Chapter 64 – Rebirth: The Poisonous Concubine (05)
Now that the young man was disguised as a refined noble lady, every step he took exuded grace and elegance—something that would normally draw admiration from onlookers. Everyone except the anxious old woman beside him, that is.
If Bai Mo walked even a little slower, it meant the old woman would have to wait that much longer to get her hands on the gold and silver jewelry adorning him. That was an unacceptable delay in her path to riches, so how could she not be impatient?
“Miss, keep up! This area is full of all sorts of unsavory people. It’s not a place for someone like you,” she urged while leading Bai Mo through the winding streets and alleys.
Along the way, they encountered several men who leered at Bai Mo with greedy and vulgar gazes. Even though they were still within sight, the old woman was already feeling uneasy.
If those men stared for too long, who knew if they might decide to follow them and try to claim a share of the prize?
Xiao Bobao widened its eyes in frustration. “You know this isn’t a place Mo Mo should be, and yet you still brought him here…!”
To the old woman, Bai Mo was already hers. Sharing with those men? Over her dead body.
As the unease grew, she kept urging him forward, her eyes practically turning red with impatience. But Bai Mo acted as if he couldn’t hear her, maintaining his leisurely pace. Worse yet, he flaunted his wealth in such an unsuitable setting.
Like hungry wolves catching the scent of prey, the men behind them locked their eyes onto Bai Mo. Yet he remained oblivious, even taking off a gold bracelet from his wrist and pressing it into the old woman’s hand. His voice was soft, sweet, and delicate:
“Thank you, madam, for guiding me. Without you, I truly wouldn’t know what to do. It’s just a small token of my gratitude—please don’t refuse it, or I’ll feel guilty.”
The lanterns above swayed in the wind, casting flickering light across the young man’s face, making his expression hard to discern. If one only listened to his voice, they would think he was a sheltered noble lady sincerely expressing gratitude to her benefactor.
In the past, the old woman would have greedily accepted the bracelet without hesitation. But when she glanced behind them, she saw the burly men starting to move—closing in on them.
Clearly, they had overheard Bai Mo’s words.
And now that they knew the situation, they dared to act.
A young, naive noblewoman traveling alone with a plainly dressed old woman—there was no way they were together. And Bai Mo’s own words had confirmed this. Since that was the case, finders keepers. If there was wealth to be had, everyone deserved a share.
The old woman was filled with both fear and rage. The money and the young master—both belonged to her! These men had no right to snatch them away!
But Bai Mo, still playing the role of an innocent young lady, blinked up at her with wide, worried eyes. “Madam, why won’t you accept it? If you don’t, I’ll feel terribly guilty…”
The men behind them edged closer. The old woman took a deep breath and quickly pushed the gold bracelet back into Bai Mo’s hands.
“How could I possibly take this from you? Your father is a high-ranking official—a first-rank court minister! If he found out you were distressed while out, imagine how worried he’d be!”
Along the way, she had already coaxed quite a bit of information from Bai Mo, learning that his family held an important government position.
This was perfect. If his family was wealthy, then her cut from the ransom would be larger.
As for getting caught? That didn’t concern her. Their boss had been running this operation for a long time, and authorities had yet to capture him. As long as she stuck with him, she’d be fine.
This accidental revelation of Bai Mo’s noble background immediately made the lurking thugs hesitate.
They wanted money, yes. But they valued their lives even more.
A first-rank minister’s daughter? That was dangerous. The reckless greed they had felt just moments ago was forcefully suppressed.
The old woman pulled Bai Mo along at a brisk pace, not caring whether he could keep up. In no time, their figures disappeared into the alley.
The burly men let out sighs of frustration, watching helplessly as their golden treasure slipped away. The disappointment was bitter.
Suddenly, someone spotted a small object on the ground where Bai Mo had just been standing. Picking it up, they realized—it was a delicate gold earring! It must have been dropped by that wealthy young lady just moments ago. Finding treasure on the ground was a rare stroke of luck—an unexpected fortune! The night wasn’t a complete loss after all.
Just as they were about to take the earring to a pawnshop to exchange for silver, another man found something else a few steps away—a matching gold earring, an intricate bracelet, a jade pendant, and even a finely crafted silk handkerchief.
It seemed tonight’s haul wasn’t so bad after all—they were getting rich!
One of the men carefully unfolded the handkerchief, preparing to fold it neatly, when something suddenly caught his eye.
There were words embroidered on the fabric.
He quickly called over someone who could read, and as soon as the words were spoken aloud, a wave of shock rippled through the group.
“Help! Report to the authorities! Murder!”
Just six words, but they turned the handkerchief into a scorching hot potato. They couldn’t throw it away, but they also didn’t dare keep it.
“What do we do? That old hag… is she really involved in such crimes?” someone muttered anxiously.
Most of them, despite their petty crimes like pickpocketing and swindling, had never dared to cross the line into something as serious as murder. The mere mention of it sent chills down their spines.
The leader of the group suddenly smacked his forehead as realization dawned upon him.
“Even if a wealthy young lady has never suffered hardship, she must have at least read some books. She should know the saying: ‘wealth should not be flaunted.’ So why would she not give away her jewelry before, but then suddenly take off a gold bracelet to hand to that old hag—right when we were watching her? She must have seen that we look rough but have good hearts! She wanted us to help her escape! D*mn it, I completely missed the signal and let that old hag take her away!”
Regret hit him like a punch to the gut. He pounded his chest and stomped his foot in frustration.
“If I hadn’t hesitated earlier, we might’ve already rescued the daughter of a first-rank official! Hero saves the damsel, and the beauty repays with marriage! I could’ve had a wife waiting for me at home! And even if she didn’t want to marry me, the official would’ve definitely rewarded us handsomely! D*mn it, what a huge loss!”
