Chapter 6, The Kidnapping
Dao glanced at the tightly closed study but said nothing.
"Our master hasn't even had dinner yet; he's been discussing the Japanese pirates' southward invasion with General Sun and a few others," Dao Er reminded him.
Compared to other matters, this is a matter of national importance that cannot be delayed.
His Majesty values the Prince highly this time, and we must not allow him to be distracted by other matters, since the Master does not like Miss Fan.
It won't make a difference to report this minor matter later; it's not a big deal anyway.
As the cold wind blew outside the window, Yunxi had a dream.
In my dream, my adoptive parents were still alive.
On a sunny day, with lush grass and birdsong, she flew a kite, while her foster mother followed behind, lifting the hem of her skirt.
She ran and laughed, "Yunxi is so amazing, the kite flies so high."
"Haha, Mother, come and chase me!" Yunxi laughed as she looked back, clutching the string.
The adoptive father called after them, "You two run slowly, don't fall."
"No way," Yunxi stuck out her tongue at her adoptive father.
I don't know if the wind was too strong and the kite string broke.
Watching the kite drift further and further away, Yunxi clutched the remaining string, feeling distressed and unhappy.
Seeing this, the foster mother instructed the foster father to use his light-footed skills to place her and Yunxi on a locust tree that was in bloom.
The locust blossoms, like bells made of white clouds, sway in the wind in clusters.
Petals fluttered down, and the foster mother reached out to pick a bunch, then flung them all over Yunxi's face.
The foster mother smiled and nuzzled Yunxi's cheek. "Baby, were you happy when you flew the kite?"
"Happy." Yunxi nodded.
"Some things, we should focus on the process rather than the result. If you're happy flying your kite, that's enough. As for the outcome, many things are beyond human control. So, honey, what you need to do is enjoy the present moment, do what you want to do, and enjoy the process of doing it, okay?"
Five-year-old Yunxi didn't quite understand what "Mother" meant.
Her foster mother chuckled and nuzzled her cheek. "It's okay if you don't understand now. Yunxi, just remember what your mother said: don't worry about the outcome, just focus on your initial intention. The most important thing is your happiness in the moment, not worrying about the result. Because your father and I both hope that our darling will always be happy and able to do whatever she wants, anything."
Yunxi woke up calling out, "Mother!"
She opened her eyes, stared at the unfamiliar roof beams, and took a long time to process what she saw.
A wind howled, and the weather outside the tattered window was gloomy. The clouds seemed to have accumulated too much water, hanging heavily in the sky, as if they might fall down at any moment.
"Boss, you're awake?" Onion Head, who had been pacing back and forth outside for who knows how many times, called out.
When Congtou brought in the thick rice porridge, he kept glancing at her. When Yunxi looked up, he abruptly looked away, clearly indicating that he had something on his mind but couldn't hide it.
Although her fever had subsided, Yunxi was still dizzy, and her wounds were in pain.
But she cherished her health, so she finished most of the bowl of porridge with pickled cucumbers and also ate a large meat bun.
After putting down her chopsticks, she leaned against the wall and asked, "What's wrong?"
"What?" Onion touched his nose. "Nothing. I'll take the bowls and chopsticks out first."
Yunxi just stared at him.
He didn't say anything.
"Alright," Onion couldn't bear it any longer and hesitantly confessed, "It's today."
As he spoke, he looked at Yunxi.
Seeing that her face was too pale and haggard, he ultimately didn't want to continue the conversation.
But if I don't tell her, I'm afraid Yunxi won't be able to handle it.
This matter really worried Onion.
"What day is it today?" Yunxi asked, already having guessed what was going on.
Onion immediately looked up at her.
"Today is the birthday of the Prince of Huailing?" Yunxi remembered.
"So what are you planning to do?" Onion Head scratched his head anxiously.
Onion knew that the eldest brother had secretly left the capital to seek an inkstone; it was he who had bought the horse for her at the West Market.
She was well aware of the importance of the Prince of Huailing in her heart, but it was precisely because she knew that she was conflicted.
After all, she was no longer the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangyuan's family, while the Prince of Huailing was a prince of noble birth.
Such a vastly different status makes it incredibly difficult for even the Prince of Huailing to win the heart of the eldest son. Moreover, upon thinking about it this way, Congtou couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
It's so difficult, it's almost like reaching for the moon.
Yunxi remained silent for a while. Just as Congtou couldn't help but try to persuade Yunxi to give up, she suddenly called out to him, "Bring me my treasure bag."
The name "Baobaodai" was given by Yunxi herself. It was actually just a cotton bag with poorly embroidered Eight Immortals patterns. The stitching was so bad that it was impossible to tell the shape of the gourds, fans, and other magical artifacts of the Eight Immortals.
That was fabric woven by the adoptive mother herself. She made a set of clothes that were easy for Yunxi and her adoptive father to put on and take off, and there was a large piece of fabric left over.
When Yunxi came to the capital, she brought the fabric with her. She was forced by the Lady of the Marquis to learn needlework for a while. After her fingers were covered with needle marks, she couldn't stand it anymore and had a big fight with the people in the Marquis's mansion before running away.
