Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Returning Home (Part 1)
"If you have any difficulties, send someone to the Marquis Mansion to find me!" he said. Then, realizing Xiqiu would likely not seek him out, he amended, "You can also tell Yanzheng!" Xiao Yanyi looked at him with an even gaze, his calm expression seemingly enveloped in an indescribable emotion, surging yet extremely suppressed.
He stood quietly, even though his face lacked its usual smile, he remained refreshingly soothing. Xiqiu smiled and nodded, "Yes!" After speaking, she continued, "If the Marquis has no orders, I will return first." She pointed to the main hall, "The ’Ksitigarbha Sutra’ is yet to be fully transcribed."
"Go ahead!" Xiao Yanyi nodded, reluctantly watching Xiqiu leave. Only when her figure entirely disappeared into the main hall did he slowly turn and depart!
Half a month later, as a beam of light rose into the sky from the direction of the Imperial City in the Capital, bursting into colorful fireworks, the new year arrived. This year, the Capital was particularly lively; just the fireworks at the Third Prince Mansion lasted for three consecutive nights. It was rumored that the Emperor’s health had been declining since winter, and the Third Prince used rare medicines out of filial piety to support him. Now, the grand celebration was to bring joy, hoping in the new year to pray for the Emperor’s health and wellness.
Amidst the city’s celebrations, Xiqiu finally received a letter from Madam Xia. She eagerly opened it to read, only to realize that Madam Xia had been sending her letters all along the journey, but for some reason, they never reached her!
It turned out, she and Tong Minzhi did not set sail from Tongzhou, but instead drove directly to Tianjin Port. From there, they boarded a merchant ship. However, upon reaching the borders of Dezhou, the merchant ship was seized by a group of bandits. Fortunately, these bandits were only after money and not lives, and though Madam Xia lost half their money, she managed to escape unharmed with Tong Minzhi.
The two dared not travel by ship again and abandoned it to rent a carriage, traveling overland towards Yongzhou. This journey delayed them more than three months. By the time they reached Hengzhou, the carriage broke down, and it began to snow. Madame Xia’s funds were nearly exhausted, so she planned to take Tong Minzhi and continue from Hengzhou to Yongzhou on foot.
Three hundred and fifty miles of journey, on the way, they encountered men sent by the First Master, who brought them back to Yongzhou.
Xiqiu laughed, lying in bed feeling more relieved than ever. She rushed overnight to show the letter to Master Puning. They talked in the Zen room until midnight before Xiqiu returned to rest. Chunyan and Chunliu fetched water for her to wash up. Xiqiu nestled on a warm kang bed and picked up a book to read. Soon she drowsily fell asleep with the book in her hands.
Chunliu smiled knowingly, helped her blow out the lamp, carefully closed the door, and rested with Chunyan in the outer room.
In the middle of the night, as snowflakes fell softly on the rooftop, Xiqiu was abruptly awakened by a disturbance outside. She called out, "Chunyan, Chunliu!" but after waiting for a while, there was no response from outside!
She draped her coat over her shoulders, lit the lamp in the corner, and went to the door. Just at that moment, the tightly closed door was kicked open from outside. Startled, she recognized the intruders, and her expression changed drastically, dropping what she held onto the floor!
The night wind gusted in, and Xiqiu broke out in a cold sweat!
"Who are you?" she retreated in shock, her gaze sweeping from the four men before her to Chunyan and Chunliu outside. But due to dim lighting, she could only see the hem of their garments...no resistance or sound, could it be?
Xiqiu squinted at the intruders, all uniformly dressed in black, their faces masked, revealing only four pairs of ill-intentioned eyes: "Who exactly are you? Who sent you?" The four were tall and sturdily built, each wielding an arm-length wide-bladed knife, edges gleaming coldly...their gazes, under the knife’s cold gleam, were extraordinarily chilling, making one’s blood run cold.
"No need for questions, Miss!" The speaker, the tallest among them, had a sharp voice unfamiliar to Xiqiu: "We are merely following orders to take Miss back. If Miss complies and comes with us obediently, things will go smoothly. If not..." He waved the broad knife in his hand, the implication unmistakable.
Take her back? Did it require such means! Xiqiu laughed coldly, "If so, I should be informed, who planned so meticulously to send you to fetch me!"
The tall one’s eyes flickered slightly, raising his eyebrows he said, "Miss indeed has courage. We brothers have roamed the underworld for years, met hundreds of young ladies, which of them did not scream in terror or faint upon seeing us, only Miss, calm and unflustered." He said, his eyes roving over Xiqiu’s figure, "Except...what a pity!"
Pity for what? Xiqiu couldn’t discern their true motives, were they really taking her to some place as claimed or simply to kill her? Who could it be? Her mind raced through possibilities, the people she interacted with most after coming to this world were those of the Tong Mansion’s inner residence. But even if Lady bore such resentment towards her currently, this extreme method shouldn’t be used. Yet who else harbored such animosity, eager to eliminate her?
Suddenly, Xiqiu thought of the concubine!
Tong Xiyan had mentioned that Xu Tianqing was still missing, as if vanished, while the concubine remained at the Tong Mansion, persistently ill and not recovering. During Chunliu’s last visit to deliver Tong Xiyang’s bridal gifts, where she kowtowed to Lady, the concubine sat beside, looked at her with eyes as if wanting to devour her.
No one else but the concubine could be behind this.
Moreover, she always found it odd why Lady so easily agreed to her request that day, readily helping her fend off the concubine’s encroachments. What did she discuss with the concubine after closing the door? Even later, the concubine never mentioned the matter of the secret exchange again.
The four were looking at her, two had already sheathed their swords on their backs, approaching her directly. Xiqiu reached out to stop them, asking, "I have neither the strength to resist... since that’s the case, can you tell me who sent you before taking me away?" The other three exchanged glances, all looking at the tall one. He squinted his eyes amusingly, chuckling, "Miss is smart, in our line of work, we only take money without asking questions. Since we’ve been paid, it’s our duty to keep the client’s secret!"
Doing a job for money? Xiqiu laughed, "Then can I offer you double the sum?" Initially, their eyes lit up, but then they all shook their heads. One, still stuttering, said, "No...no can do, we...we have...rules...rules."
"Miss should stop wasting effort," the tall one said, squinting his eyes, giving a signal to the two who had sheathed their swords, and they moved towards Xiqiu. Her heart tensed, but she had already retreated to the edge of the kang bed, within arm’s reach was the flint used to light the lamp and the sewing spool she used daily. Instinctively, she took out a pair of scissors, smiling at them she said, "I’m not sure if your employer wants me alive or as a corpse!" As she spoke, she placed the flint in her hand.