Chapter 76: Kidnapped in Jiangnan
"Qingqing, what's wrong?" Qin Yanheng put his face close to her ear and asked in a low voice.
Luo Qingling did not answer. To be more precise, she did not dare to tell Qin Yanheng directly that she had seen the man sitting opposite her. He was standing beside Song Yutai when they were tracking the corpse demon Cui Susu in the suburbs of Beijing. He was an attendant of Song Yutai, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.
How could a person from the Dali Temple suddenly appear in the remote Raocheng?
A large hand covered the back of her hand, feeling dry and warm. Luo Qingling was startled and couldn't help but look sideways at the person beside her. Qin Yanheng naturally pulled her hand to his lap and played with her fingers in his hand.
After a moment, Qin Yanheng lowered her eyes slightly without looking at the man opposite her. She just played with her hands and spoke, but it was unclear who she was talking to.
"Qingqing said not long ago that she wanted to go to Beijing to visit her relatives. The journey is long, and I didn't want to let her go so far. I plan to take her all the way north to visit her cousins in the capital next year after the Heng family's business improves." Qin Yanheng spoke slowly, not sounding like an explanation at all, but rather like he was showing off his feelings for his new bride.
"Brother Heng and his wife are truly enviable."
The man opposite him put away his folding fan, leaned forward with one hand on his knee, and stared at Luo Qingling the entire time. Seeing this, Qin Yanheng sneered and moved his chair forward a few inches, blocking Luo Qingling behind him.
"My wife is thin-skinned and can't stand this big brother's inquiry." Qin Yanheng put away his smile and his eyes were cold.
"Brother Heng, you misunderstood. I just thought your wife looked very familiar, as if I've seen her somewhere before." The man didn't look away, but instead looked Qin Yanheng up and down. "I must have made a mistake. You two came from Si'an Prefecture. I've never been out of Rao City, so naturally I've never seen you before."
Hearing this, Luo Qingling raised his eyes to look at Qin Yanheng who was sitting in front of him, and their eyes met in the air.
For some reason, she always felt that the man in front of her had hidden meaning in his words. While testing her and Qin Yanheng's identities, he also emphasized that he had never left Raocheng and it was impossible for him to recognize her.
But what Luo Qingling could be sure of was that the man in front of her must be the follower who followed Song Yutai to investigate the case that day. She would not recognize the wrong person!
Thinking of this, Luo Qingling suddenly realized that she and Qin Yanheng had been holding hands since just now. She silently pinched Qin Yanheng's fingers. The latter felt her movement and pressed her entire hand on her leg with his big hand to prevent her from moving.
"Heng Lang..."
Luo Qingling whispered in his ear, wanting to tell him what was in her mind, but unexpectedly, this person spoke some nonsense over her.
"Uncle Guo, my wife feels a little dizzy. She must not have slept well last night. Hengyang will take her for a walk in the yard first, and then we can sit down after the banquet starts." After Qin Yanheng finished speaking, he pulled Luo Qingling up and walked out.
"Wait a minute," County Magistrate Guo said with a smile, raising his wine cup. "You're only concerned about your beloved wife, but have you forgotten that tonight is your uncle's birthday party?"
"Come and have a drink with uncle before you leave."
Luo Qingling could tell that County Magistrate Guo was trying to stop Qin Yanheng from leaving. She turned her head and glanced at Qin Yanheng, who nodded slightly at her.
"Wait for me under the willow tree outside the Begonia Gate. I'll come over after I have a drink."
After saying that, Qin Yanheng let go of Luo Qingling's hand, took the wine glass from the servant beside him, and walked straight towards County Magistrate Guo.
Seeing that County Magistrate Guo seemed to have something to say, Luo Qingling naturally did not want to stay for too long. She moved under the willow tree and was about to find a place to wait for Qin Yanheng, but she saw a maid walking towards her with a golden tray.
