Do yоu undеrstаnd? Fеng Yuе shook her hеаd, only thе basics.
Оvеr thеrе, Yin Gеzhi hаd alreаdy taken a seat. Маny рeорlе nеarbу nоtiсеd аnd cаme over tо grеet him. Аn Shichong and Хu Huaizu wеnt over, diligеntlу роuring tеа аnd water frоm lеft and right: "Маstеr, try this tеa, it's frеshlу arrived Маojiаn!"
"It's almost noоn, Master. Аrе уou hungrу? Would you likе sоmе snaсks first?"
Yin Gеzhi sаt likе а lоrd, silentlу еnjoуing his disciрles' attеntions. Fеng Yuе stоod nеаrbу, fеeling quite plеased inside.
It wasn't that shе was being obsеquious—loоk, othеrs hаd to bе obsequious in front of him too! Before the devil king, all beings were equal. She really wasn't being wronged!
"That's the heir of the Marquis of Anguo's estate, why is he so close to him?" someone muttered not far behind her.
Feng Yue paused, pretending to arrange the flowers beside her, and slowly glanced back.
Two men standing together. Both in their forties, dressed in ordinary clothes but with official bellies, their expressions as they looked over lacked the admiration and respect seen in others' eyes.
The other person replied softly: "Didn't he become his disciple? Who would have thought the heir of the Marquis of Anguo's estate would take him as his master. Look at this, he really treats a hostage with importance."
Frowning slightly, Feng Yue lowered her head and thought.
There were quite a few people in the court who disliked Yin Gezhi, but aside from Zhu Laicai, who directly poisoned him, the others were still unclear. Who were these two?
"Yue'er." Just as she was thinking, Yin Gezhi's voice came over. Feng Yue turned to see him looking at her with dissatisfaction, then pointing to the spot behind him.
Puzzled, she walked over and stood there, asking: "What instructions do you have, Young Master?"
"As a servant, you must always stand behind your master, not too far away." Yin Gezhi said earnestly, even handing her a pastry: "Try it."
So kind? Feng Yue blinked, smiling as she took the pastry. Just as she was about to eat it, she heard someone laugh: "Your Highness finally has a maid."
"Who is so fortunate to become a maid in the Envoy's Mansion?"
Xu Huaizu, with a roguish air, said to the speaker: "Out of consideration, this junior gifted Master a maid. Master graciously accepted. Is this the maid's fortune, or this junior's fortune?"
The person over there was taken aback, immediately flattering: "Naturally, it is Young Master Xu's fortune."
Xu Huaizu chuckled lightly, signaling Feng Yue with his eyes to lower her head. Seeing this, Feng Yue immediately hunched her shoulders.
Yin Gezhi seemed not to hear these words, leisurely waiting for the banquet to begin.
He was seated at a table below the main seat, which originally wouldn't have attracted attention. But with the two young masters sitting around him, this table naturally drew many onlookers. During the banquet, although the Marquis of Anguo only came over for a ceremonial toast, Yin Gezhi was continuously surrounded by people offering him drinks, as if it were his fiftieth birthday celebration.
After drinking too much, he became drunk, hooking his arm around Feng Yue, who was standing nearby like a vase, and whispered with wine-laden breath: "Yue'er, don't run off, or I won't be able to find you later."
Feng Yue smiled, gritting her teeth as she whispered: "Master, your servant is standing right here and hasn't moved a single step!"
"Then go wait for me at the entrance." The drunken man said: "I'll slip out later, and we'll sneak back to the mansion."
Feeling that there were hostile gazes fixed on them and uncomfortable staying there, she immediately agreed, pushing through the crowd to walk outside.Outside the side gate of the Marquis of An's residence, many carriages and sedan chairs were parked, with coachmen and servants chatting together as they waited. Feng Yue crouched on the carriage shaft of the Envoy's Mansion, craning her neck like a goose to watch. A few masters from other households had already trickled out, but she still hadn't caught sight of her own.
After crouching for the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, there was still no sign of him. Feng Yue cursed under her breath and decided to stand up and stretch her limbs.
However, the moment she rose, a sharp, menacing aura suddenly came from beside her.
Her instinct was to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough, nor strong enough. The delicate Feng Yue was tightly bundled into a sack, letting out only a muffled yelp before her mouth was covered and she was hoisted away.
The coachmen at the gate were too engrossed in their lively conversation to notice anything amiss.
Her heart sank heavily. Feng Yue couldn't understand who would target her at a time like this—she was just a maid! Who had she offended?
The person carrying her was strong and had a rough voice: "Is this the right one?"
Someone beside him replied, "Should be. A note was left. We just need to wait outside the city."
Kidnapping? She steadied herself. If a note was left, it meant she still had a chance to survive. No need to panic. Just play the part of a captive obediently.
So, as the kidnappers ran, they found the person on their shoulder neither moving nor making a fuss, hanging limply like a noodle.
"Did we knock her out earlier? Why isn't she making any noise?"
The other person said, "Probably fainted. What a coward! But that's good for us—makes things easier."
Hearing this, the two lost their guard against such a frail young girl. When they reached their destination, they even gently placed her on a pile of straw instead of tossing her roughly.
