzhi, and he actually wanted to use her to blackmail him. Ji Shu's heart sank suddenly.
“Your Highness, I am but a plain woman and I truly do not know the one you speak of. If you desire that mine, why not go and retrieve it yourself? I fear I will disappoint Your Highness.”
Qin Yi stared at her for a long time, then turned around without a care and said, "Madam Sheng, you shouldn't be so modest. If I say it's okay, then it's okay."
He sat back down in his chair, took a sip of tea from the cup on the table, and said casually, "I've heard that Madam Sheng is quite skilled in medicine."
Ji Shu lowered her eyes and said calmly, "I only have a superficial understanding."
"Then please make a good impression on Madam Sheng. My queen is unwell and needs Madam Sheng to personally attend to her and administer medicine. Please take good care of her."
After saying that, he called out towards the door, "Someone, take him away."
The guards at the door pushed the door open and took her away.
Meanwhile, at the Pei residence.
On the afternoon of the same day Ji Shu was taken away, Wu Yang received a letter from the Prince of Qin's residence.
There was also the lady's handkerchief mixed in.
Wu Yang's heart skipped a beat. He dared not delay and immediately reported back to His Majesty.
Pei Yanzhi unfolded the letter and was immediately enraged. He hadn't expected that Ji Shu could be taken away so quietly despite such meticulous planning.
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me."
Wu Yang accepted the order and went to carry it out.
Pei Yanzhi sat alone in the chair, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the handkerchief embroidered with the character "姝" (shu), his gaze fixed on the Qin King's handwriting.
The note read: "Madam Sheng's medical skills are superb. My wife's chronic illness has not improved for a long time. Therefore, we would like to ask Madam Sheng to stay in the mansion for a while longer."
The last sentence was added: "After he recovers, I will personally arrange for him to be sent back."
The implication was that he shouldn't act rashly, otherwise there was no guarantee that the person could be safely returned.
To put it simply, if the person is not cured, he is to be detained in the Prince of Qin's residence.
Upon learning that Ji Shu had been held hostage by him at the Prince of Qin's residence, Pei Yanzhi felt dizzy and his anger surged to his head.
At this moment, his chest was churning violently. It was all his fault for being careless. He had been frequently visiting her courtyard in recent days, never expecting that Fenglin was so small.
It would only take a few hours for someone with ulterior motives to find out, but he couldn't afford to continue blaming himself at this moment.
She was still waiting for him.
Suppressing his rage, he ordered the doorman, "Bring the young master back, and don't let anyone else be alerted."
"Yes." The guard at the door retreated silently.
Pei Yanzhi spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for news in his study, and Wu Yang soon returned from outside.
Upon entering, he immediately reported: "My lord, the lady was tricked away by the King of Qin under the pretense of seeing a doctor. Our men are used to the lady going out to see doctors from time to time, so they did not suspect anything."
The air inside seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.
Wu Yang glanced up at his lord's expression and saw that his lord's originally deep eyebrows had darkened completely, and his eyes revealed a strong killing intent.
Suddenly, a cold voice came from above: "You have been so negligent. The guards will be punished with fifty strokes of military law, and you will be punished with thirty."
It was August, and the heat was intense, but Wu Yang felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately lowered his head and replied in a deep voice, "Yes."
No one understood the special importance of the Lady to His Majesty better than him. He even felt that His Majesty would rather be the one being taken away at this moment than the Lady.
He sighed inwardly and asked respectfully, "My lord, what should we do next?"
What he wanted to ask was when the lady would be rescued?
Pei Yanzhi remained expressionless, but his eyes were deep and unsettling. "Have you found out what Qin Yi is relying on?"
Wu Yang recalled the rumors from the previous dynasty and replied in a low voice, "I vaguely remember that last year, there were rumors among the people that the then Emperor Xie did not want Empress Dowager Song to continue to rule, and preferred that the Prince of Qin succeed to the throne."
"Do you think it's possible that Emperor Xie and the Prince of Qin conspired to write an imperial edict without our knowledge, which is why the Prince of Qin dared to recruit former officials of the previous dynasty?"
Pei Yanzhi remained silent for a long time. It wasn't impossible. Emperor Xie wouldn't dare to disobey Empress Dowager Song openly, but who knew if he would do something behind the scenes?
His eyes narrowed slightly, and the ring on his finger spun rapidly, revealing the turmoil in his heart.
"Have you ascertained the enemy's personnel?"
Wu Yang was startled—His Majesty was about to take action against the King of Qin.
Qin Yi was truly audacious, never having considered what kind of being he had provoked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com