Chapter 52
Lin looked at Zhao Binglin's frenzied state with pity, feeling only sorrow.
Although everyone has their own preferences, even the most villainous female supporting character has genuine admirers.
But all of this stems from the character design.
As characters in the book, they are imbued with strong emotions by the author. The origins and development of those emotions are unknown.
Therefore, she could not understand Zhao Binglin's affection for Qiu Qingye, and it is unknown whether Zhao Binglin himself understood it.
Qiu Baiji sat in the main seat, his brows furrowed. As an elder, he shouldn't interfere in the grudges and feuds between the younger generation. That's why he silently agreed when Lin Yi said he would handle it himself.
But if this person is ungrateful and continues to pester his beloved daughter, he will never stand idly by.
Qiu Baiji glanced in the direction of the door, then finally left his seat and walked to Zhao Binglin's side.
He had known Zhao Taifu for many years. Although Qiu Baekje was a high-ranking official, he did not hold office or participate in politics, so he did not have deep relationships with people in the court.
However, he rarely had the chance to chat with Grand Tutor Zhao. As the Crown Prince's tutor, he did not form factions or take sides, making him a rare breath of fresh air in the court.
This same trusted minister, capable of educating future emperors, neglected the upbringing of his own children.
Zhao Binglin was mediocre in talent and ability, dull-witted, and indulged in sensual pleasures. If he were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but as the son of the Grand Tutor, he was nothing more than a good-for-nothing and a pretty but useless fool.
How could someone like that be worthy of Qingye?
Qiu Baiji looked at his nephew with mixed feelings.
Although this man was a good-for-nothing with no ambition, he was not a wicked person. Qiu Baekje knew his daughter's character all too well, and the truth was probably just as she herself said: because she was flirtatious with everyone, she lured people into her trap, making them want to do all sorts of things for her, only to kick them aside after she had achieved her goal.
Isn't this also a tragedy? Qiu Baiji shook his head inwardly, "Let him go."
Qiu Baiji was at a loss for words when a servant rushed in to report. He paused for a moment and whispered to Zhao Binglin, "Go home, your father is here."
Father has arrived—
Zhao Binglin's eyes widened suddenly, and he seemed to be frozen in place, completely motionless.
Until Grand Tutor Zhao, his face ashen, slapped him hard across the face. "Have you made enough of a scene?!"
He finally managed to call out, trembling, "Father."
Everyone has their Achilles' heel. Zhao Binglin was usually uneducated and incompetent, but he was most afraid of his father.
"You still remember I'm your father? You've completely disgraced me! Stop making a fool of yourself here and come home with me!" Zhao Taifu shouted.
The surging emotions from just moments ago vanished instantly. Zhao Binglin hung his head, swallowing all his resentment and anger.
Grand Tutor Zhao turned around, flicked his sleeve, bowed to Qiu Baiji, and said with a cold expression, "Your Excellency Qiu, please excuse my rudeness."
Qiu Baiji nodded in acknowledgment, “My daughter’s previous behavior was disrespectful to your son, and I have already reprimanded her. Now that everything has been said, my daughter only wants to live a peaceful life with the young marquis. I urge the Grand Tutor to persuade his son to stop causing trouble.”
"Of course."
Grand Tutor Zhao arrived in haste and left in haste.
After everyone left, the tea grew cold, and only Lin Yi remained in the main hall, facing Qiu Baekje alone.
"Father……"
"Alright." Qiu Baiji put his arm around her shoulder. Lin Yi could tell that he was trying his best to put on a gentle expression, but the academy magistrate was usually stern and his smile was a little stiff.
"You were frightened today, weren't you? No need to say more, your father already knows. Why don't you have someone move out the bedding and go stay with your mother tonight?"
Lin Yi felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, but still declined, saying, "I won't stay today. Please send someone to take me back to the Xie residence, Father. I got separated from Erhei at the market, and Xie Chengnan should have already learned of my disappearance from him. He'll be worried if he can't see me."
Half an hour ago.
Chongxuan watched as a hand reached out from behind the corner and covered Miss Qiu's mouth.
The next instant, the large hand and Miss Qiu disappeared into the alleyway.
Chongxuan's pupils suddenly contracted, his mind went blank for a moment, and then he shouted "Stop!" while lunging forward, but missed after turning the corner.
He could faintly hear footsteps around the corner, and Chong Xuan rushed over, only to see a passerby.
"Wrong... wrong!"
Chongxuan realized he had gone the wrong way and immediately turned back, but the alleyway in front of him was also empty. He followed it for a hundred steps or so without seeing a single person. The streets and alleys of the West Market were complex and winding. Standing at the intersection, Chongxuan was almost overwhelmed by immense confusion and despair.
He asked everyone he met if they had seen a woman in light clothing being abducted. He did this several times, but to no avail.
He wondered what the person who kidnapped Miss Qiu was after. He dared not delay any longer and ran wildly toward the Xie residence, his heart pounding like a drum against his ribs.
Young Master Xie had nothing to do today, so he lay on his couch reading a newly circulated folk tale that was said to be based on the Crown Prince and Zhan Xian. He was engrossed in reading it when he heard someone stumble into his courtyard.
Upon seeing who it was, he was about to mock him for being so brazen as to have his tail burned, but after hearing what he said, he could no longer sit still.
After Xie Chengnan found out the location where the person had disappeared, he only said, "Go and report to the authorities, and have Cang Xie come find me," before leaping out of the courtyard.
