The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 41 - 40

Chapter 40

"Why wouldn’t I be here?" the little girl asked with a clear voice, her bright, wide eyes innocently meeting the other’s gaze.

Bai Lijun stared wide-eyed at the small figure before her, struggling to believe what she was seeing.

No!

It couldn’t be!

Why was this dreadful child standing right in front of her!

Then who had been abducted!?

"Ying’er!"

Mu Qingxuan stepped forward, approaching her brother and sister with concern. After inspecting her little sister and finding no injuries, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?"

Mu Gongzhen swept his gaze over the alarmed faces in the room for a moment. It was clear something had transpired before his arrival, causing everyone’s distraught expressions to shift to relief upon seeing Ying’er. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"A servant reported earlier that a dead body was found at a crossroad not far from the temple. It was identified as the coachman sent from our Mu family. Combined with Ying’er’s delayed return, we feared a kidnapping had occurred," Mu Qingxuan explained to her brother.

Mu Gongzhen frowned slightly, questioning how these events coincidentally matched the story Ying’er had shared with him.

Mu Yingying wriggled free from her brother’s embrace and ran over to Elder Mu Furen, who leaned back weakly in her chair.

“Grandmother!”

The little girl hugged her waist and nuzzled her face affectionately, causing the elder’s heart to soften immediately, dissipating her prior anxiety and fear.

"Ying’er...It’s good that Ying’er has returned," Elder Mu Furen exclaimed, exhaling deeply while stroking the child’s back tenderly.

"How did you return with the eldest brother? Weren’t you supposed to follow in the last carriage?" Mu Cui Ming inquired with curiosity.

Peeking out at her father, Mu Yinying explained, "Initially, I was to return in the last carriage, Father. But since it was getting late, I decided to wait and return with my Eldest Brother."

"Then which carriage was hijacked?" Mu Cui Ming muttered to himself, his brows knitting into a tight frown.

Meanwhile, amidst the commotion inside the main hall, hurried footsteps and clamorous voices approached from outside before Auntie Yang appeared, gasping at the doorway.

"Haa, haa."

Sweat drenched Auntie Yang’s face, her clothes clinging to her back as she grasped the door frame, trying to catch her breath.

Upon seeing her, Bai Lijun sensed an ominous premonition.

Elder Mu Furen and Mu Cui Ming also turned to face the newcomer, their brows furrowing in concern. Such agitation likely heralded no good news.

"Mi...Miss! Second and Sixth Young Misses haven’t returned home yet!" Auntie Yang exclaimed, her voice booming like thunder.

Bai Lijun’s face paled dramatically, her lips parting in shock. Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before shifting to terror.

Her two daughters had not yet returned to the manor!

Where could the two of them be?

Could it be...

"How can this be!? Weren’t they said to be home already? Have you searched everywhere?" Bai Lijun rose to confront Auntie Yang, almost losing her composure.

"We...we have searched everywhere, Miss. Initially, the servants didn’t see the young mistresses return to their quarters, assuming they went to the main house. But when a servant inquired, we realized they had vanished!" Auntie Yang replied, her voice trembling, her body quaking.

The young misses disappeared even though the plan was going well. Didn’t this indicate a deviation from the plan?

Thus, it wasn’t Seventh Young Miss who was abducted!

But it was Second and Sixth Young Misses!

Thud!

Bai Lijun suddenly became weak and collapsed to the floor, muttering to herself over and over, her gaze vacant as if she were out of her senses.

"Impossible, impossible, impossible..."

"Miss, please calm down! Gather your senses first!" Auntie Yang came to help Bai Lijun sit properly on a chair, urging her to remain composed before turning to Mu Cui Ming with a serious expression.

"Master, I fear this incident has surely befallen Second and Sixth Young Misses!"

"Fei’er? Shuang’er?"

Mu Cui Ming repeated the names softly, his eyes widening in panic as he felt a tightness in his chest, prompting him to take deep breaths.

