Chapter 53: Tea Fragrance Fills the Air
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“What? You couldn’t find her?”
Yu Zhi Yi feigned surprise, then performed another round of divination with a quick flourish. A moment later, she offered an “apologetic” smile. “My apologies. It seems I missed a crucial detail. The general location of Ma Family Village is correct, but there’s a slight deviation. Your sister isn’t in Ma Family Village itself but in a town fifty miles away called Peach Spring Town.”
“In Peach Spring Town, there’s a landlord surnamed Tian. Years ago, after your sister was abducted, she managed to escape by a stroke of luck. She found her way into the Tian family’s trading caravan. The head of the Tian family, seeing her intelligence and quick wit, took her in as his adopted daughter. This was partly because he and his wife had long desired a child of their own but were unable to conceive.
“Your sister couldn’t recall any details about her home or family. Despite their efforts to gather information, the vast territory of the Great Sheng Empire made finding her origins nearly impossible.
“To complicate matters, the abductors left the area within half a year, leaving no further traces.
“Ten years later, when your sister reached marriageable age, the Tian family, reluctant to send their cherished adopted daughter away to suffer, arranged her marriage within the family. Coincidentally, she and the Tian family’s young master had mutual affection, so a wedding was held.
“Although her life hasn’t been entirely smooth since her marriage, her relationship with her husband has remained strong. She has children and lives a relatively happy life.”
Yu Zhi Yi turned her gaze to Duke Courage with a smile. “I know you’re eager to berate me. But before you do, you might want to hurry. If you don’t reach Peach Spring Town within three days, your sister’s son and daughter-in-law will face a calamity.
“After their deaths, your sister will fall into despair and pass away not long after.”
The duke’s face twisted. “!!”
For a fleeting moment, he genuinely considered punishing the Young Madam Du for her brazen lies.
After all, anyone who had been deceived once would naturally be wary of a second attempt.
But… what if she was right? What if his hesitation cost his sister her life?
He couldn’t afford to gamble.
He fixed Yu Zhi Yi with an icy glare. “I’ll believe you this time. But if you dare deceive me again… even if your father-in-law is the chancellor, I will not spare you!”
“Don’t worry, you won’t get the chance to seek vengeance on me,” Yu Zhi Yi replied with utmost confidence.
With one final look, the duke stormed off.
Prince Carefree narrowed his eyes as he studied Yu Zhi Yi. Her calm, peach-like beauty was tinged with an air of indifference that grated against his nerves. Coldly, he accused, “You’ve known all along where my grandaunt was. All this effort was just to torment my grandfather and me—and to humiliate Bing Yue.”
Yu Zhi Yi feigned innocence, her delicate features radiating sincerity. “If that’s what you think, Your Highness, I can’t stop you.”
The prince clenched his fists. Her expression was guileless, her tone earnest…
Yet he was furious beyond reason.
“You’d better hope my grandfather finds my grandaunt. Otherwise… no one will protect you.”
He swept out, his robes swirling, his eyes dark with shadows.
A foreboding feeling gnawed at him. Her words carried weight. Perhaps the duke would find his sister.
But if Yu Zhi Yi proved correct, it would mean her capabilities surpassed those of Bing Yue.
He knew that Bing Yue had simply been misinformed. She had not intended to deceive his grandfather.
He couldn’t allow Bing Yue’s reputation to be tarnished.
Thus…
The grandaunt could be found, but it must not happen at the Tian family’s residence in Peach Spring Town!
Striding out of the Chancellor’s Mansion, Prince Carefree prepared to deploy his men to locate the grandaunt before his grandfather. But before he could issue his orders, one of his trusted aides rushed up, pale and frantic.
“Your Highness! Something terrible has happened to Miss Bing Yue!”
The prince’s expression darkened. “What happened?”
After the failed search, Duke Courage had unleashed his wrath, scolding You Bing Yue mercilessly and barring her from further involvement in the matter.
Bing Yue, accustomed to indulgence and pampering, had never faced such humiliation. Her pride couldn’t tolerate the duke’s verbal lashing.
Determined to prove herself, she delved into books and archives, piecing together clues about the events of the past. To her surprise, she found a lead—one of the abductors from the infamous child-snatching gang.
Fueled by anger and a thirst for revenge, she tracked down the man.
At first, he denied everything. But under Bing Yue’s harsh interrogation, he finally confessed. He admitted to his crimes and even recalled the little girl they had failed to capture. He claimed they had traced her later escape but had left her alone due to her being under constant protection.
The abductor couldn’t remember the location clearly due to the passage of time. He promised to retrieve his ledger from his residence, where detailed records of the gang’s victims were stored.
Bing Yue accompanied him.
But it was a trap.
The gang, ruthless and cunning, had countless tricks at their disposal. Among their arsenal was knockout drugs.
The moment Bing Yue stepped into the house, she was rendered unconscious by the drug.
Though Prince Carefree had stationed two secret guards to protect her, the gang outnumbered them and included martial artists. The guards, fearing they might endanger Bing Yue, refrained from rash actions.
Upon hearing of Bing Yue’s plight, Prince Carefree abandoned all other concerns and swiftly led reinforcements to besiege the gang’s hideout.
None of this was known to Duke Courage, who was already on his way out of the city, nor to Du Zi Heng, confined at home due to his injuries.
Even Yu Zhi Yi remained unaware.
After all, as Bing Yue was a child of destiny, her fate was beyond Yu Zhi Yi’s ability to discern.
With Du Zi Heng’s persistent questioning dealt with, Yu Zhi Yi turned her attention to another matter entirely.