Lotus in a Bottle - Chapter 11

Section 17

Three days later, I packed my things and prepared to leave.

To my surprise, Tan Lian had packed as well. He said His Majesty had assigned him to conduct an inspection in Xiangyang, so he would be traveling there with me.

What a coincidence.

I eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not going just to keep me company, are you?”

But that didn’t make sense either.

According to the plot, no one should know Tan Lian’s true identity yet. As far as His Majesty—who was secluded in a Buddhist temple and indifferent to affairs of state—was concerned, Tan Lian was merely a beautiful official he had heard about through rumor.

How could an ordinary official possibly have enough influence to arrange something like this?

Tan Lian didn’t answer me directly. He only said, “Baoping has always been clingy. If I’m not by your side, you’ll probably start letting your imagination run wild again and get so upset you can’t sleep.”

Wonderful. My reputation as a jealous wife was firmly entrenched.

Still, did that mean he really was going to Xiangyang just to accompany me?

I had the vague feeling I might have noticed the first signs of something.

But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. Before I could examine it more closely, it was buried beneath my fear of the unknown dangers ahead.

Section 18

Perhaps the mastermind was holding back out of caution, or perhaps the fire at the ancestral residence really had been an accident. Either way, our journey to Xiangyang was completely uneventful.

Even after we arrived, nothing happened. The ancestral residence was nearly restored right before my eyes, and Tan Lian was almost finished with his official duties, yet there was still no sign of trouble.

I gradually began to suspect I had been overthinking things.

The ancestral residence had stood empty for years, and Xiangyang was experiencing hot, dry weather. A fire didn’t seem all that strange.

More than a month passed without incident. Whenever Tan Lian and I had free time, we explored every corner of Xiangyang.

At first, I remained constantly vigilant, afraid an assassin might strike even in broad daylight. Later, after Tan Lian fed me until I put on a little more weight, I was too busy measuring my waistline every day to keep worrying.

Once the ancestral residence had been repaired, a member of a collateral branch of the Xie Family who remained in the area led me out to invite a renowned local feng shui master to inspect the property.

Although the ancestral residence had been restored, some old furnishings had been destroyed in the fire. Their replacements would have to be chosen with care.

Once everything was properly arranged, I could prepare to return to the capital.

At least, that was how it was supposed to go.

But on the way to meet the feng shui master, my guide led me through turn after turn until we reached a deserted side alley.

By the time I realized something was wrong and tried to run, men lying in ambush had already blocked both ends of the alley.

…There really was a trap waiting for me in Xiangyang. I hadn’t been paranoid after all!

“That’s her, right?”

“She matches the portrait. Take her!”

The men surrounding me were all armed with swords and sabers, so I didn’t dare resist. I obediently allowed them to bind my hands and feet, blindfold me, and take me to a dilapidated, abandoned courtyard.

I had just been wondering why they had kidnapped me. If the mastermind was one of the supporting male characters who coveted Tan Lian, there was no need to abduct me.

Wouldn’t it have been simpler to kill me in the street?

Then the men who had kidnapped me suddenly began turning on one another.

“What do you think you’re doing? We agreed to work together, so why are you stopping me now?”

“She can’t die yet. We made the terms clear when we agreed to cooperate. You get the woman, and we get the account book. If you kill her now, what are we supposed to use to get the account book from that pretty boy Tan?”

The argument outside escalated until they began fighting.

I finally understood part of what was happening.

Tan Lian truly had come to Xiangyang on official business.

The local officials and merchants were protecting one another, and the farmers in the surrounding countryside were being ruthlessly exploited. Tan Lian had spent the past month dealing with the local government precisely so he could obtain evidence against those wealthy merchants and officials.

My kidnappers belonged to two different groups. One group probably served a certain mad dog in the capital, while the other worked for Xiangyang’s local merchants.

One side wanted to use me to trade for the evidence in Tan Lian’s possession, while the other wanted me dead. Their interests had aligned, so they had temporarily become allies despite harboring their own separate agendas.

They might be fighting now, and my life might not be in immediate danger, but I knew that safety wouldn’t last long.

Tan Lian was kindhearted, but his compassion extended to everyone.

Even though I was his wife, I could never be more important to him than the people of an entire city.

If Tan Lian handed over the evidence, not only would we have little chance of escaping, but Xiangyang’s farmers would lose their only hope for the future.

He wouldn’t come.

And the moment the kidnappers realized that… I really would be dead.