kidnapping
When Wuxia arrived at Shanxi Village, she did not see Jingwan. Instead, she saw Gongsun Jiadao toasting at the banquet, drinking until his face was flushed and he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
She strode over, grabbed Gongsun by the collar, and asked, "Where is my daughter? Where is she?"
Gongsun Jiadao was already drunk and hadn't reacted at all. He was still staring blankly at her with an empty wine glass in his hand.
Wuxia was a little impatient and loosened her collar. The groom lost his balance and almost fell. It was the old woman next to him who asked, "Were they two pretty girls? Her servants came and took her away."
Wuxia was startled: "When did they leave?"
The old woman said, "They just left, not long ago."
Wu Xiao had no time to recall the carriage she had seen on the road. At the time, she found it strange; the village was simple, and most villagers walked, so she assumed it was someone going to Gongsun's banquet and didn't think much of it.
Wuxia didn't dare to delay. She even abandoned the carriage and quickly cut the ropes with a few swift strokes. She rode her horse at full speed into the city. When she arrived at the mansion, the gatekeeper reported that the young lady had not yet returned.
She stood still in front of the door, took a deep breath, and suppressed the panic in her heart. Young master... young master...
While Lu Chang was still discussing military and political matters with his advisors in the government office, he saw Wuxia burst through the door. She rushed in too fast and lost her balance, falling to her knees before Lu Chang and crying out, "Master, the young lady is missing!"
Lu Chang's expression froze: "What do you mean?"
When Jingwan woke up, the effects of the medicine were still lingering. Her head was dizzy and she felt like she was swaying. She groaned in discomfort.
A voice rang out, both strange and familiar: "Sleep a little longer, just a little longer and you'll be fine."
She felt dizzy and thought it was Lu Chang, so she subconsciously reached out and hugged him: "Cousin, I feel unwell..." She didn't realize that the person she was hugging stiffened a little because of her words.
Jingwan slowly opened her eyes, finally regaining some clarity, but when she saw the person she was holding, she screamed in fright.
Her previously weak body suddenly regained its strength, and Jingwan sprang out of his arms like a spring. Behind her was the carriage wall, with no way to retreat. She huddled in the corner in terror, panting heavily, her eyes wide open as if they were about to pop out.
Qin Ziyou looked at his empty arms, then at Jingwan huddled in the corner, and said to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "I've imagined what it would be like when we meet again many times, but I never thought it would be like this."
Jingwan remained silent, her heart pounding with fear, and she couldn't help but gag.
When Qin Ziyou saw that she was in pain, he reached out his hand, but she was startled like a fledgling bird and immediately swatted his hand away.
She didn't want him to come near her.
Jingwan lowered her head. She could feel Qin Ziyou's gaze fixed on her, burning and uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes in disgust. After a while, she asked, "Where's Chunlai? And the girl who came with me?"
Qin Ziyou blinked gently: "She's in another carriage." Looking at the panicked man, he said, "Be good, and I'll let you see her."
In the past, he would never have said such things, threatening...intimidating...forcing her to submit.
He learned all the tricks that others used on him.
Jingwan finally dared to look him in the eye.
She hadn't seen Qin Ziyou for many years. In the past few years, he hadn't even appeared in her dreams. But the young man always had a bright and cheerful demeanor. He loved to laugh, like the warm winter sun. He would say, "Awan, I'm waiting for you."
Beneath the Dongqiao Night Market, amidst the dazzling lights and misty rain, he was once the source of peace in Jingwan's heart.
Now, in the dim light of the carriage, his face appeared even more somber, especially his eyes, which were filled with indifference and world-weariness. Even when he smiled at Jingwan, it sent chills down one's spine.
He had lost a lot of weight. Before, his features were somewhat rounded, with the delicate beauty of a young man. In recent years, the lines under his jaw, around his nose, and in his eyes had become more defined, giving him a mature and cold look. She could even smell the blood on him.
Jingwan couldn't find Qin Ziyou's former appearance; the image of that young man was becoming increasingly blurry.
"What, don't you recognize me?" he smiled at her again.
Jingwan forced herself to sit up, but kept close to the carriage wall, not daring to get any closer to him. She glanced at the small window, which was blocked by the carriage curtain, and could only see the dappled shadows of trees passing by.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked him.
Qin Ziyou disliked her words, but pretended not to care. He got off the chair and sat down on the floor with Jingwan, thus getting very, very close to her.
He pulled Jingwan's hand, and she tried to break free, but this time he refused to let go.
A cool sensation on her wrist made Jingwan look down; it was the jade bracelet.
They used to be a pair, but now only one remains.
"The other one broke, so this is the only one left. Wear it carefully and don't take it off again." He refused to let go of Jingwan's hand, admiring the delicate beauty of her hand.
Sure enough, only she deserves to wear it.
His expression was sinister, which made Jingwan feel uneasy. Even though she hated the bracelet, she quietly endured it.
She didn't refuse again and wore it quietly. Her obedient appearance pleased Qin Ziyou. He smiled slightly and remembered that when he first gave this bracelet to Jingwan, he told her that it was a betrothal gift before their marriage.
Back then, when they were still in Pingdu, she would hug him and laugh, and take his hand willingly, instead of hiding from him in fear like she does now.
Jingwan asked him again, and Qin Ziyou's right hand passed through Jingwan's five fingers, intertwining with hers.
“Awan, do you remember our promise? We said we would go to the Northwest together. Now, I’m taking you back.” He intertwined his fingers, gently squeezed her hand, and smiled, “Grandpa is in the Northwest, and so is my mother. They will like you very much.”
