newbobooks Chapter 93 Another sleepless night.
Chapter 93 Another sleepless night.
Some people become speechless when they are nervous, while others become very talkative when they are nervous.
Ye Mingzhu was the latter, probably because it was too awkward to be in a room with a strange "man", so she could only make small talk.
Shen Qing learned that Ye Mingzhu had an older brother named Ye Lan, who was five years older than her. Ye Lan's courtesy name was Huai Ran. He had not entered officialdom when he was over twenty, but instead assisted their father in handling official affairs in Fancheng.
Her maternal family, the Meng clan, was also a prominent family in Cangzhou. She had recently visited her maternal grandparents' home in Weicheng and stayed there for a while. She was kidnapped on her way back to Fancheng.
It wasn't that the two families were too generous; rather, the two cities weren't far apart, and a carriage could travel there in a day. The guards they brought were enough to deter ordinary bandits, and the location of the robbery was nearly thirty miles away from Longhu Mountain.
"Tiger Head Mountain is so close to Fancheng, hasn't Governor Ye ever thought about suppressing the bandits?"
Ye Mingzhu sighed and said, "We can't wipe them out. Although Longhu Mountain belongs to Qi Kingdom, it is close to Jing Kingdom and Xuan Kingdom. In addition, the mountain terrain is complicated, and it is not easy to find refugees gathered here. I only found out today that there are already 20,000 bandits on the mountain."
In these years of constant natural disasters and man-made calamities, it is common for displaced people to turn to banditry. They are impossible to eradicate completely. Even when Shen Qing was in Xuandu, he needed a hundred guards to accompany him when he went out of the city to offer incense.
"One of the guards broke through the encirclement earlier. I wonder if he managed to get the message to Fancheng?" Ye Mingzhu couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Tiger Head Mountain has a strategic advantage, and it would take a lot of manpower to suppress the bandits. Can your father easily mobilize troops?"
Although Ye Yu was the top official in Cangzhou, it was common for the gentry to abuse their power for private purposes, but the local military power should have been in Sima's hands, right?
"The Ye family and the Zhen family have always been on good terms. My father and Uncle Zhen were classmates when they were young."
"Another family friend," Shen Qing couldn't help but ask, "Do you also have a childhood sweetheart, a brother from the Zhen family?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Mingzhu's expression turned somewhat strange, as if she had recalled some unbearable past events. Indeed, there were!
"Uncle Zhen has an only son, Zhen E, whose courtesy name is Yunzhou. He is two years older than me. He was arrogant and conceited from a young age. He was unrestrained and unruly, drinking heavily and riding horses. He was known as the Little Tyrant of Fancheng."
In his youth, with such a good family background, it's understandable that he was a heartthrob. If he was also handsome, he would definitely be a heartbreaker.
When Shen Qing asked about Zhen E's appearance, Ye Mingzhu pursed her lips. Although she didn't want to praise him, she couldn't say anything against her conscience. "He does have a handsome face, at least in Fancheng there is no one who can compare. It's just that he is too flirtatious. He flirts with every young woman he sees."
"Oh, you're very popular with girls. Do you like them?"
"Pah!" Ye Mingzhu almost jumped up. "What sins did I commit to like him?"
That shouldn't be the case. Children who are close family friends and childhood sweethearts often develop feelings for each other, like Li Wan and Su He, Yu Jue and Fang Fan, and Song Yuan in his previous life for Shen Qingxi.
"Could he be an idle and good-for-nothing playboy?"
“Well… not exactly,” Ye Mingzhu’s expression became even more complicated, as if she had swallowed a fly. “Zhen E is exceptionally talented. Although he skips classes every day to eat, drink, and have fun, he surpasses his peers in both academics and martial arts.”
Ye Mingzhu was unhappy because her peers, including members of her own Ye clan, had put a lot of psychological pressure on her brother.
Damn it, his life is so good that even Shen Qing is envious. He comes from a good family, is handsome, and can get first place in his grade without studying. He's definitely someone else's kid.
"And he's a really bad person!" Ye Mingzhu said indignantly. "He's been mischievous and naughty since he was little, and he always likes to cause me trouble. He'll either put bugs in my book box or scratch my homework, making me stand as punishment by the teacher..."
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Ye Mingzhu began to recount Zhen E's misdeeds in detail, emphasizing that this bastard always interfered with her studies and ruined her ladylike manners.
Isn't this just childish elementary school romance? He tries to get the girl's attention through pranks, but judging from Ye Mingzhu's angry expression, he doesn't seem to notice anything at all.
"A scoundrel, a complete scoundrel!" Shen Qing decided to add a little obstacle to Zhen E's smooth life in terms of love.
"Yes!" Ye Mingzhu nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, in the Fancheng barracks, Zhen E's peach blossom eyes lost their warmth as he studied the topographical map of Tiger Head Mountain with a sullen face.
When Zhen E heard that Ye Mingzhu had been kidnapped, he almost rushed up the mountain, but Ali held him tightly and calmed him down.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. The enemy's numbers are unknown, and they occupy the terrain. Since they dare to kidnap the governor's daughter near Fancheng, they must have something to rely on. If he rushes in blindly, he will not only get himself killed, but what about Mingzhu?
Once Zhen E calmed down, he immediately ordered a news blackout, determined not to let the news of Mingzhu's abduction leak out!
"My lord, please have something to eat first." Despite the oppressive atmosphere, Ali brought the food closer.
Receiving no response, Ali cautiously looked up at Zhen E's cold profile illuminated by the candlelight, and couldn't help but recall the words of the young master from the daytime: "Those who disobey orders will be killed without mercy!"
That was the first time he had ever seen his usually carefree and irresponsible husband so menacing.
"What did the Ye family say?"
No matter how hard they try to block the news, the Ye family can't be kept in the dark, and they have to find out.
Hearing the cold voice, Ali snapped back to reality and bowed, replying, "Lord Ye said we should discuss this further..."
"Snapped--"
Before he finished speaking, the small flag next to the sand table was thrown away.
"And when will Father send troops?"
"Master... and Lord Ye mean the same thing..."
"What are we talking about now!" Zhen E's chest heaved violently. Every passing moment was torture for him. He couldn't bear to think about what kind of suffering Mingzhu would endure in the bandit's den.
Ali lowered his head and dared not speak, but he felt sorry for Ye Mingzhu and sighed that beauty is often short-lived.
After a while, Zhen E finally calmed down. He looked at the night outside and decided that if all else failed, he would explore Tiger Head Mountain by himself at night!
Ye Mansion in Fancheng —
Ye Lan frowned and paced back and forth in the room. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and looked at Ye Yu, who was sitting at his desk with a similarly heavy heart.
"Father, are we just going to wait here like this?"
"Wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Zhu Biao must have something to rely on and something to do if he dares to kidnap people near Fancheng. We will only know the power behind him and his plans after we wait for his next move, and then we will be able to fight back."
“But Mingzhu… I’m afraid she can’t wait…” Ye Lan hesitated, then stopped herself.
A flicker of pain flashed in Ye Yu's eyes as well, "Now that things have come to this, it's too late if anything really happens..."
Ye Lan felt extremely distressed and could only hope that the bandits were merely holding hostages and would not harm Mingzhu before achieving their goal.
At the very least, he must live; he can support Mingzhu for the rest of his life.