The man named Achang also boarded the carriage, opened the curtain and looked inside. He found only a seven or eight-year-old boy squatting in the corner with his hands covering his head.
He was babbling incoherently, shouting, "Don't hit me, don't hit me, I'll be good."
Achang noticed that he was dressed plainly, not like someone from a wealthy family, and also seemed timid and cowardly.
He lowered the carriage curtain, jumped off, and followed the alley where the second-in-command had left.
Mingzhao waited for a long time until there was no sound outside.
He quietly used two fingers to pry open the curtains a little bit and looked around.
Once Mingzhao was certain that the thugs had gone far away, he quickly got up and went outside the carriage, intending to wake the driver.
No matter how much he shook him, the driver did not wake up.
Mingzhao pulled the coachman into the carriage, then picked up the reins himself, recalling how Qingfeng had taught him to ride a horse when they arrived in the capital.
He figured driving a carriage should be similar to riding a horse.
Mingzhao realized that he couldn't turn around while sitting in the carriage.
He quickly jumped off the carriage, stood in front of the horse, grabbed the rope on the side of the horse's face, and turned the horse around.
When he was about to catch the train, he realized that he didn't know the way to his maternal grandfather's house, and Mingzhao was so anxious that he was covered in sweat.
He wasn't sure whether it was because he had never been this way before and didn't know the way, or because he was too nervous to know the way.
He only remembered the way back to the East Gate, probably because he had just walked it, or because it was a short distance away.
"Find my second cousin!" Mingzhao urged his horse on quickly, and the horse seemed to obey him, running as fast as it could.
Soon Mingzhao saw a bright light; it was the shack where the people were staying that night.
The horse kept running until it reached the porridge stall.
It was only when he reached the sheds that Mingzhao realized he had no way to stop the carriage.
Just then, the carriage was about to collide with the groups of people standing in twos and threes outside the shed, waiting to be assigned accommodations.
"Second cousin, quickly stop the carriage for me, we need to rescue my sister!" Mingzhao shouted anxiously.
I'm also glad that my second cousin hasn't left yet.
Chen Shiyu threw down the large ladle and ran over from beside the porridge pot. "Why are you driving the carriage? Where's the driver? What happened? What happened to my cousin?"
How could Chen Shiyu possibly stop the carriage? He had no choice but to try and run to the front of the carriage to block the horses with his own body.
He had only run halfway when suddenly a person descended from the sky and blocked the carriage's path.
As he pushed his palm out, a gust of wind was stirred up, causing the carriage curtains to sway backward.
With one hand braced against the horse's head, the horse stumbled backward several steps before finally regaining its footing.
Mingzhao managed to grab the carriage and stay upright, but the coachman inside wasn't so lucky; he slammed hard against the carriage wall.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Mingzhao jumped off.
Xiao Zhan rushed forward and grabbed his hand, "What happened to your sister?"
He looked tense and extremely anxious.
Mingzhao blurted out, "General Xiao, please save my sister! My sister has been kidnapped by bad guys!"
Mingzhao shed tears; he hadn't dared to cry just now.
"What? Who kidnapped her?" Xiao Zhan came out of the palace and went back to the Prince's Mansion to get a bottle of the best ointment to give to Jiang Wei.
He first went to the Jiang residence and then to the Chen family, but couldn't find Jiang Wei, so he came here to look for her.
I never expected that she would encounter such misfortune after only a short absence.
"Men, seal off the city gates and search every house for me. We must rescue Miss Jiang safely." Xiao Zhan helped Ming Zhao onto the carriage and then sat beside her to drive. "Where was she taken? Take me there."
Mingzhao gave him directions, and they soon arrived at the place where Jiang Wei had been arrested.
"Go back first, I will definitely rescue your sister." Xiao Zhan assured Ming Zhao, then ignored him.
Xiao Zhan took out a tinderbox from his pocket and looked around the carriage, quickly finding a clue.
He followed the clues all the way into those alleys, but then the trail went cold.
He had no choice but to send people to expand the search area.
…………
Jiang Wei was bound hand and foot, blindfolded, and thrown into the carriage.
The carriage was traveling on a rugged mountain road, and the bumpy ride woke Jiang Wei up.
"Second Brother, how much silver do you think we should ask for?" Ah Chang's face was filled with greed, as if it were a dark night.
"Let's go back to the village and discuss it with our eldest brother before deciding," the second-in-command replied casually.
Jiang Wei heard everything clearly and felt a little relieved.
They only wanted money. Thank goodness, thank goodness, my grandfather will definitely spare some money to save her.
Unexpectedly, the next sentence plunged Jiang Wei into despair.
"Second brother, do you want this woman or not?" Achang pressed.
The second-in-command had also been with women before, and he was tired of those women who were either too soft or too tough, or lacked gentleness altogether.
This one is still the best, ever since he picked up Jiang Wei.
He then noticed that Jiang Wei was different from those women; she had a delicate fragrance, unlike the strong, pungent scents of the other women…
"Ha...haha...let's go back to the village and discuss with the eldest brother how much silver we need first," the second-in-command replied.
Achang didn't understand what it meant, but of course he did, and he laughed along with the second-in-command.
"Second Brother is so lucky with women. If you ask me, Second Brother can go back and take care of her. Anyway, she'll be yours sooner or later. Why make yourself wait? Just think about it..." Ah Chang stopped talking when he thought that she was his second brother's woman.
"Let's hurry back to the village so we can ask the richest family, the Chen family, for the money as soon as possible, lest things get complicated." The second-in-command spurred his horse forward, not answering his question, but laughing with particular pleasure.
Jiang Wei dared not move inside the carriage, afraid of disturbing them.
She was terrified and didn't know if her younger brother had already told her maternal grandfather and the others.
When will they come to rescue her?
She imagined them coming to rescue her, but all Jiang Wei could think of was Xiao Zhan.
Is it because he saved her so many times that she expects Xiao Zhan to save her?
A tear rolled down Jiang Wei's cheek. What should she do? What if that bandit wanted to...?
What can she do...?
Jiang Wei kept rubbing her hands behind her back, hoping to untie it.
They dared not use too much force for fear of being overheard by the bandits outside.
'Oh God... how is she supposed to save herself?'
The carriage had already arrived at the village, but Jiang Wei still couldn't untie the ropes binding her hands and feet.
Achang teased, "Second brother, why don't you go and hug your bandit queen?"
The brothers joked around.
"Yes, Second Master, hurry back and offer some incense."
"It's the dead of winter, and the second-in-command's bed is warmed by someone."
"Second-in-command, watch your back!"
"Yes, I hope you can't get out of bed by tomorrow morning."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Jiang Wei knew she couldn't escape on her own, so she huddled in a corner of the carriage.
In front of everyone, the second-in-command went to the carriage to embrace Jiang Wei.
"I knew the second-in-command couldn't wait."
"Who can argue with that?"
"A woman as beautiful as a flower, who wouldn't want her..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com