Chapter 59: Seizing the Infant
After passing through the small door and returning to the palace, Cui Fufeng secretly signaled Qiandeng and handed her a few scrolls of paper in his hand.
Qiandeng took it and glanced at it. Seeing that he was from Guozhou, he looked at him inquiringly.
Cui Fufeng nodded imperceptibly and whispered, "Everything you speculated has been confirmed."
Qiandeng turned around and went to the corner, quickly scanning the news from Guozhou.
"Sure enough, in that case twenty years ago, the entire family died of mercury poisoning." As she spoke, she glanced toward the west courtyard and pondered for a moment, "Now that the truth is out, how do we close the net?"
Cui Fufeng listened to her whispered words and asked thoughtfully, "Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes. The court wants the Dali Temple to close the case as soon as possible, and I must... seize this last remaining opportunity and not let him disappear into the sea of people."
Cui Fufeng looked at her sad yet determined face, nodded solemnly, and was about to turn around and leave when he heard disordered footsteps outside, followed by a shrill voice: "Someone come... someone come quickly!"
Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng recognized Madam Dingxiang's voice and looked at each other in surprise: "What happened?"
The two of them turned around and walked out of the yard, quickly returning to the small courtyard.
In the courtyard, Nanny Ping, the wet nurse, and the old doorman were all running around in a panic. When they saw Qiandeng and the others coming, the old doorman slapped his thigh and tried to excuse himself: "Alas, my eyes are really blurry. I didn't see any strangers coming in. How could someone sneak in..."
Qian Deng asked in surprise, "Who sneaked in?"
Nanny Ping pointed inside the house, indicating not to disturb Yang Jiazhi, and asked Qiandeng to go outside before she hurriedly recounted the situation to the county lady.
Just now, after the child fell asleep, Huang Min went to take care of his wife. Several maids sat around the brazier, making small clothes and chatting about family matters. Seeing that the child was sleeping soundly, the wet nurse placed her in the cradle and went to the next room to pack diapers.
The small courtyard was quiet. Only Lady Dingxiang was worried about her granddaughter and came to visit her alone. Unexpectedly, she saw a figure carrying a basket walking out of the house quickly. When he saw her, he ran towards the door quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
She hurried into the house and saw that the quilt on the bed had been lifted up and the child who had been sleeping soundly was gone.
Lady Dingxiang was terrified, thinking of the man just now, and she guessed that he was the one who stole the child, hid it in the basket and ran away.
She immediately ran out of the door and saw a man carrying a basket passing by the alley. She hurriedly called the maids and the doorman to chase after him, but there was no trace of him in the streets.
"County Lady, look at this... what should we do? I've never heard of anyone breaking into a house and stealing a child in Chang'an!"
Qian Deng also found it unbelievable: "How could someone break into a house and snatch a child in broad daylight? Moreover, this is Kaihuafang, where the wealthy families live, and the courtyard next to the royal palace!"
"It must be the Huang family! The Huang family sent someone to snatch the child!" Lady Dingxiang blurted out.
Startled by the noise, Huang Min rushed over with a grim expression, saying, "My parents... shouldn't be like this?"
Lady Dingxiang, however, was completely preoccupied and asked anxiously, "Did they snatch her away and give her to a nunnery? Zhijie, go and find out where she was given away. Do you really not want this granddaughter anymore?"
Huang Min was also panicked, thinking that his parents would not do such a thing, but also thinking that there must be clues. He could only remind his wife not to let her know about this and hurried home.
A group of people were about to return to the mansion and wait for news about Huang Min, but Cui Fufeng worked in the Dali Temple and was very perceptive. He raised his hand and signaled Qiandeng to look at a mark in the corner of the wall.
It was a bloody handprint left on the brick wall when someone rushed out of the door.
The slightly thin blood color, size and shape, as well as the slightly raised index finger, are exactly the same as the bloody handprint that was originally printed on the rockery.
Madam Dingxiang stared at the bloody handprint in disbelief, her face pale. "This... is it possible that they came to steal the child... is, is..."
Qian Deng was also shocked. "Why does this handprint look so similar to the one on the fake hill in Gu Tengzhai?"
