When Yuanxi woke up again, she was choked by the dust in the air and coughed uncontrollably. Lifting her head, she found herself in a damp and dark old house, surrounded by bare walls with no windows. As she sat up, she felt a pain in her wrists and realized that her hands were tightly bound with coarse ropes. Something was stuffed in her mouth, preventing her from making any sound. What terrified her the most was that she was wearing only a bra and underpants, with all her other clothes nowhere to be seen.
Yuanxi’s eyes widened in fear as she felt a blankness in her mind. The enclosed room was oppressively hot, and sweat dripped from her forehead, dampening her disheveled hair and clothes. After a moment, she forced herself to calm down and checked if she had been physically harmed, feeling a slight relief when she found no signs of assault. Fortunately, she was still alive, but why had someone brought her here and what was their intention?
Just as she felt lost and helpless, not knowing how to free herself, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching the door, and someone called out, “Madam Xiao, are you inside?” It was the voice of Xiao Fu, the young scholar!
Yuanxi’s heart relaxed momentarily, almost on the verge of tears of joy, wanting to call out but unable to make any sound. She rushed to the door but abruptly stopped. A chilling thought entered her mind, gradually becoming clearer and more terrifying: Why did Xiao Fu happen to appear at this moment? Why did the person who tied her up prevent her from making any sound and take off her clothes?
She leaned against the door and slid to the ground, the joy of relief turning into deeper fear: it seemed like she was falling into a malicious trap. Someone intentionally stripped her of her outer clothes to trap her here and then notified Xiao Fu under some pretext. Xiao Fu probably had no idea she was currently disheveled, and once he opened the door, they would be alone in this remote room. If anyone found out, it would be difficult to explain.
At this moment, Xiao Fu outside the door did not receive any response and began to fiddle with the door latch. Yuanxi wanted to cry out desperately, but could only emit a faint whimper, soon drowned out by the noisy chirping of cicadas outside the room…
Meanwhile, just ten miles away from them, Xiao Du was leading many servants in searching for Yuanxi’s whereabouts, scenes from earlier playing over and over in his mind, filled with remorse, regret, and worry. He suddenly shook his head to dispel these thoughts, only hoping that he wasn’t too late.
In the afternoon, after finishing his discussion with Luo Yuan, Xiao Du felt uneasy and went to the courtyard to see Yuanxi. However, upon entering, he felt that something was amiss. It was nearly dinner time, yet there was no sight of any maids or servants bustling about. Suppressing his anxiety, he searched several rooms but found no trace of Yuanxi, only discovering An He and Li Mama unconscious in his room.
According to their recollection, they had lost consciousness after drinking the tea brought by Rong Qiao. Xiao Du, in a panic, quickly asked a few clever servants to inquire around the mansion and finally learned that Yuanxi and the maid Rong Qiao had gone to the west side of the courtyard near the corner gate. When he hurried there, he found a mess of shrubs, clearly showing signs of being trampled.
The setting sun cast a blood-red glow, illuminating the broken and scattered shrubs. Xiao Du clenched his fists tightly, imagining what Yuanxi had experienced here, his heart filled with indescribable pain. When Rong Qiao was transferred to his room from Wang Yiniang’s, he also secretly ordered the guards to investigate, but at that time, they found no connection between her and Wang Yiniang. Although he detested Wang Yiniang, he didn’t believe she would dare to harm the mistress and commit such heinous acts. But now…could it be that he was wrong? Was the incident at the Tian Zhuang orchestrated by Wang Yiniang, using Rong Qiao? If so, then Yuanxi now…
Closing his eyes, he dared not think further. At this moment, someone beside him exclaimed, “This golden hairpin seems to belong to Madam!” Xiao Du quickly looked to where he was pointing and saw a hairpin lying not far from the shrubs, unmistakably belonging to Yuanxi. In the muddy ground next to the hairpin, there was a deep groove. Xiao Du stared at this mark intently, understanding that it was most likely Yuanxi’s last message to him before the incident.
Xiao Du sat down beside the shrubs and fell into deep thought. There were no signs of blood here, so Yuanxi most likely only fainted, at least she wasn’t injured at the time. He quickly calculated that it shouldn’t have been more than an hour since the incident, even if it was a carriage, it wouldn’t have gone too far. Yuanxi must still be within the city!
Xiao Du felt somewhat relieved as there were no traces of blood here, indicating that Yuanxi probably just fainted and didn’t sustain any injuries at the time. He promptly instructed his men to inquire with the guards stationed at each gate, and they learned that during this period, only one cart carrying wine had left the mansion, heading out from the west gate toward the east side of the city. It shouldn’t be difficult to fit a person into a wine barrel.
In front of the Marquis’ Mansion’s west gate, there was a small alley that usually only saw the coming and going of servants, making it quite secluded. However, at this moment, the alley was bustling with activity as many people entered, all on foot so as not to disturb the tire tracks on the road.
Xiao Du carefully examined the cart tracks on the ground with one of his guards. The imprints showed signs of uneven weight distribution, indicating that the weight of the wine barrel on the cart was leaning to one side. It seemed they were on the right track. Following the tracks, they walked to the bustling market, where the tracks were obscured by the busy foot traffic. Xiao Du then sent his men to inquire with various merchants. Given the grandeur of the carts leaving the Marquis’ Mansion, they naturally attracted attention, and eventually, they were directed to a dark alley.
