20demayo Chapter 439 The Prince's Wedding
Chapter 439 The Prince's Wedding
"Master, Madam! Look, this is what I found by the courtyard wall this morning!"
"what?"
Lin Shenxuan took the dumpling wrapped in cabbage leaves from the butler. Inside was a tattered cloth.
"Sir, what is this?"
Lin Shenxuan opened the tattered cloth and his eyes widened instantly.
"Madam, Qi'er is saved! This is a message from one of my underlings who infiltrated the prince's residence. He has found the exact location where the sons of officials are being held."
"The Crown Prince's wedding tomorrow will definitely be used as a pretext. Now that we know this, we can make arrangements in advance. Not only will we not be at the mercy of others, but our son will also be safe."
Madam Lin was both surprised and delighted. "Really? Sir, how is our son doing? Have your men said anything?"
The scrap of cloth was only the size of a palm, so of course you couldn't write many words on it.
However, since the eldest prince intends to use hostages to threaten court officials, at least the lives of these young masters and nobles are not in danger; they will simply suffer some hardship.
"That wasn't mentioned, but don't worry, Madam, your son is safe and sound. We'll find the imperial physician to give him a proper makeover when he returns."
These past few days, putting everything else aside, he must have ingested quite a bit of that poison that makes one's limbs weak. I can't let my son ruin the rest of his life because of this.
Madam Lin nodded fiercely. These damned bastards definitely did not treat her Qi'er well. Once these evildoers are arrested, they will make them pay tenfold or a hundredfold!
"Alright, sir, what should we do next? Why don't you have someone rescue our son tonight? We already know where he's being held."
"Alas, Madam, it's not feasible for now. We mustn't alert them. Rescuing our son alone is not difficult, but the challenge lies in keeping the entire Crown Prince's residence a secret."
Even if the people in the First Prince's residence don't find out, do you think the other officials' sons who are also imprisoned won't make a fuss? People are selfish, aren't they?
Madam Lin thought about it again and realized that it made sense. With more than a dozen people locked up together, it was impossible for the master to rescue them all at once. If he only rescued his own son, the others would definitely riot.
"Alas, Master's concerns are justified. I have oversimplified the matter. I am just afraid that things might change if things drag on and something unexpected happens to our son."
"Don't worry, Madam. I will have someone keep an eye on Qi'er. If anything goes wrong, don't worry about anything else. Qi'er's safety is the priority."
Only after hearing her husband's words did Madam Lin feel at ease, but she could not truly feel at ease until her son came home.
Another day and night had to pass, which felt like a year to Madam Lin.
The eldest prince, who was preparing to marry a princess, also felt that the time was too long.
A month ago, he hinted to his father and mother that he wanted them to come and support him at his wedding, but neither his father nor the empress gave a clear answer.
However, he had made two preparations, and even if his father did not come, he would still be the biggest winner of this wedding.
In just one day, the格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall structure or political landscape) of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be rewritten...
Lin Qi heard more footsteps in the underground cell where he was being held. In the dark and gloomy underground chamber, he could only tell the time by sound.
The quiet times are nighttime, while the sounds of footsteps and wheels rolling are daytime.
After having another extra-extra lunch, Lin Qi felt that he wouldn't feel much pain even if he cut off his limbs; his whole body was almost numb.
These people's medications are really strong; I wonder if accumulating so many doses will leave any side effects.
Lin Qi changed his mind and decided not to eat the rest of the food; he wouldn't die from going hungry for a few meals.
If I have the chance to get out, I can't be a cripple in my next life. I shouldn't give up my martial arts skills. I'll starve myself for a few days and eat less poison. Maybe then I can still be saved.
If I remember correctly, Mingfei's medical skills are quite good. Sigh... my good brother probably doesn't even know he's been kidnapped.
If I knew... well, it's better not to know.
The children of officials are imprisoned here, and from the guards, we can roughly guess the Crown Prince's purpose.
If Mingfei knew, it would just be another person added to the household.
At this time, Jiang Mingfei and Jiang Xiaoqi, who were being thought of, had already received several messages sent by carrier pigeon.
"Heh~ So it's that annoying eldest prince who's up to no good."
However, this method of causing trouble is far too despicable!
Jiang Xiaoqi decided to go to the Ministry of War's residence. He wondered how Minister Lin planned to save his son. If needed, he could lend a hand!
As the moon set and the sun rose, the eldest prince finally saw the day he had been waiting for.
The palace servants sent by the inner palace were all assigned to work in the outer courtyard by the chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence, while the inner courtyard was staffed entirely by the Crown Prince's own people.
The palace servants, of course, wouldn't say anything. Since they were there to help, they would do whatever arrangements were made.
After all, the person leading the team from the inner palace was just a low-ranking nanny with no power or influence, and had no way to interfere in anything at the First Prince's residence.
The eldest prince, dressed in wedding attire, paced back and forth in the mansion with a smug smile on his face, waiting for the auspicious hour to arrive.
As a prince, he naturally didn't need to personally ride a tall horse to fetch his bride; his household officials would take care of it for him.
Along the way, the wedding procession was extremely grand, without the fanfare and music typical of ordinary weddings; only solemn and dignified drum music accompanied them.
The wedding procession stopped in front of the residence of a fourth-rank civil official. Instead of blocking the gate, they respectfully allowed the person in charge to enter.
There were no lively or awkward moments, no poems to urge the bride to get ready, and before half an incense stick had burned out, the bride was carried onto the sedan chair by the matchmaker.
The "Wealthy and Joyful Bride," carried by eight men, was gently lifted off the ground, and the wedding procession, stretching for miles, gave the prince's principal wife ample prestige.
However, the process was too procedural and the atmosphere too quiet, which made it feel a little impersonal.
The wedding procession returned to the First Prince's residence in a grand procession. The First Prince did not stand at the gate to greet them.
The official in charge of the Prince's residence was the one who greeted the bridal sedan chair. Only after seeing the sedan chair arrive did the official slowly turn around and report.
They seemed completely unconcerned that the bride would be waiting in vain in front of the mansion.
The bride was carried into the First Prince's residence by the matchmaker without her feet touching the ground, but of course, she entered through the main gate.
Just as the bride was being carried into the mansion, the spies that Lin Shenxuan had already arranged took advantage of the fact that everyone in the mansion was focused on welcoming the bride to quietly sneak towards the place where the sons of officials were being held.
We can hold off on rescuing people for now, but we must first secure advantageous terrain and not give the other side a chance to act desperately.
Jiang Xiaoqi's face was too conspicuous, so she had no choice but to spend five points to buy a human skin mask from the system shop.
After wetting it with warm water, apply it to your face like a face mask and wait for it to air dry. You'll end up with an average face that you wouldn't notice in a crowd.
After changing into a neat short-sleeved outfit, she followed the procession carrying the dowry into the inner courtyard of the First Prince's residence with an air of nonchalance...