Lady Dingxiang trembled as she asked, "Could it be that the one who stole the child wasn't the Huang family, but... that wronged spirit? He'd already killed Huaijiang, and he wouldn't even spare Jiazhi's child?"
"Impossible! My cousin is dead, so how could my cousin's child have any grudge against him?" Qian Deng shook his head, refusing to believe her suggestion. "I don't believe he would harm an innocent baby!"
Madam Dingxiang looked uncertain, while the old doorman behind her gasped and said in a lost voice, "No wonder! No wonder I've been standing at the door the whole time and never seen anyone come in or out, let alone a man with a basket, and yet the child was stolen!"
Qian Deng looked at her aunt's heavy, loose winter cloak. Before she could figure out what was going on, Madam Dingxiang's eyes widened. She pointed at a faint bloody fingerprint in the corner of the wall and cried out, "Deng Deng, look, there's one there too!"
Qiandeng quickly walked to the corner of the wall to check the handprint.
The person who stole the child seemed to be weak and often had to lean on the wall for support. The scars and bloodstains on his hands left faint fingerprints, guiding them along the winding alleys. In front of them was a remote courtyard.
Kaihuafang was once a prosperous place in the capital, but it was also the first to be hit during the war. The rebel army looted, burned and killed people, and the walls and houses of wealthy families collapsed. Now it is in ruins everywhere.
The roads in the neighborhood are complicated and branched everywhere. When you reach a corner, you see traces on both sides and you don't know which way to go.
Everyone had to split into two groups, the maids went to the right, and Qiandeng led the group to the left to search.
The marks on the wall became increasingly sparse, and it took a long time to see a faint trace, and most of them were on moss and tree bark, so you had to get close and look carefully.
Due to the complexity of the clues, the attendants and maids around him gradually dispersed, and in the end only Qiandeng, Cui Fufeng and Lady Dingxiang were left.
There was a tall yellow wall in front of us, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda stood among the magnificent temples. It turned out that we had arrived at Jianfu Temple.
After the winter solstice, the empress led the princesses and ladies to Jianfu Temple to burn incense. Qiandeng was supposed to accompany them, but because of a family emergency, the empress ordered her to deal with it, so she did not come.
Jianfu Temple spans Kaihua and Anren blocks, and the garden covers a vast area. At this time, the surrounding crowds are cleared, and the remote courtyard seems even more secluded.
Qiandeng was hesitating. Cui Fufeng checked the situation on both sides, frowned and told her that the traces appeared on the left and right sides of the alley again.
As he spoke, he glanced at Lady Dingxiang calmly.
Qian Deng naturally understood what he meant and nodded to him in a subtle gesture. Then, he raised his voice and said, "In that case, Cui Shaoqing and I will have to pursue separately."
Cui Fufeng hesitated for a moment and asked, "Now that the maids and attendants have dispersed to look for the child, is it possible for my aunt and the county lady to go look for the child..."
Qian Deng said, "It's the winter solstice and the palace guards are stationed near the temple. I don't think anything serious will happen."
Madam Dingxiang nodded in agreement and, pulling Qiandeng, said, "It's important that we get the child back as soon as possible. Dengdeng, come over here."
As she spoke, she led Qiandeng to the secluded alley behind the temple.
When they reached the side door of the back alley, they saw the winding river path and the lush greenery. Suddenly, Lady Dingxiang pointed ahead and cried out, "Look, over there!"
Qiandeng saw the collapsed wall of the temple in front of him. The bushes were shaking violently, and it seemed that someone was walking through the weeds.
She hurried after him and indeed heard the faint sound of a baby crying, but the baby stopped crying after just one or two cries. It must be that someone was covering its mouth and nose to prevent it from making any sound.
Lady Dingxiang ran two steps anxiously, fell to the ground with a cry of "ouch", and couldn't stand up while holding her ankle.
She pointed at the shaking spot and said anxiously, "Don't worry about me, go and check it out. The child must...must be there!"
Qiandeng helped her up and wanted to check her foot injury: "Aunt, are you okay?"
Madam Dingxiang pushed her away and pointed ahead, saying anxiously, "The child is important, go get him back!"
Qiandeng looked at her, then looked ahead, hesitated for a moment, helped her sit down on the bluestone bench next to him, then quickened his pace and caught up.
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