She could speak; these people hadn't gagged her.
Clearly, they didn't care if she dared to call for help, and Miss Jun certainly wouldn't do something so foolish.
Although she had been kidnapped for a whole night, Miss Jun showed no trace of anger, and her voice was gentle as if she were greeting visiting guests.
A smile appeared on the three faces before her.
"Miss Jun, don't be afraid, we're not bad people," they said in unison.
"I'm sorry, my eyesight must be failing me," Miss Jun replied softly.
The three men were stunned, not immediately catching her meaning, but then the young man got it and laughed heartily.
"She's really funny when she talks," he said.
The two men glared at him.
"Shut your trap and get lost," they scolded.
The young man shrank back and stepped away, while the two men once again turned smiling faces towards Miss Jun.
"Miss Jun, we are here to invite you," they explained.
Miss Jun responded with an 'oh' sound.
"I didn't notice that either," she said.
The two men's dark red faces didn't show whether they felt embarrassed or not.
"Miss Jun, we're not bandits or horse thieves," they tried to look presentable as they spoke, "we're government soldiers."
Government soldiers?
Miss Jun looked at them.
"That's..." she began to say.
Before she could finish, the two men's expressions slightly changed, and they hurriedly covered her with grass again. Miss Jun's vision became muddled, and soon the sound of horse hooves reached them.
"The government soldiers are here!"
A shout rang out, and the chaotic noise of horse hooves caused the ground to tremble.
Miss Jun was also trembling, not from the horse hooves or fear, but because the carriage was being pushed forward, moving with a jolting speed.
Government soldiers, not that you can tell.
Are there any government soldiers who run at the sight of their own kind?
Miss Jun thought to herself, sinking deeper into contemplation.
Only three men? And a half-grown kid could kidnap her so silently.
She knew there were many capable people in the world, but apart from her master, she hadn't met any. Even with her master, it was only now that she realized his prowess.
But today, she was truly shaken.
Who are these people?
"Miss Jun, we really aren't bad people."
After travelling a distance, the grass covering Miss Jun was again lifted, and the two men's smiling faces reappeared before her.
Discussing this now was meaningless.
"Although you caught me quite easily, it doesn't mean you won't have trouble," Miss Jun said, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have run at the sight of government soldiers. You definitely know who I am, and by now the soldiers must have started searching for me."
The two men smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, they must have started looking. We already sent them the kidnapping note," they said.
Crying thief while being the thief?
Miss Jun was silent for a moment, considering the risky but effective tactic.
"But what's fake will be exposed eventually," she stated. "It won't take long."
The men grinned naively.
"It won't happen too soon," one of the older men replied, "Miss Jun, a horse draws a cart quickly when alone; with two horses, the outcome is uncertain; with three, it's prone to chaos, especially when two of them fight each other."
A heavy feeling sank deeper into Miss Jun's heart.
Such simple and honest words made a lot of sense but were terrifying to consider.
"Miss Jun, you are avoiding someone, aren't you? We saw it, someone was following you, and you even used the pretense of a government escort but left secretly, all to confuse your pursuer," the man said earnestly, "So now there are three parties searching for you, but their intentions are likely different."
Her disappearance was so mysterious, and Lei Zhonglian knew that the Jinyiwei were after her, so their first suspicion would be the Jinyiwei.
And the Jinyiwei, knowing she had been trying to throw them off all along, would believe her sudden vanishing was her own work.
The government soldiers received a kidnapping ransom note and set off to investigate, but Lei Zhonglian and the Jinyiwei both considered it a diversion and did not take it seriously.
Three horses, three targets – it would be odd if they could actually run fast.
"We don't need to keep the secret forever; in fact, it's impossible to conceal it indefinitely," another man said, scratching his head and smiling naively. "All we need is enough time to take you back."
Miss Jun looked at them.
"What exactly do you do?" she asked.
The two men exchanged glances.
Government soldiers who run at the sight of another soldier do bring shame upon themselves.
Their eyes communicated a mutual understanding, they nodded at each other and then turned back to Miss Jun.
"We are farmers," they said in unison.
Miss Jun looked at them.
"That, I had not noticed," she said.
The two men chuckled and rubbed their hands together.
"No worries, you'll see it once you get there," they said.
"Uncle," the adolescent boy peeked his head out and interjected, "we should hurry, everyone is waiting at home."
The two men sighed in agreement.
"Miss Jun, we're imposing on you once more," they said, starting to cover up with greenery.
Miss Jun's gaze wandered through the branches and grass to one side, where the half-grown boy seemed to be leisurely strolling around the cart, then suddenly chuckled, flicked his foot, and a short, thin broken branch was kicked up.
The branch bore bloodstains, marked with three lines from her fingernail scratches.
These were the hard-won clues she had scattered along the way.
A child.
Miss Jun watched as the half-grown boy lightly tossed the branch onto the cart, blending it with other branches, while the piled-up grass obscured her view.
............….
"That's Zanhuang Mountain," the general pointed ahead, shouting angrily.
"I recognize this handwriting; it's the work of Big Teeth from Zanhuang Mountain," he exclaimed.
Lei Zhonglian and Eighteenth Jin looked in the direction he pointed, although their expressions were not as agitated.
"Bandits can write?" Lei Zhonglian remarked indifferently.
"And they specifically use a script you recognize," added Eighteenth Jin with equal dispassion.
The general, who was about to order a charge towards the bandits' stronghold with these two, paused, confused by their remarks.
These words were strange, indeed, and so were these two men all along.
Miss Jun was kidnapped, such a grave matter, yet why were they not at all anxious? Instead, they acted as if they couldn't care less?
Could it be... treacherous servants betraying their master?
The general's brows knitted together as a thought sprang to mind.
Perhaps all of this was orchestrated by Miss Jun's guards in collusion with the bandits.
Otherwise, how could it all be so coincidental? It was Lei Zhonglian who sent them away, claiming a sudden affair prevented them from going to Zhending Prefecture, saying no escort was necessary. Yet, not to disappoint the public, they made it appear as if Miss Jun was still headed to Zhending Prefecture, asserting that De Sheng Chang would provide an explanation in due time.
The moment they left, Miss Jun was kidnapped.
Miss Jun was wealthy, Jiuling Hall was wealthy, De Sheng Chang was wealthy, and the Fang Family was willing to pay a ransom, Qingyuan Prefecture was willing, even the entire western route of Hebei was willing.
Money was not the issue; the fear was Miss Jun coming to harm.
They'd happily pay the ransom, and these guards would surely get a share, wouldn't they?
Wishful thinking! Miss Jun, a saint-like figure, I will ensure her safety!
The general's expression turned grave, his eyes filled with anger, and with a clang, he drew his sword and raised it high.
"Men! Level Zanhuang Mountain, let not a single bandit escape! I want to see if Big Teeth truly has gone mad," he cried out.
At his command, the government soldiers behind him raised a united cheer; sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and bows all raised towards Zanhuang Mountain.
Quite the performance.
Eighteenth Jin and Lei Zhonglian exchanged a glance and shared a faint smile.