In the following days, the officials of Yangzhou Prefecture, both high and low, cooperated unusually in repaying the silver. Even those who had previously resisted suddenly became very cooperative, which puzzled the Thirteenth Prince.
But Li Wei suddenly returned and reported: "Ding Die'er has gone missing."
Fourth Master, however, was not in a hurry. He simply frowned and slowly said, "Soon, we might be able to find those people who suddenly disappeared in Yangzhou Prefecture. Thirteenth Brother, what do you think happened to Ding Die'er?"
Thirteen shook his head, thought for a while, and then said, "Could it be that her disappearance is related to us?"
The Fourth Master dismissed the servants who were attending to him in the study and had Su Peisheng watch the door before saying, "Perhaps someone found out about our portrait of Ding Die'er and was afraid that something would be exposed, so he couldn't wait to return the money and arrest Ding Die'er. He just didn't expect that I would have Li Wei contact her."
Thirteen nodded as if suddenly enlightened, admiringly saying, "Fourth Brother is meticulous in his thinking; I am truly inferior to him."
Fourth Master said slowly, "This is just my guess. Now we need to figure out what they are afraid of and where all the missing people have gone."
With Ding Die'er's disappearance, Fourth Master and his men quickly completed the recovery of the debts owed in Yangzhou, and things proceeded surprisingly smoothly, just as he had predicted. However, he was still worried about Ding Die'er, so he sent several of his most skilled guards, disguised as men in black, to break into the prefect's prison at night. This was because the slight smile on the Yangzhou prefect's lips in the courtroom where Ding Die'er had reported the incident that day had left Fourth Master with a sense of unease.
The agile guards indeed found the dying Ding Die'er deep inside the prefect's prison and brought her out. The prefect learned of the prison break, but it was too late; the girl had already been rescued without leaving any clues.
Fourth Master deliberately didn't let them return to the Cao family's villa, but instead arranged for them to stay in an inn.
The next day, one of the guards returned to report that the person had been rescued and was recuperating at the inn that had been booked in advance.
Thirteenth Prince was greatly alarmed. Fourth Prince then told the steward of the Cao family that they were going on a sightseeing trip and that they didn't need to worry. He said they would be back after a few days of sightseeing and then they could set off for Hangzhou.
Upon receiving this news, Cao Yin breathed a long sigh of relief. After seeing off the fourth prince, a heavy weight was lifted from his heart.
However, the sudden visit of the prefect made him uneasy again.
"Prefect, what brings you here today?" Cao Yin and this Magistrate Zhang had both been in Yangzhou for many years, but their relationship was far from harmonious; they were essentially in a state of mutual non-interference and ignoring each other. In other words, neither of them paid any attention to the other.
Because Cao Yin was born into the Kangxi Emperor's family as a bondservant and possessed the privilege of secretly reporting to the emperor, he had an unusual sense of "high status" in the Yangzhou officialdom. This wasn't actually a self-perceived sense of superiority, but rather a respectful attitude towards those who had entered officialdom through rigorous academic study and passing the imperial examinations. They held royal servants like Cao Yin in high regard, but deep down held them in contempt. Therefore, Cao Yin always maintained a somewhat detached position in the Yangzhou officialdom.
"Lord Cao, I apologize for bothering you today. I wish to speak to the Fourth Prince through you, Lord Cao, that I simply wish to pay him a private visit." This was the first time the Prefect had spoken to Lord Cao so humbly.
"That's really unfortunate. The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince have already gone out today and probably won't be back for a few days. The Fourth Prince specifically said that he's going out for a few days of travel and doesn't need anyone to accompany him." Cao Yin pondered the purpose of Magistrate Zhang's desire to meet with the Fourth Prince privately.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master, after confirming that no one was following them, arrived at the inn where Ding Die'er was being housed. They were all dressed casually, and the innkeeper, assuming they were ordinary guests, arranged for them to stay in the "Heaven" tier rooms on the second floor. Ding Die'er and her group of guards stayed in the "Earth" tier rooms on the second floor. Fourth Master deliberately didn't tell the innkeeper he was looking for someone, but instead checked in as an ordinary person, demonstrating his caution. He avoided anything that could arouse suspicion.
"Fourth Brother, I've only just realized how meticulous you are in handling things," Thirteenth Master said softly beside Fourth Brother as they went upstairs.
"Hmph, you can't be careless on someone else's turf," Fourth Master retorted, then led Su Peisheng and Li Wei into a top-tier room. Thirteenth Master and his entourage naturally moved into another room.
It wasn't until evening that Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master secretly came to the room where Ding Die'er was being housed, and finally saw her after she had been missing for several days.
"Sir, I knew it was you who saved me." Ding Die'er's head and hands were wrapped in gauze, and she was still very weak, leaning against the bed.
"Butterfly, how did you end up in the prefect's prison? They even tortured you!" Fourth Master asked.
"I don't know where that is. Is it the government jail? Why are they arresting me?" Ding Die'er asked in disbelief.
"I can only tell you the details of this matter after I have investigated it. However, your brother's disappearance, as well as the disappearances of those people, may be closely related to something. Why did they arrest you?" Fourth Master asked.
"I don't know. They asked me who the master was, what he said to me, and what he did." Die'er's eyes were filled with fear as she recalled the inhuman torture she had suffered in the dungeon those few days.
After exchanging a glance with the Fourth Prince, the Thirteenth Prince asked again, "Can you recognize the people interrogating you now? Is Prefect Zhang Shoucheng among them?"
Ding Die'er shook her head and said in a trembling voice, "I don't recognize any of them. They're very fierce. But I've memorized their faces."
Fourth Master let out a slight sigh of relief and said, "Die'er, do you have anywhere else to go? I can send someone to pick up your mother and then send you away. Now that you've just escaped from there, you absolutely cannot go back home. You can only come back after this matter is settled."
Looking at the girl who had been dragged into this mess, Fourth Master felt a slight pang of pity and tenderness.
Ding Die'er mustered her courage and asked, "Sir, is my brother likely in grave danger?"
Looking at this exceptionally intelligent girl, Fourth Master couldn't bear to shatter her last glimmer of hope, and said, "Perhaps they are still alive, in a place we don't yet know. However, once we figure this out, we'll find them soon."
Ding Die'er seemed to understand the whole story. She suddenly struggled to get up, knelt on the bed, and said to the Fourth Master, "Please accept Die'er as your servant. Die'er is willing to serve you as your slave to repay you for all your help."
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