The Wedding Kidnapping (Part 7)
Luo Zhong sighed, "This child's birth mother died early, and he has never been kind to his stepmother and several concubines. Now that he's grown up, he's not close to me anymore, and he keeps everything to himself."
"Yesterday morning, she went to the cloth shop with her female companion to look at clothing fabrics. On the way, she asked her companion to go home to get money, and then rode away alone."
"It seems you had this planned in advance." I pondered for a moment and asked, "Has the child made any new friends recently, or had any arguments or suffered any grievances?"
Luo Zhong said with a face full of shame: "A few days ago, I was discussing her marriage with her stepmother. This kid overheard us and was unhappy. He barged in and spoke rudely to her stepmother, and even complained that I was using her life as a bargaining chip to consolidate my position."
"Heaven help me, I had no such intention! In a fit of rage, I slapped her. That evening, I apologized to her, but she ignored me. I thought I'd let things cool down and talk to her again once she calmed down. I never expected her to abandon this family and run away!"
Huai Xu said, "Uncle Luo, don't worry. Yingmei doesn't have an official travel permit, so she can't have gone far. She must be angry and has found a secluded place to hide."
"She's a homebody, and she often talks to me about you and her brother. She would never abandon you!"
"I hope so." Luo Chong nodded, casting a grateful glance at Huai Xu.
Without an official travel permit, it would indeed be difficult to leave the prefectures and counties within the Song Dynasty. But what if she went to a place where an official travel permit was not required?
Traveling south for dozens of miles, crossing the Niu Guang River, one encounters the Shimen Fan, still embroiled in battle, the Luo clan kingdom that has declared itself king, and the neighboring Dali... Dali?!
Recalling the full moon banquet more than half a month ago, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in my heart, and I blurted out, "Chief Luo, I have a question in my mind about Yingzi's departure, and I urgently need to confirm it. I would like to go to your residence to see her female companion. Do you think it would be convenient for you?"
Luo Chong cupped his hands and said, "I am more than happy to accept Qing Niangzi's offer of assistance. Please come with me."
Huai Xu prepared horses for me, and I told her to keep an eye out for caravans on the road before I set off with Luo Chong and his party to Junlian.
Luo Erying's female companion is a distant relative of hers. She was sent to the Luo family by her family when she was ten years old, and it has been five years since then. The two have grown up together and are very close. When she mentions the missing Luo Erying, she cries uncontrollably.
Luo Zhong said to her with a stern face, "A Qiao, this is your sister Ying's aunt—Qing Niangzi. She has some questions for you, and you must answer truthfully, understand?"
Aqiao knelt down and bowed her head, responding in alarm, "Aqiao understands!"
"Don't cry, little sister." I pulled Aqiao up and said gently, "Think carefully and tell Aunt Qing how Yingzi felt after returning from the celebration at Bajiaodong Village a while ago. Was there anything different about her words and actions compared to usual?"
Aqiao frowned, pondered for a moment, and replied, "After returning from Bajiaodong, Sister Ying was in a good mood. She hummed songs wherever she went and talked to me about peacocks several times. She even asked me if I had ever seen a peacock display its tail feathers."
"Her speech and behavior were pretty much the same as usual. However, a couple of days ago, when it rained heavily, she suddenly complained that the rainy season in our Nanguang was too long and that it was too stuffy to stay at home. She said she wished she could live in a place where it was spring all year round."
After Aqiao finished speaking, most of my bad premonitions were confirmed: Luo Erying's running away from home must be related to that boy from the Changning Army. However, I didn't know his name. The Changning Army was a large force with nearly 10,000 soldiers stationed there. How easy would it be to find out about him?
Seeing that I looked strange, Luo Chong dismissed A Qiao and asked, "Qing Niangzi, have you noticed anything amiss?"
I carefully considered telling him about Luo Erying's encounter with the Changning Army soldiers on the night of the full moon banquet.
"Damn it!" Luo Zhong's expression changed, and he slammed his fist on the table. "Foolish! It's all my fault for spoiling her too much!"
I advised, "Since things have come to this, Chief Luo, don't blame yourself anymore. The child's safety is the most important thing. In my opinion, we should hurry to Changning Army to find out what's going on."
Luo Chong bowed deeply, his hands gripping the table, his expression dejected. "As the head of the Luo clan of Nan Guang and the prefectural judge of Yuezhou, I have failed in disciplining my children. This shameful affair in my family is Heaven's punishment." His voice choked with emotion as he spoke, "What face do I have left...?"
I know exactly what this man is sad about: years ago, he was forced by circumstances to give up his love; now, for the sake of the so-called "big picture," he has even disregarded family ties.
For him, his personal future was also the future of his entire clan. Sacrificing his wife and daughters was not only a matter of course, but he also felt it was extremely tragic. Every choice he made was heartbreaking. Who could understand such hardship?
The environment shapes the people. Like many other Liao girls, Luo Erying is straightforward, enthusiastic, and stubborn. Born into such a family, her departure, while not inevitable, was certainly not an accident.
With this in mind, I suppressed my disdain and said slowly, "Chief Luo has many colleagues and relatives in the Changning Army, so it is really not appropriate for him to show up. Qingcheng is quite familiar with Deputy Commander Zhou Hong. If Chief Luo trusts him, why don't I, as his aunt, go to the Changning Army instead?"
