Chapter Forty-Four
The carriage came to a sudden stop in front of the Prince An's mansion. Li Tianyou didn't even wait for Liu Ming to put down the footstool before he staggered off the carriage and rushed into the gate of the Prince An's mansion without thinking.
"Wei'er! Where is my Wei'er?" His voice was hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot, and the worry and fear along the way almost broke him.
"Master Li, please follow me. The Princess Consort must be in the old Princess Consort's courtyard right now." Liu Ming hurriedly ran to Li Tianyou to lead the way.
As Li Tianyou walked through the many corridors, his heart was in his throat. It wasn't until he stepped into the main hall of the "Cian Hall," where the old princess lived, and saw his daughter, pale but unharmed, being held tightly in the old princess's arms, that his tense nerves were finally relieved.
“Father…” When Li Zhiwei saw her father, her strong will crumbled instantly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Wei'er!" Li Tianyou disregarded everything else, walked to his daughter's side, stood directly in front of her, tightly grasped her hand, looked her up and down, and asked in a choked voice, "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Did that bastard bully you?"
He asked one question after another, his concern evident in his words.
“Father, I’m alright… Luckily, the Prince arrived in time…” Li Zhiwei shook her head, but her tears flowed even more fiercely. “If the Prince hadn’t arrived in time… I would have…”
Recalling the harrowing experience, Li Zhiwei was still terrified, her body trembling slightly.
The old princess patted Li Zhiwei's back with heartache and said to Li Tianyou, "Don't worry, my dear father-in-law, the imperial physician has already come to see her. Zhiwei was just frightened and was given some calming soup. Poor child, she really suffered a lot this time! That damned Leng Qi is worse than a pig or a dog! And the Leng family, like father, like son, they deserve this retribution!"
Upon hearing this, Li Tianyou felt slightly relieved, but his anger immediately flared up: "The Leng family! I, Li Tianyou, will never let you get away with this!"
He turned to the old princess, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter, old princess! Your great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten!"
The old princess quickly stood up and helped Li Tianyou up, saying, "My dear in-law, please get up! We're family, no need for formalities. Zhiwei is the princess of my Prince An's mansion, it's only right that we protect her. But this old woman never expected that the Leng family would be so arrogant, daring to commit such an evil deed in broad daylight!"
At this moment, Prince An, Xu Heming, strode in. He had changed out of his court robes and was wearing a dark-colored casual robe. He looked tired, but his eyes were still sharp.
"Father-in-law." He first bowed to Li Tianyou with the respect due to a junior.
Li Tianyou immediately returned the greeting: "Your Highness! My daughter is deeply grateful for Your Highness's life-saving grace! Please accept my bow!" He then prepared to bow again.
Although he disliked Xu Heming's cold demeanor, last time it could be said that Xu Qingshi, a child, saved Li Zhiwei. This time, it was indeed Xu Heming who saved Li Zhiwei. Li Tianyou was a person who could distinguish right from wrong.
It's one thing for Xu Heming to covet his daughter, but it's quite another for Xu Jiaming to save her.
However, while he thanked him, the term "father-in-law" was rather offensive to him.
Xu Heming reached out and supported his arm: "Father-in-law, there's no need for such formalities. It was my negligence that allowed the thieves to take advantage of the situation, almost causing a major disaster. I also bear responsibility for not protecting Zhiwei properly."
Xu Heming's tone was filled with self-reproach. He hadn't expected that Leng Qi would be so bold as to kidnap someone at the palace gate.
"Your Highness, you must not say such a thing! If it weren't for Your Highness's brilliant strategy in finding Wei'er in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable..." Li Tianyou dared not imagine what would have happened if his daughter had been tricked by Leng Qi.
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