Lei Li set down his teacup and looked over with a puzzled expression. “What has happened?”

Liao Wenfa said with anguish on his face, “Young Marshal, Huantong, in order to preserve her own life, had someone abduct my son. His life or death is now unknown. I beseech the Young Marshal to stand up for me — so long as my son is safe and unharmed, this humble servant is willing to serve the Young Marshal as an ox and a horse for the rest of his days.”

“Please rise.” Lei Li stepped forward and helped Liao Wenfa to his feet. “I had no idea such a thing had occurred. That Huantong truly had some nerve.”

He thought for a moment. “Your son is Shi Kai’s grandson by marriage, is he not? Surely he would not stand by and watch his own grandson come to harm without doing something?”

A flash of resentment crossed Liao Wenfa’s eyes. “The Bei Di Marshal sees only his own interests. How could he care for a grandson by marriage? After Huantong put forward the terms of exchange, the Military Police Division still refused to release anyone — which is an indirect refusal of Huantong’s demand. He would sooner sacrifice Qing’er’s life.”

Although Liao Wenfa still had concubines, this legitimate son had always been the apple of his eye. Upon hearing that his legitimate son was in danger, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He had not slept a wink all night, and before dawn he had already sent someone to summon the Xi Nan warlord’s Young Marshal, hoping he might lend his assistance.

The covert intelligence network in Bei Di was directly overseen by Lei Li himself, and Liao Wenfa was merely one member of it. He had no authority to mobilize these covert agents, nor did he have the ability to rescue his own son.

“Wenfa, rest assured. I will have someone send word to that side right away. Your son will be fine.” Lei Li patted him on the shoulder. “You are my subordinate. I will not leave you to perish.”

Liao Wenfa was immediately moved to tears, and once again dropped to his knees before Lei Li. “This great kindness and generosity of the Young Marshal — Liao Wenfa will carry it in his heart forever.”

After Lei Li left the Liao residence, his adjutant said to him, “Young Marshal, are you truly going to release Liao Wenfa’s son? Huantong and Qin Peipei…”

“They are nothing more than useless discarded pieces.” Lei Li said with casual indifference. “They will not betray the location of the covert intelligence headquarters. Leaving them alive poses no great problem. But Liao Wenfa still has his uses — I cannot let this matter chill his heart.”

“The Young Marshal speaks most wisely.”

“Liao Wenfa’s wife is Shi Xingzhi’s eldest sister, correct?”

The adjutant quickly nodded.

“If they want to save someone, they may — but they must at least pay some price.” Lei Li gave a light smile. “I never conduct a losing transaction.”

“What does the Young Marshal mean by this?”

Lei Li turned to the side and said a few words in a low voice into the adjutant’s ear. The adjutant listened and nodded repeatedly. “The Young Marshal may rest assured. I will have someone leak this matter to Liao Wenfa at once. This time, he will certainly not fail in his mission.”

“Go then.” Lei Li got into the car, closed his eyes and rested, seemingly no longer concerned with the matter.

Early the next morning, the Marshal’s residence received a phone call from Shan Cheng.

Shi Yuan had not closed her eyes the entire night, waiting at the entrance of the courtyard. Each time someone returned, she rushed forward to ask.

But Shun Cheng was vast. Unless the entire army were deployed to conduct a house-by-house search, there was simply no way to find a child who had been deliberately hidden away.

As a full night passed, thinking of her son whose fate now hung in the balance, Shi Yuan broke into fresh sobs of anguish.

“Eldest Miss, there is a call from your husband.” Madam Shi’s maid Shuangxi came rushing in.

Hearing it was a call from Liao Wenfa, Shi Yuan immediately ran toward the parlor.

The Marshal’s position was now abundantly clear — he had no intention of trading those two spies for Qing’er. All her remaining hope rested on her husband, Liao Wenfa.

But after Shi Yuan finished listening to Liao Wenfa’s instructions over the phone, her expression became complicated.

“Eldest Miss, the call has ended.” Seeing her standing there in a daze with the receiver still in hand, Shuangxi could not help but speak up.

Only then did Shi Yuan set the receiver back. A momentary blankness passed through her eyes.

“Eldest Miss, more people have come back one after another just now, but there is still no news of the Young Master.” Shuangxi said, “If Young Master doesn’t get his cow’s milk, he will cry and fuss. And he is allergic to eggs — if those people don’t know and feed him eggs…”

The blankness in Shi Yuan’s eyes instantly crystallized into a look of absolute resolve. She straightened herself, called Shuangxi over, and gave her several quiet instructions.

Shuangxi was stunned. “Eldest Miss, this is poison! What do you need poison for?”

Shi Yuan looked at her. “You are Mother’s personal maid — you have always been devoted to her. Now that I am in trouble, I can only rely on you. This is the condition the other side has laid out. Although I myself do not wish to go down this path, I cannot stand by and watch Qing’er die. If one person must die, I will choose Seventh Brother without hesitation.”

Shuangxi’s eyes went wide. “Eldest Miss, you want to kill the Seventh Young Master?”

“I have been forced into this with no other way out. You can see for yourself what the situation is now — if Seventh Brother does not die, Qing’er cannot be saved.”

She grabbed Shuangxi’s hand. “Shuangxi, even if we were to go and ask Mother for her opinion, she would not object to my decision. How important I am to her as a daughter, and how important my grandchild is — you should know that better than anyone.”

