Chapter 191: Chapter 133: The Groom Is Missing

Shen Ruoxi was slightly taken aback, then nodded and replied, “Alright.”

The two moved aside, and the little girl actually made a gesture as if to kneel before her.

Shen Ruoxi quickly helped her up and gently said, “Just speak your mind, there’s no need for such formalities.”

The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears, and she choked out, “I am Hong, a menial maid of the Prince Mansion. My mother is the old stewardess of the mansion’s rear quarters. Yesterday, she unfortunately caught a cold from overexertion.

But the Prince Mansion in the south of the city is currently preparing for the Princely Heir’s wedding, and calling a physician on such a day would bring bad luck to the master, wouldn’t it?

Yet, my mother’s illness truly cannot wait any longer. I heard that Marquis Shen is skilled in medicine, and I humbly request your aid in seeing my mother. I bow before you.”

To catch a cold in such a season is indeed peculiar. Though not unheard of, it is certainly rare.

She looked around, realizing that in this noisy environment, she couldn’t be of much help. As a physician, when a patient seeks help, she must go to heal them.

Shen Ruoxi nodded and whispered, “Alright, let’s not make it public, we’ll just leave quietly.”

It’s indeed an inauspicious affair to have someone seriously ill during a wedding celebration. It would not be wise to make a fuss now.

This was precisely what the little girl wanted to hear. A flash of malice passed over her face, quickly replaced by an expression of overwhelming gratitude as she saluted, “Thank you, Marquis Shen.”

Then, the two of them quietly made their way to the rear courtyard of the Prince Mansion.

As they walked, the path became more and more secluded. An uneasy premonition welled up in Shen Ruoxi’s heart.

She stopped, her face puzzled, “Your mother, being the manager of the mansion, shouldn’t be residing in such a remote place, should she?”

The little girl, however, remained calm and replied, “Precisely because my mother fell ill, the Princess Consort was worried about spreading the sickness, so she had her moved to a remote, simple place in the rear courtyard. Marquis Shen, we’re almost there.”

Shen Ruoxi nodded slightly, thinking, it wouldn’t be surprising for Xu Jingwan to do such a thing.

If she would disdain her own niece for being inauspicious, how could she treat others any better?

Thinking thus, she continued to follow the little girl.

However, she also maintained a sense of vigilance in her heart.

As the saying goes, one cannot be without caution against others. Naturally, she couldn’t entirely trust, though she was skilled and courageous, unafraid of underhanded tricks, she still understood the principle of being cautious.

Finally, they stopped in front of a rundown wooden hut. Shen Ruoxi looked at the humble house, her heart aching for the elder suffering in such conditions. She quickly said, “Hong, let’s go in.”

Hong suppressed her internal excitement, slowly opening the outdated door.

A pungent smell instantly wafted out, akin to the odor of decay and mold, directly assaulting her nose and mouth.

The small, cramped house was oppressively narrow, cluttered with all sorts of sundries, leaving almost no room to step.

To place a person in such a spot, Shen Ruoxi frowned slightly.

There was still an inner room in the house, with its door tightly shut.

Hong stepped aside and said, “Marquis Shen, please enter first. The place is indeed too cramped.”

Shen Ruoxi showed no sign of being bothered, gently pushing open the door to the inner room.

Inside was relatively cleaner compared to outside; a simple table and a narrow bed met her gaze.

On the bed seemed to lie a person, but the heavy curtains tightly covered the windows, leaving the room extremely dim, with only a faint light from an oil lamp on the table.

That person was tightly wrapped in a thin quilt, making their appearance fully obscured.

Shen Ruoxi sighed softly, thinking if it was indeed a cold, being wrapped like this wouldn’t be conducive to recovery.

She was about to reach out and lift the quilt when she suddenly heard a “click” sound of the door being locked.

Shen Ruoxi was slightly stunned, and when she lifted the quilt, she found it was merely pillows and blankets arranged to simulate the shape of a person, without any human figure.

Only then did Shen Ruoxi realize she had fallen into a trap, though she still didn’t know what the opponent’s real intentions were.

Did they want to burn her alive here, or was there a deeper plot?

She quickly walked toward the door, tugging it forcefully, only to find that it was made of iron, extremely solid, and could not be moved at all.

Hastily, she pulled open the curtains, only to find the window had long been nailed shut with sturdy wooden boards.

Obviously, the other party intended to trap her in this confined space.

