The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 45 - 44

Chapter 44

Mu Manor, Qingyun City.

After receiving a ransom demand letter from the middleman in exchange for the whereabouts of a bandit lair, Bai Lijun decided, after consulting with Auntie Yang, to use her personal savings to pay for the critical information as requested by the middleman.

Since most of her assets were in the capital, it took more than three days to withdraw the funds through the Fengkong Repository’s Qingyun City branch.

Moreover, the amount Bai Lijun had deposited in the Fengkong Repository’s capital branch was not as much as two hundred thousand taels of gold. Therefore, she had to mortgage her shops in the capital to raise the remaining required amount.

During these three days, the Mu family mansion remained as hectic as ever. Officials reported progress daily, and Mu Patriarch and the Elder Mu Furen were equally anxious.

Three days passed, but there was still no trace of the missing Second Young Miss and Sixth Young Miss!

Meanwhile, Bai Lijun feigned illness as an excuse to stay inside her quarters, avoiding people’s eyes. In truth, she was arranging the financial matters at the Fengkong Repository almost daily.

Eventually, she managed to gather the total of two hundred thousand taels of gold demanded by the middleman.

Bai Lijun re-read the details in the letter regarding the rendezvous point for the money exchange. The middleman had instructed her to leave the money in an abandoned house in the western district of Qingyun City at night.

The following morning, they would send the information via mail as agreed.

Although the exchange was risky, Bai Lijun had no choice but to comply, as her children’s lives were at stake.

"Has Auntie Yang secretly contacted the authorities?"

Bai Lijun asked while burning the letter in the brazier to destroy the evidence.

"All set, Miss. Some officials will ambush and capture the middlemen at the abandoned house when they come for the money," Auntie Yang nodded and replied softly. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Bribe them generously. Once they extract the truth from the middlemen, execute them all!" Bai Lijun ordered viciously.

She was resolute not to lose two hundred thousand taels of gold to those who betrayed her!

If they had betrayed her first, she planned to counteract with a scheme, using the money as bait to trap them, extract the truth, and then kill them to prevent any leaks about their collaboration from getting out.

Only dead people could keep secrets!

Late that night, Bai Lijun had Auntie Yang covertly bring people to deliver the money to the designated location. After Auntie Yang left, over ten officials bribed by Bai Lijun were lying in wait outside, ready to catch the target coming for the money.

What they didn’t know was that it wasn’t the intermediaries coming for the money but another group lurking quietly inside the abandoned house the entire time.

Once Auntie Yang left the money inside, a shadowy figure inside grabbed the bag full of promissory notes and silently escaped through the back of the building.

All this happened amid profound silence, while the officials outside had to wait in the falling snow until dawn.

As the morning light broke, over ten shocked officials found that despite waiting until daybreak, they couldn’t capture the criminals. They stormed into the abandoned house only to discover that the money bag used as bait had vanished...

Mu Manor.

Crash!

"How could it vanish? How could the money just disappear!" The furious voice echoed relentlessly within the Furen’s quarters.

Bai Lijun, overwhelmed by anger, hurled and smashed the items around her to vent her frustration. She had planned to use the two hundred thousand taels of gold as bait to capture the culprits, but instead, she lost both the money and the culprits!

It was a loss on all fronts!

"With so many people involved, how could we fail to capture even one!? If they did not come for the money, then how did it vanish? Absurd!"

Bai Lijun continued her tirade, smashing a tea set to pieces on the floor, her once gentle face contorted in rage, becoming a visage of fear.

Crash!

"Calm down, Miss. Perhaps they used another method to stealthily take the money, so our people didn’t see them. Since they have the money now, they must hold up their end of the deal and provide the information. If they fail to do so, we can still alert the authorities."

Auntie Yang stepped forward to try and pacify her. If this rampage continued, everything in the house would definitely be destroyed. Moreover, if Elder Mu Furen learned of this matter, it would be a problem.

"Can you expect me to stay calm? My two daughters have been missing for three days, and I have no clue of their whereabouts. Those traitors dared to backstab me and demand a ransom!"

Exhausted, Bai Lijun slumped into a chair, her heart heavy, as if fighting a lone battle against fate.

She was tired, drained, and anxious; clueless about when this ordeal would end.

Auntie Yang presented her with a cup of tea prepared earlier, "Please, calm down. Without clarity of mind, we cannot strategize effectively to find the young misses. It’s best to stay composed to deal with all the upcoming events."

