Chapter 129 The third brother is missing!
Pei Jinghong sighed, "Xie Yan has been a man who has been able to disguise himself since he was young. If he hadn't revealed his true face to me before, I would have thought Xie Yan was a noble prince who was radiant, gentle, and kind."
"Originally I wanted to stay in the Marquis' Mansion and find a chance to make Xie Yan reveal his true colors before telling my cousin. Unfortunately, my grandmother is seriously ill, so I have to go home."
"I know there's no evidence to support my words. My cousin won't believe them if she hears them all of a sudden. I just don't want her to be kept in the dark. If you get a chance, pay more attention and you'll find out what I say is true!"
After Pei Jinghong left, Ruan Yunsheng tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
If Pei Jinghong had told her before that Xie Yan had a strong possessiveness towards her since childhood, she would not have believed it at all.
But now, she has confirmed that Xie Yan is Chuwu.
Xie Yan is a law-abiding person. If he regards himself as a younger sister, then it is understandable that he has to take care of her in order to fulfill his responsibilities as an older brother.
But now... which well-behaved "good brother" would bark like a dog and scare away guests?
Xie Yan might not be a self-disciplined gentleman at all, so why does he have to control her?
Ruan Yunsheng wanted to run to Xie Yan immediately to ask for clarification, but the steward of Prince Xuan's Mansion said that Xie Yan had left the capital to catch spies.
She turned over in annoyance. Xie Yan, that bastard, really hid a lot of things from her.
When he comes back, if he doesn't explain everything clearly, she'll see how she'll deal with him!
*
In the early morning, after seeing off Pei Jinghong who had hurried home because his grandmother was seriously ill, Ruan Yunsheng went to Qingliang Mountain with his eldest brother and third brother to pay homage to his father.
Ruan Yunsheng was wearing a moon-white dress today. Her bright face was without any makeup, and she only had two shiny white jade hairpins in her hair.
Ruan Yunjian and Ruan Yunbo also changed into plain casual clothes. Ruan Yunbo, who always loved to wear gold and jade ornaments in the past, now looked less ostentatious and more calm.
"It's a pity that my second brother is still at the border, and my fourth brother hasn't returned to the capital. And my fifth brother has gone out of the capital to track down Yin State's spies, and I don't know when he will be back." Ruan Yunbo sighed softly as he looked at the carriage waiting outside the Marquis' Mansion.
Ruan Yunsheng's lips curved slightly. "I've already sent people to inquire about Fourth Brother's news. Once Second Brother wins the battle and Fourth Brother returns, we brothers and sisters will be reunited as a family."
Ruan Yunbo nodded, with warmth in his eyes: "Shengsheng is right."
Ruan Yunjian glanced at the sky and said at the right time: "Okay, it's getting late, it's time to set off."
The three of them boarded the carriage and headed for Qingliang Mountain in the eastern suburbs of Shengjing.
Qingliang Mountain stretches for dozens of miles and has pleasant scenery all year round.
The joint tomb of the Marquis of Zhenguo and his wife is located in a Feng Shui treasure land on the mountain with its back to the mountain and facing the water. There is also a popular Jingjue Temple on the mountain.
After paying homage to their parents, the three of them went to Jingjue Temple according to old custom and copied scriptures in the meditation rooms arranged by the monks.
It was not until dinner in the evening that Ruan Yunsheng learned from the attendant that his third brother Ruan Yunbo had left the temple in the afternoon.
Ruan Yunjian's expression immediately darkened, and he put down the teacup in his hand. "This Third Brother is really getting more and more outrageous! What day is today? How dare he leave without saying a word?"
Ruan Yunbo's attendant Tingsong hurried forward and bowed to explain, "Master, calm down. The Third Master didn't want to go down the mountain either. It was simply because an emergency occurred with the canal boat at the dock, and he couldn't get away. That's why he went."
"The Third Young Master was afraid of disturbing you and the Princess from copying the scriptures, so he specifically asked me to stay here. If you two ask, I'll explain on your behalf. He also said that he could have returned before dinner, but perhaps something difficult had delayed him. If he doesn't return in time, you and the Princess can have dinner first and don't have to wait for him."
Ruan Yunsheng waved his hand, letting Tingsong retreat, and gently advised, "Brother, Third Brother is not someone who doesn't know the seriousness of the matter. Something serious must have happened at the dock, forcing him to go."
Ruan Yunjian sighed and suppressed his unhappiness: "Forget it, let's not wait for him, let's eat first."
Unexpectedly, just when they were halfway through their meal, Tingsong rushed in with a strange servant, his face pale: "Eldest Young Master! Princess! It's bad! The Third Young Master... The Third Young Master is missing!"
"What?" Ruan Yunsheng put down his chopsticks immediately, his voice changing tone. "What's going on?"
The servant who followed Tingsong in fell to his knees, tears and sweat streaming down his face. "My name is Wu, and I'm the son of the old manager of the grain transport company. It was the Third Young Master I came to the temple to invite when the grain ship got into trouble today."
Ruan Yunjian stood up, holding onto the edge of the table. His tone was serious: "Tell me everything clearly. What exactly happened?"
Ah Wu kowtowed repeatedly, his voice choking with sobs. "My eldest son, a group of men arrived early this morning, claiming the cargo they had entrusted to our canal boat was lost. My father went to argue with them, but they were completely unreasonable. They beat anyone and smashed anything they saw! My father's head was bloodied, and several of the stewards were injured. We went to report it to the authorities, but the yamen runners said they had other matters to attend to and told us to wait... I had no choice but to come and ask for help, Third Young Master."
"But who knew that after the Third Young Master arrived at the dock, the two gangs started arguing again, and soon they were fighting. In the chaos, I only saw someone pushing the Third Young Master, and then... I couldn't find him anymore! The servants guessed that he was either captured by the gang or fell into the sea during the melee!"
Ruan Yunsheng was horrified, his voice trembling: "Then you didn't send anyone to look for it?"
"We've looked! The servants are searching along the coast!" Ah Wu cried, "but it's getting darker and darker. I'm really at a loss. I can only ask the eldest master to come over and take charge of the situation!"
Ruan Yunjian's face was solemn, and he immediately made a decision: "Shengsheng, you stay in the temple, don't leave. I will take people to the dock to find Lao San."
"I'll go with you!" Ruan Yunsheng quickly stood up.
"No!" Ruan Yunjian flatly refused. "It's getting late now, the situation at the dock is unclear, and your third brother's whereabouts are unknown. I'm afraid I can't protect you. Be obedient and stay in the temple. Don't go anywhere."
Ruan Yunsheng knew he wasn't good at swimming. If he went, he wouldn't be able to help and might even cause more trouble. He could only suppress his anxiety and said, "Then big brother, take all the guards with you! We must find our third brother!"
"I'll take half of the guards to the dock, and the other half will stay here to protect you." Ruan Yunjian said as he hurried out, his tone urgent. "After I leave, you must lock the meditation room and don't let anyone in!"
Before he finished speaking, the person disappeared out the door.
*
After nightfall, everything is quiet.
At this time, there was a dilapidated temple dozens of miles away from Shengjing.
The Yin State spy fell to the ground covered in blood. He was tied tightly to the stone pillar with heavy iron chains. The iron rings were embedded in his flesh, and every movement brought up a cloud of blood.
In order to track down the spies, Xie Yan had not had much rest in the past few days. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were still sharp.
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