Madam Shi had only this one daughter and naturally doted on her deeply. It was only because Shi Yuan had fallen head over heels for Liao Wenfa, the merchant who came to do business in Shun Cheng, and refused to marry anyone but him, that she had agreed to let Shi Yuan marry far away to Xi Nan.

“But the Seventh Young Master is extremely perceptive. How would we even get the poison to him? Besides, people saw him leave for the Military Police Division before dawn — he is not in the mansion at all.” Shuangxi thought to herself, her heart full of unease. All she could hope was that Shi Yuan would give up this idea.

Shi Yuan thought for a moment. “Go and say something to the Seventh Young Mistress — tell her I would like a mango pudding from her. Say I am thinking of Qing’er, and that when he comes back, he can eat it right away. She will certainly give it to you.”

“Does Eldest Miss mean to put the poison inside the mango pudding, then have someone deliver it to the Military Police Division?”

Shi Yuan nodded. “He might not eat food from someone else. But anything Yan Qing gives him, he will definitely eat.”

She had seen with her own eyes just how much Shi Ting doted on Yan Qing.

“Shuangxi, I am counting on you.” Shi Yuan brought out a sandalwood box and opened it to reveal a glittering array of gold within. “I have nothing else to give you. Take this box of jewelry. I have heard you still have two younger brothers who are not yet married — these pieces are more than enough for them to marry into a fine family.”

The sight of all that jewelry left Shuangxi somewhat dazzled. The hesitation she had felt just moments before quickly began to dissolve. “Eldest Miss, rest assured. I will handle this matter properly.”

Shi Yuan placed the jewelry box into her hands. “Then I will leave it to you.”

After Shuangxi departed, Shi Yuan could not help but clench her fists. “Forgive me, Xingzhi. For Qing’er’s sake, I have no other choice. If you wish to lay blame, blame the Marshal. If he had agreed to trade Huantong’s life for Qing’er’s, I would never have been driven to this.”

Yan Qing was in her room changing the eagle’s dressings when Murong lifted the curtain and walked in. “Miss, Shuangxi has come asking for mango pudding.”

“Has Qing’er come back?” Yan Qing’s expression brightened with a flash of joy.

Murong shook her head. “Eldest Miss is missing her son desperately. She is thinking that Qing’er loves the pudding you make very much, so she would like a portion set aside — if Qing’er returns, he can eat it right away.”

Yan Qing set down the medicine powder she was holding. “Then go and prepare the ingredients.”

“Eldest Miss is truly pitiable. If Young Master cannot be rescued, she may very well lose her mind.” Murong sighed, then turned and went out.

The season was rich with fruit, and the Shi family kitchen was stocked with all manner of fruits for fruit platters. Murong quickly returned with mangoes and cow’s milk.

Mango pudding, while simple to make, required ice blocks to cool and set after preparation, which meant it took some time.

“Miss, Shuangxi has come to rush us again.” Murong glanced at the pudding still sitting in the ice blocks to set. “Truly an impatient sort.”

Yan Qing set down the book she was reading. “Has there been any news of Qing’er?”

“Not yet.” Murong shook her head. “What a sad thing — such a small child, taken away to be used as a hostage. If the one who took him has any kindness in their heart, that is one thing. But if they are heartless, the child would be crying from heat and hunger, and who knows what state he would be in.”

Yan Qing listened to her words with a slight downward tilt of her eyes.

Since there was still no news of Qing’er, why was Shi Yuan so anxious to have the pudding she had made — was it truly just a matter of missing the child?

“Murong, go and find out whether something has happened on Eldest Sister’s side.”

“Miss, do you think there is something suspicious going on?” Murong caught on as well.

“I cannot say for certain whether anything suspicious is afoot, but one cannot be too careful.” Yan Qing picked up the medical text again and began reading. “After all, no one in the Shi family is a simple sort.”

Murong had not actually noticed anything out of the ordinary — it was only that Shuangxi had been pressing rather urgently. But she knew that someone as sharp as Yan Qing enjoyed examining simple things closely, and moreover, this was not a passing whim. If she felt something was off, there was always a reason behind her suspicion.

Murong and Jing Zhi, in order to have more eyes and ears within the Shi household, had always taken care to maintain good relations with the various other courtyards. A maid who fetched water in First Madam’s courtyard had once received a favor from Murong, and upon seeing her come to inquire about Qing’er, told her everything she knew, holding nothing back.

Murong gave her a bracelet — not of great value, but enough to delight the little maid for quite some time.

“Eldest Miss received a phone call early in the morning, placed from the Liao household in Shan Cheng.” Murong relayed the news she had learned to Yan Qing.

Yan Qing furrowed her brow slightly. “Her husband contacted Eldest Sister?”

“Yes.”

“What was Eldest Sister’s mood like at the time?”

“The little maid said she was not in the parlor at the time and could not see. She only knew that Eldest Miss was together with Shuangxi. She and a few other maids did see Eldest Miss come out of the parlor afterward, though — and Eldest Miss’s expression was calm.”

Yan Qing put her book down and tapped lightly on the table with her knuckles. “Eldest Sister’s expression was calm — no tears, no distress… for her to look like that, it seems that her husband’s side has thought of a way to save the child.”

“Miss, do you think something suspicious is going on?”

“It is hard to say.” Yan Qing was only speculating.

“Then what about the pudding?”

Yan Qing turned her head to glance at it. “Send it over first.”

Murong stepped forward and picked up the bowl of pudding. Yan Qing leaned close and said a few words in her ear, and only then did Murong leave the room.

—