Chapter 102 Little Bell is kidnapped again...
"General, since you can't let go of the young lady, why not bring her here?" Yun Qi asked.
Since learning that the young lady had arrived in Yongzhou, the general has been coming to Yongzhou every other day. He is constantly on the move, busy with military affairs, and has lost a lot of weight.
“It’s not that easy. If I forcibly take her away, she will hate me,” Shen Yan said.
In fact, Shen Yan regretted leaving Bingzhou. A month together had made him accustomed to the little girl's presence, and the sudden separation only intensified his longing for her.
This feeling was even stronger after returning to that cold and impersonal general's mansion.
After Shen Jiao's death, his mother hated him and secluded herself to worship Buddha every day, refusing to even see him. So, in a sense, Xiao Lingdang was his only family in the world.
"Yun Qi, you are responsible for protecting Xiao Lingdang's safety while I'm away. Report any suspicious activity to me immediately." He is going to Huzhou for an inspection tomorrow, and the trip will take at least ten days before he can visit her.
"Don't worry, General."
In the few days since Shen Yan left, Old Cheng has also put Xiao Lingdang's treatment on the agenda.
Little Bell's asthma is essentially a result of insufficient nutrition during pregnancy and a lack of proper care after birth. With proper acupuncture and medicinal diet, he will surely recover in time.
Aman has been back for some time now, but she hasn't visited her stepmother yet. Today, she had some free time, so she took Xiaolingdang with her to Shiya Village.
Following the path he remembered, Aman arrived at the thatched house at the end of the village. Neglected for three years, the thatched house was now just a wooden frame, bearing no resemblance to its former appearance.
She left in such a hurry that year, it was practically a hasty escape, and she didn't have time to pack anything.
Aman walked around and found only smashed pots and pans scattered on the ground, a very desolate sight.
Aman's eyes welled up with tears, but she managed to hold them back.
She arrived at the Cliff of Reflection, carrying a small bell. After setting out the offerings and burning incense, Aman stared blankly at the bottom of the cliff.
She remembered being awakened in the middle of the night by Xiaolingdang's crying, but there was no sign of Wanniang. There was a cacophony of voices and barking dogs outside. She assumed that Wanniang had been woken up by the noise and gone out, but when she got to the door, she heard from next door that the authorities were looking for someone.
She almost immediately thought of the people Shen Jiao had sent.
She was afraid of being caught by those people, and she was also afraid that it would be unsafe for her to leave Xiaolingdang alone if she left. So she spent the night in fear and trembling.
After daybreak, she heard from people outside that someone had jumped off the cliff last night.
It was only then that she realized her original clothes were gone, along with the veil she always carried with her.
“Little Bell, come kneel down and kowtow to your mother,” Aman said.
"Mother?" Little Bell looked up at her, somewhat puzzled, but still knelt down as she was told.
"Little Bell, remember, you not only have me as your mother, you also have another mother named Liang Wan. She is the person who loves you the most in this world."
"Where did that mother go?" Little Bell asked.
"She...went to heaven." A tear fell from Aman's eye. If it weren't for her, perhaps, she and her daughter would still be alright.
"Come on, little bell, kowtow." Aman said, then knelt down and kowtowed three times firmly towards the cliff.
Afterwards, Aman sat on the edge of the cliff and told Xiaolingdang many stories about her stepmother. Xiaolingdang listened attentively, and seeing Aman with tears streaming down her face, she even got up to hug her.
"Little Bell, you must remember that the 'wan' in your name, Siwan, is the same 'wan' as in Liangwan."
Little Bell was her nickname, while her formal name was Liang Siwan, which means "longing for Liang Wan".
The mother and daughter didn't descend the mountain until the afternoon. Along the way, they encountered many people working in the fields, who all cast curious glances at them.
Some busybodies even asked them what they were doing there.
Aman ignored him and hurriedly left with the little bell in her arms.
