Chapter 303: Extremely Urgent
Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Extremely Urgent
"What happened to your face?" Lu Zhan asked, his eyes catching the handprint on her cheek. His handsome features immediately darkened.
Zhi Wan paused, the memory flooding back. She shook her head. "I’m fine now. Did you hear what I said earlier?"
He didn’t need her to say it. Lu Zhan had already guessed it was Zhi Ye’s doing.
A murderous rage welled up inside him, but he asked no more questions. Instead, he reached out to gently caress the mark on her face. "Yes," he said softly. "I heard everything."
Zhi Wan finally relaxed. "Uncle is probably on his way to find you now," she warned. "You have to be careful. I have a feeling he’s plotting something else."
"Alright." Lu Zhan nodded.
Just as Zhi Wan was about to say more, she suddenly heard the chain on the door rattle.
Her heart leaped, and she snapped awake.
Opening her eyes, she found herself still tied up on the bed. Her cousin was gone.
It was only then she realized: she had been dreaming.
Recalling her conversation with her cousin in the dream, she felt a sliver of relief.
’My cousin knows I’m in Santian Town now. He’ll definitely send someone to rescue me, and then he won’t be threatened by Uncle anymore.’
At this thought, her gaze shifted toward the door.
The rattling of the chain had woken her. She had thought her uncle was back, but now there was no sound from outside.
’So it wasn’t my uncle outside?’
’That’s right. He went to find my cousin; there’s no way he could be back this quickly.’
’Could it be the inn attendant, then?’
Just as she thought this, the chain on the door rattled again.
The next moment, with a loud CLICK, the door was pushed open.
The room was lit by a candle, so Zhi Wan got a clear look at the person the moment they stepped inside.
It was a beggar, hair disheveled and face caked in grime.
A jolt of recognition went through Zhi Wan.
’Isn’t this the beggar I ran into in town?’
The beggar stared at Zhi Wan, an eerie smile playing on their lips.
In a few quick strides, she rushed over and yanked Zhi Wan up from the bed.
"Zhi Wan, I never thought I’d see you brought so low!"
Zhi Wan was stunned.
’This person knows my name. That means she knows me.’
’Just who is she?’
"You’re wondering who I am, aren’t you?" the woman asked coldly, as if reading her mind.
A cloth gagged Zhi Wan’s mouth, making it impossible to speak, but her eyes were fixed on the woman.
Unfortunately, the woman’s face was so filthy that her true features were completely obscured.
But from the woman’s tone, it was clear she held a grudge against her.
’But who could she be?’ Zhi Wan wondered desperately.
"Zhi Wan, my downfall is all thanks to you and yours! But heaven hasn’t forsaken me—it let me find you. Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, I’ll make you suffer the same humiliation I did. No, I’ll make you pay it back a hundred, a thousand times over!" With that, the woman yanked Zhi Wan off the bed.
Bound by ropes, Zhi Wan was pulled completely off balance and crashed to the floor with a loud THUD.
The fall left Zhi Wan dizzy and seeing stars, but before she could recover, the woman began to drag her out of the room.
The shattered bowls and leftover food from a previous struggle still littered the floor. The woman paid it no mind, dragging Zhi Wan right through the mess.
The sharp pain of broken porcelain slicing into her skin snapped Zhi Wan back to her senses.
Her bound hands managed to close around a shard of porcelain, and she quickly concealed it in her palm.
It was the dead of night, and the inn was silent. Everyone was sound asleep, so the slight commotion went unnoticed.
The beggar dragged Zhi Wan out through the back door with a familiarity that suggested she knew the inn’s layout well.
「The hunting ground.」
When Lu Zhan woke, his first instinct was to rush to Santian Town and save his cousin. But the moment he stormed out of his tent, the cold night air hit his face and he immediately regained his composure.
’No, I can’t go.’
For one, he couldn’t leave the hunting ground without the Emperor’s permission. For another, he felt that Zhi Ye’s appearance in town was no coincidence; there had to be a larger conspiracy at play.
