Chapter Forty-One
Upon hearing the news, Leng Zhen immediately sat up, her heart sinking as all drowsiness vanished.
"What happened to my father? Why isn’t he allowed in here to speak?" she demanded sharply, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
In the depths of the imperial palace, aside from the emperor’s favor, her father Leng Chaozong was her greatest pillar of support. He absolutely could not be in danger.
Xiuzhu hurried out to summon the young eunuch inside.
"What happened to my father?" Leng Zhen pressed, her gaze fixed on the eunuch.
The eunuch hastily bowed to the Noble Consort before gasping out his reply, "Your Highness, this servant just heard that His Majesty flew into a rage during the court assembly and ordered… ordered the Prime Minister to be thrown into the imperial prison!"
"What?!" Leng Zhen threw off the embroidered quilt, her bare feet hitting the cold floor as her face turned deathly pale. "Is this true? Why would His Majesty suddenly imprison my father? What crime has he committed?"
She couldn’t believe it. Her father wielded immense power at court, and even the emperor had always treated him with respect. What could have provoked such a drastic move, with no regard for past loyalty?
"This servant… this servant doesn’t know the details. As soon as I heard, I rushed to inform Your Highness," the eunuch stammered, his head bowing even lower.
"Go and find out! Immediately! I need to know everything!" Leng Zhen shrieked, throwing Xiuzhu Palace into chaos.
Her heart was heavy. Her father could not afford to fall at this moment.
No matter what, she had to find a way to save him.
"Xiuzhu, prepare my attire. I must see His Majesty at once!"
In a secluded courtyard adjacent to the Leng residence—
Leng Qi had long lost patience with the stubborn woman before him, Li Zhiwei.
Chuntao’s attempts at persuasion had been futile. This woman kept insisting she was the Princess Consort of An, as if she had lost her mind.
"A merchant’s daughter will always be a merchant’s daughter—can’t even tell a convincing lie," Leng Qi sneered, advancing step by step toward her. "Princess Consort of An? If you’re the Princess Consort, then I’m the Emperor! Stop dreaming. Submit to me, and you’ll be rewarded."
Li Zhiwei retreated until her back hit the cold wall, leaving her no escape.
Despair and terror filled her eyes as her hand stealthily reached for the sharp hairpin hidden in her locks.
Even if it meant death, she would not suffer this humiliation!
"Stay away from me!" Her voice shook, but her resolve was unyielding.
"Hmph, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit," Leng Qi scoffed, his patience gone as he reached out to grab her.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard, seemingly coming from the Leng residence next door.
Leng Qi paused, frowning. "What’s going on? What’s Du Cheng doing, making such a racket?"
Chuntao, quick-witted, immediately offered, "Young Master, let me check."
She scurried out of the room, but as soon as she reached the gate, she heard a clamor of voices and the clanging of armor from the Leng estate.
Her heart lurched as she cracked the gate open to peek outside—only to see rows of imperial guards, clad in gleaming armor, flooding into the Leng residence, led by none other than Prince An, Xu Heming!
Chuntao nearly fainted from terror, stumbling back inside with a shrill cry, "Y-Young Master! Disaster! Soldiers—so many soldiers—have stormed our estate! They’re arresting people!"
"What?!" Leng Qi’s face finally paled.
Arrests?
The Leng family being targeted?
What about Father?
Had Father been implicated in some crime, warranting a raid?
His first thought was that his father’s political enemies had struck, but how could this happen without warning?
At the mention of "soldiers," hope flared in Li Zhiwei’s eyes.
Had Xu Heming come to rescue her?
Or had her father pleaded with the emperor to send help?
She lifted her head and screamed, "Help! Someone, help!"
Leng Qi snapped out of his daze, fury and panic warring within him as he backhanded her across the face. "Shut up, you wretch!"
His mind was in turmoil—concerned for his family, yet terrified her cries might draw the soldiers’ attention.
Though this courtyard was well-hidden, it wouldn’t remain safe if a full-scale search began.
"Could she really be…?" A horrifying thought struck him like a bolt of ice.
He stared at Li Zhiwei, his expression flickering between doubt and dread.
If she truly was the Princess Consort of An…
And he had kidnapped her…
No!
Impossible!
Leng Qi dismissed the idea at once. Why would the Princess Consort of An wander the streets alone, dressed so plainly?
It had to be a coincidence. His father must have run afoul of some other political storm!
"Young Master, what do we do now?" Chuntao was on the verge of collapse from fear.
"Calm down!" Leng Qi forced composure, though his trembling hands betrayed him. "They won’t find this place so easily! We’ll wait and see!"
His priority now was to learn what had truly happened outside—what disaster had befallen his father.
Meanwhile, Li Zhiwei clutched her stinging cheek, tears welling but unshed as she bit her lip and stayed silent. Her grip on the hairpin tightened.
Hope lay just beyond these walls. She had to survive.
In her heart, she prayed fervently—Xu Heming would find her soon.
In the palace, the Hall of Golden Chimes remained steeped in suffocating tension.
Zhu Jingchen sat upon the dragon throne, his expression unreadable as his fingers drummed the armrest with a rhythmic, ominous thud—each tap striking fear into the hearts of the assembled ministers.
Li Tianyou was beside himself with worry. His daughter was missing, her fate unknown, while the Leng family, the likely culprits, seemed entangled in some greater scheme that had enraged the emperor.
Torn between fear for his child and confusion over the political upheaval, he felt utterly lost.
Time crawled by, each second an eternity.
Finally, a guard rushed into the hall and knelt to report, "Your Majesty, Prince An has surrounded the Leng estate and is conducting a search. However… there is still no sign of Lady Li. The Leng steward claims Leng Qi has not returned home."
"Not found?" Zhu Jingchen’s brow furrowed. "Leng Qi isn’t at home? Then where is he? Tear the place apart if you must, but find him!"
Just then, another eunuch hurried in with a secret missive.
Eunuch Liu took it, scanned the contents, and paled before presenting it to the emperor.
Zhu Jingchen unfolded the message, his expression darkening further as he read.
The report detailed Leng Qi’s usual tactics—feigning innocence while hiding his victims in plain sight. The true location where he stashed women was likely a private residence right next to the Leng estate!
"That scheming Leng Qi! That treacherous Leng family!" Zhu Jingchen laughed coldly in his fury. "Liu Jin, dispatch men at once to surround the house next to the Leng estate! Not a single fly escapes! What is Xu Heming doing, missing something right under his nose?!"
"At once, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Liu wiped his brow and rushed to relay the orders.
The ministers exchanged horrified glances.
So the emperor’s sudden move against the Leng family was because Leng Qi had kidnapped Lady Li!
And Lady Li—could she truly be connected to Prince An?
