AWB Chapter 413 Looking for someone
Chapter 413 Looking for someone
Upon hearing Yunxi's words, Shen swayed violently, as if struck by a heavy hammer, and almost lost her balance.
Yunxi reacted quickly and rushed forward to support Shen's trembling body.
"Those heartless bastards!" Madam Shen gritted her teeth, trembling all over. "Shang-ge'er is devoted to the court and the people. How dare they do such a cruel thing!"
Yunxi pursed her lips and gently stroked Shen's back.
Shen's emotions calmed down a bit.
The steward hurried in and reported to the mother and daughter, "Madam, a lot of people have come outside our mansion, all here to inquire whether the master has really been in trouble."
Shen and Yunxi were taken aback, and said in unison, "How would the common people know?"
The steward shook his head. "I don't know how the news got out, but the news that the master is missing and his fate is unknown has already spread throughout Shengjing. Many people have gone to the yamen to make trouble after learning about this."
Yunxi's eyes flickered.
The people, who had been oppressed by powerful families for so long, finally saw an official willing to stand up for them. But before they could even enjoy their happiness for a few days, they were suddenly told that the official's fate was unknown. Under such circumstances, the anger in the hearts of the people was like a wildfire, ready to erupt at any moment.
They will surely suspect that those powerful families were behind Yun Shang's misdeeds.
Yunxi understood that the people's anger might not make those deeply rooted aristocratic families pay a heavy price immediately, but it would certainly hold them back.
They're preventing them from sending someone to find their brother!
Yunxi's eyes brightened slightly. She dismissed the steward and whispered to Madam Shen, "Mother, my sister-in-law must already know about this. Perhaps she's the one who sent people to spread the news of my brother's disappearance."
Madam Shen was stunned and couldn't understand, "Why would Yu Niang do this?"
“Mother, the most important thing now is that we must find my brother before those noble families. I think my sister-in-law had someone spread the news so that she could use the power of the people to keep the noble families occupied.”
Madam Shen understood, but she hesitated: "This...is it feasible? What if we anger those powerful families and they turn on innocent people?"
“No,” Yunxi said confidently. “They are only focused on dealing with my brother right now and won’t cause any trouble at this critical juncture.”
Yunxi's guess was correct; the news of Yunshang's disappearance and uncertain fate was indeed released by Yu Wan.
Yu Wan's goal was clear: to restrict the actions of the aristocratic families in every way, thus buying more time to find Yun Shang.
After arranging these matters, Yu Wan personally led a team of soldiers from the Duke of Anguo's mansion to search for Yun Shang, who had fallen off the cliff.
The Duke and his wife naturally refused at first.
Yu Wan looked at them and said, "I know my parents are worried about me, but if I don't go to find him myself today, and Yun Shang really gets into trouble... I'm afraid I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life."
The Duke and his wife exchanged a glance. Although they were still unwilling, they did not object again.
It was dark today; even before noon, the sky was already overcast, and a sinister atmosphere permeated the mountains and forests. Occasionally, the low cries of unknown wild animals could be heard, giving people a bad feeling.
As it was getting dark, the accompanying guards, each carrying a torch, carefully searched the surroundings, leaving no possible corner unchecked.
Yu Wan also stood on the cliff with a torch, watching the guards below searching around with torches.
The place where Yun Shang fell off the cliff was a precipice, surrounded on three sides by lush trees, with the Shengyuan River flowing through Shengjing below.
The river here is not too fast, but there are dense bushes growing on both sides of the river, with intertwined branches and leaves, many of which extend onto the river surface.
If a person falls onto those dry branches, they can easily die on the spot.
If Yun Shang hadn't fallen onto those dry branches after falling off the cliff, and hadn't been knocked unconscious by the sudden impact, he would have evacuated as quickly as possible.
Upstream leads out of Shengjing's territory, while downstream it passes through Shengjing...
"Young Master!" A hurried shout suddenly came from behind Yu Wan. A guard came running up, panting, "We've found something!"
Yu Wan's heart skipped a beat. She immediately turned around and followed the guards along a rugged path to the bottom of the cliff.
There was a fresh scratch on a rock about fifty meters from the cliff, as if it had been scratched by something sharp.
Yu Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she brought the torch closer, only then could she see what was on it—it seemed to be a cloud.
Could it be traces left by Yun Shang?
The guard looked bewildered, completely unable to understand the meaning of the marks, and asked in confusion, "Young master, can you understand what this means?"
Yu Wan did not answer him, but stood up and quickly looked around, urgently ordering, "Send someone to keep a close watch and see if there is any other place with this mark."
The guard respectfully replied, "Yes!"
Next, the guards discovered quite a few more things in the area.
There were blood-stained rags and messy footprints, but these traces disappeared at the bottom of a cliff.
The guards searched the area but found no other traces. "Young master, we can't find any other clues."
Yu Wan looked up at the sky.
The sky grew increasingly dark, a sign that it was about to rain.
She had just thought that when, without warning, large raindrops began to pelt down.
The raindrops were dense and heavy, and they stung painfully when they hit people.
The group was soaked to the bone almost instantly, and a thick fog quickly rose from the bottom of the cliff. The fog grew thicker and thicker, limiting visibility and making it almost impossible to see anything more than ten meters away.
The weather was terrible; if they continued searching like this, the soldiers who had come out with her might all get injured.
Although she was extremely anxious and wanted to find Yun Shang immediately, Yu Wan suppressed her worries and calmly instructed the guards: "Stop for a while and continue the search when the rain subsides."
The guards breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
They temporarily huddled at the bottom of the cliff to avoid the rain.
A thoughtful guard found a spot that could shield Yu Wan from most of the rain and whispered, "Young Master, this is just a shower, it should stop soon."
Yu Wan nodded slightly, but her heart was in turmoil and she couldn't calm down for a moment.
She looked around at the rain-shrouded landscape, her brows furrowed tightly.
Those marks were most likely left by Yun Shang. Since Yun Shang was able to leave marks, it means he still has the ability to move. However, he did not return to the city directly, so it is very likely that he was injured and could not return to the city safely while avoiding the pursuit.
He will definitely choose to hide in a safe place for the time being.
How could such a horrible place be safe?
Yu Wan looked up, her gaze sweeping slowly across the steep rock face.
Although these rock walls are steep, they have many protrusions, which allow people to climb up with difficulty.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed on a cliff face about three meters from the bottom of the precipice.
The rocks there have a peculiar shape, seemingly sculpted by time into a natural depression.
"Could it be..." Yu Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly stood up.
She suddenly remembered that back in Huicheng, she and Yunshang had hidden in a naturally formed pit.
Yun Shang is quite skilled at rock climbing; perhaps he's hiding inside!
If Yun Shang wanted to evade pursuit, that seemingly inconspicuous depression might be the perfect hiding place.
It's a secluded spot, and you can use the surrounding terrain to observe what's going on!
Moreover, most people would never think that someone who has fallen off a cliff into the river would climb into a cave on the cliff face to hide!