Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 130

Chapter 130: The Search

As time passed, the Gao family caravan moved further and further away from Mingzhou City.

An hour later, the caravan stopped for breakfast.

It was only then that Jiang Mi realized she had only been carrying money and had not brought any food. Of course, in reality, she could not possibly have brought any food; traveling alone without even a mount, how many meals could she possibly carry?

While others ate heartily, Jiang Mi sat silently in the carriage, seemingly oblivious to hunger. One of the stewards of the Gao family caravan frowned, thinking, “These young masters know nothing and dare to venture out alone!”

After a moment’s thought, he waved for someone to call Jiang Mi over.

Looking at the short, small boy standing before him, head bowed and eyes lowered, the old steward could not help but soften. He coughed and asked, “Can you cook?”

Jiang Mi nodded.

“Stove fire?”

Jiang Mi nodded again.

“Then you will do more of these things from now on.”

It took Jiang Mi a moment to understand that the old man was asking her to exchange her labor for food. She nodded quickly and whispered, “Thank you, Master.”

It was unclear which of Jiang Mi’s words touched the old steward’s heart, but he sighed, patted Jiang Mi’s shoulder, and said, “You can still go home now.” With that, the old steward turned and left with his hands behind his back.

…

Cui Residence.

Old Madam Cui was talking with several middle-aged women in a side room when suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. In the blink of an eye, the maid and servant who served Jiang Mi appeared at the door, sweating profusely.

The two were about to speak, but upon seeing so many people in the room, they quickly shut their mouths.

Seeing this, Old Madam Cui frowned. She waved for the unrelated people to leave, leaving only Cui Ziying and her daughter-in-law, who was in charge of managing the Cui family mansion. Old Madam Cui asked the two servants, “What happened?”

A maid and a servant knelt down with a thud. The servant said in a trembling voice, “Madam, the young mistress is missing.”

Almost as soon as the servant finished speaking, Cui Ziying said urgently, “What do you mean? What do you mean the young mistress is missing?”

The maid said hurriedly, “Today, the young mistress said she wanted to go to the restaurant as usual, so Xiao Wu and I went with her. After arriving at the Chunri Restaurant, she booked a private room on the second floor and told us to wait outside. But we waited and waited and saw several groups of people going in and out of the room. The young mistress still had not come out, so we called out to her. She did not answer, so Xiao Wu and I ran into the room, but the young mistress was not there!”

The servant added, “The private room at the Chunri Restaurant is a large open room, separated by a screen about one person’s height. We stood outside the door the whole time, but we did not see any woman who looked like the young mistress come out.”

The servant had not finished speaking, but everyone present was astute enough to understand immediately. That Lady Jiang likely knew disguise. And then, using her disguise, she slipped away right under their noses.

The room fell silent.

Old Madam Cui clutched her forehead. Seeing her sudden exhaustion, Cui Ziying rushed over to support her.

After regaining her composure, Old Madam Cui spoke, ordering, “Investigate the number of people who left the private rooms of the Chunri Restaurant during that time period, their identities, and appearances. Track them down one by one!”

“Yes.”

“Send men to do it immediately. Do not let a word get out!”

“Yes.”

After issuing two orders, Old Madam Cui no longer had the energy to deal with the maid and servant. She waved for them to be taken away. Old Madam Cui felt dizzy for a moment.

Beside her, Cui Ziying saw her grandmother so angry. Her pretty face flushed crimson, and she said angrily, “Those from humble families are just unfit for respect! What time is it now? Does she not care about the family’s reputation or Elder Brother’s hard work…”

Old Madam Cui waved her hand, silencing Cui Ziying, and then said softly, “This Lady Jiang is of great significance to Xuan’er; we must find her no matter what! Ziying, you go and arrange it yourself.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Cui Ziying left, Old Madam Cui slumped onto the couch and closed her eyes.

On one side, Lady Cui Wu, one of the most influential daughters-in-law of the Cui family, spoke up. She said, “Mother, Lady Jiang’s good fortune is no exaggeration… her disappearance at this crucial juncture is hardly a good omen.”

After a while, Lady Cui Wu asked, “What happened?”

Old Madam Cui said wearily, “She learned that Zi Xuan plans to take six concubines as his concubines in three months.”

Lady Cui Wu sighed deeply and could not help but say, “Ziying’s right; those from humble families simply do not consider the bigger picture!”

Old Madam Cui was truly exhausted. After a while, when her dizziness subsided, she whispered, “Where are the three maids Lady Jiang brought? Bring them here!”

“Yes!”

