The moment Lu Heng thought of Qin Yining, his heart began to pound. He remained silent for a long time before suppressing his slightly excited emotions, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling until his expression finally returned to calm.

However, the servants didn’t know what Lu Heng was thinking and assumed he was extremely angry.

All the people around Madam had been dismissed by the master, who had replaced them with his own people specifically to serve Madam well. Now even those serving her had been lost…

Everyone kept their heads lowered, waiting for the master’s fury. Thinking of the fate of those before them, everyone was already terrified, feeling that their lives might not be preserved today.

“Where did you discover the carriage? Do you know why Madam ordered the pursuit?”

Several maidservants exchanged glances, and one who was quick-witted and articulate said, “Reporting to my lord, it was at an alley at the corner of South Street. Madam had just brought us servants out from a rouge shop. As for the reason for the pursuit, this servant saw that Madam recognized that person.”

“Recognized?” Lu Heng was surprised.

“Yes. Madam said the maidservant accompanying that person looked familiar, and seemed to have determined who that person was. She hurriedly left us servants behind and ordered the coachman to give chase.”

Lu Heng lowered his eyes, even more suspicious that the other party was Qin Yining. Though he had no evidence, he had that intuition.

But Lu Heng knew that some things couldn’t rely entirely on speculation.

He racked his brains thinking again about who else in Huichuan County fit those characteristics – beautiful and dressed in men’s clothing.

Lu Heng quickly thought of the legendary Boss Qiu of the Sitong Trading Company.

But when had Bian Ruohan met Boss Qiu?

In Huichuan County, someone who could make Bian Ruohan pay such attention, and who was also an extremely beautiful woman – Lu Heng couldn’t think of a second person. Boss Qiu indeed fit these characteristics, but no one could confirm whether Boss Qiu was currently in Huichuan County. In his heart, he vaguely felt the probability of it being Qin Yining was greater.

Rubbing his temples, Lu Heng ordered, “Wenru.”

“My lord?”

“Have people go out to search.” He pointed to the kneeling maidservants and old women. “You follow along, since you know roughly where the person was lost, search around that area.”

“Yes.” Lu Wenru accepted the order and called the kneeling maidservants and old women to go out.

“You must do your utmost. If you can find Madam, that would offset your crime. Otherwise…”

“We servants will certainly do our best!” The maidservants and old women dared not slack off in the slightest. With their lives at stake, no one cared what time it was or what the weather was like.

The Lu family began searching for her with all their might.

Meanwhile, Qin Yining and Pang Xiao also received the news.

“So she still hasn’t been found?”

“Yes, Princess Consort.” Jingzhe said, “Perhaps Madam Lu simply hasn’t walked back yet.”

Qin Yining turned to look at Pang Xiao and sighed helplessly. “I should have secretly ordered someone to follow her then. She’s truly too annoying – I was angry at the moment and didn’t think that much about it.”

Pang Xiao raised an eyebrow. “If it were up to me, I’d just kill her with one stroke and be done with it, to prevent her from constantly stirring up trouble. Later she might even spread malicious rumors everywhere to damage your reputation, yet you’re concerned about her instead.”

Qin Yining shook her head. “After all, her crimes don’t warrant death. Moreover, she married Lord Lu with the Emperor acting as matchmaker. If something really happened to her, I’m afraid it would implicate us.”

Pang Xiao sighed silently. “Some people have this ability – alive they might leak secrets, dead they also bring trouble to others. Truly annoying.”

Hearing Pang Xiao describe Bian Ruohan this way, Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t someone who liked speaking ill of others behind their backs. For him to speak this way, he must have found Bian Ruohan annoying to his very bones.

Qin Yining and Pang Xiao ordered people to secretly watch the Lu family’s movements – they couldn’t miss news of Bian Ruohan returning to the city. If necessary, they could also secretly lend a hand.

It wasn’t until after the hour of xu that Qin Yining’s side received news.

“Earl Zhongyi’s wife has been seen entering the city.”

Only then did Qin Yining and Pang Xiao recall Jingzhe and the others who had secretly gone out.

Bian Ruohan had never suffered so much hardship. Her entire body was soaked through by rain. When crawling out from behind the broken temple, she accidentally fell into a mud pit, her hair matted into strands by the muddy water, her clothes too dirty to look at.

Most pitifully, her hands had been bound. She had exerted tremendous effort, wearing the skin raw on her wrists and arms, before finally breaking free from those ropes. Her delicate feet had never walked so far, and her embroidered shoes easily came off in the mud – she lost them as she walked.

If not for her good luck in meeting the coachman who was searching for her everywhere halfway back, she didn’t know when she would have been able to return home.

“My lord, Madam has returned.” Lu Wenru reported quietly outside the study door.

Lu Heng was writing calligraphy. He wasn’t in a hurry, steadily finishing the last stroke before putting down his brush.

“Where is she?”

“She’s already returned to her room.”

“Where was she found?”

“The previous coachman found her in the outskirts. Madam was in quite a sorry state, having been bound by someone and then escaped. Her whole body was covered with wounds.”