After careful deliberation, he summoned a subordinate. He ordered the man to deliver a message to Chen Jiu and Tong Da, commanding them to rescue Zhi Wan immediately. He himself would remain at the hunting ground.
The subordinate departed at once.
「Meanwhile, at the Zhi Mansion.」
Shuang’er gazed worriedly at the figure on the bed. It was Jiang Shi, unconscious and gravely injured.
He had collapsed outside the Zhi Mansion gates the previous night. Daniu had found him and carried him inside.
A doctor had been summoned to examine him, finding multiple sword wounds and several broken bones. It looked as if he’d been stabbed before falling from a great height.
He had been unconscious ever since, and Shuang’er was beside herself with worry.
"Water... water..."
Just then, Jiang Shi muttered deliriously.
Shuang’er leaned in, realized he was asking for water, and quickly poured a cup to help him drink.
As she did, Jiang Shi’s eyes snapped open.
"Brother Jiang, you’re awake?" Shuang’er said, delighted.
Jiang Shi looked at her with a vacant expression, his eyes scanning the room. "Where...?"
"Don’t you remember? You were unconscious outside the mansion gates last night. Daniu found you and brought you in," Shuang’er replied.
Hearing this, Jiang Shiyi suddenly remembered something and began to struggle to his feet.
"What are you doing? You’re injured! Your arms and legs are broken, you can’t move around like that!" Shuang’er cried out, startled, rushing to stop him.
"But I have something urgent to report to the Princely Heir," Jiang Shi said anxiously.
"No matter how urgent it is, you need to take care of your body first," Shuang’er pleaded. "Besides, the Princely Heir went to the hunting ground. He’s not in the Capital City."
"The Princely Heir is at the hunting ground?" Jiang Shiyi asked, alarmed.
"Yes, he left yesterday," Shuang’er replied.
"This is bad," Jiang Shiyi said, his face falling. He shoved Shuang’er aside and tried to stand.
Shuang’er stumbled from the push, her back hitting a shelf behind her, and she couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
Jiang Shi saw this and was immediately flustered. "Miss Shuang’er, I’m sorry."
Shuang’er rubbed the small of her back and said irritably, "It’s no use being in a hurry when you can barely move."
"Miss Shuang’er, this matter is beyond urgent. I have to get to the hunting ground," Jiang Shi insisted, struggling to get out of bed.
Seeing his determination, Shuang’er’s heart softened. She rushed forward to support him. "Alright, then. I’ll have Brother Daniu and the others prepare a carriage to take you to the hunting ground."
As anxious as he was, Jiang Shi knew he couldn’t get to the hunting ground on his own. "I’ll have to trouble you, then," he said.
Shuang’er shook her head and hurried off to make the arrangements.
A short while later, Daniu and Erniu carried Jiang Shi into a carriage. Before departing, he paused, still uneasy, and whispered something to Shuang’er.
Shuang’er’s expression turned grave as she listened. "Don’t worry," she assured him. "I will find a way to get a message to Princess Chang Le."
"Good," Jiang Shi grunted. He said nothing more, simply telling Daniu and the others to get moving.
’I have to see the Princely Heir as soon as possible.’
Back at the inn in town, Tong Da waited, his heart burning with impatience.
Finally, late in the night, the masked man appeared.
"You recognize this, I presume? It’s your Miss’s earring. If you want her to remain unharmed, have Lu Zhan come see me at once." The masked man was, of course, Zhi Ye. As he spoke, he tossed the earring to Tong Da.
Tong Da caught it and looked down. It was, indeed, the earring the Miss had been wearing the day before.
He snarled, "What have you done to our Miss?"
"You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just bring Lu Zhan to me. I want to see him here tomorrow morning between 7 and 9 a.m.!" Having said his piece, Zhi Ye turned and left.
Clutching Zhi Wan’s earring, Tong Da quickly departed the town.
Once he reached a dark alley, Chen Jiu emerged from the shadows. "I just saw a masked man enter the town. Was that him? The one who took the Miss?"