A Good Country Wife-Chapter 643 - 636_1

"Is this message reliable? Has Master Xue really left the Zhao Family and gone back to his hometown?" In a residence in Xin’an City, a middle-aged man with a hooked nose looked at the message on the piece of paper and asked doubtfully.

"Accurate. The person providing us with information is from the Zhao Family. Moreover, she stumbled upon this matter by accident. After I bribed her, she felt that something was amiss and told me everything. She doesn’t know what Master Xue used to do, so she couldn’t guess the reason behind it. I’ve instructed her to keep a close watch. But because the Zhao Family is cautious, there had been no news until now. Master Xue has indeed left the Zhao Family, but where he’s gone is still a mystery. However, he left with a bundle, so I suspect he has gone back to his hometown, probably feeling that the Zhao Family treats him well and wishing to bring his family over."

"That seems to be the case then. Master Xue’s glassmaking skills were top-notch even when he worked in the Imperial Household Department, on par or even superior to the current Manager of the glass workshop. We would never dare target someone from the palace, but to think that the Zhao Family managed to employ him. According to the information gathered, they value him highly. Perhaps they’ve got their hands on some confidential recipe for Master Xue to make. If we could capture him and extract the information, it would surely lead to a significant gain."

"That’s what I was thinking too. So I wanted to discuss with you how we might bring him over. It’s said he left with a few others, and those must be the Zhao Family’s guards. It won’t be easy to make a move on them."

"I will figure out a way to deploy some men. No matter what, we must capture him this time and uncover the secrets of the Zhao Family. Otherwise, our superiors have been pressing us, and it’s going to be hard to explain ourselves."

Lin Yue didn’t know why, but these past few days, her eyelids had been twitching violently, making her increasingly worried about Zhao Erhu. She feared that something had happened to him while he was away. However, separated by such vast distances and oceans, unable to even gather news, all she could do was worry needlessly. Little did she know that it wasn’t due to Zhao Erhu, but rather an issue had arisen with Master Xue.

"Madam, madam, something terrible has happened!" Xixi hurried in, clearly distraught.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Yue’s hand shook as she was embroidering, startled by Xixi’s sudden entrance.

"Madam, Haishi... Haishi has returned," Xixi gasped for air after running too fast and paused for a moment to catch her breath.

Upon hearing of Haishi’s return, Lin Yue stood up abruptly, her face reflecting surprise and gravity, "What? Haishi is back? Wasn’t he escorting Master Xue with a few guards? They’ve only been gone for a few days. What has happened? Where is he?!"

"Come on, out with it! Why are you dawdling?" Lin Yue snapped coldly, her face involuntarily showing a trace of sternness due to her anxiety.

"Madam, Haishi was carried back by others; he’s gravely injured. The man who brought him back said Haishi insisted on returning to report to madam despite his injuries. But he couldn’t hold on and fainted. Knowing Haishi is our man, he decided to bring him over."

"Where is the man who brought Haishi back?" Lin Yue knew she wouldn’t get much more from Xixi, so she wished to ask the person who brought Haishi back if he knew what exactly had happened.

"The person is outside; when I saw Haishi covered in blood and lying on the ground, I rushed to report to Madam in my panic, and so I left him outside. I haven’t had the chance to arrange anything." Xixi was unsure whether she had acted too rashly and made a mistake. She spoke with extreme caution, fearing that Madam would be angry. Madam seemed quite frightening at the moment, even more daunting than when Master was angered.

Lin Yue knew well what kind of person Xixi was, and at such a time, she was hardly in a position to blame her. Besides, given the circumstances, one couldn’t expect a better reaction from anyone else. The most important thing now was to assess the extent of Haishi’s injuries and to figure out what exactly had happened and how someone could assault Master Xue.

Determined, Lin Yue arrived at the entrance, where a crowd had already gathered. Liu Aniu was directing the servants to carefully lift Haishi onto a stretcher. Seeing Liu Aniu handling the situation eased half of Lin Yue’s worries; he was a reliable manager.

"Manager Liu, how are Haishi’s injuries? Have you summoned a doctor?"

Liu Aniu nodded. As soon as he’d learned of Haishi’s injuries, he had sent someone on horseback to Xin’an City to fetch Doctor Zheng at full speed. He also instructed the servants to prepare the things needed to dress the wounds.

"Madam, rest assured. Although Haishi’s injuries are somewhat severe, his wounds haven’t hit any vital spots. His life isn’t in danger. His current unconsciousness is likely due to excessive blood loss. I’ve already ordered the servants to prepare everything necessary, and Doctor Zheng will also arrive as soon as possible."

"That’s good to hear. Hurry and carry him inside, dress his wounds first, feed him something to replenish his blood, and wait for Doctor Zheng to arrive."

After making arrangements for Haishi, Lin Yue remembered the person who had brought Haishi back. She looked around but didn’t se such an individual. "Wasn’t it said that Haishi was brought back by someone? Where is the person who brought Haishi back?"

"Madam, after that person delivered Haishi, they left. I didn’t see anyone when I came over; I only saw Haishi lying on the ground. I learned about it after asking the gatekeeper," Liu Aniu replied, as he had been the first to inquire about Haishi’s condition when he saw the extent of his injuries.

Lin Yue, hearing this, had no choice but to accept the situation. Since the person who had returned Haishi had already left, they could only wait for Doctor Zheng to treat Haishi and for him to regain consciousness before they could ask what had happened. Lin Yue felt a pang of regret for not having the chance to thank the kind individual. And what weighed most heavily on her mind were the guards who had left with Haishi; she didn’t know if they were safe or if they too had fallen prey to the kidnappers who took Master Xue.

Doctor Zheng came and administered acupuncture and medicine. Haishi finally woke up after being unconscious for over two hours. As soon as he awoke, he remembered something and tried to sit up immediately, but his lack of strength due to blood loss made him collapse back, nearly tearing open his dressed wounds.

"Protector Haishi, you’re awake. Lie down and rest. You’ve sustained severe injuries and need to recover properly. The doctor said you mustn’t move around."

It was only then that Haishi fully came to his senses. Seeing the surroundings in the room, he realized he had somehow returned, though he didn’t know how much time had passed since the incident. "No, something terrible has happened. Master Xue has been abducted; I must see Madam immediately, inform her of the situation, and have her send people to rescue Master Xue and our brothers."