"Madam Heng, this is tonight's welcoming wine. You haven't had it yet at the men's table. My wife specially asked me to bring you the wine." As the maid spoke, she lifted the red cloth covering the golden plate, revealing a glass cup, exactly the same as the one that County Magistrate Guo had just handed to Qin Yanheng.
Luo Qingling did not suspect anything. He nodded, took the glass cup and drank it all.
After a while, the maid stood there and did not leave. Luo Qingling was about to ask if there was anything else, but suddenly he felt his heart beating wildly, as if something in his abdomen was about to jump out of his mouth.
She covered her chest with her left hand and half bent over, wanting to spit out the wine she had drunk, but the wine took effect very quickly and a numbness instantly spread throughout her body.
"What did you give me to drink!" Luo Qingling asked, pinching the maid's neck with his last bit of strength.
"Don't be afraid, ma'am. It's just some soothing wine."
The maid's face was blurry, and Luo Qingling could no longer see clearly. She tried to support herself and walk into the courtyard, but was suddenly stopped by a pair of hands at the waist. She became completely exhausted and fell into a coma.
In the room.
Qin Yanheng put one hand behind his back, holding a glass cup in the other, and after saying a few polite words, he refused to drink, which made County Magistrate Guo look angry. Seeing this, Qin Yanheng became even more fearless.
Anyway, he was only here to get information about the murderous ghost. If County Magistrate Guo went too far, he could simply show the jade token and use his status as a prince to force everyone to tell the truth.
The reason why he entered the city as Heng Yang was just to find out more information, but now the group of people in front of him seemed a little ungrateful and dared to force him to drink. He didn't know what their purpose or intention was.
"Why, you're not worthy of having a drink on your uncle's birthday?" County Magistrate Guo put down his wine cup and stared at Qin Yanheng expressionlessly.
"Of course, Uncle's birthday should be celebrated, but Heng Yang has already said what needs to be said. However, this wine..." Qin Yanheng lowered his head and chuckled softly, "My wife at home is very strict with me. I haven't touched alcohol since I got married. I hope Uncle will forgive me."
After saying that, Qin Yanheng placed the wine cup on the golden plate in the hand of the servant beside him, then turned around and strode away.
Luo Qingling was still waiting for him outside Haitang Gate. How could he leave her to drink with these half-dead old men? Thinking of this, Qin Yanheng couldn't help but quicken his pace.
"Your Highness!"
Someone called him from the dark, but it wasn't Luo Qingling's voice.
Qin Yanheng paused, squinting his eyes as he looked towards the direction of the voice, his expression cold. Besides Luo Qingling, the only one who was so certain of his identity was—
"Prince Rong'an," Madam Gao waved at him from the corner, her face solemn, "Madam Luo is in trouble."
*
In just one stick of incense, the carriage had already driven out of the city.
Luo Qingling had a piece of cloth covering her eyes and was curled up and tied up in the carriage. She could only judge where she was by the sounds coming into her ears.
The shouts of the vendors in the streets gradually faded away, and were followed by the sound of wheels rolling over stones. There was no other sound around except the sound of the wind.
The carriage must have left the city.
Luo Qingling's heart was pounding. She swallowed hard, suppressing the panic in her heart and trying her best to stay calm.
Now no one knows who kidnapped her, but was able to avoid the sight of everyone in the Guo Mansion and move her out of the city. I guess County Magistrate Guo's men were among them, otherwise how could it be so smooth.
The wind whistled in his ears and the carriage was moving very fast. Luo Qingling couldn't guess where he was being taken for a while.
Just now in the mansion, County Magistrate Guo sent her away on the pretext of having a birthday drink with Qin Yanheng, and forcibly separated the two of them. It was not known whether Qin Yanheng drank that sip of wine.
If he drank it... Luo Qingling's heart sank to the bottom.
"My lady, please stop struggling. If you want to blame someone, blame God for being unfair to our master. He has to be seriously ill at this time." Someone spoke beside her. It should be the maid who handed her the wine just now.
"If you want to eat something, tell me now. You won't have anything to eat when you get here."
What does this mean?