"Have you searched thoroughly?" Elder Mu Furen frowned deeply, now not just one but two were missing!

"We have searched the entire manor, Miss. We also checked the dead body found; it is indeed the coachman for Second and Sixth Young Misses!"

Bang!

Mu Cui Ming slammed his fist on the table, his face twisted in anger, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Mobilize our people to search for Second and Sixth Young Misses everywhere! No matter where that vile thief is hiding, drag him here to me!"

"Ye...yes, master," Auntie Yang was visibly startled by Mu Cui Ming’s fierce demeanor, never having seen such an intimidating side of him in decades. It was clear the master was furious.

"Aren’t you considering notifying the authorities yet?" Elder Mu Furen looked at her son’s contorted face with furrowed brows.

"If we report it to the authorities, Fei’er’s reputation will be tarnished. I cannot accept that!" Mu Cui Ming clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his anger.

Fei’er was his cherished eldest daughter, nurtured for years, hoping for a splendid life for her. But if her reputation were tarnished by this incident, his heart would shatter for sure.

Mu Gongzhen looked at Bai Lijun’s lifeless figure for a moment, then turned to look at his father and reminded, "Even if you don’t notify the authorities, only gathering people to search now, won’t the public eventually find out? Rumors will inevitably arise. Wouldn’t it be better to report to the authorities from the beginning to expedite the search?"

Regaining her composure, Bai Lijun lunged to grab her husband’s arm. "Please, report to the authorities now! Hurry and notify them!"

"But if we do that, Fei’er’s reputation..."

Mu Cui Ming hesitated for a moment, seeing the tears streaming down his beautiful wife’s face, his heart ached terribly.

"Reputation can be mended later. Our daughters’ safety must come first! Please, my love...sob...please...please help our daughters," Bai Lijun pleaded with tears, slowly sinking down to grasp her husband’s legs, her sobs filling the room.

Mu Cui Ming could no longer bear to see his wife’s heartbroken state and decided to comply with her request. "Send someone to notify the authorities immediately. Set a reward for any information. One thousand taels for any lead!"

"Yes, master."

The servants quickly acknowledged and dispersed to relay the urgent orders.

Mu Cui Ming bent down to comfort his wife, "Stay calm, A’jun. Our daughters will be alright..."

Bai Lijun’s sobbing did not ease, her heart knowing the severity of the situation more than anyone.

Because it was her who had arranged with a middleman specifically to have the children sent out to bandits outside the city, instructing him to take ‘special’ care.

Just thinking of the horrendous fate her daughters might face, her heart felt as if it were being sliced open!

As the chaos inside the room intensified, Mu Yingying, still hugging Elder Mu Furen’s waist, glanced amusingly at her parents’ distress.

Not yet...

It wasn’t over just yet...

Don’t despair just now; she had one more surprise prepared for them!

After the notification, Qingyun City became chaotic as the authorities gathered forces to search for the two missing Mu family young misses, causing widespread panic among the citizens.

The city gates were closed from dusk, and even late into the night, Qingyun City remained as bright as day.

Torches were lit to assist in the search throughout every area, while ordinary citizens stayed quietly in their homes, fearful amidst the increasingly cold weather, which greatly hindered the search efforts.

At the same time, it was another sleepless night for the Mu family members who had to get up to dress and wait for good news from the authorities.

Bai Lijun cried incessantly from daytime until she finally fainted, prompting Elder Mu Furen to order her to be taken back to her quarters to rest and have a doctor check on her later.

When Bai Lijun awoke, it was already dark outside. She rose and walked out of her bedroom, her expression panicked, calling for her servants continuously,

’Where has everyone gone? Come to me this instant!’

The servants, busy scurrying outside, rushed in immediately upon her command.

Bai Lijun scanned for Auntie Yang but couldn’t find her, ’Where has Auntie Yang gone?’

"Miss, Auntie Yang went to personally supervise the medicine preparation in the kitchen.”

