novelhk Chapter 238 White Jade Guanyin
Chapter 238 White Jade Guanyin
Chapter 238 White Jade Guanyin
Ye Pianran hurriedly clicked "accept" and closed the pop-up dialog box. She then saw the scholar surnamed Wang carrying the scattered notices, his steps unsteady as he was about to leave. Ye Pianran felt inexplicably annoyed.
"Stop!" she shouted sharply, giving Ye Lingyue a wink. Ye Lingyue understood and stepped forward as if to support the man, but actually grabbed his wrist tightly, preventing him from moving forward any further.
Ye Pianran walked up to Wang Shusheng and said, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, young master? Tell me the name, age, and appearance of the person you are looking for. Maybe I can find her for you."
Wang Shusheng was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "You have a way?"
"Yes." Ye Pianran nodded and said, "To be honest, my father is Marquis Anshi. I can use my father's power and connections to find someone for you. As long as your wife is still in the capital, I will definitely be able to find her."
Wang Shusheng was quite surprised; he hadn't expected that the person who saved him would be the daughter of the Marquis of Anshi. However, he also had some doubts. Even if this girl was indeed the daughter of the Marquis of Anshi, he had searched for her in the capital for so many days, even reporting to the Shuntian Prefecture, and hadn't found a single clue. How could this girl have done it?
But... well, let's try anything, even if it's a long shot.
“Then I thank you very much, young lady,” said Wang Shusheng. He took out one of the notices from his pocket and handed it to Ye Pianran, saying, “My wife’s name is Xue Ling, she is sixteen years old, and a little shorter than you. She has a birthmark on her neck, shaped like a butterfly, in a very conspicuous place, so she is quite easy to identify…”
The scholar's painting skills were quite good; he captured his wife's appearance with remarkable realism. The woman in the painting had almond-shaped eyes, crescent-shaped eyebrows, a delicate nose, a charming smile, and a shallow dimple at the corner of her lips. In addition, there was a butterfly-shaped birthmark on her neck, making her exceptionally lovely.
"Young Master Wang, where was the last time you met your wife?" Ye Pianran closed the portrait in her hand and asked earnestly.
"It was at the market in the West Market. I was buying writing implements, but she wasn't interested. She said she wanted to go to the cloth shop next door. I thought it was only a short walk, and I could see her as soon as I turned around, so I let her go. But when I finished choosing the calligraphy and turned back to look for her, she had disappeared."
"Have you been to that cloth shop?" Ye Lingyue interjected.
"I saw it," said the shopkeeper, his face full of worry. "My wife didn't even come to their shop to choose any fabric."
"Then, did she get separated from you in the market?" Ye Lingyue frowned as well.
Young Master Wang shook his head: "I don't know. I only know that I searched for her day and night for ten days in the West Market, but I couldn't find her." After saying that, he sighed heavily again.
Ye Pianran and Ye Lingyue exchanged a glance and found that each of them looked rather solemn.
"What clothes was your wife wearing when she went missing? Did she take any easily identifiable items with her?" Ye Pianran continued to ask.
Young Master Wang said, "My wife was wearing a light pink short jacket that day. She usually doesn't carry many things with her, except for a few taels of silver and a family heirloom jade pendant."
"What does that jade pendant look like?" Ye Pianran asked.
"It is a white jade Guanyin statue with a touch of vermilion on it, which is located on the jade vase of the Guanyin statue. Its appearance is very unique and easy to remember."
White jade Guanyin statue!
Ye Pianran's heart skipped a beat, and the hairs on her body stood on end. She had just seen a jade pendant like this at the Zhao family mansion! Could it be—
Countless guesses flashed through her mind. Composing herself, Ye Pianran asked the young master, "Where are you staying now, sir?"
"When we first arrived in the capital, we stayed at Wangjiang Tower. I was afraid that she would suddenly come back to look for me one day, so I have been staying there ever since."
"I'll go find someone for you right away, young master. You should return to Wangjiang Tower and wait for news." Ye Pianran said as she handed a bottle of pills to the scholar Wang. "The most important thing for you now is to recover your health. Otherwise, if you fall ill when your wife returns, how can you reunite with her?"
Young Master Wang's expression was deeply moved. His hands trembled as he took the medicine, then he bowed deeply to Ye Pianran and said:
"Thank you so much for your help, young lady! I will never forget your kindness!"
After seeing off Young Master Wang, Ye Lingyue lowered her voice and asked Ye Pianran, "Miss, if I remember correctly, we saw the jade pendant that the scholar mentioned earlier at Master Zhao's residence."
"Hmm, not bad." Ye Pianran's expression was extremely cold. "I did see her at Master Zhao's place. Given Master Zhao's character, it's not impossible that he would abduct a young and beautiful woman and take her home. Perhaps the scholar's wife is at Master Zhao's residence right now. Even if she isn't, he must know her whereabouts."
"Shall we go back to the Zhao residence?" Ye Lingyue asked.
"Let's go." Ye Pianran nodded decisively, and she and Ye Lingyue climbed onto the carriage and sped off towards the Zhao family mansion once again.
Not long after Ye Pianran and Ye Lingyue left, Master Zhao woke up.
Upon waking up, Master Zhao had no recollection of what had happened after he emerged from the illusion. It was only through the servant's account that he learned that the boils on his back had been healed, though he still felt excruciating pain in his back because the rotten flesh had been removed.
After drinking two mouthfuls of strong medicinal soup from Wu Er's hand, Master Zhao, reflecting on his experiences over the past few days, let out a long sigh of relief and casually asked:
"Is the person Mr. Green Ivy sent still at the manor?"
"Reporting to your master, the two women have already left."
Upon hearing the word "women," Master Zhao's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and his gaze turned gloomy: "Those two women must not be allowed to live."
Wu Er said, "Don't worry, sir. I've already sent men to follow them. They will definitely be dealt with properly."
Master Zhao grunted in acknowledgment, but still felt something was amiss. He looked around and noticed that Wang Bao, who was usually by his side, was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and asked:
"Where is Wang Bao? Where is he? Why are you here serving him?"
"He should be in the manor, but I don't know where he went," Wu Er said. "Does Master have any instructions? Should we send someone to fetch him?"
"Forget it, what use is he coming?" Master Zhao waved his hand impatiently. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at something on the table, and his expression changed. He said, "Bring that thing here!"
Wu Er responded with "Yes, yes," got up to get the thing, and after picking it up, he looked at it for a couple of seconds before handing it over to Master Zhao.
"Sir, this jade pendant is quite unique."
"Hmm, this is top-quality Hetian mutton fat jade, complete with red skin. It's priceless." Master Zhao held the jade pendant in his palm, stroking it lovingly. He couldn't help but wonder, "However, I usually keep this jade pendant safe. How did it end up outside today?"
Wu Er had been hiding far away outside the house, not daring to approach, and had no idea what had happened inside. He only said, "This... it must have fallen out by accident, right?"
Master Zhao snorted coldly, and was about to put the jade pendant back into the hidden compartment on the bed when a servant came to report:
"Master, the doctor that Mr. Green Ivy sent to treat your illness has arrived again!"