Chapter 170 Are there auspicious signs in the heavens and among men?
"how so?"
Pei Jinghuai couldn't believe it. He circled the carriage several times, even forcibly lifting the overturned frame, almost digging three feet into the ground on the spot.
No, no, not anywhere.
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi seemed to have vanished into thin air.
He stood there blankly in the rain, completely soaked, his eyes filled with an unprecedented panic and confusion.
The incident happened suddenly, but he was certain that both men were still inside the carriage when it was startled and overturned down the hillside.
He could even clearly recall Shen Lingyue's screams, which echoed repeatedly in his ears.
"Even if we were a step too slow when we caught up, it's impossible for someone to have been lying in ambush on the hillside beforehand and taken them away from the enclosed carriage, right?"
After Pei Jinghuai finished speaking and waited for a while without receiving a response from Pei Jingyi, he turned to look at him.
Pei Jingyi braced himself against the tree trunk with one hand, his knuckles almost digging deep into the bark, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, his body trembling slightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.
"Big brother, I'm talking to you."
Pei Jinghuai stepped forward and forcibly pried his hand off, emphasizing, "My sister-in-law is pregnant; we must find them as soon as possible."
“…Yes.” Pei Jingyi forced himself to calm down, wiping the raindrops from his face. His dark eyes shone brightly in the dim light.
“There’s something wrong with this road; we’ve been set up,” he said in a deep voice.
"The Marquis of Dongping's residence... I'll remember that." A cold, resentful glint flashed in Pei Jinghuai's eyes. "I have no grudge against them, so why would I do this?"
"Don't jump to conclusions yet. The person behind this might not be the Marquis of Dongping's mansion." Pei Jingyi's mind raced. "Do you remember those carriages that were ahead of us?"
Pei Jinghuai nodded. Both of them had exceptional memories. Even if they had only met briefly not long ago, they could still roughly describe the appearances of the coachmen and some features on the carriage that indicated the owner's status.
"Go back to the city first and ask your father to mobilize the guards of the Marquis's mansion to search the area within a ten-mile radius. Also, give the interrogation notice left by the higher-ups to Lu Xilou so that he can interrogate them."
Pei Jinghuai nodded subconsciously, then realized, "Aren't you coming back with me?"
Pei Jingyi walked straight to the overturned carriage not far away, bent down and crawled inside, his expression calm: "We've all left. What if they come back and can't find us?"
He'll wait here and won't go anywhere else.
Just as Pei Jinghuai was about to speak, he suddenly sneezed loudly.
Pei Jingyi noticed his unusually flushed face and his tone became stern, "Stop dawdling, you're still injured, go back quickly."
As she spoke, she took off her still-intact raincoat and handed it to him.
"Okay, I'll be back as soon as possible."
Pei Jinghuai stopped arguing and strode back up the hillside. He checked each person on the ground, picked out two who were still breathing, dislocated their jaws and limbs, threw them onto the horses like rag bags, and then rode off towards the capital.
Halfway there, he felt his body getting hotter and hotter, and his consciousness became somewhat scattered. His fingers gripping the reins began to lose strength.
Pei Jinghuai gritted his teeth and slapped the wound on his back hard. The intense pain instantly brought his brain back to its clear state. He was drenched in cold sweat, which made him shiver. Then, a wave of burning heat hit him, making him feel as if he were in both ice and fire, making the ordeal even more unbearable.
He ran until the very end, relying purely on instinct, and only with the help of an experienced horse that he was able to get back to the Marquis's residence safely.
Pei Xian rushed out upon receiving the news, forgetting even to open his umbrella. Pei Jinghuai staggered to his feet and collapsed in front of him. He only had time to deliver a few key messages before his head lolled to the side and he fainted.
Pei Xian raised his hand to touch his forehead, which was burning hot. He and the guards then turned the man over and saw that the wound on his back was already a bloody mess, slightly white from being soaked in the rain, with the skin and flesh turned outwards, making it look even more gruesome.
"Quickly fetch a doctor, and send someone to secretly bring the lady over, but be careful not to alert Songhe Hall."
Pei Xian gave the order in a deep voice, and the commands were issued in an orderly manner. In an instant, the front courtyard of the Marquis's residence was in high-speed operation, with everyone performing their duties.
First, a team of elite soldiers from the manor was dispatched to go out of the city to meet Pei Jingyi. Then, someone hid the two assassins in a carriage and secretly sent them to the Northern Garrison Command.
When Meng Wanyin arrived, she saw her son's face was flushed and he was seriously injured and unconscious. Tears streamed down her face. "What happened? Didn't he and Yunzhao go out of the city to pick up their wives?"
“There was a slight accident on the way.” Pei Xian gripped her hand tightly and explained the situation as calmly as possible. “...You stay with your son for now. Keep it from your mother for as long as you can. Just say that your two daughters-in-law feel that the estate is quiet and want to stay there for a while longer.”
Meng Wanyin wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously, "I understand. Huaizhou, I'll take care of things here. You should go out with them to find people."
Pei Xian said no more, quickly put on his raincoat, and strode out the door.
