jdhmnovel Chapter 413 Clues: Suspicious Person, Coachman?
Chapter 413 Clues: Suspicious Person, Coachman?
Along the way, Linglong recounted the story: "That day, the young lady and I were preparing to take the embroidered items to exchange for silver, when the maids and servants suddenly appeared and said that they were sent by the Shangshu Mansion to take the young lady back. I was very happy for a long time because I felt that the young lady's hard days were finally coming to an end.
Without thinking too much, we simply packed our clothes and followed the people who came to get on the carriage. There were three people who came to pick us up, a coachman, a nanny, and a maid. The coachman had a scar on his face.
On weekdays, my young lady and I stayed in the village, and the farthest place we had been was only the town, so we were curious about everything. After getting on the carriage, we looked around. The nanny even whispered to us, saying that we had never seen the world and would be dazzled when we returned to the capital.
My lady and I ignored it and watched the carriage leave the village and head towards the capital. We were very excited along the way.
The driver said that we must get to the next post station before dark, otherwise they will have to sleep outdoors. After we left the village, we initially took the official road, which was relatively flat. But as we went on, the carriage began to shake slowly.
When we opened the window curtain again, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar place. My daughter and I had never been far away from home and didn't know what was happening outside. We were a little scared and thought we were lost. The old woman also noticed something was wrong and communicated with the driver outside. The driver only said that this was a shortcut and didn't say anything else.
After a while, the carriage suddenly stopped, and we asked what happened. At this time, there was no sound outside. We opened the curtain and jumped out of the carriage. It was terribly quiet around us. We realized something was wrong and were ready to run away, but suddenly several men in black jumped out and tried to attack us.
My young lady and I grew up in the countryside and have some skills and better physical strength than ordinary people. When we realized something was wrong, we looked at each other and drove away in the carriage recklessly. But the man in black was chasing us closely. The nanny and the maid were terrified, and the carriage ran around and finally hit a tree trunk. We were all injured, so we had to abandon the carriage and escape on foot.
The carriage was the most valuable thing for all of them. For some reason, the group of men in black ignored the carriage and chased after us. The maids and nannies were gradually running out of strength and were about to catch up with us. The young lady and I didn't care about that and left them behind and ran away.
When I looked back, I saw that the maid and the nanny had been killed by them. My young lady and I ran forward desperately, but the men in black did not stop and continued to chase us.
I was also hit by an arrow and was worried that both of us would die at their hands. Finally, the young lady and I decided that we should act separately. If either of us survived, we would go to the capital to meet up, or find someone to help us. The young lady gave me her jade pendant.
After running for a distance, I found that no one was following me. Worried about the safety of the young lady, I followed the direction she was walking and chased after her nervously. When I caught up with them, I found that the young lady had been forced to the edge of the cliff, with no way to retreat, and finally jumped down without hesitation.
I hid in the bushes with my mouth covered, not daring to make a sound, and watched the young lady jump down. I dared to come out only after all the men in black had left. It was already dark, and I didn't know where I was, so I found a safe place nearby to spend the night. The next day, I dragged my injured body and walked for a long time before I found the officials. At that time, I was in a mess, and others thought I was a beggar. I asked them to help save the young lady, but they just thought I was talking nonsense and drove me away.
I had no choice but to beg all the way to Beijing. When I arrived at the ruined temple, I couldn't walk anymore. Coupled with the injuries on my body, I fainted. When I thought I was going to die, I met you, Miss, and you saved my life. "
Recalling this experience, Linglong's eyes still reveal a look of fear.
"Just as I thought, those men in black are probably not ordinary robbers, but assassins sent by someone."
"Miss, I think something is wrong." Shan Wei said.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you notice that we missed one person? The driver."
"Coachman?" Yes, the coachman is a key figure. Linglong said that when they walked out of the official road and found something wrong, the nanny asked him if they had taken the wrong road. The coachman said no and then disappeared.
"I suspect all this was planned." Shan Wei said after a little thought.
"You mean the driver is also an accomplice?"
"Yes, otherwise why would he disappear inexplicably? It is very likely that he is in cahoots with the man in black. Perhaps if we find the driver, we can find the person behind the scenes."
What Shan Wei said made sense. After returning to the city, he would check on the coachman. Since he was sent by the Shen family, there must be some clues to follow.
After the three of them rested for a night at the post station, they found the place where Shen Nianran fell off the cliff. She discovered that the official road could clearly lead directly to the post station, but the coachman chose this remote and desolate mountain road, which meant that someone did it on purpose.
The cliff was bottomless, so Yao Qingnian asked some nearby villagers and heard from them that there was a river under the cliff and it would be impossible to survive if someone fell into it.
After Yao Qingnian learned some clues along the way, she led her people back to the capital. After returning to the Shen Mansion, she found the manager of the stables in the backyard and asked who was in charge of the carriage sent to pick them up: "Manager, a few months ago, the mansion sent a carriage to pick me up. Did you know about this?"
"My dear Miss, I remember this incident. You used the carriage from the mansion. I heard that you were robbed and the carriage was destroyed. When the old lady came to inquire about it, she felt distressed for a long time."
Shouldn't he feel sorry for his granddaughter instead of the carriage? Yao Qingnian rolled his eyes: "Who was the driver of the carriage? Was he from our family?"
The steward recalled for a moment and said, "No, the master found that person from outside. The mistress originally wanted the steward to accompany her to pick her up in person, but there were many things to do in the mansion, and the steward and the mistress could not spare the time. In addition, there were only two drivers in the mansion, and the old lady and the master both needed them, so the master found one from outside and asked him to pick up the young lady."
"Do you know the coachman?" Shen Wenting asked him outside. It seemed that he was really related to this matter.
"I have met him once or twice. He seemed to have driven the carriage for the master, but I don't know him. I do have some impression of his appearance." The steward described the man's appearance. The most obvious feature of the man was a scar on his face, which matched what Linglong had said. After having a direction, Yao Qingnian asked Shan Wei to write it down and go look for him.