Shen Yunshu and Xiao Ci only dared to set off for Lu Manor to visit their injured mother after arranging for proper assistance.
Their mother’s injury was not as severe as Yunshu had imagined.
Their stepfather had summoned the best Jiagong in the capital to reset the dislocated bones.
After resting in bed for three months, she would be fully recovered.
Mother was worried that Yunshu had come all this way in the snowy weather and asked how she and Sister were doing at the Pei Residence.
Yunshu told her that both she and Sister were doing well.
Pei Qi Lang had finally grown more ambitious and was diligently studying.
Sister and the Eldest Young Master’s relationship had deepened, and the Eldest Young Master treated Sister with kindness and tenderness.
Mother finally felt reassured.
Lu Yi hadn’t appeared all this time, but Yunshu’s heart remained uneasy.
Seemingly casually, she asked why her elder brother was not around.
Mother praised his filial piety and said that after she fell earlier that morning, he had gone out to find the best bone-setting and pain-relieving herbs for her.
He wasn’t at the manor?
Yunshu’s intuition told her that something was bound to happen today.
She stayed at Lu Manor for about an hour before bidding her mother farewell.
As she was leaving in her carriage, another carriage followed at a discreet distance.
Xiao Ci and the others were in the carriage behind.
They had traveled safely on the way here; Yunshu hoped the return journey would be equally uneventful but also did not want Xiao Ci and the others to return empty-handed.
The carriage turned into a side alley, and suddenly the driver pulled the reins, stopping the horses abruptly.
“Seventh Young Madam, it seems someone is injured up ahead…”
Yunshu’s heart tightened: was trouble really coming?
Fortunately, Xiao Ci and his group were just behind.
She instructed the driver, “You go check carefully…be cautious.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The driver got off to investigate and hurried back moments later.
“It’s bad, Seventh Young Madam. It’s Qingjian…”
Qingjian?
Why was Qingjian here?
The dim light blended with fine snow and biting wind.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
Qingjian lay motionless on the ground, blood spreading in the melting snow beneath him, forming a large, irregular stain.
A closer look revealed three stab wounds on his body.
His face had lost all color, and blood was still seeping from his mouth.
Qiongzhi took an umbrella from the carriage to shield him, while the driver checked his breath.
“Mistress, he still has some breath…”
Yunshu knelt in the bloodstained snow, anxiously calling out, “Qingjian, Qingjian…”
But Qingjian was already unconscious.
Yunshu scanned the surroundings and saw signs of a struggle and two sets of carriage tracks about to be covered by fresh snow.
She guessed that Sister had possibly been abducted.
Panic instantly overtook her.
She tried to stand and seek help from Xiao Ci but her legs weakened, and she stumbled to the ground after just a few steps.
She got up and ran forward, her skirt soaked with mud and water, her pristine crane cloak dirtied halfway.
“Lord Xiao! Lord Xiao…”
At that moment, Xiao Ci and the others also got down from the carriage.
He quickly came forward and steadied the disheveled Yunshu.
“What happened?”
Yunshu grabbed his sleeve, barely able to stand.
“My sister might have been taken.”
Xiao Ci immediately sent people to check.
Judging by the carriage tracks and Qingjian’s wounds, the incident had happened about half an hour ago.
He ordered two men to return near Lu Manor to watch for Lu Yi’s return, while he took the other four men to follow the tracks in pursuit.
Yunshu forced herself to calm down.
Qingjian was barely alive and would not survive without immediate medical attention.
As the driver was about to lift Qingjian, another carriage passed by and stopped nearby.
Yunshu’s heart skipped a beat as she warily looked toward the carriage, her nerves fraying like a startled bird.
Fortunately, the person who got down was not a foe but Liang Xu, Sixth Young Master of the Liang Family, whom she had met before.
“Don’t move him,” Liang Xu said immediately, stopping the driver’s motion.
Then he crouched down to check Qingjian’s injuries.
“If the bones are affected, moving him rashly could worsen his condition.”
He examined quickly and, seeing no bone injuries, stopped the bleeding and bandaged the wounds.
Together with the driver, he helped lift Qingjian into the carriage.
