Xi Daniu flew into a rage and immediately had the people in the estate roused from their sleep to ask what had happened to the orchard.
The group of people who had been awakened all wore blank expressions. The orchard had vanished into thin air in the time it took them to sleep?
The steward of the estate hurriedly explained when he saw the furious look on Xi Daniu’s face. “The Hereditary Prince, this old servant truly has no idea what happened. The orchard was perfectly fine when I went to bed last night. I even inspected everything on the estate and prepared a batch of goods to be sent to the duke’s residence. Yet after just one night, everything vanished without a trace. It must have been those thieves from last time.”
“Thieves? What thieves?” Xi Daniu had only just returned and knew nothing about the An Guo Duke’s residence being completely robbed.
The steward tearfully recounted the recent misfortunes that had befallen Duke Anguo’s residence. Xi Daniu and the guards beside him were all left utterly shocked.
Even the people from Cheng Village were filled with astonishment. The capital certainly didn’t seem very peaceful. A duke’s residence could actually be robbed clean.
Cheng Dingxiang was especially worried. It looked as though Duke Anguo’s residence had run out of money. Would Xi Daniu still be willing to support all of them?
After hearing everything, Xi Daniu’s face turned livid. He instructed the steward to take good care of the people from Cheng Village, then mounted a swift horse and led his men back to the capital.
On the way, he encountered messengers from several other estates. They tearfully described the miserable state of their own estates, and only then did everyone realize that more than one estate had been robbed.
When Xi Daniu hurried back to Duke Anguo’s residence, the scene inside left him dumbfounded. Hearing the steward describe it was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another. He immediately quickened his pace toward Duke Anguo’s courtyard.
Along the way, the servants respectfully bowed and called out, “The Hereditary Prince!”
Xi Daniu waved them away and walked straight into Duke Anguo’s courtyard.
The servants had already hurried to report his return, and Duke Anguo and Duchess An were waiting for him in the main hall.
“Your son pays his respects to Father and Mother!” Xi Daniu knelt before the two elders and respectfully kowtowed.
“Quickly, get up. You must be exhausted from the journey. Why didn’t you rest first after returning?” Duchess An helped him to his feet with a look of concern.
Duke Anguo assumed that Xi Daniu had brought the two children back and asked with a smile, “Are you here to tell us about the two children? Did you bring them back?”
Xi Daniu sighed and shook his head. “Alas, I returned too late. On the way, I ran into people from the village, and they told me the children had been burned to death in a fire. I brought Second Younger Brother’s wife and the others back. Erniu is dead, so I have to look after his family somehow.”
Duke Anguo merely shook his head and sighed upon hearing this. “Perhaps this was simply their fate. You cannot be blamed.”
Duchess An, who was sitting to one side, also felt it was a pity. “What a shame. I thought I would soon have two more granddaughters. Unfortunately, they’re gone. Let’s go to the temple another day and have memorial tablets made for them. It will be the least we can do.”
Xi Daniu hesitated for a moment before solemnly telling them about the estate. “Father, Mother, I had planned to settle those people at the estate outside the capital. But when I went there just now, I discovered that everything had been stolen. Even the orchard vanished overnight. I hurried back because of this matter.”
When the Hereditary Prince’s return reached her ears, the Hereditary Princess Consort hurried to the entrance. She happened to hear those words and immediately felt her vision go dark before fainting.
Inside the main hall, Duchess An also collapsed into her chair without warning. The servants cried out in alarm and hurried to send for a physician.
Most of the imperial physicians had been summoned by Lu Shiwan to the Ninth Princess’s residence, so it was difficult to request one.
The maids and old matrons quickly helped Duchess An and the Hereditary Princess Consort to the inner room and laid them on the beds, then waited anxiously for the physician to arrive.
Duke Anguo was so furious that he wanted to slam his palm down on the table. But when he remembered that the table had only just been purchased, he restrained himself. They could not afford to destroy anything else.
Suddenly, he recalled that their residence was not the only one to have been robbed. He immediately summoned a young servant. “Go out and find out which other officials’ estates have been completely robbed besides ours. Make sure you investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The servant accepted the order and hurried away.
At that moment, Xi Daniu spoke again. “Father, at the city gate I encountered several families whose estates had also been robbed. There was the household of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the household of the Judicial Assistant of the Court of Judicial Review…”
He went on to name several more residences. Duke Anguo’s brows furrowed slightly when he heard the names.
These seemed to be the very families whose sons had fallen into the latrine and died. For some reason, they had hated those two children just as much as he did and had joined him in court in demanding that the children be arrested. How could it be such a coincidence?
Seeing him lost in thought, Xi Daniu asked, filled with confusion, “Father, is something wrong?”
The steward at the estate had only given him a brief account. He had not gone into detail, merely mentioning that Duke Anguo had inexplicably been beaten with the cangue and that many residences had been completely robbed. Xi Daniu had been in a hurry to return and had not asked further questions.
Duke Anguo glanced at his son, who had just returned, and then recounted everything that had happened in the capital recently.
When Xi Daniu heard about the two children, he sighed inwardly. They were about the same age as his own two daughters, though they were probably not as well-behaved as his girls. What a pity that they were already gone.
“Father, there’s clearly something wrong here,” Xi Daniu said. “The moment you proposed arresting those two children, our estate was robbed. Someone is deliberately taking revenge on us. It may have been the Seventh Princess, or perhaps someone from the Ninth Princess’s household.”
Xi Daniu did not believe such a coincidence was possible. Being robbed once might be understandable, but being robbed twice—and having everything taken so thoroughly—could only have been done by someone with power and influence like a princess. How could ordinary people possibly have such ability?
Duke Anguo nodded. “I think so too, but we have no evidence. We can’t exactly send people to search a princess’s residence. Besides, they wouldn’t hide the stolen goods inside their own residence. This matter will be difficult to handle.”
Xi Daniu thought for a moment before immediately rising to his feet. “Father, Mother fainted just now, so she may be unwell. I’ll go to the Ninth Princess’s residence and ask for an imperial physician to come over. I can also take the opportunity to see what is happening there.”
Duke Anguo’s eyes lit up at once. Indeed, this was a good excuse to visit the Ninth Princess’s residence. Even in the worst case, they could at least bring back an imperial physician.
“Go, then. Be careful with your words. Getting an imperial physician to examine your mother and your wife is the priority. Take a capable guard with you.”
“Your son understands. Don’t worry, Father.”
And so, Xi Daniu, who had only just returned to the capital, prepared to leave the residence once more.
At the Ninth Princess’s residence.
Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan were sleeping soundly, with no sign that either of them intended to wake up.
The servants, having received their instructions beforehand, did not disturb them. Mu Jin had even arranged for people to guard their courtyard, fearing that some foolish person might go in and wake them. These were the two children beloved by the princess, and they absolutely could not be neglected.
Luo Ling, however, was filled with shock and confusion. She had heard that many estates outside the capital had been completely robbed.
Sitting beside Lu Qianning’s bed, she scratched her head with both hands, utterly unable to understand it. How could so many coincidences possibly happen?
Yesterday, Xi Qingyue had her write down the addresses of numerous estates. Today, so many of them had been completely robbed. She suspected the two little rascals were responsible, but then remembered that they were still asleep in their room and decided it was unlikely.
The orchard held far more than a few dozen—or even a few hundred—trees. How could two children possibly have pulled off something on such a massive scale?
