“Old Madam, this is bad! Old Madam, something terrible has happened!”
An elderly servant ran frantically toward Fu’an Hall, crying out continuously at the top of his lungs.
Startled by the noise, a tall, slender older woman walked out to the front yard with a deep frown and said impatiently, “Go outside and see what it is.”
A maidservant complied.
This woman, surnamed Qin, was the wet nurse of the master of the Liu family. She had a sharp, shrewd appearance, with prominent cheekbones, a pointed chin, and was dressed in respectable dark blue clothes. Every servant in the Liu residence addressed her respectfully as Nanny Qin.
Before long, the old servant was led into the courtyard by the maidservant.
When Qin Huiyun saw the old servant, she was utterly astonished and asked in confusion, “Uncle Zhang, didn’t you go to Su’an with Second Young Master? Why have you come back?”
Zhang Baixiang slapped his thigh hard and said in emotional distress, “Second Young Master is in trouble! He’s in trouble!”
Seeing him so anxious and terrified, Nanny Qin’s heart sank.
“What on earth happened to make you panic like this? Old Madam is taking a afternoon nap right now. Do not disturb her.”
“Aiya, Nanny Qin, a disaster has struck! Second Young Master… he was kidnapped by the bandits of Mount Yanjun!”
The moment these words were spoken, Nanny Qin stared in stunned disbelief, her hands even beginning to tremble. “What did you say?!”
Zhang Baixiang said with a weeping face, “While we were transporting goods and passing by Mount Yanjun, we ran into a gang of bandits robbing us. They killed every single guard traveling with us!”
He immediately began recounting the whole story from start to finish, causing Nanny Qin to stagger, feeling as though the sky had fallen in.
Soon enough, Old Madam Liu, née Zhao, was awakened in her bedchamber from her afternoon rest. Having her peaceful sleep disturbed, Zhao-shi was filled with irritability from head to toe.
In her early sixties, she had fox-like eyes, an aquiline nose, and thin lips—a woman with masculine facial features—currently wearing a face full of annoyance.
Nanny Qin bit the bullet and briefly explained the matter of Liu Ming being kidnapped by bandits.
At first, Zhao Jinhua did not believe it, demanding, “Out of nowhere, how could Second Young Master be kidnapped by bandits?”
With a tearful face, Nanny Qin pointed outside and said, “Old Madam, Zhang Baixiang has returned! He said so himself!”
Only upon hearing the name “Zhang Baixiang” did Zhao-shi lose her composure. “Didn’t he go to Su’an together with Second Young Master?”
Nanny Qin nodded. “He came back alone, he came back!”
Zhao-shi was instantly panic-stricken and lost all her senses.
Nanny Qin hastily summoned her personal maidservant, Caiyun, to serve her in getting dressed.
In less than fifteen minutes, Zhao-shi was dressed in a stone-blue robe, her silver-streaked hair roughly tied up behind her head, as she hurriedly went to the side hall to meet Zhang Baixiang.
Seeing her come out, Zhang Baixiang dropped to his knees with a thud, old tears streaming down his face. “Old Madam, this old servant deserves to die! This old servant deserves to die!”
With that, he kowtowed repeatedly with heavy thuds.
Zhao-shi was irritated by the sight. She waved at Caiyun, who immediately stepped forward to help Zhang Baixiang up.
“What on earth happened? Zhang Baixiang, explain it in detail, stop weeping!”
Zhao-shi wore an impatient look, showing faint signs of flying into a rage.
Zhang Baixiang wiped his tears with his sleeve, his throat choking up. “Second Young Master wouldn’t listen to advice! He just wouldn’t listen!
“Seven days ago, we originally planned to take a detour to Su’an because we heard along the way that there were bandits active on Mount Yanjun.
“However, Second Young Master was anxious to deliver the goods and was afraid of delaying the schedule, so he insisted on going through Mount Yanjun. In the end, we really encountered the bandits. The guard men traveling with us were all killed, leaving only this old servant and Xiao Guan to return with the news, telling the Liu family to send ransom money to redeem him.”
Recalling what happened at the time, Zhang Baixiang trembled all over, repeating again and again, “Our merchant caravan of more than ten people, except for Second Young Master and those of us who came back to deliver the news, were all killed. Not a single survivor was left… not a single one…”
Hearing these words, Zhao-shi’s face turned pale, and even her voice trembled slightly. “Then Second Young Master… what about Second Young Master…”
“Second Young Master was captured by the bandits, and the batch of goods being transported was also seized by them.”
Nanny Qin, standing aside, could not help but interrupt and ask, “Those bandits are so ferocious, was Second Young Master injured?”
At the mention of this, Zhang Baixiang’s eyes turned red again. “How could he not be beaten? Second Young Master has a hot temper. When has he ever suffered such a loss? Naturally, he wouldn’t comply. It was only after this old servant kowtowed to beg for mercy and promised to send ransom money that they finally stopped.”
Nanny Qin said with righteous indignation, “Is there still law and order in this world? Report this to the officials! We must report this to the officials!”
