Chapter 34 Imprisonment
In the study of Tingyun Cottage.
Ruyue bowed and reported.
"Master Song, I've checked everything! There's no trace of Wang Mingfu and Zhao Tinglan anywhere in that house. To be on the safe side, I even contacted the servants of several nearby households!"
"But the strange thing is, after asking around, no one knows who the owner of the house is. On weekdays, I only see a servant coming in and out, responsible for guarding and cleaning."
Song Qianzhao frowned slightly.
It was not uncommon for wealthy families in the capital to purchase a few outer houses and assign a few servants to take care of them on a daily basis.
But since He Qingyang specifically mentioned this courtyard... there must be something special about it.
Perhaps the hiding place was chosen in a bustling city because people thought that people could only hide in secret places, but they didn't expect that the noise could actually hide deeper secrets.
Song Qianzhao's eyes turned slightly and asked, "Have you checked other places in the courtyard?"
"Don't worry, sir," Ruyue nodded. "I've searched the entire courtyard. Aside from the servant who comes to clean it regularly, there's no sign of anyone else living here."
Hiding someone in a busy city is one possible method, but if used excessively, it would only reveal itself and arouse suspicion. If a living person like Miss Wang were hidden here, how could it be hidden without causing any disturbance or alarming the neighbors? If the criminals had intended to hide her elsewhere, why would they have gone to the trouble of abducting her to the city center first?
The more he thought about it, the more strange it seemed. Song Qianzhao looked up at the dark moonlight outside the window and suddenly made a decision.
"Go prepare two night clothes. We are going to Yongning Street tonight."
"What about Mr. Fan?" Ruyue blinked. "He told me over and over again that whenever the Master wants to take action, he must be called along."
Song Qianzhao shook his head.
"He was exhausted last night, so let him have a good rest. Too many people will only make him look more conspicuous."
"But if Mr. Fan knew we left him behind..." Ruyue said with a smile, "I'm afraid he would be so angry that he would jump up and down!"
Song Qianzhao laughed.
"Then let him jump. Go and get ready."
"Yes~"
Ruyue responded crisply.
Night had fallen and most of the lanterns on Yongning Street had been extinguished. Only a few buildings still had scattered lights on, casting mottled shadows on the bluestone road.
Two dark shadows quietly climbed over the courtyard wall.
Ruyue had been to this house before and was quite familiar with it. With a few brisk steps, she circled to the servants' quarters. She pulled a bamboo tube from her sleeve, leaned over, and quietly blew a wisp of green smoke through the crack in the door.
Song Qianzhao hid behind the corridor pillar. When he saw Ruyue return, he whispered instructions.
"Let's split up and check. You go to the rockery."
A lamp was on under the eaves, its dim light barely illuminating the outline of the courtyard. Song Qianzhao's eyes swept across the corridor in the courtyard, then he pushed open the door of the study and disappeared inside.
Song Qianzhao carefully examined the furnishings in the study. Before coming here, she and Ruyue had suspected that there was a secret room in this house.
The mechanism for the entrance to the secret room is usually located behind a bookshelf or in the cracks of rockery.
She walked to the bookshelf and reached down from the top. When she reached the bottom, she found a loose board. She tried to push it down.
There was a soft click, like the sound of a brass lock opening. The bookshelf suddenly split in the middle and slowly moved to the left and right, revealing a narrow entrance, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Song Qianzhao hesitated for a moment before finally stepping inside. As she entered, she glanced at the back of the bookshelf and caught a glimpse of a rather conspicuous rotating mechanism. She reached out and turned the wheel, only to hear a soft creaking sound behind her, and the bookshelf, which had just been opened, slowly closed again.
Song Qianzhao walked into the secret room and found it to be very exquisitely decorated, with carved tables and chairs, embroidered cushions, and even a few pots of flowers in full bloom. It didn't look like a secret room at all, but more like a boudoir. She frowned, thinking that this arrangement was indescribably strange.
The secret room was divided into two parts. She walked to the right and gently pulled open the gauze curtain in front of the bed.
The curtain moved slightly, and a woman was sitting on the bed. Hearing the noise, she immediately buried her face between her knees, and her body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"Mingfu?"
Song Qianzhao called out tentatively.
The woman shuddered and raised her head. It was Wang Mingfu who had been missing for many days.
"Brother Song!"
Wang Mingfu's voice trembled and her eyes were filled with tears.
Song Qianzhao's heart tightened: "Don't be afraid, I will take you home now."
At this moment, the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly came from outside the secret room.
"It's him... He's coming!" Wang Mingfu's voice trembled as she grabbed the sleeve of the person next to her, "Brother Song, hurry, hide!"
