The Double-Chapter 631 - 188 Kidnapped_2

There were not a few who resembled her, so her cries were not the most conspicuous. But on such a short street, if Jiang Li ran away, she couldn’t have left the vicinity and would definitely hear Bai Xue’s voice. Moreover, the Jiang Family’s carriage was still in the same place, even though the coachman had died, but as soon as Jiang Li saw the carriage, she would follow the sound and find her way to it.

But... there was no answer from Jiang Li.

Unwilling to give up hope, Bai Xue called out several more times. By this time, aside from the families of the deceased, there were almost no people left. Even those who were separated from their relatives had found them. Bai Xue’s appearance caught the attention of the soldiers, and a young guard asked her, "Miss, who are you looking for?"

"My miss...", Bai Xue said anxiously, "She... She was in the crowd just now, and we got separated. Big brother, can you help me look for her?"

The young officer said, "We have searched this street thoroughly, and all the missing persons have been found. Are you saying that your miss is still not found? Which family’s miss is she...?"

"Searched thoroughly?" A chill filled Bai Xue’s heart, and she couldn’t help but take two steps back.

...

Ye Mingyu had the household’s cooks busy since early morning.

Since yesterday, the procurements had begun, guessing what delicacies were to be prepared today. Every time Jiang Li came, Ye Mingyu always seemed determined to find the very best to offer her. Although there weren’t many women in Ye Residence, there had to be a cook—after all, satisfying hunger is one of life’s major concerns, and moreover, when they sent him to Yanjing City, they expected him to take good care of his nephew’s needs, didn’t they?

And their household was not short of silver, they had plenty.

The table was already filled with a dazzling array of dishes, which would make one think it was an old madam’s birthday banquet, so bountiful. Ye Shijie had also returned to the residence, and Hai Tang assisted Xue Huaiyuan as they came out.

Ye Shijie asked, "Has Jiang Li not arrived yet?"

Ah Shun shook his head, "They’re watching at the gatehouse; still no movement."

"Strange," Ye Mingyu said, "Jiang Li is always so punctual on ordinary days, fearing that we would wait for her. Why has she delayed so much today? If we wait any longer, the food will get cold."

"Could something have happened?" Ye Shijie frowned.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Ye Mingyu tapped him on the head, "Do you speak of your cousin like that? Besides, what kind of place is this, Yanjing City, right under the Emperor’s nose. Your cousin is the Second Miss of the Jiang Family, what could possibly happen to her? Could she be abducted in broad daylight?"

"There are bandits in Yanjing City too," Hai Tang couldn’t help saying.

"What bandits, our house is the biggest bandit around, who dares to be more bandit than us? Isn’t that bringing an axe to the class of Lu Ban? If anyone dares to mess with us, they’re digging their own grave. With one command from Young Master Ye the Third, all brothers in the martial arts world will come to my aid..."

"Enough, enough," Ye Shijie couldn’t listen any longer and cut him off, asking, "Why don’t we send someone to the Jiang Family to ask if Jiang Li has been delayed by something and can’t come?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingyu also became anxious, "That could be possible. With all the complicated issues in the Jiang Family’s house, could it be that Jiang Li is being bullied again? Maybe I should go and see; I’m quite uneasy."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ah Shun, who had been crouching at the entrance, suddenly came back and said, "Master, someone from the Jiang Family has come!"

He said, "The Jiang Family," not "Miss Jiang the Second." The several people at the table all paused; this meant Jiang Li indeed couldn’t come. Could something have happened?

Ah Shun brought the Jiang Family’s servant into the room. The servant seemed to have rushed over in great haste, his clothes dusty as if he had fallen several times on the road, his face covered with sweat. Upon seeing people, he immediately spoke, "Young Master Ye the Third, our young lady is in trouble, she’s disappeared!"

"In trouble?" Everyone in the room was startled, and Xue Huaiyuan also furrowed his brows.

"What happened?" Ye Mingyu demanded hoarsely, "Did Jiang Yuanbai bully her again?"

As someone from the martial arts world, Ye Mingyu was all smiles in front of Jiang Li, but with others, his bandit-like demeanor was blatantly apparent, especially with the scar on his face, which could intimidate anyone.

The servant shook his head repeatedly. "No, it’s not that. The Second Miss came to the Ye Residence in a carriage early this morning. On the way, she encountered a bandit attack where people were being killed. In the chaos, the young lady went missing and now she can’t be found. The old master is going insane and is currently rallying the soldiers to search through the entire Yanjing City!"

"What!" Ye Shijie also stood up.

"What kind of bandit attack?" asked Xue Huaiyuan.

The servant replied, "I’m not quite clear on the details. I just heard that about an hour ago, not far from here on the road, a group suddenly appeared. Those people, dressed as ordinary folks, mingled in the crowd causing havoc and killing, and more than a dozen people were killed. It took a great effort to capture one of the culprits, who then swallowed poison. I heard people say that those were death warriors, but I don’t know what they came for."

Xue Huaiyuan asked further, "Besides Miss Jiang, how many others have gone missing?"

The servant’s expression turned extremely grim, "Only our young lady."

As this statement came out, the expressions of everyone in the room varied, with Ye Mingyu becoming so agitated that he drew his knife and cursed, "Damn it! Could it be that Jiang Li has been kidnapped?"

"Not good." The speaker was Xue Huaiyuan. Everyone turned to look at him as he spoke gravely, "These people are death warriors; they must have come with a specific purpose. It was said that they only hurt ordinary civilians. If their goal was to sow panic, they could have worn more frightening attire and caused more casualties before taking their own lives. However, they chose to blend in with ordinary folks, which implies they wanted to escape easily. It shows that they were accomplishing a mission; from beginning to end, only Miss Jiang is missing, indicating that she was their target. They came for Miss Jiang. Those dozen or so civilians who died were merely a distraction for her abduction."

Xue Huaiyuan’s voice was gentle and steady, but his words were terrifying. Ye Mingyu frowned and said, "Really? But Jiang Li is Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter, who in Yanjing City would dare to cross him intentionally?"

However, Ye Shijie said, "Mr. Xue is right."

"Is Miss Jiang really in danger? Who could have done this?" Hai Tang couldn’t help asking.

"In Yanjing City, there are very few who would dare to act against the Jiang Family. Actually, it’s easy to guess. It’s very likely either Empress Dowager Liu or Prince Cheng. Of course, the Right Chancellor might be involved, but he has no reason to target Jiang Li specifically. Thus, the greatest suspicion falls on Empress Dowager Liu and Prince Cheng," said Ye Shijie.

Xue Huaiyuan nodded, "Precisely."

"Prince Cheng and Empress Dowager Liu? Is there any evidence to directly hold them accountable?" asked Ye Mingyu, eager to act.

"This is only our hypothesis, Elder Master Ye," Xue Huaiyuan said. "Right now, the most important thing is to find Miss Jiang’s whereabouts, not to seek revenge. The Jiang Family has a wide-reaching influence in Yanjing City; to ensure safety, they will surely attempt to get Miss Jiang out of the city. I think we should carefully interrogate everyone at the city gates."

Ye Mingyu slung his knife over his back, "I’m going to call the brothers over!"

"I’ll go have a look outside," Ye Shijie said. "I know a few people from the City Garrison; I will have a word with them. Mr. Xue, please remain in the residence. As soon as any news arrives, we will need Mr. Xue to supervise here," Ye Shijie instructed.

"Alright," Xue Huaiyuan replied, "please be careful."