Zhang Baixiang waved his hands repeatedly. “We can’t report it to the officials! We can’t! Those bandits said that if the Liu family dares to report it to the officials, just wait to collect his corpse!”
The words “collect his corpse” terrified Nanny Qin so much that she dared not make another sound.
Sitting on the daybed, Zhao-shi’s face turned ashen-blue. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and gritted her teeth. “What else did they say?”
Zhang Baixiang: “They want the Liu family to bring eight hundred taels of plain silver to redeem him, and it must be delivered by the mistress of the house herself.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao-shi’s emotions surged, and anger rushed to her head. “Utterly outrageous! Eight hundred taels of plain silver! Do those people think our Liu family is a bank?!”
Nanny Qin also said in annoyance, “So much cash silver, how can we gather it all at once…”
Zhang Baixiang remained silent, doing nothing but shedding tears. He was a household-born servant of the Liu family and had been loyal to them for decades.
Seeing that Liu Ming was the only remaining son of the Liu family, yet had met with such a bolt out of the blue—whether he could escape this disaster was another matter entirely—his heart could not help but be filled with panic.
In the evening, the news of Liu Ming’s trouble reached Shaoguang Court.
When the dowry nanny, Xu Lirong, heard the news, she was initially half-believing and half-doubting. Only after confirming it repeatedly did she secretly inform her mistress, Wang Yuzheng.
At that time, Wang Yuzheng was having dinner.
In the month since transmigrating here, she had gradually gotten used to life in this place.
There was no fast-paced traffic, nor was there the noisy hustle and bustle of neon lights and green wine.
Even at a certain moment, she felt that those days filled completely with busy work were already very far away from her.
“That beast treated you like that, mistress. He deserves his retribution for being captured by mountain bandits.”
Nanny Xu murmured softly beside her, her expression displaying an uncontrollable sense of satisfaction.
Wang Yuzheng slowly laid down her chopsticks, not quite believing it. “Where did Nanny Xu hear this news from?”
Nanny Xu lowered her voice and said, “It’s absolutely true. I heard that Zhou-shi from Lihua Court rushed over to Fu’an Hall in an utter panic.”
Zhou Xiaolan from Lihua Court was Liu Ming’s concubine, and it was Wang Yuzheng who had begged her mother-in-law, Zhao-shi, to take charge and bring her into the family.
Speaking of the original host’s experiences, they were simply as awful as it gets.
When Wang Yuzheng transmigrated here after a car accident, the original host had been locked in the firewood shed for seven whole days.
The reason she had been locked in the firewood shed was that on the wedding day, the mistress kept by Liu Ming—namely Zhou Xiaolan—had used her pregnancy to act violently and caused a scene at the wedding banquet, making it impossible for the original host to step down gracefully.
That night, the original host had a massive falling out with Liu Ming, only to be brutally beaten and locked in the firewood shed, ignored and left uncared for.
The original host had a fiery and unyielding temperament. Having been born late in her parents’ lives, she had been held in the palm of their hands; when had she ever suffered such a loss?
Who would have expected that after her parents passed away, the original host, fearing that her clan relatives would usurp her inheritance, followed her late father’s wishes and brought a vast dowry into the Liu family for protection, only to be brutally beaten by her husband on their wedding day.
In the end, the original host failed to cross that hurdle and was literally enraged to death. Wang Yuzheng borrowed the corpse to bring back the soul, transmigrating here from modern times.
She was not like the original host, who was completely inexperienced in the ways of the world. After all, she had started her own business during her college years, relying on e-commerce to get her start.
Later, she brought together like-minded classmates to build a makeshift team, making her fortune in foreign trade, after which her business skyrocketed uncontrollably, basically achieving financial freedom.
As a modern soul who had rolled in the dirt and fought her way through the business world, what kind of person had she not seen?
Not wanting to lose her life again, Wang Yuzheng immediately admitted her fault and showed submission to her mother-in-law, Zhao-shi, managing to escape from the firewood shed.
Not wanting to be bothered by a domestic-abuser man, Wang Yuzheng acted like a virtuous wife and loving mother, begging Zhao-shi to take charge and bring the mistress Zhou Xiaolan into the household to be cared for.
First, Zhou Xiaolan was six months pregnant with the Liu family’s child; second, Zhou Xiaolan was deeply jealous and clung to Liu Ming without letting go, which happened to save Wang Yuzheng from the awkward predicament of consummating the marriage.
Normally, Liu Ming managed business outside; as soon as he returned, he would be called away by Zhou Xiaolan. Wang Yuzheng could just comfortably nurse her injuries, waiting for an opportunity to strike back.
It had only been a month, and retribution had already come.
Wang Yuzheng was secretly delighted.
Except she never expected that this matter could actually involve her.
Later in the evening, someone came from Fu’an Hall to request her presence.
After Wang Yuzheng dismissed the messenger, Nanny Xu speculated, “It must be that Old Madam wants to personally break the bad news to you, mistress.”