But the disappointment in Lady Hou's eyes always weighed on her heart, and she was unwilling to admit her mistake. So she took her needlework out of the manor, spending her mornings playing and her afternoons embroidering in the inn's private room.
The private room was by the window, where I could watch the bustling activity below. I had wanted to embroider a purse for the Prince of Huailing so that I could carry it with me and think of her often.
Unexpectedly, she got caught up in the excitement and her embroidery fell out of the window, where it was picked up by a group of wealthy young men who were engaged in cockfighting and dog racing, which drew their unrestrained ridicule.
"This is the first time I've ever seen such poor embroidery. Haha, it's truly a unique masterpiece." The figure resembled a jade Buddha wrapped in brocade, its round belly causing the silk belt with auspicious cloud patterns to bulge slightly upwards. It was none other than Zhu Chenjie, the eldest son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
The people around him also waved their fans and sneered.
"Hahaha, what is this embroidery? A duck?"
Yunxi was furious and jumped out of the window. "Aren't you blind? This is a gourd, a gourd!"
As soon as the stunningly beautiful woman appeared, Zhu Chenjie's eyes lit up. He squinted and looked closely before realizing that she was an acquaintance, and one with whom he had a past conflict.
The smile on his face instantly turned into mockery.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Fan from the Marquis of Jiangyuan's residence? Let me guess, is this something you embroidered for the Prince of Huailing?"
"Hey, hey, isn't that the carriage of the Prince of Huailing?" The people around him were also eager to watch the excitement.
Holding Yunxi's fabric, they stopped the carriage.
The Prince of Huailing, with a cold expression, glanced at everyone before finally fixing his gaze on Yunxi. "Miss Fan, it's best not to do things that are not suitable for you, lest you hurt your eyes."
His words were gentle, without a trace of sarcasm.
"You're disgusted too?" Yunxi asked, frowning with displeasure, sensing the distance in her voice.
He smiled slightly, saying, "This gentleman is not mine, so why should I complain?"
By severing all ties with Yunxi in a single sentence, and saying it publicly, she also dashed any thought she might have of giving him the handkerchief.
It's not like dislike, but it surpasses dislike.
Yunxi later simply turned the fabric into a cloth bag. To make it look nicer, she added a few strings of silk locust flowers, and made several layers of lining and buttons. Whenever she went out, she would always hang it on her body and parade it around.
She was already naturally beautiful, and when she put on the sword-sleeved lining, hung her treasure bag, and wore soft leather boots with lotus patterns, she looked extremely bright, flamboyant, and unrestrained.
At first, Zhu Chenjie and his group ridiculed her for a while, but her outfit was really beautiful and even caused a fashion frenzy in the capital.
"Onion Head, do you know what I did to get this inkstone?" Yunxi asked, taking the inkstone out of her treasure bag.
Onion shook his head.
Yunxi briefly recounted what happened when she asked for the inkstone, saying, "Onion Head, don't worry about the outcome, just follow your original intention."
"I've gone through so much trouble to get this, so I have to give it away. Whether he accepts it or not is his business; I'll just give it away," she said, raising her lips in a smug smile.
Her face was pale and weak, yet she was as resilient as a flower blooming from ruins.
No matter how fierce the wind and rain may be, it will always rise again.
Anyway, this is the last time.
Yunxi lay on the bed for another half an hour, then changed into a clean set of close-fitting clothes and went out.
She didn't let Congtou go with her, but she soon returned with her bundle and gave Congtou twenty taels of silver. "Go to Zhuyi Lane and wait for a month. Give the silver to a man named Xu Da. If you don't see him after a month, keep the silver safe."
There was too much money; Onion hesitated and dared not accept it.
Yunxi stuffed the silver into his hand and said, "Keep it safe and don't forget what I said."
Onion held the silver and asked, "Boss, what are you planning to do?"
"Me?" Yunxi grinned. "Naturally, I'm going to attend the birthday celebration of the Prince of Huailing."
Onion immediately said, "Then you should take this money back; I'm afraid I'll lose it."
Yunxi rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think I have that much time? Okay, let's go out. I need to change my clothes."
Yunxi covered her pale, sickly face with pearl powder, then applied a light layer of rouge, and changed into a set of pomegranate-red bridal attire. Lacking jewelry, she used a jade clasp to tie up all her long black hair high.
He was dashing and decisive, full of youthful vigor.
The weather was gloomy today, with heavy clouds that looked as if they were about to fall to the ground.
It's going to rain soon.
Onion was naturally worried, so he dug a hole and filled it in, then followed Yunxi at a distance.
The clouds hung low, and a sharp, cold wind swept through the long street.
Yunxi, dressed in red, rode on horseback. When the wind blew, her black hair fluttered like a shooting star or a flower in full bloom, which would be swept away by the wind when the wind and rain fell.
"Pah, pah, pah!" Onion wanted to slap himself for thinking such nonsense.
He eavesdropped on private lessons for a few days and then pretended to be a scholar.
He desperately wanted to clear his mind of all thoughts, but for some reason, his eyelids kept twitching, as if something big was about to happen.
