Chapter 966 - 960: Ransom
Seeing the black-clad men approaching, Housekeeper Zhou wore a fearful expression and quickly drove the carriage to the side to give them room.
After the black-clad men had passed, Steward Zhou let out a breath of relief.
Luckily, there was no confrontation. These men were clearly extraordinary. If it came to a real fight, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Fortunately, the Heir’s wife was vigilant, promptly changed identities, disguised herself, and managed to sneak through.
They rescued Young Master Li and boldly sent a servant to convey their safety news. Even if the message fell into the hands of the assassins, they would never suspect them of sneaking into the city.
Housekeeper Zhou reminded Su Jin to sit tight as he continued to drive the ox cart forward.
The wind was a bit strong, and Su Jin wrapped the sleeping Young Master Li in her garment to protect him from the cold.
To be honest, Su Jin was also frustrated.
She got dizzy riding a carriage, yet oddly wasn’t dizzy while on an ox cart.
The only downside was that Young Master Li would wake up crying for his dad.
Su Jin, "..."
Xingxing, "..."
Only then did Su Jin realize that Young Master Li wasn’t just recognizing any father figure. He recognized the mask.
Xingxing couldn’t calm him down.
Su Jin had no choice but to take out the mask from the bundle and put it on.
Young Master Li looked at her several times before finally reaching out his arms to Su Jin.
The ox cart was slow, and by the time Su Jin and her group arrived in Linzhou City, the city gates were already closed.
Su Jin had no choice but to spend the night in the nearest village to the city gate.
Early the next morning, she walked into the city on foot. Their hosts didn’t charge for their stay but asked to borrow the ox for the day.
Entering the city, Xingxing bought twelve meat buns. Su Jin gave one to Young Master Li and led him towards the Li Family residence.
With the loss of the Young Master, everyone in the Li Family had spent several sleepless nights in worry.
The Eldest Young Madam Li was so stressed and guilty that she fell ill from worrying.
Old Madam Li, concerned for her great-grandson, knelt before the Bodhisattva, praying for protection.
A cloud of gloom hung over the entire Li Family.
The Li Family’s servant was just staring blankly as the kidnapped Young Master, wearing patched-up clothes, walked up while nibbling on a meat bun.
It felt surreal.
Almost like a dream.
Xingxing, while eating a meat bun, asked Young Master Li, "Is the meat bun tasty?"
"Tasty," replied Young Master Li softly.
The Li Family’s servant thought his eyes were deceiving him and shouted towards the house, "Uncle Li, come out and see for yourself!"
Another servant heard the shout and came out asking, "Isn’t Uncle Li gone with the Eldest Young Master to rescue the Young Master? Why are you shouting?"
The servant who came out saw the gatekeeper pointing at Young Master Li, "Isn’t that the Young Master?"
The servant’s eyes widened, "Young Master?!"
He ran out, then quickly took a few steps back and exclaimed excitedly, "Everyone, come quick! The Young Master is back!"
Soon, Su Jin saw a swarm of Li Family servants rushing out.
The maidservants, the older female servants, the male servants—all with eyes so full of excitement that they scared Young Master Li into clinging tightly to Su Jin’s leg.
Housekeeper Zhou said, "Don’t frighten the child."
Xingxing stuffed the last meat bun into her mouth, swiftly picked up Young Master Li, and followed Su Jin into the residence.
Although Su Jin’s clothes were washed to the point of fading, there was an indescribable air about her that made it clear she was no ordinary man, and the astuteness in Housekeeper Zhou’s eyes also couldn’t be underestimated.
Old Madam Li, upon hearing that her great-grandson had returned, held onto the maid’s hand and walked out. Seeing her great-grandson, she felt a pang of emotion, "Duanduan."
When Young Master Li heard his grandmother calling him, he struggled to get down from Xingxing’s arms.
He ran forward.
His clothes were a bit too large—no problem when walking slowly, but running...
Young Master Li fell forward.
The maids and servants didn’t have time to catch him. Young Master Li fell to the ground, with half of his meat bun landing at Madam Li’s feet.
Madam Li felt a deep pang in her heart.
A maid quickly picked up Young Master Li, and Madam Li hugged her great-grandson in her arms, asking, "Did you get hurt?"
