Chapter 138: Ruan Jing

Sun Huang led everyone to the Back Courtyard, arrived at the Accounting Office where Xu Shouxian was, and handed the final payment and receipts for this escort mission to the Chief Accountant, Xu Shouxian.

This was the first time Duan Rong had seen this "Minister of Finance" of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, Xu Shouxian.

Xu Shouxian was on the thin side, his hair already gray, but combed very neatly; he wore a moon-white robe with buttons, his eyes held a restrained sharp glint, and one look told you he was quite deep and shrewd.

Seeing that Xu Shouxian had finished auditing the accounts, Sun Huang smiled and asked, "Old Xu, is the Manager in?"

"He is, in the Gathering Justice Hall!" Xu Shouxian answered without raising his head, his eyes lowered as he wrote down the accounts.

Duan Rong frowned slightly; this Chief Accountant was a bit arrogant! Sun Huang was, after all, an Escort Head of an Escort Team, yet when Xu Shouxian spoke to him, he didn't even raise his head—it was perhaps a bit too cold and haughty.

But Sun Huang's expression remained as usual; he cupped his hands slightly and led everyone out.

Since the Manager was in, he was required by custom to bring the Escort Team to pay respects to the Manager and report the situation along the way.

Sun Huang led everyone toward the Gathering Justice Hall, and along the way, they surprisingly saw only a few scattered Guards.

"Escort Head, the Guards in this Back Courtyard seem to be more than half missing!" Yao Liangrong muttered behind Sun Huang.

Sun Huang did not respond, but he naturally saw it too; combined with the silence in the Martial Arts Arena of the Middle Courtyard, he could almost conclude that something must have happened in the Escort Agency.

Sun Huang led everyone to the outside of the Gathering Justice Hall; there was surprisingly only one Guard at the entrance of the Gathering Justice Hall. Standing at the door, they could see inside that Ruan Fengshan, Luan Jingfu, and Xiao Zongting were all sitting within.

Moreover, Ruan Fengshan was discussing matters inside, and his personal attendant Zhou An, who usually served outside, was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing that they seemed to be discussing matters inside, Sun Huang found it inappropriate to rush in, so he had no choice but to wait at the entrance with the Escorts.

"Is that Escort Head Sun back? Come in!" After the group had stood outside for several breaths, Luan Jingfu's voice finally sounded from inside the hall.

Sun Huang immediately led everyone and stepped into the hall.

Once inside, everyone took turns paying respects to Ruan Fengshan, Luan Jingfu, and Xiao Zongting!

After paying their respects, everyone raised their heads and felt the heavy atmosphere in the air; the expressions of Ruan Fengshan, Luan Jingfu, and Xiao Zongting were all unpleasant.

Ruan Fengshan seemed to let out a deep sigh before looking at Sun Huang and asking, "Escort Head Sun, was the journey smooth?"

Sun Huang said, "It was fairly smooth. Only, when the Escort Team was in Wancheng County, Escort Liu Ao suddenly left the team without permission and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day!"

"Liu Ao?" Luan Jingfu was furious upon hearing this, his voice suddenly rising a few notches. His gaze swept back and forth, and having already spotted Duan Rong in the corner of the crowd, Luan Jingfu's pupils suddenly constricted.

Sun Huang immediately cupped his hands toward Luan Jingfu and said, "This boy Liu Ao has always been unruly, but after being tempered over these years, he has restrained himself quite a bit! There is something suspicious about this matter; I fear there may be other hidden circumstances!"

Sun Huang, thinking Luan Jingfu was angry because of Liu Ao, explained immediately.

Luan Jingfu remained silent, his face shifting between light and shadow.

Duan Rong, standing in the crowd, naturally observed Luan Jingfu's expression deeply...

"Mr. Luan, handle the matter of Liu Ao yourself!" Ruan Fengshan said with a grave expression, his tone revealing a sense of exhaustion.

Luan Jingfu immediately agreed.

Duan Rong noticed that although Luan Jingfu was aloof, he was extremely respectful every time he faced Ruan Fengshan, and it was not a superficial courtesy; it was a reverence that came from the marrow of his bones.

Duan Rong couldn't help but glance at Ruan Fengshan, who was sitting on the large, wide chair; Ruan Fengshan's face was worried, and his eyes held a complex look of fatigue.

Sun Huang clearly also noticed Ruan Fengshan's demeanor, and combined with the various abnormalities in the Escort Agency, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Has something happened in the Escort Agency?"

