Chapter 31: Kidnapped

The crowd below was already in chaos, with most of the men shouting. They called out Niannüer's name, their hearts still echoing with the proud "Ding Fengbo" she had sung.

Faced with the agitated crowd, Niannüer smiled, but tears streamed down her face. After so many years, she had finally won, and she had even snatched the title of "Flying General" from Li Shishi.

Tuoba Qingyun looked at Niannüer on the stage with a complex expression. She had never imagined that a weak woman could do such a bold thing. Standing on the stage, one dance and one song had already made her a leader among her peers. Listening to those shouts, she felt she needed to reconsider her attitude towards the Han people.

She had always thought that the Han people of today no longer had true men, but today she realized that it wasn't that the Song Dynasty lacked men, but that those brave people had chosen to remain silent. Perhaps they were all waiting for an opportunity, a call.

Standing up, Tuoba Qingyun stood at the front of the stage and smiled slightly, "Third Prince, can you lend me some money?"

"How much?" Zhao Kai's mind was already not very calm, and he did not think much about it.

"Two thousand guan!"

"Hmm?" Zhao Kai touched his chest, but then smiled bitterly and shook his head. Who would carry two thousand guan on them all the time? He didn't have it, but Zhao Kai had his ways. With his prestige, he could borrow some money temporarily. He quickly gathered two thousand guan from Zhao Gou, Zhao Shu, and others and handed it to Tuoba Qingyun.

Tuoba Qingyun thanked him and then shouted loudly, "Tuoba Qingyun from Yinzhou, one thousand peonies!"

Zhao Kai felt a buzzing in his head. Tuoba Qingyun had borrowed money to buy peonies for Niannüer.

In contrast, Zhao Yougong was overjoyed. With Tuoba Qingyun's one thousand peonies, Niannüer's chances of winning were even greater. Perhaps his laughter was too loud, as Tuoba Qingyun frowned and turned to glare at him, "You scoundrel, why are you so happy? I'm not doing this for you!"

"It's all the same, it's all the same!" Zhao Yougong didn't take it seriously. After all, the flowers were for Niannüer, so what did it matter if he was teased a bit?

With Li Shishi and Cui Niannü leading the way, the performances of the other courtesans were indeed overshadowed. If they had performed first, they might have received more peonies, but performing last, they could only sigh in despair.

By the time it was the hour of the Dog, the sky was darkening. As the sun set, Li Gang slowly walked to the stage, holding a thin piece of paper, which likely contained the results of the courtesan competition.

Most of the scholars and students in the audience knew Mr. Liangxi, and even the princes had to give Li Gang some face. Zhao Kai stood up gracefully and greeted him with a bow, "Since Secretary Li has come out, there must be a result!"

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. There is a result, but let me read it first, shall I?" Li Gang looked at Zhao Kai with a hint of satisfaction. After all, Zhao Kai was one of his students, and with Zhao Kai's remarkable talent, Li Gang felt a sense of pride.

Zhao Yougong scratched his ears and cheeks, finding Li Boji's slow and refined speech sometimes frustrating.

"Gentlemen, the winner of this courtesan competition is..."

Everyone was on edge, especially Zhao Yougong and Gao Yannai, who were still competing.

Tuoba Qingyun sniffed and hummed softly. The Han people always had this habit of beating around the bush. Why not just say the name directly?

Li Gang seemed to enjoy the effect. He stroked his beard and chuckled, "It is... Cui Niannü of Xiefang Tower... with thirteen thousand peonies..."

As soon as Li Gang finished speaking, someone jumped up, threw away his fan, and laughed heartily. Perhaps too excited, he accidentally bumped into Tuoba Qingyun in front of him.

"Lecher!" Tuoba Qingyun, skilled in martial arts, was unharmed by Zhao Yougong's collision, but Zhao Yougong was left dazed. When he was groaning on the ground, she kicked him again, "You scoundrel, be more careful next time, or I won't be so lenient!"

Tuoba Qingyun's face was cold, her eyes full of disgust. She really disliked Zhao Yougong. She had never disliked a man so much in her life. For some reason, whenever she saw Zhao Yougong, she wanted to beat him up.

Zhao Yougong swallowed hard, feeling a bit afraid. It was said that Tuoba Qingyun was even more ruthless than ordinary men, and with her intelligence, killing someone would not be difficult.

Zhao Yougong never underestimated Tuoba Qingyun. Despite her carefree appearance, she was actually very shrewd. A person's appearance could be deceiving, but their eyes were hard to fake. Moreover, would a truly carefree woman have such a deep understanding of chess?

Not daring to argue with Tuoba Qingyun, Zhao Yougong stood up, patted his buttocks, and walked out of the valley, even leaving his fan behind.

