Love Lock

Chapter 135 The Man Who Returned from Hell
When Wei Dabao returned to the Wei residence with Zhang San and the others, the residence was immediately in an uproar.

The butler knew that Zhang San and his men had been sent out on errands in waves, so when Wei Dabao went missing, he assumed that he had also gone out on errands.

But after waiting for half a month without Wei Dabao returning, and without saying goodbye to his family when he left, the people in the mansion finally couldn't sit still any longer.

The lady ordered the steward and servants to search almost the entire Qingshui County and all the surrounding places related to the Wei family, but they found nothing.

They even reported the case to the county government. The officials there said they would do their best to search and told them to go back and wait.

Unexpectedly, this wait lasted for almost two months.

The stewards were all wondering whether they should ask the madam for permission to send a message to the Wei family in the capital and ask them to help with the search.

As a result, Wei Dabao returned with Zhang San and the others.

The steward and the servants working in the courtyard all gathered around.

"Master, Master, you're finally back!" The butler exclaimed with delight.

"Master is back. Greetings, Master."

"Sir, you've lost weight! Where have you all been?"

"Master, what happened to you all?"

For a moment, the servants greeted each other with a flurry of words, all asking with concern where they had gone.

Wei Dabao merely gave a few perfunctory words, his face showing a hint of impatience, and led Zhang San and the others straight into the study. The door slammed shut, shutting out the noise from the outside world.

Just then, Wei Dabao's wife received a report from her servant that Wei Dabao, who had been missing for several days, had returned. She rushed out to see her husband.

To her dismay, she didn't even catch a glimpse of Wei Dabao's back. She snorted in dissatisfaction and turned back to her own courtyard.

In the study room.

As soon as the door closed, Wei Dabao's face turned gloomy, and his eyes gleamed with greed.

He couldn't wait to ask, "Tell me quickly, how much treasure is there? Did you see it clearly?"

Zhang San stepped forward and lowered his voice.

“Master, although we were unable to go in and take a closer look, the place was heavily guarded, and the walls were covered with luminous pearls that shone brightly. It was clearly not an ordinary place.”

Wei Dabao narrowed his eyes. That night, he had also personally seen the luminous pearl hanging on the wall.

Recalling the sight he had glimpsed from afar that night, he became even more convinced that the place held treasure.

Wei Dabao nodded, signaling Zhang San to continue.

Li Si also joined in, his tone tinged with excitement.

"My lord, that place is not only heavily guarded, but it also keeps several ferocious dogs. Moreover, Magistrate Luo takes hundreds of farmers in there every day, and then brings them back to Tongfu Restaurant at night. I suspect that those farmers are helping him dig for treasure!"

Wei Dabao frowned, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

He sneered, "That bastard Luo Hai was indeed up to no good behind the scenes! Those farmers were probably just laborers he used to dig for treasure."

Zhang San chimed in, "Sir, we also saw a grayish-blue house near the gate. I bet the treasure they dug up is hidden inside!"

Wei Dabao clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He suddenly remembered the scene on New Year's Eve when Luo Hai was eating and drinking with the farmers at Tongfu Restaurant.

If those peasants were helping Luo Hai dig for treasure, then it makes sense that Luo Hai treated them to a good meal.

"Sir, the walls there are so high and long, there must be a lot of treasure there!"

"Yes, Magistrate Luo has been digging for over three months. I wonder if there are any treasures left inside?"

The other two servants chimed in, their eyes gleaming with greed.

The words of the two servants reminded Wei Dabao that they had been detained by Luo Haiguan for so long and suffered so much, while Luo Hai was out there digging for treasure, eating and drinking to his heart's content, living a carefree life.

I get so angry just thinking about it now.

"You bastard!" Wei Dabao cursed through gritted teeth. "If I don't avenge this, I, Wei Dabao, swear I'm not a man!"

Seeing this, Zhang San and the others chimed in, "Sir, we must take revenge! That corrupt official Luo Hai must not be let off easily!"

Li Si fawned over him and asked in a low voice, "Master, what do you plan to do? We will follow your orders."

Wei Dabao sneered, a sinister glint in his eyes.

