Shocking! In this matriarchal society, every man wants to marry me!

At Zhongtian's suggestion, Xia Muning's zither playing was arranged in the sunroom.

As night fell, lanterns were lit on all sides, and white silk was wrapped around the sunroom, fluttering in the breeze.

Xia Muning was dressed in red, and her hair was tied up with a gold hairpin.

The light reflected off the glass and then shone on Xia Muning, giving him a golden glow.

Like a celestial maiden descending to earth, it's like a dream!

The sound of the zither drifted out, like pearls of all sizes falling onto a jade plate, as if listening to celestial music.

Xia Muning occasionally looked up, only to meet Zhong Tian's gaze on the table. Zhong Tian looked at him, his eyes filled with affection.

Zhongtian believed that tonight, Xia Muning's reputation would slowly spread, and the title of the First Young Master would gradually drift away, reaching even more distant places.

And the glass she sells will also increase in price, becoming a cash cow.

When the piece ended, everyone emerged from the dream woven by Xia Muning. After playing the piano, Xia Muning quietly left.

It was late at night, and everyone was preparing to leave, but they were still excitedly talking about what had happened that night.

Suddenly, Shiqin ran out, her eyes filled with panic: "It's terrible! Young Master has been kidnapped by thieves!"

This sound, like water suddenly bursting, brought everyone's thoughts to a standstill for a moment. Young Master Xia had been kidnapped!

It was Xia's father who reacted first, immediately stepping forward and slapping Shiqin hard across the face, causing blood to immediately trickle from the corner of her mouth.

"He's gone mad with greed and loss; suppress it immediately."

Madam Xia immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, the servants in the house were not well-disciplined and caused you all to be frightened. Today's events are nonsense, please do not spread them to others. See the guests out, and may you all have a safe journey!"

Everyone understood and left silently.

Zhongtian was originally asked to leave, but Xia Fang pulled her back, so she didn't leave.

After everyone had left, Xia's father walked up to Shiqin, who was covering her face and crying. "What happened?" Xia's father asked, his voice trembling.

Shiqin sobbed and couldn't speak.

“I’ll speak!” Shi Shu stepped forward, his face bearing the lingering handprint of a thief.

His tone was extremely nervous, even though he tried to hide it, but he still managed to recount the events as best he could.

At that time, Shishu and Shiqin were helping Xia Muning remove her makeup when suddenly several people broke into the inner courtyard, smashed open the door, and kidnapped Xia Muning without saying a word.

"Don't make a fuss, quietly go and invite the magistrate here."

"Yes."

The magistrate arrived in haste before he had even left. After hearing Xia's mother's request, he immediately mobilized all the manpower in the county government office to conduct a secret search throughout the city.

Fang Shilian was still not fully sober. Upon hearing the news, she clutched her head in anguish, looking utterly distraught. She muttered to herself, "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

Xia's father cried until he almost fainted. Xia's mother, with a serious expression, comforted her while sending people to investigate whether her competitor was acting suspiciously.

Zhongtian listened from the side, feeling that there was something illogical about this whole thing.

The Xia residence is heavily guarded, so why did these thugs enter it so easily today? Why today? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision, or was it premeditated?

It was getting darker and darker. Xia Muning had to be found before dawn, otherwise his reputation would be ruined after spending the night with a woman!

She called Shishu aside; Shishu was still somewhat shaken. "Shishu, how many people kidnapped Xia Muning?"

“Five!” He saw it very clearly.

Did they speak?

Shi Shu recalled carefully: "They did, they took out a piece of paper from their bosoms and pointed to our young master with certainty, saying, 'It's him!'"

Is it a local accent?

"Yes!"

Zhongtian greatly admired Shishu. Even in such a chaotic situation, Shishu did his best to remember all the details, leaving his young master with a glimmer of hope.

Waiting for news at the Xia residence would not yield any progress. Having obtained the information she wanted, Zhongtian left without alerting anyone.

This is a bustling small town; even at night, it is brightly lit and teeming with people.

She found Jin Xia directly at the stall.

Jin Xia set up a small stall on the street, her abacus clicking away as she tallied her day's earnings. Her face lit up with joy, indicating that the day's harvest was quite substantial.

Two little girls are now following behind her; they are clever and adorable.

Upon seeing Zhongtian, he quickly went to greet him. "Master, these are my two apprentices. Aren't they clever?"

Knowing that time was of the essence, Zhong Tian cut straight to the point: "Master, have you heard?"

"Of course, even though the Xia family tried their best to cover it up, I still heard the news."

"He's a local."

Jin Xia looked at the sky. "It's so late."

"We can't afford to delay."

"Ok, I see."

Jin Xia was a clever woman. She gave the two little girls a few instructions and then left.

Zhongtian sat on the stall, watching people come and go. Passersby were unfamiliar with the word "express delivery" and would curiously come up to ask. The little girl would then explain it to them fluently.

Some people, familiar with the place, would come to the stall, say what they wanted, leave the money, and leave.

Zhongtian waited at the stall for an hour and had already completed more than 30 transactions.

An hour later, Jinxia returned, holding a note in her hand.

"There are 26 scoundrels in this city, and ten of them are bold enough to arrest people. Three of them are in brothels and two are in gambling dens. Only these five are missing."

"Their whereabouts are unknown. Do you know who these people are?"

"The one in the lead is the sister of the owner of Luban Workshop, named Hu Yuan. The others are Chen Shuang, Zhao Le, Guo Qian, and Song Lian."

"Where are they?"

“They usually gather here,” Jin Xia said, pointing to an address.

Zhong Tian was overjoyed. The Beggars' Sect truly lived up to its reputation as the number one sect in martial arts novels; their information gathering abilities were exceptionally useful.

Suddenly, she thought of something.

"Go to the Xia residence and find a servant who serves as a secretary. Ask him if he is willing to save his young master. If he nods, tell him what to do. Come closer and listen to me."

"…good!"

"besides…"

"Tell Fang Shilian this address and have her take the constables to find Xia Muning."

"Is it that constable surnamed Fang from the government office?" Jin Xia hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"nothing."

Nakata looked up and saw a few stars twinkling in the sky; the night was growing ever darker.