"I trust you, I trust you!" Luo Chong's worry turned to joy, and he repeatedly grasped my hand. "Who in Nan Guang doesn't know that Lady Qing is righteous, hospitable, and reliable? If Lady Qing were to handle this matter, it would be most appropriate!"
The headquarters of the Changning Army was located in Xingwen, which was more than a hundred miles away from Junlian. I spurred my horse to the garrison camp, and the sun was already setting.
Realizing it was getting late, I quickly tied up my horse and found the gatehouse. There were two armed guards standing at the gate, so I went up to one of them and asked, "Young man, is General Zhou Hong in the army today?"
The soldier nodded: "Yes."
"I am from the same hometown as General Zhou. I have urgent business with him and would appreciate your guidance on how to see him."
The two soldiers exchanged glances. The one who had spoken earlier lowered his spear and said to me, "Madam, please come with me."
I followed him into the inner room of the gatehouse. The room was not large, with a desk, two long benches, and a middle-aged man in the uniform of a constable, who was chatting with two other soldiers on duty. There was another gate on the west side, leading to the rear military camp.
The soldier leading the way pointed at me and said to the middle-aged man, "Officer Xu, this lady is from General Zhou's hometown and has urgent business to discuss with the general."
The officer surnamed Xu glanced at me and said, "Madam, you've come at an inopportune time. It's late afternoon, and General Zhou is busy preparing for the military drills. He probably won't have time to see you."
I asked anxiously, "May I ask, sir, when will the military exercise end?"
"It's hard to say, but it will definitely take the first two hours."
It would be getting dark in two hours. I pleaded, "Sir, I've traveled over a hundred li from Junlian to get here. It's truly urgent. It's not yet late afternoon; could you please make an exception?"
The bailiff looked troubled: "Under normal circumstances, we might be able to make an exception. However, today is different from usual. The Changning Army—" He suddenly stood up, turned his gaze to the door, and fell silent.
I turned my head and saw a line of soldiers in full armor filing in. The leader noticed me, frowned and asked, "With military exercises about to begin, why are there women here?"
The officer surnamed Xu hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the Commander, this lady is from the same hometown as the Deputy Military Commander. She just arrived from Junlian and has urgent business to discuss."
The commander said, "General Zhou is busy with military affairs and cannot act out of personal considerations. We will inform her after the military exercise is over." With that, the group walked straight toward the gate.
"Don't go!" In a moment of urgency, I reached out and grabbed the last man who wasn't wearing armor. "A life is at stake! Please inform them immediately!"
The man's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of hostility passing through them. He then surveyed his surroundings, and wherever his gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads. Finally, his gaze landed on the arm I was gripping tightly, and he slowly spoke: "Is this business or personal? Madam, would you mind telling me the reason?"
"I apologize," I said, releasing him. "It's a personal matter for me, but a matter of public interest for the Changning Army. The reasons behind this are not suitable to be made public!"
Silence fell over the gatehouse. The man turned, coughed lightly, and looked ahead. The commander who had spoken earlier opened the gate and hurried away, returning shortly after with Zhou Hong, who was also clad in armor.
When Zhou Hong saw the man who wasn't wearing armor, his expression tightened. He opened his mouth to greet him, but the commander beside him patted him on the shoulder and said, "Old Zhou, we'll wait for you at the drill ground." After saying that, the group quickly passed through the gate and entered the military camp.
Zhou Hong looked at the backs of the group, seemingly relieved, and turned to me, taking my hand: "Qing Niangzi, I heard you came all the way from Junlian, what happened?"
"I would like to ask General Zhou to find someone for me."
"From the Changning Army? What's your name?"
I nodded in agreement and described, "But I don't know the boy's name. I only know that he has large tiger and leopard tattoos on his limbs. He is probably a Mangyi from the Wumeng Mountain area. He must not have been in the camp on the night of July 13th."
Zhou Hong instructed the officer beside him, "Quickly go to the clerks' offices in each camp to retrieve the logs, find this soldier, and bring him here immediately!"
The guard received the order and led two soldiers to the barracks, leaving only Zhou Hong and me at the gatehouse.
Zhou Hong spread his hands and asked, "What is it that Lady Qing is looking for? Now you can tell me."
“One of Huai Xu’s friends left home yesterday and hasn’t returned. I suspect that she might know about it, so I’ve come to inquire.”
"Qing Niangzi, I think you're overthinking it." Zhou Hong's brows furrowed with a rather arrogant expression. "What kind of place is Changning Army? Not even a female fly can get in, let alone a living person?"
Seeing that I glared at him, he hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lady Qing is right here! I misspoke!"
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "I hope I'm just overthinking it."
Zhou Hong took off his phoenix-winged helmet, tilted his head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "Qing Niangzi! You, you don't mean to imply that the soldiers of Changning Army have abducted the girls from our hometown and eloped, do you?!"
I closed my eyes, crossed my hands, and replied, "General Zhou, you know what you're doing, so why are you making a fuss?"
"No!" Zhou Hong said in a low voice, his face flushed with anxiety, "Is it really as you predicted? Has the Changning Army really had deserters? I... I'm in a terrible situation!"
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