“I will write a letter to my uncle right away and send it to the capital by carrier pigeon. I will ask my uncle to remove Luo Hai from his post as county magistrate. My uncle is the prime minister of the court, and he holds a high position and great power. If he finds out that I have been bullied by Luo Hai, he will not be able to swallow this insult. At that time, Luo Hai will lose his position as county magistrate.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang San and the others beamed with joy and clapped their hands in approval: "Your Excellency is wise! That corrupt official Luo Hai should have been dismissed and investigated long ago!"

A smug smile crept onto Wei Dabao's lips, as if he could already foresee Luo Hai's fate of being dismissed from his post.

However, his greed did not stop there.

He narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "However, Luo Hai's treasure cannot be allowed to fall into his lap so easily. Now that we know the location of the treasure, it will be mine sooner or later."

Zhang San and the others looked at each other, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

Li Si asked cautiously, "Sir, what do you mean...?"

Wei Dabao sneered twice, his tone laced with ruthlessness.

"Once that bastard Luo Hai falls from power, I'll personally lead a treasure hunt. Those luminous pearls, those gold and silver treasures—not a single one will be missing! Does Luo Hai think he can hoard them all? Hmph, dream on!"

Inside the study, Wei Dabao's voice was low and cold, like a venomous snake flicking its scarlet tongue in the darkness...

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the capital city...

The city walls of the capital stand tall and majestic, their bluish-gray bricks gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Princess Chang Le stood outside the city gate, followed by a dozen servants and maids. Although their clothes had been washed, they could not hide the dust and dishevelment on their bodies.

She looked up at the towering city wall, tears silently streaming down her face, a complex mix of emotions—the joy of surviving a catastrophe—surging through her heart.

Her benefactor said it would take two days, but the pampered girl took four or five days to complete the journey.

"Princess, we...we're finally back."

"My personal maid, Mingyue, said in a low voice, her voice choked with emotion."

She stood beside Princess Chang Le, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress, trying not to hide her face and weep.

Princess Chang Le did not respond immediately, but nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the city tower.

Her mind was flooded with the events of the past two months, those unbearable memories surging back like a tide...

That day, after her benefactor left, she walked alone on the official road with great difficulty, her feet already blistered and bleeding.

In the past, she was always surrounded by attendants. She would go out in a carriage or sedan chair; she had never traveled such a long distance by herself before.

But she had to keep going; she had to return to the capital, to the Marquis of Champion's mansion.

Every step she took closer to the capital brought her one step closer to her former noble self.

So, even though her feet were blistered and bleeding, she continued to walk slowly forward with determination. Just as she finished eating two flatbreads and drinking all the water in her water bag, and was about to despair from hunger, she met Mingyue and the others on the official road, who were also walking slowly forward.

"Moon?"

She tried calling out uncertainly from behind.

Hearing her shout, the dozen or so people walking ahead turned around at the same time.

Although the people in front of her were just as ragged and disheveled as she was, she recognized them at a glance; they were indeed her maids and servants.

"The princess?"

"Are you a princess?"

"Waaah, Princess. I've finally met you."

She knew she wasn't kind to the servants on a regular basis, often beating and scolding them. But now, seeing her, the servants seemed to have found their pillar of support and were still very happy.

Princess Chang Le took a few quick steps forward and hugged Mingyue tightly.

The others also embraced each other one after another, and everyone on the official road wept bitterly upon seeing familiar faces.

After venting all the humiliation and grievances she had felt over the past few days, she asked Mingyue through sobs.

"Mingyue, what are you doing here? How did you escape?"

"The county lord."

At the mention of this, Mingyue couldn't help but shed tears. She wiped away her tears and began to recount their experience of being kidnapped.

“After we were kidnapped by bandits and taken to the mountains, we never saw you again. Those bandits forced us to cultivate wasteland with whips every day, and if we didn’t complete the task, they wouldn’t give us any food.”

“That day, the chieftain said that the wasteland had been cultivated enough and he was no longer willing to support us ‘idle people’, so he put us into sacks and sold us to human traffickers.”

Mingyue's voice trembled slightly, as if that memory still lingered in her heart.

"Human slave trader?"