Wang Yuzheng could not press down the corners of her mouth. “I’m so scared.”
Mistress and servant exchanged a look.
Nanny Xu reminded her, “Mistress had better restrain yourself a bit, lest people spread gossip.”
Wang Yuzheng gave an “Mm.”
She had always disliked getting close to people, but Nanny Xu had a kindly face and was brought into the family from her maiden home by the original host. She was loyal and capable, and they had gotten along quite harmoniously during these days together.
When mistress and servant went to Fu’an Hall, the sound of Zhou Xiaolan’s sobbing came from the side hall.
Wang Yuzheng pretended not to hear it and went ahead to bow to Zhao-shi, who was sitting on the daybed, calling her “Mother.”
Zhao-shi had a gloomy expression, dark circles under her eyes, and a look of complete exhaustion. She said, “Sit.”
Wang Yuzheng sat down on a stool.
Only then did Zhou Xiaolan bow to her. Bound by Zhao-shi’s presence, Wang Yuzheng asked gently, “What happened to Auntie Zhou?”
Zhou Xiaolan did not say a word, only wiping her tears with a handkerchief as she looked eagerly toward Zhao-shi. “Old Madam…”
Zhao-shi said impatiently, “Stop crying! Your crying is irritating my heart.”
Zhou Xiaolan instantly became much more well-behaved.
Zhao-shi’s gaze fell upon Wang Yuzheng. After pondering for a moment, she finally said, “Does Jiaojiao know that Second Young Master has run into trouble?”
Jiaojiao was Wang Yuzheng’s childhood name.
Caught off guard by hearing this news, Wang Yuzheng revealed a look of astonishment. “Didn’t Second Young Master go to Su’an a while ago?”
Zhao-shi said calmly, “While passing by Mount Yanjun, he was kidnapped by bandits. Now they demand that our Liu family bring ransom money to redeem him.”
Wang Yuzheng frowned. “Those bandits are far too rampant. Mother must not fall for their trick. We must report this to the officials and have the government authorities step in…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Zhou Xiaolan interrupted, “Are you trying to harm Second Young Master?! Once the Liu family reports it to the officials, that gang of ferocious bandits will kill the hostage and make the Liu family go claim his body!”
Wang Yuzheng shut her mouth.
Zhou Xiaolan cried, “Old Madam, we absolutely must not report this to the officials! If anything happens to Second Young Master, how are the two of us, mother and child, supposed to live…”
Zhao-shi could not stand her continuous crying and frowned. “Caiyun.”
Caiyun stepped forward to help Zhou Xiaolan down, saying in a low voice, “Auntie Zhou, please go and rest. You’re heavily pregnant, your body is what matters.”
Zhou Xiaolan still wanted to say something, but seeing Zhao-shi’s displeased face, she had no choice but to withdraw.
The side hall finally quieted down.
No one knew how much time had passed before Zhao-shi finally said, “The bandits of Mount Yanjun demand that the Liu family send eight hundred taels of plain silver to redeem him, and it must be delivered by the mistress of the house herself.”
The moment these words were spoken, Wang Yuzheng’s eyelids twitched, and her complexion changed.
Zhao-shi continued, “Jiaojiao, you are the daughter-in-law our Liu family brought through the doorway with three letters and six etiquette rites, the undisputed mistress of this household. Now that your husband is in danger, you naturally won’t sit by and do nothing, right?”
Nanny Xu on the side said anxiously, “Old Madam, please think twice! That is a bandit’s den!”
Zhao-shi barked sternly, “When the master speaks, why should a servant interrupt?!”
Nanny Xu’s face turned pale, and she looked at Wang Yuzheng in panic. Wang Yuzheng’s face did not look good either.
“Why doesn’t Mother report this to the officials?”
Zhao-shi replied, “Mount Yanjun connects to neighboring Su’an. If we report it to the officials, it would require yamen from both places to make the arrest. By the time the government dispatches people, it will be far too late.”
Wang Yuzheng kept her mouth shut and remained silent.
Zhao-shi: “Second Young Master is the only surviving child of the Liu family. His elder brother died of illness, and his elder sister was kidnapped and sold. I will not allow anything to go wrong with him.
“Jiaojiao, you are the wife he married into this house. If something terrible happens to him, your life as a widow won’t be easy either.
“In this world, without a man to support the family, taking even a single step is difficult. You have experienced the predicament of relatives trying to usurp your inheritance in your maiden home, so I presume you understand the reasoning behind this.”
Asking her to go to a bandit’s den? Not a chance in hell!
“I’m not going.”
“Wang Yuzheng!”
“Liu Ming’s life is a life, but my life, Wang Yuzheng’s life, isn’t a life?”
Zhao-shi glared at her with an expression as if she wanted to devour her alive.
In the past, Wang Yuzheng would still put on a show in front of her, but now she didn’t want to pretend at all.
Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stared at each other. Only after a long while did Zhao-shi soften her stance. “Whatever conditions you have, you can state them.”
Wang Yuzheng raised an eyebrow. She only wanted to be a widow.