The Prince of Huailing's mother passed away early, and to console his longing for her, he held his birthday banquet at the suburban residence where she had once lived.
The courtyard was beautifully decorated, with winter plum blossoms in full bloom in early spring.
It was exactly one o'clock in the morning.
The area outside Zhuangzi was already bustling with visitors.
Among the sedan chairs with gilded shafts and colorful tassels, the last one was a black lacquered flat-topped carriage.
When Wenlin, the pageboy following the carriage, saw Yunxi riding by, he smiled and called out, "Miss Yunxi." But then he realized it was inappropriate and immediately lowered his head to change his address to "Miss Fan."
"Oh, Wenlin, it's been a long time." Yunxi had always liked Wenlin quite a bit; his cheeks were round and felt great to pinch.
In the past, her hands would definitely have been unable to restrain themselves.
But glancing at the still-unlifted curtain, it was clear that the sedan chair owner disliked meeting her.
The person sitting in the sedan chair was Lu Xiuran, the top scholar in the imperial examination last year. Yunxi had traveled with him on the way to the capital. Although she had helped him when he was down on his luck, he had now passed the imperial examination with flying colors and was riding high on his success, while she had a bad reputation in the capital.
The newly crowned top scorer clearly showed signs of distancing himself, unwilling to have anything to do with her.
Yunxi wasn't the type to fawn over someone, so she smiled at Wenlin.
He kicked the horse's belly, urging it to leave quickly.
Just as the horse's hooves brushed past the sedan chair, a hand with distinct knuckles lifted halfway up the plain cotton and linen curtains, revealing fingertips as white as rice paper.
The newly appointed top scholar, dressed in a blue robe, did not roll up the curtain completely, but merely propped his elbows up and looked at the figure on horseback.
Yunxi noticed the gaze from behind, but did not turn around.
A red-wheeled, blue-draped carriage was particularly eye-catching.
The twelve kesi (silk tapestry) curtains are supported by a base of dark blue gauze, and embroidered with eight hundred lotus flowers in different colors, each flower adorned with a pearl the size of a grain of rice.
Eight guards with swords and six maids attending to him.
A middle-aged woman, clearly a palace maid, lowered her voice and said, "Princess, we're almost at the residence."
Princess Yong'an had finally managed to leave the palace, so naturally she wanted to see the person she had been longing for as soon as possible.
However, before leaving the palace, the Empress Dowager suffered a headache, so she naturally had to go and take care of her, which caused her to be late.
"Princess Yong'an." Just as Aunt Wang was about to persuade her again, a clear female voice suddenly rang out.
Like a thunderclap, everyone on the street instinctively looked towards Yunxi.
Upon seeing this, an uproar immediately ensued.
Yunxi was standing on a willow tree.
The skirt fluttered in the wind, swaying among the branches that had not yet sprouted new buds.
Her audacious actions immediately attracted gossip and criticism.
Only in the very last sedan chair, last year's newly appointed top scholar lifted the curtain and looked at her, his expression somewhat indescribably complex.
The sedan chair of the Marquis of Jiangyuan was blocked in the middle. The couple frowned when they heard the voice. "Why is it her again? She's like a ghost that won't go away."
Fan Zishi, the "Yunxi" resident, was the first to lift the curtain and look at the flamboyant pomegranate red.
Yunxi, with her sharp ears, heard Fan Zishi's voice and subconsciously glanced at him from afar.
Ye Qile also peeked out from the crowd along with Fan Zishi.
Marquis Jiang Yuan attended the banquet despite his injuries, hoping to use the occasion of Prince Huailing's birthday to wash away the shameful rumors brought by Yun Xi.
He brought his eldest daughter out to let the people of the capital see her.
The moment their eyes met across the distance, Yunxi looked away, not even glancing at Fan Zishi's reaction.
With a smile, she called out to the person inside the sedan chair, "Princess, I have something to say to you. I'd like to discuss that bet with you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the curtain was indeed lifted, and Princess Yong'an peeked out slightly to look at her. "Miss Fan, would you like to enter the sedan chair and discuss this further?"
"Alright." Yunxi didn't have time to correct the form of address and said with a smile, "Since the princess is so kind, it would be impolite of me to refuse."
Quite a few people did hear her self-identification.
Like a stone thrown into a still pond, it stirred up a thousand waves.
Those young masters who had often argued with Yunxi couldn't help but ask each other, "Isn't she the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Jiangyuan's family? Why does she address herself like that?"
"Is Yunxi's brain damaged?"
"Didn't you see the sedan chair from the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence? There's an unfamiliar young lady sitting inside."
The incident at the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence had just occurred and was being tightly suppressed, so people outside hadn't really heard a word about it.
Everyone craned their necks to look at the sedan chair from the Jiangyuan Marquis's residence.
The long street was noisy and bustling, but everything seemed normal.
Suddenly, a woman screamed.
"Princess"
When everyone saw clearly, they saw that Princess Yong'an and Yunxi were being held at throats by two men in black with swords.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could react, two men in black grabbed Yunxi and Princess Yong'an, stepped onto the roof of the carriage, and disappeared from sight.
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