The Double-Chapter 635 - 191 On the Way_2

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Consort Li’s affair with Prince Cheng was indeed a scandal of the Imperial Family, and it was not to be publicized, yet in just one night, the news spread throughout Yanjing City.

Nobody knew who started the rumor, but suddenly, the whole city was abuzz. The soldiers sealed off the Ji family’s residence and took away all its members; seeing this, the commoners realized that the rumors were most likely true.

It was said that Empress Dowager Liu had been imprisoned in the palace; after all, this was a major crime of treason committed by Prince Cheng, and his birth mother couldn’t escape involvement. Then came the arrest of Prince Cheng, but whether he had advance warning or not, his manservants and maids were still there, including his concubines. However, Prince Cheng himself was nowhere to be found.

Or rather, he had already fled.

Yanjing City was immediately thrown into chaos, and the people naturally blamed this adulterous couple. Looking back over the past year, it seems that many events could not escape the term ’illicit affair.’ It all started with Ji Shuran’s case, followed by Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong, and then Prince Cheng and Consort Li.

But as the rumors spread among the commoners, they began to say that Prince Cheng must have long harbored the intent to rebel, which was why he committed such a grave disrespect. Now that he had fled, it was supposedly to prepare for a rebellion.

The rumor sounded plausible and left the citizens terrified and the imperial court officials feeling insecure.

At the Right Chancellor’s Residence, Li Zhongnan said angrily, "That wretched Hongxiao is forcing Prince Cheng to rebel ahead of time!"

"Father," Li Lian said, "wasn’t Prince Cheng already planning to rebel ahead of time?"

"Being fully prepared and being suddenly forced are naturally different," spoke Li Xian. Li Xian’s expression was dark and ominous, a stark contrast to the humble smiles he usually wore. Although his appearance had not changed, he seemed like a completely different person. He said, "It seems the Emperor was well-prepared in advance; Consort Li’s matter is just a smokescreen."

"He has long known about the affair between Consort Li and Prince Cheng, yet he kept Consort Li and pretended ignorance, merely waiting for this moment to justify his attack on Prince Cheng. This lad is cunning; I underestimated him!" Li Zhongnan said resentfully.

"Father, we should think about what we are going to do now," Li Xian said. "Prince Cheng has now fled, and his plans must have changed slightly. If we stay in Yanjing City, the Emperor may soon take action against us. It’s time to prepare."

"No need to rush," Li Zhongnan calmed down and said, "The Emperor currently doesn’t dare to act against us. With so many of our people in the imperial court, he won’t make a move without certainty. I think we should first try to make contact with Prince Cheng. He is outside Yanjing City, and he still needs us as his eyes."

Li Xian looked pensive.

Li Zhongnan saw this and patted Li Xian’s shoulder, "Xian’er, don’t worry about the matter with Princess Yongning; your father hasn’t forgotten. Although this time I am assisting Prince Cheng, I won’t let him get his way so easily. Our Li family must play a pivotal role in this major event!"

Li Xian smiled and said, "I’ll leave everything to father’s decision."

...

Outside Yanjing City, a horse carriage was speeding along.

The carriage looked just like any other ordinary one, the kind regularly used by travelers. Inside sat two women and a man, the women dressed as peasant wives and the man, wearing a headscarf, appeared to be a businessman.

The older woman seemed to be the man’s wife; they sat on either side of the younger woman, sandwiching her between them.

The person seated in the middle was Jiang Li.

Jiang Li listened to the conversations between the coachman and the man; her heart gradually filled with dread. They were already several hundred li outside Yanjing City, and even if her family had set out to find her, there was no way they could catch up now.

On that day, Tonger took a knife for Jiang Li, and Bai Xue pushed her off the carriage. Jiang Li spun around and ran into the crowd. The assailants were after her, so perhaps blending into the crowd could throw them off. But no sooner had she melded into the throng than she was grabbed. It was then that Jiang Li understood; these attackers, disguised as common folks causing such a scene in the street and killing many innocent civilians, were just a ruse. Their true goal was to capture her. From the very start, she had been within the enemy’s sight and had never been out of reach.

But who had leaked her whereabouts? Who had been waiting for her on this inevitable path, apparently with prearranged plans? Other than the Ye Family, only the Jiang Family could have known that she was visiting the Ye Residence that day. Although the Ye Family seemed the obvious suspect, Jiang Li almost immediately thought of someone from the Jiang Family’s third branch.

The third branch of the Jiang Family had long since been bought by the Right Chancellor and could be considered Prince Cheng’s men. Prince Cheng, concerned whether Princess Yongning’s anger would fall on him, considered trading Jiang Li’s life for the third branch’s future—a profitable deal for Lady Yang and Jiang Yuanxing.

Lady Yang was always shrewd.

After being abducted, Jiang Li was disguised in her current appearance to pass through the city gates. The gates hadn’t been locked down yet, so they managed to get through effortlessly. The man fed Jiang Li a pill, and red blotches quickly spread across her face; she began to cough incessantly, unable to speak or move. The woman dressed her in peasant’s clothes and veiled her face, leaving parts of the rash exposed. When passing through the city gate, they told the guards they were husband and wife, and Jiang Li was their sick sister. Naturally, no one wanted to come near a coughing and seemingly dangerous sick person, and since there was nothing wrong with their travel permit, they were let through.

And so, Jiang Li was taken out of Yanjing City, heading south.

Four days had passed since the day she was abducted. Jiang Li had no idea what the situation was like in Yanjing City by now. Her uncle and Jiang Yuanbai must be anxious, probably searching for her throughout the entire city. Unfortunately, they didn’t know that this had been a long-premeditated conspiracy; from the start, there was a plan to take Jiang Li out of the city. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Jiang Li felt extremely anxious, but she was totally helpless. She couldn’t even move, and eating required the woman’s assistance. Only when they locked her in a room at night did she temporarily regain some freedom. Even so, she couldn’t speak, and any movement she managed felt weak and feeble—her food had been drugged.

Unable to speak, she couldn’t ask the two people who exactly had kidnapped her. However, after much thought, Jiang Li concluded that only one person could have been behind this—Prince Cheng. Although she had many enemies, no one other than Prince Cheng dared to abduct her from Yanjing City with such audacity during both Princess Yongning’s and Shen Yurong’s time.

Prince Cheng kept Jiang Li alive, not killing her immediately. Besides seeking vengeance for Princess Yongning by tormenting her further, he probably intended to use her as a bargaining chip against Jiang Yuanbai. As long as Jiang Yuanbai refrained from intervening in Prince Cheng’s affairs, the prince’s chances of success would increase. Now, aside from Jiang Bingji’s son and two daughters (with Jiang Youyao driven mad), Jiang Yuanbai had only Jiang Li, and he just might yield for her sake.

Though Jiang Li felt this hope to be slim.

After traveling for a while and nearing midday, the carriage stopped in front of an inn.