He searched every corner of the yard again, but found no trace of the young lady. Puzzled as to where he had gone wrong, he hurried to the main courtyard to report this discovery to the First Madam.
Upon hearing this, the First Madam immediately stood up, disbelief coloring her voice, "What did you say?"
She then ordered several trusted confidantes to quietly probe each courtyard, searching for any sign of the mistress and her maid. She couldn't fathom how several living, breathing individuals, especially weak women, could simply vanish into thin air.
Meanwhile, the carriage proceeded unimpeded towards the city gates. It was the hour of curfew, and naturally, it was stopped by guards. The woman quickly produced the Zhou family's waist token from her怀. When the guards weren't paying attention, she secretly slipped them several hundred taels of silver and pleaded, "There's an incident at Madam's estate, and I must attend to it urgently. Could you possibly be accommodating?"
The guards peered carefully into the carriage, finding only servants and maids inside. It appeared to be a genuine emergency. Feeling the weight of the bulging money pouch, they were satisfied. Exchanging glances with their fellow guards, they silently opened the city gate.
The carriage traveled south. The man would occasionally lift the curtain to observe the outside. Wu Caiwei, peeking through the gap, saw that it was almost pitch black. Unfamiliar with the terrain, she had no idea where they were going and decided to close her eyes and rest.
They arrived at a small grove of trees. The man quickly instructed the coachman to stop and got out to survey the surroundings.
Then, he opened the carriage door and told them all to alight. The coachman looked at him, bewildered. "What is the meaning of this? Madam explicitly told me to take you to Peach Blossom Town. We are only twenty li from Peach Blossom Town. We should hurry to avoid any unforeseen complications."
"You are unaware of the inner workings from your position outside. There has been a change of plans. The First Madam has instructed us to disembark in this small grove. It seems our people in Peach Blossom Town have been targeted. Two li ahead is Xiaozhai Village, where we will take shelter." The man found that after a night of near-death experiences, he could lie without batting an eye, his mind exceptionally clear and working at high speed. Sudanshuwang
Although his explanation sounded plausible, the coachman remained hesitant, feeling uneasy about not fulfilling his mistress's instructions.
"Alright, you should leave quickly. This was a last-minute instruction from Madam. If you disrupt her important plans, neither of us can bear the consequences. Don't forget, our lives are in her hands." The coachman, upon hearing this, was somewhat relieved. Their indentured servitude contracts were all held by Madam. Where else could they go? Could they easily escape servitude?
As the carriage completely disappeared from their sight, the man impatiently asked, "What are your plans, miss? You overheard our plan in your chambers just now. If you accompany us, I have contingency plans. If you have another destination, we shall part ways here."
"I will accompany you. When we part ways next time, our debts will be settled," she replied. In her past life, the original owner had been imprisoned and knew nothing of the outside world. However, from their plan tonight, it was clear they intended to create the illusion that the original owner had eloped. Although these two had caused the original owner immense suffering, as they had said, if it weren't them, it would have been someone else. Judging by their conduct thus far, they seemed to be honorable individuals.
The man nodded and blew a whistle. Soon, a small man leading a horse emerged from the depths of the woods.
Upon seeing him, the man bowed deeply, a hint of sadness in his voice, "We are as close as brothers. I do not know when we will meet again after this parting. From now on, do not act rashly. Think of your family more."
The small man, who had held back his tears for a long time, finally let them fall, choking back a sob, "The path of escape is perilous. Once we have settled in the south, find a way to send me word of your safety, so I can rest easier."
The man nodded and bid him farewell. The First Madam would soon discover their disappearance and send people to pursue them. It was not advisable to linger.
Their assumption was correct. The First Madam ordered a thorough search, and when they found no sign of the missing individuals, she immediately realized they might have turned the tables. Although she found it impossible that the two would betray her, there was always a possibility.
Soon, she summoned the gatekeepers of the smaller gates and inquired about the situation. When she discovered that four more people had left than she had arranged, she understood everything. She immediately dispatched people to pursue them.
The First Madam angrily slammed her fist on the table. She blamed herself for thinking that fewer people knowing about the matter would be better. She had only hinted to the gatekeepers that the young lady was defiant and insisted on eloping, leaving her, her aunt, in a difficult position, unable to be too harsh or too lenient. She feared that if the young lady truly left, others would accuse her of malicious interference. All she had wanted was for them to make a scene.
Who would have thought that these sheltered young ladies could have colluded with her own people? They had always acted so demurely, only to stab her in the back here. She sneered, "Good, very good. You dare to betray me, and you will face the consequences. Go and fetch Li Lin's wife."
"Madam, you are mistaken! We truly knew nothing about what he did. If we had, how could we not have informed Madam? When we left tonight, we genuinely believed she was carrying out Madam's orders. If we had known she would ruin Madam's plans, Madam would not have needed to say anything; we would have dealt with her ourselves." Soon, a voice crying out in protest appeared before the First Madam.
How could the First Madam not know that this couple lacked the courage to do such a thing? But who else had mistreated Li Yu to the point that she no longer cared about their fate when she left?
"I have brought you here today to inform you that Li Yu has escaped. If you can capture her tonight, you might spare your lives. If you fail, your entire family will be beaten to death tomorrow." The First Madam stared at them with a dark expression. Even if Li Yu felt no affection for her brother and sister-in-law's family, they would surely feel guilt if they died because of her. This was the consequence of betrayal.
Even if they fled to the ends of the earth, she would find a way to capture them and make them wish they had never been born.
When the Li Lin couple were locked in the wood shed, they still blamed each other. "It's all your fault for being so harsh with her all these years. If you had treated her better, she wouldn't have put us in such a dangerous situation."
"When something goes wrong, you blame me. Why don't you blame yourself for gambling? Who was it who lost money and couldn't repay their debts, fearing the gambling house would chop off your hands and feet, and sold your own sister to raise money? Who was it who thought her sister could earn a monthly allowance in a wealthy household and caused trouble at the Zhou family every day, only to lose money again after witnessing the Zhou family's affluence, leading the entire family to sell themselves to the Zhou mansion? Marrying you, I have brought myself eight lifetimes of misfortune." As she spoke, she couldn't help but burst into tears.