"Strange, this woman looks familiar. I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."
"Look at their clothes, they're obviously rich. We're just peasants, where are we supposed to meet them?"
"That makes sense." The man thought about it and agreed, so he didn't pursue the matter further.
Upon learning that Aman was coming to Shiya Village, Fu Yunxiu had already arranged for people to secretly follow the mother and daughter to protect their safety. Therefore, Aman was not worried about encountering danger, but their gazes made her somewhat uncomfortable.
This discomfort persisted until she returned to Master Cheng's herbal medicine hut.
She felt someone was following her.
Fu Yunxiu's men had already left. Aman didn't understand where this feeling of being spied on came from, so she told Old Cheng about her doubts.
Ms. Cheng said that revisiting the old place triggered old trauma in her heart.
In other words, the fact that Shen Jiao's people were chasing her back then left an indelible shadow on her, and now seeing familiar people and scenery has awakened that memory.
Therefore, Old Cheng specially prescribed two doses of calming medicine for Aman.
Although Aman felt that she didn't have this problem, she still listened to Old Cheng and obediently drank the medicine.
Fu Yunxiu trusted Aman's words and sent people to protect the safety of the mother and daughter, but Yun Qi chased them away.
Yun Qi had indeed discovered that someone had been secretly watching the medicine shop recently, with the main target being the young lady. However, he did not plan to take action for the time being, and even tricked Fu Yunxiu's guards into leaving in order not to alert them.
He felt this might be a good opportunity for the general and the young lady to mend their father-daughter relationship. So, when those people took Little Bell away, he didn't even show his face.
"Brother Qi, are you sure we shouldn't rescue the young lady? What if the general finds out..." The other guards who were keeping watch with Yun Qi were worried.
They had all witnessed how the general treated the young lady. In their eyes, Yun Qi's actions were undoubtedly courting death.
"It's alright, I will speak to the general myself."
"How dare you, Yun Qi! How many heads do you have?" Chen Yan kicked out, sending Yun Qi, who was kneeling on the ground, flying several meters away before crashing heavily to the ground.
He had just finished reporting to his superiors at the palace when he rushed to Yongzhou. Before he could even change his clothes, he heard such shocking news.
Little Bell has been kidnapped, and she doesn't know who the kidnapper is or what their purpose is.
“General,” Yun Qi coughed up blood and struggled to crawl over and kneel down, “General, please calm down and listen to what I have to say.”
Shen Yan glanced at him, gesturing for him to speak.
“General, the reason I held back and allowed those people to take the young lady away was twofold. First, it was to follow the clues and find out who was behind it and what their purpose was. Second, I thought that if you could save the young lady when she was in the most danger, she would become dependent on you out of fear and might be able to return to your side.”
“In that case, I should thank you,” Shen Yan glanced at him coldly, then suddenly moved over, grabbed his throat, and tightened his grip little by little. “Yun Qi, who gave you the audacity to disregard my orders and act on your own?”
He wanted Little Bell to get close to him, but not in this way.
He wouldn't use the safety of the little bell as a bargaining chip.
The intense feeling of suffocation made Yun Qi's face turn red, and his limbs began to spasm involuntarily, teetering on the brink of death. In the end, Shen Yan, who had been by his side for many years, couldn't bear to let go. Yun Qi collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, as if he was about to cough up his heart and liver.
"Tell me, what message did they leave?"
"Today, today, cough cough noon, back, cough cough cough back to Little West Mountain."
"What?" The words "Turning Back Cliff" touched the deepest fear in Shen Yan's heart. He said sternly, "You better pray that Xiao Lingdang is safe and sound. Otherwise, if she is even slightly injured, you won't be alive either."
Shen Yan led Yun Yin and the others out, galloping along on horseback, and soon arrived at Huitou Cliff.
The kidnappers seemed to have some reservations, which is why they chose Xiaoxishan, which is slightly lower in elevation than Huitouya. Of course, the main reason was also that Xiaoxishan was surrounded by open space, making it easier to retreat.
