A chill ran down Wei San's spine. She looked at Pan Heng and realized he didn't seem to be lying. Suddenly, she shivered.
When she returned in her carriage, she discovered that the people surrounding her residence were government soldiers, not ordinary guards, and she immediately began to panic.
When she saw the Pan family father and son there, she subconsciously assumed they were there because of the broken engagement that morning.
Pan Heng was, after all, the eldest son of the Minister of Rites. He agreed to annul the engagement in the morning, but felt ashamed when he thought about it that night. So he did not hesitate to send troops over without authorization to threaten her parents and renew the engagement!
They even deliberately brought up the emperor, trying to put the Wei family in their place. She was furious at the time!
But now...
Pan Heng actually said that the Wei family's property was confiscated by order of the emperor, and that the Pan family father and son were just following orders!
The world spun before her eyes, and Miss Wei almost lost her balance, but her maidservant caught her in time.
Her anger was gradually replaced by fear, the turmoil in her heart gradually subsided, and the cries in her ears slowly became clearer.
She grabbed the maid's arm, her fingertips almost digging into the maid's flesh. "Go in and see what's going on."
"Oh, okay, I'll go right now." The maid had also heard the commotion inside, which was quite frightening. She stammered as she turned to run away and almost tripped.
Miss Wei leaned against the wall, shrinking into herself, gripped by extreme fear, yet unwilling to believe it was true.
The cries came from the mansion, heart-wrenching and piercing her eardrums and her heart.
Suddenly, she rushed over and grabbed Pan Heng's arm, questioning him: "Why? Why is the Emperor searching my Wei residence? I must be dreaming. You are bad people, deliberately creating nightmares for me!"
“My father has served as an official for many years and has never made a mistake. He is highly valued by the Emperor. Why would the Emperor search my Wei residence?”
Pan Heng said, "Your father, Wei Jingtong, is an honest official, but that's just a facade. In reality, he is corrupt and accepts bribes. The amount of silver alone that has been counted is as high as 50 million taels, not to mention the other jewelry and jade artifacts, which are even more valuable."
"The stolen goods were hidden in Jingzhou Villa, where your father kept several beauties. The Emperor has already sent people to dig up the stolen goods and arrest all those beauties. The evidence of your father's embezzlement and bribery is conclusive. Therefore, the Emperor has ordered a search of the entire Wei family and all related personnel of the Wei family to be sent to prison!"
"Impossible! Impossible! I don't believe it. My father only ever had one woman, my mother. He never lusted after women!"
"You're lying to me! Because I broke off the engagement, causing your Pan family to lose face, so you're lying to me!"
"You planted the stolen goods beforehand to frame my father! To kill my whole family! How cruel you are! I curse you to die a horrible death, and to go to the eighteenth level of hell!"
Pan Heng frowned, raised his hand, and said to the soldiers who stepped forward, "This is the third daughter of the Wei family. Take her down and send her to prison with the Wei family to await the Emperor's judgment."
The soldiers walked toward Miss Wei and captured her.
Miss Wei struggled violently: "You can't arrest me! My father was framed. Everyone knows he is honest and upright. How could he possibly embezzle and accept bribes!"
"Pan Heng, you bastard! How dare you frame my father! If my father ever overturns the verdict, I will tear you to pieces!"
Pan Heng's expression turned cold. He stopped looking at Miss Wei and said directly to the soldiers, "Take her away. If she continues to speak recklessly, shut her up."
Many members of the Wei family, like the Third Miss, believed that Wei Jingtong could not possibly have embezzled or accepted bribes. However, when the imperial edict ordering the confiscation of property was read out, Wei Jingtong was the first to kneel down, without even offering any explanation.
Some members of the Wei family thought that he was innocent and didn't need to explain himself, but when the soldiers dug out a box of gold from Wei Jingtong's private outhouse, they finally quieted down and wept silently.
The raid on the Wei family and the arrest of the entire family caused quite a stir, attracting many neighbors who came to watch the spectacle. They were all shocked, surprised, and speechless.
Pan Yuanzhou and his son, acting on the emperor's orders, led soldiers to search the Wei family's property; this was kept completely secret.
Prince Ding was completely unaware of this. When the Wei family's property was searched, he was on his way to the palace in a carriage.
However, he had barely entered the palace and had not yet had a chance to pay his respects to the emperor when the empress sent someone to summon him to the Phoenix Palace.
Prince Ding asked the nanny, "How did Mother Empress know that I would be going to the palace tonight? And why was she in such a hurry to summon me? Has something important happened?"
The old nanny looked very nervous, and Prince Ding also became nervous. The old nanny was a long-time servant of the Empress, and she would not be like this unless it was something important.
As she walked, the old nanny looked around and listened carefully: "Indeed, something important has happened. Your Highness should go see the Empress first. I dare not say more, for fear that the walls may have ears."
Prince Ding pursed his lips and followed Granny Dai into Fengwu Palace. After he paid his respects to the Empress, Granny Dai immediately cleared the room, leaving only him and the Empress inside.
Prince Ding asked, "Why did Your Majesty summon me in such a hurry?"
The Empress grasped his hand, her voice trembling slightly, and said, "Something terrible has happened. The bandits we arranged to kidnap Princess Rongqing were killed in a counterattack when they were preparing to massacre the town. Moreover, this person even saved Princess Rongqing."
Prince Ding already knew about Princess Rongqing's rescue, but he didn't know who was responsible. When he received the news, he sent people to investigate, but there has been no news yet.
He's busy with the matter of annulling the engagement with Ye Qingxue, and hasn't yet asked his subordinates if they've found out anything.
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