The painting of Chen Xiaobei was quite lifelike, truthfully speaking.
Lin Yang held it in his hand and said to the nearby escorts, "Spread the word to everyone, make them remember this face."
"You go immediately and tell every household, see who did this. If they confess now, I, Lin Yang, can guarantee they will survive. But if the Emperor finds out, it will be a crime punishable by the extermination of their entire clan."
The escort agreed and turned to make arrangements. Lin Yang then looked at the young girl and said, "Junior Sister, don't worry, I will find out for you as soon as possible."
The young girl shook her head, "I might not be able to wait that long. Before dark..."
I waited for her to finish, and Lin Yang quickly said, "Then I can't do that. You'd better find someone else."
The young girl looked at him and sighed helplessly.
"Then tell me, how long do you want?"
Lin Yang looked at her, "I dare not guarantee that either. Who knows which blind fool kidnapped Chen Xiaobei."
The young girl was insistent, "That won't do. If it takes too long, I'm afraid Brother Xiaobei will be in danger."
"If you have no news by tomorrow morning, I will ask Martial Uncle to step in."
"I will also tell Martial Uncle that you were incompetent and delayed my important business."
Lin Yang was amused and exasperated, sighing, "Fine. If there's no news by tomorrow morning, I'll go with you to find Martial Uncle."
"Okay, it's settled then. Tell me, where do we go next?" The young girl was somewhat impatient.
Lin Yang waved his hand, "You'd better go back and check. Perhaps someone else has already found Chen Xiaobei, and we're wasting our effort here."
The young girl had a flash of thought that this made some sense. She also needed to update Liu Rumei and Yang Chun.
When the young girl returned to her own home, Yang Chun and Liu Rumei had already returned. After the three of them shared their respective situations, no one felt relieved. On the contrary, the tension intensified.
Sometimes, no news is not necessarily good news.
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei was awakened by a splash of cold water. He struggled to open his eyes and adjust to the dim environment before him.
There were several strangers in front of him, looking like they were from foreign lands.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei looking at them, Rossi said with a grim face, "Your name is Chen Xiaobei?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded, looking bewildered, "That's right. We don't know each other, do we? We have no past grievances or recent enmities. Why have you brought me here..."
Before he could finish, Rossi interrupted him, "Chen Xiaobei, you've probably forgotten what you did. Let me help you remember!"
"Do you remember what you brought when you came to the capital? I heard you gave a generous gift to the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei shivered.
So that's how it is.
Yang Chun had also mentioned that someone wanted to rescue the spy Ding Lao San on the way.
It seemed these were the people.
Since things had come to this, there was no point in saying anything. After all, he himself had personally handed Ding Lao San over to the Crown Prince. It was only natural for these people to act against him.
Thinking this, he simply remained silent.
Seeing that he was silent, Rossi let out another dry chuckle.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. I need to use you to exchange for Ding Lao San."
Hearing this, Lin Yang indeed grumbled inwardly. Sudangou.com
If there were other demands, Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun might have been more amenable. But exchanging himself for a spy, and in such a manner of kidnapping, the Crown Prince would likely not agree.
However, on second thought, this might not be a bad thing. Those scoundrels would definitely contact Xiao Jingyun, and that would leave clues. He hoped that Liu Rumei and the others' actions would be swift enough.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei's silence, Rossi didn't say much more. He turned and ascended to the ground. After moving the firewood to cover the entrance, Rossi and the others left the room.
It turned out to be a woodshed.
Returning to the main house, Rossi picked up a pen and wrote a letter. He said to someone beside him, "Take this letter to the Crown Prince's mansion and leave the city immediately. Do not return."
The person agreed, turned, and left.
Then Rossi looked at the others beside him, "Alright, we need to go too. Clean up any traces here, so that no one can detect any sign of our activities."
The group worked together to tidy up the courtyard, close the doors and windows, and then scattered some dead leaves and branches in the courtyard to create the appearance that no one had been there for a long time. Then they quietly departed.
As the sun began to set, a letter was placed on Xiao Jingyun's desk.
Zhou Quan said with trepidation, "The messenger handed the letter to the guard and left immediately. The guard dared not open it to read, so he didn't know the contents and naturally did not track the person."
Xiao Jingyun sighed upon hearing this, "Alas, if we could have followed the trail, we might have found a clue to Chen Xiaobei. Now it's difficult for us."
Zhou Quan cupped his fists again, "Your Highness, I believe Chen Xiaobei is still in the city. If we send people to search house by house, we are bound to get something."
Xiao Jingyun shook his head slightly, "This method cannot be used unless absolutely necessary. Searching house by house would create too much commotion."
"However, it is clearly written that if we do not hand over Ding Lao San by tomorrow, Brother Xiaobei will be in danger."
Young Xiao Jingyun frowned, but remained silent. After a long while, he let out a breath towards the sky, "If we search house by house and force their hand, Brother Xiaobei will be in danger instead."
"Your Highness, are you considering handing over Ding Lao San?" Zhou Quan was greatly surprised.
Xiao Jingyun stood up and paced back and forth, his hands behind his back. "Ding Lao San has little significance to us now. The intentions of the Great Lin Kingdom are clear; it's only a matter of time for their attack.
"The only regret is that Ding Lao San has not revealed their attack time."
Zhou Quan cupped his fists again, "Your Highness, perhaps they will change their plans if Ding Lao San is captured."
Xiao Jingyun nodded, anything was possible. But then again, when everyone thinks the plan will change, acting according to the original plan might be an unexpected move. But all this was no longer important. There were many ways to understand the enemy's situation. Thinking this, he waved his hand, "Enough, enough, I won't ask anymore. Being able to exchange for Chen Xiaobei makes this Ding Lao San worthwhile."
As he spoke, Xiao Jingyun stopped pacing and turned to look at Zhou Quan, "Prepare it. According to the time they agreed upon, bring Ding Lao San to five li outside the South Gate tomorrow at noon for the exchange."
And almost simultaneously, Lin Yang rushed to find the young girl.
Upon meeting, Lin Yang said excitedly, "Junior Sister, Junior Sister, there's progress! I've found a clue."
Seeing his excited demeanor, the young girl also became agitated and rushed up to him, "Did you find him? Did you find him?"