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Fei Yanchen held the things that Shen Yu’an had written.
He never expected that An’An would be knowledgeable about this too.
In the dream where he hadn’t met An’An, did a new paper merchant emerge in Da Wei?
He turned his gaze towards Shen Yu’an, his mind reflecting on that dream from the past.
It wasn’t exactly a complete dream, but rather as if he had experienced everything all at once.
He was gravely injured, wandering and fleeing among the common people, enduring numerous hardships before finally tearing out a path of survival from the brink of death.
His father and mother were ruthlessly murdered in the capital, and the tragic death of his younger sister felt as if it had just happened before his eyes.
Every battle from his dreams appeared before him, but he ultimately met defeat.
He was bound at the crossroads of the marketplace, subjected to the gruesome execution.
Fei Yanchen felt a pounding headache, and he reached up to massage his temples.
Lately, I’ve been busy with other matters and haven’t had a chance to contact General Xiangnan again.
However, now is not the best time to meet with General Xiangnan.
Seeing Fei Yanchen furrowing his brow and massaging his temples, Shen Yu’an asked, “Is there something wrong with what I wrote, or have you caught a chill?”
Fei Yanchen let his hand rest on his knees and replied, “General Xiangnan is a righteous man. If you want to discuss cooperation with him, talk about matters that benefit the people.”
——
The next day, Shen Yu’an and Ji Xun set out for the capital.
Since they were going for official business, neither Fei Yanchen nor other members of the Shen family accompanied them this time.
After a three and a half day journey on a bumpy ox cart, they finally arrived in the capital on the afternoon of the third day.
The two of them found an inn to stay, reserving two adjoining rooms.
Given the lateness of the hour, they planned to rest in their respective rooms tonight and then go out to inquire about things tomorrow.
Covered in dust from the road, Shen Yu’an had a servant from the inn bring her hot water for a wash. After changing into clean clothes, she walked out of the inn alone.
The capital remained bustling even after nightfall, with vendors lining the streets selling various items, displaying an array of goods before them.
Shen Yu’an planned to thoroughly explore the nighttime capital.
The streets were filled with people coming and going, and the cries of vendors filled Shen Yu’an’s ears.
On the other side of the bustling market, a few unassuming individuals wove through the crowd, casting sneaky glances left and right.
Shen Yu’an strolled along the street for a long while, purchasing some of her favorite snacks and trinkets.
“Hiss!”
As Shen Yu’an walked, her shoulder was forcefully bumped, and the person who collided with her lost their balance and ended up sitting on the ground.
Shen Yu’an looked down and realized it was a woman she had knocked over.
Quickly apologizing, Shen Yu’an reached out her hand to help the woman up.
A man who was following the woman approached, seeing her fall. He scolded Shen Yu’an, “You reckless girl, can’t you watch where you’re walking?”
He then attempted to assist the fallen woman to stand.
The woman shot a glare at the man trying to help her up, then smiled and grabbed the hand that Shen Yu’an had offered, using the support to lift herself up.
However, the fall seemed to have been quite harsh, and the woman appeared slightly uncomfortable in her posture, with a hint of pain on her face.
The woman spoke up, saying, “He doesn’t speak nicely. Miss, don’t stoop to his level.”
Shen Yu’an smiled and didn’t take offense, “It was actually my fault for bumping into you in the first place.”
As she said this, Shen Yu’an intended to release the woman’s hand, but just as she pulled her hand away, the woman’s body suddenly swayed and she leaned towards Shen Yu’an.
In this manner, the woman ended up falling onto Shen Yu’an again. Shen Yu’an held onto her and helped her back up, expressing concern, “Did you fall hard? Let me take you to a clinic; I’ll cover the medical expenses.”
Shen Yu’an knew she had quite a bit of strength and was worried that her collision had caused harm.
The man who seemed to be the woman’s attendant saw her fall so heavily and stepped forward, supporting her shoulder as he suggested, “Perhaps we should go to a clinic and have a look.”
The woman turned her head to give the man a warning glance, then addressed Shen Yu’an, saying, “No need, my injury seems to be around the tailbone area. It might not be convenient to go to a clinic.”
However, she quickly added, “But there’s a clinic near my house with a female doctor.”
The man looked at the woman in confusion, and her slender nails lightly pinched his arm. They exchanged a glance, as if reaching some kind of understanding.
Shen Yu’an, however, didn’t notice the silent exchange between the two.
The woman removed the arm that the man had been supporting and propped it against her own lower back.
She spoke with a hint of pain on her face, “My home is nearby. Could I trouble the young lady to help me back?”
The man also suddenly became more amiable. He took a step back and said, “Please assist my young miss to return home.”
Shen Yu’an nodded and asked, “Where is your home?”
The woman’s face brightened a bit upon hearing Shen Yu’an’s agreement.
She pointed to an alley not far from the street and said, “We can take a shortcut to my home through that alley. As we walk, I’ll guide you.”
“Alright.”
Shen Yu’an supported the woman and walked slowly towards a less crowded area before entering the alley.