One of the younger men hesitated before asking, “So, uh… boss, what do we do with this?” He held up the handkerchief.
The leader snatched it, bringing it close to his nose as if he could still catch the faint scent of its owner.
“We report it to the authorities, of course! We’re honest folk—if we come across criminals, we have to step in and do the right thing! If the official learns that we helped save his daughter, we’ll definitely be rewarded! Maybe even—”
“Feasting and drinking to our heart’s content! Boss gets the beauty, and we get fat wallets!” The younger men, caught up in their daydreams, burst into foolish laughter.
…
The Imperial Censor paced around the government office like a headless fly, flustered and restless. When he saw Yu Chenyi return from interrogating the kidnappers in the prison, he hurried forward anxiously.
“Well? Did they say anything?”
Yu Chenyi shook his head. Those kidnappers were merely low-level members of the trafficking ring. They knew nothing about their leader and, when pressed for information, they resorted to crying and playing the victim. They had no real contact with the mastermind.
“Your mother has never suffered such torment before… My wife… My wife…” The Imperial Censor collapsed into a chair, wiping his tears.
At that moment, an officer rushed in and reported, “Sir, there are a few people outside who claim to have seen someone being taken away.”
With that, he presented a handkerchief.
Yu Chenyi’s gaze swept over it, and in an instant, his eyes locked onto it. He snatched the handkerchief and examined it repeatedly. His already grim expression darkened further.
There was no mistaking it—this was his handkerchief. Earlier that evening, he had used it to wipe Mo Mo’s forehead after he had sweated from eating spicy food. Mo Mo had then taken it with him. So how had it ended up here?
“Bring them in.” Yu Chenyi’s voice was cold and authoritative, like a black-faced judge of the underworld.
Soon, the men who had reported the crime were brought inside. Under the stern pressure of the officials, they stammered as they recounted how Bai Mo had been taken away under threats from the old woman. They were so intimidated that they even handed over the gold earrings and bracelet they had found, not daring to keep them for themselves.
A young lady?
Mo Mo was a man—why was he dressed as a young lady? However, based on the description, the girl who had been taken bore an uncanny resemblance to him.
Yu Chenyi didn’t dwell on the thought for long. He reasoned that Mo Mo must have returned home and passed the handkerchief to his family. There were no other girls of his age in the Bai family, so the most likely person to have been kidnapped was Madam Bai.
According to the men’s account, the old woman who took the young lady matched the appearance and clothing of the woman who had taken Madam Yu. They were clearly the same person. If this woman dared to abduct Madam Yu, there was no reason she wouldn’t also target Madam Bai.
Upon hearing this clue, the Imperial Censor sprang from his chair, grabbed one of the men by the arm, and rushed toward the exit.
“Hurry! Where is she? Take me there now!” He was frantic with worry. Now that he finally had a lead, he couldn’t care about anything else—his only thought was to rescue his wife as soon as possible.
At the critical moment, it was Yu Chenyi who remained calm. He steadied himself, negotiated with the Prefect, and issued clear, methodical orders.
One officer was sent to the Bai residence to notify Minister Bai, while another was tasked with investigating the background of the old woman.
The men didn’t personally know the old woman, but since they lived nearby, her face was at least familiar to them. Using this clue, Yu Chenyi set out with the constables, determined to rescue his mother and the other kidnapped women before the traffickers could harm them.
At the Bai residence, the officials’ report left everyone bewildered. Minister Bai looked at his wife, who was standing right beside him, perfectly safe and sound. How could she have been kidnapped?
Just as he was about to correct what he assumed was a misunderstanding, madam Bai suddenly recalled that Bai Mo had gone out to see the lantern festival. His attendants had been shaken off, leaving them no choice but to return and report the situation.
“Husband, could it be Mo Mo…?” Madam Bai clutched Minister Bai’s sleeve, too afraid to imagine the possibility of her youngest son being abducted.
Minister Bai hesitated mid-motion as he was about to sip his tea and send the officials away. He, too, thought of his mischievous son—playful, always stirring up trouble. It wouldn’t be surprising if Mo Mo had taken things to the extreme this time, disguising himself as a young lady just for the fun of attending the festival.
“Describe that young lady’s appearance in detail,” he ordered.
The officer recounted the men’s testimony and presented the jade pendant and other belongings. The moment Madam Bai saw the pendant, the world seemed to spin around her. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“Mo Mo… My Mo Mo…!”
The pendant was designed for a woman, with visible signs of repair.
It had originally belonged to Madam Bai—an engagement gift from Minister Bai.
Not long ago, Bai Mo had accidentally broken it. He had taken the fragments with him, promising with great confidence that he would find an expert to restore it.
Madam Bai had worn that pendant for decades—how could she not recognize it? And precisely because she recognized it, she felt utter despair.
Her Mo Mo had been taken.
Those heartless traffickers—once someone fell into their hands, even if they survived and were rescued, they would never return unscathed.
“Madam! Madam…!” Minister Bai caught Madam Bai as she fainted from shock. Both furious and anxious, he immediately ordered the maids to fetch a doctor. Worry for his youngest son weighing heavily on his mind, he gathered his men and followed the officials to the government office.
With a clear target, Yu Chenyi quickly uncovered information about the old woman, including the jewelry she had pawned. Among the items was a jade bracelet—one that his mother always wore. Holding the bracelet tightly, he was deep in thought when the officials who had gone to the Bai residence returned.
“We’ve confirmed it—Madam Bai was not the one who was taken.”
Yu Chenyi let out a breath of relief. If Madam Bai had been kidnapped, Mo Mo would have been devastated.
However, his relief was short-lived. The officer’s next words made his heart clench, nearly stopping it altogether.
“It was the Bai family’s second young master—he disguised himself as a girl for fun and was taken.”