Chapter 303: Chapter 303. Father And Daughter
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Where is he?”
Su Hanxuan’s anxious voice came into the study. Su Qing put the sleeve arrow on the table and stood up to welcome him at the door.
“Father.”
Seeing Su Hanxuan step into the room, Su Qing called out to him in her voice. Su Hanxuan was stunned when he saw that it was Su Qing. Did something happen to Chen? Didn’t his daughter go to the nunnery? Why did she come back?
Thinking that something might have happened to his son, Su Hanxuan immediately became anxious and asked his daughter anxiously,
“Did something happen to your mother and Xiao Chen?”
“Yes, bandits went to the nunnery. Mother and Xiao Chen were almost killed.”
Su Qing didn’t hide anything. Her father had a calm personality. He would only leave when her father knew how serious the matter was.
“They…Are you alright?”
Su Hanxuan’s fingertips turned cold. He looked at his daughter anxiously, and his voice trembled.
“It’s safe for the time being. Mother is frightened and helpless, so she wants you to come over and accompany her.”
Su Qing saw that the fire was almost ready, so she urged her father to go to the nunnery to meet her mother.
“Me?”
Su Hanxuan was in a difficult position. If he left, no one would be able to save Luan Qingshan. If he didn’t accompany Ruxue, how could he let her face danger alone when she had just recovered from her illness?
“Could my uncle be more important than my mother and Chen?”
Su Qing didn’t understand his concept of kinship. She didn’t understand why her father was so conflicted. In her heart, no one was more important than Xiao Chen and her mother.
“Your uncle offended Prime Minister Wan because of Xiao Chen and the children. If 1 didn’t save him, I would be ungrateful. Besides, there’s still your aunt and Luan Hong.”
Su Hanxuan sighed. He was a person who cared about friendship and morality. Luan Qingshan had changed their birth characters to protect the children, which was why Qin Shiye had seized the opportunity to accuse him falsely. Otherwise, Luan Qingshan would have pretended to be confused and reported the child’s birth characters normally, and he would not have suffered such a calamity.
“Then how is your rescue going?”
Hearing that Luan Qingshan was in trouble because of Xiao Chen, Su Qing had a better impression of this uncle.
“Father has already asked Lord Chu to message the Wan family’s soldiers. They are willing to present 100,000 taels of silver to protect your uncle’s life and exempt your aunt and cousin from the sentence of selling the official kiln. Lord Chu has already gone to help me with the operation. Father will wait for news when he comes back.”
Su Hanxuan wasn’t too confident, either. Although 100,000 taels of silver was not a tiny amount, Prime Minister Wan’s wealth was comparable to that of a country, and he might not be interested in it.
From the time the Emperor ascended the throne until now, those who offended Prime Minister Wan had all met tragic ends. They were either exterminated or exiled to Jingshi Duo. Their families were destroyed overnight.
“100,000 taels of silver?”
Su Qing’s brows furrowed as he listened. Su Hanxuan nodded.
“It’s fine if you can avoid disaster by losing money. You can earn more money, but you have nothing if you lose your life.”
“Where are Uncle and Aunt locked up?”
Su Qing asked her father. She could save them. After all, saving the children was saving them.
“The prison of the prefecture.”
Su Hanxuan’s eyes were filled with worry. He had been to the government prison before. It was dark and humid. His elder sister and Xiao Hong had lived a luxurious life. How could they bear the pain?
Su Hanxuan felt that something was wrong and quickly asked Su Qing,
“Xi’er, why are you asking this?”
“I want to see them.”
Su Qing said casually. Not only did she want to see them, but she also wanted to break into the prison.
Su Hanxuan could not help but smile bitterly when he heard she wanted to see Luan Qingshan and the others.
“Your uncle is a felon of the Imperial Court and is not allowed visitors. If Father can’t see them, you won’t be able to see them either.”
