EBE Chapter 427 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 23
Chapter 427 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 23
“I don’t mind,” Xie Qingyu said.
Gu Shenbai shook his head, "Even if you don't mind, such a thing shouldn't happen. It will damage your reputation, even if it's just a divorce."
Gu Shenbai was quite resolute on this matter, so Xie Qingyu didn't bring it up again.
"Have you decided where to go today?" Xie Qingyu asked.
"If you haven't decided yet, could you come with me to Fahua Temple today?" Xie Qingyu asked.
"You want to pray for blessings?"
"I guess so, I'll go donate some money for incense."
“Okay.” Gu Shenbai naturally wouldn’t refuse.
He had actually already decided where to take Xie Qingyu today, but since Xie Qingyu had a place she wanted to go, he would just go with her.
Before going to a place like a temple, you must tell the First Madam and the Old Madam.
As expected, both sides sent people to deliver some incense money.
Xie Qingyu set off with Gu Shenbai.
Fahua Temple is located on a mountain outside the city, which is quite far away and the road is difficult to travel.
This place isn't the most popular spot for worshippers, but it's relatively quieter.
Of course, some people believe that this place is more effective.
Gu Shenbai rarely visits temples, so taking this route is quite novel for him.
Even after leaving the city, he invited Xie Qingyu to ride a horse together.
Riding in a carriage on such an uneven road was indeed a bit bumpy, so Xie Qingyu got out of the carriage and shared a horse with Gu Shenbai.
There weren't many people on the road outside the city at this time. Apart from some people who were escorting goods out of the city or people from the post stations, very few people appeared at this time, so the two of them didn't need to worry about being seen by others or anything.
The two men rode horses faster, leaving the carriage far behind.
Even the maids and servants didn't follow.
However, no one expected that there would be an ambush on such a road.
The moment the two fell off their horses, Gu Shenbai instinctively pulled Xie Qingyu into his arms and rolled to the side. But as soon as they landed, someone approached.
Before they could even react or have a chance to look up, they had already been drugged.
When I woke up again, I had no idea where I was.
Xie Qingyu gently moved the hemp rope in her hands; it wasn't tied very tightly.
"Gu Shenbai?" Xie Qingyu asked softly.
The two were clearly locked in a room with the door closed and only a little light coming in, but they couldn't see their surroundings clearly.
Xie Qingyu did not hear a reply.
Her feet were also tied, so she couldn't move. She could only grope around with her body, but there was no one around.
Gu Shenbai did not lock herself in the same room as her.
Upon confirming this, Xie Qingyu actually breathed a sigh of relief.
She listened to the sounds outside, which were all quite far away, so she figured they must be locked up in a backyard. There was no noise at the door, and she wondered if anyone was guarding it.
If there is one, it's probably only one person.
Xie Qingyu assessed the current situation.
Their trip was decided on short notice in the morning, so no one should know about it. Therefore, this was probably just a chance occurrence by the bandits.
If that's the case, it might be easier to handle.
It's unlikely that two adult men and women would be carrying a large sum of money, so kidnapping them wouldn't be cost-effective.
But the fact that they were still tied up suggests that it was just a side job, and they weren't the initial target.
The tripwire tied to the road was probably used to rob passing merchants or caravans, but this time they were just unlucky enough to run into it.
Having a general understanding of the current situation, Xie Qingyu felt less panicked.
Such a person probably only cares about money.
The reason for binding them separately was probably to make questioning easier.
Xie Qingyu knew perfectly well that once the carriages behind caught up, they would realize something was wrong.
Therefore, it should be soon for the Gu family to find out.
Xie Qingyu sat quietly in the darkness, lost in thought.
"Is the system here?"
Xie Qingyu's calls still went unanswered.
Her fingers, which were tied behind her back, rubbed together unconsciously.
If the system doesn't return, how can we escape this world?
Xie Qingyu was 70% confident that she could complete the mission and escape, or... die.
Xie Qingyu wasn't sure whether the abnormalities of this world counted towards the mission calculations. If they did...
She calmly considered how to complete the next task, not wanting to delay any longer; a problematic world should be left as soon as possible.
At the same moment, Gu Shenbai, who was also locked in another room, woke up.
Perhaps because he was a man, the drug was kept over his mouth and nose for a longer time, as if afraid that it wouldn't be enough to knock him out.
This caused him to wake up later than Xie Qingyu.
His room was better lit than Xie Qingyu's, and it was clear at a glance that there was no one else in the room.
Feeling the hemp ropes on his wrists and legs, Gu Shenbai immediately cried out.
Then there was some commotion outside.
Even Xie Qingyu could hear his voice.
At the same time, there were sounds coming from outside, and the sound of a door opening.
"The man is awake. Go check on the woman too," someone instructed.
