The gate of Green Mountain Courtyard was kicked open with a loud bang. Old Master Zhuge’s men rushed in like wolves and tigers. Huan’er and the other young maids, who had been crouching under the corridor polishing antique vases, were startled by the noise and immediately jumped to their feet.
Zhuge Yue had just been summoned to Red Mountain Courtyard by Zhuge Huai, and Zhu Cheng along with several other servants and guards were also absent. Zhuge Yue preferred tranquility, so there were already few people in the courtyard, and now only these maids remained. Huan’er, being slightly older among the maids, was still frightened enough to turn pale. Trembling, she stepped forward and said, “Who are you? How dare you barge in like this? Don’t you know this is the Fourth Young Master’s courtyard?”
“Miss, we are here to capture a runaway slave. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us.”
“Why are you searching for a slave here?” Hearing the other party’s polite tone, Huan’er grew bolder and said righteously, “Which courtyard’s servants are you? Don’t you have any sense of rules?”
“We are subordinates of the Old Master from the outer residence. If you wish to complain, feel free to take it up with the Fourth Young Master. Later, we will also inform the Old Master.”
At the mention of the Old Master, Huan’er immediately fell silent, her confidence waning as she said weakly, “We haven’t seen any slave. You… you mustn’t act recklessly.”
A young servant stepped forward and said, “It’s that room. I saw her climb in through the window with my own eyes.”
“Ah!” Huan’er exclaimed in shock, “That’s the room of the young master’s personal maid. You cannot enter!”
Steward Zhu cast a suspicious glance at Huan’er and said sternly, “Go in and capture her.”
“No!” Huan’er tried to step forward but was tightly grabbed by a burly man. As she watched the others charge in like wolves and tigers, the girl screamed in terror, tears streaming down her face.
“Steward Zhu, it’s her!”
“Xing’er!” Huan’er cried out, turning her head and shouting, “You’ve got the wrong person! She’s a maid from our courtyard, not the slave you’re looking for!”
Steward Zhu gave Huan’er a cold look and said sternly, “I’ve seen plenty of petty servants like you covering for each other. I advise you to behave, or things won’t end well for you if this escalates.” With that, he signaled the servants to take Chu Qiao and left Green Mountain Courtyard.
“Xing’er!” Huan’er shouted, her eyes catching sight of a Zhuge residence servant at the back of the group. She rushed forward and grabbed his hand, saying, “Aren’t you the servant from Steward Zhu Shun’s side? Did you bring them here? You must get Xing’er back!”
The servant was bewildered. He had also witnessed the little slave climbing into the room with his own eyes and never expected the maids of Green Mountain Courtyard to be acquainted with her. Pushing Huan’er away, he said, “Stop causing trouble. They are the female slaves Steward Zhu arranged to gift to the Old Master. If you meddle any further, we’ll send you along with them.”
In no time, the people were gone, and the rooms were empty. Huan’er sat on the ground in a daze, while the other young maids huddled fearfully in the back, none daring to approach.
Suddenly, the girl stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and quickly ran in the direction of Red Mountain Courtyard.
Zhuge Yue was discussing matters in Zhuge Huai’s study when Zhu Cheng’s voice came from outside, “Fourth Young Master, Huan’er has just reported that she has urgent business and wishes to see you.”Zhuge Yue frowned and said in a deep voice, "Can't this wait until we return? She's becoming more and more undisciplined. Tell her to go back and wait."
The outside fell into dead silence, but after a moment, Zhu Cheng knocked again and said, "Fourth Young Master, it's... it's Xing'er. She was taken away by Butler Zhu Shun's men."
With a sharp rustle, the door was pulled open. Zhuge Yue, his brows tightly furrowed and his expression grim, demanded, "What did you say?"
Zhu Cheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, glanced at the suspicious-looking Zhuge Huai inside, licked his lips, and slowly replied, "Butler Zhu's men claimed one of their slaves had escaped and insisted that Xing'er was the runaway. They forcibly took her from Green Mountain Courtyard."
"Took her? Where to?"
"They said... they said they were taking her to the Old Master's villa."
For a moment, Zhuge Yue's face grew as dark as it could possibly be.
"Perhaps they caught the wrong person," Zhuge Huai stepped forward, placing a hand on Zhuge Yue's shoulder with a faint smile. "Since his injury, Zhu Shun has become increasingly unreliable. Fourth Brother, since she was sent to Second Uncle's residence, let it go. She's just a maid. Later, I'll pick a few clever ones and send them to your courtyard as compensation. I promise you won't lose out."
"How long ago did they leave?" As if he hadn't heard Zhuge Huai's words, Zhuge Yue fixed his gaze on Zhu Cheng, his voice low and his aura icy, like ancient frost freezing the very air around them.
"They left... about half an hour ago."
With a dull thud, Zhuge Yue shoved aside the half-open door blocking his path and stormed out like a gust of wind. Zhu Cheng and the servants of Green Mountain Courtyard had anticipated this and immediately followed, not even sparing a moment to bow to Zhuge Huai as they hurriedly rushed out.
Zhuge Huai was momentarily taken aback. Zhu Yong, the steward of Red Mountain Courtyard, stood quietly nearby, his head bowed, as still as a piece of wood.
"Zhu Yong, what do you think?"
The man, in his thirties and appearing more mature than Zhu Cheng or Zhu Shun, replied in a calm, low voice, "Hasn't the Eldest Young Master always said that the Fourth Young Master is calm and rational, appearing indifferent but actually the most calculating? From what this servant sees, this person is the Fourth Young Master's lack of calm and rationality."
Zhuge Huai smiled faintly and shook his head lightly, as if brushing off a trivial matter. He turned and walked back into the room. "Amorous affairs amid red sleeves and green skirts are fleeting, but the bonds of childhood companionship run deepest. Ha, to grow up together, innocent and unguarded—what a fine thing!"
He lifted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming with shrewd calculation, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "Investigate this maid named Xing'er. She might be very important to me."
Zhu Yong acknowledged the order and withdrew. Zhuge Huai, however, remained deep in thought, pondering what kind of woman could so bewitch his young fourth brother that he forgot to maintain his usual composure even in front of him.
Little did he know that the so-called childhood sweetheart he spoke of was merely a child not yet eight years old.
As dusk fell and the north wind picked up, Zhuge Huai murmured softly, "Xing'er..."
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