The capital.
A letter from Ninghe was delivered to the residence of Yi Yange.
Wen Feng handed the letter up, stating it was from Ninghe.
Yi Yange's first thought was, she still remembers to write to him, hasn't her conscience been eaten by dogs?
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was merely a dispatch.
The sweetness and joy in his heart immediately dissipated by more than half.
But he was still happy, after all.
No matter the reason for her dispatch to him, at least she still remembered that such a person existed in the world.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
They still had time.
Yi Yange unrolled the rolled-up dispatch and, upon reading to the end, he was so angered he laughed.
She said Xu Hengyan had fallen into Lu Baohong's hands, and she was happily going along with Xu Hengyan as a bargaining chip, telling him not to worry about her when he heard the news.
Yi Yange stared at the word "happily," his eyes nearly spitting fire.
What did she mean by specifically informing him of this matter? Did she not want him to worry, or was she warning him not to ruin her good deed?
Should he perhaps send her a congratulatory gift and directly send her and Xu Hengyan into the bridal chamber!
Seeing that the teacup on the table was empty, Wen Feng picked up the teapot and refilled it with warm water.
Doctor Lou had specifically instructed him not to drink tea while taking medication.
When he handed it up, he saw his master's ferocious, cold smile, which startled Wen Feng, making him almost knock over the teacup.
Wen Feng placed the teacup on the desk and asked cautiously, "Is there something going on with Miss Xie?"
Yi Yange said coldly, "What could be going on with her? She's doing just fine!"
Wen Feng understood immediately. It was indeed Miss Xie who was in trouble.
He just didn't know what good deed Miss Xie had done this time to make his master so angry.
Yi Yange picked up the teacup and gulped down two mouthfuls. He drank too quickly and choked, coughing.
As he coughed, Wen Feng noticed his master's complexion was not right. He quickly went to the shelf nearby to find the medicine prescribed by Lou Yian, patting his master's back while anxiously feeding him the medicine.
She was determined to anger him to death. What medicine should he take? He would be dead from anger before his illness was cured!
After finally recovering, Yi Yange took a deep breath and managed to swallow the medicine.
If he died, wouldn't that be exactly what she wanted! She would then be even more free to do whatever she pleased with Xu Hengyan!
Seeing Yi Yange lean back against the backrest and close his eyes to take deep breaths, appearing calm on the surface at least, Wen Feng hesitated for a long time before asking softly.
"Master, when are we leaving for Ninghe?"
Yi Yange said coldly, "Why would we go to Ninghe!"
Wen Feng was stunned. "We're not going?"
Didn't Miss Xie have something going on?
Yi Yange gave a cold laugh.
She had specifically sent word telling him not to meddle. Why should he go and get involved! To watch her and Xu Hengyan join hands and brave the storms together?
Wen Feng was a bit dumbfounded.
What exactly had Miss Xie done?
Since his master wouldn't reveal anything, he couldn't guess.
He couldn't even offer a few words of comfort to share his master's worries.
Seeing his master about to spit blood from anger, Wen Feng was anxious.
Yi Yange silently convinced himself, giving her one last chance. Wasn't her goal to gain Xu Hengyan's trust? Weren't two instances of facing hardship together enough?
In his opinion, Xu Hengyan was clearly very interested in her!
Even if she failed this time, he couldn't indulge her anymore!
Had she been impersonating a man for too long and forgotten she was a girl!
He should even thank Xu Hengyan for being blind!
Otherwise...
He didn't think Xu Hengyan's self-control would be better than his own.
Even with the best self-control, encountering her would...
Yi Yange casually grabbed a memorial and opened it, forcing himself to stop thinking further, but after reading two lines, he threw the memorial back.
His heart had been utterly disturbed by her.
Yi Yange stood up and walked to the window, standing there for a while. A gentle breeze brushed against his face, and his burning head gradually began to calm down.
By shifting his attention away from the matters between her and Xu Hengyan, he could guess that her actions this time were not solely for gaining Xu Hengyan's trust.
She must have had other objectives.
What could she do by falling into Lu Baohong's hands along with Xu Hengyan?
Eliminate the Lu father and son?
She wouldn't care at all if these two father and son hid in the shadows and sought revenge on her.
Then what was she planning?
Seeing the large basket of memorials sorted out by the desk, Yi Yange couldn't help but think of the recent movements in the court.
—The bandits of Huanglanshan.
Yi Yange walked to the bookshelf and took out a topographical map of Baiyou.
Wen Feng quickly moved the ink and brush from the desk aside.
Yi Yange spread out the topographical map.
He quickly understood her true intentions.
He could basically confirm that her target was the bandits of Huanglanshan.
But how did she intend to eliminate this malignant tumor?
The Lu father and son had long since colluded with the bandits of Huanglanshan, and the overlapping peaks and valleys of Baiyou were excellent hiding places. Had the Lu father and son already taken her and Xu Hengyan captive and brought them to the bandit lair?
She was truly audacious!
Which would allow her to live: the Lu father and son, or the bandits of Huanglanshan!
Was she planning to use this method to ascertain the terrain of the bandit lair, so that in the future, the long-standing bandit menace could be eradicated in one fell swoop?
Was Xu Hengyan also risking his life by playing along with the plan?
It was one thing for Xu Hengyan to risk his own life, but why did he have to take her with him!
Seeing his master finally calm down, only to be unable to contain his ferocity after looking at the topographical map of the Ninghe area for a while, Wen Feng was terrified.
Yi Yange frowned and ordered, "Send people to keep an eye on the Duke of Wei's mansion these few days."
Wen Feng thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Is there something going on in Ninghe?"
Otherwise, why would his master tell them to watch the Duke of Wei's mansion?
Yi Yange's voice was low, "Xu Hengyan was abducted by Lu Baohong."
Wen Feng was stunned.
Lu Baohong had this capability? There must be some reason. Lu Baohong abducted Young Master Xu, so what about Miss Xie?
Could Lu Baohong have abducted Miss Xie as well?
This was courting death.
Then why was his master so angry?
If Lu Baohong abducted Miss Xie, the one in mortal danger would undoubtedly be Lu Baohong.
Yi Yange pondered for a moment, pointed to the basket of memorials, and said, "Take these memorials with you. We're going to Yuan You Palace."
Weren't they all asking her to suppress the bandits? Then he would fulfill their wishes.
Originally, it was only the Zhu family from Xing Shun Bo's mansion who wanted to use the bandits of Huanglanshan to kill her.
Afterward, many others, for their own purposes, also got involved.
It was as if as long as she made a move, the long-standing problem of the bandits of Huanglanshan would surely be eradicated.
The most laughable thing was that everyone was clamoring for her to suppress the bandits, yet they strongly opposed an outsider like her from Lan Yong taking command of troops.
They were practically telling her to go to her death at the hands of the bandits of Huanglanshan.
Heh heh.
How could she let those with ulterior motives have their way?
When she resolved the bandit problem of Huanglanshan without any effort, he wanted to see what kind of expressions those people would have.
It would be good to settle this matter early, and she could return to the capital sooner.
Staying under his nose would also save him from worrying day and night.
Wen Feng immediately called for people to come and carry the basket of memorials, preparing to accompany his master to Yuan You Palace to see the emperor.
Wen Feng took the outer garment hanging on the rack and, while helping Yi Yange put it on, said, "Lu Baohong abducted Young Master Xu, is he trying to exchange them for those Lu family members?"
Yi Yange's eyes were deep and calm. "Have people keep an eye on the Dali Temple as well. Lu Xuan might already be in the capital."