Chapter 174 Kidnapped. The Scuffle Outside the Palace
“Be careful then. Come by and tell Grandmother immediately if anything happens. Don’t be softhearted again and be bullied.” Luo Mingzhu knew that it was against the rules as well. However, she had asked Mo Xuetong to go with her because she was angry and wanted the Mos to see the displeasure the Luos felt. When she saw Mo Xuetong smile in refusal, she knew that Mo Xuetong would not go with her. As such, she did not insist.
The Luo’s carriage was already nearby. Mo Xuetong smiled and agreed. She pushed Luo Mingzhu onto the horse carriage even though Luo Mingzhu still had things to say. Luo Wenyou got onto the horse as well. He did not spur the horse immediately. Instead, he looked at Mo Xuetong and said gently, “Come back if anything happens at the Mo Manor. The Luo Manor will forever be your home.”
Luo Wenyou did not say much and he spoke calmly as he usually did. He had only sought out Bai Yihao in a fluster the last time Mo Xuetong was ill. Otherwise, he was usually a calm person. Even though he did not say much, Mo Xuetong felt warm all over. What she wanted was a home filled with warmth, without any plots or schemes.
However, in her past life, her home had been ruined and her family had been killed!
Pain filled her heart. She bit her lips and hid the tears that welled up in her eyes. Her lashes fluttered and she looked up at Luo Wenyou with a smile. She said, “Rest assured, Cousin. Tong’er is a coward and will definitely complain to Grandmother if anything happens.”
“That’s good. Remember to come and wish Grandmother a happy new year the day after tomorrow.”
“Alright!” Mo Xuetong curtsied. Another horse carriage drew up at the entrance. The Luo carriage had no choice but to move forward. Most of the crowd had already left and there were not many carriages left behind. Mo Yu stood on her toes and looked around but did not find their carriage. She could not help but worry.
“Oh, I remember now. We took First Miss’ horse carriage here. She must have taken it when she left earlier. Won’t anyone pick Miss up after First Miss went home?”
Mo Xuetong did take Mo Xuemin’s carriage to the palace. But no matter what Mo Xuemin said after she returned to the manor, they would still send a carriage to pick her up. The Emperor and his officials had retired early. Her father would have already known what happened in the palace. How could he not send a carriage for her?
“Miss, quick get in. Old Sir told me to come and pick you up.” An inconspicuous horse carriage pulled up in front of Mo Xuetong just as she was thinking about it. Mo Xuetong found the driver somewhat familiar. He seemed to be from their manor. She had not gone out often after moving to the Mo Manor, so she did not recognize everyone working there.
Mo Huawen had given her her own carriage and she only recognized that driver. However, that carriage had been damaged and it probably could not be used in a while. That was why her father had sent such a small carriage to pick her up. The carriage looked ordinary and there wasn’t any emblem to signify that it belonged to the Mo Manor. If the driver had not looked familiar, she would not know that it belonged to the Mo Manor either.
“When did we have such a lousy horse carriage in the manor?” Mo Yu muttered to herself unhappily while she helped Mo Xuetong onto the carriage.
“It’s just a horse carriage, why do you have so much to say about it? Your tongue is really sharp.” Mo Xuetong did not mind because they were right in front of the palace entrance. She took Mo Yu’s hand and entered the carriage. The curtains lifted and Mo Yu had not gotten on when a hand emerged from the curtain. The hand caught hold of Mo Xuetong’s hand and tugged her into the carriage forcefully. Mo Xuetong lost her balance and fell into the carriage.
She reached out subconsciously to push herself up. She realized that she had fallen into a man’s embrace. The masculine scent of the man invaded her nostrils. The hand that wrapped tightly around her wrist had made her understand that the person was definitely a man. Who was trying to kidnap her!
“Miss!” Mo Yu who was outside the horse carriage realized that something was not right. She yelled shrilly.
“Mo Yu, it’s alright. Wait for Mo Ye. I shall leave first.” Mo Xuetong said calmly. Actually, she was flustered. She could not see who the other party was in the dark. She only knew that the man bore ill-intentions towards her. He was kidnapping her in front of the palace entrance in the middle of the night. She was in his hands and her reputation had been ruined. She forced down the fear she felt. The horse carriage had already started moving. If she left Mo Yu behind for no rhyme or reason, others would definitely find out about this.
She must not scream now. If she did and others found out that she had been kidnapped by a man, her reputation would be ruined if she were saved.
The horse carriage pulled away slowly. She could hear Mo Yu’s soft confused utterances. It would not startle those around her. Mo Yu should not be too far away. She warned herself not to panic. As long as Mo Yu informs Mo Ye, Mo Ye would definitely find a solution. Furthermore, Ying Jiu was hidden somewhere. There should not be any issues.
Even so, Mo Xuetong was still very nervous. She was soaked in cold sweat!
Fortunately, the person in the dark did not make any other moves. He only held her hand tightly, and his hand grabbed her soft slender wrist tightly with no intentions of releasing her. Mo Xuetong did not move. She could feel her body knocking onto the carriage walls. Her head hurt and her mind quickly ran through a list of people. She realized that there were not many who would do something like this.