Bai Lijun sighed deeply, her brows knitting together tightly. She lifted the teacup, seeking solace in its warmth, her chaotic mind finding peace.

"I...I’m just worried for my daughters."

Finally managing to curb her rage, sorrow swiftly engulfed her, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I understand, Miss. But losing your composure won’t help us find the young misses,” Auntie Yang reassured her, gently holding her hands.

“Remember, you must always maintain your wits, no matter the circumstances. Don’t let your emotions take over and ignore the truth in front of you."

Bai Lijun nodded slightly, blinking back her tears, inhaling deeply to regain composure.

Just then, a servant rushed in, presenting an unaddressed letter.

"Miss, a letter for you!"

After exchanging a glance with Auntie Yang, Bai Lijun eagerly tore open the letter, scanning its contents. Auntie Yang gestured for the servant to leave.

"G...Got the news!"

Bai Lijun read with excitement, her hands trembling uncontrollably. "They weren’t lying! They’ve sent the information on the bandits’ hideout!"

Bai Lijun said and laughed happily. Her eyes gleamed with tears again, but this time it was tears of relief and joy.

"Then we must quickly inform the authorities," Auntie Yang suggested, equally relieved.

Following this, the two strategized on how to discreetly pass the information to the authorities, making it seem like an accidental discovery.

When the news reached the authorities, it also reached the Mu family. Mu Cui Ming decided to accompany the chief of the militia to the bandit hideout, determined to rescue his daughters.

However, Bai Lijun implored her husband to let her accompany him. Through tears and pleas, she convinced him, and they followed the chief’s party at a distance.

By dusk, the chief of the militia gathered over fifty men and departed Qingyun City for the decrepit house nestled in the valley.

Having Mu Cui Ming and Bai Lijun trailing in their carriage, waiting to see the outcome unfold...

Eastern Wing House, Mu Manor.

In the enveloping silence and darkness that cloaked Qingyun City, the petite figure of the young miss remained seated at her daybed beside the window, staring vacantly at the flames dancing within the lantern.

As the cold breeze seeped through the window into the room, her small hands tightened the thick cloak around her, seeking warmth.

Her usually bright and cheerful face now bore a stoic expression, her big, round eyes calm, betraying no hint of her inner thoughts.

Krrrrr~

Lu Jiu entered the room with a tray carrying specially prepared tea, known for its relaxing properties and ability to soothe the mind and alleviate stress.

"Your tea, Miss," he announced, pouring the tea into a cup, and extending it towards the young miss.

"Mmm, thank you," Mu Yingying accepted the cup, sipping the tea slowly, her gaze still fixed on the lantern’s flame, deep in thought.

"The two hundred thousand taels have been dispatched to secure our assets," Lu Jiu reported dutifully.

"Aha, I am aware,"

Mu Yingying responded tersely, taking a sip, and pausing to savor her tea. She continued taking a sip dazedly, as if having something in her heart.

Lu Jiu glanced at her unusual demeanor. "The middlemen have been discreetly handed over to the chief of the militia for questioning. They are likely being interrogated in prison by now."

Mu Yingying pressed her lips together, nodding slightly without uttering a word.

Lu Jiu frowned deeply. Normally, his young miss would express her cheerfulness when she was with other people, and showed her cunning, decisive, sharp-witted nature when she was with them, so he found her current silence out of character.

He could sense unresolved thoughts plaguing her, altering her usual demeanor. Over the past three days, she had been contemplating a lot.

"Miss...what are you pondering so deeply? May I know? Keeping it to yourself won’t ease the burden,"

His gentle voice drew her attention, so she slowly looked up at him.

Acknowledging his concern that flashed through his eyes, Mu Yingying exhaled, "I’m unsure...I don’t know how I should feel right now."

"Driven by vengeance, I strived to alter everything, preparing meticulously to avoid past mistakes. Yet, witnessing my enemies falter due to my schemes brings no joy. Why?"

"Though I imagined their suffering, their ordeal, expecting satisfaction from their downfall, deep down, I feel hollow, having not executed the vengeance myself!"

"I, too, plotted to reciprocate the harm they caused me! Their physical pain is one thing, but I aimed to inflict emotional torment, equal to my anguish!"

Pausing, Mu Yingying continued to watch the flickering flame, her eyes turbulent like a storm.

"I...truly don’t know how to feel..."

As Mu Yingying was immersed in her thoughts, she suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked up to find Lu Jiu’s firm grip, then she looked up further, meeting his gaze.