“I know this area well. I’ll take you to the clinic…”
Yunshu did not get into the carriage but sent Qiongzhi up instead.
“Please have Liang Gongzi take Qingjian to the clinic. I can’t leave yet.”
Liang Xu knew Qingjian was someone close to Shen Youran.
Seeing him covered in blood lying there suggested something had happened to Shen Youran.
So, he jumped down from the carriage, had his driver accompany Qiongzhi to take Qingjian to the clinic, and stayed behind with Yunshu.
“Did Shen San Niangzi get into trouble?”
Yunshu remembered Liang Xu saying he was familiar with the area and suddenly realized that the Liang family’s general’s mansion was nearby.
“Sister might have been abducted. Lord Xiao has already taken people to pursue her. Could you arrange some servants from your household to guard the manor and help search?”
Yunshu’s carriage was still nearby.
Liang Xu immediately called her up.
“Come, let’s go to the manor and call for help.”
Liang Xu drove back to his manor, telling Yunshu to wait in the carriage while he gathered reinforcements.
Liang Qingluo and her sisters were having tea and admiring the snow in the front yard.
Seeing Sixth Young Master return with a grave expression, she called out to him.
“Sixth Brother.”
He had no time to respond, but suddenly recalling that she normally wouldn’t return at this hour and that Shen Youran had an accident nearby, he pulled her aside and asked, “Why are you back so early today?”
“The weather turned bad. Xiao Gugu told us to return early.”
“Did you come alone?”
“No, it was snowing. Sister Youran didn’t let me ride a horse, so she had me ride in her carriage…”
That last sentence struck Liang Xu like a thunderclap.
“Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother…”
Qingluo called him again but got no response.
He quickly left with a stern face, summoned most of the household guards, and headed out.
While Yunshu and Liang Xu searched, they met Xiao Ci returning empty-handed.
“We found a carriage with the Pei Family emblem. The horses were gone, no one inside the carriage except this…”
He held out a few white down feathers, identical to those on Yunshu’s crane cloak.
Pei Family carriage.
White crane cloak…
Sister was wearing the same crane cloak today.
Yunshu’s body swayed as she murmured, “The person they wanted to abduct…was me. It should have been me…”
Xiao Ci steadied her.
“I’ve already sent people to the Dali Si to report this. They’ll find her. You need to come with me to the Dali Si so we can discuss if we’ve missed any details.”
“Alright.”
Yunshu had no other choice but to follow.
Liang Xu asked to come along, and after some discussion with Xiao Ci, they agreed.
On the way to the Dali Si, Xiao Ci sent someone to notify Pei Huaijin at the Pei Residence.
When they arrived at the Dali Si, Pei Huaijin arrived on horseback and was stunned to see Yunshu.
“Sister-in-law, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Big Brother. It’s Youran…”
Yunshu’s eyes reddened with guilt.
“Youran was taken.”
Pei Huaijin’s expression tightened, darkening.
“Someone sent a blood-stained letter to the manor saying they kidnapped you and demanded 100,000 taels as ransom…”
So indeed, those bandits had wanted to abduct her.
“Do you have the letter?”
Xiao Ci asked.
Pei Huaijin handed it over.
Xiao Ci scanned it; it was addressed to Shen Yunshu.
“The writing is not fresh; this was planned in advance. Let’s go inside to discuss.”
Liang Xu accompanied them into the Dali Si.
After some deliberation, they roughly pieced together the circumstances.
Those bandits had intended to kidnap Shen Yunshu and had been lying in wait along her usual route back to the Pei Residence.
They had learned about her carriage and clothing.
But after Shen Youran sent Liang Qingluo home, she had accidentally passed through that alley and was mistaken for Shen Yunshu and taken instead.
The kidnappers sent the prepared letter to the Pei Residence to extort ransom.
Obviously, they did not realize they had taken the wrong person.
Even if this was a simple ransom scheme, whether or not the bandits realized the mistake, Shen Youran’s life was in grave danger.
Yunshu even wished Lu Yi had been involved; at least he wouldn’t be cruel enough to want to kill.
If he was involved, maybe Sister’s life could be spared.