Similarly, it is also relatively easy to ambush them.
All the people Yun Qi arranged are now in place and ready to be deployed to rescue Xiao Lingdang at any time.
"How many people are on the other side?" Shen Yan asked.
"Of the six, only two are quite skilled; the rest are just thugs at best," one of the guards said.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan frowned deeply. If Yun Qi hadn't taken matters into his own hands, such a small fry would never have been able to get close to Xiao Lingdang.
"However, the person behind them doesn't seem to have shown up," Yun Yin said. Judging from their varied and eclectic attire, they were clearly temporary hires, and their employer...
"We can't worry about that now, let's do it," Chen Yan said. Looking at Xiao Lingdang, who was tied up and thrown aside in the distance, Chen Yan couldn't wait a moment longer.
Looking at Xiaolingdang's tear-stained face, which resembled a little kitten, Yunyin understood Shenyan's anxiety. After exchanging hand signals with the other guards, Yunyin reached out, ready to act, but was suddenly stopped by Shenyan.
"Wait a minute."
"General?" Yun Yin was puzzled, but seeing his general's stunned expression, he couldn't help but follow his gaze.
On the cliff, a figure had appeared out of nowhere. He was short, dressed in white, and wore a veiled hat. Although his face was obscured, Yunyin was certain that this was the person behind it all.
Shen Yan looked at the man in white, feeling quite puzzled.
This person's figure...
Before he could think it through, a scene that made his eyes widen in horror unfolded. The man in white, for some unknown reason, grabbed Little Bell by the neck and pinched her face, muttering incantations as he did so.
Little Bell's mouth was gagged, and her cries couldn't be heard from a distance, but Shen Yan could almost imagine the pain and fear she was still experiencing.
"Go! Capture them alive! I want to skin them alive!"
The well-trained guards swarmed forward, their weapons clashing. After a few clangs, the surroundings returned to silence.
"Little Bell." Chen Yan stepped forward, untied the ropes binding Little Bell's hands and feet, and hugged her into his arms.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's Father who's late," Chen Yan said.
Little Bell was crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath, so she didn't hear what Shen Yan said. She just nestled in his arms, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.
Feeling the little one trembling slightly in his arms, and seeing the bruises on her face from being pinched, Chen Yan wished he could punch himself. If he hadn't hesitated just now, Xiao Lingdang wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
Shen Yan held Xiao Lingdang tightly in his arms, gently stroking her back, trying to comfort her.
"Little bell." Just then, Aman and Fu Yunxiu arrived.
Behind them followed the prefect of Yongzhou and a group of yamen runners.
"Father." Upon hearing Fu Yunxiu's voice, Xiao Lingdang, who had been tightly hugging Chen Yan, immediately twisted her body and wanted Fu Yunxiu to hold her.
Shen Yan was extremely reluctant, but in the end he gave in to her wish.
"Little Bell, are you alright? Were you scared?" Touching her daughter's soft, warm little body, Aman's heart finally settled down.
After a careful examination, apart from a few pinch marks on her face, Xiao Lingdang had no other injuries. It was fortunate that she had been taking Old Cheng's medicine for the past few days to regulate her body; otherwise, her asthma would have definitely flared up.
Now that her daughter is alright, Aman felt it was time to settle the score.
Aman looked at Shen Yan across from her, who was watching Fu Yunxiu and Xiao Lingdang's father-daughter affectionately with a face full of envy, and said coldly, "General Shen is really good at planning. He can even come up with such despicable tricks to achieve his goal."
Ah Man still feels lingering fear when she recalls the moment she discovered that Xiao Lingdang had been kidnapped.
Who would have thought that someone who was playing happily by herself in the yard would disappear as soon as she came out of the kitchen to get something?
There was only a letter left on the table, inviting her to meet him at Xiaoxishan Cliff the next day at noon.
