Xiao Yunying tossed the blood-stained stone aside and asked again, "One last question: who sent you to capture Xiao Yunying?"
There were still two people who were fine. She casually pointed to the one on the right and said, "You go ahead."
"I...I don't know."
Xiao Yunying walked up to him and said, "I'll give you another chance. Think it over before you speak."
The man was quite frightened by Xiao Yunying's actions. He hadn't expected such a beautiful girl to be so ruthless.
But he really didn't know.
"Girl, spare me! I really don't know who told us to do this. I only know that person gave Ma Lao Er twenty taels of silver. Ma Lao Er came to us, took ten taels for himself, and let us divide the remaining ten taels."
They said they wanted us to help kidnap Xiao Yunying, ruin her reputation, and then spread the news widely.
I didn't want to come, but he has a relative who's a government official, and nobody in this business dares to offend him. I had no choice but to come and make up the numbers, but I really didn't do much of a fight."
He's been so wronged. He only took two and a half taels of silver, and now he's gotten himself into a huge mess, which might ruin the rest of his life.
Xiao Yunying was too lazy to listen to his explanation and asked the others, "What about you? Does anyone know who asked Ma Lao Er to do this?"
Ma Lao Er had already fainted from the pain, while the other two lying down and the two kneeling remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Xiao Yunying did not press further: "Since they won't say anything, then it's no use. Yuancheng, have someone drag them away and deal with them."
The other kneeling person stared wide-eyed in terror.
Huh? How did it get dealt with?
He didn't think Xiao Yunying was bluffing at all; the officials hadn't even bothered to intervene in the girl's actions, which were even more terrifying than the use of vigilante justice.
And then there's the young man behind her; you can tell from the way these officials treat him that he's no ordinary person.
"Wait, wait, young lady, I know who it is."
Xiao Yunying looked at him and said, "Speak."
“I often go with Brother Ma Er... Ma Lao Er... to find work. Half a month ago, a scholar-looking man asked someone to find Ma Lao Er, saying he wanted him to help him tie up someone, defile her, and then spread the news. The main thing was to ruin her reputation.”
I didn't know which village the scholar was from; I only heard Ma Lao Er call him Liu Xiucai. I didn't know if he truly held the title of Xiucai or was just teasing him.
He thought for a moment, then continued, "Oh, right, there's something else. While they were talking, I heard that Scholar Liu say that he was from the same village as Xiao Yunying."
They said that the girl's family had a lot of money, and her parents doted on her. If they could win her over, they could marry her and never have to worry about food or clothing again.
Ma Lao Er initially didn't want to do this, but after hearing these words, he was overcome by greed and agreed.
Upon hearing the title "Liu Xiucai," Xiao Yunying immediately concluded that it referred to Liu Ge.
Xiao Yunying asked, "How do you know the person you're supposed to kidnap?"
“A few days ago, that scholar Liu led Ma Lao Er and me to identify the carriage and the driver. At that time, the carriage was about to leave the city, and we did not see the people inside.”
But he said that apart from taking a few children to the academy in the morning and evening, the carriage was usually used by the girl, who might bring a little maid. Under normal circumstances, there would be no problems.
This morning, Liu Xiucai came to see Ma Lao Er again, saying that the girl would definitely come to the city today, and that he should send people to wait at Huiweilou and Jinxiuge, and they would definitely be able to see her.
When we arrived, the carriage had already gone to Jinxiu Pavilion. We waited for a while and saw a young girl with a little maid get into the carriage. We also confirmed that we hadn't mistaken the carriage or the driver before deciding to make our move..."
As Xiao Yunying's expression grew colder, the man's voice also grew softer.
"Where is that scholar Liu?"
"I don't know where he went. He left after delivering the message. Girl, please forgive me. I will never do it again."
As he spoke, he crawled forward, trying to grab Xiao Yunying's sleeve.
Chen Yuancheng stepped forward and pulled Xiao Yunying behind him, then said to the officers, "Take them away."
"Oh? I've told you everything I know, please spare me, young lady."
"Young master, please let me go, I will never dare to do it again."
Only after the pleas for mercy from the group had completely faded away did Chen Yuancheng turn around and ask, "Yun Ying, do you know who that Scholar Liu is?"
Xiao Yunying pinched her palm: "I know, he's from our village. I should have known. He's no good. I should have dealt with him sooner, so Yunwan wouldn't have suffered this undeserved disaster for me."
Chen Yuancheng comforted her, saying, "Yun Ying, you don't need to blame yourself too much. It's not your fault; the fault lies with those evil people."
Xiao Yunying took a deep breath: "I'll go check on Yunwan."
She tiptoed into the woodshed and saw Zheng Yunwan still huddled in the corner, her face buried in her arms.
"Yunwan, are you hurt anywhere? Shall I take you to the clinic?"
Zheng Yunwan remained silent, and Xiao Yunying dared not forcefully lead her away, fearing it would cause her further harm.
Chen Yuancheng stood outside the door, his back to them, and handed them a cloak: "Yun Ying, here you go."
Thank you.
Xiao Yunying took the cloak, walked to Zheng Yunwan's side, and gently draped it over her shoulders: "Yunwan, shall we go to the clinic?"
Zheng Yunwan twisted her body, not wanting to wear the cloak.
Hearing the voice outside the door, Chen Yuancheng said softly, "Don't worry, young lady, this cloak is a new one that I had someone buy from a tailor shop."
Zheng Yunwan finally calmed down and let the cloak cover her.
Xiao Yunying didn't urge her. She could sense that Zheng Yunwan was much calmer than when she first met her, so it was better to let her have some peace and quiet.
Not long after, Zheng Yunwan raised her head, her eyes red, and whispered, "Sister Yunying, I don't want to go to the clinic, I want to go home."
Xiao Yunying tidied her messy hair: "Okay, let's go home."
She helped Zheng Yunwan to her feet, wrapped her tightly in her cloak, and they went out together.
Everyone in the courtyard had left at some point, leaving only Chen Yuancheng.
"A carriage is ready at the gate. Let Ling Qi take you back."
Xiao Yunying first helped Zheng Yunwan onto the carriage. Judging from the way she walked, she didn't seem to have any serious external injuries, so she was sure that she didn't need to take her to see a doctor.
Chen Yuancheng said, "The injured coachman has also woken up. He is out of danger and wants to go home to recuperate, so I had someone send him back in another carriage first."
Xiao Yunying nodded: "Thank you very much this time."
If she relies on herself, she doesn't know how long it will take to find Zheng Yunwan, or what kind of harm Zheng Yunwan will have to suffer.
"I've already said, you don't need to be so polite with me."
Xiao Yunying glanced worriedly in the direction of the carriage: "I probably won't be able to go to the brewery tomorrow."
After this incident, she was really worried about leaving Zheng Yunwan alone at home, and she had no mood to deal with those other matters.
"It's alright, leave these things to me, you don't need to worry."
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