When only Xu Yijie was left in the room, he still felt a lingering fear. The thought of Wu Caiwei's fierce gaze gave him a bad premonition for some reason.
Walking out of the Xu family's gate, Wu Caiwei couldn't help but look back. She wasn't sure if it was Xu Yijie who had kidnapped Shuqin, but she had a direct feeling that this time it probably wasn't him. However, it should still be connected to him.
The only person she could think of connected to him was Madam Zhou. Although she had only met her once, Wu Caiwei felt she was an overbearing and willful person who did things her own way. She guessed that talking to her nicely wouldn't work, so she had to be tough.
Following the old rule, she leaped over the courtyard wall and entered the Zhou residence. But once inside, a problem arose: she didn't know where to go. Madam Zhou's open association with Xu Yijie made it unlikely that Master Zhou was unaware. Their relationship was probably not as harmonious as it appeared on the surface, so they likely didn't live together.
With so many courtyards, where did she live? Wu Caiwei had no choice but to resort to the most primitive method: hiding in a secluded corner and waiting for an opportunity.
Perhaps the courtyard she entered was a bit remote. After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a maidservant carrying a plate passed by. She quickly and quietly slipped to a nearby spot. Seeing no one around, she drew the dagger hidden in her calf, covered the maid's mouth with one hand, and pressed the knife against her throat with the other.
The maid never imagined she would encounter an assailant. Her eyes widened involuntarily, wanting to scream.
"Don't make a sound. Tell me, which courtyard does your mistress live in? I'll let you go. Otherwise, my knife has no eyes," Wu Caiwei whispered in her ear. Sudan Novel Network.
The maid heard her but remained silent for a long time. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but she was afraid. She feared that if word reached her mistress, even if she escaped today, would she survive later?
Seeing the maid's eyes darting around, Wu Caiwei could guess her thoughts.
She moved the knife away from the maid's neck and slowly brought it in front of her. In the moonlight, the cold glint of the dagger was clearly visible. The maid's eyes involuntarily followed the movement of the dagger. When Wu Caiwei gently brushed the back of the blade against her face, the maid involuntarily stiffened. Wu Caiwei deliberately threatened, "Your face is quite pretty. What do you think would happen if I scratched it?"
The maid's breathing became rapid at the thought of that possibility. Wu Caiwei, seeing a slight shift in her attitude, said fiercely, "If you want to speak, nod your head. If not, shake your head. Don't try any tricks with me. This place is very secluded. If you scream loudly, I'll first stab your neck, make you disappear from this world, and then climb over the wall to leave. By the time the Zhou family servants arrive, they will only see your corpse."
The maid hesitated for a moment before nodding. Her previous words had indeed been effective. Wu Caiwei released her grip on the maid's mouth. The maid quickly pleaded, "I'll tell you, but you can't tell the mistress, or I'll lose my life."
Wu Caiwei was almost amused to the point of laughter. Fortunately, she wasn't a real thief, otherwise, she would have already delivered a fatal blow and wouldn't be haggling with her here. With a murderous intent, she said, "If you don't speak now, then don't speak forever. I'll find someone else."
The maid immediately said, "Mistress lives in Tingyu Courtyard. That is, after you leave this courtyard and go right, you will soon see a lake. The mistress's courtyard is directly opposite the lake."
As soon as she finished speaking, she collapsed. Wu Caiwei quickly pulled her into a corner. Although she didn't want to harm the maid, for the sake of her plan, knocking her unconscious was safer.
Following the maid's directions to the lake, and seeing the three large characters "Tingyu Courtyard" on the courtyard gate, she quietly slipped onto the roof of the main house. Gently lifting a tile, she saw a sumptuously dressed woman being served by a maid, preparing to rest.
Wu Caiwei waited patiently on the roof. Only after the lamp in the room was extinguished and only she and a night-duty maid remained inside did she begin her action.
She took out her dagger and gently jiggled the door latch. Everything went smoothly at first. However, Wu Caiwei was a bit anxious, eager to know the news of her daughter. She didn't wait for them to fall asleep. Madam Zhou, lying in bed, vaguely heard a noise by the door and frowned unconsciously. She didn't think of a thief, only assuming a cat or dog was trapped inside and hadn't been driven out.
"Qianlan, go and see what's happening at the door. Don't let anything disturb my sleep," Madam Zhou said with a hint of dissatisfaction, even a bit of blame.
Qianlan scrambled up and quickly agreed with a trembling voice. Then, using the moonlight, she walked to the door. As soon as she opened it, her eyes widened in terror. Before she could make a sound, she was struck unconscious by Wu Caiwei's palm.
Madam Zhou heard no sound for a long time and became angry. "Qianlan, what is going on? You've been gone for so long and haven't returned. Tomorrow, you'll sweep the courtyard. Your position as a first-class maid will be given to someone else."
Even so, there was no reply. Madam Zhou realized something was wrong at this moment. Her heart skipped a beat. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly lifted the bed curtains, wanting to see what was happening outside.
When she opened them, she almost fainted from fright. A woman was standing by her bed, looking at her with a half-smile, holding a dagger in her hand.
Just as she was about to scream loudly, Wu Caiwei immediately rebuked, "If you scream again, I'll finish you with one slash."
Madam Zhou swallowed the scream that had reached her throat and nervously asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Madam Zhou, what did you do today? Don't you know? You're the one who led me here," Wu Caiwei said with a cold sneer, her eyes fixed on her, wanting to see if the mastermind was indeed her.
"What did I do? I don't know," Madam Zhou asked her with confusion.
"Do you know? Before I came to the Zhou residence, I went to see Xu Yijie first. He told me that you kidnapped our daughter. Otherwise, why would I have come to you? You'd better honestly tell me where my daughter is, or I'll let you taste the sharpness of my blade."
"How can I admit to something I didn't do? Besides, you know better than I do what kind of person Xu Yijie is. Can his words be trusted? In my opinion, he is more likely the culprit, especially since he has been seeing you every day recently and even threatened you."
"Your words remind me that neither of you are good people. You stole my husband, making it impossible for me to live in this city. You even wanted to make me disappear from this world. Today, I will settle all these scores." With that, she maliciously moved the knife from her neck slowly towards her face.