Chapter 302 Pulling out the tongue

At this moment, Wen Zhiming missed Meng Lingge even more.

He couldn't wait to see him again tomorrow morning. He was afraid that something might happen that night, and he wouldn't be able to put his mind at ease until he saw him.

Most of the soldiers in the camp are already asleep. As long as he goes and returns quickly, no one in the camp will know, and the emperor trapped in the palace will be even less likely to receive the news.

Thinking of this, Wen Zhiming gathered his remaining guards and set off from the back gate of the Prince of Anshun's mansion, riding fast horses all the way out of the city.

At this moment, Meng Qingyu, whom everyone had been searching for, was awakened by a basin of cold water, and then a fat man with a lot of fat on his body brandished a knife at him.

"Look at this fair-skinned young master, he's obviously from a wealthy family. Young master, hurry up and state your name, what's your surname, and which family you're from? We brothers will exchange you for some silver to spend. If you know what's good for you, tell us now to avoid suffering. If you don't, I'll chop off your fingers one by one and feed them to the dogs."

Meng Qingyu rubbed his eyes and found himself in a dilapidated house.

His feet were chained, and the silver notes in his clothes had been looted. Besides the fat man in front of him, there were four men with sinister smiles sitting in the corner.

After returning to his residence, Meng Qingyu thought about finding Meng Xingyuan's body every day. So, after Aunt Lu gave him a map to Guandu Prefecture, he packed his bags and left the capital without hesitation.

Despite his filial piety, he was still just a nine-year-old child.

Previously, when they went out to play, they were always accompanied by adults. Now, they are alone and dressed in rich clothes, making them easy targets for malicious people.

The thieves mistook him for a rich young master who had quarreled with his family. They followed him for a long time, and when they reached a less crowded section of the road, they kidnapped him.

Meng Qingyu knew she had fallen into a bandit's den, and she was filled with both hatred and anxiety.

"Brothers, I brought all the money from my family out of the country, and it has all been taken from my home. My mother is paralyzed in bed, and my father's body is still cold. I really have no money left. Please, brothers, have mercy and let me go."

If he reveals his identity and name, the thieves will not only demand a large ransom from his mother, but they will also throw him back into the thief's house, making it difficult for him to escape again.

The weather is still quite hot. My father's body has been exposed to the sun for several days and is probably starting to stink. If we don't find it and bury it soon, how can my father rest in peace underground?

Even without money, he would beg his way to find the place and bring his father's body back no matter what.

"You little rascal, you're not being honest, are you?" The fat man slapped Meng Qingyu across the face. "Wearing such fine fabric and with such fair skin, you actually dared to tell me a lie about your father being dead and your mother being paralyzed. You can leave, but it's five hundred taels of silver. Hand it over and I'll make sure you get out of here right now. If you can't, then wait for your family to collect your corpse."

The group had long seen Meng Qingyu as a fat sheep, and they wouldn't give up until they had made a killing off him.

Meng Qingyu had been pampered since childhood, and now, having been slapped by the fat man, he felt both ashamed and angry. He had very important things to do, but these people had taken his money, refused to let him go, and were humiliating him like this.

Perhaps because he was a child, these people did not tie his hands. In his rage, Meng Qingyu disregarded the consequences, stood up, and struck the fat man.

Caught off guard, the fat man was caught off guard and Meng Qingyu succeeded in her attack, leaving two bloody scratches on his face.

"You little beast!" The fat man, realizing what was happening, kicked Meng Qingyu several meters away, stopping only against the wall.

He was still not satisfied and rushed forward to kick her several more times. Meng Qingyu was no match for him and was beaten so badly that she covered her head with her hands but did not utter a sound.

"This little bastard's got some backbone, huh? You dare fight back? You dare not? Come on, I'll kill you today!"

The fat man felt he had lost face in front of his accomplices and was filled with rage.

Seeing that Meng Qingyu neither begged for mercy nor cried out in pain, he became even more enraged. He stopped and took out his knife, ready to stab Meng Qingyu.

Seeing that things were not going well, his accomplices surrounded him.

"Why are you arguing with a child? If you really hurt him, he won't be worth anything."

"That's right, if he doesn't want to talk, he doesn't have to. This child is good-looking, and I've heard that some brothels in the capital like this handsome little boy. If he really doesn't want to talk, we can sell him there and get a few hundred taels of silver."

The fat man was pulled and persuaded by his accomplices, so he took the opportunity to come down the steps and put down the knife.

“I’ll do as you say, brother. As soon as it’s light, we’ll take this little bastard to the capital and sell him to Xiaofeng Pavilion. This is the first time I’ve ever been beaten by a brat. Sending him to that place where he serves people will be a way to vent my anger.”

"Not for now. The King of the Northern Frontier has stormed the capital today, and the Emperor is hiding in the palace, too afraid to come out. I've heard that the King of the Northern Frontier is a man who can't tolerate any dissent. If his men discover us brothers, we might be in grave danger. Let's wait a while until things calm down in the capital before we go to make the deal."

The accomplice seemed quite cautious.

The fat man frowned, his eyes glaring angrily at Meng Qingyu.

"So, we're going to have to keep this little beast around for a while longer?"

Meng Qingyu didn't look honest, and the fat man, worried that things might get complicated if he waited too long, kicked her again, warning, "You'd better be smart and tell us your identity so your family can come and redeem you. It'll be better for both of us."

Meng Qingyu overheard their conversation and learned that Wen Zhiming had already infiltrated the capital, which filled her with a mixture of joy and surprise.

Had he known this would happen, he would have waited two more days and asked Wen Zhiming to send someone to help him find his father's body.

That way, we won't be caught by these thieves.

Since these people are so afraid of the Northern Frontier King, why not tell them about his relationship with the Northern Frontier King? Maybe then they will let him go.

Thinking of this, Meng Qingyu shouted, "I'll say it! The King of the Northern Frontier is my brother-in-law. You'd better release me as soon as possible, otherwise he won't let you off the hook if he finds out."

Upon hearing this, the thieves were taken aback.

Then they all threw their heads back and burst into laughter.

"That little bastard is really clever. As soon as he heard that we were afraid of the Northern Frontier King, he pretended to be the Northern Frontier King's brother-in-law, thinking that we were fools."

"That's right. The King of Northern Frontier has been married twice, but one died and the other ended in divorce. He doesn't even have a queen now. What kind of brother-in-law are you?"

"I don't think this kid tells a single truth. Let's just rip his tongue out. Isn't Xiaofeng Pavilion all about serving people? It doesn't matter if he can't speak properly. What do you guys say?"

Meng Qingyu didn't expect that when he told the truth, these thieves wouldn't believe him and even tried to pull out his tongue.

Although he was brave, he was still young. After the thieves smirked, two of them held him down while another grabbed his chin and brandished a knife. He immediately lost control and burst into tears.

Unbeknownst to Meng Qingyu, a man was peeping through a hole in the wall of the room, watching him being pinned down and about to have his tongue pulled out. His beautiful fox-like eyes gleamed with excitement.