The masked man emerged again.
Wang Qingyao watched him. He said, "Young Master Xiao Er is inside. Does Your Royal Consort wish to go in and see, or observe from outside?"
With a wave of his hand, the curtain was drawn aside. Six men in black stood in pairs on either side. The one in the middle, tied to a pillar, was making "wuwu" sounds.
Wang Qingyao tugged at the corner of her lips and pointed at the man in black tied to the pillar, asking, "Is this our Young Master Xiao Er?"
"Yes," the man in black nodded, his face unblushing and his heart unfazed.
"He's not injured, is he?"
"No, we have treated Young Master Xiao Er with courtesy at all times."
"Why is he wearing a sack on his head?"
"There are times we don't wear masks, and we're afraid he might see us."
"Can you take it off now? I want to speak with him."
"Please, Your Royal Consort, step inside."
The masked man gestured for her to enter.
The bound man in black bore a resemblance to Xiao Mo. With a sack over his head, at first glance, he did look a bit like Xiao Mo.
The masked man's plan was thorough. If Wang Qingyao stayed outside and watched from a distance, it would be hazy, and she wouldn't be able to see clearly, especially with the sack covering the head. However, if Wang Qingyao entered the temple, they could immediately control her, and then, regardless of whether the person was Xiao Mo or not, Wang Qingyao would have to tell the truth.
Wang Qingyao's face showed hesitation.
Her mind raced. Why would the kidnappers make a fake Xiao Mo? Jin Doudou had clearly said that Xiao Mo had been taken by them!
Suddenly, a spark of realization struck her.
"I need to use the restroom. Can you step aside?"
The masked man: "..."
Through the mask, Wang Qingyao saw his expression cracking, a look of utter speechlessness. He even began to doubt if the woman before him was truly the Consort of Ding'an.
The masked man turned his back.
Wang Qingyao: "You wait inside. I'm a bit shy."
The masked man: "..."
He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the Prince of Ding'an.
The masked man walked into the room, still straining his ears to listen for sounds outside.
Then, he heard footsteps, and Wang Qingyao's voice rang out, "Zhenzhu, come and help me. Yin Piao, guard here and don't let any perverts peep at this Royal Consort."
Having undertaken so many missions, the masked man had never before felt the urge to kill his target.
Silence fell outside.
After a long while, there was still no sound.
Even a major bodily function should have been completed by now.
Suspicion arose in the masked man. He came out to look, but Wang Qingyao and her two attendants were nowhere to be seen.
He couldn't believe Wang Qingyao would just give up on Xiao Mo. He checked the surrounding hidden spots again – perhaps she hadn't finished her business.
The result was still nothing.
Only then was he forced to believe that Wang Qingyao had indeed abandoned Xiao Mo and left.
He walked into the room, removed his mask, and said in a deep voice, "No need to pretend anymore. The Consort of Ding'an is gone."
The other men in black were greatly alarmed. The one who was tied up was also untied and his sack removed. "They're not saving Young Master Xiao Er anymore?"
The masked man glanced at him. "She saw through it."
If the Consort of Ding'an didn't want to save Young Master Xiao Er, she wouldn't have made this trip at all. Even if forced by the Prince of Ding'an, she could have feigned illness or injury to avoid it. So, there was only one possibility: she realized this "Xiao Mo" was fake!
"How did she see through it? She didn't even enter the room!"
The masked man was also puzzled. From such a distance, no matter how good her eyesight, she couldn't possibly see the person's face through the sack, could she?
(Wang Qingyao: Sorry, I really can.)
Meanwhile, Zhenzhu and Yin Piao, with Wang Qingyao, ran all the way. Wang Qingyao was directionally challenged, but these two were not. Before long, they reached the foot of the mountain.
Xiao Yun and a team of secret guards emerged from the darkness.
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
Wang Qingyao ran until she was out of breath, resting with one hand on her hip and the other supporting herself on a large rock.
No one dared to disturb her.
After she had rested enough and her breathing had evened out, she slowly said, "They didn't capture Xiao Mo, or rather, they did, but Xiao Mo escaped later. In any case, Xiao Mo is not in their hands now. Heh, they tried to trick me. This sister's eyesight is unmatched in the world!"
She extended her index and middle fingers, making a gesture of poking her own eyes, then turned and pointed towards the mountain.
Hearing her say this, Xiao Yun understood.
But Zhenzhu and Yin Piao didn't.
They weren't that far away and had seen the Royal Consort standing face-to-face with the kidnappers, talking. She hadn't even entered the room. How exactly had she seen that the Second Young Master wasn't in their hands?
Of course, though they didn't understand, they didn't ask. They merely looked at Wang Qingyao with adoring eyes.
Back at the yamen, Tian Yu was relieved to see them return unharmed.
"What did the kidnappers want?"
"They didn't want anything. Xiao Mo wasn't in their hands, and I saw through it. The kidnappers should have already retreated," Wang Qingyao said. "Please, Lord Tian, send some men with us tomorrow to the mountain to look for clues."
Tian Yu nodded.
Back in the room, Wang Qingyao recounted to Xiao Yun what the masked man had asked her.
Xiao Yun also realized. "Was it Grand Tutor Wei?"
"It was that wretched old man!" She apologized again. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't spread the news about the eldest prince to Grand Tutor Wei, he wouldn't have sent people to Nanzhou."