Second Master Jiang gave Madam Xiao a deep look and said in a low voice, “Let’s talk inside.”
Madam Xiao followed Second Master Jiang into Cixin Hall, where she saw Old Madam Feng sitting in the master chair, looking at her expressionlessly.
Madam Xiao felt a chill run through her body and mechanically greeted Old Madam Feng.
“Sit down,” Old Madam Feng pointed to a seat nearby.
The younger generation, including Jiang Qiao, was also standing in the hall, not daring to make a sound.
Second Master Jiang frowned and said, “All of you, go out.”
Jiang Qiao and the others silently bowed and left.
It had rained in the morning, and due to the sudden incident in the Earl’s manor, the maids had neglected their duties. The leaves from the Chinese toon tree in the courtyard covered the ground like a carpet.
As Jiang Qiao and the others walked out of Cixin Hall’s gate, they all turned back to look.
The Fifth Miss, Jiang Li, couldn’t help but ask, “Is Mother alright?”
Jiang Qiao said coolly, “We shouldn’t pry into the adults’ affairs. Let’s go.”
She had never been close to this Second Aunt, so she didn’t care much about her well-being.
“Mother was kidnapped and suddenly returned. It feels—” Jiang Li didn’t finish her sentence, but she felt very uneasy.
She had always tried her best to please her stepmother, finally gaining some respect. In a couple of years, she hoped her stepmother would arrange a good marriage for her. If something happened to her stepmother now, wouldn’t all her years of submission be in vain?
Thinking about this, Jiang Li felt like coughing up blood.
The Sixth Miss, Jiang Pei, remained quiet, not saying a word.
“Big Brother and Third Brother don’t know about this yet,” Jiang Li muttered.
The eldest son, Jiang Yuan, was still recovering from the double blow of the autumn imperial examinations and the new top scholar Zhen Heng’s success. He had been hiding in his room, not seeing anyone. The third son, Jiang Cang, was unreliable and had gone to school early. The family wouldn’t specially send someone to inform him at school, as it would only cause more trouble.
Jiang Qiao glanced at Jiang Li and silently left.
“Fifth Sister, let’s go back to our rooms,” Jiang Pei said.
Jiang Li looked back at Cixin Hall once more before reluctantly leaving.
In Cixin Hall, Old Madam Feng remained silent, sipping her tea intermittently, making the atmosphere even more somber.
Second Master Jiang carefully examined Madam Xiao and asked with a frown, “What exactly happened today?”
Hearing this, Madam Xiao felt a chill in her heart.
She had thought that after years of harmonious marriage, even if her husband no longer felt the intense love of their newlywed days, at least there would be some affection. But now, this man’s eyes showed no concern, only scrutiny.
This realization made Madam Xiao suddenly feel more wronged than being inexplicably kidnapped.
After a long silence, Madam Xiao said with reddened eyes, “I don’t know what happened either. I was sitting comfortably in the carriage when suddenly there was a noise outside. Then the carriage started moving quickly. Hong Yue looked out and saw that the coachman had been kicked off, and two masked men were driving…”
Madam Xiao trembled as she recalled the terrifying experience. “When I woke up, I found myself locked in a woodshed. I called out for a long time, and suddenly the door opened. Two masked men appeared again, warning me not to make a sound and that they would send me back. Later, I was pushed out of the carriage and found myself standing at the entrance of a dark alley not far from Yuqian Hutong. Their carriage quickly disappeared…”
Second Master Jiang listened with a furrowed brow. “So, they didn’t harm you?”
Madam Xiao nodded quickly.
Even if they had harmed her, she couldn’t admit it. That would make her life impossible.
“It’s good that you’re safe,” Second Master Jiang forced a smile, considering that Third Master Jiang and his wife were present.
Now that his wife had returned, he had no better option than to act as if nothing had happened. He couldn’t make a big fuss about investigating who had kidnapped his wife; that would make him a laughingstock among his colleagues.
However, the fact that the Earl’s carriage had been abandoned near Jinshui River remained a thorn in Second Master Jiang’s heart, making it impossible for him to feel any concern for Madam Xiao, only discomfort.
Who knew if his wife had lost her virtue or not?
“Where’s Hong Yue?” Old Madam Feng suddenly asked.
Madam Xiao was stunned, then her expression changed slightly as she remembered Hong Yue.
“I haven’t seen Hong Yue since I woke up…”
“So, they sent you back but kept Hong Yue?” Old Madam Feng felt something was strange about this. She turned to Second Master Jiang and asked, “Old Second, what do you think?”
Second Master Jiang shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Surely this trouble couldn’t have been brought on by Hong Yue?”
It would be extraordinary if a maid who rarely left her mistress’s side could cause such trouble.
“Do you think this incident is related to the Zhu family’s carriage accident?” Old Madam Feng briefly explained Jiang Si’s encounter today.
Second Master Jiang was startled. “What do you mean, Mother?”
Old Madam Feng quickly rotated her prayer beads. “I just feel that these events happening together are too coincidental.”
Second Master Jiang closed his eyes, then opened them again, a cold light flashing in them. “Mother is right. The Earl’s carriage was hijacked, the Zhu family’s carriage lost control, and the common factor was Si’er. She might be the key to all this! Mother, where is Si’er?”
Old Madam Feng’s face showed a hint of awkwardness. “Your elder brother took her to the Zhu family to demand an explanation.”
Second Master Jiang was taken aback.
Did they go to demand an explanation? Could they be suspecting the wrong direction?
Old Madam Feng added, “The Fourth Miss also reported it to the authorities…”
Second Master Jiang immediately jumped up. “The hijacking of the Earl’s carriage must not be linked to the Zhu family’s incident!”
Has that girl gone mad? How could she report such a matter to the authorities?
Thinking of Zhen Shicheng’s impassive old face, Second Master Jiang’s head began to ache.
Old Madam Feng nodded heavily. “Indeed, this matter shouldn’t be mentioned again. Instruct everyone that whoever brings up the Second Madam’s kidnapping will be sold off immediately.”
At this moment, the Zhu family’s residence was even more lively than the Earl of Dongping’s manor.
Madam Zhu was a person who valued propriety above all else. Usually, not even the slightest fault could be found in her behavior. She never imagined that today she would have to deal with a group of uninvited officials.
The young man sitting casually in the hall, drinking tea, was Yu Jin.
Unlike Madam Zhu’s extremely bad mood, the seemingly aloof Seventh Prince Yu was actually in high spirits.
A’Si had reported the Zhu family! Didn’t this mean he would be able to see her soon?
A’Si was so good at creating opportunities to meet; it made him feel a bit shy.
Thinking of something, a deep smile appeared in Yu Jin’s eyes.
Seeing this, Madam Zhu felt even more angry. She had heard that the Seventh Prince, who had just returned from the south, was unruly, but she never imagined he would not only be unruly but also lack integrity, taking such pleasure in the Zhu family’s misfortune while investigating the case.
Indeed, after the fiasco with the Minister of Rites and several other families at Jinshui River, the officials and nobles no longer dared to be careless. They quickly recognized Prince Yan, who occasionally made his presence known before the Emperor. Now, everyone knew that Prince Yan was working with Zhen Shicheng.
Unable to chase him away or scold him, Madam Zhu could only seethe in silence.
“Madam Zhu, why hasn’t Young Master Zhu returned yet?” Yu Jin asked.