Chapter 73: The Cane

Chapter 73: The Cane

Upon arriving at the teahouse, Jian Yunyao noticed Lin Yingxue staring at her and gave her a gentle smile.

Jian Yunyao's attire was entirely devoid of femininity, yet her smile was as serene as an autumn moon, causing Lin Yingxue to momentarily lose herself, even blushing slightly.

When the waiter brought the tea to their side of the screen, Lin Yingxue had not yet taken the teapot when Fu Jiaze stood up to pour the tea for everyone.

"Please enjoy your tea, Master Jian, General Jian."

Fu Jiaze's fingers were long and slender; when he held the teapot, his little finger slightly curled, but this gesture did not make him appear feminine.

Jian Yunyao took the teacup, her thumb adorned with a jade ring that now gleamed softly in the light.

Watching the two, Lin Yingxue felt an inexplicable sense of similarity between them, then shook her head inwardly, knowing their facial features were quite different. Instead, it was the young Master Yan Ji who bore some resemblance to her husband.

Jian Yunyao held the cup without drinking from it, instead looking into the shadows and signaling someone before finishing her drink in one go.

Lin Yingxue remarked, "No wonder ancient stories tell of Mulan joining the army. Seeing Master Jian today, I understand why she could do so."

"It is because my face is plain, allowing me to dress like this."

Lin Yingxue smiled, "Master Jian is too modest. If we were to walk together, all eyes would be on you."

Jian Yunyao's demeanor was exceptional, her black cloak making her appear both clear and noble. Although Fu Jiaze was more handsome, he seemed younger compared to Jian Yunyao, while Jian He, being a martial artist, was merely efficient, far less captivating than Jian Yunyao.

"That is true," Jian He agreed with Lin Yingxue, "In our youth, I often followed my cousin, and many people looked at him."

Jian Yunyao held her cup with one hand, shaking her head with a smile, "It's just that no one remembers those old days, so you can talk nonsense like this."

At first, all four of them were conversing, but gradually, Jian He and Lin Yingxue spoke less.

Jian Yunyao was discussing the imperial examinations with Fu Jiaze, so Jian He gestured to Lin Yingxue, and they walked behind the others.

In a corner, Jian He smiled at Lin Yingxue, "It's rare to see my cousin and your husband get along so well. As an elder, I'll accompany you for a walk. If... if there's anything you like, just let me know."

Lin Yingxue sensed a hint of pain in Jian He's words. The great general, favored by Emperor Chengde, received gifts from the imperial treasury each year. How could he be petty? Perhaps it was just a misperception.

Lin Yingxue glanced back at the Empress and Fu Jiaze, who were deeply engrossed in their discussion about the examination essays. Walking with the general might be good.

Noticing Lin Yingxue and Jian He standing nearby, Fu Jiaze excused himself from the Empress and hurried over.

Due to his haste, Fu Jiaze had not put on his crane-patterned cloak, while Lin Yingxue was already wrapped in her fur coat. She gently pushed him towards the Empress, "It's rare to have such a distinguished person guide you in your studies. If Mother were here, she would support you talking with him. I'll walk with the general, and there's no need to worry about the market's chaos."

Fu Jiaze and Jian Yunyao were in the middle of an engaging conversation, and Fu Jiaze hesitated, feeling it was rare to spend time with Lin Yingxue today.

Lin Yingxue whispered, "We have many days ahead; one day doesn't matter." She gave her husband a gentle push towards the Empress.

While Lin Yingxue was speaking to Fu Jiaze, Jian He simply said to his sister, "I'll accompany Lady Lin for a walk. You talk with Scholar Fu, fulfilling your desire to teach."

"Abusing idioms." Jian Yunyao tapped her brother's forehead with her finger, somewhat irritably. "If you see anything nice later, don't forget to buy something for the young lady. Don't always be so stingy."

Even though Lin Yingxue was already married, in the Empress's eyes, she was still a young girl.

"That goes without saying."

General Jian walked ahead and behind Lin Yingxue as they headed towards the market.

Jian He felt uncomfortable as he walked, thinking what it looked like for him to stroll through the market with a young wife. But thinking of his sister at the teahouse, he steeled himself and continued on.

Lin Yingxue initially lagged half a step behind Jian He, but soon fell back seven or eight steps. When Jian He turned around, Lin Yingxue was standing in place, saying to him, "When my husband and I go out, there is usually someone following us secretly. We just entered the teahouse, and because there were people with the Empress, our people didn't follow in. Now they are all following me. General Jian, let's walk separately, but we'll meet up at the end."

Jian He was somewhat uneasy. "Can you trust the people with you?"

"They are former brocade guards who retired due to injuries," Lin Yingxue said with a wry smile. "It was only because of my uncle's influence that they came to serve my husband and me. What do you think, General Jian?"

Jian He's attention was on the word 'uncle.' Thinking of Fu Jiaze's uncle, Fu Bin, who was very protective, he said, "Then let's walk one in front of the other. If anything happens, you just need to tell your people to find me."

/

At this moment, Yao Su was also in the crowd. She was dressed simply, with a simple double braid hairstyle, holding a string of candied haws, looking innocent and sweet.

The market was a gathering place for people from all over, a mix of good and bad. Even if kidnappers were caught, the authorities would punish them severely, but the huge profits from successful kidnappings made it worth the risk for many. Therefore, there were definitely kidnappers here.

