It was getting dark, and two servants came out to hang a red lantern with a golden happiness character on the courtyard gate, laughing and saying, âDo you think the second young master will go to his wedding chamber tonight?â
âThat fool had been clamouring for a wife every day. I heard heâs marrying Manager Moâs daughter. Heâs spent a lot for this promotion, even giving up his own daughter.â
The two hung up the lantern and went in. After a while, a woman walked over and entered the gate of the Hu family house. That was Mo Zenianâs mistress.
Mu Yan scolded, âYouâve kidnapped my sister here, and still want to come celebrate her forced marriage?â
Zhong Cheng almost couldnât wait any longer and wanted to rush in to kill them all. Lu Junming said, âIf you rush in like this, you wonât be able to do anything.â
âSo am I supposed to wait here?â
At this moment, the smoke-patterned carriage stopped at the gate of the Hu family house.
That fool got off the carriage. He changed into red clothes to be the groom.
Seeing that fool go in, Zhong Cheng couldnât stay any longer and insisted on breaking in, but Lu Junming stopped him firmly, âLook around the house, there must be a side door for servants. It definitely wonât be guarded as well.â
The three of them searched around the house, and they found that there was a small gate in the northwest corner, leading to a very secluded alley.
Lu Junming went over and gently pushed the gate door, which was locked. He looked along the courtyard wall, and there was a large tree next to it.
âWait here, Iâll go open the door.â
He jumped on the top of the wall lightly and delicately with the help of his spear. Hidden by the tree, he checked that no one was there before jumping down.
Lu Junming opened the door and let Zhong Cheng and Mo Yan in. They hid behind the tree and observed the house to see where Mo Ling would be locked up.
Generally speaking, the masterâs house should be in the front, and the servantâs residents should be hidden in the back, or be in a separate courtyard.
This small door was for the servants of the mansion to come and go, so the house here must be for the servants to live in. Mo Ling definitely wouldnât be here.
The crescent moon had come out. The three walked slowly, using the moonlight to see. The house in front was not only tall but also had cornices. It must be the masterâs residence.
Lu Junming whispered, âWe should find a secluded place to interrogate someone.â
Mo Yan said, âThe maids must know where my sister is locked up.â
Zhong Cheng said, âThe latrine, itâs quiet there.â
Who would hang around the latrine, after all, and besides, most people go to the latrine alone.
Theyâre usually in the corner of the home, usually directly opposite the main gate.
The three of them moved slowly to the corner directly opposite the gate and smelt the pungence of the latrine.
Two women came here while talking. They hid in the shadows, waiting for someone to leave the latrine first.
Both of them went into the latrine, but one of them came out first, âXiao Hong, Iâll leave first. Thereâs a lot of moonlight, so donât be afraid.â
The other person replied, âOk, I donât want you to be scolded by the madam again.â
When the woman came near, Zhong Cheng quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming, and pulled her into the shadows.
The girl was scared out of her wits and started trembling. Mo Yan came over to comfort her and said, âDonât be afraid, we arenât bad people, and just want to ask you something. As long as youâre honest, we wonât hurt you.â
The girl nodded, and Zhong Cheng loosened his hand covering her mouth little by little. She asked with a quaver in her voice, âAre you asking about the girl who was kidnapped?â
Mo Yan nodded, âDo you know where she is locked up?â
The girl pointed out, âThe fool lives in the house to the right.â
She also called him a fool, it seems like she wasnât a loyal servant.
The girl calmed down and said, âThere are several caretakers, Iâm afraid it wonât be easy to make a move.â
âThank you!â
âWeâre disgusted theyâre doing such immoral things! That fool gropes us when he sees us. Itâs revolting. I heard the girl was kidnapped by her own father, just for a promotion. Heâs really wicked.â
The three of them slowly approached the house pointed out by the maid. Sure enough, there were several caretakers guarding the entrance to the house.
Someone in the room said, âMiss Ling, why are you so stubborn! The Hu family has a great fortune, and youâll become their second young mistress when you marry. You can wear nice clothes and eat well, itâs definitely better than marrying a poor farmer.â
It was Mo Zenianâs mistress. She was the only one talking, and Mo Ling hadnât said anything. She had probably been gagged.
The woman babbled for a while, then Mo Lingâs scolding could be heard from inside the room, âIf the Hu family is so good, why donât you marry them you shameless woman-â
Her scolding stopped abruptly. She had probably been gagged again.
Then, the fool, who came out of nowhere, drunkenly tried to enter the yard. Mu Yan said: âDonât let him in.â
Zhong Cheng swiftly went over and dragged the fool over, covering his mouth. Lu Junming struck him on the neck, knocked him out, and he laid on the ground like a dead pig.
They werenât afraid they couldnât beat the caretakers, but they didnât want them to shout and alert more people.
The best way was to lure them over one by one and deal with them individually.
Mo Yan hid in the shadows and called out, âMother Wang, come out.â
She unexpectedly succeeded, and there was actually a caretaker surnamed Wang. The woman quickly ran over and asked, âMadam, did you call for me?â
Mo Yan said âYesâ, and stayed hidden. When the woman had gone out of sight of the other caretakers, Zhong Cheng did the same thing to her as the maiden.
This woman wasnât as easy to deal with as the girl just then. He grabbed her throat and forced her to say the surnames of the three caretakers inside. Mo Yan changed her voice and called them over one by one, and caught two more. The last caretaker became suspicious and refused to come out, and started asking, âWho is it? Who is looking for me?â
There was only one left, so Zhong Cheng rushed over and knocked her out.
Mo Zenianâs mistress mightâve heard the commotion and came out to watch. Seeing no one was there, she asked loudly, âWhere did everyone go?â
Afraid that she would call someone, Lu Junming covered her mouth and dragged her inside. Mu Yan and Zhong Cheng also rushed into the house. Mo Ling was strapped to the bed and gagged. When she saw them, tears immediately flowed down her cheeks.
Zhong Cheng went to untie the ropes, and Mu Yan took the gag out of her mouth, âSister, itâs okay, letâs go!â
Holding the untied rope in his hand, Zhong Cheng went over and tied up the woman tightly, gagged her, and threw her on the bed.
Lu Junming asked Zhong Cheng and Mu Yan to take Mo Ling out how they went in. Heâd follow after, since he could jump over the walls anyways.
Post-translation notes: And I think thatâs the kidnapping arc done! Thank you for reading!