Cen Ming had already led his horse and was waiting for him at the gate. The two of them rushed to the outskirts of the city as quickly as possible and found the shortcut hidden in the mountainside, following the route described by Pei Jinghuai.
"Taking advantage of last night's torrential rain, the enemy damaged the official road and deliberately lured the Marquis's carriage here to ambush and kill them."
Cen Ming weaved through the corpses of the assassins scattered on the ground, bending down to examine their faces and exposed hands.
"They must be specially trained assassins who are kept by someone, and definitely not a rabble like mountain bandits or thieves."
Following the tracks left by the carriage as it rolled down the hillside, Pei Xian and Cen Ming immediately spotted Pei Jingyi huddled awkwardly inside the deformed carriage.
"Yun Zhao!"
Pei Xian strode forward, bent down, and reached out to pull him out of the car. "You're soaking wet. What are you doing here?"
The carriage door was broken, and both the front and back were wide open, allowing the slanting rain to blow in relentlessly. Water was still dripping from under Pei Jingyi's clothes, forming a small puddle in front of him.
"Father." Pei Jingyi raised his head, his blank gaze slowly regaining focus, "Did Huaizhou arrive home safely?"
"Yes, he had a high fever. He fainted after only saying a few words when he came in. Your mother is taking care of him."
Pei Xian turned around and gestured to Cen Ming, who understood and summoned the guards of the Marquis's residence to conduct a thorough search of the vicinity.
Pei Xian pulled Pei Jingyi again, "Sitting here until the end of time won't do any good. Cheer up, your wife is waiting for you to save her."
He didn't believe the nonsense about two living people disappearing into thin air. Since the other party was planning to ambush and kill him, how could he know if there were any traps or secret passages prepared in advance nearby?
Pei Jingyi was finally moved by his words and followed Pei Xian out of the carriage. Looking at the guards who were searching the area, all he could see were trees that looked almost the same, and he saw no difference between them.
Pei Xian had never seen his eldest son look so distraught. From childhood, the boy had always carried a faint, imperceptible air of pride and arrogance, which he outwardly displayed as strict, restrained, aloof, and polite, as if there was nothing in the world he couldn't do and no one he cared about.
Unlike now, he was in such a sorry state, as if his soul and spirit had flown away with Yan Yi, leaving only an empty shell devoid of consciousness.
He coughed twice loudly and lowered his voice, saying, "What happened today is strange. Don't you have anyone in mind to suspect?"
A bolt of lightning struck from the horizon, seemingly cleaving Pei Jingyi's dazed thoughts. His gaze sharpened, revealing a chilling intent in his eyes.
"Prince Gong...a member of the imperial family..."
Pei Xian stopped there, patting his collar meaningfully: "You know better than I whether these people are after the Marquis's mansion or someone else. Don't hesitate, speak up when the time comes."
Pei Jingyi took a deep breath and nodded, "Thank you, Father."
Huai Zhou has already fallen ill; he cannot afford to fall ill as well.
He climbed up the hillside, casually took the reins of one of the Marquis's horses, and headed straight for Princess Tong'an's residence.
...
"Yan Yi and A Yue's carriage overturned down the hillside, and the two of them... disappeared?"
Princess Tong'an stood up in astonishment, her eyes flashing slightly, unable to believe what she had just heard.
She quickly processed the shocking news, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Pei Jingyi was still soaked from the rain, and hurriedly instructed the maid, "Go to the Prince Consort and fetch a set of clean clothes."
Before Pei Jingyi could refuse, she said firmly, "Don't be polite with me. Huaizhou is already sick. If you catch a cold and get sick too, who will be able to support the current situation?"
Soon, Wei Shao came over in person, and upon seeing Pei Jingyi like this, he grabbed him and left without saying a word.
"Just changing clothes isn't enough. I have some herbs to ward off the cold. Let's soak them for half an hour first."
Princess Tong'an also advised him: "It's not a big deal to wait a little while. Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for what happened today."
She clenched her fists, a chill creeping into her eyes.
Yan Yi and A Yue have always been kind to others and on good terms with everyone. Who would do something so cruel to them?
It's all because of her uncles and brothers!
Do they really think that just because they're lucky enough to be born with the surname Xiao, they can do whatever they want?
Their actions were a blatant provocation against her, a way to force her to back down, and a bloody warning to those who wanted to side with her.
Princess Tong'an closed her eyes briefly. "Since that's the case, don't blame me for not showing any familial affection."
You refuse to accept reality, huh? Then let's see how she handles things.
Before leaving with Wei Shao, Pei Jingyi turned back to her and said, "Cousin, I hope you will never forget today, and never forget that they suffered for you."
Princess Tong'an met his strikingly bright eyes, and her expression became more solemn and serious.
“Yes, I, Xiao Zhuoying, swear to the heavens that the suffering these two have endured today will be made to pay the true culprit a hundredfold or a thousandfold, without any leniency.”
After settling Pei Jingyi in, Wei Shao returned and grasped Princess Tong'an's cold fingertips.