Shen Ruoxi’s brow slightly furrowed, and suddenly, she felt her breath hitch and the temperature in the room sharply increased.

She looked at the burning oil lamp, emitting a peculiar smell, and her lips curled into a cold smile, “So that’s how it is!”

First, she swiftly blew out the oil lamp on the table, then her gaze moved to the ceiling, with a sarcastic curl of the lips.

Meanwhile, Lan Jue was soon to greet the bride, taking a deep breath, realizing that everything had already been decided.

Since he had become another’s husband and was about to become a father, he must courageously bear this responsibility.

Just as he was preparing for the marriage procession, his servant hurriedly approached, “Prince, someone has given you a letter.”

Lan Jue was slightly taken aback, reached out to take the letter, and upon opening it, his expression drastically changed.

The letter contained just one sentence, “Shen Ruoxi is in my hands; if you want to see her, come alone to the Wutong Courtyard’s storeroom in the backyard. If you dare to make it public, prepare to collect her corpse!”

Lan Jue tightly clenched the letter in his hand, almost crushing it.

Without a word, he rushed towards the backyard.

“Prince, the time is almost up.” The servant shouted anxiously, his face full of bewilderment.

“You come with me, I have something to deal with first, then I’ll go to fetch the bride, there’s still time.” Lan Jue’s voice carried an undeniable firmness.

The servant was baffled, not understanding, but still followed closely behind Lan Jue.

Lan Jue hurriedly went to where Shen Ruoxi had been before, inquiring, it turned out she had been called away by a somewhat unfamiliar maid.

Lan Jue felt a buzzing sound in his head, his steps hastening towards the backyard.

Reaching a relatively secluded corner, with no one in sight, Lan Jue swiftly hit the servant’s acupoints and dragged him behind the rockery, saying in a deep voice, “The acupoints will release in an hour, you must not mess up this prince’s important matter.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he leapt towards the backyard like a gust of wind with qinggong.

At this moment, many noble ladies had already gathered in the front hall of the Prince Mansion in the southern part of the city; all were friends relatively close to Xu Jingwan.

A few people sat around, drinking tea at leisure, chatting and laughing.

Xu Jingwan was dressed in splendid attire, wearing a dazzling phoenix crown, her face aglow with happiness.

“Princess Consort, congratulations! Your future daughter-in-law is the woman every man in the Capital City dreams of; truly she and the Prince are a perfect match, a union made in heaven.”

Lin Xuening always had an excellent reputation, and these words greatly satisfied Xu Jingwan’s vanity, though she modestly replied, “Mrs. Hu praises too much, the two children are still young!”

Mrs. Hu’s mouth curled slightly, though it was because she was the Princess Consort that she even bothered to interact with Xu Jingwan; after all, this woman always acted superior, looking down on others.

If she wasn’t bragging about her husband, she’d brag about her son; Mrs. Hu found her somewhat objectionable, yet too angry to speak up, knowing she was the Princess Consort.

Among those present, some even maintained a facade of alignment with Xu Jingwan, but were compelled by her status to flatter and fawn.

Suddenly, a young maid entered from outside, kneeling to salute, “Reporting to the Princess Consort, the bridal sedan chair is all ready, just waiting for the Prince to fetch the bride, but… he’s missing.”

He’s missing? This news not only shocked Xu Jingwan on the spot but also stunned the ladies in the room.

On a wedding day, the groom is missing—what kind of situation is this?

“Hurry up and find him!” Xu Jingwan shouted angrily.

“People have already been sent to look.” The young maid replied tremblingly.

Xu Jingwan maintained a polite smile on her face, “Ladies, please continue to enjoy your tea, I must go check on things first.”

The ladies quickly responded courteously, “Please, Princess Consort.”

Only then did Xu Jingwan step out with a gloomy expression.

The noble ladies wouldn’t miss such gossip; seeing Xu Jingwan leave, they quickly made excuses that the room was stuffy and went out for a walk, in truth, wanting to find out the specifics.

Once the ladies had gone out, a servant suddenly approached Mrs. Hu, whispering something in her ear, “…”

“Really?” Mrs. Hu was utterly shocked, yet her eyes were filled with a gleeful and gossipy expression.

“Absolutely certain,” the servant affirmed without a doubt.

Mrs. Hu pulled out an intrigued smile at the corner of her mouth, “Ladies, come with me to the backyard to witness a good show!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep