An hour later, dawn broke.

The bandits who had attacked the official boat the previous night numbered around seventy in total. More than half had been killed; those remaining were all gravely wounded. Among the guards and boatmen on the official boat, there had also been casualties.

Wang Tong was, after all, the Commander of the Eastern Palace’s guards — he handled matters of this nature with swift, clean efficiency. He kept only two of the less severely wounded bandits for interrogation, sending all the rest to the nearest magistrate’s office to be formally processed and dealt with.

The wounded guards and boatmen from the official boat were all brought into the cabin to have their injuries tended to and bandaged. Although the Crown Grandson was traveling in secrecy, the boat carried a highly skilled Imperial Physician. Dealing with these surface wounds was nothing out of the ordinary.

Dozens of Eastern Palace guards worked without pause, drawing water from the river to rinse down the deck. The not-yet-dried bloodstains were swiftly washed clean, leaving behind only the lingering metallic scent of blood that refused to dissipate.

“…Your Highness, all matters have been properly attended to.” Wang Tong, who had been busy through the entire night, still appeared in full and vigorous spirits. He delivered a concise report covering everything, and finally added, “Official Ling Daye has brought his entire household and requests an audience to offer their thanks. They are waiting outside at present.”

The Crown Grandson gave a low, unhurried sound of acknowledgment.

He showed no trace of displeasure, nor any sign of impatience.

Wang Tong quietly let out a breath of relief and immediately gave the order, “Please invite Official Ling Daye’s family aboard.”

A guard received the command and withdrew. After a brief moment, Ling Daye entered the cabin with his entire household in tow.

Ling Daye stepped forward briskly, performed a full prostration, and said with heartfelt gratitude, “This official, Ling Zhiyuan, gives thanks to His Highness the Crown Grandson for the grace of saving our lives. Last night, when we encountered the bandits, it was only because His Highness the Crown Grandson led the guards to come to our aid in time that disaster was averted. Otherwise, I fear my entire family would have met with a terrible fate.”

These words were spoken with genuine feeling, his gratitude overflowing from every syllable.

The Crown Grandson received the bow with composure and said evenly, “Director Ling, please rise. It was no great effort on my part.”

Just why the noble Crown Grandson would suddenly appear on this stretch of waterway — and how he had happened to spot the distress signal in time to come to the rescue — such trivial details were not the sort of thing the Crown Grandson himself would volunteer to explain.

Nor did Ling Daye dare press the matter. After expressing his gratitude at great length, he finally rose to his feet.

Ling Jingshu rose along with Sun Shi and the others, her head modestly lowered, her bearing composed and gentle — an image of soft compliance and warmth.

She looked like an entirely different person from the ruthless young woman who had held a dagger in her hand the night before.

The Crown Grandson’s gaze drifted — lightly, almost imperceptibly — across the figure of the young woman standing there with downcast eyes, and the corner of his lip curved very slightly. Whether it was in contempt or quiet amusement was impossible to tell.

“Someone — bring seats!” The Crown Grandson, young as he was, carried an aura of commanding majesty. His every word and gesture was imbued with an authority that brooked no resistance.

Ling Daye said with considerable surprise and gratitude, “Thank you for the honor of a seat, Your Highness.”

The figure before him was the legitimate eldest son of the Eastern Palace — the Crown Grandson who stood most cherished and favored in the Emperor’s eyes. The Crown Prince’s constitution was frail, with little sign of longevity. Perhaps, even before the Emperor passed from this world, he might pass the throne directly to the Crown Grandson.

Whatever the case, sooner or later, this great Dazhou dynasty would belong to this young man.

To earn the special regard of the Crown Grandson was naturally a cause for great elation.

At the Crown Grandson’s single command, several attendants immediately brought over small, elegant brocade stools.

Naturally, no one present was of a standing to sit as equals with the Crown Grandson — sitting on stools a full rank lower was already an imperial favor.

After Ling Daye carefully took his seat, everyone else followed suit and seated themselves one by one.

Ling Jingshu deliberately chose the rearmost position. She kept her head lowered with equal deliberateness, not lifting her gaze to look at the Crown Grandson even once. Her ears, however, remained sharply attentive, and she did not miss a single word.

