Worrying, they didn't dare to gather too many people to search, fearing that someone with ill intentions might deduce the truth.
Ma Yiyang volunteered to come this way. Usually, when handling cases, he would note down where the noble families in the capital had farms, land, or properties.
Just before Miss Jiang and Second Young Master Su were engaged, the Minister had asked him to investigate the Su family. He knew the Su family had several estates in this area.
The Minister had him select two trusted subordinates to search the nearby Su estates, but they found no trace of Miss Jiang. Ma Yiyang, by feeling the ground with his palm, determined the direction of hoofbeats and carriage wheels, so he pursued alone.
Miss Jiang had eloped with someone, and the more people who knew, the more detrimental it would be for the Imperial Noble Consort and the Sixth Prince.
Even trusted subordinates might be tempted by great rewards and leak the news.
Therefore, he was the best choice.
"I... I didn't elope with anyone..."
Seeing his stern expression and harsh tone, Jiang Yunxia, though wronged, quickly explained, fearing he might think her reckless: "That guard knocked me out and brought me here. I... I didn't want to elope with Second Young Master Su."
She anxiously grabbed Ma Yiyang's lapel, leaning closer: "I'm not that kind of person. I know what I can and cannot do."
She would never do anything that would harm the Jiang family's reputation.
"I see..."
Ma Yiyang's expression softened: "Miss Jiang, understanding the situation, your blessings are yet to come. There's no need to harm yourself over such a man. Let me first send you back."
Gently placing her in the carriage, he tenderly fastened the cloak over her shoulders. This seemingly rough man was not as cold as he appeared.
Considering her shock, her trembling body, he took a warm pouch from his waist and tossed it into her lap, then went outside to drive the carriage without a word.
Jiang Yunxia had thought she liked someone like Second Young Master Su, gentle and spirited. She had never imagined that one day she would feel flustered around Ma Yiyang.
Such a manly man, how had she not noticed him before?
"Yunxia... Yunxia! Wait for me! Don't leave me here! Take me back with you!"
Behind the carriage, Su Changlin, already in pain and terrified of the dark, saw a dead body on the ground and was on the verge of tears.
Hearing his cries, Ma Yiyang drove the carriage more roughly, almost flying if not for worrying about the person inside.
Jiang Yunxia felt Ma Yiyang's temper wasn't very good, quite fiery. She didn't dare mention that Second Young Master Su had shielded her from a knife, just hugged the warm pouch and shook her head vigorously: "I can't hear, I can't hear, I can't hear..."
If not for Su Changlin kidnapping her, she wouldn't have suffered this ordeal on a cold winter night. If not for Ma Yiyang, she would have been doomed.
Su Changlin deserved to suffer; let's see if he dared act so rashly again.
Jiang Residence—
A group waited in the hall, including Jiang Yankun, Lady Ruan, and the children Jiang Junze and Jiang Xinyan.
Externally, they claimed they were gathering to celebrate the New Year, waiting until the second hour of the night to watch the auspicious fireworks on the palace walls.
In reality, everyone was restless, pacing the drawing room, eagerly gazing at the entrance.
Jiang Junze's head was spinning from their constant movement.
Finally, a figure in dark blue appeared. Jiang Yunxia lifted her skirt and rushed into Lady Sun's arms, sobbing.
Ma Yiyang glanced at her, thinking: What a delicate flower.
He had arrived in time, and the guard hadn't had the chance to harm her. This wasn't a big deal, yet she cried.
Besides, a woman's purity isn't defined by her skirt.
Victims shouldn't feel ashamed or sad.
Those who should feel ashamed and be condemned are the perpetrators.
But seeing the delicate flower's red eyes and pitifully burying her face in Lady Sun's chest, he felt the guard's death had been too quick.
He should have taken the guard to the Ministry of Punishment and tried all 300 interrogation methods on him.
Recently, the Ministry of Punishment and the Investigative Bureau had exchanged techniques, and he had just learned a castration method, quite suitable for that vile guard.
He should have let Miss Jiang watch to vent her anger, so she wouldn't cry.
Jiang Yunxia: I truly thank you.
"Was it Su Ruyue's doing?"
A mere teenage girl with such a malicious heart.
It seems the Imperial Noble Consort was right; the Su family isn't a good one.
"Alright, don't cry anymore."
Lady Ruan tidied her hair: "We are blessed people; we don't enter places without blessings. It's better to see their true colors before marrying, isn't it?"
Once married, divorcing isn't easy.
Hexi Palace—
Jiang Xinyue burned the letter: "It seems I've been too low-key recently. They think the Jiang family is easy to bully. One after another, they want to ruin the reputation of Jiang girls, all targeting me."
"What is Xinyue saying? Which fool has upset you again?"
Jiang Xinyue turned and smiled: "With the Emperor here, who dares to upset me? It's just that tonight is New Year's Eve, and I haven't been home to celebrate with my parents for two years, so I'm a bit homesick."
The Xuanwu Emperor removed his cold, heavy cloak and sat beside her: "After the Lantern Festival, I'll start handling palace affairs. If Xinyue misses home, after tomorrow's sacrifice, I'll host a banquet for the ministers, then take Xinyue to visit her family."
Jiang Xinyue immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek: "I knew the Emperor is the best."
It was like a husband exhausted from socializing returning home to a wife's endless nagging and complaints, only to be greeted by a warm embrace, a beloved girl smiling sweetly, and playful banter.
All the fatigue of the day would be purified by her kiss.
Tonight, he had heard many rumors. Some speculated that his affection for Jiang Xinyue was purely due to her beauty.
Those people were too shallow.
The palace never lacked beautiful women; the Emperor possessed the most beautiful women from all over the world.
Everyone loves beauty, and he wasn't denying that he was initially captivated by Jiang Xinyue's looks. But what Jiang Xinyue gave him went far beyond her beauty.
She could praise him and also criticize him, cheer him up when he was unhappy, and console him when he was sad.
Jiang Xinyue brought him a kind of emotional connection that no one else could replace.