In his haste, he didn't even have time to go to the stable to fetch his horse, and with his light footwork, he headed straight for the West Market.
The light-foot technique was meant to be used like a fast horse galloping, and the sudden intensity caused a sharp pain in his lungs.
Xie Chengnan did not head straight for the street corner where Qiu Qing was nowhere to be seen, but instead went into a shop.
If you look closely, you'll see that just a moment later, the people inside, pretending to be ordinary onlookers, all came out, numbering more than ten.
These people were clearly well-trained and quietly infiltrated every corner of the West Market.
Immediately afterwards, Xie Chengnan went to the place where Lin Yi had been kidnapped, where Cang Xie was already waiting.
"How about it?"
“Yesterday happened to be the day the West Market was being swept, so there was no dust or rain on the ground, and no traces were left,” Cang Xie said.
No trace...
“Impossible,” Xie Chengnan said firmly. “There are always traces of events. Let’s search again.”
Cang Xie was momentarily stunned by the solemn expression on Xie Chengnan's face, then solemnly replied, "Yes!"
Xie Chengnan stood where Erhei had witnessed Qiu Qing being kidnapped. He closed his eyes and mentally mapped out the route Erhei had taken.
He lunged towards the corner, but couldn't catch up. A hundred paces away was another alleyway, where he heard footsteps, but no one was there...
Perhaps at that time, the thugs, along with Qiu Qing, waited around the corner, and after Er Hei had gone far away, they went in the opposite direction.
Xie Chengnan turned around, and there were two more forks in the road in front of him.
He searched carefully, leaving no corner unchecked, and finally found a tattered piece of fabric on the ground close to a crack in the wall.
The silk thread was grayish-brown and looked as if it had been stepped on from the edge of a roughly cut piece of fabric; it must have been the hem of a man's garment.
Ordinary silk garments that snag but don't easily pull the threads from the edges are likely made of linen.
The city of Mingzhou is fond of luxury, and ordinary people are no exception. People who wear such clothes are either farmers working in the fields or privately hired grooms.
groom!
Xie Chengnan suddenly looked up. No one saw that Qiu Qing was also taken away by someone because they had a carriage to pick them up!
"Cang Xie! Investigate the tire tracks on this road—"
A plump shopkeeper in brocade robes rushed over. Although his round belly bulged the fabric of his clothes, he didn't pant at all as he moved. The shopkeeper looked cautious and said to Xie Chengnan when he got closer, "My lord, the person has been put into a carriage and is heading towards the Qiu residence."
"The Chou family? You're not seeing things?"
"I didn't see wrong," the fat shopkeeper said.
"Continue the investigation."
Xie Chengnan didn't have time to think about who would go to such lengths to kidnap Miss Qiu and bring her to the Qiu residence. He mounted the horse that Cang Xie had prepared and rode straight towards the Qiu residence.
...
Sanqi and two guards personally escorted Lin Yi back to the Xie residence.
As the carriage was about to enter the main road, Lin Yi suddenly had an idea. He lifted the curtain and asked, "Does this road pass through Guanglu Avenue?"
“No, we won’t go there. Guanglu Avenue requires going to a crossroads, which we’ve already passed,” Sanqi said. “But it’s not far. If you want to go there, I can just turn around.”
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
"No trouble at all, Miss. We'll do whatever you say."
When Lin Yi first came into this world and married into the Marquis's mansion in place of Qiu Qing, the carriage traveled on Guanglu Avenue.
She was afraid Xie Chengnan would be anxious and should have rushed back, but when she heard him say it wasn't far, she wanted to walk the path again to see. After all, she had just arrived that day and was filled with disbelief. She had been carried into the Xie family mansion in a sedan chair without even realizing it and had become the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion without even realizing it.
The horse turned around and soon entered Guanglu Avenue.
The avenue is wide, with a row of vendors on each side, yet it still allows two cars to drive side by side.
The teahouses along the street, with their elmwood signs, emitted a misty haze carrying the aroma of tea, creating a wonderful ambiance that mingled with the scents of cosmetics shops across the street. Nearby, a young flower vendor was offering passersby bracelets woven from jasmine flowers.
Lin Yixin thought to herself, "So this is what the street looked like that day."
Suddenly a commotion arose, and the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.
Lin Yixin's heart skipped a beat, worried that the Crown Prince might be riding his horse through the street again to cause her trouble. But as if possessed, she still reached out her finger and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
As they brushed past each other, Lin Yi recognized the person on horseback.
——!
Xie Chengnan rode his horse through the streets, from the West Market all the way to Guanglu Avenue. It wasn't because this road was the shortest, but because Guanglu Avenue was one of the few streets in the city that did not restrict carriages and horses.
According to the laws of Da'an, one cannot ride a horse freely in the street unless it is for "public or private matters".
The Marquis of Yong'an once enjoyed the privilege of "entering the palace with a sword and shoes, and not having to bow when entering the court" as granted by the late emperor. However, with the death of the Marquis of Yong'an and the decline of the Xie family, this privilege became a mere formality under Xie Chengnan.
In his haste, Xie Chengnan didn't think too much about it; he simply chose the widest path so he could increase his speed.
Guanglu Avenue was indeed spacious, and the street vendors were very well-behaved, scattered on both sides of the road without obstructing traffic at all.
As Xie Chengnan passed by a carriage, he only glanced at it subconsciously. He never thought he would run into Qiu Qingye so easily.
But as she tilted her head, her eyes met those clear, bright eyes unexpectedly.
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