But once news of Sister’s abduction spread, even if her life was saved, her reputation would likely be ruined…
Thinking of this, Yunshu looked at Pei Huaijin.
“Big Brother, since they wanted to kidnap me, let’s raise the ransom money under the pretense of rescuing me. Don’t let anyone know Youran was taken. Her situation is perilous, so at least keep her name safe…”
Pei Huaijin looked calm but his face had turned pale.
His voice was cold and sharp as ice, “I know your intentions. There’s no need to sacrifice your reputation. As long as she returns, she will always be my wife…”
“Youran suffered this disaster for me. This is all I can do now. I don’t want her to be criticized after she returns. Please, Big Brother, help me…”
Yunshu pleaded.
Pei Huaijin still disagreed.
“Even if her reputation is ruined, I can protect her. But if your reputation is damaged, the Seventh Young Master won’t be able to protect you…”
“I and Qi Lang…”
Yunshu bit her lip and spoke honestly, “On the night of the arranged marriage, I wrote the He Li Shu. We were never truly husband and wife, and he need not protect me going forward.”
Pei Huaijin’s nerves were taut as a bowstring.
Hearing this, he was distracted and looked at her.
“No wonder Qi Lang, who was originally unwilling that night, suddenly agreed.”
Xiao Ci and Liang Xu exchanged surprised glances.
But Pei Huaijin quickly refocused, his concern all on Shen Youran.
He agreed to her request.
“Very well.”
Since the family would not be told that Shen Youran was the abductee, Yunshu could not return to the Pei Residence, nor to the Lu or Shen families.
She stayed at the Dali Si, so she could receive news of Sister immediately.
As for the Pei family, Pei Huaijin would handle explaining matters and raising the ransom.
When Pei Huaijin returned to the Pei Residence, the manor was already in chaos.
The Grand Madam had learned of the incident and was waiting for him to return to summon an emergency meeting at Chunxuan Hall.
There, Father and Second Uncle were already present, their faces anxious.
Upon seeing him, they also relayed more bad news: Little Seven was missing too.
“The people at Ciyou Courtyard said that this afternoon Little Seven ended lessons early with the teacher and said he wanted to visit the injured mother-in-law at Lu Manor…”
“The Pei Family Second Master was at the manor all day. When the ransom letter arrived, the gatekeeper saw it was stained with blood and hesitated to deliver it directly to the Grand Madam. Since the Elder Master hadn’t returned from duty, it was sent to the Second Master’s quarters first.”
“The Second Master, upon seeing the letter, went immediately to Ciyou Courtyard to find Pei Huaian, but learned he had already left half an hour earlier with Qingwu.”
“People were sent to Lu Manor to search, but the family said they hadn’t seen the son-in-law today.”
“Now, two or three hours have passed since Shen Yunshu’s incident, and Little Seven hasn’t come back yet.”
The Grand Madam seemed barely able to bear it, clutching her cane and sighing repeatedly.
“Your Third Uncle only has this one son. If something really happened to him, what will we do?”
The Pei Family Eldest Master sighed.
“Big Brother, what did the Dali Si say?”
“I’ve handed the letter to the Dali Si, and they’ll send extra men to investigate.”
Pei Huaijin’s elders were already frazzled, but he had to keep calm.
“I didn’t know Qi Lang was also involved until just now. I’ll go to the Dali Si again later. Father, Second Uncle, start preparing the ransom money. We must have a plan B…”
Since Qi Lang was also heading to Lu Manor, perhaps he met Shen Youran on the way and pursued her.
If he doesn’t return tonight, then…
Pei Huaijin’s gaze darkened, lips pressed tight.
After briefing his elders on the ransom, before heading to the Dali Si, he stopped by Yunshu’s quarters at Yunzhi Courtyard.
He called over Youran’s two personal maids and told them that Youran would be staying out for a few days and it was inconvenient to inform the family.
They were to say that Youran was resting due to the stress caused by their eldest sister’s situation and would see no visitors, no matter who came.
Danruo and Qinghe were confused but had no time for explanations.
They only nodded in agreement.
That night, Pei Huaijin rushed between the Dali Si and the Pei Residence without sleep…
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