The man leading the way ahead stumbled slightly but quickly replied, "Miss Wei, please forgive us. There are quite a few dignitaries coming to pay their respects today. It's more convenient to take you through the side door."
The alley was deserted. Wouldn't it be even more convenient to climb over the wall?
Wei Dongling was just lowering her head and thinking when she suddenly felt a killing intent approaching from behind. She quickly dodged to the side and was about to reach for the sword of the black - clothed secret guard in front. To her surprise, the secret guard turned around and gave her a sinister smile. Wei Dongling knew something was wrong and turned to flee. But the secret guard was as fast as lightning. With a palm like a knife, he struck hard between Wei Dongling's neck. Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness, collapsing limply to the ground.
In the Prince's Mansion.
Pin Hao looked at his imposing master in the pavilion and said carefully, "My Lord, it's time for lunch."
Shangguan Yun didn't move a muscle and remained silent.
Seeing that his master didn't answer for a long time, Pin Hao cursed Wei Dongling, who had stood them up, thousands of times in his heart. After a while, he carefully asked again, "My Lord, should we go to the General's Mansion and bring Miss Wei here?"
Shangguan Yun's eyes darkened, and he murmured to himself, "Today, the Crown Prince is going to send the Empress Dowager to the palace villa to escape the summer heat. Judging by the time, the Empress Dowager's procession should be arriving soon, right?"
Pin Hao replied, "It takes more than three hours to get to the palace villa. They should still be on the way by now."
"You're right." A hint of worry flashed across Shangguan Yun's ink - colored eyes. After a while, he slowly lowered his head and said, "Serve lunch."
A long time passed.
A thunderclap woke Wei Dongling from her coma.
The numbness in her body gradually faded, and a sharp pain came from her neck. Wei Dongling touched her neck painfully.
She had been attacked by someone! Who was so bold as to kidnap someone in broad daylight right in front of the Prince's Mansion?
She opened her eyes and looked around. It was extremely dark. The only light came in through a narrow window high up in the back. Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Wei Dongling took a look around in the faint light of the lightning. When she saw clearly, her heart sank, and she couldn't help shivering. She was actually in a dark dungeon!
The rain was pounding on the window sill and splashing down, wetting the black hair on Wei Dongling's temples. What made it even more chilling was that her feet were locked firmly by a pair of heavy iron chains.
Being locked in a prison and having her freedom restricted, and with ankle chains on. It seemed that someone had noticed her ability to use light - body skills, so they treated her so strictly.
Wei Dongling slowly sat down on the cold ground against the wall and carefully recalled the face of that secret guard. She had never seen him before, but she knew he was definitely not from the Prince's Mansion. So who could it be?
Could it be those people who had been following her secretly that day in Lin's Teahouse when the storyteller was performing?
The people from the Zhao Mansion?
It was impossible to tell the time on this rainy day. Miss and the others probably wouldn't notice her disappearance for a while. This was just terrible.
It had been more than three years since she crossed over, and this was the first time she had been thrown into jail. Wei Dongling was just smiling bitterly when suddenly the sound of a whip cracking came from the next cell, followed by one shrill scream after another, making her scalp tingle.
Vaguely, someone was shouting angrily, "Will you confess or not?" Then the sound of the whip became more and more frequent, and the screams became even more shrill.
Wei Dongling pricked up her ears and listened, her little face turning as white as a sheet.
After a while, a secret door opened at the corner. A weak candlelight shone in, and two burly bearded men stepped in. There was a chain trailing behind them, making a harsh scraping sound on the ground.
It wasn't until the two men passed the iron bars in front of her that Wei Dongling saw clearly that what they were dragging on the ground, all bloody and looking like a dead dog, was actually a man!
The man was dragged into the next cell in an extremely strange posture, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. The two jailers fastened the iron chain at the door and locked it heavily.
Wei Dongling looked up at the blood - covered man lying on the ground and shivered in fear.
"Yo?" The tall jailer on the left glanced at Wei Dongling and grinned, "This little girl is awake?"
When he grinned, his yellow teeth were exposed, making Wei Dongling feel nauseous.
The shorter jailer on the right leered and said with a disgusting smile, "This little girl is really pretty. I'll go and invite Lord Mu here first." Then he turned and left.
The remaining tall jailer stared at Wei Dongling's figure through the bars, sizing her up non - stop. His look made her feel really creepy.
Lord Mu came quickly. He walked lightly with a contemptuous look in his eyes. He smiled sinisterly at Wei Dongling through the bars.
Wei Dongling looked up at Lord Mu. As she had expected, he was the one who had kidnapped her today. If she guessed correctly, he was also the one who had been following her secretly in Lin's Teahouse before.
"Miss Wei is awake?" Lord Mu nodded and smiled, signaling the jailer to open the door. The two jailers stepped forward and fumbled with the lock.
"Who are you?" Wei Dongling pretended not to know anything and coldly demanded, "Kidnapping someone in broad daylight. Do you still have any regard for the law?"
Hearing this, Lord Mu sneered and said insincerely, "Miss Wei, don't be angry. We invited you here just to ask you a few questions. If you answer honestly, we'll send you back properly."
Wei Dongling thought to herself: Making such a big fuss just to ask a few questions? I don't believe you.
"Of course," Lord Mu walked into the cell leisurely and stood in front of Wei Dongling. He said softly with a smile, "If you're not willing to cooperate, you've seen what the outcome will be, haven't you?" As he said this, he glanced at the man in the next cell who was lying limply on the ground.
Wei Dongling followed his gaze and looked at the blood - covered man lying on the ground like a dead dog. She couldn't help shivering again. She forced herself to look calm and asked, "What's so important that you had to kidnap me to ask?"
"It's not a big deal," Lord Mu stared intently at Wei Dongling, a hint of cruelty flashing in his eyes. "I just want to ask you, what's your relationship with Wei Jiang?"
Just as she had expected!
Cold sweat was breaking out on Wei Dongling's forehead. She rubbed her forehead and pretended to be extremely sincere as she said, "When I was young, the village head of Wei's Village arranged a marriage for me. He betrothed me to Brother Wei Jiang from the next - door family. But later, my unlucky husband went to work as a long - term laborer for a wealthy family early on. At first, I could still see him once or twice when he came back occasionally. But in the past one or two years, he hasn't come back at all. To be honest, I came to the capital just to inquire about my husband's whereabouts..."
Wei Dongling secretly praised her own ability to make up stories on the spot. Father, please don't blame me. I didn't mean to lie!
Before she could finish speaking, Lord Mu's pupils shrank. He reached out and grabbed Wei Dongling's chin tightly. It hurt so much that she gasped, "Ouch— Every word I said is true. Please check it out, my lord."
Lord Mu's face darkened even more. He squinted his eyes and stared fiercely at Wei Dongling's pretty face.
Wei Dongling's chin was grabbed, and she felt even more flustered. She quickly shouted, "If you know where my husband Wei Jiang is, please tell me."
These words made Lord Mu's face contort with anger. His eyes were filled with rage, and the hand that was holding Wei Dongling's chin tightened even more.