northernbook Chapter 167 Canglan Ferry (37)
Chapter 167 Canglan Ferry (37)
Before long, Yan Zhen, accompanied by four maids, two old women, and four guards, detoured to the Zhang family to pick up Zhang Shulan and set off.
The Zhang family had prepared a carriage, but Yan Zhen used the excuse of being bored on the road to invite Zhang Shulan to sit in her carriage with her.
Incense for calming the nerves was burning in the carriage. Zhang Shulan yawned incessantly shortly after getting on, and as soon as they left the city gate, she rested her head on Yan Zhen's lap and drifted off to sleep.
The Pei family's carriage led the way, followed closely by the Zhang family's carriage. After leaving the city, the Zhang family's maids and servants did not notice that the carriage had turned at a fork in the road and entered another road.
On one side of the fork in the road, several identical horse-drawn carriages rolled along the dirt road, heading towards Qingshan Temple.
At noon, more than twenty assassins were lying in ambush on both sides of the dense forest along the only road leading to Qingshan Temple.
These people, their faces covered with black cloths and weapons in hand, were intently watching the movements on the road.
Soon, the sound of a carriage could be heard in the distance. The man in the lead reminded everyone, "Everyone, stay alert! When we charge down there, kill everyone you see, leave no survivors!"
"Yes."
Half an hour later, several carriages came into their view. Seeing that the time was right, the man in the lead waved his hand, and more than twenty assassins rushed onto the main road, forcing the carriages to stop.
However, when the carriage stopped, all around was quiet, and the assassins realized that the "driver" on the front carriage was actually a scarecrow.
His heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong. He quickly shouted, "It's a trap! Get back!" and everyone retreated several feet away.
The carriage remained quiet. After observing for a while, seeing neither anyone getting off nor any movement, the assassin leader simply took out his bow and arrow, nocked an arrow, and shot it through the carriage.
Upon firing the shot, he discovered that there was no one in the carriage at all; the several empty carriages had only gotten here because the old horse in the lead had led the way.
What's the matter?
On the other side, after the real Buddhist pilgrimage convoy deviated from the correct road, seeing that the time was almost right, Yan Zhen lifted the carriage curtain and gave a wink to the guards beside him.
The guard wasn't a servant of the Duke's mansion, but rather a subordinate Pei Ji trusted. Receiving her signal, he nodded, then suddenly drew his sword and shouted, "Bandits are robbing us! Quickly, escort our master away!"
With that shout, he slapped the horse's rump with the back of his knife, and the horse immediately started galloping.
The Zhang family's caravan following closely behind, including the drivers, maids, and servants, were so frightened by the shout that their faces changed drastically or they screamed repeatedly. They didn't have time to tell if it was real or fake, and almost instinctively spurred the carriages to follow and escape.
The carriage veered off course and headed further and further in another direction.
Zhang Shulan woke up amidst the jolting and learned that bandits were chasing the carriage. Being just a teenage girl, she was terrified, her face turning ashen, and she burrowed into Yan Zhen's arms, crying, "Sister A-Li, what should we do? What if they catch up..."
"Don't panic." Yan Zhen pretended to be very scared but tried his best to calm down. "The carriage is fast, and the bandits may not be able to catch up. All we can do now is sit tight and not hold the driver and guards back."
Zhang Shulan gripped her arm tightly and nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
The carriage sped for dozens of miles before finally stopping at the foot of a mountain.
“Miss Jiang, the carriage can’t go any further on the road ahead,” the guard said. “However, there is a road leading to a Taoist temple on the mountain. Would you like to go up the mountain and seek the temple’s protection?”
Yan Zhen made a quick decision: "Okay."
So the group abandoned their car and went up the mountain, following the long steps to the Taoist temple called "Chongyang Temple," where they knocked on the door.
To Zhang Shulan's surprise, the person who opened the door was a female Taoist priest in a Taoist robe.
Upon learning that they had been chased here by bandits, the female Taoist priest quickly invited them inside and tightly closed the temple gates.
The group was settled in a side courtyard. After a while, a female Taoist priest who was over fifty years old came over to inquire about what had happened.
As Yan Zhen recounted the story, Zhang Shulan stared at the kind-faced female Taoist priest for a long time before calling out uncertainly, "Granny Lu?"
