After washing up, Jing Zhe and Zhang Xiaoyu went downstairs and had some food.
Half past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Hua Qin suddenly arrived at Wenxiang Residence.
"Huaqin, what brings you here?"
Jing Zhe asked curiously.
Hua Qin was taken aback after hearing this, and her gaze swept across the table, only to find Jing Zhe and Zhang Xiaoyu. She was somewhat surprised.
"Young master, where is my young lady?"
"Um?"
Jing Zhe and Zhang Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt.
"What, Sixth Sister said she was coming to Wenxiangju this morning?"
Upon hearing this, Huaqin immediately shook her head: "It was last night! Didn't Miss come to Wenxiangju for dinner last night? I assumed that since Miss didn't go home, Young Master must have stayed overnight..."
Before yesterday, Zhou Ziqiong never stayed out all night. Logically speaking, if she didn't go back, Huaqin would definitely be worried.
But Zhou Ziqiong was with Jing Zhe last night, and Hua Qin was well aware of the relationship between the two, so she wasn't surprised when she saw that Zhou Ziqiong hadn't gone back—subconsciously she even hoped that Zhou Ziqiong hadn't gone back.
This morning, her right eyelid kept twitching, and she felt uneasy, so she quickly ran to Wenxiangju.
Little did anyone know, this unease would become a reality.
"You mean, my sixth sister didn't go home all night?"
"Um…"
Hua Qin's voice was already tinged with sobs.
"Young Master, it's all...it's all my fault! If I had known, I should have come to pick up Miss last night!"
Zhang Xiaoyu was also stunned: "No, it's my fault. It was so late yesterday, I should have had someone take Sixth Sister home!"
"What happened?"
At this moment, Mu Qingren and Wang Yingqiu also appeared at the door. They had gone back last night and were particularly curious about whether Jing Zhe and Zhou Ziqiong had broken through to the final step, so they came over early in the morning.
"Sixth Sister has gone missing!"
"..."
After saying this, Jing Zhe ran out with a gloomy expression.
...
Given Zhou Ziqiong's personality, it's impossible for her to not return to the Zhou family home for one night, so there's only one possibility: she was kidnapped.
Who could it be?
In Jing Zhe's view, Zhou's cloth shop has offended quite a few people recently. The most prominent of them are Prince Yu, Master Qu, Boss Gou, and that Song Dalu. All four of them are suspects.
Jing Zhe went directly to the Yu King's Mansion.
The gatekeeper had a deep impression of Jing Zhe. Seeing Jing Zhe coming from afar with a gloomy expression, he ran straight in to report the news.
"Oh, President Jing, what brings you here?"
When the Crown Prince of Yu came out of the house, Jing Zhe was already in the courtyard, and then he said with a sarcastic smile.
Jing Zhe glanced at him and said coldly, "Where is my sixth sister?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Yu couldn't help but shudder.
Having known Jing Zhe for so long, this was the first time he had ever heard Jing Zhe speak to him in such a tone, especially his eyes, which were so cold they were almost frightening. Being stared at by him sent chills down his spine.
"What's the meaning?"
However, the crown prince of Yu was still somewhat puzzled by his question.
"You don't know where my sixth sister went?"
The Crown Prince of Yu was taken aback: "Zhou Ziqiong is gone?"
"..."
Jing Zhe stared at him for a few more seconds, then turned and left.
"You'd better have nothing to do with this!"
"..."
"What happened?"
Just after Jing Zhe left, King Yu arrived late: "What's he doing here so early in the morning? Did you upset him again?"
The Crown Prince of Yu quickly waved his hand: "Father, how could I dare? Ever since you spoke, I have severed ties with Qu Wenlong. How could I possibly provoke him?"
"Then what is he here for?"
"Judging from what he said, Zhou Ziqiong seems to have disappeared."
"Zhou Ziqiong...is missing?"
King Yu's gaze was no different from Jing Zhe's earlier: "You really didn't have someone do it?"
"Father, I'm innocent! It really wasn't me!"
Even the Crown Prince of Yu was helpless. No wonder Jing Zhe came here; even his father suspected him first, let alone anyone else.
However, he was secretly pleased, and he probably guessed who had kidnapped Zhou Ziqiong.
Haha, it seems even a pig will jump over a wall when cornered!
...
As Jing Zhe left the Yuwang Mansion, he ran into Yu Li, who was leading soldiers who had come from afar.
"I've heard about it! I've asked around."
Yu Li spoke first: "I suspect it was Qu Wenlong and Gou Maoxin who did it! Because after Gou Maoxin was released from prison yesterday, he went to Zhou's cloth shop and caused a scene. Moreover, after the scene, he did not leave the city immediately. Instead, he left the city by carriage this morning!"
Do you know where the old dog lives?
Yu Li nodded, "I'll have someone bring the horse over, and I'll take you there."
"No."
After Jing Zhe finished speaking, he immediately picked up Yu Li.
"Fly there quickly!"
"..."
This was Yu Li's first time flying, and he gagged a few times as he came down from the sky.
This is...so exciting!
Most importantly, it's so fast!
If riding a horse, it would take at least half an hour, but Jing Zhe carried him, and it took less than a quarter of an hour.
The two stopped outside a textile factory.
"This is Gou Maoxin's textile factory. Let's go in."
Jing Zhe stopped him and said, "I'll go in myself."
"I'll go with you. He doesn't know who you are. If I go in, he'll listen to what I say."
Jing Zhe shook his head: "I'll go in, but I won't talk to him."
"..."
...
Gou Maoxin was still very uneasy.
Yesterday, he originally wanted to ask Master Qu for money, but the Qu family's cloth shop turned into the Zhou family's cloth workshop. Master Qu then said he had no money. If he wanted money, he tied up Zhou Gui and then asked the Zhou family for some money.
The two of them secretly hid outside the Zhou family's gate, planning to tie up Zhou Gui when he came out alone.
They waited and waited, but Zhou Gui didn't come out. As it got darker and darker, they lost patience and were about to go back when they happened to see Zhou Ziqiong walking back.
It is said that anger arises from the heart and evil is born from the gall. The two of them have been having a really bad time lately, which is why they wanted to kidnap Zhou Gui. Since they couldn't kidnap Zhou Gui, they decided to knock Zhou Ziqiong unconscious and tie her up.
However, Master Qu was not entirely stupid. He knew that leaving Zhou Ziqiong at their house was not a good idea, as it would be too easy to expose her. So, after discussing it with Boss Gou, he found a carriage for Boss Gou early in the morning and asked him to transport Zhou Ziqiong out of the city.
The two agreed that after returning, they would hide Zhou Ziqiong in a remote place, providing her with food and water every day. Moreover, Zhou Ziqiong was blindfolded and gagged the whole time, so she had no idea who had tied her up or where she had been taken.
So all they had to do was extort money from Zhou Gui, and then, under the cover of night, secretly dump Zhou Ziqiong back in Ruzhou City. Even if someone suspected them, without evidence, they wouldn't be able to do anything to them.
The plan seemed flawless to them, but Gou Maoxin still felt uneasy.
————
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