“Are you all useless? It’s been five days! Grandmother’s birthday banquet is almost here, and you still haven’t found her!”
Qu Tong kicked the servants kneeling before him.
“Fourth Young Master, we’ve already done everything we can. Unfortunately, Third Miss seems to have vanished from the capital.”
The servants clutched their chests, feeling deeply aggrieved.
“What about the others? Have they found anything?”
Qu Tong glared at them darkly.
Old Madam Qu had ordered his father to send people out to search for Qu Jinshu, and his father had assigned the task to them.
Without Qu Jinshu around to take his place, his eldest brother had to handle official business. That left the task to him and the sons born to Concubine Dong and Concubine Lu.
There were eight children in the Marquis’s household.
His mother had given birth to three of them.
Concubine Dong had one son, who ranked fifth.
Qu Jinshu ranked third.
Concubine Lu had a pair of twins, a boy who ranked sixth and a girl who ranked seventh.
The remaining child was an unfortunate maidservant who had been favored by their father and given birth to the Eighth Miss before dying.
The Fifth and Sixth Young Masters relied on being male heirs of the Marquis’s household and had secretly pulled quite a few tricks over the years.
When they heard that Qu Jinshu was being hunted down, they had even volunteered to help their father.
He couldn’t quite understand what his father and grandmother were thinking…
Especially his grandmother. Although she doted on legitimate children, she also looked after the concubine born children. Sometimes, she even showed them more concern than she did their eldest sister.
As a result, those two had stolen quite a bit of the attention that should have belonged to their branch of the family over the years.
If they really managed to capture Qu Jinshu first this time, wouldn’t they become unbearably arrogant?
“Fourth Young Master, rest assured. The Fifth and Sixth Young Masters haven’t found her either,” a servant quickly replied.
“Then why aren’t you going out to look for her? My mother said that if I manage to find her, she’ll ask Grandmother to give me the gambling house in the eastern part of the city!” Qu Tong shouted at them.
That gambling house was one of the most profitable businesses owned by the Marquis’s household. If he could get his hands on it, his private funds would be well stocked.
“Yes, yes! Fourth Young Master, please rest assured. This servant will go look for her right away.”
“Why are you so angry this early in the morning?”
Suddenly, Qu Ya walked in.
The moment Qu Tong saw her, he immediately put on a flattering smile. “Eldest Sister, what brings you here?”
“I came to see how things are going. Judging by your expression… I take it things aren’t going very well?”
At her words, Qu Tong’s face immediately fell. He gritted his teeth. “I never expected Qu Jinshu to be so good at hiding.”
“Tomorrow is Grandmother’s birthday. She hates it when useless parasites spoil her mood, so you must capture Qu Jinshu. Let me give you an idea.”
“What idea?”
Qu Ya spoke with the confidence of someone who had everything under control. “Isn’t Qu Jinshu most concerned about that lowly mother of hers? Have someone spread the news that Concubine Tang has gotten into trouble. That will surely lure her out, and then we can catch them both in one go.”
“Eldest Sister, you’re brilliant! That’s a great idea! Qu Jinshu always does whatever Concubine Tang tells her. There’s no way she’ll stand by and do nothing. Once she shows up, I’ll make sure she can’t escape.”
“She caused Second Brother so much trouble, got Brother Xiujun demoted, and even snatched away the red tasseled spear. I’ll make her regret it!”
“Alright. Why are you making such a fuss over dealing with one Qu Jinshu? If you keep dragging this out, Grandmother and Father will only become more disappointed in you. Mother asked me to remind you to handle this matter properly. Understand?”
Qu Tong snorted. “Alright, Eldest Sister. Now that you’ve given me an idea, how could I possibly fail?”
“To make sure nothing goes wrong, I’ll give you two people.” Qu Ya motioned for the man and woman standing behind her to step forward.
Both had expressionless faces, and their eyes were filled with murderous intent.
