Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 57: Kidnapping

After leaving the shop, Ji Meiqing said goodbye to the shopkeeper. She strolled around the streets for a while before going back to get her horse to go home.

Sitting on horseback, watching the people passing by, she suddenly spotted a figure in the crowd. She tried to chase after it, but the person had vanished as soon as she dismounted. Ji Meiqing had no choice but to continue on her way.

He returned home, and as he had said before, he didn't come back that night. The door to the house wasn't closed, and Ji Meiqing lay on the bed and slowly fell asleep.

Suddenly hearing a few noises in the night, Ji Meiqing, who was already fast asleep, had no idea what was about to happen and continued to sleep peacefully.

Several dark figures moved silently toward her room, their steps labored and their breathing shallow. They reached her bedside, exchanged glances, and then simultaneously attacked.

A burlap sack was pulled over her head from her feet, then hoisted up and started to walk away. Just then, Ji Mei woke up, and after a moment of confusion, she immediately snapped back to reality.

She moved her hands and struggled to get out of the darkness.

Before she could even speak, a club struck her hard on the forehead. Ji Meiqing's mind went blank for a moment, and then she felt something warm and sticky on her forehead. She immediately understood what was happening.

Her hands and feet were restrained, and she couldn't move. She tried to say a few words, but the men realized her intention, so they put her down and casually covered her with strips of cloth.

Ji Meiqing let out a muffled groan, but there was nothing particularly loud about it.

It seemed like they had traveled a very long way, and the bumpy ride made her feel nauseous. Ji Meiqing couldn't hold it in and vomited.

Those men seemed to have caught wind of it too, and cursed under their breath, "What a troublemaker, second brother, gag her."

"Yes."

After a while, a rough hand reached out and stuffed a strip of cloth into her mouth. Ji Meiqing struggled a couple of times, but found it was no use. With her hand held, she could only use her tongue to slowly push the cloth out, bit by bit. She didn't know what the cloth was, but her tongue tasted an indescribable sourness.

The strip of cloth was finally thrown out, but they had no idea where it had taken her. When it was lowered, the world churned, and she was thrown to the ground.

Ji Meiqing rubbed her buttocks, which were throbbing with pain. Suddenly, the black cloth in front of her was ripped off, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.

A bright lamp emerged from the darkness, illuminating the area. Ji Meiqing squinted and turned her head to one side.

When the person got closer and squatted down in front of her, Ji Meiqing was able to see him clearly.

"Qiu Shi? It's you!" Ji Meiqing exclaimed in surprise, "You dare to arrest me."

"Hmph, who told you to meddle in other people's business?"

She snorted coldly and stood up. Several people formed a circle around her, and Ji Meiqing just watched her.

"Has Mom made the arrangements? We need to get her out of here by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, we'll run into big trouble later."

Ji Meiqing chuckled twice. "Do you know what the princess will do if you capture me?"

"Stop pretending with me. How could the princess possibly care about your affairs?"

"Then let's see if she gets angry when she finds out I'm missing." She smiled confidently, adding, "I'm not sure what the princess will do, but for the princess now, I'm still someone who has some use to her."

"You want to threaten me?" Qiu's face was contorted with rage, her wrinkles bunching up, making her look less prosperous than usual. Ji Meiqing didn't deny it, but didn't say anything more, only saying, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. I can only let you do as you please."

"Gag her and take her to the dock!" Qiu Shi, unable to bear it any longer, ordered her men to take her away.

Ji Meiqing took one last look at her, then left without a second thought. The people were supporting her limbs, and a black cloth was still covering her head.

I could only hear the voices of a few people around me, but I couldn't hear any sounds from the surrounding area or further away.

The ground was also muddy, soft and spongy underfoot. Perhaps because of the water around her, she moved her head and then continued walking forward.

I don't know how long I walked; after my eyes were covered, I lost track of the passage of time.

The two people next to them suddenly stopped, and Ji Meiqing stopped as well.

"The person has been brought. Where's the money?"

"Let me see the goods first." The voice was hoarse and grating. Ji Meiqing couldn't help but tremble, but managed to keep it quiet.

The person next to her removed the black cloth from her head, and after a moment of darkness, the deep blue night returned. Ji Meiqing looked at the emaciated old woman in front of her; she looked exactly like a witch from a medieval mural.

"At most, she's just a pretty face, like a maid. How dare she ask me for a hundred taels?" The witch-like old woman suddenly got angry, and Ji Meiqing was also shocked by her description.

"If you want it, we can lower the price a bit more. But it absolutely cannot be less than seventy taels."

"Then seventy-five it is." The old woman couldn't stand it anymore, and the two sides finally settled on seventy taels. Ji Meiqing was pushed to the other side, and the old woman's hand accurately grabbed her.

After the two people left, Ji Meiqing looked at her mother-in-law beside her.

"From now on, you can call me Mrs. Qian. I will take care of everything for you from now on."

"I hope you won't regret it." Ji Meiqing smiled and then shut her mouth. In her heart, however, she was calculating when they would find her.

In the distance, wisps of cold mist rose from the river. Ji Meiqing followed the old woman onto the fishing boat. After boarding, she found a place to rest. Dawn was approaching, and she had no idea where they were going.

Ji Meiqing was filled with anticipation. There wasn't much to keep warm on the fishing boat, so she grabbed a raincoat and covered herself. The old woman on the other side was already asleep, so she drifted off to sleep as well.

As dawn broke, Ji Meiqing, still half-asleep, was kicked awake. An old woman with a foul temper glared at her, her eyes already cloudy, and yelled, "Get up! Nobody wants someone as lazy as you!"

"Hmm." She stretched and sat up on the deck, looking down at the old woman in front of her. Ji Meiqing said calmly, "Have we arrived yet?"

"What do you mean 'come'? Get down here. What, you expect me to send people to carry you in on a sedan chair?" She uttered a string of words so fluently that it was hard to believe that the woman, who was almost seventy, could say them all without even taking a breath.

Helpless, Ji Meiqing had no choice but to get up and follow her ashore. The ropes binding her were still in place, and she couldn't move her limbs, which was already making her uncomfortable.

Once ashore, several strong men approached, and after the old woman said a few words, Ji Meiqing was taken away.