A familiar figure stood by the bed. Xie Qianzhong lifted the curtain and looked her over carefully for a while: "Did the Crown Prince make things difficult for you?"
Having seen Xie Qianzhong, Song Tangxue seemed to have found her pillar of support, and calmly shook her head.
Xie Qianzhong seemed relieved. The heavy night dew clung to his palm, and his fingertips touched Song Tangxue's cheek with a cold touch.
Song Tangxue instinctively shrank back, then pressed closer, like a well-behaved kitten.
Xie Qianzhong smiled and sat down next to Song Tangxue, pulling her into his arms and playing with her earlobe with his fingers.
Song Tangxue was preoccupied with something else and was completely unaware of what was going on.
Xie Qianzhong noticed her lack of focus and, somewhat annoyed, turned her cheek to make her look at him: "What's wrong?"
Song Tangxue sighed somewhat dejectedly. She was not a weak person; having already experienced a life full of ups and downs, she thought she could face things without batting an eye.
Caught off guard by the worry in Xie Qianzhong's eyes and feeling his body temperature, Song Tangxue felt a sudden pang of sadness: "Haitang was taken away by Song's mother, and I can't find her."
With a disappointed tone, Song Tangxue blinked, holding back her tears.
Xie Qianzhong helped her lie down and comforted her, saying, "If you're not feeling well, rest early. I'll investigate this matter."
Song Tangxue thought she would still have trouble sleeping, but she didn't. She slept exceptionally soundly that night, after several sleepless nights due to exhaustion.
Even with my nerves on edge, I couldn't hold back and fell asleep.
The next day, Cui Xi hurriedly entered the house with a letter, waking Song Tangxue: "Someone dressed in black just entered our courtyard and gave me this letter, asking me to give it to Miss immediately."
The envelope was opened, revealing strong, vigorous handwriting—it was Xie Qianzhong's.
Upon being told that Haitang was in Wanli Village, Song Tangxue couldn't wait a moment longer. She changed into a clean and neat set of clothes and went out alone.
Song Tangxue didn't want to attract attention, so she went through the back door, but unexpectedly, she was seen by Song Tangli. Look at how hurried she is.
Then, recalling that Song Muyin had mentioned selling off the maid who was always by Song Tangxue's side, a dark glint flashed in Song Tangli's eyes.
If I can't do anything to you in Kyoto, do you think I can't do anything to you outside of Kyoto?
Song Tangli went to see her mother and learned about Song Tangxue's destination. She immediately found some desperate criminals and paid them some money to set up an ambush on the main road.
And they were told that this person was exceptionally handsome, implying that it would be a bargain for them.
These desperate criminals lived a life of constant danger and wouldn't bother to investigate Song Tangxue's identity.
Time waits for no one. Song Tangli paid them extra to get there as soon as possible, determined to rape and kill Song Tangxue as quickly as possible.
Having arranged this matter, Song Tangli let out a long breath, her eyes cold and filled with boundless hatred, since Song Tangxue's appearance had already affected her life.
Then let's get rid of Song Tangxue to quell the resentment in our hearts.
Song Tangxue went out and rented a horse-drawn carriage in the city, heading towards Wanli Village. After the rain, the road to the village was a bit muddy.
The morning fog shrouded the road, making it difficult to see the road ahead.
Song Tangxue hurriedly lifted the curtain to look ahead, but unexpectedly noticed something amiss under her feet when she looked down.
The road leading to Wanli Village is remote and hard to find; no one should be passing through here at this early hour.
However, there were some messy footprints on the road, and judging from the marks, they belonged to adult men, and there were at least a dozen of them.
Song Tangxue remembered that she hadn't avoided people when she left the Song residence, and her heart skipped a beat: "Driver, is there a road around here that goes around to Wanli Village? I'm in a hurry."
The driver, who usually traveled through the streets and alleys, actually knew a way. He took a detour to Wanli Village instead of going along the main road.
Song Tangxue lowered the curtain. No matter who it was, no one could stop her from bringing Haitang out now.
It has been four days since Haitang was sent away.
Song Tangxue couldn't even imagine Haitang's current life; the thought of it made her chest ache.
The kidnappers waited and waited, but even as the sun rose high in the sky, they couldn't find the man on the main road.
The kidnapper leader was furious. He had waited so long and hadn't seen a single thing. Was this some kind of joke?
When they arrived at Wanli Village, the sun was just rising, and the farmers who were busy going to the fields were already up and heading to their fields. Song Tangxue's arrival surprised this village, which rarely had strangers.
The villagers stopped to stare at the stunningly beautiful young woman, who looked like a celestial being. The "celestial being," however, frowned and impatiently grabbed a villager, asking, "Has your village recently taken in any maids to sell?"
The villager was somewhat taken aback: "There is one."
Song Tangxue gripped the villager's hand tighter: "Where is she? That maid is truly despicable; she stole my jade pendant. If we find her, you'll be well rewarded!"
Upon hearing this good news, the villager was overjoyed and called his wife over. The two discussed the matter, and the surrounding villagers were all eager to try it out.
Although Song Tangxue's attire was simple, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was a young lady from a wealthy family, perhaps even from the capital, and her status was quite high.
If they were to gain the favor of a powerful person, the gifts they receive would be enough to keep them busy for a lifetime.
While waiting, a bold villager approached and said, "Oh, miss, what brings you to our village? I'm the village's know-it-all, nothing can be kept from me."
Song Tangxue glanced at him and said, "I'm looking for a maid who stole my gold and silver jade pendant! It was left to me by my maternal grandmother! If you help me find it, this money will be your reward."
Song Tangxue casually tossed the money pouch from her waist onto the table. The villager, seeing the generous reward, swallowed hard.
Back in the crowd, this man was a loudspeaker; in no time, everyone in the small village knew that a wealthy young lady had arrived and was looking for a maid. Whoever found her would be rewarded with countless sums of money.
Now that he had this benefit, he stopped working in the fields and searched the whole village for that maid.
Before long, the villagers surrounded an elder who came to Song Tangxue's side. The elder was the village head.
Muramasa walked respectfully to her side, glancing at the bulging money bag out of the corner of his eye, and was secretly delighted: "This is a maid who was sent over a few days ago. They said she was bought from a wealthy family. I wonder if the one you've found is her."
As they were talking, the villagers behind them shoved Haitang out.
Haitang was still somewhat confused. She looked up blankly and met Song Tangxue's eyes.
His body was covered in wounds, and his clothes were the village's coarse cloth garments, which did not fit him well. His exposed neck and wrists were covered with shocking red marks.
Some of the blood was still oozing out, staining Song Tangxue's eyes red.
Song Tangxue, her voice trembling slightly, supported Haitang: "Haitang..."
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