"Although I may not fully comprehend, what I see is your turmoil. Deep down, you regret intervening, causing your foes to defeat themselves. Yet, your heart still harbors resentment, confusing you further."

Their eyes locked, Lu Jiu’s face softened, his frosty demeanor vanished, only emanating warmth and understanding.

"You needn’t feel guilty. Had you not acted, you would be the one at a disadvantage now. Do you think your enemies would harbor any remorse?"

Mu Yingying’s eyes fluttered restlessly. She knew all too well that if she were the one who took a misstep, those three vengeful women would be more than ready to trample and torment her further!

"This was not your doing, but merely retribution on your enemies. If one wishes harm upon others, they must be prepared to face retaliation. Think of the grudges you bear and consider which is truly worse—the animosity you feel or the fate your enemies have encountered?"

Lu Jiu tried to highlight each point, offering logical explanations to alleviate her concerns.

Hearing this, Mu Yingying reflected momentarily, recalling past life memories where death had encroached upon her siblings and herself.

Whether it was her eldest brother, eldest sister, and her own being...

The agony and torment they endured became festering wounds in their hearts, spreading to every limb, too profound for any remedy!

The mere physical pain her adversaries suffered could hardly compare to their emotional scars!

It couldn’t compare at all!

Her lips tensed unconsciously, as sorrow, intense pain, and deep-seated vengeance erupted from her soul’s depths.

In an instant, Mu Yingying resolved her confusion, discarding it entirely to embrace her intrinsic determination and resolution once more.

Indeed!

She had reminded herself that her return was not for forgiveness but to reclaim all rightfully hers and to serve just retribution upon her adversaries!

...

..

.

Meanwhile, nestled in a valley not far from Qingyun City, the authorities had stealthily encircled the dilapidated hideout used by the kidnappers.

Upon the squad leader’s signal, the soldiers stormed in, apprehending all the criminals.

"What!? Soldiers!"

"Run! The soldiers are here!"

The five bandits scrambled in panic, yet their numbers were overwhelmed, they were inevitably captured.

While three perished in the skirmish, the remaining two, severely wounded, were detained, and would face legal punishment in Qingyun City.

Observing the subdued situation, Mu Cui Ming and Bai Lijun alighted from their carriage, anxious to find their daughters inside the hideout.

The sight of numerous girls battered and traumatized, some driven to madness, shook Bai Lijun thoroughly.

Where were they?

Where were her daughters?

She frantically swept her gaze across the room, searching for her daughters with urgent steps, examining each girl’s face one after the other. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of two figures lying face down on the floor in a corner of the room.

Bai Lijun’s heart suddenly sank; her slender hands clenched into fists to suppress her overwhelming emotions as she slowly approached the two bodies.

"Shu... Shuang’er?"

"Fe... Fei’er?"

Bai Lijun called out to them with a tender, trembling voice. As she drew nearer, the familiar attire of the figures became unmistakably clear, intensifying the sharp sting in her eyes as they welled up with tears. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

No...

This couldn’t be...

They simply could not be her daughters...

Bai Lijun stopped at the figures’ toes. Just seeing the condition from behind, her heart immediately dropped. She kept praying to the heavens that the bodies in front of her were not the daughters she was looking for.

She hoped it was her own wishful thinking...

Yet, she was bound to be disappointed again when she flipped the bodies lying before her and was greeted with the familiar faces she had wanted to see these past three days.

Her swan-like eyes widened in sheer disbelief, her lips parted in a silent scream. Her beautiful face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. For a moment, it felt as though the world around her had come to a complete standstill.

Tears of profound sorrow and grief streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably, accompanied by a wailing cry that shook the very hearts of those who heard it.

"Aaaah...! N...No! No! My daughters! No!"

Bai Lijun collapsed, pulling the bodies of her two daughters into a desperate embrace, sobbing as if her heart was breaking.

The daughters she had cherished and nurtured for over a decade now lay before her, barely recognizable, neither alive nor dead in spirit!

The torment of a mother witnessing her daughters’ battered state, after enduring such brutal ordeals, was akin to having a sharp knife slice through her heart and shatter it into pieces.

She tightened her embrace, pressing her face against their heads, murmuring deliriously as if she had lost her mind.

"Sob...Waaah...M...Mother’s here now! Mother’s here, my darlings! I’m right here! You won’t suffer any more. Waah..."

Her wails of inconsolable grief resonated throughout the building, enveloping all present in a shared sorrow.

In such a tragic moment, who could feel the depth of pain more acutely than a mother’s aching heart?

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