“Qu Jinshu is quite skilled in martial arts. Ordinary household servants might not be able to capture her. These two are among the best martial artists. With them working together and the ambush you’ve arranged, Qu Jinshu won’t be able to escape.”
“Thank you, Eldest Sister!”
…
Waterside Pavilion
Bitao hurried into the room.
“My Lady, there’s still no news of Third Miss. But I just saw Fourth Young Master leading a group of people out in a hurry. Perhaps they’ve found out where Third Miss is.”
“My Lady, should we rescue Third Miss?”
Tang Moying was drinking tea. Only after hearing Bitao’s words did she slowly raise her eyes.
“To think she managed to hide for so many days despite so many people searching for her. She truly is my daughter. And making Gao Qionghua’s people suffer a setback was a fine way of letting off some steam for me.”
“Just let them be. If Qu Jinshu could be captured so easily, she wouldn’t deserve to be my daughter.”
“Wait. You said Fourth Young Master personally led people out? If he weren’t confident, he wouldn’t bother going out himself. Could that unfilial daughter really have been discovered?”
Tang Moying’s expression turned even colder.
“I understand now! Qu Tong probably doesn’t know where she is, but he’s confident he can catch her. Could he have set a trap?”
Bitao didn’t understand. “A trap? What kind of trap?”
“The only trap that could make Jinshu fall into their hands would have something to do with me.”
Bitao asked, “Then shouldn’t we stop them, my lady?”
Tang Moying sneered. “Why should we? Someone is willing to teach that unfilial daughter a lesson for me. I couldn’t be happier. Let her suffer a little. Then she’ll realize how foolish it was to defy me.”
“Exactly! My lady, you’re absolutely right,” Bitao quickly agreed with a flattering smile.
“And that maidservant by her side…” At the mention of Yunshui, Tang Moying’s expression turned sinister.
“Jinshu has always obeyed my every word, but this time she acted completely differently. I suspect that maidservant by her side has been filling her head with nonsense.”
“Once you find that maidservant, you know what to do, don’t you?”
Tang Moying took out a dark green bottle.
Bitao’s expression turned just as vicious. “Rest assured, My Lady. I’ll take care of everything.”
Even now, she still held a grudge over the slap Yunshui had given her that day.
What right did that wretched maidservant have to hit her?
She would make sure that woman regretted it in hell.
“By the way, when will the Marquis be returning?” Tang Moying turned and asked.
Her maidservant, Bailan, approached with some things in her hands. “The Marquis won’t be back for another half an hour.”
“Then hurry and come do my eyebrows! Give me the same style the Marquis praised last time.”
“Also, bring me the new fragrance I had prepared. Once the Marquis smells it tonight, he’ll definitely stay here with me.”
“The Marquis still cares about me, deep down. That old witch and Gao Qionghua have been giving me the cold shoulder because of Jinshu, but the Marquis hasn’t blamed me for it. Instead, he said it was his fault for failing to raise his daughter properly.”
Tang Moying gently caressed her face, her expression shy and coquettish, like an eighteen year old girl.
…
Late at Night
Dressed in black, Qu Jinshu climbed over the courtyard wall.
This was Mengxi Garden, some distance away from the Marquis’s residence.
Back when she and Tang Moying were not acknowledged by the Qu family, Qu Sheng had arranged for the mother and daughter to live here.
Tonight, news had spread from the Marquis’s residence that Concubine Tang had committed an offense and been punished according to the family rules. She had then been carried back here.
Upon hearing the news, Qu Jinshu hurried over. But the moment she landed, a large net suddenly dropped from above.
She secretly held back her strength, pretending to have been caught completely off guard.
She raised her sword, intending to cut through the net, but two figures quickly emerged from the shadows.
A sharp glint flashed deep in her eyes.
They had certainly gone to great lengths to deal with her.
Her opponents attacked fiercely, and before long, she was subdued and held firmly in place.
Yunshui, who was hiding in the shadows, wanted to rush out, but Qu Jinshu stopped her with a single glance.