Luo Qingling frowned and said nothing, his eyes wide open beneath the cloth, trying hard to think about the meaning of the maid's words.
According to the maid, why did they kidnap her when the master was seriously ill? She had no medical skills and could not save people. Besides, what did the maid's last sentence mean?
Could it be that she will die soon?
Her heart was pounding, but Luo Qingling didn't dare show her fear. She forced herself to calm down and thought about how to get the question out of him.
"Your master is seriously ill. Why did you arrest me? I can't treat illnesses." Luo Qingling went straight to the point.
"Who knows? I'm just responsible for bringing people here. As for the others..."
The coachman coughed loudly, interrupting the maid.
"If you say another word, be careful, the master will tear your head off, wash it, and stuff it into wine." The man's tone was fierce, "You are such a worthless person, yet you still want to expose the master's identity."
The maid shrank her shoulders and hid aside, allowing the coachman to insult her without saying a word.
The trick of using tricks wasn't working, so Luo Qingling had no choice but to squat down to conserve her energy. What if she still had a chance to escape? Thinking of this, she was about to close her eyes and pretend to sleep when the Golden Dragon Sword in her sleeve vibrated slightly.
Only she could feel the movement.
Her eyes suddenly lit up, and Luo Qingling couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips. How could she have forgotten that Qin Yanheng's Golden Dragon Sword, which possessed celestial magic, was still in her possession? How could she still be afraid of a mere coachman?
Thinking of this, Luo Qingling's mind raced. She saw her right hand, bound behind her back, quietly stroking upwards, and soon she felt the finely crafted blade. Blindfolded and unable to detect the maid's gaze, Luo Qingling simply stopped what he was doing and pricked up his ears to observe carefully. Then he heard the maid lift the carriage curtain...
I don’t know what the maid is doing, but she’s definitely not looking at her!
Luo Qingling finally found an opportunity. He pulled the Golden Dragon Sword out of its scabbard with his right hand. After raising his hands to a suitable position, he rubbed them up and down, trying to untie the hemp rope that bound his hands.
As she moved, her ears moved slightly. There was still the sound of the wind around her, and no other sound. She must have thought that no one noticed her movements at the moment.
Thinking this, Luo Qingling quickened his movements. A moment later, the hemp rope slipped from his wrist, causing some discomfort where it had been tied. He ignored the pain and secretly clenched the Golden Dragon Sword with his right hand, which was behind his back.
The carriage had not stopped yet. It seemed that it was still some distance away from the place the coachman mentioned. She had to deal with the maid quickly and find an opportunity to jump off the carriage.
There was the sound of someone rustling clothes next to my ears, and I could guess it was a maid without even opening my eyes.
Luo Qingling was not in a hurry to take action. She remained in the original position with her eyes closed to rest, recalling the appearance of the maid before she fainted - light pink coat, aqua trousers, and a hairpin on her head of unknown material, but she knew there was a smaller bell embedded under the tassel.
The bell swayed gently with the maid's movements, making a tinkling sound.
Ding-dang-dang, so crisp.
The sound was not loud. Luo Qingling guessed that the maid did not make any other moves. The bell was just shaking up and down with the carriage... It was not the right time yet.
"Ring, ring, ring--" The crisp sound of the bell entered my ears.
Here we come!
Luo Qingling quickly tore off the cloth covering his eyes with his left hand. Before he could see the scene clearly, the Golden Dragon Sword in his right hand had already swung towards the direction of the maid.
A golden dragon suddenly appeared and instantly wrapped around the maid's neck. The dragon's tail pulled outward, and the maid fell face down on the ground. She fumbled around with her hands, trying to grab something. Luo Qingling did not give her a chance to resist, and hurriedly stuffed the cloth that had been covering her eyes into the maid's mouth.
The maid kept twisting and turning on the ground, whimpering. She pointed at Luo Qingling with her eyes wide open, her eyes full of disbelief.
Luo Qingling sneered, then slowly squatted beside the maid and whispered, "I want to see what kind of monster your master is that insists on exchanging my life for his."
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