The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Chu Wanqing first looked at Yun Xiu, her gaze carrying a complex meaning she couldn't quite explain, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Xiu'er, you are the eldest daughter of the Yun family, and Lang Ge'er is your younger brother. Go and deliver the money tomorrow."

Yunxiu's face turned deathly pale. She instinctively took a small step back and stammered, "Mother... daughter... daughter is naturally willing to do this for Langge'er. But those people are vicious and cruel. I'm an unmarried woman, going to such a place alone. If they... if they do something terrible to me, my life will be ruined. Next month is my wedding day. If rumors start to spread now, how can I live?"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard outside.

Old Madam Yun, supported by Granny Wang, rushed in and immediately asked anxiously, "I heard Lang-ge'er has been kidnapped? And they want to pay money to ransom him? What happened? How much money do they want?"

Yunxiu hurriedly said, "Grandmother, they want four million taels of silver, and..."

But Old Madam Yun clearly didn't understand. When she heard "four million taels," she almost collapsed, gripping Wang Mama's hand tightly, her voice trembling.

"Four million taels? Where would we get that much silver? Even if we emptied the entire Yun family coffers, we still couldn't scrape together that amount!"

Chu Wanqing said coldly, "I'll find a way to raise the money. I've sold everything I can—my shops, my land, my dowry—I'll be able to scrape together the funds."

Yun Jin chimed in, "If that's not enough, I'll take care of it. I still have some silver notes and jewelry that I can sell."

She paused, turned her gaze to Yunxiu, and said softly, "I'm sure my elder sister wouldn't just stand by and watch Langge suffer; she'll definitely do her part."

Yunxiu froze, and under the gazes of everyone in the room, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Daughter... daughter will naturally do her part. It's just that daughter doesn't have much savings, and her dowry was all prepared by grandmother and mother. But mother, don't worry, Xiu'er will definitely do her best to scrape together some money."

Grandma Yun, growing increasingly anxious, blurted out, "The shop can't be sold!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake and quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "I meant, your shop is your livelihood. If you sell it, Lang-ge'er will definitely come looking for you. You have to leave him something. How about..."

She paused, then said cautiously,

"Why don't we borrow from your cousin? Your cousin Lanqi's business is so big, four million taels is just a drop in the ocean for him. It's more respectable than us selling our assets."

Chu Wanqing turned to look at her, and said incredulously, "Mother, what do you mean? No matter how important money is, it's not as important as Lang Ge'er's life. Mother, Lang Ge'er is the eldest son of the Yun family. If something happens to the Yun family, it's only right that our family does everything in its power to save him."

There's no reason for me to keep my own money and borrow from outsiders. If I really can't raise the money, I'll find a way myself; Mother doesn't need to remind me.”

Grandma Yun was speechless after hearing these words, her old face turning red and then pale.

Just as they were at an impasse, Yun Heting strode in.

With a stern face, he said anxiously as soon as he entered the door, "Madam, I heard everything just now. I won't stop you from selling the shop. It's just that once the shop is sold, it will be difficult to redeem it later."

"How about this, we'll mortgage the shop to Lanqi first and have him come up with the money. Once Langge'er returns safely, we'll figure out a way to pay back the money and redeem the shop. At least we'll have something to rely on."

Grandma Yun nodded repeatedly: "What Heting said makes sense."

Grandma Yun quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, He Ting is right. We should mortgage the shop first, but not sell it outright. We should also report it to the authorities and have the officials arrest the culprit. That way, we can find the person and keep the money. It's a good idea!"

Chu Wanqing suddenly looked up and shouted, "We can't report this to the authorities! Those people are no ordinary kidnappers, since they were able to take someone away from the Imperial Academy. What if we alert them if we report this? Lang'er is only thirteen! I can't take that risk!"

What if... what if they kill him? Who will compensate me for my son? Lang Ge'er is my child, the one I carried for ten months and gave birth to; he's my life!

Yun Heting frowned and said, "Madam, Langge'er is also my son. How can I, as his father, not feel sorry for him? But four million taels is no small sum. If we don't report it to the authorities and try to redeem him ourselves, what if we lose both our money and our son? I think it's safer to report it to the authorities."

If the government intervenes and dispatches several detachments of troops to surround the person, perhaps not only can the person be rescued unharmed, but the money can also be saved.

Yunxiu chimed in softly, "Mother, Father and Grandmother are right. Those people dared to ask for four million taels of silver; that shows how greedy they are. What if we give them the money and they still won't release them..."

"Shut up!" Chu Wanqing shouted, pointing at them one by one, her voice stern, "You all keep saying you're doing this for Lang Ge'er's good, but every single one of you is worried about the money."

Four million taels is a lot of money, but it can't buy my son's life! I'll give up everything I own to bring Lang'er back safe and sound. Anyone who mentions reporting this to the authorities is trying to kill my son!

Grandma Yun quickly denied it: "Wanqing, you've misunderstood. Lang'er is my grandson, how could I not be anxious? But this concerns four million taels of silver after all. What if those wicked people are greedy and betray their promises?"

Seeing that Chu Wanqing was so angry that her fingertips were trembling, Yun Jin quickly stepped forward and said softly, "Mother, don't be anxious. The old lady and godfather's worries are not unreasonable. We might as well make two preparations: openly raise money, secretly report to the authorities, and set up defenses near the local temple in advance. If we can find Lang Ge'er before paying the ransom, that would be the best. If we really can't find him, then we'll do as the kidnappers say."

Chu Wanqing looked at her for a long while before saying in a hoarse voice, "Alright. Then please ask your maternal grandfather to handle it. I don't trust anyone else."

The old lady and Yun Heting exchanged a glance, and only when they saw that Chu Wanqing had relented did they both breathe a sigh of relief.

Yunxiu suddenly spoke up, stammering, "Grandmother, Father, that letter... also mentioned a condition. I didn't have a chance to tell you just now. The kidnapper said that tomorrow... a daughter of the Yun family... should go alone to deliver the silver, and Mother... wants me to go..."

Grandma Yun's expression changed, and she blurted out, "Xiu'er can't go! Xiu'er is getting married to Prince Liang next month. How can we let her get involved in such a sordid affair? She's a young lady about to be married; if she's attacked by kidnappers, how will we explain it to His Highness Prince Liang?"

Yun Heting nodded and said, "Yes, yes, Xiu'er can't go. If anything happens to her, the marriage between our Yun family and the Liang Prince's Mansion will be over."