Mrs. Zhao heard the words, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind, but being much more astute than her daughter Fan ijiao, she didn’t show it. Instead, she spoke with a crying tone, "Big brother, then I’ll leave first. You must find a way to save ijiao. She is my life-blood!"
Zhao Fengnian rubbed his temples, which were swollen with a headache, waved his hand irritably, and said, "Big sister rest assured, ijiao is also Mother’s life-blood, and my own niece. I will certainly find a way to rescue her from the villain’s grasp. Please, you should go now!"
Though Mrs. Zhao was worried about her daughter, she had to rely on her elder brother to find people. Seeing that Zhao Fengnian showed no signs of worry, she dared not stay any longer. After speaking with Mada Zhao, she left, seemingly soulless.
At that mont, Mada Zhao had also recovered her composure and asked Zhao Fengnian anxiously, "Son, could it be that the villain who kidnapped ijiao has done sothing improper?"
Zhao Fengnian’s forehead was beading with sweat, his face revealing unease, "Mother, if the villain were after money, he probably would have contacted us for a ransom after taking ijiao. But an entire day has gone by and no one has co with a ssage. I’m afraid the villain is an enemy of our family, targeting my son."
It was no wonder Zhao Fengnian thought this. There had indeed been soone who had tried such a thing against him in the past but had not succeeded. The villain had been suppressed by Zhao Fengnian’s tactics, but the mory of that incident still frightened him deeply when he thought of it today.
Mada Zhao was clearly inford of the situation and beca terribly frightened, frantically asking, "Who could it be? Who could it be this ti? After taking ijiao, might they target soone else from our family next?"
Zhao Fengnian turned pale and shook his head in a daze, "My son doesn’t know..."
Zhao Fengnian genuinely did not know who would wish him harm. It wasn’t that he hadn’t committed foul deeds or had no suspects; rather, there were too many suspects for him to determine who it could be.
Having held office for nearly twenty years, Zhao Fengnian had never directly taken a life, but mbers of his clan had taken advantage of his power to commit countless atrocities, also secretly delivering uncountable benefits to him—land, Silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings... These items were so nurous they filled the Zhao Family’s storehouse.
And those benefits were mostly plundered by his clan mbers from others, ill-gotten gains. Otherwise, how could his ager official salary support the entire household of over a hundred people?
Mada Zhao very much understood these matters since among those who bullied others with their power were many of her own relatives. Just from her maternal family alone she had received many benefits. Otherwise, how could she have generated a substantial private fund over the years, allowing Fan ijiao to maintain their facade?
Now with Fan ijiao’s kidnapping filled with suspicion, mother and son unconsciously thought of this, and the more they thought about it, the more they feared that what happened to Fan ijiao could happen to them next.
"Son, what do we do now? What exactly should we do?" Mada Zhao asked Zhao Fengnian, her hands shaking as she clutched his, uncertain whether she was more concerned about what they would do in the future or how to rescue her granddaughter Ping An.
Zhao Fengnian was extrely panicked, and Mada Zhao’s question made him even more so. Fortunately, having served as an official for so many years and climbed to his current position, it was impossible for him to have no plans at all.
After forcing himself to calm down, he said to Mada Zhao, "Mother, we cannot spread the word about ijiao’s kidnapping. For now, the best plan is to wait and see, and search for ijiao’s whereabouts in secret! If the Mu Family inquires, say that ijiao went to the family temple to fast and pray, hoping for God’s blessing on her good marriage. She will co out when her rit is complete on her wedding day."
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