Yun Sheng had just returned to his mansion after court when he heard that his daughter had been abducted at the entrance of the girls' academy. He immediately flew into a rage!
Yu Zhu didn't recognize Lin Kang, so Yun Sheng questioned Yun Ni. Then, in great anxiety, he hurriedly led his men to the Lin Mansion.
However, before he even got there, he saw from afar his daughter being carried out of the mansion by Qi Rong and even put on a horse.
Yun Sheng didn't know the truth and was afraid that Qi Rong would harm his daughter. He quickly spoke out a warning.
He simply couldn't imagine that Qi Rong, who had always hated him, would come to rescue his daughter!
"Dad!"
Seeing her father coming, Yun Xi was overjoyed and was about to dismount, but a hand like an iron clamp held her tightly around the waist.
Yun Xi frowned and pushed several times, but it remained unmoved.
Qi Rong held Yun Xi in his arms, looking at Yun Sheng haughtily with a sneering look on his face. As soon as he opened his mouth, there was sarcasm in his tone:
"Is this how the Prime Minister treats his benefactor? If this king hadn't stepped in, I'm afraid your daughter would have already returned to the underworld!"
Qi Rong's words were full of implications, instantly hitting a sore spot for Yun Sheng and making him suddenly recall the palace coup more than a decade ago.
Back then, the late emperor had treated him with great kindness. Despite all the objections, he had promoted Yun Sheng, who was out of luck at that time, to the position of prime minister and highly regarded him.
The late emperor not only seriously considered his advice but also entrusted him with important state affairs.
The two of them were like a teacher and a friend, and their relationship was far more than just that of a monarch and his subject.
However, during that palace coup, he clearly had the opportunity to enter the palace to accompany the emperor. Even if he had been intercepted and killed outside the palace, he would have died without regret.
However, a secret order had made him a treacherous official, and he had been hated by Qi Rong ever since!
The two sides were in a stand - off. Yun Xi saw that her father's face was as pale as the day she had seen him in the study.
Unable to bear it, Yun Xi angrily punched Qi Rong:
"If you're going to save someone, just do it. I'll repay you anyway. But you can't slander others just to show off!"
Then Yun Xi turned to look at her father and smiled:
"Dad, don't listen to his nonsense. Daughter won't die, and you don't need to blame yourself!"
Hearing his daughter's comfort, Yun Sheng sighed. Instead of arguing with Qi Rong, he walked up to the horse and stretched out his arms:
"Xier, come down. Dad will catch you."
The past was irreversible, and he didn't regret his decision back then.
What was important now was that what he did didn't disgrace the emperor's kindness. Even if it meant sacrificing his own life, he would not hesitate.
But it didn't include his daughter's happiness!
"Okay!"
Yun Xi nodded with a smile and immediately tried to pry open Qi Rong's fingers.
However, after prying for a long time, she couldn't even move one of Qi Rong's fingers.
"Are you ever going to stop?"
Yun Xi almost burst into tears and looked at Qi Rong resentfully.
So many people were watching. She was an unmarried young lady. What would it look like for her to be nestled in a man's arms?
Was this man here to save her or to harm her?
Qi Rong glanced at Yun Sheng indifferently, sneered, and then turned his gaze to Yun Xi, who was full of resentment.
Suddenly, he leaned over and planted a heavy kiss on Yun Xi's cheek.
Yun Xi stared at Qi Rong in horror, and everyone on the scene was almost stunned!
"Don't be so rude!"
Men and women should avoid physical contact, and his daughter had been publicly insulted. Yun Sheng was immediately furious.
Yun Sheng reached out his hand to pull his daughter, but Qi Rong loosened his hold and pushed Yun Xi towards Yun Sheng.
Looking down at her from a high position, he smiled wickedly.
"Since you said you would pay with your own hand in marriage, this king remembers. When I'm free later, this king will come to claim you!"
After saying that, leaving Yun Xi stunned, he rode away without looking back!
Although Yun Xi was being held by her father, her body couldn't help but tremble:
Which ear of his had heard her say she would pay with her own hand in marriage?
She just couldn't stand his attitude of using his kindness to satirize her father! She had only said that she would repay him!
This man not only didn't listen carefully but also always acted so recklessly!
Even if he wanted to disgust her father, he couldn't play with a woman's innocence!
Now it was all over. Even if she had ten mouths, she couldn't explain it clearly...
Yun Xi was fuming and repeatedly wiped the cheek that Qi Rong had kissed. That place seemed to be on fire, and no matter how much she wiped, it still felt burning hot.
Yun Sheng frowned and pulled down his daughter's hand:
"Okay, Xier. Stop wiping. You'll hurt your face."
Then, his cold gaze swept over the crowd. Fortunately, except for the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion, there were no other passers - by. So he said in a deep voice:
"If a single word of this gets out, be careful of your heads!"
Swept by Yun Sheng's gaze, everyone shrank and lowered their heads:
"Yes!"
Yun Sheng carefully examined Yun Xi. After confirming that she was okay, he helped her into the carriage and said to Yu Zhu:
"You take the young lady back to the mansion first. I'm going to the Lin Mansion to settle this score!"
Worried that her father would act impulsively, Yun Xi grabbed his sleeve:
"Dad, I'm fine. Lin Kang was knocked unconscious by the King of Xian, and the Crown Prince is still inside. Please don't act rashly!"
Seeing that even at this moment, his daughter still had the heart to comfort him, Yun Sheng lovingly patted Yun Xi's head.
"Be a good girl, Xier. Go back and have a good sleep. Dad will handle the rest!"
His daughter had suffered such grievances. If he didn't teach the other side a lesson, he would be unworthy of being a father!
Knowing that her father had made up his mind, Yun Xi had no choice but to return to the mansion first.
Who would have thought that as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Madam Jiang suddenly knelt in front of her, followed by the old lady and her younger brother Yun Qi.
"Yun Xi! Please, my dear niece. You must save your younger sister this time. Don't let your father send her to the country estate. She simply can't bear that kind of hardship!"
Madam Jiang, who was always known for her strength and nobility, was now teary - eyed. She tightly grasped Yun Xi's wrist. Her sudden action left Yun Xi confused.
She turned to look at Yu Zhu beside her:
"What's going on?"
She had been abducted by a man. Shouldn't Madam Jiang have come over gleefully to gloat? Why was it related to Yun Ni again?
Before Yu Zhu could speak, the old lady walked forward with her walking stick and said:
"Your father blames Yun Ni for abandoning you in danger and wants to send her to the country estate for a few years. He's now ordering people to pack Yun Ni's luggage!"
The old lady looked unhappy, and there was a hint of blame for Yun Xi in her eyes:
"Although she was wrong for ignoring the family affection, she's still a child after all. Your father is so eager to avenge you that he won't even listen to me! He's determined to punish Yun Ni. But this punishment is too harsh!"
After getting the news, Madam Jiang immediately begged the old lady. Although the old lady had some estrangement from Yun Ni and her mother because of the birthday banquet, after all, Yun Ni was her beloved granddaughter who had been doted on since childhood.
How could she bear to see Yun Ni suffer?
"That's right! Yun Ni is already fourteen this year. She's getting close to the age of marriage. If she stays in the estate for these few years, won't it delay her marriage? This is related to her whole life's happiness. How could the master be so hasty..."
Facing the old lady's implicit blame and Madam Jiang's pleading, Yun Xi finally understood.
It seemed that her narrow escape from death meant nothing to her grandmother. She hadn't even received a single word of concern since she entered the mansion.
She was also being criticized because of her father's punishment of Yun Ni for abandoning her in danger!
How wonderful it was indeed!