Hearing Sun Huang's question, Ruan Fengshan merely furrowed his brows, appearing somewhat exhausted, and leaned his body against the armrest of the large, wide chair.

Seeing that Ruan Fengshan had no intention of speaking, Luan Jingfu said, "Yesterday, during the Lantern Festival of the Minor Fullness, young master Ruan Jing loved the excitement and insisted on going to see the lantern festival! Lady Ma Chunying couldn't refuse him, so she held him and took maids and guards to see the lanterns. Who would have thought that the young master would be lost in the market!"

"Lost?" Sun Huang was full of astonishment.

Everyone in the hall was also shocked.

Young master Ruan Jing was the apple of Ruan Fengshan's eye!

Ruan Fengshan was already over forty, and none of his concubines had borne children; who knew that after accidentally favoring a dowry maid, she actually became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy, whom he named Ruan Jing.

That maid was named Ma Chunying; Ruan Fengshan was overjoyed at the time and removed her from the lowly register, taking her as a concubine.

He even had her father work as the gatekeeper for the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

The so-called "mother honored by her son," the family of Ma Chunying quickly became people of high status.

This Ruan Jing was only three years old this year, born clever and cute, and was very much favored by Ruan Fengshan. Although Ruan Fengshan was still forcing himself to remain calm on the surface, his heart was actually in complete turmoil.

"At the time, there were many people watching the lantern festival. Lady Chunying was holding young master Ruan Jing and standing on the periphery, with three guards watching over them; originally, nothing would have happened. But the crowd suddenly began to push and trample, and the chaotic crowd squeezed the young master inside, where he was forcibly snatched from Lady Chunying's arms."

"Lady Chunying screamed incessantly, and the guards pushed forward to intervene, but a guard who was closest was suddenly stabbed from the shadows and died on the spot!"

Hearing Luan Jingfu recount this, everyone was secretly shocked.

This matter was clearly premeditated, specifically to kidnap young master Ruan Jing. And it was clearly a group operation: some were pushing and trampling in the crowd, some were kidnapping young master Ruan Jing, and others were dealing with the surrounding maids and guards.

The key was, who did this? And what was the purpose? Could it be one of Ruan Fengshan's enemies?

Even if it were an enemy, to specifically target a child who had just turned three years old was a bit too despicable.

"Everyone who could be sent out from the Escort Agency has been sent out. From yesterday evening until now, it has been almost ten hours, and there is still no news at all." Luan Jingfu said, shaking his head with a sigh.

The members of the Second Escort Team finally understood why there wasn't a single shadow in the Martial Arts Arena, and why the guards in the Back Courtyard had been reduced so much; it seemed they had all been scattered to find young master Ruan Jing.

But it had been ten hours, and there was still no news... A three-year-old child, with no power to resist...

No matter how you looked at it, it felt like the situation was dire.

Just at this moment, a figure suddenly came running and shouting, rushing into the Gathering Justice Hall.

The Gathering Justice Hall was always solemn and serious; for this person to rush in shouting like this was far too reckless.

But when they saw who it was, no one dared to speak; the person who ran in was the Escort Agency's gatekeeper, Ma Chunying's father, Ma Wentao.

Ma Wentao ran and shouted, "Manager! There is news about my little grandson..."

Upon hearing that there was news of Ruan Jing, Ruan Fengshan immediately jumped down, supported Ma Wentao, and said, "Is there news of Jing'er? What news, speak quickly!"

Ma Wentao's eyes turned red; he handed the silk letter he was clutching to Ruan Fengshan and said, "Manager, look!"

Ruan Fengshan took the silk letter.

Ma Wentao continued, "This was just now, someone shot it onto the gate of our Escort Agency with an arrow!"

Ruan Fengshan opened the silk letter and looked; his heart immediately ached.

Seeing the crooked handwriting on the silk letter, it was exactly the handwriting of Ruan Jing, who had just learned to write. Even though Ruan Fengshan was deep-thinking, seeing the handwriting on this silk letter now, Ruan Jing's usual well-behaved and cute appearance seemed to be right before his eyes.

He had a son in his middle age and had always loved him dearly; Ma Chunying doted on him even more than he did. The child was only three years old, yet he had fallen into the hands of vicious criminals; there was no telling what kind of suffering he had endured or how much humiliation he had been subjected to. Looking at the few scribbled marks in the crooked handwriting, Ruan Fengshan's lips trembled as he muttered, "Jing'er..."

(End of this chapter)