"Don't worry, I believe they are lucky and will be blessed."
At this moment, only the couple were in the room. Princess Tong'an removed her serious mask, sighed, and frowned deeply.
"If anything really happens to Yan Yi and A Yue, I really can't forgive myself."
Wei Shao pulled her into his arms and patted her.
"On another note, perhaps 'Heaven and man have their own auspicious signs' would be a more fitting description for the two of them?"
Princess Tong'an looked up. "What do you mean?"
Wei Shao remained calm and composed: "Two living people vanishing into thin air inside a carriage—is that something an ordinary person could do?"
His reminder made Princess Tong'an's eyes slowly brighten. "I know those two are extraordinary and possess supernatural powers. If they had been in that life-or-death situation, could it be..."
But what will happen to Yunzhao and Huaizhou if they really return to their original world?
Princess Tong'an belatedly realized that she had a very serious question.
She nudged Wei Shao, "Do you think...the two of them know about them? Did they tell them?"
It was a bit convoluted, but Wei Shao understood. He shrugged and said, "It's hard to say."
At least from Pei Jingyi's distraught appearance just now, he couldn't be sure whether he was faking it in front of outsiders or if it was genuine.
"...Even I know now, those two are the closest people to them in this world." Princess Tong'an muttered, stroking her chin.
Just as the two were feeling melancholy, Lu Xilou pushed open the door and entered with a bang, leaving a trail of wet footprints.
"Where is Pei Da?" Lu Xilou ignored the princess and her consort who had suddenly jumped away and looked around. "I went to the Marquis's residence first. Aunt Meng said he might be here. Where is he?"
Princess Tong'an stood up: "I sent him to take a bath and change his clothes, but has the interrogation yielded any results? It's the same if you tell me."
"The steward of the Marquis of Dongping's residence was found dead in his own home."
Lu Xilou said succinctly, "His entire family was sent away a few days ago, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. I estimate he was silenced. As for the two assassins, one couldn't withstand the torture and died, and the other hasn't given up yet. I'll try again tonight."
“No need.” Princess Tong’an said coldly, “Take the assassin’s body directly to Prince Gong and make him spill everything he knows. Otherwise, I don’t mind sending him to keep Third Brother’s family company.”
As long as Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi remain missing, she will not lay down her sword against this group of useless members of the royal family.
...
"No, where did you get this for me this time?"
Shen Lingyue opened her eyes, struggled to get up from the cold ground, and shook her head.
The sounds of wind, rain, and fighting have all disappeared. It's very quiet here. The surrounding environment is both familiar and strange, but it still retains the style of ancient architecture.
"Yan Yan? Are you there, Yan Yan?"
In the dim light, Shen Lingyue called out twice in a trembling voice, with a barely perceptible sob in her tone, "If you're still here, just say something..."
She was terrified. When the carriage overturned, she and Yan Yi instinctively clung to each other. She vaguely remembered seeing a flash of golden light before she lost consciousness.
Following the typical tropes of melodramatic novels, are they going to time travel again?
Ugh, why doesn't the time-traveling god send them back?! What's with dumping them in this weird place and starting over?
If those two just disappeared without a trace, how heartbroken Pei Jinghuai and Pei Jingyi, and all their family and friends, would they be...?
The more Shen Lingyue thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she sobbed softly as she groped around.
She stopped crying when she heard a soft cough from nearby. She rushed over, helped Yan Yi up from the ground, and looked her over anxiously: "How are you feeling? Are you hurt? Baby... baby?!"
Shen Lingyue stared wide-eyed at her stomach.
Seriously? They're wearing... clothes again?
"I'm fine, and the baby should be okay too." Yan Yi stood up with her help, and the two carefully looked around and finally found a candlestick in the corner and lit it.
"This is... Fengxian Hall?" Yan Yi asked uncertainly, "but something seems a little different."
Shen Lingyue blinked, then suddenly realized: "No wonder it felt both familiar and strange. Isn't this the place where we performed the ritual for Empress Wei before?"
She ran a few steps forward and pointed to the bare shelves, asking in confusion, "But there should be ancestral tablets for the Xiao family here, why are they all empty?"
It wouldn't be accurate to say it was empty, because the top row still had a few memorial tablets scattered about.
Shen Lingyue rolled up her sleeves and climbed up, struggling to decipher the handwriting in the dim light: "The spirit tablet of the late Emperor Chun, Xiao Wuming..."
Yan Yi breathed a sigh of relief instantly, and even felt like joking with Shen Lingyue.
"Now I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Shen Lingyue thought for a moment: "The good news is?"
"We are still in Daye, and the Xiao family's empire still exists."
Shen Lingyue nodded, patting her chest. "That's right, the memorial tablet still bears the surname Xiao. So, what's the bad news?"
Yan Yi calmly said, "If I remember correctly, the name of the founding emperor's father was Xiao Wuming."
Shen Lingyue gasped, nearly dropping her jaw in astonishment.
So, did they... travel back to over a hundred years ago?
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Author's Note: [doge] Hehe, looks like nobody guessed this development.
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