"I just saw it and asked casually."
Her brother's luck was incredibly good. It wasn't in vain that he had pursued her for a year; now he finally got what he wished for.
"Hmm, I'm hanging up."
After ending the call, Feng Qingyi went to the supermarket for a quick shopping trip before returning to the villa.
A message from Feng Qingci also arrived.
[Feng Qingci: What did you want to talk to me about?]
[Qingyi: Nothing much, just wondering what you've been up to lately?]
[Feng Qingci: I'm working at Xi's father's company.]
[Qingyi: Wow, you've really made yourself at home there. Impressive!]
[Feng Qingci: Do you want to come to Xi's house for dinner tonight?]
[Qingyi: Dinner? At Xi's house?]
She wondered if he had started treating Xi's house as his own, freeloading there every day!
[Feng Qingci: Xi and I are having dinner at her place tonight. You're welcome to join if you're free.]
[Qingyi: Don't tell me you've been eating at Xi's house every day lately!]
[Feng Qingci: Not every day. On weekends after work, I go back with her uncle.]
[Qingyi: ...You're really making yourself too comfortable there!]
She felt that if it weren't for his daily classes making it inconvenient to come and go, he'd probably run to Xi's house every day if he could.
[Feng Qingci: Are you jealous of me? Xi's family treats me very well. You can't be jealous. Have you broken up with that Qin guy?]
[Qingyi: ...Can't you wish me well for once?]
[Feng Qingci: Are you coming for dinner tonight or not?]
[Qingyi: No, no, you enjoy your family dinner!]
Not only was he freeloading every day, but he also wanted to drag her along. He might not care about saving face, but she did!
After refusing the dinner invitation, Feng Qingyi suddenly thought of Qin Yuchuan.
She hadn't received any messages from him in the past few days. He had told her in advance that he would be very busy during this time and wouldn't be able to keep in touch, asking her to take good care of herself.
She wondered what he was doing now, and if he was injured.
He was the commander-in-chief, the one giving orders. He shouldn't need to be on the front lines unless it was absolutely necessary, so he should be fine, Feng Qingyi reassured herself.
Feng Qingyi didn't know much about ancient warfare, so she specifically searched online for information.
However, the more she read online, the more terrifying it seemed, making her feel uneasy.
So she stopped reading and decided to wait until he had time to explain it to her himself.
...
At the end of March, while the Empress Dowager was returning to the capital and passing through Spirit Channel, she was ambushed and kidnapped by bandits.
All of her entourage were killed, and the Empress Dowager's whereabouts were unknown.
When Xuanyuan Sheng learned of this, he flew into a rage and sent people to investigate thoroughly, but to no avail.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is blessed by heaven. She will surely turn misfortune into fortune," Murong Yan comforted Xuanyuan Sheng from the side.
Xuanyuan Sheng's mood calmed slightly. "Qi Tan, send more people to investigate. We must find out the Empress Dowager's whereabouts."
Qi Tan replied, "This servant will send people to investigate right away!"
Xuanyuan Sheng said, "No matter the cost, we must find the Empress Dowager's whereabouts. Bring her back alive if possible, or at least recover her body if not."
This incident gave Xuanyuan Sheng an uneasy feeling, as if some things were beyond his control.
It made no sense that mere bandits would dare to kidnap the Empress Dowager and kill her entourage.
There was only one possibility: these bandits had acted deliberately, wanting to get something from him.
Spirit Channel was a two-day journey from Shengjing, and the area was quite remote and desolate.
In the dungeon of Spirit Channel, the once elegantly dressed Empress Dowager now had disheveled hair and clothes covered in dust.
"Who sent you? I am the Empress Dowager. If you don't release me, His Majesty will not let you off!"
"Release me!"
"..."
The Empress Dowager was not old, only in her forties. Due to her good care, she showed no signs of aging.
The dungeon was empty, and no one responded to her shouts.
Outside the dungeon, Ming Jiu followed Xuanyuan Yan.
"Master, didn't you say you wanted to kill her? Why haven't you done it yet?"
Xuanyuan Yan smiled and said, "Before killing her, if we can profit from this, wouldn't that be even better?"
"Ming Jiu, keep her under close watch. Don't send her any food for the next few days. Ignore whatever she says, just keep her barely alive."
"As for Xuanyuan Sheng, set the price at fifty million taels of gold. Send someone to deliver the message."
He was looking forward to seeing this display of filial piety. Let's see if he's willing to pay up.
"Master, I don't think His Majesty can come up with fifty million taels of gold."
Xuanyuan Yan replied, "He certainly can't afford fifty million, but he can manage twenty million."
"Have people spread this news widely in Shengjing, forcing him to face it. He will surely send someone to negotiate. We can lower the price appropriately then. Either way, we'll make a profit."
Ming Jiu said, "I'll send someone to deliver the message right away."
When the message was delivered to the palace, Xuanyuan Sheng flew into another rage.
This was clearly an outrageous demand. He couldn't come up with fifty million taels of gold, let alone even ten million.
Tianqi had been at war for years, and the national treasury was already depleted. There was simply no spare money.
The hostage was the current Empress Dowager, his own mother. He couldn't possibly not rescue her, but where to get the money was a problem.
"Qi Tan, do you have any good ideas?" In his desperation, Xuanyuan Sheng looked at Qi Tan beside him. He often gave advice and was quite capable.
Qi Tan said, "This old servant thinks Your Majesty should rescue the Empress Dowager, or it will damage the royal family's reputation."
"Do I need you to tell me that? I'm asking about the fifty million taels of gold."
Usually quite clever, how could he be so unhelpful at this critical moment?
"...Why don't we write a letter to negotiate the price down?"
He was just a minor eunuch, how come he was being asked for advice on everything now?
He actually just wanted to play dumb while knowing full well what was going on, but he really had no solution for this situation!
He didn't know what his master was thinking. Could it be that they were short on funds and wanted to make some money from this?
They didn't even notify him before taking action. How was he supposed to know what his master's intentions were?
Presumably, since they had set a price, they must want to make some money. If they couldn't get fifty million, a little less should be fine too. After all, it was all profit. It would be even better if he could get a share of it later.
"Negotiate the price down?" Xuanyuan Sheng had never heard this term before.
Qi Tan explained, "Negotiating the price down means telling them that the price is too high and we can't afford it. We send someone to discuss with them and see if they can lower the price."
"Get out!" Xuanyuan Sheng waved his hand, dismissing Qi Tan.
How dare they treat the Empress Dowager like a commodity, even trying to haggle over the price.
His royal mother must be rescued, but if these people wanted the money, they'd have to fight for it with their lives.
If he ever found out who was behind this, he would tear them to pieces.
Qi Tan hastily retreated. This was the only plan they had now, and it should align with what the master intended.