Yao Su had disguised herself, planning to put herself at risk to attract the attention of the kidnappers, hoping they would take her.

Yao Su had no choice; her family refused to continue searching, so she used the money earned from her mother's shop to look for her sister.

But things got worse when the brocade guards gradually withdrew, no longer willing to search for her sister.

Yao Su went many times, and finally, a kind-looking brocade guard met her alone: "Miss Yao, please don't make things difficult for us. The brocade guards have done our best to find Miss Yao San. We can't waste manpower on this indefinitely. There are others who have been kidnapped, and we need to solve those cases."

"I have a younger brother who was also stolen from our home. We even had a dog, but only a neighbor could have sneaked in with a dog around. Even so, we couldn't find him. Great Qi is too vast; finding someone is incredibly difficult."

"Miss Yao, give up. Kidnapping is too easy. Once someone is knocked out, they can be transported anywhere by carriage. Unless the city is sealed immediately when the kidnapping occurs, there's little hope."

It was the last sentence that made Yao Su resolve to act. Her family planned to substitute her second sister for her, transferring the engagement to the third prince to her second sister. But as long as the imperial edict hadn't been issued, she was still the royal daughter-in-law, the third prince's consort.

If she set up a trap and caught the kidnappers, she might get news of her sister. Even in the worst-case scenario, if she herself were kidnapped, the brocade guards' extensive network could help find her and, in turn, her sister.

Yao Su felt she had prepared thoroughly, so she arranged today's plan, personally disguising herself as a commoner's daughter to lure the kidnappers into action.

In the eyes of the third prince, Yao Su wasn't considered a beauty, but to the kidnappers, she was different.

With fair skin, delicate features, and neat teeth, she appeared to be in her early teens, perfect for being sold to those unsavory places.

Most importantly, Yao Su seemed easy to kidnap.

Her clothing wasn't that of a wealthy family, and there was no vigilant maid by her side. She walked with an older woman, presumably her mother, but often strayed from her mother's sight.

The group of kidnappers exchanged a glance. They separated the wet nurse from Yao Su, pushing her to the side.

Yao Su felt someone pushing her aside, and her heart began to race, but she wasn't overly worried. The nursemaid would call for help, and Yao Su had a bamboo whistle. As long as she didn't faint and could identify the kidnappers, she could use the whistle to summon help and catch them.

The nursemaid bent down to rub her leg, but lost her balance and fell to the ground, pinned down tightly.

Her heart tightened, guessing that the person pressing on her must be a kidnapper. She gathered all her strength to try to shout.

According to Yao Su's plan, the nursemaid was supposed to cry out loudly, ideally grabbing one of the kidnappers, then revealing Yao Su's identity so they could catch the kidnappers smoothly.

Unfortunately, plans never keep up with changes.

Pinned at the bottom, the nursemaid couldn't breathe, let alone shout for help to catch the kidnappers. Her fingers clawed at the ground, nails splitting and blood seeping out.

If she didn't call for help, Miss Yao Su would truly be in danger.

But the nursemaid found the air thin, and the pain in her fingertips couldn't keep her conscious; she fainted.

Meanwhile, Yao Su encountered an unexpected situation. She was slapped hard, the force making her ears ring and her mouth swell, unable to speak.

The half-eaten candy skewer in her hand rolled to the ground.

"You naughty girl," her double buns were grabbed by a burly man, "fooling around! With your brother in such a state, you dare to steal money!"

This was the kidnapper.

Yao Su's eyes widened, staring intently at the burly man, thinking he might have taken her sister!

All she needed to do was take out the bamboo whistle, and her people could catch this kidnapper and interrogate him to find out about her sister.

But as soon as she moved, her hands were firmly held, making it impossible to blow the whistle.

It seemed so simple, yet with both hands restrained, she couldn't complete this small action.

There was no sound from the nursemaid either. Yao Su, barely of age, was scared. Tears fell, and she made muffled sounds.

The woman holding Yao Su tightly was a plump auntie, who looked kind. She hugged Yao Su, preventing her from moving and covering her mouth, "Don't speak, the more you struggle, the angrier your father will get." The plump auntie then said to the burly man, "This money wasn't stolen by Ya'er, I asked her to go to town to buy medicine for her brother."

The burly man pulled Yao Su out of the woman's arms and slapped her again, hard and fast, "Still saying it wasn't stealing? This is your brother's life-saving money, and you squander it like this? Is your brother's life not worth anything? We've never let you go hungry or cold, and you're still so greedy?"

Yao Su shook her head vigorously; she didn't know these two people at all! Her eyes wide, she watched the bystanders' mouths move, trying to hear what they were saying, only catching fragments.

"… Don't interfere, it's a family matter."

"This girl is too heartless, ignoring her sick brother, and still craving candy skewers."

No, no…

She wasn't their child; she was the young miss of the Yao family!

"Stop hitting her," the plump auntie hugged Yao Su, "it's good that we found her, let me check."

The plump auntie felt Yao Su's waist and found several copper coins, "Apart from buying the three-cash candy skewer, the rest of the money is still here. Master, the priority now is to treat Little Fish. Let's not delay."

The plump auntie embraced Yao Su, "Ya'er, you've made a grave mistake today…"