Chapter 196: Punished
The next day, the siblings went around the Capital’s streets in a carriage.
Xiao Fenghao had fed the horses with spring water first so that they could have more energy in pulling the carriage.
He became the coachman with his siblings riding in the cart. Originally, Guo Tianliang offered himself to drive the carriage, but they all refused.
Xiao Jingran might talk a lot with the ghosts and they didn’t want to scare the poor man.
"There was news from Mr. Su’s guards this morning." Xiao Jingran said, and all his siblings perked up in anticipation.
"What news, Eldest Brother?" Xiao Yuxi urged him. "Did they find Yan’er already?"
Unfortunately, the answer was negative. Much to their disappointment, Xiao Jingran shook his head.
"The Capital is too huge, but they had found some traces of the kidnappers," he answered. "The place, however, had become empty, which means they had transported Yan’er somewhere else."
"How did they know it’s the kidnappers’ place?" Xiao Yuxi asked in doubt.
"There were traces of human activity which had been left only recently," he explained.
"Are we going there right now?" Xiao Yuxi was anxious to go to that place.
Xiao Jingran shook his head. "They found the traces two days ago. It needed at least a day before we could arrive there. Besides, Yan’er shouldn’t be in that place anymore."
As the horses’ hoofbeat noises resounded in everyone’s ears, they found themselves in some kind of noble household’s mansion.
"Whose mansion is it?" Xiao Yuxi whispered.
"The Grand Tutor," Xiao Qingya answered.
She had specifically asked her brothers to come and pass by here first in order to check the result of her handiwork.
The Ling siblings were becoming more adept in finding out gossip from the ghosts, and they quickly returned with the news.
[Little Master, there weren’t any new batches of maids in the Grand Tutor’s mansion recently.] Ling Yu started.
Everyone was disappointed again. However, it was the first noble household that they had passed by, so it was to be expected. They wouldn’t find her whereabouts so easily.
[Can you tell the ghosts to report to us in case they see my second sister? They can come over and get a bit of incense. Memorize my eldest sister’s face.]
The Ling siblings quickly left again to execute her orders. When they returned, the temperature in the surrounding area dropped slightly.
There were a lot of ghosts around, and they all inhaled the faint incense smell and did as they were told. They all gazed at Xiao Yuxi, causing a chill to run down her spine.
She subconsciously shivered and hugged herself, rubbing her hands together.
Xiao Qingya quickly dispersed the crowd of the ghosts, letting them all breathe more relaxedly again.
[Little Master, we also have gossip about Lan Yushen!] Ling Bo opened another topic of conversation as the carriage started to move again.
Earlier, they just stopped briefly so it didn’t disturb other transportation vehicles.
[What is it?] Xiao Qingya asked.
Her other siblings were also curious, especially Xiao Yuxi and Xiao Fenghao who were unaware of what had happened.
Then, they get the gist of it from the Ling siblings’ next words.
[That Lan Yushen ran all the way screaming. He even snatched someone’s horse which happened to be an imperial prince’s horse.]
[The prince chased after him with his subordinates to the Grand Tutor’s residence. He kept on screaming that he was seeing ghosts.]
[People had to go find a taoist master to help him... Little Master, they found your talisman stuck on him.]
Xiao Qingya, however, wasn’t worried about this.
This Lan Yushen went to his maternal grandfather’s house instead of his own home. If the Grand Tutor was unaware of what he had done using his name, now he should be aware.
[What happened to him?] She asked in anticipation.
[Lan Yushen was forced to apologize to the prince and the Grand Tutor punished him after that.]
The Ling siblings proceeded to tell about how the Grand Tutor’s mansion also investigated what Lan Yushen had done.
After all, the other party was a taoist master.
They generally wouldn’t take revenge lightly or whether it was a hired taoist master. If it was the latter, someone with access to a high-level taoist wouldn’t have a low status.
Xiao Qingya had a smug look on her face. It was indeed done by a high-ranking taoist master, which was her Master!
She still had a lot of high-level talismans from the last batch Mo Chen had sent her.
[They had finally found out what Lan Yushen had done, right?] Xiao Qingya couldn’t resist gloating.
The Ling siblings nodded enthusiastically.
They also told her gossip from Lan Yushen’s parents.
[It was his parents who protected him and made sure that no news of his actions would reach the Grand Tutor’s ears.] Ling Yu muttered.
She nodded, secretly apologizing in her heart for thinking that people in the Grand Tutor’s mansion were all bad.
Their carriage continued to move amidst the Capital’s streets. Xiao Qingya still kept on telling ghosts to report to her if they found out about Xiao Yuyan’s whereabouts.
Until they arrived at a particular street.
Some guards stopped their carriage, not allowing them to pass by because someone of a high status was crossing the street.
"Who is it that can make people give way to them? The Emperor?" Xiao Yuxi muttered in a low voice.
Xiao Qingya also looked out in curiosity.
Then, they saw a luxurious carriage pass by, and the surroundings instantly became quiet. Only the sounds of hoofbeats resounded.
No one protested that they were suddenly stopped abruptly on the way.
Their gazes directed to the figure in the carriage.
Xiao Qingya ordered the Ling siblings to find out who it was. Soon, they came back with the answer.
[Oh, you mean that uncle who resembles an ox... I mean my second brother, right?]
[It means that the person in that carriage is my father?]
Xiao Yuxi and Xiao Fenghao looked like they were struck by lightning.