Chapter 301: Lu Zhan’s Wrath
Chapter 301: Chapter 301: Lu Zhan’s Wrath
In the end, Tong Da lost the trail.
Lu Zhan didn’t get the news until the next day.
At the time, he was still at the hunting ground with the Emperor. When he heard Tong Da had come to the hunting ground to find him, he knew something was terribly wrong.
He returned to his tent, using the excuse that he wasn’t feeling well.
The moment he stepped inside, Tong Da dropped to his knees with a THUD. "Princely Heir, I failed in my duty. The Miss... has been abducted. Please, punish me."
"What did you say?" Lu Zhan shuddered. His handsome face turned cold as ice, his voice deep and chilling.
"The Miss was abducted last night. I chased them for half the night, but I still lost their trail." Tong Da hung his head, overwhelmed with shame and self-reproach.
Chen Jiu was aghast. Seeing the dark look on the Princely Heir’s face, he deliberately kicked Tong Da and snapped, "What kind of job did you do? The Princely Heir placed so much trust in you! You’re a complete disappointment."
Tong Da slapped himself hard across the face. "It was my fault. I was careless. I didn’t even realize someone had broken into the Miss’s room."
Lu Zhan was visibly enraged, but he forced himself to remain calm.
He clenched his fists and asked, "How did it happen? Do you know who abducted my cousin?"
Tong Da shook his head. "I don’t know who it was, but the man was wearing a mask."
"Wearing a mask?" Lu Zhan repeated, looking pensive.
"Yes." Tong Da nodded and hastily recounted the previous day’s events in detail. "Yesterday afternoon, the Miss and I arrived in a small town and settled into an inn. After our meal, the Miss noted it was still early and wanted to look around town, so I went with her.
When we returned to the inn and went upstairs, we encountered a masked man. I didn’t think much of it at the time. After the Miss went into her room to rest, I stood guard right outside her door, never leaving my post.
It was only when I heard a loud crash from the room that I realized an intruder had gotten in. I broke down the door to find the masked man had already seized the Miss and was escaping through the window.
I immediately gave chase, but the man fled into the dense forest bordering the town, carrying the Miss over his shoulder.
I pursued them for half the night, but ultimately lost their trail."
After he finished, Tong Da’s head drooped again. He was so consumed by guilt and self-reproach that he wished he could die to atone for his failure.
He had betrayed the Princely Heir’s trust.
For a moment, the tent fell completely silent.
Chen Jiu stole a glance at the Princely Heir’s face, his own heart tight with anxiety.
’The Princely Heir put in so much effort to take down the Crown Prince who lusted after the Miss, and now another masked man has shown up.’
’The Princely Heir and the Miss’s wedding is just around the corner, yet she was abducted at such a critical time.’
’The Princely Heir must be feeling murderous right now.’
The atmosphere in the tent made Chen Jiu uneasy. He cleared his throat to break the silence. "So, the man must have targeted the Miss when you saw him on the stairs. I wonder what his background is. Could he be someone who knows her?"
Hearing this, Tong Da ventured, "When we were out, the Miss was wearing a veiled hat, so an outsider wouldn’t have been able to see her face."
Chen Jiu nodded. "That rules out him abducting her for her looks. But while you can hide a face, you can’t hide a voice. So the culprit must know the Miss."
Tong Da’s eyes lit up with realization. "He must know her! Otherwise, the Miss would have shouted for me the moment an intruder broke in."
Just as Chen Jiu was about to speak, he heard the Princely Heir ask in a low voice, "Chen Jiu, has there been any news from Jiang Shi lately?"
At the mention of Jiang Shi, Chen Jiu’s expression grew grim. "We were still getting messages from him until a few days ago. Since then, there’s been nothing, and we can’t contact him."
As he spoke, a chilling realization dawned on him. "Did something happen to Jiang Shi? You suspect the masked man is... Zhi Ye?"
He spoke the name in a very low voice.
"Yes," Lu Zhan affirmed quietly.
"But why would he abduct the Miss?" Chen Jiu couldn’t understand.
"To get back at me. And to coerce me," Lu Zhan said, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
Chen Jiu was taken aback. "What will he do?"
Lu Zhan did not answer.
"If it really is Zhi Ye, then the Miss should be safe for the time being," Chen Jiu said, trying to sound casual.
’But he knew perfectly well that the Princely Heir had tried to have Zhi Ye killed on several occasions. Zhi Ye wasn’t one to let things slide.’
’Now that the Miss was in Zhi Ye’s hands, he would surely use her to threaten the Princely Heir and force him to submit.’
"Tong Da, return to the inn in town and wait for contact. The man should be in touch later," Lu Zhan instructed.
"Yes!" Tong Da felt a wave of relief, but he also made a silent vow to capture the scoundrel and redeem himself.
"Chen Jiu, take some men and lie in wait near the town. Arrest anyone suspicious and interrogate them thoroughly," Lu Zhan ordered.
"Yes."
The two accepted their orders and departed.
Lu Zhan sank wearily into a chair. He untied the Jade Pendant from his waist and ran his thumb over it, his brow furrowed with deep worry.
"Old Lu, are you feeling any better? There’s another hunting competition this afternoon. You going?" Just then, Duan Ling lifted the tent flap and came inside.
Lu Zhan put away the Jade Pendant and said flatly, "I’m fine. We’ll compete this afternoon."
Duan Ling gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure you’re okay?"
’If it weren’t a big deal, Old Lu wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place, given his personality.’
"Did something happen?" Duan Ling asked.
"No. Don’t read too much into it," Lu Zhan denied.
’Even if my cousin was abducted by her own uncle, Zhi Ye, idle talk is a terrifying thing. If this got out, it would surely damage her reputation.’
"You’ve had a really rough time lately," Duan Ling said. "If you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself. The Emperor wouldn’t say anything if you asked for leave."
’He really had to admire Old Lu. So much had happened lately, one thing after another, but Old Lu handled it all with calm and methodical planning.’
’Especially the business with the Crown Prince.’
’The Crown Prince Faction didn’t even have time to react before the Crown Prince fell.’
"I’m really fine. This afternoon, let’s have a proper competition. We’ll see who bags the most game," Lu Zhan said, patting him on the shoulder.
Hearing that, Duan Ling relaxed and readily agreed. "Alright."
「At the hunting ground that afternoon.」
The Emperor, being advanced in years, had taken down the first prey of the morning as a symbolic gesture and did not participate in the afternoon’s activities.
The afternoon at the hunting ground was a competition among the Princes and ministers.
Duan Ling had been in high spirits, hoping to take first place for the day. But when he saw Lu Zhan, with his perfect aim, piling up a mound of game, his own enthusiasm wilted.
Looking at his almost savage friend, Duan Ling couldn’t help but tease, "So, you were just faking it this morning, weren’t you? Lowering everyone’s guard so you could come out this afternoon, show off your skills, and take first place?"
Lu Zhan turned to look at him but said nothing.
Duan Ling was startled by the murderous look in his eyes. He stared at him and stammered, "What’s gotten into you?"
Lu Zhan ignored him. Instead, he raised the bow in his hands and aimed it right at him.
Duan Ling jumped. "What are you doing?!"