Hearing this and seeing the thick bandages on Shi Luohan's hands and the blood splattered on his robe, Ning shi was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She hugged Song Wanchu tightly and shed tears.
Eldest brother and eldest sister-in-law had entrusted Wanchu to her. If anything happened to Wanchu, how could she explain it to her eldest brother and sister-in-law? How could she explain it to her deceased sister?
Grandma Chu felt extremely guilty. "I originally thought to arrange Wanchu's carriage at the back to give you more time to talk. I never expected such a thing to happen. It was my oversight."
Chu Shangxu didn't immediately suspect his in - laws of the kidnapping. "My father - in - law is the richest man in the South of the Yangtze River, and our family is a royal merchant. These are no secrets. Wanchu is a young girl and new to this place. It's inevitable that some evil - minded people would try to kidnap her for ransom."
Grandma Chu highly agreed. "Wanchu, you did the right thing. Such things should not be tolerated. We must report it to the authorities."
Hearing this, Chu Yueying was also extremely frightened.
Seeing that Sister Wanchu was safe and sound, she gradually calmed down.
It was Taoist Priest Qingzhou who had saved Sister Wanchu.
She suddenly felt a bit regretful that she hadn't taken the same carriage as Sister Wanchu on the way back.
Otherwise, she would have also been the one that Taoist Priest Qingzhou heroically rescued.
After going to Songhe Taoist Temple, she hadn't even had a chance to say a single word to Taoist Priest Qingzhou. Chu Yueying felt full of regret.
She didn't know when she would see Taoist Priest Qingzhou again.
"Grandma, Father, Mother, Taoist Priest Qingzhou saved Sister. He is a great benefactor to our family. Shouldn't we invite him to our home and thank him solemnly?"
Chu Yueying asked carefully, pretending to be nonchalant.
Grandma Chu, who had just picked up her teacup, paused. Her look at her granddaughter became meaningful.
"Ying'er is right. We really should invite Taoist Priest Qingzhou to our home and hold a banquet to show our gratitude."
Chu Shangxu slapped his thigh. "This way, it shows our sincerity. What do you think, Mother?"
Grandma Chu gave a soft "hmm", indicating her agreement.
Chu Yueying secretly lowered her head, and the smile in her eyes was about to overflow.
Song Wanchu felt a headache coming on.
Shi Luohan's eyes were filled with gloom.
...
When Grandma Yue returned home from Songhe Taoist Temple the next day, an intimate maid rushed to report.
"Master sent several capable generals from the military camp to kidnap Miss Song. Eighteen of them went, but only Gao Daqiang came back alive. Miss Song also reported it to the authorities. The newly - appointed prefect quickly traced it back to the military camp. Today, Master had a conflict with Prefect Shi in the military camp. It was very embarrassing. He was persuaded to stop by the accompanying officials."
Grandma Yue's face darkened. She threw the teacup in her hand. "A fool! How could he be so impatient!"
At the same time, she was also shocked. Song Wanchu actually had such courage and determination!
She immediately sent someone to call Yue Chengkong and scolded him severely.
Yue Chengkong was dissatisfied but didn't dare to talk back to his mother. He mumbled to defend himself. "Son thought that the Eldest Princess was trapped in the deep palace and urgently needed money to get in touch with the right people. So I wanted to kidnap that girl and force the Qi and Chu families to cough up a sum of money to solve our urgent problem."
(The Qi family was Wanchu's maternal grandfather's family)
"You stupid thing!" Grandma Yue was so angry that she picked up her walking stick and hit Yue Chengkong. "You're killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. It's a one - time deal! That Shi Minglang is the nephew of the living Hades, Shi Jinglu. Do you think he's easy to deal with?
You've already shown your cards. If he keeps on chasing this and digs deeper, and the world finds out that our Yue family kidnapped an orphan girl without parents, how can you still stay in Yunzhou? What about the reputation of the Yue family?
The Emperor is already dissatisfied with your overbearing behavior. Shi Minglang came with an imperial edict to find fault. At this critical moment, you did such a thing. Aren't you just putting your neck under the blade?
If he gets hold of the evidence and the Emperor gets angry and decides to investigate our family, and finds out about our relationship with the Eldest Princess over the years, not only will our Yue family be completely destroyed, but it will also drag the Eldest Princess down!"
