At the same time, the Shen family was plunged into unprecedented chaos.
Shen Qinghe hurriedly drove the carriage back, but upon entering the courtyard, he still couldn't find any familiar figures, and his heart clenched with anxiety.
When Madam Gu saw him return, she immediately went up to him and asked, "Qinghe, how was it? Did you see your sister-in-law?"
Shen Qinghe shook his head, his brows furrowed. "No, Huang Cui said she returned an hour ago, but I haven't seen a trace of her along the way."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu's face paled even more. "What should we do! Zhao Zhao is always very sensible and would never disappear without a reason. She must have encountered some danger!"
Shen Qinghe was equally anxious, but he knew he had to remain calm. He knew the most important thing was to report to the authorities first. He quickly unloaded the carriage, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the yamen.
Upon arriving at the yamen, he had just knocked on the door and explained that someone in his household was missing when he heard the yamen runner mutter, "What's going on today? Why are there so many missing persons cases?"
Shen Qinghe then noticed another person standing beside him. Although the person was dressed in fine clothes, he looked filthy. He quickly asked, "Is your family member also missing? Is the missing person male or female? When and where?"
Qingshi County has a good public security record, and the two missing persons cases that occurred on the same day are likely related.
The man immediately said, "It's not missing. I saw Lady Meng being kidnapped with my own eyes."
"The Lady Meng you mentioned, is it Meng Zhao?" Shen Qinghe's heart tightened.
"Yes, yes, it's Meng Zhao, the owner of Meng's Treasure Pavilion."
"Did you see where they've taken them?"
"Those two thieves kidnapped people and took them to Skull Mountain."
"Skull Mountain!!!"
Skull Mountain has always been a forbidden area in the county, not because of its steep terrain or wild beasts, but because of its complex terrain. Once you go in, it is very difficult to come out. People who have been to Skull Mountain say that it is full of the skeletons of people who have not been able to come out before, hence the name Skull Mountain.
Shen Qinghe hurriedly pressed, "Since you saw them leaving the city, why didn't you have the guards at the city gate stop them?"
Li Baoyan explained awkwardly, "By the time I caught up with them, they had already left the city, and I didn't have time."
It turned out that Li Baoyan had visited the Treasure Pavilion many times but had not seen Meng Zhao. So he asked someone to keep an eye on the Treasure Pavilion. Later, when he heard that Meng Zhao had appeared, he was worried that she was hiding from him, so he did not show himself. When Meng Zhao came out of the Treasure Pavilion, he followed her from a distance with a servant. Because they were too far apart, he was unable to rush forward to help her in time.
The reason I didn't report it to the authorities in time was partly because I was hoping to play the hero and save the damsel in distress. But when I saw the thieves go up Skull Mountain, I started to rush over to report it to the authorities.
Shen Qinghe didn't have time to investigate his identity or why he had missed so many opportunities to save people. He first found out where the bandit had come up the mountain from, then asked Li Baoyan to stay there and wait for the government to gather the constables, while he went home.
He first asked Gu to go to Meng Zhao's parents and prepare all the cash in the house. Then he changed into a coarse cloth outfit and went out despite everyone else's objections.
After the leader left, Meng Zhao continued to lie with her eyes closed against the wall. She didn't hear any snoring for a long time, so she guessed that the remaining person was still awake.
So he tentatively said, "Brother, I really have no intention of provoking you. I promise that if you spare my life, I will offer you a thousand taels of silver, enough for you and your family to live on for the rest of your lives."
Before she could finish speaking, a playful laugh suddenly rang in her ears, startling her so much that she trembled all over.
The sound was very close to her, and she instinctively opened her eyes and looked towards the source of the sound.
Sure enough, the man squatted about two steps away from her. When Meng Zhao opened her eyes, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said, "Finally, finally you're willing to open your eyes."
Meng Zhao's heart sank. Some people can be identified as ruthless just by their appearance. Although this person had a smile on his face, he exuded a chilling ferocity that made people shudder. He looked like he had a lot of blood on his hands.
Even though she was terrified, she didn't dare to move an inch. When the bandit kicked her, she took the opportunity to roll over to the rock she had been eyeing and was now sitting on it.
Meng Zhao was covered in cold sweat, and only the painful pressure of the rock on her buttocks kept her awake.
Now that she had opened her eyes, Meng Zhao quickly composed herself, her tone pleading, "Brother, I'm just a weak woman. Even if I saw you, I wouldn't dare report it to the authorities. Don't worry, as long as you release me, I will give you every penny of the money you promised."
The man shook his head. "I already said, we don't want any money."
"Then what do you want?" Could it be that tying her up was just to lure Wei Jinglan out? That would be too unlucky for her.
The man didn't answer, but chuckled and his gaze lingered on her face. "I... I've been looking at you for a while now. Your face... your skin is so tender."
After saying that, he reached out and gestured a couple of times. His hands were extremely rough, which made Meng Zhao's face look even whiter and more like jade.
Meng Zhao's hands trembled slightly. It seemed this man intended to assault her. Not knowing when the leader would return, she could only try to escape as quickly as possible. So she forced a charming smile onto her face and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Would you like to touch me, brother? My body is much softer than my face."
Upon hearing this, the man's lewd grin deepened, but he made no move. He simply licked his lips and said, "No, no, I'm not in such a hurry."
Once the boss finds the person he's looking for, he won't care about the person in front of him anymore; he'll do whatever he wants with them.
Hearing the words "don't rush," Meng Zhaoxin panicked even more. She could only raise her head, looking at him pitifully, her voice choked with sobs, "Big brother, my hand hurts terribly. Could you please loosen it for me a little?"
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