She was just a daughter of the Mo Manor who had been abandoned in a small city by the countryside. Even if her father was promoted now, he was not a major figure. The person in the dark did not speak or move. If not for the soft breathing by her ear and the pain in her wrist, she would not have sensed him.
She had only just come to the capital and other than the mother and daughter pair, she had no other enemies. Who hated her so much that he would try to hurt her again and again? Mo Xuemin was in too much trouble to care about her right now. She did not have time to get someone to do this to her. Even if she wanted to, it was impossible. What happened in the palace was a chance occurrence that Mo Xuemin could not have imagined. It would be a rush for her to deal with it.
It was impossible that she had sent a horse carriage outside the palace beforehand to kidnap her.
So who was this person? He wanted to ruin her reputation and was someone she knew. That was why he did not speak. He was afraid that she might recognize him. Mo Xuetong’s mind quickly ran through a list of names. She realized that only Sima Lingyun would do something like this. Sima Lingyun did not become Duke Zhenguo. He was just a titled Marquess because of what happened today.
Mo Xuetong had heard many young ladies talking about that in the palace earlier. That was how she knew about this.
Sima Lingyun had only gained wealth and reputation after marrying her in her past life.
But in this life? In this life, Sima Lingyun and Mo Xuemin had worked together to plot against her several times.
However, she could see from all these incidents that Sima Lingyun had always had the intention to marry her. She was different in this life. She had not been disfigured and was wary of Sima Lingyun. She would avoid him whenever she saw him, and they did not have any actual interactions. Hadn’t Sima Lingyun given up on her yet?
She opened her eyes wide secretly, wanting to see if the person was Sima Lingyun from the faint light that streamed through the windows. However, it was a pity that the person cast a shadow on her from where he sat. She could not see clearly at all. However, her faint intuition told her that the person was Sima Lingyun.
What was Sima Lingyun going to do? Was he going to kidnap her and take her to the Duke’s Manor? Then, he would make it an established fact and ask her father for her hand. Her father would have no choice but to agree then. Or did he want to use this kidnapping as an opportunity to tell others that her reputation has been damaged? Then, he would go to the Mo Manor to propose to her. Her father would feel grateful and it would even make him look magnanimous.
If so, Sima Lingyun would not allow her to see his face. Perhaps that was why it was so dark in here. Or perhaps, she would still have time to fight! She felt lucky that she did not scream earlier at the entrance of the palace. She had even comforted Mo Yu and told her to find Mo Ye. If she had screamed irrationally then, or perhaps, if Mo Yu had screamed because the carriage left so suddenly; everyone in the capital would know that she had been kidnapped.
How could she explain being kidnapped? If others gave chase and Sima Lingyun tore her clothes, she would not be able to claim innocence even if she died.
She could only hope that Mo Ye and Mo Feng would realize that something was wrong. She hoped that they would give chase silently. Given the current situation, the only thing she could do now was to stall for time.
“You, who are you?” The girl’s fearful voice shook. It sounded especially fragile in the dark, sounding like a girl who knew nothing of the world.
The man in the dark did not reply. The hand around her wrist squeezed even tighter. The pain radiated upwards and she could not help but yell in pain. “Ouch!”
She must not play hardball in a situation like this. She had to be smart!
She must not force Sima Lingyun to his wit’s ends or she might be dragged down by him as well.
She needed time. She had to stall for time so she can escape. As long as she could flee from Sima Lingyun’s control, she would be able to escape from danger. No one would find out that she had been kidnapped and her reputation would not be tarnished.
“Don’t talk.” A low rough voice rang in the dark.
It was Sima Lingyun indeed. Mo Xuetong knew Sima Lingyun very well in her past life. She could tell that it was Sima Lingyun’s voice. Of course, only those who knew him very well could tell that he was trying to make his voice sound different intentionally.
“You, where are you taking me? My father has money. You can get my father to give you a reward.” The girl’s sweet voice shook and sounded as if she were going to cry. Even though she had already tried to suppress the fear she felt, she could not control it. Sima Lingyun could not help but feel pleased.
Mo Xuemin said that Mo Xuetong was no longer that cowardly girl she once was. However, she had reverted to her natural state under such circumstances. She did not appear to be a person one should not overlook like what Mo Xuemin said. Her calmness when she first got onto the carriage had long been forgotten in the dark carriage. He did not believe that Mo Xuetong could be calm when she was being kidnapped. After all, she was just a girl of 13. How smart could she be?
She was still thinking of asking Mo Huawen to pay a reward for her? Did she think that he was a ruffian who kidnapped her for money!
Sima Lingyun harrumphed coldly. He did not pay attention to Mo Xuetong. She was a weak girl, what could she do? He closed his eyes. Judging by how long the carriage had been on the move, they would be safe once they left this road. It was not that he was afraid of creating a scene. If Mo Xuetong had screamed earlier at the entrance of the palace, he would have fled by the time the guards at the palace realized and gave chase.
The harm to a girl in this situation was endless. It would be easy for him to marry Mo Xuetong if he disappeared with her for a day and then appeared in front of the horse carriage like a hero and save her from the kidnapper. After all, her reputation would be ruined then. Mo Huawen would be grateful that he was willing to make Mo Xuetong his legal wife. Even the General Manor would feel that he was heroic. Mo Huawen and the Luo Manor would both be his to use then.
He would have a future and the beauty. What else did he lack?