Xiao Mo must have also realized that the people who kidnapped him were from Duanjing, not from Nanzhou or Yunnan-Guizhou at all.
What kind of feud would make these people chase him from Duanjing all the way to Nanzhou?
And why kidnap him indirectly instead of directly kidnapping Wang Qingyao?
In Xiao Mo's eyes, Wang Qingyao was a girl full of strange ideas, smart and kind, how could she have made such a deep enemy?
Wang Qingyao said, "You are still young, it's not appropriate for you to know about this matter."
Xiao Mo: "..."
He was the same age as Xiao Yun!
Xiao Mo protested silently with his eyes and didn't ask further.
He continued with the rest of the story.
Later, Feng Jiangduo took advantage of the guards' carelessness, knocked them out, and went in to rescue Xiao Mo. However, their luck was bad, and as they were leaving, they ran into the other kidnappers who had returned. After a fight, Feng Jiangduo and Xiao Mo were forced to the edge of a cliff.
The kidnappers didn't want to harm Xiao Mo, they only wanted to capture him alive. There were eight kidnappers. No matter how skilled Feng Jiangduo was, being entangled by two people who were not weak in martial arts, it was difficult for her to spare a hand to save Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo, relying on the fact that these people dared not hurt him, foolishly resisted, and accidentally fell off the cliff. Seeing this, Feng Jiangduo jumped down without hesitation, grabbing Xiao Mo's hand.
She had a family heirloom sword that could cut through iron like mud. As they fell, she kept inserting it into the rocks, sparks flying, and it held for a while. Later, the sword could not bear the weight and broke.
They were lucky, there were trees growing from crevices below. Although they were withered and thin, they managed to hang onto them. And not just one tree. There were also haystacks dried by the villagers at the bottom of the cliff, which saved their lives.
"Wait," Wang Qingyao interrupted him, "The little county princess appeared suddenly? How did she know you were in danger? Was she following you?"
Xiao Mo was silent for a moment, his eyes seemed to soften a bit, and he said faintly, "When I left, she was afraid I would be in danger and wanted to go with me. I disagreed, so she secretly followed me all the way."
"Why does she care about you so much?"
Xiao Yun "coughed" twice, signaling Wang Qingyao to restrain herself and not be so gossipy.
Wang Qingyao glared at him, and said with a serious face, "As the eldest sister-in-law, and with mother not here, I, as the eldest sister-in-law, must vet my second brother properly and sort out his emotional issues."
Xiao Mo didn't care much. He also hoped for his family's support in his relationship with Feng Jiangduo.
"When I was staying at the Dingnan Prince's mansion, I fell in love with the little county princess at first sight."
Wow, Wang Qingyao was shocked, love at first sight!
A sentence immediately popped into her mind: Love at first sight is often lust at first sight!
She quickly shook her head, trying to clear the thought.
"You two fell in love at first sight? How romantic, hahaha..." m..oΓg
In Wang Qingyao's eyes, Xiao Mo was an ice block, and Feng Jiangduo was also like an ice block. Could two ice blocks fall in love at first sight? Wang Qingyao imagined two ice blocks sticking together, well, it was very cold...
If these two got married, would they barely say a few words to each other a day?
If both husband and wife were taciturn, it wouldn't be good for raising children...
Wang Qingyao thought with great concern, her thoughts drifting far away.
Just then, the Dingnan Prince entered with five people. Wang Qingyao recognized three of the young men, they were the three grandsons who had carried sticks before. The other two, a man and a woman, in their thirties, judging by their attire and demeanor, were likely the Dingnan Prince's son and daughter-in-law.
Xiao Mo had met these people before, so he acted as an intermediary and introduced them to each other. The two elders were indeed the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Dingnan.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Dingnan were easier to talk to, and looked more approachable than the Dingnan Prince. They were also very happy to see Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao. Although they were elders, they still bowed to Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao according to etiquette.
Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao stepped aside and only accepted half a bow.
"Where is the little county princess?" Wang Qingyao asked.
The Crown Princess said, "I told her to rest in her room."
Now that everyone was present, it was inevitable that they would discuss the matter of Xiao Mo and Feng Jiangduo.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were quite fond of Xiao Mo and were increasingly satisfied with him. However, the Dingnan Prince kept shouting that the Xiao family's curse was contagious and that Feng Jiangduo should not become a widow.
Wang Qingyao then said, "Why don't we let the little county princess return to Duanjing with us and stay at the Ding'an Prince's mansion for a while? If Xiao Mo doesn't survive to twenty-five, then let the little county princess choose another good husband. If Xiao Mo lives past twenty-five, then let them get married. Your Highness, what do you say?"
The Dingnan Prince "humphed" twice, "Why must we go to Duanjing? Waiting in Nanzhou is the same, isn't it?"
Wang Qingyao said seriously, "It's not the same. Your Highness, I'm telling you, even the most loving couple will have conflicts if they spend too much time together. Xiao Mo is only twenty-one this year, and he has four more years until he's twenty-five. In such a long time, the little county princess will definitely discover many of his flaws. Perhaps as they get along, she won't want to be with him anymore. If they are far apart and only communicate through letters, even shit can be talked into something fragrant. Far away smells good, close by smells bad, have you heard of that, Your Highness?"