Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 340 Towards the Golden Palace (44)

Cheng Qingshuang was stunned.

She instinctively chased after Xie Zhao in the direction he had been abducted, but then knew she was no match for them and had to stop.

She wanted to return to the Xie family mansion to get help, but she was also afraid that if her escape was exposed, Meng Zhenyue would harden her heart and kill her directly.

She tried to shout for help, but was caught by patrolling soldiers when she went out during curfew, and she and her two children were to be imprisoned.

Cheng Qingshuang stood there, like a headless fly, lost in unprecedented confusion and panic.

The Xie residence at this time.

Meng Zhenyue sat by the window, listening to the maid's report that Cheng Qingshuang and Xie Zhao had taken the two children and "escaped" under the cover of night.

But before the four could leave the city, Xie Zhao was kidnapped.

After listening, Meng Zhenyue remained silent for a long while, then said in a low voice, "Go and rest."

She has another performance to do tomorrow, so she needs to conserve her energy.

The lights in the room were quickly extinguished, and the entire Xie residence fell into silence.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, a loud knocking came from the Xie residence, accompanied by a woman's terrified and helpless cry.

"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

The gatekeeper opened the door a crack after a long while. Seeing that it was Cheng Qingshuang, who should have been resting in the courtyard, he was stunned. "Madam, what brings you here..."

Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Qingshuang suddenly pushed her away, grabbed Xie Zhaolin with one hand and pulled Xie Wanfang with the other, and hurriedly walked into the mansion.

"Quickly, go and wake the madam! Tell her... tell her that the master is missing."

The doorman was taken aback and, not daring to delay any longer, hurriedly went to find the steward.

Within moments, the entire Xie family knew that Xie Zhao had disappeared.

Meng Zhenyue immediately summoned all her servants and guards, and they split into two groups: one group went into the city to look for the person, and the other group went to the yamen to report the case.

Meng Zhenyue was not idle either; she had a carriage hitched up and hurriedly returned to the Meng family to "seek help."

Soon, all the servants and guards of the Meng family came out to join the search for Xie Zhao.

The commotion caused by the two families quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors, and many busybodies secretly came over to inquire what had happened.

The Meng and Xie families didn't hide anything and told each other that a person had gone missing from their homes.

"My son-in-law was injured in the eye by bandits while saving my young lady. He can no longer serve as an official and has been depressed these days. He feels like a useless person who only burdens his family. No matter how my young lady tries to comfort him, it won't work."

"Last night, the son-in-law secretly left home without telling the whole family. We can't find him anywhere, and Miss is extremely anxious. She has already reported it to the authorities."

“My son-in-law is blind, where could he go? Miss is afraid he might do something rash. If something happens to him, how will my young lady live? If you see my son-in-law, please let me know.”

Half a day later, most of the capital knew that Xie Zhao had run away from home in the middle of the night. When the news reached the court, even the emperor asked Meng Zongrong a few questions.

A day passed, and Xie Zhao still hadn't been heard from.

The next day, Meng Zhenyue had no choice but to issue a reward for finding Xie Zhao, offering a reward of ten thousand taels of silver to anyone who could help find him.

Because of this bounty, Xie Zhao's disappearance became even more of a hot topic in the capital, and his "love story" with Meng Zhenyue was brought up again, even giving rise to a more sentimental version.

"When Xie Hanlin was young, he fell in love with Miss Meng at first sight. He worked hard and became the top scholar in the imperial examination. The first thing he did after passing the examination was to propose marriage to Miss Meng. Miss Meng was three years older than him and had been lame since birth. Everyone was not optimistic about the marriage and thought that Xie Hanlin was marrying below his station. But Xie Hanlin went ahead without hesitation and married Miss Meng despite the many criticisms."

"After their marriage, the two treated each other with respect and affection. However, Miss Meng was unable to conceive. Xie Hanlin sought out a skilled doctor to examine her pulse and discovered that Miss Meng was born infertile. Everyone thought that Xie Hanlin would divorce her, but Xie Hanlin not only did not do so, but also felt even more sorry for Miss Meng. In order to spare Miss Meng from criticism, he adopted two children from his clan and raised them under Miss Meng's name."

"But fate had other plans. A few days ago, the couple went to inspect the estate and were attacked by bandits. To protect Miss Meng, Xie Hanlin was blinded in both eyes by the bandits. The promising sixth-rank scholar was suddenly rendered blind and crippled. He was depressed and unhappy all day long. Because he was worried about implicating Miss Meng, Xie Hanlin ran away from home overnight and has not been found since. Miss Meng is almost frantic with worry and has even offered a reward for his return..."

"It's a pity that such a good match is made in heaven. Xie Hanlin is such a devoted and righteous man. I just hope nothing bad happens to him."

"Yes, God bless Xie Hanlin so that he may return safely soon."

Xie Zhao's "deep affection" spread far and wide, deeply moving many people who volunteered to join the search.

On the third day, Meng Zhenyue received news from the government that Xie Zhao had been found—his body was discovered in a dilapidated temple outside the city, and the coroner determined that he had hanged himself.

This news caused a huge stir in Beijing.

Accompanied by Meng Zongrong, Meng Zhenyue went to the dilapidated temple to claim the body.

When the white cloth was lifted and Xie Zhao's face was contorted in a ghastly blue and grotesque manner, his eyes wide open in death, Meng Zhenyue could not bear the shock and fainted, subsequently falling seriously ill.

The Meng family handled Xie Zhao's funeral arrangements.

Moved by Xie Zhao's "deep affection," many people in the capital spontaneously came to pay their respects on the day of his funeral, and the funeral procession stretched for several miles.

Xie Mansion.

Meng Zhenyue, who was "too heartbroken to get out of bed," leaned against the couch by the window, flipping through a book in her hand. As she listened to the maid's report on the grand funeral procession for Xie Zhao in the capital, she couldn't help but sneer repeatedly.

"To gain such fame after death is too good for him."

Cuilan brought over a pot of tea and asked, puzzled, "Miss, I don't understand why you want to give the young master such a good reputation?"

Shouldn't such a cunning and scheming scoundrel be exposed for his deeds and be condemned by thousands after his death, never to find peace?

Why did my young mistress do the opposite? Not only did she keep his actions a secret, but she also went to great lengths to build up his reputation for being a loyal and devoted man.

Could it be that she still remembers the good things that scumbag did for her?

Meng Zhenyue noticed Cui Lan's confusion and said calmly, "I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing this for myself."

She deliberately made Xie Zhao's disappearance known throughout the city, and even spread false news that Xie Zhao was depressed and wanted to die after losing his sight, and did not want to be a burden to her, all to make his death seem more reasonable.

Otherwise, if the investigation goes deeper, it wouldn't be difficult to find out that she is a suspect, or even trace it back to Xie Yuanzhen's wife, Madam Li.

One reason is to clear oneself of suspicion.

Secondly, she needed to use Xie Zhao's "deep affection" to fulfill her own "loyalty"—because she was grateful for Xie Zhao's kindness, she did not return to her parents' home after his death and was willing to remain a widow for Xie Zhao for the rest of her life.

She could no longer return to the Meng family mansion; she needed the identity of a "widow" to rightfully remain in the Xie family mansion.

The bigger the scandal gets, the more deeply ingrained her image of having a deep relationship with Xie Zhao becomes, and no one will try to persuade her to remarry in the future.

Xie Zhao's "deep affection" was also her talisman for the rest of her life.