Blossom

The ones who abducted Jiang Yan claimed to be bandits.

These bandits stated they had no idea of Jiang Yan’s identity.

They had accepted a hefty sum from someone and, following orders, disguised themselves as house guards of a wealthy family. In front of the gathered crowd, they declared they were acting on their master’s orders to capture a concubine who had eloped with a guard.

Zhu Yicheng inwardly cursed, realizing how dire the situation was. But the more he argued, the more the onlookers reveled in the spectacle. Some troublemakers even jeered, urging them to lift the carriage’s curtain to see what the “adulteress” looked like.

Jiang Yan was terrified out of her wits. Memories of past coercion flooded her mind.

She would rather die than be taken away by strangers again. Clutching Yinghong’s hand, she pleaded desperately, “Let me die!”

Though Yinghong had been young during the purge at the Duke of England's Mansion, she had still lived through turmoil and was far calmer than most young girls. She didn’t know who these men were, but she understood that if Jiang Yan fell into their hands, it wouldn’t just ruin Jiang Yan’s reputation—it would tarnish the Duke of England's Mansion and even Song Mo’s name. If Jiang Yan chose death, it might even be for the best.

If the mistress died, the maid would be disgraced.

She wouldn’t be allowed to live either.

At this thought, her limbs went weak, and tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “Miss, we don’t even have a pair of scissors… How can you die?”

Jiang Yan was lost in despair, murmuring over and over, “I won’t live, I won’t live…”

Yinghong clenched her teeth and cried, “Miss, we can’t let them take us. Even if you die, they’ll still find a way to disgrace the Duke of England's Mansion. Let’s run! At worst, we’ll be cut down in public, but at least we’ll die with our honor intact—”

Jiang Yan seized on this lifeline. She flung open the carriage curtain and leaped out—only to collapse on the ground, her foot wracked with pain, unable to stand.

Yinghong panicked, pacing frantically.

Jiang Yan pushed her away. “Go! If one of us can escape, it’s better than none.”

But even if she escaped, what awaited her was a fate worse than death.

Resigned, Yinghong helped Jiang Yan limp forward.

The bandits, however, were prepared. They flung a handful of lime powder at Zhu Yicheng and the others. Not only were Zhu Yicheng and his men blinded, but even the bystanders coughed and cursed. Seizing the moment, the bandits tied wet cloths over their faces. Two exceptionally agile men dashed through the powder, snatched up Jiang Yan and Yinghong like eagles seizing chicks, and hauled them back into the carriage before speeding toward the city gates.

People on the road screamed and scrambled aside, muttering among themselves, “Whose carriage is this? Racing through the streets like this—do they not care if they kill someone? Why aren’t the city guards stopping them?”

A sharp-eyed observer remarked, “That looks like the Duke of England's Mansion’s carriage.”

Some shook their heads, while others quietly slipped away to avoid trouble.

The guards at the western gate hesitated at the sight of the carriage. By the time they reacted to the screams for help from inside, the carriage had already burst through the gates…

Meanwhile, the servant Zhu Yicheng had discreetly sent to the Duke of England's Mansion for help had just arrived at the mansion’s gates.Song Mo sneered and ordered Xia Lian to work with the Six Doors to spread the word among the martial arts world people in the Capital, demanding they clean up their own mess and hand over any suspicious individuals. He also borrowed troops from the Five Cities Garrison and had Chen Jia lead his trusted subordinates from the Embroidered Uniform Guard Garrison Command to pursue from the West Gate.

The martial arts world in the Northern Zhili region erupted in chaos.

One hot-tempered elder even stomped his feet, veins bulging on his forehead, and cursed, “Which bastard is trying to use the Duke of Yingguo’s heir to massacre our Northern martial arts world?”

Meanwhile, the influential figures of the martial world, recalling the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion, turned pale and reluctantly set aside their grudges to gather together. Regardless of their allegiances—righteous or otherwise—they selected skilled fighters to split into groups and assist Song Mo in the search. As for the elders of groups like the Child Traffickers Hall and the Beggar Gang, eager to prove their innocence, they hastily ordered their disciples to serve under the Six Doors and help gather information.

Within just two hours, the kidnappers holding Jiang Yan were cornered in a small village on the way to Tongzhou.

By the time Song Mo arrived, most of them were either dead or wounded, with only a few left alive.

Even these survivors were deliberately spared by the Capital’s underworld factions to prove their own innocence and avoid suspicion from Song Mo. As for confessions, not even the Six Doors dared to interrogate them, let alone the martial world people.

So the moment Song Mo stepped into the firewood shed where the captives were held, they eagerly “confessed” everything.

Both the righteous and underworld factions breathed a sigh of relief.

But the Six Doors were now in a dilemma.

Bandits? Bandits wouldn’t take a job without scouting first! Even the officials at the Ministry of Justice wouldn’t buy such a flimsy excuse, much less Song Mo.

Could they really let the Six Doors take these men into custody?

In a battle between gods, lesser beings like them had better stay far away!

Several constables subtly inched backward, bowing their heads as they slipped out of the shed.

Song Mo handed the captives over to Chen Jia and went to check on Jiang Yan and Yinghong, who had fainted from fright and were still lying in the carriage.

But before Chen Jia’s men could approach, the captives bit down on poison hidden in their false teeth and committed suicide.

Chen Jia trembled with rage, cursing the martial world people who made a living in the Capital: “This is a trick I’ve long since abandoned! Now that they’re dead, you’re even more implicated!”