"Yes."
"Tell them."
"Yes."
There should be at least three people outside now. One of them went to Gu Shenbai's room, and the other came to Xie Qingyu's place.
Upon noticing the sound of the door opening, Xie Qingyu immediately leaned to one side.
The person only opened the door and glanced inside before closing it again as Xie Qingyu collapsed to the ground.
"The woman is still asleep."
"Okay, that's perfect, let's start with this guy."
Xie Qingyu could hear the sounds of other people rushing over, all heading towards Gu Shenbai's room.
However, there should have been a room between them. After they entered Gu Shenbai's room, Xie Qingyu could no longer hear what they were saying at a normal volume; she could only hear their voices.
Unless there were louder voices mixed in, Xie Qingyu could only hear a little bit of the conversation.
She moved closer to the wall, trying to hear more clearly.
It should be a ransom.
Not long after, Xie Qingyu heard someone come out from that direction and then head towards her house.
Xie Qingyu opened her eyes and looked at the newcomers, two thin mountain bandits. Although they were weak, their eyes held a hint of ferocity.
Xie Qingyu moved back a little in fear.
"Hey, that's perfect, just in time." One of them said, stepping forward to untie the rope from Xie Qingyu's feet. "Let's go!"
He grabbed Xie Qingyu's arm and forcefully dragged her out of the house.
"Boss, the person has been brought." Xie Qingyu was pushed into a room.
Xie Qingyu spotted Gu Shenbai on the ground at a glance.
“He’s perfectly fine here, you’ve seen it yourself, now tell me,” the man referred to as the leader said to Gu Shenbai.
"The Gu family in the east of the city," Gu Shenbai said.
"East of the city?" The bandits exchanged glances.
Although it was obvious at a glance that Xie Qingyu and Gu Shenbai came from wealthy families, it was unexpected that they were from the east side of the city, where many very wealthy families lived.
Of course, officials could be among them, but in the capital, even a single brick falling could kill an official.
This is not something they are considering.
"There are many people with the surname Gu, how can you be sure that's your family?" The bandit leader was quite skilled.
"There should only be one family with the surname Gu over there, and that's ours."
The people living there are mostly relatives of the imperial clan, all of whom share the same surname.
There is indeed only one family with the surname Gu.
The bandit leader looked at him without saying a word, then stepped forward and ripped off the jade pendant from his waist.
"Go." The bandit leader handed the jade pendant and a threatening letter to one of the men behind him. "Be smart."
"I know." The man quickly went out.
"If someone offers money to ransom you today, we'll let you go. Just stay put and don't try to escape, and we'll be fine. But if you don't behave..."
“We will definitely behave ourselves,” Gu Shenbai said. “But could you please let my wife be locked up with me?”
"be honest!"
Gu Shenbai was kicked, but Xie Qingyu was ultimately left behind.
Their only goal is to get money.
Kidnapping people is not cost-effective, so these kidnappers rarely do such things; they mostly rob valuables and goods.
Today, we heard that a large caravan from the Cai family was going to pass by, so we set up tripwires in advance. Unexpectedly, we only managed to catch two people, so we had no choice but to call it a day. There was no time to set up more traps, so we had to try to make as much money as possible off them.
Fortunately, the two men were dressed in fine clothes, so they were likely to be able to get the ransom.
Then there's no need to cause anyone to die, and this requirement has been met.
Xie Qingyu stayed behind; at least they were safe for now.
It would take a long time for that person to deliver the message and return, and no one should bother them during that time.
"How are you? Don't be afraid." Gu Shenbai looked up at Xie Qingyu.
Before they left, they didn't tie Xie Qingyu's legs again. Xie Qingyu is now able to move freely, only her hands are tied.
"I'm fine." Even though she said that, Xie Qingyu still sat down next to Gu Shenbai. "It's all my fault for dragging you down."
"What are you saying? This is the kidnappers' fault, not yours. I never knew that the bandits in the outskirts of the capital had become so rampant. Even so, the imperial court's several attempts to suppress them have all ended in vain," Gu Shenbai cursed.
“These are all local bullies, relying on their familiarity with the mountains to hide,” Xie Qingyu said. “I just didn’t expect them to be so rampant right under the nose of the capital.”
"It's alright, don't be afraid. Mother will know what happened once she receives the token," Gu Shenbai quickly reassured Xie Qingyu, afraid that his words might have made her even more panicked.
"If Tao Hong and the others didn't see us when they got up the mountain, they should have known."
This place is very close to Fahua Temple, so Taohong and the others probably discovered it earlier and may have already gone back to report.
"Well, then don't worry. We'll see how things go. Someone will come." Gu Shenbai comforted her in a low voice, as he could feel Xie Qingyu's body trembling slightly.