“And is there any good news yet?”

“Uh...” The servant hesitated before replying, “Not yet, Miss.”

Crash!

“Get out! If there’s no good news, don’t show your face to me! Go!”

Bai Lijun flung a porcelain vase with full force at the floor where the servant stood, then scolded and drove her away furiously.

“Ye...Yes, Miss!”

The servant quickly left the house, bumping into Auntie Yang on her way, so she bowed respectfully and then hurried away, frightened.

Auntie Yang, holding a cup of calming medicine, entered the room. Noticing the shattered porcelain on the floor, she frowned, placed the cup on the table, and helped Bai Lijun to sit down.

“Miss, please calm down. Don’t let your anger flare up. If Elder Furen hears of this, you might be reprimanded.”

Auntie Yang warned, patting her mistress’s back to calm her down. Bai Lijun, whose temper had cooled, began to cry again,

“Auntie Yang, what should we do? Fei’er and Shuang’er are in danger. Why has this happened? Waah...”

“I don’t know, Miss. But please, calm down and drink your medicine first. You need your strength,” Auntie Yang said gently, watching Bai Lijun drink the medicine before offering her some tea.

“What should we do now, Auntie Yang? Yes! We know the middleman’s location! Should we send someone to inform the authorities so they can arrest him?” Bai Lijun’s eyes sparkled with the idea, but Auntie Yang immediately quashed it,

“No, Miss!”

“If the middlemen implicate us, what will we do? Even though the plan went wrong and it’s the two young misses who disappear, if Elder Furen learns we actually collaborated with thieves to abduct Seventh Young Miss,...we will be in great trouble!”

“We can’t do this or that, so what can I possibly do other than sit idly by!” Bai Lijun covered her face with her hands, crying once more.

Auntie Yang was silent, unsure of the best course of action, merely praying that no harm would come to the young misses...

As they were engulfed in sorrow, a servant entered, “Miss, a letter has been delivered for you.”

Bai Lijun looked puzzled at the unmarked envelope, took it, opened, and read, then her eyes widened in shock, her face turning pale.

Auntie Yang, equally distressed, glanced at the letter’s contents, then quickly dismissed the servant from the room,

“Th...this...”

Bai Lijun held the paper with trembling hands, her eyes filled with terror.

“That vile traitor dared to betray us, demanding a ransom in exchange for information on the whereabouts of the bandits that kidnapped the young misses!” Auntie Yang angrily muttered under her breath, clenching her fists tightly beneath her sleeves.

“What should we do, Auntie Yang? They are asking for two hundred thousand taels! Should we tell my husband about this?”

Bai Lijun was out of ideas. It wasn’t just her daughters being kidnapped but also a ransom demand!

Two hundred thousand taels of gold!

Where would she find this huge amount of money!?

“We cannot tell the master, Miss. If we do, the truth might come out. The letter even threatens that if they are captured by the authorities, they will confess everything. It would be better to use the money to exchange for the young misses’ whereabouts,” Auntie Yang firmly advised, pressing her lips tightly together.

Bai Lijun wanted to cry again, but she had no tears left, “Such a huge sum! If we don’t inform my husband, where else can we find that money? And how can we trust they won’t betray us again!?”

“It seems we must use our personal savings first, Miss. As for betrayal, we need to plan a counter-betrayal, betraying them before they can betray us again!” Auntie Yang said, her eyes cold, her whole demeanor exuding a murderous intent.

Hearing this, Bai Lijun felt a wave of despair. Using her personal savings that she’d been accumulated over five years?

Wouldn’t that mean she’d have to liquidate all her assets!?

She had to sell her shops and the wealth she had extorted from the Bai family, just to gather the two hundred thousand taels of gold. But if she handed it over to the middleman as ransom, she’d be left with nothing!

This situation was a complete loss!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read ‘The Return of the Seventh Young Lady’ before anyone else with more Chapters at http://www.jinovel.com/en