Song Qianzhao disappeared behind the screen in a flash. Through the gap between the two screens, she saw a young man in a brocade gown walking in.
The man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with a handsome face and an elegant temperament.
Song Qianzhao clenched his fists.
An adult man imprisoned a girl who had not yet reached marriage age here, and his intentions were obvious.
How harsh this world is to women! Even if they caused a commotion and attracted the attention of the neighbors, they might not be able to punish this beast in human form. Instead, Wang Mingfu, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, would have to bear the brunt of gossip.
She took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress the turmoil in her heart. The more critical the moment, the more she needed to calm her mind.
Outside the courtyard gate, the man's two servants were guarding the corridor.
The servant in the study stretched out his body, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and muttered drowsily, "Strange, why did I sleep so soundly tonight..."
On second thought - spring is here, I guess it's because of spring sleepiness.
In the backyard, Ruyue was pacing back and forth.
She had seen it clearly just now—a man entered the study. There really was a secret room hidden in that study! But the master hadn't shown up yet. He must have discovered the secret room and gone in to investigate.
The adults are acting too boldly, which really makes people worry!
She pursed her lips and made up her mind: wait a quarter of an hour at most. If there was still no movement in the secret room by then, she would have to go in and see for herself, even if it meant breaking in!
In the secret room.
The man looked at Wang Mingfu curled up on the bed and asked softly.
"I haven't been around these days. Have you eaten on time?"
His voice was gentle as water, but Wang Mingfu buried her face deeply in her knees, not daring to look up.
The man sighed softly, his tone becoming gentler.
"You've lost a lot of weight... Come to me."
The voice was clear and moving, like a stream flowing under the moon, but it made Wang Mingfu tremble all over. She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes burning as she forced herself to hold back the tears.
"What?" The man's voice was still as gentle as a spring breeze. "Could it be... that you want to be locked in a cage?"
Wang Mingfu heard the man was going to put her in a cage.
Her face suddenly turned as pale as paper.
cage?
Hiding behind the screen, Song Qianzhao looked at the huge iron cage outside the window, his brows furrowed and anger surging in his chest.
Wang Mingfu was trembling all over and moved towards the man tremblingly.
A hint of pleasure flashed in the man's eyes.
very good.
Although this girl is stubborn, she is still young after all, so he feels that she is easy to control.
"You are much more sensible than her. No wonder I liked you the first time I saw you."
The man reached out and wiped away the tears from Wang Mingfu's face, his eyes full of approval.
Unlike the woman next door, who was so stubborn that she almost exhausted his patience.
Because of this, he decided to capture that woman, his best friend who was reserved but had a bit of a temper, to calm the anger in his heart.
The little girl in front of him did not disappoint him.
Noticing that the girl shuddered even more from his touch, he paused, retracted his hand, and spoke gently.
"Don't be afraid. I promised not to force you, and I'll keep my word. You're still so young, and we have a lot of time together."
He has always despised those who use force and despicable means.
Those vulgar men who only knew how to conquer women with brute force were truly boring. Such superficial pleasures were easy for him, but they never touched his heart in the slightest.
He prefers women who are a bit stubborn at first, but under his patient guidance, they gradually fall in love with him and eventually willingly allow themselves to be controlled by him.
He was intoxicated by the feeling of holding everything in his hands.
The darkness and privacy in the secret room made him excited.
His daily life was boring and uninteresting, and he could only find fun in this secret room where no one knew about it.
He took out a hairpin from his sleeve and inserted it into Wang Mingfu's hair. Then he stood up, took out a bronze mirror, and leaned over to place the mirror in front of her.
"I picked it especially for you. Is it to your liking?"
Wang Mingfu raised her eyes tremblingly, and her tear-stained face was reflected in the bronze mirror.
Behind the screen, Song Qianzhao unconsciously clenched his sleeves, and a chill spread down his spine.
The scene before her completely overturned her cognition. This seemingly gentle and elegant gentleman was actually using such tenderness and affection to break down other people's defenses.
He used the name of love to behave like a beast, compared her with other women, and coerced her with an iron cage...
This is also sadism. This kind of psychological attack and mental torture is far more terrifying than physical pain.
"If you don't want to talk to me, then go to bed. I'll go see her."
The man stood up and placed the bronze mirror on the table.
"don't want!"
Wang Mingfu raised her head suddenly, her eyes filled with pleading, her voice trembling: "Please don't go..."
Whenever a man entered the secret room next door, if Tinglan disobeyed him, he would be tortured in every way until his body was covered with wounds. The shrill wailing always made her hair stand on end.
Although the man promised not to force her, the voice was so shrill, how could she not be afraid?
The man lowered his eyebrows and smiled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "Why? You don't want to see me get close to other women?"
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