Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 298 - 297: Hostage

More than ten days passed like this, and one morning, the long-silent capital suddenly became noisy.

A man wearing a cloak rode a horse and galloped through the quiet streets of the city. The hooves struck the glossy black stones on the ground, making rapid clattering sounds. The gray-black hood covered his head and face, making it impossible to see his appearance, except for the lower half of his face that was slightly exposed, with tense and taut lines on his cheek showing a sense of tension.

His hands gripped the reins tightly, and his legs occasionally clamped the horse’s belly, fearing that the speed would slow down, seemingly unconcerned about the possibility of the hooves slipping on the stone-paved ground.

Man and horse turned into a quiet alley, eventually stopping in front of the Prince Shuo Mansion. The man hurriedly jumped off the horse, almost twisting his ankle as he landed, but he wasted no time. He quickly scanned the two Pang Family Protectors standing in front of the mansion gate and threw off a command, "Tie the horse," hastily rushing inside.

The man seemed to have either had an old injury on his leg or twisted it when dismounting the horse, but his slight limp didn’t slow him down as he headed straight towards the inner Zhu Garden in the mansion.

He walked so urgently, disturbed by his thoughts, not realizing how smoothly this journey was going, not encountering anyone questioning or greeting him, and therefore also missed the sight of a figure hurriedly running towards Li Garden not far away.

The man went straight to the main house of Zhu Garden and pushed open the door, which was only slightly ajar.

The door slammed open, startling Pang Yuzhen and Zhu Ning, who were chatting by the table inside the room, glancing quickly toward the door.

"Uncle...?" Zhu Ning recognized the intruder, hesitated for a moment, her mind unable to catch up, just as she got up to greet him, only to be grabbed by her collar and almost dragged off the chair, screaming with eyes shut, "Ah—! Mother, save me!"

Pang Yuzhen was also shocked, standing up abruptly, glaring at Pang Yutang, who had grabbed Zhu Ning: "Brother, have you gone mad?! What are you doing grabbing Ning’er?"

Pang Yutang’s hood fell from his head due to the scuffle, revealing the still-healing scars on his forehead and cheeks.

Pang Yuzhen was taken aback, never having seen her elder brother in such a sorry state.

As she paused for a moment, Pang Yutang had already drawn a sharp dagger from his waist, holding it to Zhu Ning’s neck, the blade pressing against her throat, so that even the slightest movement could cut her skin, causing her to bleed on the spot.

Terrified, Zhu Ning dared not even scream, holding her breath stiffly, inhaling shallow breaths, fearing her life would be lost to her uncle’s hands.

"Brother! Are you insane! Let Ning’er go!" Normally, Pang Yuzhen would yell immediately, but now the gleaming blade also filled her with fear, pressing down her voice, not daring to further provoke Pang Yutang, "We can talk things over. As elders, don’t scare the children!"

"Your child is a child, is mine not?" Pang Yutang’s eyes flashed with malice, maintaining his grip tightly, gritting his teeth, "Zhu Cheng took my son, I have no choice but to use your daughter’s life to trade for his! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I want to see if he’s truly heartless, putting his own daughter’s safety aside.

If he still refuses to release my boy, I’ll send his daughter down to the Yama Hall first!"

Hearing this, Zhu Ning shivered mightily, and her trembling brought a slight cut to her neck from the blade, blood instantly oozing out. The sting made her cry out, resulting in the blade pressing tighter against her throat, causing her to hurriedly bite her lip, trembling as if she had ague, yet not daring to make another move, remaining silent.

Pang Yuzhen, full of despair, looked at her disheveled, yet fierce brother, then at her daughter who was pale with fear. Her vision darkened, almost fainting.

Previously, she had some doubts about what Zhu Yu said about Pang Yutang’s actions, worried whether this was a scheme by Zhu Yu and Lu Qing to drive a wedge between the Zhu Family and Pang Family.

But facts speak louder than words, seeing Pang Yutang like this now left her no choice but to believe.

Pang Yuzhen swayed, finally unable to stand, collapsing to the ground, crying with despair, muttering, "It’s over... all over..."

Watching Pang Yuzhen’s reaction, Pang Yutang suddenly realized that when he barged in, this mother and daughter had been peacefully sitting at the table drinking tea, not showing the slightest unease or panic as if they were being held hostage.

Seeing him forcibly take Zhu Ning away, Pang Yuzhen didn’t even question why Zhu Cheng had taken his son.

It was as if they were already aware of his actions.

Pang Yutang felt increasingly uneasy thinking about it again. Recalling from the moment he entered until now, except for the two Pang Family Protectors at the door, he hadn’t encountered anyone of his own on this path!

His heart grew fearful, frightened to linger in the room, hustling Zhu Ning hurriedly outside.

Zhu Ning had managed to stay quiet, but now being dragged outside by Pang Yutang, she screamed, "Mother, save me! Mother, please help!"

Pang Yuzhen, snapping back to reality, struggled to get up and chased after them, stumbling as she went: "Brother, I beg you, let Ning’er go! Ning’er is my only daughter, your niece! How could you harm her...?"

Pang Yutang paid no attention, dragging Zhu Ning out. Just stepping through the door, he encountered Zhu Yu blocking the courtyard with others.

Upon seeing the knife in Pang Yutang’s hand and Zhu Ning behind the blade, Zhu Yu gestured for his men to halt, refraining from advancing further for the moment.

With a smile on his face, Zhu Yu calmly gazed at Pang Yutang holding Zhu Ning: "Pang Family housekeeper, where are you taking your niece?"

Zhu Ning’s face was concealed by that black leather mask, preventing Pang Yutang from recognizing her. Startled to see Zhu Yu blocking his path, he couldn’t quite guess her identity.

One thing was certain, however—his men left at the Prince Mansion to guard the Zhu Family had been "dealt with."