My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

No matter how angry Song Chang was, he couldn't ignore Song Chen'an's matter, but he definitely couldn't come up with 100,000 taels of silver.

Not knowing who the robber was, they had no choice but to try anything, so they took the best pieces of furniture from their second wife's house and went to Guang Sheng Temple that very night.

First, they should seek Princess Yangcheng's forgiveness. Perhaps with just a word from the princess, the kidnappers will release the hostage.

He automatically categorized the robbers as belonging to Princess Yangcheng's faction because he couldn't think of anyone who would kidnap Song Chen'an for no reason.

When he arrived at Guangsheng Temple, it was already dark. The monks in the temple, upon hearing his purpose, said with great difficulty, "The princess is indeed still in the temple, but this humble monk cannot go there."

Without the princess's permission, even the abbot of the temple wouldn't dare to disturb her, so how could he dare to go?

Besides, the backyard was surrounded by the princess's guards, and he didn't dare to get any closer, so how could he dare to deliver a message for her?

Having no other choice, Song Chang had to bite the bullet and go to request an audience himself.

The autumn wind was bleak, and twilight was approaching.

He had ridden a long way here on horseback, and was already chilled by the wind. Now, standing in the courtyard, he felt the autumn chill even more intensely, as if it were colder than in previous years.

Princess Yangcheng naturally refused to see him and instead entrusted the matter to Yu Yan.

Yu Yan sent someone to convey a message: "The princess does not receive outside guests and has never had much interaction with your household. Lord Song, there is no need for you to be so polite."

They were determined to suppress the fact that Meng Ruohua had been kidnapped, so how could they possibly admit to having seen Song Chen'an?

Holding a box, Song Chang smiled obsequiously again, "This is a gift from your humble servant to the princess. Please convey my regards, aunt."

This aunt has been serving Princess Yangcheng since she was a teenager. Now she is only in her thirties. Although she is not a personal attendant, she still has some dignity.

Moreover, those who have survived peacefully in the palace are very discerning and meticulous in their every move, so she did not report again, but said with a stern face, "Lord Song is too kind, please go back."

After saying that, she turned and left, not giving Song Chang a chance to speak at all.

It seems that the second son of the Song family is also confused. Instead of going to the person in charge, he comes to the princess to plead for him. Does the princess need your little something?

Song Chang felt quite resentful for being humiliated by a servant, but he dared not act recklessly and could only swallow his anger as he returned to the room prepared by the monk.

He called Mo Yu over and asked again. After thinking for a long time, he realized that if he couldn't see the princess, he could go to see Madam Meng. Madam Meng was reasonable and might put in a good word for him.

Having found out where the Meng family's residence was, they took two items and went there.

Neither Meng's mother nor Meng Ruohua would see him. They only sent a message saying, "We are already divorced, and the two families have no further connection. We dare not agree to what Lord Song has said."

Song Chang wanted to say something more, but the maid who delivered the message turned around and left, agreeing not to give him any face.

Having no other choice, Song Chang had to go down the mountain and have Mo Yu lead the way to Changshe County.

The courtyard of that inn was deserted; there wasn't a trace of panic to be seen.

The innkeeper personally led them there, glancing at Mo Yu several times along the way.

This guy was the one who booked the courtyard in the first place, and now he's come over with a group of people, all looking very aggressive. Is he here to catch them cheating?

Sure enough, the mansion was full of shady dealings. That young master was blind to have kept a spy by his side.

Song Chang waved for the innkeeper to leave, then sat in the room to ponder.

Who did this, and where did they take Song Chen'an?

Suddenly remembering the closed door I got at Guang Sheng Temple, I became irritable again. What a wicked child! He's going to ruin the family!

Apart from that letter, there was not a single clue, not even where the money was sent.

Song Chang boldly guessed that perhaps the other party just wanted to teach Song Chen'an a lesson, and didn't really want the money.

Now that the city gates are closed, he can't go back, so he has to spend the night in the small courtyard.

But the next day, while it was still barely dawn, a letter shattered his illusions completely.

The letter specified the time and place, and said that if it wasn't delivered on time, Song Chen'an would be sent to do hard labor.

There was still blood on it, but more than before.

No matter how unwilling Song Chang was, he couldn't just stand by and watch his only legitimate son be taken away without a word, so he had no choice but to obediently go back and prepare the money.

Madam Ma in the Song household also received the same letter. Seeing the handwriting on it, she panicked and summoned the accountant to check how much silver was left in the household.

However, there have been many expenses during this period, and only two hundred taels are left. There isn't even enough left to pay the servants' monthly wages next month.

While flipping through the warehouse ledgers, Ma cursed Meng Ruohua, but no matter how much she cursed, it was to no avail. There was no money in the accounts, and she couldn't bear to pawn the things in the warehouse.

They only sent someone to find Song Chang and bring him back. He must have money in his hands. There's no reason why he would still be hiding money after his son had gotten into such a mess.

After Song Chang returned to the mansion, the two argued again about the money, and the whole mansion knew about it, even Shen Yunlan, who rarely went out.

But they couldn't just ignore Song Chen'an, so Song Chang and Madam Ma scraped together 10,000 taels of silver, planning to send it over the next day and negotiate the price.

Ma was worried that Song Chen'an would be harmed, but she didn't want to spend more money, so she forced Song Chang to sell those paintings and calligraphy.

Song Chang naturally refused. He had already done the math for Madam Ma. Over the years, Madam Ma had embezzled at least forty or fifty thousand taels of silver from the mansion. Now she only took five thousand taels and refused to take any more. Why should he be allowed to sell calligraphy and paintings?

After all, they were an official family, so the robbers would at most extort some silver; they certainly wouldn't dare to take anyone's life.

Although it was still far short of the 100,000 taels the robbers wanted, Song Tian still got very angry when she learned about it.

Her dowry was already meager, and now she had to take out another 10,000 taels to redeem Song Chen'an, which made her even more unhappy. She secretly decided that when she got married, she must ask for an additional 10,000 taels of silver as a dowry.

Her family background wasn't high to begin with, and if she didn't have money to rely on, wouldn't she be laughed at to death by her in-laws?

Back then, Meng Ruohua, with her status, was tormented by her mother and disliked by her second brother. Fortunately, she had a generous dowry, so she could do whatever she wanted. Her generosity also helped her win over the servants.

The next day, Song Chang, along with all the guards in the mansion and a dozen or so male servants, headed towards the agreed-upon place.

It was a low mountain range twenty miles outside the city. The soil on the rocky mountain was thin and unsuitable for planting. It was remote and rarely visited by people, making it the perfect place for shady dealings.

However, before Song Chang and his group even arrived at their destination, they were blocked by the two men.

The two men were dressed in rags, but the cloth covering their faces was newer than their clothes.

"Who goes there? Pay your toll at once!"

Song Chang frowned as he looked at his group of people. There were about ten burly guards and about ten strong young male servants. How could the two of them have the audacity to rob them on the road?

Having already suffered a lot of anger these past two days without any outlet for his frustration, he wasn't going to tolerate these robbers any longer. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the guards to take care of the two men.

Knowing the purpose of the day, the guards guessed that these two were the ones who had kidnapped Song Chen'an. If they could capture these two, wouldn't that be a great achievement? Upon receiving Song Chang's order, they rushed over without hesitation.

Of the ten guards, only three remained to watch the box.