Chapter 45: Quick Guide to the Soldier King (Part 3)
"Young Master, Young Master! Something bad has happened!" The maid Cui'er ran in in a panic, interrupting my thoughts.
"What happened? You're so flustered! How can you be so flustered?" I asked calmly, suppressing my annoyance.
"Master...Master was kidnapped!" Cui'er said breathlessly.
"What?!" I was shocked. "What's going on? Explain it clearly!"
Cui'er then said in a discontinuous manner that the master was out visiting a friend and was attacked in the woods outside the city. The servants fought desperately but were outnumbered, so the master was captured and only she was lucky enough to escape.
My heart sank immediately. Although my father had a bad temper at home, he was always kind to outsiders. How could he suffer such a disaster for no reason? Could it be... The complicated look in Bi Yuntao's eyes before he left suddenly appeared in my mind. Could it be him? No, it's impossible. Although he deceived me, he wouldn't do such a thing.
"Master, what should we do now?" Cui'er looked at me in confusion.
"Don't panic, I'll go find someone!" I made a quick decision. Now he was the only one who could save my father.
I hurried to Bi Yuntao's residence with Cui'er, but found nothing.
"Sir, Lord Bi has left the inn and left a letter for you before leaving." said the waiter.
I took the letter with trembling hands and opened it. There were only a few short lines on it:
"Zi'ang, while I'm away, you have to be careful and put safety first. Wait for me to come back."
The signature of Bi Yuntao is "Long Fei Feng Wu".
After reading this letter, my heart went cold. He really knew something! Why did he treat me like this? Why did he let me face all this alone?
"Master, what should we do now?" Cui'er asked anxiously.
I clenched my fists tightly, my heart filled with anger and despair. Bi Yuntao, you'd better pray that my father is safe, otherwise I will never let you go!
"Pack your things, let's go out of town!" A flash of determination flashed through my eyes. No matter what, I had to find my father! I stumbled back to the inn, holding the letter left by Bi Yuntao tightly in my hand, which was almost soaked with sweat. He left behind a sentence "Safety is the most important thing in everything", but what about my safety? What about my father's safety?
Cui Er was packing her things crying, and she kept saying "What should I do?" I tried to hold back my tears and searched through the boxes and cabinets to find something valuable to exchange for some silver, but after searching every corner, I only found a few pieces of silver jewelry.
"Young Master, don't be like this. I am a lucky man and will be fine..." Cui'er cried even harder when she saw me like this.
I sat paralyzed on the bed, my mind in a mess. Bi Yuntao was gone, what should I do? Where should I go to find him? My father was now in critical condition, what should I do?
At this moment, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door, and a glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Could it be that Dad came back? I rushed to the door, but saw the housekeeper with an anxious face.
"Zi'ang, are you okay?" He was obviously relieved when he saw me. "Your father asked me to pick you up. We left the capital overnight and went to the south to take shelter."
"What? Going to the South?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Where's Dad? How's Dad?"
The housekeeper's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Your father...your father is fine, he's just worried about your safety, so he asked me to come and take you away first."
"I don't believe it! I want to see my dad!" I pushed him away and rushed out.
"Zi'ang, stop making trouble! This is a critical period. Just listen to your father and come with me obediently!" The housekeeper grabbed me, with a hint of impatience in his tone.
"I won't leave! I want to see my dad!" I struggled desperately, and finally couldn't hold back my tears and burst out, "I want to see my dad! I want to see Bi Yuntao!"
"What are you talking about!" the housekeeper yelled, "Your father is doing this for your own good! Don't you know what the situation is in the capital now? The matter of Eunuch Li has alarmed the emperor, and he is arresting the rebels everywhere. If you stay here, you will only die in vain!"
"A gang? My dad is a gang? How is this possible!" I shook my head in disbelief, tears blurring my vision. "This must be a mistake. Someone must have framed my dad!"