The Crown Grandson gave an order, “Wang Tong, tell Official Ling Daye’s household what the bandits confessed to.”

“Yes.” Wang Tong acknowledged the command, standing behind the Crown Grandson, and began to speak in a steady, measured voice. “This band of bandits numbered around one hundred in total. They had four boats, and their hideout was extremely well-concealed. Their usual trade was trafficking in people.”

Trafficking in people?

Everyone was shocked.

No wonder the bandits who had stormed the official boat the previous night had not gone on a rampage of killing — instead, they had split a large portion of their numbers to tie down the guards and boatmen in a prolonged struggle, while another group searched their way up to the cabins on the third level, intending to abduct Ling Jingshu and her brother…

Wang Tong cleared his throat and continued, “They specifically targeted daughters of official families who were beautiful and accomplished. Their methods, too, were well-practiced. First they would identify a suitable target, then shadow them in secret, and finally follow the target’s boat and wait for an opportune moment to strike. They would neither harm anyone nor steal gold or silver — only seize the target they had chosen. Once the objective was achieved, they would immediately flee, never lingering.”

“They moved swiftly and had succeeded time and again. The families whose daughters had been abducted were full of misgivings and dared not report it openly to the authorities, only conducting private searches. Naturally, the trail went cold — yet they dared not make it widely known.”

“The abducted young women would be swiftly transported beyond the border and sold to the chieftains of the northern frontier peoples. The prices fetched were extremely high — a single young woman could typically be sold for the equivalent of one hundred warhorses.”

“In our Dazhou, warhorses are scarce. An ordinary warhorse might sell for two to three hundred taels of silver. Superior warhorses from beyond the border can fetch three to four hundred taels of silver. One hundred warhorses comes to three to four tens of thousands of taels of silver. With profits this staggering, it is little wonder these bandits were willing to take such audacious risks.”

“The two bandits, unable to withstand the interrogation, confessed everything without omission. They had first fixed their attention on Miss Ling the Ninth at the wharf, and then shadowed her in secret for two full days and nights before finding the right moment to act.”

When Wang Tong finished, the expressions of everyone present had turned rather unpleasant.

The following were the thoughts running through each person’s mind:

Ling Daye: If Ling Jingshu had truly been abducted and sold beyond the border, what face would he ever have to show his elderly mother or his Fifth Brother back home?

Sun Shi: So those people truly were there for A’Shu after all. What a wholly undeserved calamity.

Jiang Shi: Thank heavens they did not succeed! Otherwise, A’Shu’s entire life would have been utterly ruined.

Ling Ji: So A’Shu’s instinct beforehand had been right. I only have myself to blame — I didn’t take it to heart at the time. If I had been on guard sooner, things would never have come to this.

Ling Jing’yan: Are these bandits blind?! Even if I cannot quite match Ling Jingshu in beauty, I am at the very least a lovely, accomplished daughter of a noble family. Why did not a single one of them take notice of me?!!!

Of course, no one felt it more deeply than Ling Jingshu herself.

Her palms were breaking into a cold sweat, and waves of lingering terror washed over her.

This beautiful face had never brought her any true happiness. Half the tragedy of her previous life had come from Lu Hong’s faithlessness; the other half had come from Lu Qian’s obsessive desire for her and Lu An’s lust.

And in this life, the absurdity was even greater — she had caught the eye of a band of greedy, ruthless bandits.

If she had not released the distress signal earlier; if there had not happened to be someone near enough to come to the rescue; if she had not made that split-second decision…what fate would have been waiting for her now?

Ling Xiao suddenly rose to his feet, felt his way forward, and came to stand before the Crown Grandson. Then he dropped to his knees with a resounding thud. “Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Grandson, for saving A’Shu! The grace of saving our lives — A’Shu and I will carry it in our hearts for as long as we live, and in the future, we will certainly find a way to repay this debt.”

As he spoke, he knocked his head firmly against the floor three times.

Ling Jingshu watched Ling Xiao’s thin, slight back — and the rims of her eyes grew suddenly hot, a shimmer of moisture gathering within them.