Young Master Li tearfully turned back, "Daddy, my hand hurts."
At the sound of "Daddy," the atmosphere instantly froze.
Su Jin felt her head throbbing.
Oh well.
She kindly returned Young Master Li home, only to be misunderstood as impersonating the Eldest Young Master to abduct him.
However, Madam Li was wise and didn’t scold her but rather smiled and said, "The wind is strong outside, come inside for a cup of tea to warm up."
Young Master Li was still crying, so Su Jin approached and patted his head, "Come on, little man, don’t cry when you fall."
Young Master Li sniffed and indeed stopped crying.
Yet his little demeanor tugged even more at Old Madam Li’s heartstrings.
Nevertheless, she could sense that although the person before her was wearing a mask, she harbored no ill intentions toward her great-grandson.
Otherwise, her great-grandson wouldn’t be expressing his pain to him rather than to his own great-grandmother who was right there.
At a mere word from him, her great-grandson listened.
Old Madam Li was filled with confusion: how did they return her great-grandson after he was kidnapped?
Young Master Li didn’t want anyone else to hold him; he wanted Xingxing.
Xingxing, being strong, had no trouble holding a young boy.
She carried him, following behind Su Jin, while Old Madam Li felt both joy and a sting in her heart.
Once inside, she ordered the maids to serve the finest tea before asking about Su Jin and her group’s identity.
Housekeeper Zhou looked at Old Madam Li, stating his identity, and added, "When the Eldest Young Master married the Eldest Young Madam, I followed my master to the wedding. Old Madam might not remember me."
Old Madam Li apologized, "I’m getting old, and my memory isn’t as good as it used to be."
Housekeeper Zhou introduced Su Jin, "This is the steward of Beauty Pavilion."
When Housekeeper Zhou introduced himself, he stood up, but Su Jin just remained seated and only smiled.
Housekeeper Zhou recounted the events of rescuing Young Master Li to Old Madam Li, just as the Eldest Young Madam entered and Young Master Li happily called out, "Mother."
The Eldest Young Madam tightly held her son and wouldn’t let go.
Judging by her red and swollen eyes, it was evident she had cried a lot.
Su Jin withdrew her gaze from the Eldest Young Madam and inquired, "Where is the Eldest Young Master?"
Although she mainly came to return Young Master Li, since she was here, Su Jin wanted to ask about the warhorses.
From Housekeeper Zhou, Su Jin learned that the main person in charge of the Li Family currently was the Eldest Young Master.
Old Madam Li was momentarily stunned, then hastily said, "Quick, quickly send someone to tell the Eldest Young Master that Duan has been found!"
Seeing Old Madam Li’s urgency, Su Jin asked, "What’s going on?"
Old Madam Li explained the situation, and Su Jin’s eyebrows knitted tightly together.
She wasn’t sure how Young Master Li had escaped from the assassins, but while he wasn’t with them, they sent several ransom letters.
They demanded the Li Family exchange Young Master Li for two hundred thousand silver notes.
The Li Family indeed had wealth, but the assassins wanted only silver notes, not gold ingots, making it impossible to gather two hundred thousand silver notes quickly for the ransom.
The assassins relented a bit, demanding one hundred thousand silver notes and all the horses in the Li Family’s stable.
It happened to be the day for paying the ransom.
A procession of thousands of horses would cause a stir wherever it went, but as long as the lead horse was controlled, taking away that many horses wouldn’t be difficult.
If the lead horse remained calm, the herd wouldn’t panic.
The Li Family was already furious about their Young Master being kidnapped for ransom, but out of concern for his safety, they didn’t dare act rashly.
Now that they knew the Young Master was safe, there was no way the Li Family would heedlessly suffer this loss.
Moreover, although those horses were still penned in the Li Family’s stable, they were actually already sold to Marquis Dongxiang, with half the payment already received.
The border wars were intense, and Marquis Dongxiang urgently needed those horses; he even sent someone recently to press for them.
If the horses were given away elsewhere, the breach of contract penalty would be enough to break several ribs of the Li Family.
The Li Family had their difficulties, but if the court saw fit, they could easily label it as aiding the enemy...
The consequences would be unimaginable.