Sure enough, clear cart tracks appeared at the entrance of the alley. They hurriedly followed inside, only to find it was a dead end, with the tracks abruptly ending at a wall. Xiao Du’s guard quickly examined the surrounding walls but found no hidden doors. Puzzled, he said, “How could such a large cart just vanish into thin air?”
“It couldn’t,” Xiao Du replied confidently, observing the cart tracks on the ground. “See the difference between these tracks and the ones before.” After a moment of observation, the guard suddenly realized, “The tracks here are no longer alternating between shallow and deep.”
“Exactly. They used a trick to confuse us. They simply retraced their steps along the original tracks.”
“What about Madam Yuan?”
Xiao Du didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at a towering tree next to the courtyard wall. Instructing his guard, he climbed up and indeed found marks of ropes tied to a sturdy branch. Xiao Du and his guard leaped over the courtyard wall and brought along several other servants. Beyond the wall were winding paths and several dilapidated courtyards. Xiao Du had a premonition that Yuanxi must not be far away. With a stern expression, he commanded, “Search each household!”
As the search party combed through the area not far away, Luo Yuan finally noticed that the wooden door in front of him was not locked, just lightly barred with a piece of wood. He felt a glimmer of hope and was about to figure out how to remove the bar when he suddenly heard a series of rhythmic knocks from inside the door.
He froze, recalling the simple code they had devised back in the Xia family school. Yuanxi found classes boring and had come up with this method of exchanging simple messages with him by tapping on the desk during class. But the knocking from inside the door now clearly conveyed one message: Don’t come in.
Luo Yuan furrowed his brow, running through the whole situation in his mind: Not long after he left the Marquis’ Mansion, someone intentionally bumped into him on the street, slipping a note into his pocket. It read: “Save Xia Yuanxi. Go alone to the fifth room on the right in the Yulin Lane of the Anlangfang.” Concerned for her safety and unable to discern whether it was a trap, he rushed over here. Now, he finally realized that everything seemed to be orchestrated by someone. But what did that person aim to achieve?
He steadied his mind and softly asked, “Madam Xiao, are you inside?”
A light knock came from inside, indicating a yes. He then inquired, “Do you have anyone with you now?” Receiving a negative reply, he felt slightly reassured. However, he didn’t understand why Yuanxi didn’t want him to come in. After considering various possibilities, all of which she denied, he tentatively asked, “Are you currently unable to meet people?” Urgent affirmative knocks echoed from inside, and Luo Yuan’s heart sank. This scheme served two malicious purposes: it could ruin Yuanxi’s innocence and shatter Xiao Du’s trust in him completely. The person who lured him here must know their past. Who could “he” be?
Placing his hand on the door, as if he could feel her presence through it, he comforted her softly, “Madam Xiao, don’t be afraid. I’ll be outside the door with you and make sure nothing happens to you.” Yuanxi pressed her face gently against the door, hearing his familiar soothing voice, and the tears she had been holding back finally flowed, but her heart felt warm and calm. Because she knew the young master was just outside the door, and even if they couldn’t see each other, he would protect her from harm.
The two sat facing each other on either side of the wooden door. Worried that she might be frightened, Luo Yuan began to recount amusing anecdotes from their past separation, while also contemplating strategies. Yuanxi became increasingly absorbed in his stories, feeling as if she had returned to the family mansion, forgetting for a moment the dangerous situation she was in.
Just then, Luo Yuan heard the approaching footsteps and voices not far away. He stood up abruptly, realizing that people from the Marquis’ Mansion had arrived. However, he quickly realized that if Xiao Du rushed in with his men, Yuanxi would surely be embarrassed. As the footsteps drew nearer, Luo Yuan made a bold decision.
Xiao Du led his men to search through each house one by one, finally stopping outside an old house. He picked up a piece of embroidered silk cloth from the ground, the embroidery work on it is quite rudimentary, but he could immediately tell it was from Yuanxi’s hand. Suddenly, he looked up and noticed that the door was not locked, only needed a pull to open it.
With his heart pounding, Xiao Du hesitated: the silk cloth was too conspicuous, and the door was unlocked. It all seemed too much like a setup. Just then, he heard a series of knocks on the door from inside, accompanied by faint sobbing, as if someone inside was anxiously trying to convey something to him. Recognizing Yuanxi’s voice, Xiao Du waved to the guards behind him, signaling them to stay back, then cautiously pushed the door open slightly and peered inside. In the dim room, he saw a pair of bare arms. His heart skipped a beat. Motioning for his guards to stay further back, Xiao Du stepped inside carefully, only to find Yuanxi wearing only a bralette and panties, huddled by the door, tears streaking down her face.
Feeling his breath catch, he immediately took off his outer robe and wrapped her securely in it, holding her tightly in his arms, afraid that if he let go, she would disappear again. He murmured, “It’s okay, it’s okay…” Yuanxi leaned against his warm and sturdy chest, finally letting the tears she had been holding back flow freely.
Meanwhile, on a shaded path behind the house, a figure quietly stood up, breathed a sigh of relief, and walked away. Xiao Du lifted Yuanxi in his arms, as if making a solemn vow, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t let the person who harmed you go! Starting with that Rong Qiao, she won’t escape!”
Little did he know, Rong Qiao would soon become a dead woman, or rather, a woman whose body parts were scattered…