Keeping her eyes closed and motionless, Feng Yue breathed evenly. Only after a basin of water was splashed on her face did she pretend to wake up, trembling as she looked at the people before her: "W-who are you?"
Seeing her pitiful appearance, the two kidnappers softened their tone: "Don't be afraid. We just need your help with something."
Wow, what a wonderful way to ask for help! Feng Yue cursed inwardly, trembling even more violently as she stared at them in terror.
Side gate of the Marquis of An's residence.
Yin Gezhi stood beside the carriage, looking at the note pressed against the carriage shaft.
"Broken bridge in the woods outside the north city gate."
The drunkenness in his eyes faded. He held the note for a while before handing it to Xu Huaizu behind him: "What a miscalculation. She may be a maid, but it seems even a maid sent by your Xu family is easily targeted."
Xu Huaizu exploded upon seeing it, his sword-like brows furrowing: "What kind of skill is it to target a woman?!"
After a moment of thought, he glanced at his composed master beside him and suddenly understood the kidnappers' reasoning.
If they didn't target a woman, would they target Yin Gezhi? That wouldn't be an attack—it would be suicide.
"Master, let us accompany you to check it out. If there's an ambush, you won't have to fight alone!" An Shichong said. "Bring some men."
"Yes, Master, let's go rescue Miss Feng Yue together!"
Yawning, the drunkenness returned to Yin Gezhi's eyes as he slurred, "Mm. Rescue."
Then, he suddenly fell into a deep, unconscious stupor.An Shichong stared in stunned disbelief as he reached out to catch him, while Xu Huaizu was also dumbfounded: "Master?"
The man on his shoulder had his eyes closed, breathing evenly, with a flush of drunkenness still on his face, looking... truly like a gentleman as pure as jade, lightly tinged with the hues of sunset.
Bah, bah, bah! Now was not the time to admire appearances! Xu Huaizu asked An Shichong anxiously, "What do we do now?"
An Shichong was calmer than him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Master is in no condition to go rescue anyone, but since Feng Yue was nominally given to Master by you, it makes sense for you to take people and go rescue her now."
That made sense! Xu Huaizu immediately mounted his horse, tugging on the reins as he said, "You settle Master, I'll go back to the General's Mansion to gather men. We'll meet at the North Gate in half an hour."
"Alright," An Shichong nodded. Watching him gallop away, he had the servants help carry Yin Gezhi into a guest room.
It was just past noon, broad daylight, and the kidnappers had managed to carry someone out of the city gates—they must have some tricks up their sleeves. The two young masters didn't dare delay, gathering over thirty men armed with bows, arrows, and weapons before heading out the North Gate.
Inside the thatched hut.
Just as Feng Yue was trembling so hard her muscles had stiffened, the two kidnappers in front of her finally revealed their purpose: "If you want to stay alive, do as we say. Apply this and smear it on your master's lips."
A piece of vermilion paper and two dabs of rouge left Feng Yue utterly bewildered: "You two... want this servant to seduce her master?"
"With your looks, it should be enough," the burly man who had carried her boomed. "He only has you as his maid. Won't he warm his bed at night? Once he comes to rescue the beauty and takes you back, you can offer yourself to him—it'll be perfectly natural."
How impressive, they had it all planned out. Feng Yue couldn't help but feel like applauding.
"Swallow this. Once you've succeeded, we'll give you the antidote." A sticky object was shoved into her mouth. Feng Yue pretended to swallow it, gagging twice and discreetly pinching it between her fingers. Then, with tearful eyes, she patted her chest: "Wh-what is this?"
"Poison. Without the antidote, you'll die. That way, even if you're rescued, you'll have to do the deed." Seeing her terrified and uneasy expression, the two kidnappers frightened her as if she were a child: "So, don't try any tricks, or you'll lose your life!"
"This servant... will definitely do as you say. You must save this servant when the time comes!" Bowing her head to them, Feng Yue trembled like a leaf drifting in the wind.
Usually, when kidnapping someone, it was necessary to make the victim suffer a bit to ensure their obedience. But today's job had gone unusually smoothly, and both men felt lucky. The girl they had kidnapped was timid and cooperative, so they didn't need to exert any effort.
Now, they just had to wait for someone to arrive.
Outside the thatched hut was a broken bridge. The river beneath it had dried up, allowing people to walk straight across. The kidnappers waited on one side of the bridge. An hour later, they saw two young masters dressed in fine silk robes, leading a large group of people, rushing toward them.
"What's going on?" One of the kidnappers was dumbfounded. "Didn't the boss say we were waiting for a handsome young master in blue robes? Why are there so many people?"
The other was also stunned: "This... should we still threaten them, saying that if the young master in blue doesn't kill himself, we'll chop up the girl?""Threaten my ass! We'll be lucky if we don't get chopped to pieces! Run!"
Villains often die from talking too much. They might have escaped otherwise, but after all that chattering, An Shichong had long since surrounded them with his men. The two thieves were pinned to the ground and given a thorough beating.
"In broad daylight, you dare to abduct innocent women? Who sent you!"
"I..." The burlier kidnapper wanted to boldly declare, "We came on our own!" But before he could get the words out, a guard's fist, as big as a sandbag, smashed into his mouth with a "bang," loosening his front teeth and sending them flying through the air in a graceful arc.
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