The female Taoist priest paused slightly, then asked in confusion, "You are..."
"You really are Granny Lu!" Zhang Shulan stepped forward and said excitedly, "I am Lan'er, Lan'er of the Zhang family. My father is Zhang Baichen, the Grand Secretary. A few years ago, I even went with my mother to the Pingxi Earl's Mansion to pay my respects to Old Madam Lu."
The female Taoist priest, reminded by her words, remembered and said happily, "So you are the daughter of the Zhang family."
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the female Taoist priest, she went back to report to her master. Zhang Shulan turned to Yan Zhen and explained, "Sister A Li, we are saved! The old lady of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion is cultivating here. My family has connections with the Pingxi Marquis's mansion, so they won't stand by and watch us die!"
Yan Zhen's face lit up with joy, and he echoed her, "That's great!" But in his heart, he couldn't help but sigh. This silly girl was being used as a bargaining chip without even realizing it, and was even happily counting money for him.
-
The Duke's Mansion.
As dusk settled in, the sky darkened.
Pei Ji returned to his residence after finishing his shift as usual, only to learn that Jiang Li, who had gone to Qingshan Temple to worship Buddha, had not yet returned. He immediately dispatched someone to Qingshan Temple at full speed.
Within an hour, the messenger returned with news: an abandoned carriage had been found on the way to Qingshan Temple, and Miss Jiang, the Zhang family's daughter, and all the servants and maids were nowhere to be found.
They may have been kidnapped by bandits.
This incident shocked the entire Duke's Mansion.
Pei Ji immediately sent someone to the Zhang residence to report the news.
Two quarters of an hour later, Zhang Baichen and his wife rushed to the Duke's mansion. They saw Pei Ji gathering servants and guards to prepare to go up the mountain that night to search for the person. Zhang Baichen hurriedly asked, "Young Master, have you reported to the authorities?"
“No.” Pei Ji said worriedly, “Your daughter is not yet married. If this matter gets out, it will damage her reputation.”
If the news of being kidnapped by bandits gets out, even if the person is rescued unharmed, people will still speculate and criticize whether they have lost their innocence.
Public opinion can be devastating, and rumors can destroy even the strongest bones. Once rumors start, they are very difficult to suppress, and Zhang Shulan cannot bear such malicious speculation.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Baichen felt a slight sense of relief, as this was exactly what he had been worried about. At the same time, he felt a greater sense of goodwill towards Pei Ji for considering these matters.
“I also sent people out of the city to go up the mountain to search.”
After discussing it, both sides decided that Pei Ji and Zhang Baichen would lead the search along the road to Qingshan Temple.
One of them is the heir of a duke's mansion, and the other is an important official of the court. If they were to confront those bandits, they could reveal their identities and put them in a strong position.
Outlaws generally don't want to be enemies with the imperial court and government officials. Knowing their background, they would probably release the person.
Before the city gates closed, the two families, numbering several hundred, disguised themselves as ordinary citizens and left the city in batches.
After meeting up in the woods outside the city, it was completely dark, and everyone lit torches.
Led by Pei Ji, taking advantage of the darkness and the lack of clear direction, they led Zhang Baichen and his group away from Qingshan Temple and towards Fuming Mountain.
At the same time, in the Jinxiu Garden of the Duke's Mansion.
When Yan Jinhe learned that Yan Zhen had gone out to worship Buddha and had not returned, the Crown Prince hurriedly led people out to search for him secretly overnight. She leaned against the couch, feeling extremely happy.
"Keep searching. If we're lucky, we might find a body. If we're unlucky, his beloved concubine and the unborn grandson of the Duke's mansion will only have cenotaphs."
The thought that the Crown Prince would weep and regret Yan Zhen's death brought a cruel smile to Yan Jinhe's lips.
Simply killing that bitch is far from enough.
The Duke's mansion secretly sent people out to search overnight, wasn't it just to cover up the matter and protect that woman's reputation?
She was determined not to let them have their way!
Yan Jinhe beckoned Yin Xin over and whispered, "Tomorrow, spread the word that the Duke's son's concubine and Zhang Shulan were kidnapped by bandits. I want everyone to know that they not only died, but died a filthy death!"