The servant by Grand Tutor Wei's side was the same person who had kidnapped Wang Qingyao. She was utterly shocked, stumbling and nearly falling.
Fortunately, Xiao Yun caught her, looking into her eyes with confusion.
She was afraid.
Xiao Yun didn't know what had happened, so he could only grip Wang Qingyao's arm tightly, his gaze questioning.
Wang Qingyao shook her head slightly, taking a deep breath. She couldn't show any weakness; this was Grand Tutor Wei's territory.
The island, surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on one, was an ideal place for murder and plunder.
In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Wang Qingyao's mind.
She didn't know when she had offended Grand Tutor Wei. Before today, she had never even met him. She had no grievances with the Wei family whatsoever.
If they wanted revenge, it should have started today, right?
Wang Qingyao couldn't figure it out. She steadied her nerves and walked out with the others.
Outside, the twilight was deep, and the wind was still hot. The boatwoman waited by the water to ferry them to the other shore.
Grand Tutor Wei: "Steward Ji, please see our guests off."
"Yes." Steward Ji responded.
Wang Qingyao's body stiffened, her hands clenching into fists beneath her sleeves.
She recognized the voice. Steward Ji's voice was completely different from the kidnapper's. During the abduction, he had deliberately altered his voice.
Grand Tutor Wei went to his study. Wei Qing and Wei Yu returned to their respective courtyards. Steward Ji, with his back bent, respectfully led the way.
Summer weather could change in an instant. Before they reached the second gate, faint thunder could be heard in the distance.
The Fourth Prince said, "It's going to rain heavily."
Before he finished speaking, large raindrops began to patter down.
"Oh no, it's raining."
"No wonder they say June weather is like a child's face, changing in an instant."
Steward Ji led everyone to a nearby pavilion to shelter from the rain. Although the pavilion was spacious, it was still a bit crowded for a dozen people. Guards and servants stood outside, leaving the space inside for the masters and maids.
The Second Prince said with concern, "Before the rain gets worse, let's quickly get on our carriages and go home. If we wait here, who knows how long it will take."
That made sense. Wang Qingyao was the first to agree. As long as she was on Wei family territory, she felt uneasy.
Steward Ji sent someone to fetch rain gear and then had the carriages brought to the second gate. Everyone boarded their carriages under the moon gate as the rain began to intensify.
Wang Qingyao got into her own carriage. Xiao Yun stood by the carriage and said, "I'll escort you back."
Wang Qingyao lifted the curtain, looking at the increasingly heavy rain, and said considerately, "No need. It's raining so hard, and it's dark. You'll have to take a detour to take me home. I'm worried about you."
Xiao Yun chuckled softly. When no one was looking, he squeezed her hand, "Then be careful. The roads are slippery in the rain, tell the driver to go slowly."
He released her hand. Wang Qingyao nodded, "You too."
The Second Prince watched them enviously. He lifted the carriage door and said sourly, "Are you two done? You're getting married in July, you'll be together every day then. It's not like you're missing out on this moment."
Xiao Yun glanced at him and said lightly, "You don't have a partner, you wouldn't understand."
The Second Prince: "..."
He huffed and lowered the curtain.
Wang Qingyao smiled. Xiao Yun gave a few more instructions before getting into his carriage.
Four or five carriages slowly drove out of the Wei mansion. After passing through the side gate, their speed gradually increased.
Wang Qingyao, through the carriage wall, watched the Wei mansion recede into the distance and couldn't help but sigh with relief.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered that with the sudden downpour, she had forgotten to tell Xiao Yun about the kidnappers.
She sighed.
Yinzhu: "Miss, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Yinzhu pursed her lips and smiled, "Miss, are you reluctant to leave Prince Ding'an?"
Wang Qingyao glanced at her sideways and put on a stern face, "You little thing, you dare to joke with your mistress?"
Yinzhu wasn't afraid of her. She deliberately put on a stern face, but her voice was filled with joy, clearly not truly angry.
Yinzhu continued to smile and said, "I think Prince Ding'an is also reluctant to part with you."
Of course. Wang Qingyao herself thought she was quite likable.
The rain grew heavier, and the raindrops hitting the carriage roof made a "dong dong dong" sound.
Listening to the rain, Wang Qingyao thought of her internship as the future Princess of Ding'an.
Xiao Yun was a good boss. He had treated her well from the start, always thinking of her when good things happened, and never forgetting to bring her along when there were good food or fun things...
It would have been even better if he hadn't tried to get her drunk and pry information out of her every now and then.
Just then, the carriage jolted. Then again, and again, two, three times...
Yinzhu complained, "What kind of road is this? It's so bumpy!" She adjusted Wang Qingyao, "Miss, sit tight, don't fall."
Wang Qingyao's heart stirred. She used her clairvoyance to look outside.
It was pitch black outside, but Wang Qingyao could see as clearly as if it were daytime. This was clearly not the road back to the Wang family, but a rugged mountain path.
She looked at the coachman. The coachman, wearing a straw cloak and a conical hat, remained silent, only urging the horse on with his whip.
This was not the Wang family's coachman!
The Wei family was truly audacious. They had secretly swapped the coachman at the moon gate. She had been so preoccupied with talking to Xiao Yun that she hadn't noticed at all.
Yinzhu also felt something was wrong. She quietly lifted a corner of the curtain.
A cool breeze mixed with raindrops blew into the carriage. She squinted, trying hard to discern the surroundings for a while before realizing it was a mountain path.
The road from the Wei family to the Wang family would never pass through a mountain path, not even if they took a shortcut.
"Hey," she exclaimed in alarm, shouting at the coachman, "Where are you taking us?"
The coachman still remained silent, his hand wielding the whip with more force.
Yinzhu became frightened and retreated into the carriage, looking at Wang Qingyao with trepidation, "Miss, have we been kidnapped?"
Wang Qingyao, with her clairvoyance, saw that the coachman had a common face with no distinguishing features.
This reminded her of the two men who had kidnapped her at the dilapidated temple last time. One was Steward Ji, and the other was also a common face. Although it wasn't the same person, they were likely Steward Ji's subordinates.
She calmly reassured Yinzhu, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
"But..." Yinzhu was so scared she was about to cry. Prince Ding'an had offered to escort her, she shouldn't have refused.
Wang Qingyao was very calm. She knew the gold bars were hidden, and ordinary people couldn't harm her.
This was also a good opportunity to see why the Wei family and Grand Tutor Wei wanted to kidnap her.
The carriage bumped along. Yinzhu was scared at first, but then became angry.
"If you're going to kidnap someone, at least find a good road! This is making me sick." She shouted at the coachman again, "Where are you taking us? Let me tell you, our lady is the future Princess of Ding'an's mansion. You'd better let us go obediently, or Prince Ding'an will never forgive you!"
The coachman remained silent. The carriage finally stopped, and the rain had also stopped.
The carriage stopped in front of a mountain dwelling. The house was not large, only two courtyards. A person was seated in the main hall, and it was none other than Steward Ji.
The coachman jumped off the footboard, turned, and said to the people inside the carriage, "Second Miss Wang, please alight."