After Grandma Yue explained the pros and cons clearly, Yue Chengkong finally realized that he had made a big mistake.
One wrong step could lead to a fall into the abyss!
Cold sweat broke out on Yue Chengkong's back. Thinking of the tough and hard - to - deal - with Shi Minglang, he felt extremely frustrated.
"Mother, the most urgent thing now is to divert Shi Minglang's attention quickly and stop him from focusing on me!"
Grandma Yue glared at her son and sighed in disappointment.
Her son was just a reckless man with no strategy and no patience!
"This is not difficult. You give Shi Minglang a clue to lead him to Gao Daqiang, and then secretly force Gao Daqiang to confess and accept the punishment.
He used to be a bandit leader. He did all kinds of bad things like robbing houses and killing people. When he heard that the granddaughter of the richest man in the South of the Yangtze River came to Yunzhou, he naturally couldn't resist the temptation and wanted to do a big job. Shi Minglang will believe this reason."
Yue Chengkong hesitated.
Gao Daqiang was a talented man, and he couldn't bear to part with him.
Moreover, Gao Daqiang was not the kind of person who would let others manipulate him.
Asking him to take the blame, he might not be willing to cooperate obediently.
"What are you still hesitating about?" Grandma Yue frowned and shouted. "Afraid he won't cooperate? Six years ago, the Duke of Jin led the army to suppress the bandits. That Second Young Master Liang killed seven bandit leaders, and only Gao Daqiang escaped to our Yunzhou. He is a wanted criminal of the court. We hold his life in our hands. How dare he not obey?
Besides, this incident can at most be counted as an attempted kidnapping. Miss Song wasn't injured, and no property was looted. At most, he'll be locked up for a few years and then released.
Ask him if he wants to die or spend a few years in jail?"
Yue Chengkong was convinced by his mother. "Okay, I'll go talk to him right away. I'll give him more compensation if necessary."
Grandma Yue snorted. Her son was really loyal to these insignificant people.
"Mother, what about Song Wanchu..." Yue Chengkong really needed money.
Grandma Yue smiled, and her eyes flashed with a shrewd glint. "Don't be in a hurry. Sooner or later, she will be our treasure trove, a source of endless wealth."
Yue Chengkong didn't know what his mother was planning, but over the years, his mother had been very strategic and almost never made a mistake. He trusted her.
He shouldn't have been so impatient.
...
For seven consecutive days, Shi Luohan went to the government office very frequently.
News kept reaching Song Wanchu's ears.
One day, when Shi Luohan came back from outside, he didn't even have time to change his clothes before coming to Meiying Pavilion.
"Shi Minglang arrested Gao Daqiang, a seventh - rank都尉 in the military camp. Gao Daqiang confessed that he heard you came to Yunzhou and was tempted by your wealth. He wanted to kidnap you to extort a large sum of money from the Qi and Chu families.
The man has been imprisoned. This case will probably end here. It won't be traced back to the Yue family."
This result didn't surprise Song Wanchu.
It seemed that in the first confrontation between the newly - appointed prefect and the local tyrant of Yunzhou, both sides had taken a step back.
"Wanchu, let me take you away from Yunzhou." Shi Luohan held Song Wanchu's hand tightly. "Let's go to Qingzhou. It's warmer there than in Yunzhou. I'll accompany you through the winter, and then we'll go back to Huzhou. How about that?"
His eyes were a bit eager.
"Brother, I understand your concerns. But we've only been here for less than a month. If we leave in a hurry right after the kidnapping incident, won't it make Aunt and the others think too much?
The Yue family's target is me. If I leave like this, will the Yue family make things difficult for the Chu family? Brother, I want the Yue family to completely give up the idea of getting wealth from me and not leave any hidden troubles for Aunt and the others."
"This is a complicated matter. It's not something a weak girl like you can handle." Shi Luohan murmured.
"Even if I can't handle it, I should try my best. I can't choose to escape." Song Wanchu said calmly.
"Wanchu, are you so determined to confront the Yue family head - on because Liang Yuzhou gave you the confidence?"
Shi Luohan's tone suddenly became sharp. "Or is it that you saw his persistent pursuit of you, his sincere and humble apology, and you can't bear to let him go?"