She then realized that Little Bell had been kidnapped.
Aman didn't know who the other person was, nor did she know her purpose. Aman could only force herself to report the case. Then Fu Yunxiu reminded her that the person who took Xiaolingdang might be Shen Yan.
Shen Yan had arranged for people near the medicine shop to protect Xiao Lingdang's safety early in the morning. Even when he wanted to arrange for people, his secret guards sent them away.
Speaking of the Shen family, a family of military generals, the guards around him are all top-notch experts. It would not be easy to take someone away from under their noses without them noticing.
Moreover, there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, and the people from Chenyan were nowhere to be seen. The only explanation is that they took Xiaolingdang away.
Even though Fu Yunxiu's analysis was very logical, Aman was still worried and didn't sleep all night. She finally arrived at noon on time for the appointment, but unexpectedly, she actually saw Shen Yan there.
Moreover, they captured everyone alive without even using knives or guns. This scene looked like a staged performance.
She never imagined that Shen Yan would be so heartless as to harm the child in order to make Xiao Lingdang depend on him.
Aman touched the bruises on Xiaolingdang's face and couldn't help but glare angrily at Chenyan.
Shen Yan knew that Aman was definitely misunderstanding. Not to mention Aman, any bystander who saw the current situation would think that this was all an act.
"No, I didn't," Shen Yan subconsciously tried to explain, but his words were ultimately pale and powerless. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he dodged a knife from a guard, took a few steps to the white-clad woman, and swung his knife to knock off her veil.
"Who are you, daring to kidnap someone?" Shen Yan's aura was sharp and fierce, carrying a resolute killing intent, but when he saw the person's appearance, he was so shocked that he forgot to speak.
"You... Shen Jiao?" Shen Yan's eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“Brother,” Shen Jiao was being held down by Yun Yin, and seeing that she had been exposed, she felt no shame, but rather aggrieved, “Let go, let go.”
She struggled to break free of her restraints, and Yun Yin behind her was also taken aback, and actually let go.
Once free, Shen Jiao rubbed her wrists, which ached from being pressed down by Yun Yin, and naturally ran to Shen Yan. As usual, she wrapped her arms around his and said coquettishly, "Brother, hurry, avenge me, kill them."
Shen Yan was still in shock. To Shen Jiao's request, he simply asked blankly, "How come...aren't you dead?"
"Oh, I'll explain all that to you later. First, help me get revenge. Kill that bitch for me, especially her bastard child. I'm going to tear her to pieces and feed her to the dogs."
Hearing Shen Jiao's vicious curse against her daughter, Shen Yan finally snapped out of her daze, frowned, and coldly asked him, "What did you say?"
Shen Jiao was immersed in her intense hatred for Aman and her daughter, and did not notice her brother's cold tone. She said to herself, "That little bitch dared to bite me. I'm going to cut off her hands and feet, pull out all her teeth, and turn her into a human pig."
I thought that little bitch had fallen off the cliff and was long gone, but I never expected that she would be alive and well and even give birth to a bastard.
Originally, she only hated Fu Yunxiu for making her lose face and wanted him to die to atone for his sins, but now, she hates this bitch and her bastard child even more.
If they are to live freely, then what about the pain she has endured all these years of living in anonymity?
"Brother, please avenge me and kill them."
Shen Yan found Shen Jiao's incessant cursing of Aman and Xiaolingdang terrifying.
When did his once sweet and clingy sister, who used to want him to carry her, become so vicious and repulsive?
“Shen Jiao,” Shen Yan interrupted her, “do you know what you’re saying?”
Shen Jiao noticed the disappointment in her brother's eyes and instinctively explained, "That little bastard bit me first."
"Enough!" Shen Yan shouted sternly to stop her. "Shen Jiao, when did you become so rude, vicious, and repulsive?"
"Brother?" Hearing her own brother use such words to describe her, Shen Jiao's eyes were filled with hurt.
