“It’s not as complicated as you think,” Tao Wanniang retorted directly. “If there’s nothing else, you can leave.”
There were no polite words left. Ling Yunzhou knew Tao Wanniang was in a bad mood, but he still tried to persuade her kindly: "Wanniang, you have to believe me. I have many people I can use."
"Let's go, let's go~" Tao Wanniang waved to Ling Yunzhou, "I'm going to the kitchen to find something to eat. I can't eat anything if you're here."
Ling Yunzhou's face stiffened; these words... left him speechless.
Tao Wanniang didn't care whether Ling Yunzhou left or not; she walked away on her own.
Ling Yunzhou was unwilling, but seeing that Tao Wanniang didn't care about his appearance at all, and that there was no one in the house who could speak up for him, he could only sigh and leave.
But after returning, he ordered his men to keep watch along the river the next day, for he would not let such a bold and reckless person go unpunished.
At night, Tao Wanniang first sprinkled fluorescent powder on her silver notes, marking them all. Then she took out a colorless and odorless unique poison she had bought from the system and dripped it onto the silver notes.
After the banknotes dried, Tao Wanniang wrapped them all in waterproof oilcloth. She didn't touch the banknotes after they were drugged.
This bone-corroding poison, once touched, will invade the bone marrow. This is a medicine that does not belong to this world, and the only antidote is in her hands. Therefore, whoever takes the silver note will die once they touch it!
The next morning, Tao Wanniang, carrying a thick oilcloth bag, arrived at the place mentioned in the letter and, unsurprisingly, saw people keeping watch on both sides of the river.
Seeing that it was almost time, Tao Wanniang threw the oilcloth bag into the water. Just then, a flower shop came from upstream, and suddenly a lot of men appeared on the shore.
"Look, it's Jiaojiao! Jiaojiao, look over here, it's me, Young Master Zhang!"
"Jiaojiao, it's me!"
On the deck of the flower shop's boat, a beautiful woman, holding a flower basket, was scattering flower petals into the river.
"What are you doing?" Tao Wanniang couldn't help but ask a passerby.
"That's Li Jiaojiao, the most beautiful courtesan of Yanyun Tower. Everyone wants to see her charm while she's touring the moat today!"
Tao Wanniang's heart sank. This matter was probably planned long ago. The person who kidnapped Xiao Qiao'er must have known that this would happen. She looked again at the cloth bag in the river, but there was no trace of it.
"Auntie, someone asked me to give you this." Just as Tao Wanniang was lost in thought, her sleeve was tugged. Tao Wanniang looked down and saw a little beggar.
"What is it?" Tao Wanniang asked cautiously.
The little beggar gave Tao Wan's mother a note and then ran away. There were many people chasing after the courtesan on the shore, and soon Tao Wan's mother could no longer see the little beggar's shadow.
The note contained the address of an inn, and Tao Wanniang immediately walked towards where Zhang Liang's carriage was parked.
"Go here!" After handing the note to Zhang Liang, Tao Wanniang quickly boarded the carriage.
Zhang Liang was a little confused. Why were there so many people in the river and on the bank? But after reading the note, he didn't dare to delay for a moment and headed towards the inn above.
Inside the inn, Xiao Qiao'er was awake, but she had no strength at all. Sitting by her bedside was the innkeeper's wife.
“Little girl, your mother will be here soon. I don’t know what’s going on between you and your father, but little girl, I think your father cares about you.”
Xiao Qiao remained silent. She wasn't a three-year-old child. Her father must have had ulterior motives for leaving her here. Would her mother really come?
"Little girl, your father entrusted me to take care of you here. If he didn't trust you, why would he give me two taels of silver to watch over you?" The shopkeeper's wife was still comforting the little girl. "Although I don't know what happened between your father and mother, when adults are at odds, it's the children who suffer!"
When Tao Wanniang and Zhang Liang arrived, they saw a woman sitting on the bed, and lying on the bed was Xiao Qiao'er.
"Qiao'er!" Tao Wanniang quickly stepped forward and pushed the shopkeeper's wife aside.
"You must be the child's mother, but you look rather old?" The shopkeeper's wife said unhappily as Tao Wanniang pushed her away.
"Mother!" Xiao Qiao'er called out, tears streaming down her face. "Mother, I have no strength at all."
Tao Wan's mother was startled. She helped Xiao Qiao'er up and, seeing Xiao Qiao'er's weak appearance, asked anxiously, "Qiao'er, who took you away? Did they give you medicine?"
“It was my father. He said he drugged me,” Xiao Qiao’er said truthfully. “Mother, how long will this last?”
"It really is Mother! This relationship is a bit complicated!" the shopkeeper's wife muttered from the side.
"Zhang Liang, help Qiao'er onto the carriage first. I need to speak with this lady," Tao Wanniang instructed Zhang Liang, then looked warily at the shopkeeper's wife.
"Did you know that the person who brought her here is the child's father?"
"Yes, I was so worried when we came. Would I care so much if she weren't my own daughter?" the shopkeeper's wife said, not very pleased. "I know you two don't get along, but you can't prevent a father from seeing his daughter."
Zhang Liang carried Xiao Qiao'er out, and Tao Wanniang, listening to the shopkeeper's wife's words, found it somewhat amusing. Liang Laifu's acting was truly convincing!
“I am not the child’s biological mother, but Liang Laifu personally handed the child over to me and gave me five hundred li of silver to take the child away because he had married the daughter of a wealthy family and they would not tolerate this daughter.”
"Do you know how much money he asked me for this time? Fifteen hundred taels! Do you still think this is something a child's biological father would do?" Tao Wanniang didn't even look at the shopkeeper's wife's face. After saying this, she left immediately.
"If the authorities convict Liang Laifu, you might as well close your inn!"
"Hey, hey, don't!" The shopkeeper's wife was stunned for a while before catching up with Tao Wanniang, who was walking ahead. "We've been deceived too. What that man said was so true. I'm so sorry."
Tao Wanniang ignored the innkeeper's wife who was chasing after her. After leaving the inn, she sent Zhang Liang to the nearest clinic.
"Mother, I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble," Xiao Qiao'er said weakly, held in Tao Wan's arms.
"Qiao'er, do you hate your father?" Tao Wanniang sighed. Qiao'er's father, she wanted him dead.
"Mother, did my father ask you for money?" Xiao Qiao'er didn't answer directly. "He did something wrong, so let him be punished."
This isn't just a simple punishment; it's a matter of life and death!
Tao Wanniang didn't say it directly. Originally, she wanted to wait until the kidnapper was poisoned and could only breathe in pain. He would definitely be looking for a doctor everywhere, and then she would know who the kidnapper was.
But Liang Laifu's actions made no attempt to hide the fact that he was the one who took Qiao'er away. Wasn't he relying on the fact that he was Qiao'er's biological father? And on the father-daughter bond that Qiao'er had with him? Was he betting that he would keep quiet even after suffering such a huge loss?
Reporting it to the authorities would definitely reveal the relationship between Xiao Qiao'er and Liang Laifu. Even if Xiao Qiao'er is registered as his daughter, the facts cannot be denied.
If she insists on exiling Liang Laifu, not to mention whether Xiao Qiao'er can truly accept it, this matter will be a landmine for Xiao Qiao'er's future. Who knows if it will become a burden for Xiao Qiao'er one day.
If Liang Laifu were to die, Tao Wanniang, holding Xiao Qiao'er, was also somewhat worried that Xiao Qiao'er might hate her.
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