Cui Ziying had just stepped out of her grandmother was room when she saw Cui Zi Xuan enter the house, surrounded by his young masters.

Looking at the handsome and dashing Elder Brother, so radiant in the sunlight, Cui Ziying felt a pang of sadness.

Meanwhile, Cui Zi Xuan saw Little Sister in the distance. She was not rushing to him with her usual cheerful chatter; instead, her brow was furrowed with melancholy. He turned to his young masters, dismissed them, and strode towards Little Sister.

Soon, Cui Zi Xuan stood before Cui Ziying. Looking down at Little Sister, Cui Zi Xuan asked softly, “What happened?”

Cui Ziying looked up at Elder Brother.

After a while, Cui Ziying bit her lip and said softly, “Brother, there’s something I need to tell you; please do not be angry.”

The smile on Cui Zi Xuan’s face slowly faded. He looked calmly at Little Sister and said in a deep voice, “Okay, go ahead.”

Cui Zi Xuan said softly, “Lady Jiang…she’s gone missing…”

It took Cui Zi Xuan a while to understand the meaning behind Little Sister was words.

Cui Ziying glanced at Elder Brother, bit her lip, and continued, “She disappeared on her own. The servants who were with her said they kept watch outside the room and only realized she was missing after Lady Jiang did not come out. Brother, she disguised herself and left right under the servants’ noses!”

At this point, Cui Ziying looked at Cui Zi Xuan.

Cui Zi Xuan’s face was pale and ashen, and veins bulged on his forehead!

Cui Ziying felt even more distressed; she glanced back at him. “Hey, aren’t those three Lady Jiang’s people? Brother, quickly call them over and ask them.” As soon as she finished speaking, Cui Ziying called to the Three Mothers, “Come here for a moment.”

The Three Mothers had just come out of Old Madam Cui’s courtyard, their faces pale. Upon seeing Cui Zi Xuan, they all showed expressions of shame and remorse.

After they stopped, Cui Zi Xuan spoke. He asked in a hoarse voice, word by word, “What exactly happened?”

The Three Mothers knelt down with a thud. Facing their son-in-law’s cold face, Mother Li said with shame, “It’s all my fault. These past few days, the Princess has not been able to eat or sleep. I always thought she would gradually understand, so I did not try to persuade her in detail.”

Mother Gui was also in pain, choking back tears. “I noticed the Princess’s expression was off, but I just could not help it. What woman does not go through this? The Princess is already a bit delicate; if we had just indulged her and comforted her, she would have become even more delicate. So I just used grand principles to pressure her.”

Mother Gong was even more distressed, her face pale and her voice trembling. “When she heard that the son-in-law was going to take a concubine, the Princess was in great pain. It’s all my fault. I knew the son-in-law would leave on their wedding night, and he would be gone for days. The Princess waited and waited, but even the son-in-law… Before she could even see him, she heard that her husband was going to take concubines, and each of those concubines was of higher status than the princess. It was no wonder the princess was upset. This was my oversight; I regret it so much!” She said, pounding her chest and panting heavily.

Mother Gong’s words were clearly blaming her elder brother! Cui Ziying was a little angry and was about to reprimand her, but seeing Elder Brother’s expression, she swallowed her words.

Cui Zi Xuan’s face was very pale.

He stood there for a while, his face ashen, and then, after a long pause, Cui Zi Xuan spoke coldly, “Do not worry, she will not go far!”

Upon hearing this, the Three Mothers simultaneously looked up.

Cui Ziying, who revered Elder Brother like a god, was the first to excitedly ask, “Really? Why do you say that, Elder Brother?”

Cui Zi Xuan’s face remained expressionless. He coldly replied, “She’s been pampered for years and cannot even ride a horse. She has no relatives or friends. Where could she possibly go?”

The Three Mothers exchanged glances, still feeling uneasy. Only Cui Ziying nodded repeatedly, saying, “That’s true. People like us, used to being waited on hand and foot, how could we possibly adapt to being out in the world? If it were me, I would definitely come back obediently.”

…

Evening arrived in the blink of an eye.

The caravan had already found a place to camp. Jiang Mi was busy building a stove and boiling water, her face a patchwork of black and white from exhaustion. The black was, of course, from the soot in the stove, and the white was from her lack of food and sleep these past few days, leaving her weak and exhausted.

Seeing Jiang Mi so busy, Shao Xiaozi rushed over to help. But he knew nothing; he hurt his hand building the stove with a stone and scalded his foot boiling water, mostly making things worse.

