Song Yichun stood under the eaves of the main hall, watching the guards scurrying around the courtyard, feeling a chill run through his body.
Song Mo had gone missing!
Where had he escaped from?
And who had rescued him?
If he had known this would happen, he should have stationed someone to guard the room. But his son was not only clever but also eloquent; even if he had assigned someone to watch over him, that person might have been swayed by Song Mo.
Thinking of this made his temples throb with pain.
Chang, the guard, approached with a grim expression.
“Your Grace,” he cupped his fists in salute, “we found nothing!”
“Found nothing?” Song Yichun exploded with rage, “Is he supposed to have flown away?”
As soon as he spoke, both men perked up, exchanging a glance before rushing into the inner chamber.
In the inner chamber, the ceiling showed clear signs of having been disturbed.
“Quick, come here!” Song Yichun exclaimed, his face lighting up with surprise.
Before long, Chang led a few men up to the roof.
“Your Grace,” Chang soon poked his head down from the ceiling, “the tiles on the roof have been removed, and there are marks left by iron claws—someone climbed in from the small alley on the east and rescued the Young Master.”
The small alley to the east was right next to Yizhi Hall.
Song Yichun’s gaze sharpened, and he said in a low voice, “Surround Yizhi Hall! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find him!”
“Yes!” Chang led his men toward Yizhi Hall.
Song Yichun, however, slumped onto the large kang by the window in the inner chamber.
What should he do now?
He had originally planned to beat Song Mo half to death, leave him in the inner chamber overnight, and then, when the ancestral hall opened the next morning, drive him out of the family. By then, people would surely come to persuade him, but if he delayed for a few days, even if he eventually brought Song Mo back, given his injuries, he would likely not survive long enough to report to the Emperor.
If Song Mo had been rescued, this plan was no longer viable.
He had managed to capture Song Mo precisely because he had underestimated him. Once Song Mo regained his strength…
Song Mo had fought against pirates at the age of ten!
Song Yichun couldn’t help but shiver.
Damn Jiang Meisun! It was all his fault for raising his son this way!
This was no longer Song Yichun’s son; he was simply Jiang Meisun’s son!
He silently cursed his deceased brother-in-law when a guard cautiously entered. “Your Grace, the Second Young Master has arrived.”
Song Han!
Song Yichun was taken aback. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let him in!” Then he sighed softly.
Song Han rushed in with red eyes, and upon seeing only his father in the room, he tugged at his father’s sleeve. “Father, I want my brother! I’m scared of being alone with Mother!” He began to cry loudly.
Song Yichun frowned deeply, scolding his younger son, “How old are you? When something happens, all you know is to cry! Your brother was already helping me at your age; can’t you learn from him?” Mentioning his eldest son only fueled his anger further. “It’s all your mother’s fault for spoiling you!” With that, he shoved his son aside, “If you cry again, you’ll go kneel in the ancestral hall!” He sounded very impatient.
Song Han stared at his father, mouth agape, shocked into silence.
In the past, while his father would scold him, he had never shown such disdain.
Song Yichun, feeling even more irritated, shouted at the guard, “Who brought the Second Young Master here?”
The guard quickly replied, “It was Pear Blossom, the Second Young Master’s attendant.”
“Bring her in!” Song Yichun’s face darkened as he reprimanded Pear Blossom, “If you can’t keep an eye on the Second Young Master, I’ll break your legs!”
Pear Blossom was so frightened that she couldn’t speak, bowing repeatedly to Song Yichun.
Song Yichun kicked her in the chest, “Get out of here!”
Pear Blossom, in pain and sweating, hurriedly dragged the stunned Song Han out of the inner chamber.
Only then did Song Yichun feel a bit of relief.
He asked the guard, “Is there still no news from Chang?”
The guard, quick-witted, replied, “I’ll go check right now!” He cupped his fists and swiftly exited the inner chamber.
Song Yichun sighed deeply and sat down to sip some tea.
Song Mo must be hiding in Yizhi Hall.
The few people he could rely on were either not in the capital or had been detained. Even if there were a few loyal subordinates, they were insignificant figures he had already assigned to watch over. They wouldn’t have the capability to rescue Song Mo from the residence. Even if they managed to get him out, there would be nowhere to hide him…
As this thought crossed his mind, he straightened up, suddenly realizing something was wrong, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
How could he have forgotten Gu Yu?
If Song Mo escaped, the most likely place he would seek refuge was with Gu Yu, who would carelessly take him in without a second thought.
“Come here!” he called, and a guard entered respectfully.
Song Yichun instructed him, “Immediately send someone to monitor Gu Yu, the eldest son of Duke of Yunyang.” As soon as he finished speaking, he felt it was inappropriate and corrected himself, “No, send four people! Follow him from a distance, and if you spot the Young Master, report back immediately.”
The guard complied and left.
Song Yichun felt slightly reassured but couldn’t help but think of the matter again.
Besides Gu Yu, who else might take in Song Mo?
