Chapter 273
Chapter 273
When Xu Heming and Xie Jincheng arrived outside the Grand Princess's estate, they were greeted by the sight of tightly shut doors.
"Should we go knock?" Xie Jincheng asked, frowning.
"Do you think they'll let you in if you knock?" Xu Heming rolled his eyes at him.
If knocking had been of any use, Steward Liu wouldn't have returned empty-handed.
"What exactly is the Grand Princess trying to do? I heard she invited the families of all the eligible officials in the capital today. Now, she has detained everyone inside her estate. Could it be that she's planning a rebellion?" Xie Jincheng said in frustration.
"If your child went missing, wouldn't you be anxious?" Although Xu Heming did not approve of the Grand Princess's methods—knowing that doing so would certainly offend a whole swathe of officials—he figured that if his own child were lost, he would likely make the same decision.
"That's true, but if the child is missing, she should be sending people out of the estate to search. Locking everyone up like this isn't a solution," Xie Jincheng said, glancing at the closed doors, secretly worried that something might happen to Lady Yao.
"Cut the chatter and let's get inside," Xu Heming said. He pointed to a nearby section of the wall, signaling that they should enter from there.
Xie Jincheng did not hesitate. If today's matter was not resolved properly, he feared the Grand Princess might just keep everyone locked up indefinitely.
No sooner had the two jumped down from the wall than they were surrounded by guards rushing out with long spears.
"Who goes there? How dare you trespass into the Grand Princess's estate!" the lead guard shouted angrily.
Xu Heming patted the dust off his clothes, completely unfazed by the guards.
"What should we do? Force our way in?" Xie Jincheng asked with a frown, looking at the men. Given their martial skills, taking down these few guards would be more than easy.
"We came here with sincerity," Xu Heming said, looking at Xie Jincheng as if he were an idiot. He wasn't here to seek revenge. Besides, he believed that once the Grand Princess knew her granddaughter was at Prince An's estate, she definitely wouldn't do anything to them.
"I am Prince An, Xu Heming. I have urgent business and must see the Grand Princess in person. Please go and announce us," Xu Heming said unhurriedly, looking at the guards before him.
"And me, I am Xie Jincheng. I also have an urgent matter and need to see the Grand Princess!" Xie Jincheng quickly added.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances. They hadn't expected these two to be Prince An and the Vice Minister of Personnel. These were not figures that lowly guards like them could afford to cross.
As for why they hadn't used the main entrance, the Grand Princess would surely ask them herself in a moment.
"We will send someone to inform the Grand Princess right away. Please, do not trespass any further," the guards said, watching the two men warily. They knew that if a fight broke out, they might not be a match for Prince An.
Moreover, looking at Prince An's demeanor, it didn't seem like he was really here to cause trouble.
Before long, the Prince Consort, Gu Xiangnan, hurried over with his two sons, Gu Yunfan and Gu Yunshu.
Gu Xiangnan's expression was rather grim.
Had the intruder not been Prince An, Gu Xiangnan probably would have had him thrown out on the spot.
"May I ask what brings Prince An and Lord Xie to our estate? And why did you have to enter in such an extreme manner?" Gu Xiangnan questioned, looking at the two with evident displeasure.
He felt a bitter taste in his mouth. On any normal day, he would have welcomed them with a smile. But now, with such a crisis unfolding in the estate, Prince An had actually climbed over the wall to get in. Gu Xiangnan's gaze toward them was full of irritation.
"I heard that the Grand Princess invited various families today to celebrate the joyous addition of a daughter to your estate. I specifically came to ask for a cup of celebration wine, but unexpectedly, I found your esteemed estate's main doors tightly shut. That is why I took a shortcut. Surely the Prince Consort won't blame me, will he?" It was hard to tell whether Xu Heming's words were genuine or mocking.
Gu Xiangnan's face darkened further.
After all, if his granddaughter hadn't gone missing today, he might have felt flattered by Prince An's words.
But now, his granddaughter was gone. What kind of joy was there to congratulate?
Wasn't this just rubbing salt in their wounds?
"I also heard that the Grand Princess has kept the female family members of various households within the estate. I wonder if the banquet the Grand Princess is hosting today is a full-moon celebration or a trap disguised as a feast?" Xu Heming continued, looking at Gu Xiangnan.
"Prince An, what do you mean by this?" Gu Xiangnan had not expected Prince An to twist the matter in such a way.
"Father, keeping everyone in the estate is indeed inappropriate. I believe Prince An means no harm," Gu Yunfan quickly stepped in to pacify his father.
"The eldest young master is reasonable. Prince Consort, Lord Xie and I have come here to present the Grand Princess with a grand gift," Xu Heming thought to himself that returning their lost pearl should definitely count as a grand gift.
"Exactly, Prince Consort. You should quickly let those madams and young ladies return home," Xie Jincheng hurriedly added.
"A precious item has been lost in the estate. As soon as we investigate and clarify that those madams and young ladies have nothing to do with it, we will naturally let them go," Gu Xiangnan stated with firm resolve.
"It seems the Prince Consort is not worried about being impeached by the censors!" Xu Heming mocked.
Gu Xiangnan choked on his words. So what if the censors impeached them? His granddaughter was missing, and they naturally had to find her.
"Prince Consort, you had better take us to see the Grand Princess at once!" Xu Heming sighed. Gu Xiangnan probably couldn't make the final decision on this matter; it would be better to speak directly to the Grand Princess.
Xu Heming's clear reluctance to discuss the matter with him made Gu Xiangnan feel even more uncomfortable.
However, since he didn't know what business Xu Heming had, he decided it was best to quickly inform the Princess.
"Prince An, Lord Xie, please come this way!" Thinking of this, Gu Xiangnan couldn't help but marvel at the Princess's foresight. After all, when he came out, the Grand Princess had already predicted that Gu Xiangnan wouldn't be able to handle Xu Heming.
Xu Heming and Xie Jincheng followed Gu Xiangnan, bypassing the front hall entirely, and headed straight for the Grand Princess's Qinxin Courtyard.
The madams and young ladies present also saw Xu Heming and Xie Jincheng.
Some were consumed by jealousy, while others looked at Li Zhiwei and Lady Yao with faces full of envy.
"Oh my, I wonder what disgraceful things certain people have done to actually alarm the men of their households. Could it be that they've caused a disaster too big to clean up?" Chang Wenyin said sourly.
The look she directed at Li Zhiwei was brimming with pure jealousy.
Why was Li Zhiwei so lucky to have Prince An treat her so well?
If she herself were to die in this Grand Princess's estate today, the Ninth Prince probably wouldn't even blink an eye, would he?
At this thought, Chang Wenyin felt even more resentful.
Li Zhiwei ignored the clamoring Chang Wenyin. After all, if a dog bites you, you can't exactly bite it back.
If she liked to bark, there was nothing to be done about it.
However, both she and Lady Yao saw Xu Heming and Xie Jincheng. The two women exchanged a glance, each seeing a look of profound relief in the other's eyes.