He was the wealthiest man in Luo City and even knew the bailiffs. If he couldn’t meet them, Su Qing, who was unfamiliar with the place, was even more unlikely.
“I understand.”
Su Qing only said a few words before she picked up the sleeve quiver she had just made and pressed the mechanism. A sleeve arrow shot out and nailed itself onto the door frame. The force was not bad.
“What is this?”
Su Hanxuan was very surprised to see such advanced hidden weapons. What had his daughter experienced outside all these years?
“Sleeve arrows, Father, tie them to your arm. There are three sleeve arrows inside.”
Su Qing tied the sleeve quiver to her father’s wrist. The clothes worn by the ancients were long robes with wide sleeves, which blocked the sleeve quiver.
“Please try pressing here.”
Su Qing tied the sleeve arrow to her father and taught him how to use it. Su Hanxuan felt that this thing was too novel. He learned it very seriously. The most important thing was that it could save his life at critical moments.
He was already astute and learned it after one round.
Su Qing put the sleeve arrows back into the sleeve quiver. She had wanted to apply poison to these sleeve arrows but was afraid she would accidentally hurt his father, so she did not use poison.
“Old Master, Old Master Chu is here.”
Just as the father and daughter practised shooting sleeve arrows, a servant ran over to report.
“Please.”
When he heard that Old Master Chu had arrived, Su Hanxuan quickly ordered someone to invite him in. He then asked Su Qing to wait for him in the inner hall.
Xi’er, leave for a moment.”
“Alright.”
Su Qing wanted to make another sleeve dart, and this sleeve dart had to be smeared with poison.
Without Xiao Qi, she couldn’t get the poison and knockout powder anytime and anywhere. Su Qing still had to make these two medicines, so she went to the pharmacy.
The Su family’s pharmacy had a full range of medicines, but the amount of medicine was not extensive. He did not need too much. After all, it was just for the convenience of treating Yang Ruxue’s illness. He could buy whatever drug he used and replenish it.
Although there were few herbs, they were all first-cla.s.s herbs. There were rollers for grinding herbs and pestles for pounding herbs. The equipment was complete.
Su Qing seized the time to make the knockout powder and poison. When she got busy, she forgot about the time. Before she finished making the medicine, her father walked into the pharmacy with a heavy expression.
Su Qing saw that something was wrong with her father’s expression. She could tell that things were not going well, so she asked,
“What is it?”
“The Wan clan is evil. Why didn’t they receive retribution?”
Su Hanxuan’s elegant face was full of anger. He punched the wall, and his eyes were burning with rage.
“What happened?”
Su Qing asked. His father was a very cultured person. To make him so angry, it must be the Wan Family Army’s request that made one’s hair stand on end.
“They said they can let go of Uncle, but they must hand over Xiao Chen. Otherwise…”
Su Hanxuan was so angry that his entire body was trembling. He could not continue halfway through his sentence, and his clenched fists were filled with grief and anger.
“Otherwise, what?”
Su Qing’s expression was as heavy as iron, and her voice was as cold as the wind.
“Kill the entire family.”
Su Hanxuan hated the imperial court that the Wan family controlled. The lives of ordinary people were not as good as a piece of paper.
“Dad, pack up and leave immediately.”
Su Qing took a deep breath to suppress the overflowing killing intent in her heart. She told her father to leave immediately. She would only let go after confirming that he and her mother were safe.
“No, I can’t leave.”
Su Hanxuan shook his head sadly. Those people were determined to get Xiao Chen. They must have planted spies around the Su residence. If he left, they would follow him. It was better to stay here and tie them down.
Su Hanxuan looked at his daughter with reluctance. Father and daughter had just reunited, and now they had to part again. Moreover, it was a life-and-death separation. They may never meet again in this life. With tears in his eyes, he said to his daughter,
“Father will stay here to delay them. You take your mother and Xiao Chen and leave quickly.”
“I have a way to let you leave safely. You must listen to me..”