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and slowly walked out of the study, strolling leisurely toward the inner quarters. “I’ll go ask her personally.”

“Yes.” Lu Wenru brought an oiled paper umbrella and followed behind him, not daring to say a single unnecessary word.

The master’s attitude toward Madam was perhaps too cold. In his view, regardless of why someone went missing, she had nearly encountered danger outside. Before she was found, the master actually had the mood to practice calligraphy, and after she was found, he only cared about how she was discovered, showing no concern for Madam’s safety whatsoever.

But it wasn’t the place of servants like them to comment on their master’s thoughts. That the master had always disliked Madam was also something everyone knew.

Lu Heng returned to the inner quarters. Just as he stepped over the threshold of the main room, he heard sobbing and crying sounds from within.

Bian Ruohan was bathing, having maidservants and old women attend to her while crying pitifully and constantly complaining.

“Are you all dead? Huh? How could you not know to follow? Do you know how much I suffered! That wench had ill intentions, bound me up, and even wanted to kill me! If I hadn’t been clever and found an opportunity to escape, your mistress would be dead! If I had died, do you think I would have spared any of you? You’d all have to be buried with me!”

“This servant knows her error.”

Those serving around her were all the ones Bian Ruohan had left in the rain today. Everyone had been drenched and was feeling cold all over, but they didn’t dare rest now, afraid that the master would punish them. They only dared to serve Bian Ruohan with all their heart.

“What use is knowing your error! Just wait – when I tell the master later, I’ll have him punish you severely!”

Everyone remained silent.

Bian Ruohan thought of her fearful and helpless feelings in the broken temple and couldn’t help crying again.

Lu Heng outside the door waved his hand for Lu Wenru to withdraw, then lifted the door curtain and entered by himself.

The little maidservant guarding the door saw Lu Heng and quickly bowed. “My lord.”

“Mm.” Lu Heng responded indifferently and sat down on the heated kang in the outer room, adjusting his robes.

The crying in the inner room suddenly stopped, followed by her low voice urging the maidservants to move faster.

Soon, Bian Ruohan emerged with her wet hair hanging loose, wearing peach-colored undergarments and a bright red outer robe.

Seeing Lu Heng sitting on the heated kang, tears immediately began falling onto Bian Ruohan’s clothing again.

“My lord! You must seek justice for me! I nearly couldn’t return!”

Lu Heng gestured with his chin for Bian Ruohan to sit across from him. “Speak. What happened?”

Bian Ruohan lowered her eyes to wipe her tears. Seeing that Lu Heng was unmoved by her tears, she felt even more wronged.

“I was just taking a nice stroll outside today, when I passed an alley and happened to encounter that wench surnamed Qin having an affair!”

Hearing her speak so crudely, Lu Heng frowned.

Completely oblivious, Bian Ruohan continued, “I recognized her! Those two maidservants with the carriage were clearly people from around that wench! That wench even deliberately disguised herself and wore men’s clothing, but despite all that, I still recognized that vixen at first glance! She was flirting and carrying on with a guard in broad daylight. When I saw this and chased after them to question her, she and that adulterer simply kidnapped me!”

Bian Ruohan gritted her teeth and sobbed as she cursed, “That wench deserves to die a horrible death! They tied me up and said they’d throw me in a ditch to drown in the rainwater, and said they’d chop off my head, then later they wanted to burn me alive! My lord, do you know how terrified I was!”

Without waiting for Lu Heng to answer, Bian Ruohan continued, “I truly don’t know what you see in that wench. She’s nothing but a promiscuous whore! Seeing that the guard was tall and imposing, she dared to seduce him in the carriage regardless of whether he was handsome or ugly. You always think she’s good, but she’d rather commit adultery with a guard than agree to you. You…”

“Slap!”

Bian Ruohan’s vicious curses and resentful words were slapped back into her stomach by Lu Heng.

Her face was knocked to one side, her ears ringing. She paused for a long time before seeming to regain her senses, covering her face and staring at Lu Heng in disbelief. “You hit me!”

“You’re a young woman – where did you learn such foul language!” Lu Heng stood up angrily. “You’re so vulgar – did your family teach you this?! And saying that Lady Qin committed adultery – what evidence do you have? Making such wild accusations without proof – do you know that your words damage a woman’s reputation? You’re also a woman – don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t want done to yourself!”

“You hit me for that poisonous whore!” Bian Ruohan shrieked and jumped up to grab Lu Heng’s clothing, shaking him forcefully. “What right do you have to hit me! I nearly got killed, and you don’t care about me but care about that wench who kidnapped me instead! What kind of spell has she cast on you! Reputation? What reputation does she have to speak of! I think she was born a whore!”

“Foul-mouthed, vicious-hearted, restless at home, stirring up trouble for no reason – a woman like you truly makes people sick to look at.” Lu Heng’s face was cold as he flicked his sleeves and left.

Bian Ruohan’s face burned with pain. Watching Lu Heng’s retreating figure, she chased after him a few steps, shrieking, “Treating me this way – I’ll make you regret it! I’m definitely going to kill that whore! Even if she dies, you’ll never have her for your entire life!”