Chapter 223

223. Chapter 223: Setting the Trap

"I've investigated the account book for three years, and finally confirmed it's with the Huang Family—but exactly where inside their home, I don't know." Shen Que shook his head helplessly.

He didn't know the exact location of that account book either.

He once sent Shopkeeper Zhou to infiltrate the Huang Family and inquire.

But apart from uncovering Huang Suntian's sordid deeds, he gained nothing else.

He had also considered other methods, using official duties as cover to sneak into the Huang Family.

But the Huang Family had too few vulnerabilities to exploit.

The families who lost their daughters and daughters-in-law had all been silenced with money by the Huang Family—there was no opening to be found.

Until—he heard about the matter between the Huang Family and the Li Family.

Only then did he realize his opportunity had arrived.

……

The next day.

The weather was clear, the wind gentle and the sun bright.

The day was unusually warm; every household took out their stored straw to dry.

After the Cold Dew, nights grew colder, and villagers began stuffing straw into their quilts.

Some families also dug out last winter's old quilts, pulled out the hardened batting, fluffed it up, and made it warm again.

Beneath the village's Big Big Huai Shu, village women sewed winter clothes while chatting idly.

"Hey, have you heard? Lao Li Family is selling ten mu of their land!"

"Ten mu?!"

One woman exclaimed in surprise: "Why sell so much? They have so many mouths to feed—how will they survive without so much land?"

"You don't understand—Lao Li wants to raise money for his eldest son to study in the State. He's selling each mu for three taels of silver."

"Three taels of silver? He might as well rob someone!"

In the village, even upper grade fertile fields sold for three taels per mu—Lao Li's land barely reached middle grade.

Two taels and a bit would be more reasonable.

"I say, Lao Li's land won't sell at all," a woman sneered. "Ten mu is no small amount—will his second son agree?"

……

Yun Ying watched from afar as the women gossiped beneath the Big Big Huai Shu, her eyes darkening.

They were right—Old Man Li wanted to sell the land, and Li Shoucai had already caused a scene at home, refusing outright.

The land would almost certainly not sell…

But whether it sold or not, it didn't concern her.

With that thought, Yun Ying walked toward the Jiang Family as she remembered it.

Huang Suntian gave her only three days—if she didn't deliver the Jiang girl, her fate wouldn't just be losing the hundred-silver-note—Huang Suntian wouldn't let her go.

She had no time to hesitate.

This time, she went in—success or death.

She had visited the Jiang Family only twice: once at the New House's moving-in banquet, once with the Li Family to demand money.

Both times she fled in defeat, the scenes utterly humiliating.

Yun Ying dared not get too close—she only dared hide at a distance, watching silently.

She was waiting for an opportunity.

Waiting for a chance to enter the Jiang Family smoothly.

Perhaps heaven truly favored her.

Soon, Yun Ying saw Jiang Wei step out the door, carrying an axe and a back basket, heading toward the mountain path.

Whether Jiang Wei was in too much of a hurry or not, she forgot to close the tall courtyard gate—it stood slightly ajar.

Yun Ying's eyes lit up.

She instinctively glanced around—seeing no one—she slipped inside quietly.

She quickly locked the courtyard gate behind her and walked straight into the yard.

Before her stood a two-story Chinese Siheyuan Villa, entirely built of brick and tile, elegant and imposing.

For the first time, envy appeared in Yun Ying's eyes.

No wonder villagers said the Jiang Family had struck it rich—last time she came, she hadn't paid attention, but now, looking closely, the house's refined luxury rivaled that of the wealthy families in the State!

As Yun Ying stared, suddenly a sound came from the Kitchen.

She shrank back instinctively, searching the ground for somewhere to hide.

But then she remembered—she had specifically inquired before coming: Chunya and the other maids had finished their work and left early; Gao Xiaoyan and Gao Xiaoshuan had gone up the mountain.

The only other person left in this home… was the little girl…

She crept closer to investigate.

There, a man in a narrow-sleeved long gown was chopping wood before the Kitchen door.

Standing in the daylight, his figure was tall and slender; his hands, gripping the axe, had distinct knuckles and long fingers.

As if sensing her gaze, the man suddenly turned around.

The man's strikingly handsome face made Yun Ying's eyes flash with sudden interest.

"Y-You… hello…" She quickly adjusted her clothes, then forced the most elegant, beautiful smile she could muster. "I'm a relative of the household's master—may I ask who you are?"

"Relative?" The man tilted his head slightly, then strode forward directly toward her. "How is it I've never heard Jiang Xiaoxiao has a relative like you?"

As the man stepped closer, Yun Ying's eyes could barely tear themselves from his face.

High nose bridge, superior jawline, dense eyelashes... every feature of this man's face made her heart race uncontrollably.

The man lowered his gaze slightly, meeting hers.

Yun Ying quickly looked away, blushing and lowering her head, yet secretly thought: When did the Jiang Family get such a handsome man? It's a complete waste...

At this moment, she seemed bewitched by the man before her, utterly forgetting her purpose for coming to the Jiang Family, and completely unaware of the danger drawing near...

Shen Que looked down at Yun Ying, her head bowed in shyness, and curled his lips into a Cold Smile, tightening the axe in his hand.

But the next instant, someone moved faster than him, bringing down the chopping knife in his hand.

Yun Ying collapsed with a thud, instantly motionless.

Shen Que glanced at the woman on the ground, then at Jiang Wei's chopping knife, and suddenly felt a chill down his neck.

"Taking forever," Jiang Wei shot him a glance, then dropped the chopping knife, bent down, and lifted the woman unconscious from the knife's back like a chicken, carrying her straight into the Kitchen.

Shen Que shrugged, picked up the chopping knife from the ground, then looked up toward the Balcony on the Second Floor: "Xiaoxiao, come down."

Jiang Xiaoxiao had been leaning on her chin, watching intently, and was caught off guard—she chuckled twice: "Lord Shen, so you're capable of using the Beauty Trap too."

Shen Que: "..."

Shen Que ignored her, one hand gripping the chopping knife, the other the axe, and walked straight into the Kitchen.

When Yun Ying slowly woke, she felt unbearable pain in her shoulder, her head throbbing dizzily.

She instinctively moved her body, only to find her limbs and torso tightly bound with a hemp rope, and thick Cotton stuffed in her mouth.

She snapped her eyes wide open—and met Jiang Wei's dark, brooding gaze.

"You want to sell my children, don't you? You want to trade my daughter for wealth and glory, don't you?"

Jiang Wei held up a sharpened Kitchen Knife, inch by inch drawing it closer to Yun Ying's face, smiling with sinister intent: "How should I punish you?" (End of Chapter)