Chapter 31 Forcibly Abducting a Woman in Broad Daylight
As dusk approached, the air grew slightly cool.
Under an old willow tree outside Luoyi Lane, Chen Yi stamped his numb legs and said with a smile:
"Luckily, no one went to Yunxiang's house to propose marriage. She said that earlier only because she didn't want to put Li Huaigu in a difficult position."
Xiaodie nodded, "Yes, young master, I also found out some things about her and the third-ranked scholar. They said they knew each other since childhood, but Yunxiang's parents died and her family was poor."
After hearing this, Xiao Wuge looked up at Chen Yi and asked, "Brother-in-law, what are you going to do?"
Chen Yiyao looked at Luoyi Lane not far away. With its green tiles and white walls, lush trees, and flocks of birds flying everywhere, it was a quiet place.
He pondered for a moment.
He stretched and loosened his limbs, then revealed an arrogant and domineering smile:
"It's been a long time since I've done anything bad. Today is so quiet, let's make it a little more lively."
"Um?"
A question appeared on Xiao Wuge's small face: A bad guy?
Xiaodie, Wang Lixing, and the others also looked bewildered, not understanding what their son-in-law was thinking this time.
But soon, after hearing Chen Yi's plan, they all shook their heads or waved their hands.
Wang Lixing looked troubled: "Second son-in-law, this is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable."
Chen Yi glanced at him sideways: "You don't need to be the bad guy. You just need to lead the men to protect Wu Ge. What do you say, Fourth Brother?"
Liu Si'er wasn't in a difficult position; he was already cursing under his breath.
Is this baby bird crazy?
Going to a young woman's house in broad daylight and forcibly abducting her?
He's not afraid of being reported to the authorities... This whole thing is fake.
But fake ones won't do either.
If the Xiao family finds out that he has ruined the reputation of the Marquis's mansion in this way, where will he have a place in the Xiao family in the future?
Seeing his silence, Chen Yi asked with a half-smile, "Fourth Brother, you're not backing out, are you? You just agreed without hesitation."
Liu Si'er gritted her teeth: "I will obey my son-in-law's orders, but..."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, Chen Yi said directly, "No buts. From now on, you and I will be in charge, and Xiao Die will do the work from the side. After all, there is a difference between men and women."
"Also, Brother Ge, you're in charge of making a scene at Li Huaigu's doorstep, the bigger the commotion, the better."
Ge Laosan glanced at Wang Lixing, and seeing that he didn't speak, he agreed.
Seeing this, Xiao Wuge hesitated and said, "Brother-in-law, what if Li Huaigu doesn't come out?"
Chen Yi said nonchalantly, "His refusal to come out already shows his determination. Let's just head back home."
Xiaodie hesitated before asking, "Young Master, are you sure this will work?"
"Even if it succeeds, what about your reputation..."
"reputation?"
Chen Yi straightened his robes and strolled leisurely towards Luoyi Alley, laughing as he said:
"What's the value of reputation? It's the least of my worries."
Seeing this, Liu Si'er rolled his eyes and followed.
Thinking of how Yunxiang and Li Huaigu parted ways earlier, and what she later learned about their past, Xiaodie jogged to Chen Yi's side, clenching her little fists to cheer herself up.
Besides Chen Yi and Liu Si'er, who played the villains, her task was the most important—to take action.
Seeing the three leave, Ge Laosan hesitated and said, "Brother Xing, shall I go over too?"
Wang Lixing scratched his head, and seeing that Xiao Wuge did not refute him, he waved his hand impatiently and said, "Get lost, finish this quickly and go back to your residence."
He had made up his mind that he would go back to the Second Master to apologize and take all the blame upon himself.
Otherwise, if Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge were unharmed, it would be hard to say what would happen to their maids and guards.
Ge Laosan bowed, cleared his throat, and ran towards Li Huaigu's house.
Seeing this, Xiao Wuge turned to look at Wang Lixing and asked like a little adult, "Uncle Wang, what kind of person do you think my brother-in-law is?"
Wang Lixing paused, a wry smile on his face: "The son-in-law isn't a bad person..."
But he's absolutely a reckless and unruly person.
Any normal person would be bound by etiquette and rules, and would never come up with such a terrible idea.
Xiao Wuge pursed his lips, looking thoughtfully at the alley entrance. He also believed that his brother-in-law was not a bad person.
Not long after.
The quiet Luoyi Alley was suddenly filled with Yunxiang's cries for help; her panic and helplessness could be heard even at the alley entrance.
"Help! Help! Why...why are you doing this?"
Then came Chen Yi's cheeky voice: "Of course it's because I've taken a liking to you, so just give in to me."
"Shameless scoundrel! How could Li Lang possibly know someone like you?"
"Help! Someone help..."
As the cries for help continued, Xiao Wuge saw Chen Yi and the other two leading Yun Xiang towards them from afar.
Xiaodie looked like she was about to cry but had no tears, and she seemed even more helpless than Yunxiang.
Only Chen Yi swaggered ahead.
If Xiao Wuge hadn't known his gentle and humble demeanor at Qinghe Garden, he would have thought his brother-in-law was a villain.
He was even more tyrannical than some of the local bullies in Shuzhou City.
Meanwhile, Ge Laosan, hearing those shouts, yelled at the top of his lungs outside Li Huaigu's door:
"Guards! In broad daylight, a woman has been abducted! Miss Yunxiang, Yunniang has been kidnapped!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a commotion coming from inside the house, like a porcelain vase or bowl being broken.
