Song Zhaoyu knew that if her memory and thoughts were correct, they should be able to find the ladies soon.
She only hoped that before they found the ladies, the bandits wouldn't have had time to move the Sea Consort.
But what Song Zhaoyu didn't expect was that before the day was over, by evening, Prince Wen's men brought back exhilarating news: they had found the ladies!
Just as Song Zhaoyu had said, the bandits had disguised themselves as villagers in an inconspicuous small village nestled in a rocky hollow below the mountain.
They had cunningly evaded the searches of the surrounding soldiers several times, but fortunately, Prince Wen's men had noticed them in time.
When the scout returned with the report, the Ministry of Justice had also discovered that this place was unusual.
According to Prince Wen's scout, they had secretly infiltrated the village and, behind the village's ancestral hall, found the rooms where the ladies were being held.
What Song Zhaoyu found fortunate was that the bandits hadn't had time to send away the Sea Consort! Now that the Sea Consort was still held captive with the other abducted ladies, as long as they could testify for each other, everyone's reputation, including the Sea Consort's, could be preserved.
Since their whereabouts had been discovered, it wouldn't be difficult to storm the village.
Song Yuan naturally had to go along; he wanted to see the old lady as soon as possible.
So he turned and said to Song Zhaoyu, "Fourth girl, you all go back to the manor and wait for news!"
Song Zhaoyu naturally didn't want to.
It was Song Jiayang who stepped forward first, cupping his fists to Song Yuan, "Father, let me and Fourth Sister go. At this point, if we can't go together, we will truly be uneasy."
Song Zhaoyu also nodded, which added a bit more favor in Song Yuan's heart towards Song Zhaoyu, making him feel she was also a filial child.
As for those ladies—
Prince Wen's men arrived before the Ministry of Justice and the palace officials. With the assistance of Prince Chang's manor and the Eastern Palace guards, capturing the unsuspecting martial artists was not difficult.
By the time the Ministry of Justice and the palace officials arrived, it was basically in the mop-up stage.
And when Song Zhaoyu and the other officials' families arrived at the small village, the ladies had already all been released.
The Sea Consort was naturally the first to be taken back to the palace by Prince Wen. Song Zhaoyu caught a brief glimpse; the Sea Consort's clothes were intact, and even her hair bun was still neatly done, indicating that there were no problems.
However, before they left, the young eunuch by Prince Wen's side specifically came to Song Zhaoyu and Song Yuan and said, "Today's chaos and haste might have caused some neglect towards the Minister and Fourth Miss. Our Prince has said that he will personally visit to express his gratitude on another day, thanking Fourth Miss for her guidance."
Song Yuan glanced proudly at Song Zhaoyu, then cupped his fists to the young eunuch, "We dare not accept such praise. Our family also had ladies captured; we were all just trying to find a solution. Eunuch, please return quickly to attend to the Prince and the Sea Consort. It's chaotic here today, and we can discuss other matters once everything is settled."
His words, while not explicitly seeking credit, seemed to imply it in every sentence.
Song Zhaoyu ignored Song Yuan and focused on the ladies emerging from Stone Hollow Village.
It was only when she saw the Song family's old lady being supported by Song Yanrou and Granny Yin that the heavy stone in her heart finally landed.
"Grandmother!"
Song Zhaoyu disregarded all etiquette and propriety, and the demeanor of a young lady from a good family. She hurried forward and examined the old lady from head to toe, "Grandmother, are you alright? You scared us to death!"
The old lady also didn't expect that the first person she would see upon emerging from here would be Song Zhaoyu!
"Yu girl? Why are you here?"
She called out Song Zhaoyu's name, her tone even more affectionate than before, "It's so late, why are you here, a young lady?"
"Father and brother are also here!"
Song Zhaoyu took the opportunity to take the old lady from Song Yanrou's grasp, and then also assessed Song Yanrou, "Third Sister, are you alright? Were you frightened?"
Song Yanrou was indeed frightened, her face still a bit pale!
Although she was usually extremely displeased with Song Zhaoyu, at this moment, seeing her family, her eyes welled up with tears, "I'm fine. Grandmother protected me all the way! It's so good to see you all!"
As she spoke, Song Yuan and Song Jiayang also came forward.
The old lady's complexion seemed fine, and she didn't appear to have been greatly startled.
Seeing the chaos outside, she merely held Song Zhaoyu's arm and pointed to the Song family's carriage, "Let's go, let's go back first! I don't want to stay in this place for another moment. It's good that we are safe now. The Ministry of Justice will naturally help investigate the financial matters."
With the old lady present, Song Yuan seemed to have regained his composure.
Their group got into the carriage. Song Zhaoyu noticed that Song Yanrou's clothes were already dirty. It seemed she had been abducted in a hurry, and with the weather so cold, she was only wearing Granny Yin's outer garment.
Song Zhaoyu didn't feel pity for her, but her shivering appearance next to her was truly unsightly.
The carriage was relatively warm, so Song Zhaoyu took off her own outer coat and handed it to Song Yanrou, "Third Sister, are you cold? Wearing this will warm you up."
Uncharacteristically, Song Yanrou looked at Song Zhaoyu with gratitude.
The old lady beside them, however, let out a cold snort, "If she hadn't spoken carelessly, why would someone have poured a basin of cold water on her in this cold weather? It's good for her to learn a lesson."
As soon as the old lady said this, Song Yanrou dared not wear it.
It was Song Zhaoyu who, while comforting the old lady, nodded at Song Yanrou, signaling her to wear it with peace of mind, "Grandmother, you've been with Third Sister for so long. If Third Sister catches a cold, you'll get sick too! Then you'll find the medicine Physician Fan prescribes bitter, won't that make it difficult for those of us who persuade you to drink it?"
This remark finally amused the old lady, and she stopped bothering with Song Yanrou.
Seeing the grandmother and granddaughter like this, even Song Jiayang couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I see that in the future, the manor will finally have someone who can manage Grandmother's stubborn temper."
"Hahaha!"
Even Song Yuan let out a rare hearty laugh, "Good, good! Mother, when we return, all of you should properly brew a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold, and you must take care of your health."
He lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, then exclaimed, "Huh? The escorts for us, why aren't they from the Ministry of Justice and the Kyoto Prefecture, but seem to be... from Prince Chang's manor?"
Song Zhaoyu also looked outside and indeed saw the young eunuch Xiao Ruizhi, who usually accompanied Mu Changxi, leading a team of people escorting them on their sides.
Mu Changxi... was it him who sent people?
Song Jiayang helped explain, "So many people have come today. I'm afraid the Ministry of Justice and the Kyoto Prefecture officials are busy with the investigation and escorting, so they are short-handed. I see people from the Eastern Palace and Prince Wen's men are also helping with the escort, and it seems even Prince Ning's men have arrived. With so many of us coming to this place together, we naturally need to be cautious and steady."
Mu Hansu's men have also arrived?
He's probably not here to escort, but to observe the situation, isn't he?
Song Zhaoyu felt that in the capital now, apart from this road, there was no safer place.
The mountain road was difficult to travel, and it wasn't until midnight that they arrived at the entrance of the Song manor.
As Song Zhaoyu helped the old lady alight from the carriage, she saw Mu Changxi's men quietly retreat, not even accepting the reward money offered by the Song family.
The First Madam and the others dared not sleep, and had prepared mugwort water and a brazier at the entrance. Seeing the old lady return safely, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank heavens, thank heavens!"