Zhuang Yu Shan cast a triumphant glance at the angry Han Yan and said, “Actually, Fourth Sister doesn’t quite suit this cloak. I think it suits me better.” She tossed her rabbit fur cape to Han Yan: “Why don’t Fourth Sister wear this for now?”
Han Yan looked at her and said, “Thank you, Sister Yu-Shan, but Han Yan has never had the habit of picking up others’ leftovers—that’s what beggars do.”
Zhuang Yu Shan caught the sarcasm in Han Yan’s words and sneered, “If Fourth Sister doesn’t want to wear my cape, so be it. Yun’er put the cape away.” She glanced at Han Yan’s fur jacket and mocked, “Just hope Fourth Sister doesn’t freeze later.”
Han Yan calmly replied, “No need for Sister Yu-Shan to worry.” She looked down at her light green clothing, a smile curling at her lips.
Zhuang Yu Shan had an extremely strong possessive nature—once such a garment caught her eye, she would obtain it. If Zhuang Yu Shan hadn’t proposed exchanging for her cloak, Han Yan would have found a way to give it to her anyway. Everything was proceeding more smoothly than Han Yan had imagined.
Their argument in the carriage naturally reached the ears of the guards outside. But they pretended not to hear. Ji Lan and Shu Hong walked at the back of the procession. Both were panting heavily—even strong men would struggle on such treacherous mountain paths, let alone two delicate women. Fortunately, Ji Lan’s lively nature led her to chat with the surrounding guards to pass the time, making the journey seem shorter.
After walking for some time, Ji Lan paused and tugged at a guard’s sleeve, flashing him a smile: “Brother, what time is it now?” She wiped the sweat from her brow, appearing extremely delicate.
The guard, being sympathetic to beautiful women and seeing Ji Lan’s pretty face and sweet words, consoled her: “Don’t worry, we’re almost at Sha He Beach. After that, it’s just half an hour to the city.”
Hearing this, Ji Lan thanked the guard and exchanged a glance with Shu Hong—both had made their calculations.
In the carriage, Han Yan unhurriedly ate some snacks, calculating the time—they must be close now. She turned her head to see Zhuang Yu Shan leaning against the carriage wall, playing with her newly acquired silver bracelet, clearly showing off. Han Yan merely smiled with her eyes. Her light green fur jacket was originally a bright color, but compared to the fire-red cloak Zhuang Yu Shan wore, it immediately became dull and unremarkable.
To ensure absolute success, Madam Zhou certainly wouldn’t have told Zhuang Yu Shan her plan. Given Zhuang Yu Shan’s unstable temperament, Madam Zhou’s concerns were understandable. But precisely because of this, it allowed Han Yan to exploit.
With two young ladies sharing one carriage, could those bandits distinguish which was Second Young Miss and which was Fourth Young Miss?
Han Yan lowered her head and smiled, but before she could withdraw it, a sudden commotion erupted outside the carriage. Accompanied by the “clip-clop” of hooves, the carriage shook. The surrounding guards’ sword-drawing sounds rang clearly, and amid the chaos, a rough voice clearly announced: “Leave the person behind!”
Finally, they came, and Han Yan’s expression turned cold. She had worried they wouldn’t show up—how else would this play continue?
Beside her, Zhuang Yu Shan suddenly screamed shrilly—she was unaware of the plan. Han Yan lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, crying out in panic: “Quickly protect Young Miss!”
Han Yan’s shout immediately drew everyone’s attention. Outside the carriage was chaos—unexpectedly, all the Zhuang manor’s guards had collapsed, seemingly hit by some sort of ambush, appearing completely powerless. Only the head guard, with the highest martial arts skills, still struggled to block the bandits’ actions.
A trace of mockery flashed in Han Yan’s eyes. This person was truly dedicated to his role, still acting even at this moment—but whose loyalty was this display for?
With all the guards fallen, over ten burly men in black clothing surrounded the carriage, all dressed as mountain bandits. Their leader paced back and forth on a large horse but didn’t immediately move to capture anyone on the ground.
Han Yan knew they were looking for her.
In the carriage, Zhuang Yu Shan was stunned for a moment before suddenly understanding. The night before departure, Madam Zhou had instructed her not to panic no matter what happened—her plan would destroy Han Yan. Zhuang Yu Shan wasn’t stupid and quickly understood the reasoning. Was Madam Zhou’s plan to have bandits kidnap Han Yan? This way, Han Yan’s reputation would be irreparably damaged. With such a daughter, Zhuang Shi Yang would surely lose face. If she then behaved more obediently and sensibly, the position of legitimate daughter would be practically in her grasp. Thinking of Han Yan being violated by a group of strong men, Zhuang Yu Shan felt extremely pleased and lifted the carriage curtain, eager to watch Han Yan’s humiliation.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she lifted the curtain, Ji Lan and Shu Hong, who had been dodging around, simultaneously shouted at her: “Young Miss!” Zhuang Yu Shan was stunned, and before she could understand the situation, both maids rushed toward her. Meanwhile, Han Yan also appeared frightened, shouting: “Ji Lan, quickly protect Young Miss!”
The man on the large horse had been quite confused. They were paid to do a job—told to kidnap the young lady with a bun hairstyle riding in the second carriage. But when they arrived, there was only one carriage, and no one inside or outside had a bun hairstyle. Moreover, the guards protecting the carriage suddenly collapsed unconscious, making things even more puzzling. They worried something had gone wrong. But hearing the two maids’ calls, plus Han Yan’s shout of “Ji Lan,” they immediately concluded that the woman in the red cloak in the carriage was their target. This was because they had been told that the Zhuang manor’s Fourth Young Miss had two personal maids named Ji Lan and Shu Hong.
Before Zhuang Yu Shan could react, a black-clothed man rushed to the carriage, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out. Zhuang Yu Shan was stunned for a moment—just as she was about to say she wasn’t the person they wanted, her mouth was stuffed with a dirty cloth. Ji Lan and Shu Hong desperately ran toward her, crying out: “Young Miss! Young Miss!” Han Yan stood with Ji Lan and Shu Hong, their light green jackets identical—the bandits assumed she was also a maid. They were somewhat puzzled that besides the four maids, there was only one young lady when they had been told there would be two young ladies. They assumed there had been a last-minute change.
Zhuang Yu Shan’s maid Yun’er stood frozen, not understanding how her young miss had been kidnapped. She wanted to scream but was too frightened to make a sound.
The black-clothed man who had captured Zhuang Yu Shan ran to the bandit leader and threw her onto the horse. The black-clothed man on the large horse cracked his whip and ordered: “Retreat!”
Zhuang Yu Shan kept screaming, her mind shouting: “I’m not Han Yan!” But with her mouth gagged, she could only make desperate whimpers. The leader’s horse leaped forward, carrying Zhuang Yu Shan and racing away. Zhuang Yu Shan stared fixedly at Han Yan, seeing her fall to the ground in a seemingly pitiful state, looking back at her miserably—but at the corner of her lips was a trace of a smile.