Madam Zhu quickly led her people towards the light. Upon entering, she realized the fairy lady had not brought her two sons and couldn't help but ask, "I brought Miss Yu and the silver as you instructed, why don't I see my sons?"
Seeing her anxious demeanor, a stark contrast to her usual composure, the County Magistrate's wife couldn't resist a sneer. "Though you've been obedient today, I haven't forgotten your indifferent attitude from the past few days. How can I know if you'll still listen to me after I return your son today?"
Hearing this, Madam Zhu's tense heart eased. Regardless, her sons should be safe.
"We've come a long way. If I can't see my sons, I won't be at ease and cannot wholeheartedly serve you." Madam Zhu had anticipated this scenario before coming, but she needed to see her two sons first to confirm they were safe and hadn't suffered any mistreatment, so she could then plan how to deal with Zhang Changhe and Wu Caiwei.
The other party considered her words and realized they made sense. She immediately whispered to someone beside her. Shortly after, the two young masters were pushed onto the hillside. Seeing a knife held against their son's throat, Madam Zhu's heart bled.
"How are you? Did they mistreat you?" she eagerly inquired as soon as her sons appeared.
The black-clad men beside them removed the cloths gagging their mouths. With the freedom to speak, the two quickly reassured their mother, "We are fine, Mother. There's no need to worry."
"It's good that you're fine. You are my lifeblood; nothing must happen to you. No matter what occurs, your priority is to protect your lives," she instructed with concern.
"Mother, you too. If you can save us, save us. If you truly can't, flee quickly and don't get entangled with her... Ah!" Before he could finish speaking, the black-clad man beside him punched him directly in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain and unable to speak for a long time.
"If you dare harm another hair on his head, do you believe I won't fight you to the death?" Madam Zhu glared at them. What they didn't know was that Madam Zhu had learned martial arts from her parents since childhood. After all, she came from a prominent family in Wujiang. It was just that she doted on Master Zhu, who disliked violence, and for his sake, she hadn't wielded a weapon in years. However, dealing with ten or eight people was still not a problem.
The County Magistrate's wife looked at her with some surprise. Madam Zhu usually appeared gentle, but she was surprisingly strong when faced with adversity. The magistrate's wife's main target was that couple, not the Zhu family. She softened her stance. "Alright, I know what's important. My enemy is that couple, and capturing your sons was to deal with them. Rest assured, I will treat them well and feed them properly."
"I hope you keep your word. You know I come from a military family. Although our family has declined, every man can stand on his own."
The County Magistrate's wife nodded. Madam Zhu then left the gold, silver, and Miss Yu, and slowly retreated with her people.
As dawn broke, they entered through the back door of the Zhu residence. Madam Zhu, with no sleep in her eyes, sat quietly in her room. Just before noon, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man knocked on her door.
Madam Zhu sprang up, opened the door, and eagerly asked, "Did you find them?"
The man walked past her, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it down in large gulps. After catching his breath, he nodded. A smile finally appeared on Madam Zhu's face.
If the steward were present, he would have recognized this ordinary middle-aged man as the family's stable hand, responsible only for the madam's carriage. However, he had no clear memory of when the man had entered the household. After all, Madam Zhu had brought him in quietly and assigned him such a leisurely position, with his wages paid from her private accounts.
At the time, he had been a bit dismissive, but seeing that the man spoke little and didn't curry favor with Madam Wang, and hearing he was a relative of the madam's family, he hadn't paid much attention. But what others didn't know was that this man was a former renowned general who had fled and lived in anonymity here after being framed and accused by superiors.
When he received that letter yesterday, he had thought of this plan. After the steward left, he had discussed it with him privately and found it feasible. He could take Miss Yu and the advance payment to meet the other party. While he would take the opportunity to slip into the nearby bushes and follow the County Magistrate's wife after they left, to see where she had hidden the two princesses and plan a rescue.
The place where they hid people was indeed well-concealed. If he hadn't followed the County Magistrate's wife, he would never have found them in the mountains. Upon entering, he discovered an abundance of weapons and a training ground, clearly constructed intentionally. Moreover, there were experts guarding the place. If he hadn't run faster, he would have been discovered.
Seeing the madam's happiness, he couldn't bear to tell her about the situation inside, lest she lose her appetite and sleep. However, the people still needed to be rescued, and they had to plan carefully.
ofyearsagain2
When the two sat on the street, they could see people looking at them with inquiring gazes and pointing. At first, they were both bewildered. After a while, they sent someone to inquire and learned news that greatly pleased them. Apparently, someone had spread rumors that Li Siyuan was also driven out by Madam Zhu because Master Zhu had recently passed away, and she was caught with another man. Thus, Madam Zhu, heartbroken, had driven her out to avoid defaming the Zhu family's reputation.
For such news to spread throughout the entire South City overnight and be believed by everyone, there must have been witnesses. And the best witness would be Madam Zhu herself. As expected, they soon learned that someone had specifically asked Madam Zhu about this matter. However, Madam Zhu lowered her head in embarrassment in front of everyone, which seemed to confirm her guilt.
Although it was possible that Madam Zhu had done this, something felt wrong. In the original owner's memories, although Madam Zhu had often made things difficult for her and disliked her, she wore all her dislike on her face and disdained using such underhanded tactics. She had stated that she had been in Blue City for so long to protect Miss Yu, and had no conflict with their family. They had lived peacefully all these days, so why would the other party suddenly target her?
Wu Caiwei patted her forehead in annoyance. She had been so focused on monitoring the Zhu family that she had no idea what was happening in their household. She immediately sent someone to investigate. The investigator returned in the afternoon. It turned out that the young master of the Zhu family hadn't returned for many days, and Madam Zhu had been unusually anxious. Wu Caiwei had a hunch that the answer she was looking for might be found by investigating Madam Zhu's two sons.