Frustrated, Jiang Mi had no choice but to beg him not to did anything, just to follow behind her.

Shao, feeling a little embarrassed, followed Jiang Mi around a few times. Seeing her sweating profusely from exhaustion, he suddenly said, “Brother Wang, you ran away from home too, did you not?”

Jiang Mi, who was picking wild vegetables, froze.

After a moment, she resumed picking vegetables, saying softly, “You said ‘too’; does that mean you ran away from home too?”

Shao chuckled and said, “I went to find my brother.” He said happily, “They said my brother went to Suzhou, and I miss him.”

Jiang Mi asked casually, “Did your brother work outside before?”

“No, he was a minor official under General Zhao of Later Zhou.”

Jiang Mi said, “Oh.”

On one side, Shao, noticing Jiang Mi’s increasingly pale face, grew worried. He advised, “Judging from your appearance, you’re clearly spoiled. If you can go home, I suggest you do.”

Jiang Mi put away the vegetables she was picking and walked towards the riverbank not far away. Looking at Shao, who followed closely behind, she said hoarsely, “You do not understand. I think things are fine as they are.” Only by constantly being busy and tired could she avoid overthinking, and only then would her heart not ache so much!

…

Cui Zi Xuan stood in the study.

The study was a mess, with shattered porcelain everywhere. Several sweating guards had just rushed to the threshold when they met their master’s face in the flickering candlelight, and they all froze in their tracks.

A moment later, the guards cautiously entered the study, bowed to Cui Zi Xuan, and one of them said, bowing deeply, “Reporting to Young Master, we’ve searched the taverns on East Street, but we could not find the young mistress.”

As soon as he finished speaking, with a loud “smash,” Cui Zi Xuan picked up a teacup and slammed it heavily to the ground!

The guards shuddered.

Just then, Cui Zi Xuan’s voice, barely containing his rage, rang out, “Get out!”

The guards, as if granted a reprieve, scrambled out of the room.

As soon as they left, Cui Zi Xuan plopped down on the couch, panting heavily.

As he panted, he ground his teeth in hatred. In the candlelight, his face was a ghastly, ashen blue.

A moment later, the guards heard a low growl coming from the study, followed by the usually elegant lord’s furious, teeth-grinding voice, “Jiang Mi! Jiang Mi! How dare you! This is no peaceful time! You, you did not even bring anyone with you!”

He was truly enraged; with a flick of his sleeve, another series of clanging and shattering porcelain sounds rang out!

Cui Ziying entered and saw Elder Brother in this state.

She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward. Reaching Elder Brother, Cui Ziying softened her voice and pleaded, “Brother, you have not eaten. Have something to fill your stomach.”

Cui Zi Xuan glanced at her. After a while, Cui Zi Xuan asked in a hoarse voice, “Has Grandmother rested?”

Cui Ziying shook her head. “Not yet.” Then she added, “Grandmother’s headache has flared up again.” She glanced at Elder Brother.

Cui Zi Xuan knew why his grandmother’s headache was acting up. After a moment, his low, hoarse voice came, “You said Lady Jiang, since she did not want to… why did she…” He immediately realized his words were superfluous and fell silent.

After a moment of silence between the two siblings, Cui Ziying suddenly felt a chill. She looked up at Cui Zi Xuan and pleaded again, “Brother, please eat something.”

Cui Zi Xuan shook his head. He stood up expressionlessly, drew his sword with a swift motion, and walked out of the room. He said in a hoarse voice to the guards outside, “Since we cannot find anyone in the city, we will have to leave. Gather everyone and search for merchants and travelers within a thirty-mile radius of the four cities in the east, west, south, and north!”

“Yes!”

Cui Zi Xuan closed his eyes tightly and, after a long pause, said again, “The young mistress knows disguise; do not let any man or woman with a similar build escape!”

“Yes!”

Seeing Cui Zi Xuan about to leave, Cui Ziying quickly ran out and grabbed Elder Brother. Clutching her brother’s sleeve, she cried out urgently, “Brother! This cannot be leaked!” She rushed in front of Cui Zi Xuan, blocking his way, saying, “Brother, even if the servants are tight-lipped, things have gotten this big, and word will inevitably get out. What will become of your reputation if it gets out?”

Cui Zi Xuan abruptly looked down at Little Sister.

After staring at Cui Ziying for a moment, Cui Zi Xuan gasped, “You know how chaotic it is outside… the longer she stays out there, the greater the danger!” As he said this, the veins on Cui Zi Xuan’s forehead throbbed, and he gritted his teeth, ordering, “Let’s go!”