The daughter of a noble family is reborn, and she is doted on by her godmother.

Chapter 9 The Whole Family Loses Face

Kidnapping couple? Five-year-old girl?

Some familiar keywords triggered Yun Yuke's nerves. She immediately got up, tiptoed, and sat down in a spot where it would be easier to eavesdrop.

“Young Master, Wu Yi is the most clever among us. He must have found out something when he went missing, so don’t worry too much. Rest assured.”

“I know your strength, but you also said that Wu Yi is the most skilled. Do you think he would do something like disappearing? I don’t believe it.”

"...Then let's go look again."

"Okay, send another group of people to check on the situation of that kidnapping couple."

"Understood, my men will carry it out immediately. However..."

"Just say what you need to say."

“Young Master, the information we received earlier was that this kidnapping couple is quite cunning, with various false identities. They ended up in Pingyang County, and after that, Wu Yi only came here saying he had some clues, but didn't tell us any specifics. We really don't know where to start with our search…”

"Do I need to teach you this kind of thing? Is this how you talk to my father?"

"My subordinates dare not."

"...I know this is a lot of work for you. Here's what we'll do: once the mission is successful, I'll report to my father and have you promoted and given higher ranks."

As they spoke, some tinkling sounds could be heard, "Take this money first and distribute it among a few brothers. It's a private reward for you."

"Thank you for your consideration, young master!"

After a brief pause in their conversation, the subordinate's voice rang out again.

"Young master, should we contact the local government for assistance...?"

"...Use Father's name? No, this isn't the capital. Besides, Father's marquisate was only recently conferred, so his influence here is limited."

The boy with the hoarse voice had an odd voice, but you could tell from what he said that he was a shrewd person.

“I did some research in the capital beforehand. This place is, after all, a strategically important location. On the surface, it seems like there's no powerful backing, but who knows if these county magistrates and officials are acting on orders from someone else? These kinds of hidden forces are not to be trifled with. I told you this before I came here, have you forgotten?”

"...Yes, it was my recklessness."

The talking stopped again, but you could faintly hear the waiter outside bringing food into the private room.

After the two ate for a while, the man with the hoarse voice spoke again. This time, his words were slightly hesitant.

“…If that little girl is obedient and doesn’t cause trouble, send her to the nearest orphanage. If she is disobedient, take the token and leave her to fend for herself.”

"Young Master...do you really want to do this?"

“…My sister, who was lost when she was little, would only bring shame to the whole family if she went to the capital. My sister is more important. Father has just returned from the battlefield, and everything in the court is unstable. His position as marquis is not yet secure. My parents cannot have any stain on their record. If that faction finds out that my parents lost their child back then… Li’er is right. The situation in the capital is changing rapidly. One wrong move and it could lead to another bloodbath.” The man with the hoarse voice pondered for a long time before finally uttering his resolute words.

After that, all that could be heard from next door was the sound of eating.

Yun Yuke held her breath the whole time until she heard someone in the next room calling for someone to settle the bill and prepare to leave.

Hearing the sound, Yun Yuke pretended to go out to look for someone, and took the opportunity to see clearly the person who came out of the next private room.

As expected, a richly dressed young gentleman led the way, followed by his simply dressed attendants.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two had walked quite a distance away.

Yun Yuke was almost certain that she had just run into the mastermind behind the arsonist.

The young master was thirteen or fourteen years old, and the bodyguard was standing next to him.

That person dared to kill her outright; they must have connections. Luckily, they took Qingqing with them; she's only five years old.

You don't care about your own daughter? Fine, I do care.

Thinking of this, Yun Yuke remembered that when she was still in the village, the villagers mentioned the Jin family, saying that the family had fled famine from other places and had no relatives in the village. The villagers took them in because they felt sorry for them.

Qingqing also said that the Jin couple were doing some shady things behind the scenes, and that they would never target people from their own village. Qingqing's original words were probably that targeting people from their own village would be too easy to expose them.

So, on the surface, they still honestly do odd jobs in the village.

Judging from the looks of it, it seems unlikely that this master and servant pair will be found anytime soon.

And there's another coincidence. Because of years of abuse, Qingqing doesn't have any birthmarks or moles on her body that could be used to identify her.

The only things that could be considered as identifying identities were the jade pendant and the waist tag found on the arsonist.

Once we get back, we'll lock these things in a treasure chest. Of course, we'll also make one for Qingqing, since it's not safe for her to carry that jade pendant close to her body.

"Sister Yun, what are you looking at?" Yuan Chen, still smelling of alcohol, noticed Boss Yun's unusual behavior.

"Ah, it's nothing. Just confirming my previous thoughts. By the way, Chenchen, have there been any announcements of promotions or awards this past year? Like military merits, or some other random thing?"

Yuan Chen shook her head to clear her mind, then recalled what she had seen earlier.

"It seems that the war in the surrounding areas is going smoothly, and there are many reports of victories from various places."

Even when she was drunk, Yuan Chen was still trying her best to do her job.

"Are there any officials who were granted titles and high positions?"

"Most of them were promoted, and as for those who were enfeoffed as marquises... there were two, one called Marquis of Anding and the other Marquis of Changxing?"

Yun Yuke nodded, muttering the two names to herself. "Regardless of which one of you is the target, add them to my blacklist."

"Alright, let's not think about anything else today. It's a rare day off. How's the wine? Order some more if you want. You don't usually drink too much, so it's okay to indulge yourself this once."

"Then I'll start drinking. Anyway, you won't get drunk. If I get too drunk, remember to take me home." Yuan Chen picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Wine is the best, a good drink can wash away all sorrows. I remember the fine wines I drank back in the day... This wine is too strong, the wine my father brought back has a much longer finish..."

Yuan Chen was clearly drunk, and Yun Yuke was taking care of her, replying with only a few words here and there.

“This is baijiu (Chinese liquor), while your store sells wine, which is not the same type of liquor. How can you compare them?”

"I don't care, my dad's judgment is always the best!" Yuan Chen said, drinking and acting spoiled. "If my dad were still alive, he would definitely be able to find the best wines... He's so experienced, he could see through the tricks of these shady shops at a glance... And my mom, my mom..."

Yuan Chen was still rambling on about her parents' past. Yun Yuke knew the inside story and didn't interrupt, giving her the opportunity to drown her sorrows in alcohol.

She doesn't usually drink, mainly because she gets drunk after just a few drinks. But is she drowning her sorrows in alcohol, or is she genuinely drunk?

Since she finally has a chance to let loose, let her indulge herself. Anyway, no one is watching, so she doesn't need to pretend to be calm and rational.

Yun Yuke thought so.

Of course, he also thought of the little girl he had picked up.

Has she been eating properly these past few days? The task list I made for her has quite a lot of tasks; will she be able to stick to it?