As soon as Mei Xuanqi entered the gate, he put Mei Ruolin down and did not dare to look at the children and the old lady.
Mei Ruolin ran towards someone and threw himself into Weng Hui's arms. He was so happy that tears fell from his eyes: "Father saved me."
Mei Xuanqi saw Weng Huiyi striding forward, his eyes bloodshot. He grabbed her and asked, "Where's the letter the kidnappers sent you? What did they write to you?"
Weng Hui was bewildered and asked, "What letter? I don't understand what you are talking about, Second Master."
Mei Xuanqi loosened his grip on her collar and Weng Hui fell to the ground.
The second master turned around and ordered more than 20 servants in the courtyard to go with him to Meiling Mountain to search for the person. They wanted to find the person alive or the body if he was dead.
After hearing this, Mrs. Mei asked anxiously, "Are you saying that Zhixi fell off Meiling?"
Mei Xuanqi lowered his head, just hummed, and hurried away with his men.
The second master of the Mei family took people to search for three days but found nothing. Every day the children waited at the door, and when they saw him come back alone, their expectant eyes were replaced by deep disappointment and sadness. The second master Mei hardly dared to look at those four looks.
Ever since Zhixi disappeared, Mei Xuanqi went out to look for her during the day, and whenever he closed his eyes at night, he would see the image of Zhixi falling off the cliff.
The kidnapper said fiercely, "Two people, you bring a portion of silver?! I wrote it clearly in the letter to that thief Weng Hui. Why are all of you in the Mei family so cunning?"
Mei Xuanqi said, "Indeed, we only received the information and letter from the concierge. Weng Hui didn't mention the letter or the ransom, only that her son had been kidnapped. How about this? I'll send someone back to get another banknote."
The kidnapper said, "Do you think I'm stupid? I was fooled once and you're going to fool me again.
Originally, your Mei family was a reputable merchant. My brother also said that this thief just sold a pair of jade bracelets last time. We had done business with her many times before, but she cheated us out of such a large sum of money.
Now I am still foolishly waiting here for you to send me some banknotes? You will bring the government officials to arrest me soon.
Since there is only one silver, take one person away, and the other person must leave his life here."
Mei Xuanqi said: "If you must save one person's life, then you can release them both and I will leave my life to you."
The kidnapper said, “Don’t take another step forward. If you take another step, I will chop both of them off the cliff.
This matter has no right to be decided by you. Since there is money missing, I have to say what to do. Why should I listen to you and change it back and forth?
What's in it for me?
Come on, choose one of the two. Look at your wife and child. Who do you choose?"
Mei Ruolin kept crying and shouting for his father to save him at first, but the kidnapper thought he was too noisy and had blocked his mouth tightly.
Now he was showing off in the yard, boasting to the sad and silent children, "Father saved me. Your mother fell off the cliff. Tsk, tsk, tsk, she must have been smashed into a pulp, just the right amount to feed the hungry beasts at the bottom of the cliff."
Old Madam Mei had Weng Hui tied up and ordered her to be whipped. When Mei Xuanqi was called over by the old madam, Weng Hui was screaming in pain from the beating.
Mei Xuanqi rarely stopped her, but asked the old lady why she had called him in. Old Lady Mei showed him a letter. After hearing Mei Xuanqi's furious words that day, she knew there was a letter from the kidnappers to Weng Hui, which was probably kept secret by Weng Hui.
The letter had been half-burned, but from the remaining debris, it appeared the kidnappers had demanded that Weng Hui pay a ransom for Mei Ruolin, and had included a record of past transactions as coercion. It appeared Weng Hui had engaged in more than one transaction with them, having also sold a considerable amount of jewelry.
A little maid from Weng Hui's courtyard came out and reported, "After receiving the letter and reading it that day, Aunt Weng ordered someone to bring a candle to burn it. Then she heard that the Second Master was going to rescue the Young Mistress, so she hurried over.
The letter had not yet been burned when the candles were taken out. Ever since Aunt Weng's maid was caught selling crowns and hairpins, the people in this courtyard had become demoralized.
Sister Shunxin also told me to be careful about everything, so I kept the unburned part of the letter. Now the old lady sent someone to the courtyard to check the letters, and I don’t know if it is this letter.
Mei Xuanqi calmly flipped through the remains of the letter. He walked over to Weng Hui, who had been lashed thirty times, and asked, "Even if you wanted to hide this letter and the fact that you were secretly selling jewelry, why didn't you just say that Mei Ruolin was kidnapped and the kidnappers wanted a ransom?"
Weng Hui was speechless for a long moment before she suddenly looked up and said, "Second Master, are you blaming me now? I wanted to keep the sale of the jewelry a secret, but I didn't mean to hide the ransom. I was so anxious and confused at the time that I naturally forgot."
Mei Xuanqi said calmly, "You're lying. Mei Ruolin also has a heart disease. You're actually gambling with your son. If I saved him and didn't save Zhixi, you'd naturally be happy."
If I save Zhixi, since you don't want this son anymore, I can use him to make me feel deeply guilty and help you overcome the difficulties you face."
Weng Hui's eyes widened: "When did you know that Mei Ruolin also had a heart disease?"
Mei Xuanqi said, "After I rescued him this time, his lips and skin were not only pale, but also blue. I have a childhood friend who was like this when she first became ill as a child. She also has heart disease."
Weng Hui said, "Second Master, you are putting me in such a difficult position. How can I abandon my own son?
He grew up in the Second Master's arms, and the Second Master has always doted on him. If I want to consolidate the Second Master's favor, it would be only right to have this son."
Because she was beaten and suffered from heart disease, Weng Hui spoke these words in a disjointed and breathless manner.
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