Zong Wenxiu had witnessed the entire process of He Zheng being sent away by his younger brother, and the explanation given to his aunt was completely different. He suspected that his brother might want to spend some alone time with their aunt, but he couldn’t understand why he had also called him and their mother along. As a result, he remained mostly silent throughout the journey, afraid of disturbing the two of them.
Little did he know, this was exactly the opposite of what the little troublemaker had in mind. The younger brother gritted his teeth and whispered, “Brother, say something!”
“Huh? Say what?” Zong Wenxiu was utterly confused.
The little troublemaker frantically hinted, “Just talk to your mother! Look at how beautiful the lake is, how pretty the lanterns are, how exquisite the boats are. Aren’t these all things you can talk about?”
The chatterbox couldn’t comprehend how there could be nothing to say.
Zong Wenxiu frowned, thinking to himself, “What’s there to say? It’s all right there to see…”
But under pressure from his brother, he reluctantly opened his mouth and said, “Mother, don’t you think these lanterns are beautiful?”
The little troublemaker quickly followed suit, ready to say something similar to Xu Wan. But just then, several women dressed in green robes suddenly appeared on the lake, gliding across the water and causing ripples.
The little troublemaker widened his eyes in amazement and exclaimed, “Mother, look! There’s a performance! They all know martial arts!”
Xu Wan followed his gaze and saw the green-robed women, their figures graceful and elegant. Despite the cold winter weather, they wore light clothing and danced gracefully in the center of the lake, earning applause and cheers from the onlookers.
“Bravo!” The little troublemaker clapped even more enthusiastically.
He called out excitedly, occasionally stealing glances at Xu Wan. He was happy that she didn’t react strangely when he called her “mother,” but also a little disappointed that she didn’t seem to have heard him clearly. The little troublemaker began planning his next attempt to address her properly…
The performance on the lake grew livelier. The green-robed women leaped onto various boats, dancing as if they were flying. One of them even landed on their boat, smiling and dancing in front of the little troublemaker and the others.
The little troublemaker excitedly waved at her. The dancer moved closer, and soon the two of them were dancing together on the boat. The little troublemaker, ever the show-off, wasn’t the least bit shy in front of the crowd. Instead, he enthusiastically matched her moves, jumping and bouncing around.
Xu Wan couldn’t help but laugh at the little attention-seeker.
“Bravo! Well done!” The cheers from the crowd grew louder, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch.
But then, the green-robed dancer grabbed the little troublemaker’s hand, gave him a sweet smile, and suddenly flew away with him, leaving him screaming, “Do we have to fly this high, sister? You could’ve warned me!”
Xu Wan realized something was wrong and immediately shouted, “Stop! Where are you taking him?”
Cui Liu and Buyan sprang into action, but the green-robed women from the surrounding boats closed in, engaging them in a fight. It was clear that this was a premeditated kidnapping.
“Jin Cheng!” Xu Wan hurriedly disembarked and ran along the shore, chasing after them. But the woman who had taken the little troublemaker was incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts and soon disappeared from sight.
“Quick, report this to the Marquis Manor and the authorities! Search the entire city for Jin Cheng!” Xu Wan was terrified, her fear rising from the depths of her heart. She then shouted, “Head to the Eastern Palace and request an audience with the Crown Princess!”
The fact that these green-robed women had kidnapped someone in broad daylight, in front of so many people, clearly indicated that they were targeting Jin Cheng specifically. They must have known his identity. Reporting to the Marquis Manor and the authorities wouldn’t be of much use. Only the Crown Prince could save him now.
In an abandoned temple on the outskirts of the city, the green-robed woman threw Zong Jincheng onto a pile of straw, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
The little troublemaker was well aware that he had been kidnapped. He had always been protected by Buyan since he was young, and today Cui Liu had been there too. Yet, these people had still managed to take him.
This was just too absurd…
The little troublemaker tilted his head and asked, “Sister, how could you do this in front of so many people? Aren’t you afraid the authorities will catch you?”
The green-robed woman smiled and said, “Of course we’re afraid. But if we didn’t do it this way, how could we catch you off guard?”
The little troublemaker gave a forced smile and finally said, “That’s ruthless. Pretty clever.”
The green-robed woman patted his head and warned, “Kid, as long as you behave, nothing will happen to you.”
The little troublemaker nodded repeatedly. “I know, I know. People in your line of work only want money, not lives. My family is rich. They’ll come to ransom me soon.”
The green-robed woman’s smile froze.
Although they indeed had no intention of harming the boy, his nonchalant attitude was infuriating. This little rascal, known throughout the Capital City as a spoiled brat, really understood nothing.
The green-robed woman tied him up, her martial arts training making her movements a bit rough. The ropes dug into the little troublemaker’s skin, making him grimace. “Sister, be gentle! I don’t know martial arts. Even if you tie me loosely, I won’t be able to escape. If you hurt me, it’ll lower my ransom value.”
The green-robed woman: “...!”
This little brat, with his cute face, really knew how to push people’s buttons. She took a deep breath, grabbed a piece of dirty cloth, and stuffed it into his mouth. The world finally fell silent.
The little troublemaker: “??”
This cloth is so dirty! Sister, you really don’t care about hygiene!
When Xu Wan arrived at the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess, heavily pregnant, came out to meet her. As soon as she saw Xu Wan, she said, “His Highness has already received their message and has gone to rescue Jin Cheng.”
“What? How did His Highness receive a message?” Xu Wan was stunned.
The Crown Princess clenched her hands and looked toward the palace gates. “Jin Cheng is an innocent victim in this. They’re targeting His Highness.”
Xu Wan looked at her in shock.
Kidnapping Jin Cheng was a move against the Crown Prince.
What exactly was the relationship between the Crown Prince and Jin Cheng?
The Crown Princess reassured her, “There’s no need to involve the Marquis Manor. They won’t be able to handle this. Leave it to His Highness. He knows what to do.”
Xu Wan nodded and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.
When the Crown Prince arrived, the doors of the abandoned temple were wide open. The area was surrounded by his guards, not even a bird could escape.
“Release Jin Cheng,” the Crown Prince said, his face pale, to the green-robed woman.
The green-robed woman replied, “Your Highness, if you want to save this child, you’ll have to come in yourself.”
The woman showed no fear, even leaving the temple doors open for him to see. Aside from the little troublemaker, whom she held at knifepoint, the temple was empty.
The Crown Prince stepped forward to enter.
His guards tried to stop him. “Your Highness, you mustn’t. There could be an ambush inside.”
The Crown Prince waved them off, signaling for them to wait at the entrance.
Inside the temple, Zong Jincheng watched as the Crown Prince walked in. Behind him were only people from the Eastern Palace. His mother and the Marquis Manor’s people were nowhere to be seen, not even the authorities.
What’s going on? Wasn’t this a kidnapping?
Weren’t they after money?
Why wasn’t it his family coming to ransom him, but the Crown Prince instead?
What did she want with the Crown Prince coming in alone? Was she planning to harm him? Was she using him to get to the Crown Prince?
Zong Jincheng, who hadn’t been afraid before, suddenly grew anxious. He tried to move, but the knife pressed closer to his neck, sending a chill down his throat.
The green-robed woman coldly warned, “Don’t move, kid. Or I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt.”
