Chapter 101
"Your Majesty, Prince An's men are about to arrive at the palace gates," Eunuch Liu hurriedly added.
"How many carriages?" Zhu Jingchen's heart sank to the depths. He had always believed that Liu Zongcheng, though not particularly outstanding in the Ministry of Revenue, had never committed any major mistakes.
Now, the discovery of a massive hoard of gold in his residence—what did this imply?
Zhu Jingchen understood better than anyone.
Under his very nose, Liu Zongcheng had not only embezzled the people's silver but had done so on a grand scale.
"Your Majesty, Prince An has brought ten carriages, each carrying two large chests. Witnesses say the chests are filled with gold," Eunuch Liu reported, then cautiously glanced at Zhu Jingchen, unsure whether the emperor would erupt in anger.
"What else has Prince An done?"
Though furious, Zhu Jingchen's rage was directed at Liu Zongcheng for exploiting the people's wealth right under his watch—not at Xu Heming for uncovering and exposing the crime.
"Prince An had his men beat gongs and drums as they delivered the gold to the palace," Eunuch Liu quickly replied.
"That Xu Heming—does he think I’d let Liu Zongcheng off the hook?" Zhu Jingchen couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the audacity.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Eunuch Liu pressed anxiously.
"Summon Tang Xiuyong and Li Tianyou from the Ministry of Revenue to the palace," Zhu Jingchen ordered after a moment of seething.
After all, since this wealth had been extorted from the people, it must be returned to them.
He had already held a grudge against Liu Ruyan, and now, with Liu Zongcheng’s reckless actions, the Liu family had outlived its usefulness.
Meanwhile, news of Prince An delivering the massive cache of gold from the Liu family to the palace spread like wildfire through the capital.
When Li Tianyou received the news, he paused in thought before swiftly preparing to enter the palace.
"Father, is it safe to go to the palace now?" Li Zhiwei, who harbored deep reservations about the palace, couldn’t help but ask. To her, it was no place of goodwill.
"I’ll be fine. Stay in the residence with Qingshi, and be cautious. Qinghua, Qingyue—protect the young mistress and young master!" Li Tianyou instructed the two maids.
"Rest assured, Master! We will guard them with our lives!" Qinghua assured him.
She hadn’t wanted to change how she addressed them, but Li Zhiwei had insisted—either adapt or leave the Li Family. So she and Qiu Yue had complied.
"Qingshi, your grandfather must go to the palace now. You must take good care of your mother in my absence, understand?" Li Tianyou, still uneasy, turned to Xu Qingshi.
"Grandfather, don’t worry! I’ll protect Mother!" Xu Qingshi thumped his chest in earnest promise.
Elsewhere, Tianci, after flying through the air with Wei Herui for the tenth time, had finally reached his limit.
What kind of little lunatic was this?
And yet, he had indulged him ten times!
He wasn’t an ox—even the strongest would collapse from exhaustion.
"You’re the young master of the Wei Family, right?" Tianci eyed Wei Herui with a dark, unreadable gaze, confirming once more.
By now, Tianci was absolutely certain: his mother had beaten him simply because he was too unruly!
This little troublemaker should be returned to the Wei Family to torment his own parents!
After all, Tianci’s real target wasn’t him.
Having made up his mind, Tianci scooped Wei Herui up and strode off.
"Wah! I’m flying again! Higher, Uncle! Higher!" Wei Herui flailed his limbs in excitement, utterly oblivious to the fact that he’d been kidnapped.
Instead, he cheerfully commanded Tianci.
Gritting his teeth, Tianci finally located the Wei Family residence after much effort. Before anyone could react, he unceremoniously tossed Wei Herui into the courtyard.
"Uncle, I want to fly more!" Wei Herui, abruptly deprived of his airborne adventure, whined in protest.
He hadn’t yet realized he’d been returned to the home he’d worked so hard to escape.
"It’s the young master! The young master is back!" The butler was the first to react, shouting toward the house in disbelief.
"Butler Grandpa?" Wei Herui blinked in confusion. Hadn’t he just seen the butler earlier?
"Young master, you’ve returned!" The butler rushed over, overjoyed.
The old master and the master had both gone out searching—how had the boy returned on his own?
And without even entering through the main gate?
"Herui! My Herui!" Lin Ziyi stumbled out at the news, her tear-streaked face lighting up at the sight of her son—unharmed, though dressed in unfamiliar clothes. She pulled him into a tight embrace, sobbing.
"Mother..." Wei Herui stiffened in dread. Was she going to hit him again?
Panicking, he cried out, "Uncle! Save me!"
"What uncle?" Lin Ziyi wiped her tears, bewildered.
"The really strong uncle who took me flying!" Wei Herui explained excitedly.
Meanwhile, after much inquiry, Tianci finally learned that Xu Qingshi had gone to the Li Family in West Willow Lane.
But the moment he set foot in the Li Family courtyard, he was spotted—not only by the hidden guards Xu Heming had left behind for protection but also by Qinghua and Qingyue.
Qinghua signaled to Qingyue: she would handle the intruder while Qingyue guarded their charges.
Qingyue nodded in agreement.
Working seamlessly, they swiftly subdued Tianci.
Tianci was humiliated. His pride in his lightness skill meant nothing against these two women.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Li Zhiwei frowned. She was certain she didn’t recognize this man.
The Li Family had always upheld benevolence and rarely made enemies.
"Hmph! Do what you will!" Tianci turned his face away defiantly. He’d been caught—no excuses.
"Speak! Who sent you? What’s your purpose?" Qinghua tightened her grip, furious.
"I came for him." Tianci jerked his chin toward Xu Qingshi.
"Me? Why me? I don’t know you!" Xu Qingshi pointed at himself, baffled.
"Someone ordered me to kidnap you to threaten Prince An. I went to Prince An’s residence but grabbed the wrong kid," Tianci admitted grudgingly.
"Who did you take instead?" Xu Qingshi wondered. There weren’t any other children his age in Prince An’s household.
Unless he’d mistakenly taken a servant’s child—but servants’ children wouldn’t be in the main courtyard.
"A boy named Wei Herui." Tianci’s jaw clenched at the memory.
Learning that Wei Herui had suffered unjustly in Xu Qingshi’s stead, Li Zhiwei recalled Lin Ziyi’s recent visit.
"Qingshi, since you and Young Master Wei are around the same age, and he endured this ordeal in your place, we should select some gifts he’d like and visit him. What do you think?" Li Zhiwei suggested gently.
"Great, Mother! I know exactly what Wei Herui likes!" Xu Qingshi's eyes lit up as a brilliant idea struck him.
