Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When I heard that voice, I even pinched myself, praying it was just a terrible nightmare and that I would wake up if I tried hard enough.

But the voice rang out again, a cold reminder that this was no dream.

“Qing Qiu, are you still not getting out of the carriage? Do I have to come and invite you myself?”

Before long, the carriage curtain was pulled aside by a fair-skinned hand.

The person entering was wearing a green padded jacket. It was Cuinong.

“Madam.”

Cuinong curtsied and reached out her hand toward me, whispering, “The Marquis has ordered me to… to help you down.”

I glared at the girl. “You? Why are you here? Do you want to kill me too?”

Cuinong’s eyes were filled with worry, panic, and confusion. She shook her head quickly. “How would I ever dare to offend you? It’s… it’s just that the Marquis suddenly brought Hongyu here today. She was injured, and I’ve been looking after her recently, so I followed along.”

I huddled in the furthest corner of the carriage, my body so weak and trembling that I couldn’t move at all.

Cuinong stepped onto the small footstool and entered the carriage, attempting to support me.

I shoved her hand away.

Cuinong bit her lower lip, glanced quickly behind her, and lowered her voice to urge me, “Madam, I don’t know what happened, but the Marquis was truly worried about you. He’s been searching for you everywhere. Just go and admit your mistake to him; he will surely forgive you.”

I looked at Cuinong, a sudden wave of sorrow washing over me.

It seemed this girl knew nothing and had simply been brought here.

I certainly wasn’t going back, but what about her?

At that moment, Yuan Heng’s voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of impatience. “Qing Qiu, if you don’t come down now, I’ll have to order my men to drag you out.”

I knew there was no escaping this disaster.

I took a deep breath, straightened my clothes and hair, and stepped down from the carriage.

I looked ahead.

Under a ginkgo tree not far away, Yuan Heng sat in a folding chair. A brazier burned brightly at his feet, and he held a teacup, sipping from it with leisurely grace.

Seeing me emerge, Yuan Heng raised an eyebrow and smiled, lifting his cup in a mock toast.

Beside him, Cheng Wei stood with his sword in hand.

There was no emotion on Cheng Wei’s face as he looked at me with indifference, though his brow furrowed slightly the moment his eyes fell on my stomach.

I scanned the surroundings. Aside from a few Shadow Guards wearing silver masks, there was no one else.

“Where is Meng Huaiqing?” I stared at Yuan Heng and asked coldly.

Yuan Heng let out a short laugh. “Even at a time like this, you still have the mind to worry about someone else?”

I admit I was terrified, but more than that, I was furious. “I’m asking you, what did you do to him!”

A flash of mockery crossed Yuan Heng’s eyes. “Huaiqing is an honored guest of This Marquis and should be treated with courtesy. Naturally, I wouldn’t do anything to him.”

I didn’t want anyone else to suffer because of me, so I gestured with my chin toward Cuinong. “She knows nothing. Let her go. If you’re a man, don’t make things difficult for a young girl.”

Yuan Heng stood up and stretched, completely ignoring my plea.

He clapped his hands, and two Shadow Guards immediately stepped forward, holding iron chains.

“Qing Qiu, you are far too disobedient. You won’t mind if your husband uses chains to tether you, will you?”

…

I had been captured by Yuan Heng again, only one step away from freedom.

I suppose this is just fate.

…