To seasoned martial world leaders, such tricks with poison-filled false teeth were nothing new—they should have dislocated the captives’ jaws upon capture to prevent suicide.

The only explanation was that they knew this matter was far from simple and didn’t want to be dragged in, so they turned a blind eye.

A few martial world elders smiled bitterly, privately confiding to their closest brothers or disciples, “We had no choice!”

For a time, the number of martial world people in the Capital suddenly dwindled.

But this was all for later.

When Song Mo learned that all the captives had killed themselves, he nodded calmly and said, “Then burn them all and scatter their ashes in the river for the fish.”

A few of Chen Jia’s subordinates shuddered at his words, their gazes toward Chen Jia now tinged with sympathy and admiration.

Chen Jia flushed slightly and coughed awkwardly.

Song Mo then went to the side chamber where Jiang Yan was resting.The physician urgently summoned by the Six Doors emerged from the inner chamber with a relieved expression, respectfully bowing to Song Mo and saying, "The two young ladies of your esteemed household are unharmed. They just need to take a few doses of calming herbal decoctions."

Song Mo rewarded him and then escorted Jiang Yan and Yinghong back to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Jiang Lizhu, who had been waiting anxiously for Jiang Yan, sensed something amiss when she overheard people gossiping about a runaway concubine. After sending her maids to investigate, she immediately realized that Jiang Yan might be involved.

Her heart burned with worry as she hurried to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Dou Zhao, trusting Song Mo implicitly, gently comforted Jiang Lizhu.

Gradually calming down, Jiang Lizhu sat with Dou Zhao in the room, awaiting news of Jiang Yan. When Jiang Yan finally returned, she supported Dou Zhao as they went to greet her.

Seeing that Jiang Yan was still oblivious to what had happened, Song Mo simply told her it was a case of mistaken identity, and that the authorities had been notified once the error was discovered.

Jiang Yan, reflecting on the sequence of events, didn’t suspect anything. Her mind settled, and though she wore a guilty expression when meeting Dou Zhao and Jiang Lizhu, she reassured them, "I’m fine—it was just a misunderstanding."

Dou Zhao remained composed, smiling and agreeing with Jiang Yan. She cheerfully instructed the maids to prepare peach wood water for Jiang Yan’s bath and cook peace noodles for her before sending her back to Green Water Residence.

Jiang Lizhu also pretended nothing was wrong, engaging in light conversation with Dou Zhao. But once Jiang Yan had left, a shadow of concern flickered across her brow. She asked Song Mo worriedly, "Cousin, is Yanmei alright? Nothing serious, right?"

"Nothing serious," Song Mo replied with a confident smile, his sharp gaze unwavering.

Reassured, Jiang Lizhu said thoughtfully to Dou Zhao, "Since I’m already here, I’ll stay and keep Yanmei company. It’ll also ease the elders’ worries."

Dou Zhao nodded with a smile and returned to the main courtyard.

She later recounted Jiang Lizhu’s reaction to Song Mo, her eyes inadvertently revealing a hint of admiration. "It’s a pity I arrived in the capital too late to witness the Jiang Family in its prime."

Understanding her sentiment, Song Mo chuckled. "Plum blossoms bloom through bitter cold. Back then, you might not have fully appreciated the Jiang Family’s resilience."

Dou Zhao nodded repeatedly.

A page entered and announced, "Young Master, Madam, Young Master Gu has arrived!"

Song Mo instructed the page, "Have him wait in the study. I’ll join him after changing."

The page withdrew.

Just as a maid brought in water, another page reported Ma Youming’s visit.

Song Mo changed his clothes, and Jiang Yi also arrived shortly after.

Dou Zhao straightened his collar and remarked, "It seems everyone knows about this now."

Song Mo hummed in agreement. "I think their fabricated excuse works well. Let’s publicly claim it was a case of mistaken identity—someone chasing a runaway concubine and her guard confused the carriages."

Dou Zhao smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile, Shi Chuan, the Metropolitan Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, stood with his hands behind his back on the top floor of Drunken Immortal Tower, gazing toward the Duke of England's Mansion.

Within a hundred yards of the imperial palace, no buildings were allowed to exceed two stories.

The Duke of England's Mansion stood beside the palace.

From Drunken Immortal Tower, nothing was clearly visible.

Yet for some reason, Shi Chuan felt as though he could see Song Mo standing in the vast central courtyard of the mansion, staring in his direction.

His hands tightened around the vermilion railing.Liu Yu's heart tightened along with his hand, and he couldn't help but say, "What if Song Yantang finds out? What do we do then?"

"He won't find out," Shi Chuan declared firmly. "Whether it's Liao Wang or Song Yantang, don't be fooled by their friendly demeanor when they see us. At their core, they're the masters, and we're merely their servants. If you please them, they might reward you with a few sweet dates, but if you anger them, they'll turn on you without hesitation."

Liu Yu couldn't help but mutter to himself: If you're aware of how ruthless they can be, why did you have Jiang Yan kidnapped right after Geng Li left the Duke of Yingguo's residence?

"You don't understand!" Shi Chuan, noticing Liu Yu's thoughts, chuckled. "In Liao Wang's eyes, only Song Yantang is worthy of speaking with him. At best, we're fit to carry his shoes. With him around, none of us will ever rise above our station."

Liu Yu still didn't understand.

To him, whether Liao Wang's plans would succeed was still uncertain. Wasn't it too early to make such a move now?

But seeing that Shi Chuan had no intention of elaborating further, he wisely chose to remain silent.