Zhang Xuming, the Lu family, or that Vice General Ma Youming from the Shenshu Camp… What kind of dubious friends had he made?
Song Yichun felt a burning anxiety in his heart.
Chang hurried back, looking anxious. “Your Grace, we haven’t seen any trace of the Young Master. However, a certain Chen Bo, a staff member at Yizhi Hall, has gone missing, and we found marks from iron claws on the east wall.”
“What?” Song Yichun’s face turned ashen, and he jumped to his feet. “What did you say?” His voice changed.
Chang was puzzled.
Why did Duke seem frightened of the Young Master?
He quickly repeated what he had said.
Song Yichun sat there, stunned, collapsing onto the kang.
“How could this happen? How could this happen?” he muttered to himself, looking panicked and helpless. Chang waited for a long time, but Song Yichun kept repeating those words without making a decision.
Finally, Chang spoke softly, “Your Grace, should we detain the two attendants who served Chen Bo and ask them?”
“Yes… yes!” Chang’s words snapped Song Yichun back to reality. It was as if he had been awakened. “Not only should we interrogate those two attendants thoroughly, but you must also question everyone else at Yizhi Hall. Additionally, send someone to find out if any suspicious individuals are coming in and out of the alley.” He paused and added, “And check with Chen Tao as well. Find out who Song Mo usually associates with; those people should also be monitored. He might seek refuge with them…” He then looked regretful and said, “Forget it, there’s no need to ask Chen Tao. We won’t get anything useful from him, and it might alert that kid, leading him to realize Song Mo has escaped and throw us off track.”
Chang thought of Chen Tao, who had been beaten to the brink of death yet remained silent, feeling a mix of emotions. He replied, “Understood,” and withdrew.
Song Yichun began pacing the room.
At times, he clenched his fists tightly, and at other times, he balled them up, until the sky began to lighten. When the maidservants came in to ask him to wash up, he finally realized it was already the next day.
In a panic, Song Yichun called for Chang and instructed the maidservant, “Quickly find him for me!”
The maidservant, unsure of what had happened, nervously set down the washing tools and informed the guards outside to summon Chang.
“What’s the situation?” Song Yichun asked urgently. “What did the two attendants say?”
Having gone day and night without sleep, Chang’s face was shadowed with stubble, and he looked particularly haggard. “The two attendants only said they were sent by Yan Chaoqing to serve Chen Bo. Chen Bo, as before, took a stroll in the courtyard after dinner, then said he wanted to go to the front yard to see the commotion and told them not to follow. They stayed in the study to tidy up, and when Chen Bo didn’t return by the hour of the pig, they searched the front and back courtyards but couldn’t find him. Just as they were puzzled, we arrived… They know nothing!”
“How is that possible?” Song Yichun exploded with anger. “Use torture on them! Let’s see if they’ll talk!”
“We did.” Remembering how the two attendants had cried and howled under torture but still repeated the same few sentences, Chang felt a deep exhaustion. “They insist they don’t know where Chen Bo went!”
With a loud crash, Song Yichun smashed the teacup onto the ground, his handsome face twisted in rage. “Beat them! Beat them hard! If they don’t talk, kill them all! And that Chen Tao—if he dares to say that pendant doesn’t belong to Song Mo, kill him too!”
Chang replied quietly, ready to leave when another guard, who had been sent to monitor Gu Yu, entered. “Your Grace, just now, Chen, the shopkeeper from the antique shop on West Street, delivered a letter to Young Master Gu on the Young Master’s orders, saying that the Young Master wants to see the Emperor and is asking Young Master Gu to help facilitate a quick audience.”
The antique shop on West Street belonged to the Song family.
Chang paused, and behind him, Song Yichun’s furious roar echoed, “Are you all useless? Hurry up and capture the Young Master!”
The guard explained softly, “We already asked Shopkeeper Chen. He said it was He San, a stable boy from the residence, who asked him to deliver the letter—he knows nothing about what happened, and the Young Master isn’t at his shop.”
“A bunch of fools!” Song Yichun was furious, “Why haven’t you tied up that He San yet? What are you standing around for?”
“Your Grace!” the guard said, bracing himself, “He San hasn’t returned since he left the residence.”
“Fools, fools, all of you fools…” As Song Yichun raged, another guard who had been sent to monitor Gu Yu returned. Seeing the scene in the room, he cautiously reported, “Your Grace, Young Master Gu has taken a sedan chair to the palace.”
Song Yichun glared fiercely, “Then why aren’t you blocking him?”
The two guards lowered their heads, exchanging glances without speaking.
Why should they stop Young Master Gu’s sedan chair?
Song Yichun realized he had misspoken and scolded Song Mo again, “You’re all just a bunch of misfits!” Then he cursed Song Han, “You can’t do anything but eat and drink!”
If only Song Han were a few years older, he could help him stop Gu Yu.
The people in the room shrank back as if by doing so, they could lessen the anger directed at them.