Chapter 145 Kidnapping, Thatched House
Xiao Wan couldn't help but wonder and asked Liang Zhou and the others whether they had seen Zhao Sicheng.
Zhou Tao said: "He left the house with us, but when we were almost at the Imperial Examination Hall, he disappeared.
There were too many people on the road at the time, and we were not originally in the same group, so I thought he was going to talk to someone else and didn’t pay any attention to it.”
Zhu Lan consoled him, "Maybe he came out early and didn't see us, so he went back to the academy first."
When the last candidate walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall and two clerks were about to close the gate from the inside, Xiao Wan quickly stepped forward and asked:
"My Lords, have all the people inside come out? Are there any left behind?"
The clerk inside the door looked at her and said, "We have already finished the count. Who would stay in here after the exam?"
After saying that, he closed the door.
…
In a very remote thatched house in the southwest of Jiangzhou City, the wooden door was suddenly pushed open, and the dazzling sunlight immediately dispelled the darkness in the house.
The figure at the door cast a long shadow on the ground inside the house.
Zhao Sicheng squinted his eyes, trying to adapt to the sudden light.
What day is this?
He only remembered that he was on the way to the Imperial Examination Hall with Liang Zhou and Zhou Da, but was suddenly separated by several people.
There were already a lot of people on the road that day, and he was squeezed into a dark corner nearby. When he realized something was wrong, his mouth and nose were covered with a handkerchief, and then he fainted.
When he woke up again, he found himself in this thatched hut with his hands and feet tied up. Only a masked man came in occasionally to feed him some water, but after drinking it, he would continue to fall into a coma.
Zhao Sicheng didn't know how he was thrown onto the street south of Jiangzhou City. He had no strength in his body and couldn't even speak. Fortunately, a kind passerby recognized him as the son of Zhao the Gardener and sent him back.
…
"What? You mean Sicheng, he..."
Outside Qingya Garden, Xiao Wan's face turned pale after hearing the news brought by Liang Zhou. She almost couldn't stand. Zhu Lan and Qiao Youyou hurriedly supported her.
"I'll go see him now." Xiao Wan bit her lip tightly, stood firm, and was about to walk out of the academy.
Others offered to go with her.
The five people came to the courtyard of Zhao Sicheng's house and happened to meet Zhao Huajian who was returning from the pharmacy. Hearing that they were his son's classmates, Zhao Huajian sighed heavily, said nothing, and opened the gate to let them in.
As soon as Xiao Wan saw Zhao Sicheng lying pale on the bed, tears immediately came to her eyes.
The others left tactfully, and Liang Zhou pulled Gardener Zhao out as well, asking him what was going on.
Talking about this, Gardener Zhao was also filled with resentment. How could his son go to take the imperial examination and be thrown on the street and tortured like this!
Zhu Lan asked: "Uncle Zhao, did he offend anyone recently? Do you know?"
It is obvious that someone deliberately wanted to make Zhao Sicheng fail the imperial examination. This act harms others and does not benefit oneself. Unless there is a grudge, who would do such a thing?
However, Gardener Zhao thought for a long time but could not come up with an answer. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he frowned and looked into the house.
"Is the girl inside named Xiao?"
Zhu Lan and Qiao Youyou looked at each other and nodded.
"I knew it!" Gardener Zhao was angry and sad, "This kid keeps going to Xiao's house for no reason. I've been wondering for a long time that something is wrong!
Alas, is that Xiao family girl worthy of a family like ours? Look, isn't this bringing trouble upon ourselves? "
In the room, Xiao Wan grabbed Zhao Sicheng's hand, her face full of sadness.
"You said...that Yang Xin came to see you?"
Zhao Sicheng nodded weakly, resting his head on Xiao Wan's legs pitifully. Seeing her appearance, he couldn't help but feel distressed, and said in a wronged tone:
"He said he would give me three hundred taels and let me leave you. Wanwan, I reluctantly refused the three hundred taels, wuwuwu!"
Xiao Wan wiped away her tears and forced a smile, "You idiot, am I worth only three hundred taels in your eyes?"
After that, self-blame appeared on his face again, "It's all because of me that Yang Xin did this to you..."
Zhao Sicheng held her hand and said, "That boy is jealous of me, which shows that my Wanwan is very charming!
Alas, why don’t you have a pretty girl to compete with you for me… Hey, wife, stop pulling, it hurts!!!”
Only then did Xiao Wan let go of her hand angrily.
"Wanwan, it's just that I couldn't take part in the autumn examination this time. Next time, I have to wait another three years. You wait for me..." Zhao Sicheng's tone suddenly dropped.
Xiao Wan was also helpless. Zhao Sicheng had also been ranked first in the previous imperial examination. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have a great chance of passing the provincial examination. If he really passed, she would have a better chance of success if she persuaded her parents.
She forced a smile, "We've been in love for more than ten years, why would I care about these three years? If you work hard in these three years, you might be the next champion."
As they were talking, Zhu Lan and others knocked on the door and came in.
Qin Yuwei's incident happened not long ago, and the haze hanging over everyone's hearts has not yet dissipated. As a result, Zhao Sicheng also encountered such a thing. Everyone's faces were not looking good, and they were holding their breath.
But the only thing that is not too bad is that Zhao Sicheng still has a chance in the next provincial examination, but his pace will be slower than others.
There will always be a future, it just comes a little late, which Zhao Sicheng can still accept. But once the gap between him and Xiao Wan widens, it is unclear how long their future will last.
After listening to Zhao Sicheng's explanation of the whole story, Zhu Lan frowned and asked, "Who is this Yang Xin?"
For the first time, Xiao Wan's usually gentle face showed resentment. "His father, Yang Yao, is the new magistrate of Jiangzhou. He and my father are old acquaintances. He... has come to my house many times to try to contact me, but I ignored him."
Zhao Sicheng whispered, "Wanwan did a great job."
Qiao Youyou asked: "What should we do? Should we report to the police?"
Everyone fell silent. Although they all knew who was the mastermind behind the incident, Yang Xin must have hired someone to do it. Moreover, the man who kidnapped Zhao Sicheng had his face covered from beginning to end, so Zhao Sicheng had no idea what he looked like.
How to report to the police without evidence?
Zhu Lan asked Zhao Sicheng again if he knew where he was being held at the time.
Zhao Sicheng shook his head. "I only know it's a thatched hut, very old and dilapidated. I haven't heard any other noise around it, so it must be very remote."
Zhou Da said: "But Jiangzhou City is so big, where can we find that thatched house? Besides, the other party may not leave any evidence inside."
“How do we know if we don’t try? Are we just going to let that Yang guy get away with it and do whatever he wants?” Qiao Youyou slammed the table in anger.
Zhu Lan thought for a moment and said slowly, "Youyou is right. How can we know if we don't try? If we keep silent, others will only take advantage of us even more.
You were just sent out not long ago. If there is any evidence left in that room, if we arrive earlier, we can prevent the other party from destroying the evidence.
Without further ado, tell me all the details you can remember, and we will split up to look for it."
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