Cheng Song followed the cart tracks and searched all the way until he picked up Jin Yu's hairpin. Along the way, he felt almost every stone by the roadside that might carry a message. Finally, he found that big white stone. The words "Jin Shui" were clearly visible.
Meanwhile, the Song Mansion was ablaze with lights all night long.
"Your Highness, someone saw Miss Song talking to a man," reported the guard. The news was far from optimistic.
A man?
Prince Yu stopped pacing. Could it be Yan Fei? No, if it were Yan Fei, she would never have left without leaving a message.
Who on earth was that man? He seemed highly suspicious. Song Jin Yu had been missing for a whole day and night.
Song Qin Zhou's hair had turned much grayer overnight. His youngest daughter had always been a sensible child since childhood. Now that she had been kidnapped by bandits, how could he face Qiu Shui Xin in the afterlife?
Cheng Song returned that very night, bringing back Song Jin Yu's hairpin and the message.
The Jin Shui Palace! Good. They were asking for trouble.
Zhong Li Ming Ye and Song Chu Yu led the elite soldiers from Liuzhou City and the guards from Prince Yu's Mansion and rushed towards the Jin Shui Palace.
At the He Mansion,
He Shu Yi had been in a gloomy mood ever since she returned home. Meanwhile, Song Wang Qiu, the young mistress of the He Mansion, was enjoying the fresh fruits sent from her natal family.
She comforted He Shu Yi while secretly looking down on her. What kind of status did she have to even dare to covet Prince Yu's Mansion? Did she really think that just because her aunt was a noble concubine, she could rule the world?
On the surface, she smiled and said, "Shu Yi, look at this hairpin. It suits your complexion perfectly."
"Take it away!"
He Shu Yi sat dejectedly on the couch.
The noble concubine had failed to request an imperial marriage during her last visit home. She didn't even know if the noble concubine had brought it up at all.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She directly threw the hairpin on the ground.
Song Wang Qiu's face changed at the sight, but she didn't dare to offend this younger sister-in-law. She calmed down and made up her mind to give this younger sister-in-law a taste of her own medicine.
"I heard that my cousin from my natal family has been frequenting Prince Yu's Mansion these days. She's really stealing the show," she said, noticing He Shu Yi's face turning darker and darker.
A hint of pride flashed in her eyes as she continued, "The servants all say that she's going to marry into a noble family."
"Nonsense! How could she be worthy of it?" He Shu Yi was indignant.
Song Wang Qiu scoffed. If she wasn't worthy, was He Shu Yi? Just because her aunt was a noble concubine, in the end, they were still just a merchant family.
"However, I just heard from my servant that she disappeared the day before yesterday," Song Wang Qiu said as she sat down on an embroidered stool.
"Heh..."
Really? Good. How dare she try to seduce Prince Yu? I'll surely ruin her reputation.
Seeing her ferocious expression, Song Wang Qiu knew her goal had been achieved and left.
He Shu Yi called over her maid and whispered a few fierce words to her. The maid then left the mansion.
Inside the Jin Shui Palace, Song Jin Yu was locked in a room. She wasn't panicked at all. Ouyang Jin Se's target was only herself.
Niao Niao should be safe.
She finally understood that Ouyang Jin Se had become so paranoid that he was almost crazy.
She really wanted to feel his pulse. Song Jin Yu didn't dare to eat anything in the Jin Shui Palace. She had originally been certain that Ouyang Jin Se wouldn't harm her, but now seeing his paranoia, she had to make more plans for herself.
No matter what, she had to save Niao Niao's life first.
"Ouyang Jin Se, I'm already here in the Jin Shui Palace," Song Jin Yu said coldly when she saw him push the door open and enter.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely let her go," he said as he sat down and motioned for the maid to bring in the food. "I never break my promise to you~"
"..."
Song Jin Yu looked at him and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. How had things come to this?
Was it because of his mother's influence? Should she tell him about that? Song Jin Yu looked at him and suppressed her thoughts. Niao Niao's safety was more important.
"After we get married, I'll let Niao Niao serve you," Jin Se coaxed her patiently when he saw that she refused to eat.
Get married?