Then came Li Huaigu's panicked voice: "Mother, it's Yunxiang, Yunxiang... Please let me go."
"You are not allowed to go!"
"Mother, your child..."
Hearing this, Ge Laosan understood what was going on, so he shouted it several more times and made some other noises.
So much so that the neighbors all came out to see what was going on. When they heard that Yunxiang had been robbed, they were all filled with righteous indignation and went back to grab their weapons to rush out.
Ge Laosan instinctively shrank back, but thinking of the young master and others at the alley entrance, he stepped forward to stop them.
While shielding them with his body, he shouted anxiously, "Yunxiang has been kidnapped!!"
Before he could finish speaking, Li Huaigu's resolute voice rang out from inside the courtyard: "Mother, please forgive your unfilial son!"
The door creaked open, and Li Huaigu rushed out anxiously, "Yunxiang, where is Yunxiang?"
Ge Laosan felt relieved and quickly led him towards the alley entrance.
The neighbors behind them naturally followed, each carrying a rake or a broom, and several veterans even put on their armor.
Seeing this, Ge Laosan was truly worried for his son-in-law.
But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and drag Li Huaigu along as they rushed out.
In no time at all.
A group of people rushed over and saw Yunxiang's figure calling for help in the far distance.
Ignoring everything else, Li Huaigu charged ahead, shouting, "Who dares to be so audacious as to abduct a woman in broad daylight!"
When Yunxiang heard his voice, she turned around and looked at him. Her face showed panic and fear, but also a hint of reluctance, and her eyes were filled with tears.
"Li Lang, save me."
"save?"
Chen Yi glanced behind him, his feigned arrogant smile instantly freezing, and he quickly waved to Xiao Die and Liu Si'er:
"Why are you still holding her? Run!"
Xiaodie was taken aback. After realizing what was happening, she immediately let go of Yunxiang and whispered, "Please forgive me, young lady."
After saying that, she handed a piece of paper to Yunxiang, then pulled on her skirt and ran after Chen Yi.
Liu Si'er looked helpless, but seeing the agitated crowd behind him, he suppressed his anger and muttered a curse under his breath.
It's unclear whether he was cursing himself for being crazy or cursing Chen Yi for having lost his mind.
When Li Huaigu and the others arrived, Chen Yi and the others were nowhere to be seen; only Yun Xiang remained.
"Yunniang, are you...are you alright?"
Before she could speak, Li Huaigu pulled her into his arms, apologizing repeatedly.
When he heard that Yunxiang had been taken away, he felt as if the sky had fallen, and he deeply regretted his earlier hesitation.
Only now, holding Yunxiang in his arms, did he feel a little more at ease.
Yunxiang, her face streaked with tears, said, "Li Lang, I... I'm alright."
Li Huaigu released her and looked her up and down: "Yunniang, who dared to rob you? I, Li Huaigu, will bring them to justice!"
The neighbors were equally furious: "Yes, let's see who dares to cause trouble in Luoyi Lane!"
Yunxiang glanced at them, hesitated, then leaned closer to Li Huaigu and whispered a few words.
"You mean Brother Qingzhou? Impossible! There must be a mistake!"
Li Huaigu almost bit off his own tongue; he simply couldn't believe Chen Yi would do such a thing.
"He, he forced his way in with his maid and attendants, grabbed me and started to walk out, saying he wanted to take me back to the mansion to be his concubine."
concubine?
Li Huaigu looked puzzled. "Are you sure?"
Did Chen Yi take a concubine?
He was a son-in-law of the Marquis of Wu, and the husband of Xiao Jinghong, a female general of the Dingyuan Army. How dare he take a concubine?
I'm afraid he's crazy.
"Yes, it's true."
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Yunxiang looked anxious and handed him the note that Xiaodie had given her.
Li Huaigu took it with some skepticism, opened it, and was immediately left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Yunxiang was puzzled, so she leaned closer to look at the paper. Although she didn't know many characters, she could still understand it.
The inscription read: "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for ye may pluck ye rosebuds when ye are gone. Brother Huaigu, some things you may regret later if you do them, but if you don't do them, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Yunxiang froze, "He, he..."
Li Huaigu shook his head, smiling bitterly as he muttered, "Brother Qingzhou, oh Brother Qingzhou..."
He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
There was gratitude, but also worry; the worry was that this matter would cause Chen Yi to be punished by the Xiao family.
Thinking this, he released Yunxiang and bowed to the surrounding neighbors, saying, "Everyone, now that the person has been rescued, you can go back first. Huaigu will definitely give you an explanation later."
Before the neighbors could speak, Li Huaigu glanced at Yunxiang and smiled, "Furthermore, Huaigu and Yunxiang will be getting married soon, and we hope you will all do us the honor of attending..."
The other side.
Chen Yi had already met up with Xiao Wuge and the others. After Ge Laosan arrived, they drove the carriage back to the Xiao residence.
Xiaodie lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly, still immersed in the trepidation of being a "bad guy" for the first time.
Xiao Wuge looked around and asked, "Brother-in-law, do you think they'll end up together?"
Chen Yi shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then...won't the third-ranked scholar's mother still try to stop him?"
"That's not something we should worry about."
After Chen Yi finished speaking, he looked at the scenery outside the window.
It's enough for Li Huaigu to make his feelings clear; he doesn't intend to go all the way.
(End of this chapter)
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