The woman’s pace was slow, requiring Shen Yu’an to exert effort with each step to prop her up.
She suddenly spoke up, asking, “You’re not from around here, are you?”
Shen Yu’an softly “mm-ed,” not saying much.
Then, the woman intermittently asked Shen Yu’an several seemingly insignificant and trivial questions.
Because of the woman’s condition from the collision, Shen Yu’an responded briefly.
The alley had not reached its end when Shen Yu’an suddenly heard a commotion erupting on the street outside.
This clamor was different from the earlier lively sounds; it was mixed with cries of alarm, the loud voices of officials inquiring and reprimanding, and the hubbub of the crowd.
Shen Yu’an halted her steps, turned around, and glanced back.
The street that had just been bustling with activity had instantly turned solemn.
Several constables were patrolling the street, with swords at their waists.
“Search for anyone suspicious with a child!”
Someone in the crowd spoke up, asking, “Honorable officer, what’s happening?”
The constable glanced at the person and replied, “Someone reported to the government that multiple children have gone missing. Everyone, be vigilant, and report any suspicious situations immediately!”
The people on the street were all filled with anxiety, clutching their children tightly.
Someone remarked, “These kidnappers are truly despicable. They should be captured and sentenced to death.”
“Absolutely, stealing even children. It’s a evil act!”
The common folk on the street expressed their grievances, cursing and berating those responsible for the kidnappings.
These past few days, not only have children gone missing in the city, but also many young girls aged fifteen or sixteen have disappeared from their homes. Every day, there are reports of missing persons from outside the city, causing widespread unease among the people.
However, the government’s search efforts have been lukewarm, and it’s unclear why so many officials were mobilized today.
As soon as Shen Yu’an and the woman entered the alley, not far from the commotion, they could clearly hear the voices from the crowd.
The woman’s expression turned nervous upon hearing those words. She tugged at Shen Yu’an’s arm and said, “Let’s hurry on, my lower back seems to be hurting even more.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke, as if genuinely struggling with the pain.
Shen Yu’an turned her head, her gaze inadvertently brushing over the expression on the face of the man behind them.
She casually asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Why is there so much sweat on your forehead?”
The man didn’t respond. His voice turned even harsher as he said, “Hurry up, can’t you see my young lady can’t take it anymore?”
Shen Yu’an lowered her head, concealing her expression, and when she looked up again, nothing could be discerned from her face.
She continued to support the woman and walked deeper into the alley.
Seeing her move, both the woman and the man let out a sigh of relief.
Shen Yu’an noticed that the woman who claimed to be in severe pain seemed to be moving a bit faster now. While Shen Yu’an had been taking small steps to accommodate her, the woman was now covering a distance equivalent to two of Shen Yu’an’s steps with each of her own. Her pace had also quickened noticeably.
Shen Yu’an’s lips curled slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She continued walking in the direction the man had indicated.
As they reached the end of the alley, the man guided Shen Yu’an to turn right and led her to a courtyard. The courtyard seemed secluded and infrequently visited.
Shen Yu’an stopped again, glancing around before casually remarking, “So, you live here? This area doesn’t seem to have any medical clinics nearby.”
The woman gave an awkward chuckle and said, “Could you help me inside, miss?”
“Sure!” Shen Yu’an agreed.
Shen Yu’an began to move again, assisting the woman towards the end of the dead-end alley. The man took a few steps ahead of them and entered the courtyard.
As Shen Yu’an guided the woman to the entrance, the door behind them was suddenly closed shut. Two burly men blocked the entrance.
Shen Yu’an didn’t appear surprised by this turn of events. She heard the sound of the door closing but didn’t turn to look. Instead, she calmly observed the group of hefty men filling the courtyard.
She chuckled lightly and asked, “Did your household fall victim to thieves, miss?”
The woman immediately pulled away from Shen Yu’an’s grip and stepped a few paces to the side. She looked at Shen Yu’an with a cold smirk, ignoring her question.
Facing the men who had surrounded them in the courtyard, the woman commanded, “Seize her.”
The men regarded Shen Yu’an as a fragile young woman and didn’t take her seriously.
One of the men stepped forward and swung a blade towards the back of Shen Yu’an’s head.
Shen Yu’an pretended to evade, and the man’s blade narrowly missed her head. She let her body go limp and fell to the ground.
The man didn’t sense anything amiss and assumed that Shen Yu’an was simply weak and had fallen down.
Seeing Shen Yu’an easily subdued, the woman gave another order, “The officials have increased the search teams. It’s not safe to stay here any longer. Take this girl inside, and we’ll figure out a way to leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Immediately, Shen Yu’an felt herself being roughly lifted, her stomach compressed so much that she almost cried out in discomfort.
After eating so much at the market earlier, being carried in a jarring manner made her feel nauseous.
Fortunately, the distance was not far. Shen Yu’an discreetly opened her eyes just a crack and realized she had been brought to a room. The person pressed something on the bed, causing a hidden trapdoor to reveal a dark underground chamber.
Following that, the man simply tossed Shen Yu’an down into the pit.