He said "Oh," and added, "I forgot to tell you, Uncle Gong is my maternal grandfather, Awan, do you still remember him?"
Jingwan was somewhat surprised. How did Gongshu become her maternal grandfather? But thinking back to that scene, the two had a rather close relationship. Gongshu always looked at Qin Ziyou with more affection in his eyes, so it wasn't surprising that they were grandfather and grandson.
Qin Ziyou had developed a keen eye for understanding people's hearts. He noticed Jingwan's curiosity, but she didn't ask him anything. Her indifference made him feel uncomfortable.
“They said that my mother seduced my father, wanting to marry into a high-class family as a commoner. Unfortunately, the Cui family ultimately did not allow her to enter the family. After I was born in the villa, the Cui family took me away from her. She went mad a few years later.”
Qin Ziyou knew he was not born to the principal wife. In his childhood ignorance, he dared to ask his father who his biological mother was. His father slapped him and told him sternly that the principal wife was his biological mother.
But he knew he wasn't the mistress's child, and the two siblings in the Qin family treated him like an outsider.
"Qin Gang knew I was leaving home and told my father about it. I only found out the day before we made the appointment that my mother was still alive. I had passed by that villa many times but never went in. I didn't realize I had been so close to her."
"Gong Shu was weak and had been driven out of Pingdu by the Qin family. After much pleading, he finally managed to stay. The Qin family didn't prevent him from meeting me, as long as he didn't expose the truth. Now that I think about it, they weren't pitying this old man who had lost his daughter and grandson; they were just keeping him as a noose to tighten in the future."
It was just on my neck.
His expression grew increasingly cold, and he gripped Jingwan's hand tighter and tighter. Jingwan felt the pain but dared not utter a sound.
“They used my mother and my maternal grandfather to force me to do many things,” he said, looking at his hands and his voice trembling. “I killed so many people, so many that I can’t even count them all. Jingwan, when I die, I’ll be going to hell.”
As he spoke, he became increasingly emotional and suddenly embraced Jingwan, saying, "Awan, don't leave me. You're all I have left, all I have left."
Jingwan was held in his arms, her body growing colder with each passing moment. He was still trembling, it was hard to tell whether he was more filled with remorse or fear.
On the day Gao Yun beat her, Jing Wan sat in the carriage and asked him why he didn't keep their appointment. He said he was going to marry that princess, and she could only leave heartbroken.
But if Qin Ziyou had told her the truth back then, would the outcome have been different?
He still won't choose her; he's already made up his mind. He won't choose her.
Jingwan asked him, "On the day of the appointment, did you know what happened?"
Qin Ziyou snapped out of his daze and looked at her, somewhat puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Jingwan could tell that he was clearly unaware of the situation and how miserable she had been that day—she had almost died.
She shook her head: "It's nothing." Nothing more was said, and the carriage fell silent once more.
The carriage sped along until it reached a resting place, but Jingwan didn't get a chance to say a word to Chun.
Qin Ziyou forbade them from having any contact.
"I heard that Cui Dongchi really likes this maid. Keeping her might be useful." Hearing Qin Ziyou say this, Jingwan was startled. It turned out that he had known them all along.
"If you release her, wouldn't I be more useful to you?"
Qin Ziyou stroked her delicate cheek and smiled, "How could I bear to use you to threaten Lu Chang? Awan, from now on you only have me, and we'll be together for the rest of our lives."
They were saying sweet nothings, yet it was frightening.
Jingwan resisted his touch, turning her head away to prevent him from touching her. She glared at him fiercely like a young man, saying, "My cousin won't let you get away with this!"
Qin Ziyou suddenly burst into laughter: "Alright, let him bring it on, I'm waiting for him!"
While Jingwan and Chunlai were traveling north, Lu Chang had already personally led a search party along the route the carriage had taken. Despite their efforts, they found nothing. The treacherous men changed carriages several times to mislead them, but they still could not find any trace of them.
When Chunlai and Lu Chang went missing, Cui Dongchi was extremely anxious. When Lu Chang went to the Cui family in Xingcheng again, he happened to see Cui Dongchi punishing a servant.
Gu Qingchen, who was always respected by her younger brother, was also unable to control her tears. She collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
The servants of the Cui family stood in the courtyard one by one to watch the execution. Cui Dongchi forbade them to bow their heads and made them all look at the servants being executed.
The servant, whose hands were bound with a clamp, was Gu Qingchen's personal maid.
The maid screamed in agony, but Cui Dongchi didn't stop. Only after all ten of her hand bones were broken did he coldly say, "Beat her! Beat her to death!"
Upon seeing Lu Chang enter, Cui Dongchi said, "We found out. They said he has a Northwestern accent."
As expected, it was one of Li Ling's men.
Lu Chang left in a hurry without lingering.
Cui Dongchi looked at his sister, his eyes tightly shut, one hand gripping the sandalwood table, utterly disappointed. He glanced again at Gu Qingchen, who was still weeping, and said, "I know you despise Chunlai, but how can you disregard the bigger picture for her sake? The Fu Kang matter is before me again, sister, how do you expect me to choose?"
Gu Qingchen cried, "I didn't mean it! I didn't know that person's intentions, little brother! I misspoke!"
She thought she had made a close friend in Xingcheng, but little did she know that she had been targeted as prey and easily tricked into revealing her whereabouts to outsiders, ultimately putting them in danger.
Cui Dongchi could not punish his sister, so he could only let her maid take the punishment in her place.
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