Chapter 35: The General’s Pampered Wife 35

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The General’s Pampered Wife 35

The close advisors exchanged glances, then looked at the Second Prince, and immediately understood what he was thinking.

Xiao Shen had once suffered from the effects of sterility medicine, yet after marrying Ji Xiaosong, she had given birth to quadruplets in a single pregnancy.

If the Second Prince could get Ji Xiaosong pregnant, his future would be secured.

"Your Highness is brilliant!"

One advisor said fawningly, "It’s just that the Xiao Mansion is heavily guarded. Getting close to Ji Xiaosong will be no easy task."

The Second Prince frowned and snorted coldly. "I refuse to believe I won’t find an opportunity."

Another, newer advisor thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, why not start from within the Xiao Mansion? Bribe some of the servants and look for an opening."

"Foolish!"

The plan was obviously unreliable. "Are you even aware of the Xiao family’s hiring standards? In all these years, no family has ever managed to successfully plant someone inside their household. Besides, the Xiao family has always been strict with its rules. The slightest hint of trouble, and it would be discovered immediately."

The Second Prince was furious with the advisor. ’This newcomer just doesn’t get it.’

"Then let’s just kidnap her outright," an impulsive advisor shouted.

The Second Prince glared at him and rebuked, "Absurd! Xiao Shen commands a large army and holds considerable prestige at court. Abducting her outright would just make me a public enemy! Are you trying to push me into a position from which there is no return?"

Everyone fell silent, not daring to speak out of turn again.

The Second Prince paced back and forth, then thought for a moment before saying, "This matter requires careful planning. First, send men to closely monitor the Xiao Mansion’s every move. The moment an opportunity arises, we will act."

In the days that followed, spies from the Second Prince’s Mansion were frequently seen around the Xiao Mansion. Xiao Shen noticed the unusual activity and strengthened the mansion’s defenses.

"Husband, why are there so many more guards in the mansion lately?"

Ji Xiaosong was a little puzzled as she watched the guards patrolling the mansion nonstop.

"With four little boys in the house now, it’s never a bad idea to have a few more people around."

Xiao Shen didn’t tell Ji Xiaosong about his worries. That the Second Prince wanted to abduct her was, for now, just his suspicion.

But whether it came true or not, he had to be fully prepared.

"Oh, so that’s why. I thought something had happened outside and the General Mansion needed to be locked down."

"Don’t you worry. Even if something were to happen outside, as long as you’re in the General Mansion, you are safe."

"Oh, right, Husband. My mother sent a letter yesterday. She said a lot of the fruit at the manor has ripened and invited me to go visit. I was thinking I could take the four little rascals with me and stay for a few days. Otherwise, I’m afraid they’ll get sick of being cooped up in the mansion all day."

"Alright. I’ll arrange for some extra guards for the Ji family as well. You can take them with you when you go."

"With your arrangements, Husband, I feel much more at ease. It’s just that there are limits on the number of guards an official’s family can have as an escort. Wouldn’t it be improper for us to bring so many?"

"It’s fine. They can just disguise themselves as common folk and farmhands from the manor."

A few days later, Ji Xiaosong took her four children and a group of guards to the Ji family’s manor. The journey was uneventful.

The Ji family had Eldest Sister-in-law Ji stay behind to manage the household, while the second and third sisters-in-law came along with Mother Ji.

The Second Prince had still not given up on his designs on Ji Xiaosong.

When his spies reported that Ji Xiaosong had gone to the manor, the Second Prince felt this was an excellent opportunity.

"Your Highness, Lady Xiao is at the manor now. The security there is surely not as tight as at the Xiao Mansion. Should we make our move?" an advisor asked.

The Second Prince’s eyes were dark. "Scout it again. You must get a clear picture of the situation at the manor. We cannot act rashly."

The spies scouted the Ji family’s manor for two days before they had a clear report.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the number of guards and attendants that Lady Xiao and the Ji family brought is not large. If we bring elite soldiers, we can certainly capture Lady Xiao in one fell swoop."

Hearing the spy’s report, the Second Prince was instantly ecstatic, his eyes shining with a greedy and eager light.

"HAHAHAHA, the heavens are helping me!" the Second Prince declared loudly. "This time, I will go personally and seize Ji Xiaosong."

He stopped pacing, clenched his fists, and his body trembled slightly as he said excitedly, "Relay my orders! Assemble the elite troops. We move out tonight, and it must be done in absolute secrecy. When I return with the beauty in my arms, there will be great rewards for all!"

The advisors replied in unison, "As Your Highness commands!"

The Second Prince quickly gathered his trusted elite soldiers and, under the cover of darkness, secretly advanced toward the Ji family’s manor.

They split into several groups, tightly surrounding all the manor’s exits to prevent Ji Xiaosong from escaping.

Meanwhile, the Second Prince personally led a detachment of men straight for the manor’s main gate.

Arriving at the manor gate, the Second Prince gave the order, "Charge in! Make it quick, and no mistakes!"

The soldiers swarmed toward the manor like a pack of vicious wolves.

The manor was instantly plunged into chaos. Ji Xiaosong and the others were startled from their sleep.

The guards Xiao Shen had stationed openly reacted quickly, drawing their swords and clashing with the Second Prince’s men.

For a moment, it was a storm of flashing blades and shadows, with battle cries shaking the heavens as both sides fought to the death.

In terms of numbers, the Second Prince’s men had the upper hand.

He shouted from within the crowd, "Lady Xiao, you can’t escape! Come with me quietly!"

However, just as the Second Prince thought victory was in his grasp, battle cries suddenly erupted from all around.

"What’s happening? I thought you said there weren’t many guards! Open your eyes and look! Who are all those people outside in coarse linen clothes?"

Seeing the dark, dense crowd of people from atop his horse, a chill ran down the Second Prince’s spine.

Although his elite soldiers were formidable, they were nothing compared to the Xiao family’s guards, who were seasoned in real battles.

"Retreat!"

After shouting the word "Retreat!" until he was hoarse, the Second Prince was the first to wheel his horse around and gallop madly back the way he came.

When his soldiers saw their master had fled, their morale instantly collapsed, and they scattered, fleeing in all directions.

However, Xiao Shen’s men were not about to let them go so easily.

The Xiao family guards were like tigers descending a mountain, relentlessly pursuing the remnants of the Second Prince’s forces.

In their panic, the Second Prince’s troops trampled one another. Many fell to the ground, only to be cut down by the pursuing guards.

At that moment, the Second Prince couldn’t afford to care about anything else. He whipped his horse furiously, desperate only to escape this nightmarish place.

The Second Prince was a sorry sight, having cast aside his helmet and armor in his desperate flight.

After finally managing to shake off the pursuit of Xiao Shen’s guards, he fled back to his own mansion with the few battered soldiers he had left.

Back at his mansion, the Second Prince, still shaken, collapsed into a chair, gasping for breath.

"Idiots! Utter idiots, every last one of you! You spent all that time investigating, and it turns out the information was all false!"

’Those elite soldiers were the ones I had spent so much effort training, and yet they were mercilessly slaughtered by the Xiao family’s guards, who showed no quarter.’

’Tonight, Xiao Shen didn’t even have to show up, and I was still made to look this pathetic. Do I really have any chance of snatching Ji Xiaosong?’

But when he thought of the imperial throne, the Second Prince had no choice but to reconsider.