Princess Chang Le frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

“Yes,” Mingyue nodded, “They originally planned to sell us to a wealthy family in the capital. We secretly escaped while they were asleep at an inn in the town.”

After recounting her experience, Mingyue hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Princess, how...how did you escape?"

Princess Chang Le's expression stiffened slightly, and her eyes darted away.

She said calmly, "After I was kidnapped by bandits, I escaped when they weren't looking. But I got lost in the mountains and it took me a long time to find the main road."

In the wooden huts of the mountain stronghold, she waited in line every day for the chieftain to favor her, begging those lowly and hateful bandits to take her.

How could she, a princess of noble birth and high status, possibly speak of such a shameful past? How could she possibly want to recall that sordid scene?
Mingyue nodded and didn't ask any further questions. She could tell the princess didn't want to talk about it, so she wisely kept quiet...

Princess Chang Le shook her head and closed her eyes tightly, trying to banish the memories she didn't want to recall.

The group stood silently outside the city gate, the afterglow of the setting sun casting long shadows on them.

Princess Chang Le gazed at the towering city gate, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She remained silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the servants and maids.

She wanted to say, "You've suffered," but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.

Before them lay the gates of the capital. No one knew of her experiences on the mountain, and those were already in the past. These were all her servants, people of lowly status.

She no longer bothered to utter such gentle and caring words to servants of lowly status, except for being imperious.

“Let’s go,” she finally said, her voice carrying a hint of determination, “Let’s go home.”

Princess Chang Le straightened her chest, lifted her aching legs, and took the lead in walking forward.

Mingyue and her attendants responded and followed behind her, slowly walking towards the city gate.

The guards on the city wall had already noticed the group. Seeing that they were dressed in rags and looked exhausted, they went up to question them.

"Halt! Who are you?" the guard shouted sternly, holding his spear across his chest to block their path.

Princess Chang Le raised her head, gave the guard a cold look, and her voice naturally carried the majesty of a superior.

"Are you blind? I am Princess Chang Le, get out of my way at once!"

The guard was taken aback and looked her over carefully. Although her clothes were tattered, the innate nobility between her brows could not be concealed.

The guard quickly put away his spear and bowed, saying, "So it's Your Highness, Princess. I was blind to your greatness. Please forgive me."

Princess Chang Le didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly and led everyone straight into the city gate.

The streets of the capital were still bustling, teeming with people and noisy with carriages. Princess Chang Le walked along the familiar streets, yet felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

The experiences of the past two months seem to have created an invisible barrier between her and the world.

“Princess,” Mingyue looked down at her dress and said softly, “Should we…go straight back to the manor?”

Princess Chang Le stopped in her tracks, her gaze sweeping over the bustling crowds on both sides of the street, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

"What else can we do if we don't go back to the manor?"

Mingyue nodded, but a faint unease lingered in her heart.

She knew that although the princess had regained her composure on the surface, the turmoil in her heart was far from over.

Night quietly fell, and they finally arrived at the Marquis of Champion's residence.

The main gate of the Marquis's residence was tightly closed. Princess Chang Le gestured for Mingyue to step forward and knock on the door.

A moment later, the gates of the Marquis of Champion's mansion slowly opened, and the guards inside glanced warily at the disheveled figures outside.

Under the cover of night, they were dressed in rags and looked haggard, as if they had just crawled out of hell.

The woman at the head of the group had disheveled hair and her face was covered in dust, but her eyes still shone with a stubborn light. The maids behind her walked with faltering steps, as if they might collapse at any moment.

"Halt! Who dares to trespass into the Marquis's residence?"

The head guard frowned and shouted sternly, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

The woman raised her head, her voice hoarse yet still carrying a hint of arrogance: "It is I, Chang Le."

The head guard was taken aback. After a moment of careful observation, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately knelt down on one knee.

"Princess! I was blind and failed to recognize you. Please forgive me!"

Princess Chang Le did not respond, but simply waved wearily and walked straight into the mansion with her maids and servants.

Her steps were heavy, each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge, and the servants behind her followed silently with their heads down.

The servants in the mansion stopped what they were doing and stared in disbelief at the group of people who seemed to have returned from hell.

The news quickly reached the inner courtyard, and the Marquis of Champion and his wife rushed over.

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