Seeing Zhao Yougong flee, Tuoba Qingyun felt a bit bored. Picking up the fan, she sneered, "Cowardly scoundrel, are all Han men like this?"

Tuoba Qingyun's voice was very low, and Zhao Kai and the others naturally did not hear it. If they had, they might have been angry.

Now that the courtesan competition was over, staying here was meaningless. Tuoba Qingyun walked out of the valley, slowly taking out the fan and waving it, feeling quite elegant. The sunset was red, and the afterglow on the fan was like a burning fire.

"Hmm?" Tuoba Qingyun noticed that there were a few lines of poetry on the fan.

When the pear blossoms have faded and the cherries are red, each year in the mortal world is different.

In the fragrant month of April, why frown and smile at the spring breeze?

Dragonflies fly over the hometown city, the grass is lush and the jade is rich.

Nine celestial maidens descend here, a pair of mandarin ducks play in the water.

A light and cheerful poem, easy to read, but Tuoba Qingyun had never heard it before. Why was this poem on Zhao Yougong's fan?

Thinking about it, Tuoba Qingyun had a bold idea. Could Zhao Yougong have left the fan intentionally, hoping she would see the poem?

"In the fragrant month of April, why frown and smile at the spring breeze?" Reflecting on these words, Tuoba Qingyun closed the fan. At first glance, the poem seemed to describe a spring mood, but upon closer reading, it had a deeper meaning. Was it telling her not to worry unnecessarily?

Suddenly, Tuoba Qingyun understood. The Malang tribe was not weak, and being between the Western Xia, the Song Dynasty, and the Liao people, they were a significant force. If they did not support anyone, all three sides would pressure the Malang tribe, but if they chose one side, the other two would have their own thoughts. Zhao Yougong, pretending to be foolish, had a sharp eye. "Why frown and smile at the spring breeze?" Indeed, the Malang tribe was a great treasure in itself, so why seek an alliance?

Looking at the red sky, Tuoba Qingyun became more interested in this young prince Zhao. What did he want? If it was not for his benefit, why would he leave the fan?

As night fell, the Bian River returned to its bustling state. This night, Xiefang Tower was decorated with lanterns and red silk, all because Niannüer was about to be married.

In the capital, although Niannüer's reputation did not match Li Shishi's, it was still considerable. Her marriage would certainly attract the attention of many men.

Zhao Yougong was already waiting at Xiefang Tower. Many people would come tonight, and although he had a deal with Niannüer, some formalities still needed to be observed.

As the lanterns lit up, at the third watch of the Dog hour, Xiefang Tower was bustling with people, most of them wearing brocade robes and carrying large sums of money. Especially Gao Yannai, who was shaking a stack of banknotes, his face full of mockery.

"How about it? Scared?"

"Scared of you? Fatty Gao, do you think I can't stab you with the Six Pulse Sword Technique?"

Zhao Yougong raised his middle finger and gave Gao Yannai a cold look.

In this era, Duan Yu had not yet become famous, and the Duan family of Dali was well hidden. How would a city boy like Gao Yannai know about the Six Pulse Sword Technique? Pouting, Gao Yannai laughed loudly, "You? Six Pulse Sword Technique? Show me, and if you can stab me, I'll give you a reward!"

Gao Fatty was too disrespectful. Zhao Yougong might not know the Six Pulse Sword Technique, but he could still stab someone with his finger. Standing up and frowning, Zhao Yougong placed his left hand behind his waist, raised his right hand, and tried to make a very elegant gesture, "Fatty Gao, watch me use the Six... Pulse... Who, who is poking my waist..."

Lowering his head slightly, Zhao Yougong almost fainted. A sharp sword was poking his waist, and the owner of the sword was a slender woman in black.

Although she was close, Zhao Yougong could not see her clearly. He was now terrified, raising his hands and crying, "Heroine, be gentle, be gentle, let's talk, what do you want, just say it!"

"Shut up, if you say another word, I'll stab you!"

The woman's voice was clear and melodious, but her tone was cold and emotionless, like a voice from a thousand-year-old ice cave.

Zhao Yougong did not understand when he had offended this mysterious woman. He wanted to ask, but the woman had already warned him, so he kept quiet.

Sometimes Zhao Yougong felt he had a jinxed mouth. He had just said he would use the Six Pulse Sword Technique to stab Gao Fatty, and now he was the one being restrained.

"Go!"

The woman remained cold, and Zhao Yougong, feeling very tragic, shook his head.

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, and before he could even cry out, his neck hurt, and he fell to the ground, limp.

In that moment of unconsciousness, Zhao Yougong thought only of how fragrant the woman was...

The woman coldly snorted, picked up Zhao Yougong, and left Xiefang Tower, with no one daring to stop her.

After she left, Gao Yannai's mouth slowly closed. He pounded the table and laughed heartily, finding Zhao Yougong's misfortune very amusing.