The brother and sister put on quite a show, but Aman had no desire to watch any longer. Little Bell was terrified, but she didn't have time to stay here with them in the wind.
“Let’s go,” Aman said.
"Hmm." Fu Yunxiu nodded, but when he walked up to the prefect, he suddenly stopped. "Prefect He, you must have already seen the whole story clearly, so I won't interfere with your investigation."
Holding the child, Fu Yunxiu patted him on the shoulder and left with Aman.
Governor He looked at Fu Yunxiu as he left, then at General Shen opposite him, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Fu Yunxiu is from the Cheng'an Marquis's Mansion. Although the Marquis's Mansion has declined, the third young master, Fu Yunting, is currently very powerful in the court and is highly valued by His Majesty. As a mere prefect, Fu Yunxiu is someone who absolutely cannot afford to offend.
But the person opposite him... that's General Shen, one of His Majesty's most trusted advisors, someone I can't afford to offend.
Although the evidence of Shen Jiao's kidnapping is conclusive, it's unlikely that General Shen would agree to investigate his sister in front of him.
Prefect He was caught in a dilemma and could only place his hopes on Shen Yan.
“General Shen, what do you think of this…” Prefect He twitched his lips, ultimately unsure how to begin. His idea was that since both families knew each other, they should sit down and discuss it properly; why make things difficult for a mere prefect like himself?
Unexpectedly, Chen Yan suddenly spoke up, "Take him away!"
"Oh, okay," Prefect He replied subconsciously, then realized what Shen Yan had said, "Ah, you mean?"
“Since she chose to break the law, she should bear the consequences of her crimes. Take her away and handle the matter fairly. There’s no need to go easy on her because of me,” Shen Yan said.
He felt it was time to change Shen Jiao's personality, otherwise she would surely cause a great disaster in the future.
Shen Yan's words chilled Shen Jiao to the bone. She could sense that her brother truly didn't want to care about her this time.
But she refused to go to jail.
"Brother, brother, I am your own sister, you can't abandon me, brother." Two constables escorted Shen Jiao away. Unable to break free, Shen Jiao could only beg for mercy.
"Brother, I know I was wrong. Please don't abandon me, brother, brother."
The calls of "brother" reached his ears. Chen Yan closed his eyes briefly, then steeled himself and turned away, refusing to look at her.
Seeing his heartlessness, Shen Jiao's pleas gradually turned into curses, "Shen Yan, how could you be so heartless? Mother will never let you go! Mother, save me, Mother!"
As the constables left, Shen Jiao's cursing gradually faded into the distance, until it disappeared in the wind. Prefect He, unsure what to say, could only bow to Shen Yan before hastily departing.
On the edge of the cliff at Xiaoxishan, only the guards with sunken eaves remained, looking at each other with puzzled expressions.
This young lady has been dead for three years. Back then, the young master blamed himself for a long time because of this, and knelt at the madam's door for three whole days. In that sweltering heat, he was so emaciated that he almost couldn't be saved.
How come the young lady is alive again? And judging from her tone, it seems that the madam knew all along that she wasn't dead. Then why has the madam refused to see the young master all these years, not even during holidays?
The guards were filled with doubts, and Chen Yan himself was just as puzzled.
If Shen Jiao's death was a deception from beginning to end, then what about all the regret and self-blame he has felt day and night over the years?
“General…” Yun Yin had been by Shen Yan’s side the longest, and he knew better than anyone what kind of life his general had been living all these years. The guilt he had felt for so many years had ultimately turned out to be a deception; no one could accept that.
But right now, he really couldn't think of any way to comfort the general.
Shen Yan probably knew what he wanted to say, shook his head to indicate that he was fine, and said, "You guys go back first, I want to calm down by myself."
"General?" Yunyin was somewhat worried.
“Go,” Chen Yan said, “go to the medicine hut for me and check on Little Bell.”
He fears he will never be able to face his daughter again.
