"Help! Help!"
"Is anyone there? Someone, please!"
"Someone's been kidnapped here!"
"Who will save me?"
Wang Qingyao screamed her lungs out, her desperate cries echoing non-stop for five minutes. Yet, the desolate, dilapidated temple remained silent, with no one responding.
Using her clairvoyant eyes, she saw that they were likely in the outskirts, sparsely populated. Nearby, there were only woods and grassland, with no houses in sight.
"Am I going to die here?" she thought despairingly.
She then tried to struggle against the ropes binding her wrists. The kidnapper had tied them tightly, likely a knot that wouldn't come undone. She struggled for a long time, her wrists becoming red and burning, but she still couldn't break free.
To make matters worse, she suddenly needed to use the restroom.
It must have been the rose tea she drank earlier.
Wang Qingyao's face turned green. She mustered all her strength and roared, "There's a beautiful young lady here who needs to use the restroom! Whoever saves her will have her promise of marriage!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yun, leading a group of people, stormed in.
Ah, how unpredictable life is.
The scene became awkward. The seven or eight patrolling officers stared at Wang Qingyao in shock. Xiao Yun wanted to laugh but suppressed it, pursing his lips.
Wang Qingyao feigned composure, "You've come at the perfect time. Come, untie me."
Xiao Yun stepped forward and untied the ropes. His gaze fell on her reddened wrists, and his eyes chilled.
Wang Qingyao, acting as if nothing had happened, strode out of the dilapidated temple. Once she was a distance away, she covered her face with her hand. "So embarrassing!"
Later, Wang Qingyao learned how much trouble the kidnappers went through to capture her.
First, when Yuan Bao went to the novel teahouse to find the owner, they sent someone to lure him out of the Sang Family's entertainment district. Then, they had people promote flower baskets to Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao. The flowers were sprinkled with a sleeping drug. After Xiao Yun left, the drug took effect, and two governesses, pretending to be Wang Qingyao's servants, carried her away under everyone's watchful eyes.
Xiao Yun couldn't find Yuan Bao or Wang Qingyao. The owner was evasive and refused to explain clearly, so Xiao Yun beat him up. Only then did the owner tell the truth.
It turned out that not long after "Secret History of Tragic Love in the Deep Palace" became popular, he was targeted by a masked man. The masked man captured him, learned that Wang Qingyao was the author, and instructed him to notify him the next time Wang Qingyao came. He also threatened him not to perform this novel again, or he would smash his teahouse.
"Could it be professional rivalry?" Xiao Yun guessed.
He said this while already in a carriage with Wang Qingyao, using a small spoon to apply ointment to her wrists.
The ointment was transparent greenish-blue, with a faint medicinal fragrance. It felt cool and comfortable on the skin.
"It doesn't seem like it," Wang Qingyao said. "It's more like..."
She frowned and pondered for a moment, "It's more like I wrote something extraordinary."
She recounted the kidnapper's questions one by one and sighed, "Alas, I probably can't write anymore. Even if I do, no one will dare to speak of it."
Xiao Yun said, "It doesn't matter. You write whatever you want. I've already bought that teahouse."
"Ah!" Wang Qingyao exclaimed in surprise. "That must have cost a lot of money!"
"It was quite expensive, so you need to write diligently and earn the money back for me."
Wang Qingyao rubbed her hands together. "No problem. But can I have some shares?"
"Why do you want shares? After... after we get married, mine will be yours."
"It's different. This is my pre-marital property."
"Alright, alright, you can have shares."
Wang Qingyao beamed and made a heart shape with her fingers. "Love you!"
Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow. "I just heard someone say they'd promise themselves to whoever saved them. What if someone else had rescued you..."
Oh, he's still holding a grudge.
It was time to pledge her loyalty again.
Wang Qingyao quickly moved closer to him. "How could I possibly marry someone else? I fell in love with you, Your Highness, at first sight. I will only marry you!"
"If I recall correctly, 'love at first sight' was also what you used to trick the Empress Dowager?"
Wang Qingyao chuckled a few times. "The plot was fictional, but the feelings are real. The first time I saw you at Xinghua Tower, I was captivated by your imposing figure and handsome features..."
Xiao Yun: "Are you a bit superficial?"
...
After the kidnapping incident, Wang Qingyao became much more well-behaved, staying indoors for quite some time.