What on earth was he thinking? Oh dear, Song Jin Yu was amused by Ouyang Jin Se's strange train of thought.
She, Song Jin Yu, had lived for fourteen years and was being forced into marriage?
She burst out laughing on the couch. "Ouyang Jin Se, you're really..."
"Do you know that I'm not just a small disciple from Tianmen Mountain?" Jin Yu stopped laughing and seriously discussed this issue with Jin Se.
"I'm also the daughter of the governor of Liuzhou, a proper official's daughter."
"My elder brother is the Tiger General of Liuzhou!"
Jin Yu was a bit helpless. "If you send me back now, I promise..."
"not to hold it against you."
Ouyang Jin Se, however, didn't care. "Song Jin Yu, you're my obsession," he said as he reached out his hand to caress her cheek.
Song Jin Yu's evasive action hurt him a little.
"Marry me and be the mistress of this Jin Shui Palace." Seeing that the negotiation wasn't going anywhere, Song Jin Yu ignored him.
That day, rumors about Song Jin Yu started to spread in the wine shops of Liuzhou.
It was said that the eldest daughter of the governor's mansion had first been jilted by the He family and then tried to seduce Prince Yu. Now, she had been kidnapped by bandits.
For a while, Song Jin Yu's reputation became the talk of the town in Liuzhou.
The Song family was too worried about Jin Yu's safety to come out and refute the rumors.
As a result, the rumors grew even more rampant.
One day, Song Wang Qiu came to the governor's mansion with a small gift. When Lady Xiang heard the news, she instinctively asked the maid to decline the visit.
The maid's evasive look made Song Wang Qiu immediately realize that maybe her cousin had really been kidnapped by bandits.
This was really great news. Thinking this way, a mocking smile appeared on her lips. It didn't matter that Lady Xiang didn't want to see her!
Let's see how long you can be happy.
The Jin Shui Palace was bustling with activity. The maids and servants specially brought a bright red wedding dress for Song Jin Yu.
Flipping through the exquisite wedding dress and precious jewelry, she felt really uncomfortable.
Now that she was in this Jin Shui Palace, she had no freedom at all. She didn't even know how Niao Niao was doing. Suddenly, Song Jin Yu saw something and got an idea.
She stopped resisting and seriously looked at these wedding dresses. Seeing this, the maids and old women guarding her became less vigilant.
"Tomorrow is an auspicious day. We can get married and live happily ever after," Ouyang Jin Se entered the room and saw her quietly reading a storybook.
She looked up at Ouyang Jin Se. "Do you know the real reason why your mother has tried to kill me several times?"
"What?" Why did she suddenly bring this up? Jin Se still patiently listened.
"She didn't just dislike me. It's because I'm growing more and more like my mother," Jin Yu put down the storybook in her hand.
She briefly told Ouyang Jin Se about the relationship among Lady Jinhua, Miao Yunshen, and Qiu Shui Xin, leaving out the fact that his mother might be the murderer of Qiu Shui Xin. Song Jin Yu was still soft-hearted. She didn't want Jin Se to carry the grudges of the previous generation like her.
Do you understand? Jin Yu seriously looked at Ouyang Jin Se, hoping that he would understand. "If I marry you, I'll be betraying my dead mother."
However, she underestimated Ouyang Jin Se's feelings for her.
"That was the previous generation's business. In this life, I only want you," the man said possessively, making Jin Yu smile bitterly.
Jin Yu didn't say anything more and secretly thought about how to find a way out in the Jin Shui Palace.
She turned to Ouyang Jin Se and asked, "When will you let Niao Niao go?"
"After we get married."
Jin Yu was anxious. "No."
"You must promise me that I'll see her leave the Jin Shui Palace safely."
Ouyang Jin Se listened to her words. He didn't really care about the life or death of a maid, so he agreed to her request. He would let Niao Niao go early tomorrow morning. No matter what, by the time Song Jin Yu's family arrived, they would already be married. By then, it would be a done deal. Even if Tianmen Mountain didn't approve, they would have to accept it.
Thinking of this, Ouyang Jin Se smiled and said to Jin Yu, "Try on the wedding dress first!" Hearing his promise, Song Jin Yu obediently followed his instructions.