"What's the point of saying this now!" The butler waved his hand impatiently, "Anyway, you must come with me! Even for your own sake, you can't be so willful anymore!"
"I won't leave! I won't go anywhere!" I shook off his hand stubbornly. "I want to stay here. I want to wait for Brother Bi to come back. I want to find out what happened!"
"Brother Bi? Brother Bi! Are you still counting on that charlatan?" the housekeeper said angrily, "He can't even protect himself, how can he care about you? Young Master, wake up!"
"Don't say that, Brother Bi!" I retorted loudly, "I believe in him, he will definitely come back!"
The butler wanted to say something else, but was forced back by my resolute gaze. He sighed helplessly, and finally compromised: "Okay, if you insist on staying, I won't force you. But you must promise me to take care of yourself and not do stupid things again."
I nodded and watched the butler leave. He knew that I was stubborn and would not change my mind easily.
After sending the housekeeper away, I began to ask around for news about Bi Yuntao, but to no avail. I was like a headless fly, wandering around the streets and alleys of the capital, but I could never find any trace of him.
Just when I was about to despair, I found him in a ruined temple outside the city. He was seriously injured and unconscious. If I hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid he would have already...
I couldn't imagine what would happen if I left with the housekeeper. I held Bi Yuntao's hand tightly, my heart filled with fear and relief.
In the following days, I stayed by Bi Yuntao's side and took good care of him. Under my careful care, his condition gradually improved, and he finally woke up after half a month.
"Zi'ang..." He opened his eyes weakly, his voice extremely hoarse.
"Brother Bi, you're awake!" I cried with joy and held his hand tightly, "You're finally awake!"
Bi Yuntao tried hard to sit up, but he was too weak to move. I quickly supported him and let him lean on my shoulder.
"I'm fine..." He shook his head gently, looking at me tenderly, "I'm sorry to have worried you..."
Rumors about my brother and I began to spread in the capital, saying that we were colluding with the rebels and were plotting rebellion. At first, we didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just some groundless rumors, but gradually, these rumors became more and more outrageous and even alarmed the government.
That day, a group of soldiers suddenly broke into the ruined temple and surrounded me and Brother Bi. The leading officer held a notice and shouted, "Feng Ziang, Bi Yuntao, do you admit your guilt?"
My heart skipped a beat and a sense of foreboding came over me.
"Sir, what crime have we committed?" I asked calmly.
The officer sneered and threw the notice in front of us, "Read it for yourselves!"
I picked up the notice with trembling hands, and saw that it clearly stated: Feng Ziang and Bi Yuntao have colluded with the rebel party and intended to rebel. Their crimes are extremely serious and they are now being arrested and brought to justice. If anyone resists, they will be killed without mercy!
"This... this is not true..." My face turned pale. We have never committed these crimes. It is obvious that someone has deliberately framed us!
Brother Bi, despite his physical weakness, protected me behind him and said, "Sir, we have been wronged, please look into this matter!"
"Unjust? Humph, the evidence is solid, you can't deny it!" The officer waved his hand, "Catch him!"
The officers and soldiers rushed forward, and Brother Bi and I were outnumbered and were quickly subdued.
In the chaos, I noticed a familiar figure. It was Zhang Han, the traitor who conspired with Eunuch Li that day! He hid behind the crowd with a sinister smile on his face. I immediately understood everything. He was behind all this!
My brother Bi and I were escorted by soldiers and officers, and were pointed at and criticized by the people along the way. They believed the rumors and regarded us as rioters. Their eyes were filled with disgust and hatred.
On the way of being escorted, I accidentally found a letter dropped by Zhang Hanjian, and secretly hid it out of curiosity. In the dead of night, I opened the letter in the faint moonlight. It would have been fine if I hadn't read it, but once I read it, I was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat - in the letter, Zhang Hanjian actually colluded with the Qing army, working together from inside and outside, intending to break through Shanhaiguan!
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