On the seventeenth of March, the scholars finished their last exam, and the Spring Imperial Examination officially concluded.
Wang Da called Tian Yu to his home. Together with Wang Zijing, they inquired about the exam. Both were confident and said they had performed well. Wang Da was relieved.
Before Tian Yu returned, he visited Wang Qinglin at Lijing Courtyard.
Wang Qinglin's confinement had ended two days prior. Tian Yu heard from the maids that during her confinement, she had been copying books like "Lessons for Women" and "Inner Admonitions" daily.
When he arrived, she was wearing a plain, simple water-blue dress, with no makeup. Her hair was adorned only with a jade hairpin, nothing else. She stood alone by the window, looking thin.
Tian Yu felt a pang of heartache. "Lin'er."
Wang Qinglin turned around, still holding a copy of "Incantation for a Calm Mind." "Yu Gege," her voice was choked with sobs.
Tian Yu's heart ached even more. He quickly went to her. "Why are you standing by the window? Although it's spring, evil winds can still make you sick."
He took her hand and led her away from the window. They sat together on the chaise lounge.
Tian Yu continued, "Are you still worried about that matter? Don't worry, no one is discussing it anymore. The people of Duanjing have short memories, and our matter is no longer fresh news. Once I achieve success, I will come to marry you, and then no one will be able to say anything."
Two blushes appeared on Wang Qinglin's face, adding a touch of color to her gaunt complexion.
"Mmm," she nodded and asked, "How did you do on the exam?"
Tian Yu felt he had done well. When Wang Da had asked earlier, he had refrained from boasting, but in front of the one he loved, he couldn't hide it. He became spirited and confidently said, "I'm sure to be in the top rank. It will ultimately depend on the Emperor's preference."
Regarding the Emperor's preference, he and Wang Zijing had received guidance from Wang Da and were well aware of it. He didn't understand how Wang Zijing composed his essays, but he felt his own were flowery and pleasing.
Wang Qinglin nodded. "Then the Tian family will hold a banquet to celebrate."
"Naturally," Tian Yu said proudly. "You can come too. We will sincerely apologize to Sister Yao in front of everyone, and then no one will mention this matter again."
Wang Qinglin's smile faltered. Apologize? And in front of everyone? He might not care about his reputation, but she did!
A heavy sigh rose from Wang Qinglin's chest, and her expression grew even more somber. She said nothing.
Tian Yu said, "Your complexion is not good."
She replied, "I forgot the time last night while copying books."
"Then I'll leave first. You rest for a while."
Wang Qinglin nodded and called a maid to see him out. Once he was outside the courtyard, Wang Qinglin let out a cold laugh. "To make me suffer and be humiliated over such a small matter, what will happen in the future?"
Tian Yu was a frequent visitor to the Wang family. The maid stopped at a spot a little outside Lijing Courtyard. Tian Yu walked towards the second gate on his own. As he passed the garden, he happened to glance inside and saw Wang Qingyao and a maid playing shuttlecock.
He had never known she could play shuttlecock before. She looked like a real little girl, her face beaming with youthful smiles. The shuttlecock seemed alive, fluttering up and down beneath her feet, never falling.
Why had he ever thought she was gloomy?
Wang Qingyao turned, saw Tian Yu, and the shuttlecock fell. As expected, seeing a scumbag brought bad luck.
Yin Zhu clapped her hands. "Ninety-seven! Not a hundred, I win!"
Tian Yu walked over. Yin Zhu instinctively stepped in front of Wang Qingyao. Wang Qingyao gestured for her to relax.
Tian Yu said, "Sister Yao, I've come to apologize to you."
Wang Qingyao held out her hand. "Stop. I don't have a brother like you. Please call me Miss Wang Er."
"Miss Wang Er," Tian Yu readily changed his address. "I'm sorry about what happened last time."
"It's alright," Wang Qingyao said with a fake smile. "Okay, I forgive you. You can go, cough, cough, leave now."
Her attitude was perfunctory, clearly showing she didn't want to say another word to Tian Yu. Tian Yu bowed deeply to her. "Whether you accept it or not, I am sincere."
He left without waiting for Wang Qingyao's response. He walked a few steps and then looked back. Wang Qingyao wasn't gazing after him as he had imagined. She had already started a second round of shuttlecock with her maid.
He truly held no importance in her heart.