"Yes." When Yunyin arrived at the medicine hut, Xiaolingdang had already drunk the calming soup and was resting.
Aman still harbors resentment towards Shen Yan, and consequently dislikes Yun Yin as well.
"Guard Yun, if you have nothing else to say, please leave." Aman gave him the order to leave.
“Miss Lin, I must explain what happened today. Young Master has been away in another state for the past few days and only returned to Yongzhou today. He was unaware of the young lady's kidnapping beforehand. It was Yun Qi who wanted to find out the mastermind, and seeing how much the general missed his daughter, he took it upon himself to devise a plan to lure the snake out of its hole while also letting the young lady see the general's goodness. The general was also kept in the dark; he is innocent.”
"He's innocent?" Aman looked at Yunyin with a mocking expression, as if she had heard something funny. "Even if he didn't know about this, it's his own fault for not managing his subordinates properly. Besides, the person who kidnapped Xiaolingdang was her own sister."
To be frank, they were in the wrong in this matter. Yun Yin couldn't argue with A Man, so he could only slink away. When he arrived at Little West Mountain again, Chen Yan had already disappeared.
Where did the general go? Did he go back?
Yunyin rushed back to their temporary residence, but did not see Shen Yan's figure. Even the guards said they had not seen him.
It wasn't until late at night, when the curfew was in effect, that Shen Yan was carried back by four patrolling soldiers.
"We found General Shen drunk and passed out by the roadside during our night patrol. Fearing that he might be mistaken for a villain and shot by unsuspecting soldiers, we specially brought him back."
"Thank you all, brothers. Please accept these tokens of my appreciation and have some tea. Please don't mention tonight's events again." Yun Yin took out a purse containing silver and handed it to the men.
Firstly, to express gratitude; secondly, to keep quiet.
The fact that the general was out during curfew hours could be a big deal or a small one. If some busybody overheard this and impeached the general at the morning court, accusing him of knowingly breaking the law, that would be terrible.
The soldiers were clever enough that once they received the silver, they quickly said they would keep quiet, and happily carried away their heavy purses.
Yunyin dragged the completely drunk Chenyan into the room and settled him down to sleep.
After returning from another province and completing his duties in the capital, the general rushed to Yongzhou to see the young lady. Little did he know that so many things would happen.
It's good that he's drunk.
At least I can get a good night's sleep now.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The story is nearing completion, so I'm posting a pre-order link. Please subscribe to my author page.
The Daily Life of a Transmigrated Lacquer Girl
Ming Zhao, a working-class woman, transmigrates into the body of Jiu Niang, the youngest daughter of the Ming family in the Great Feng Dynasty.
The Ming family was a renowned lacquerware family, but unfortunately, they had few descendants. This branch even had three daughters in a row, and with no one to carry on the family line, the grandfather, Mingde, eventually died with regret.
Ming Zhao, who transmigrated from another era, received a favor from her grandfather. In order to repay her and carry on her last wish, she and her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Zhou Yuanqing, searched through ancient books and studied diligently. Finally, they created a set of exquisite ancient lacquerware to use for the World Trade Conference.
Zhou Yuanqing said that the two of them would get married when he returned this time.
Mingzhao, awaiting marriage, received not the joyous news of her fiancé, but the news that he had been ambushed and killed on the way, and that the lacquerware had disappeared without a trace.
The newly appointed magistrate, Shen Tingsi, was in charge of investigating the matter and eventually discovered that the murderer was a Japanese.
*
Mingzhao said that at first, he just wanted to fulfill his grandfather's last wish and let him rest in peace. Later, he wanted to find a way out and pass on this skill.
Shen Tingsi: When I first met Mingzhao, I thought she was just a young lady living in the shadow of her parents. Later, I found that she was just like her name, wise and intelligent, and dazzling.
[The wise enlighten others with their own wisdom.]
It's probably the story of an inspirational young lady and her loyal magistrate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
