Feng Tang, Wu Yong, and others: In our place, this holds even more authority than an imperial decree!
That evening after dinner, when Yue Fuguang mentioned going to the lantern festival, the whole family unanimously agreed. Old Madam Yu and Madam Zhang even had the brothers act as her guards.
Since Yue Fuguang was going, the other girls naturally wanted to go as well. Yu Chongshan thought, it's only once a year; at most, he would just send more guards to protect his granddaughters.
A group of over thirty people set out grandly. As soon as they stepped outside, they were instantly enveloped by the bustling atmosphere.
On the Imperial Street of the capital, as dusk settled, it was already bright as day.
The entire street had transformed into a flowing river of light. On both sides of the imperial way, layers upon layers of various horn lanterns and gauze lanterns converged into a winding fiery dragon, casting a warm, yellowish glow on the bluestone pavement.
Octagonal palace lanterns, adorned with crimson tassels, swayed gently in the evening breeze, scattering shattered spots of light on the ground.
Children bundled in thick cotton-padded jackets, holding candied haws on sticks, followed their parents, their eyes crinkling into crescent moons as they laughed. Delivery boys weaved through the crowd, nearly bumping into young ladies in brocade cloaks who were holding rabbit-shaped lanterns and chatting softly with friends.
The pearl hairpins of the finely dressed young ladies flickered intermittently under the lantern light, interweaving with the shadows, much like the twinkling stars in the sky above.
Scholars gathered before lantern riddle stalls, frowning in contemplation over puzzles like "Boundless falling leaves rustle down." Suddenly, someone would clap their hands, exclaiming the solution, eliciting a mix of frustration and admiration from the crowd.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of preserved fruits and the charred aroma of roasted lamb. Yue Fuguang sniffed the air, and her already full stomach suddenly felt hungry again.
Yu Qingyu, seeing his sister's expression, knew she was craving food again, so he ordered some snacks to be bought for all the siblings.
Sisters Yu Ningxuan, Yu Ningxin, and the others also followed Yue Fuguang's lead and began eating. They rarely had the chance to eat street food throughout the year, so regardless of the taste, they were exceptionally happy.
Especially since this was led by their grandparents' treasured darling, they no longer held back.
The group walked and stopped, eating and strolling, and before they knew it, they had left the main thoroughfare and arrived near the Ling residence.
Yu Ningxuan looked around at the street, slightly dimmer compared to the main road, and couldn't help but ask, "Fuguang, weren't we going to see the lanterns on the main street? Why are we heading this way?"
Yue Fuguang looked at the snacks in her sisters' hands and the yet-to-be-consumed delicacies held by the maids behind them. "Second Sister, if we keep walking on that street, we won't reach it even in an hour. There are many more delicious foods ahead. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist buying more to try, but..." She patted her round belly. "I really can't eat any more, yet I fear I'll still want to buy. Out of sight, out of mind—let's take a detour!"
The Yu siblings: Well, that's a compelling reason. They looked at their own bulging bellies and actually found it quite reasonable!
'Little Pearl, check from which place the child traffickers snatched the Ling family child?'
[Master, it seems the traffickers carried the Ling boy out from an alley, just as his younger brother ran out and saw them. Look, the street you came from is very lively, but here it's quite deserted. Because Ling Yinghua, a high-ranking official, lives here, idlers generally don't come to this area, which is why it's so empty now. The traffickers dared to snatch the two children only because they saw no one around. Master, look for the alley.]
'System, you said Ling Yinghua heard our conversation at the morning court audience. Would he have already kept watch over the children? They probably won't run out as they did in the original history.'
[Host, there really is...]
Before the system could finish saying "might be," they saw the side gate of the Ling residence open, and a chubby little head with two small buns peeked out.
Then a plump boy dressed like a red packet ran out. The gold necklace on his chest flashed with a golden glint under the light of the roadside lanterns.
The chubby boy had only run a few steps forward when he shouted, "Ah Bao, are you also out to see the lanterns?"
[Master, it should be just ahead.]
Sure enough, after Yue Fuguang walked a few more steps, she saw an alley ahead, from which three men and two women emerged.
One of the men was holding a boy of about five or six who looked somewhat drowsy.
That should be Ling Yingda's son, Ah Bao.
Upon hearing the Ling boy's words and seeing his wealthy attire, especially the dazzling gold lock on his chest, the group tacitly moved towards him.
But after taking only a few steps, they saw Yue Fuguang's large group approaching from the adjacent road and immediately became somewhat flustered.
However, the leader had clearly seen his share of big scenes. They immediately acted as if nothing was wrong, walking past the Ling boy, intending to leave by another route.
Yue Fuguang would not give them the chance. She immediately ordered, "Seize them!"
As soon as Yue Fuguang spoke, several people rushed forward. Before they left, the Old Master had repeatedly instructed them to follow the Seventh Young Lady's arrangements in all matters outside.
As for the Eldest Young Master... he was also to follow the Seventh Young Lady's arrangements!
Yu Qingyu: When little sister goes out to save people, we're just accompanying guests, extras!
The Yu siblings: Only Eldest Brother is. We're just taking the opportunity to come out and have fun thanks to Little Seven. Saving people? We have no idea! Kept in the dark JPG.
"Stop her! Don't harm the child!"
It turned out that just as the Yu family guards were about to engage with the traffickers, a little girl of six or seven ran out from the Ling residence's side gate.
She should be Ling Yinghua's young granddaughter who came out looking for her brother.
These people were only a few steps away from the side gate. Seeing the Yu family guards trying to stop them, one of the women immediately thought of grabbing the girl as a hostage.
Fortunately, before the Yu family guards could intervene, a team of guards rushed out from the Ling residence. They swiftly protected the young lady while also blocking the retreat of these people.
"Seize them!"
As soon as the little girl saw the leader, she immediately pointed at the red-packet-clad younger brother, who was already surrounded by the Yu family, and said, "Steward Grandpa, younger brother!"
Steward Ling, though he didn't recognize the Yu family, could tell from the attire of the group of young masters and ladies that they were nobles. From a distance, he cupped his hands and said, "Ling Wu thanks you all for saving our young lady and young master. May I ask..."
Before he could finish asking which family they were from, so that his master could later pay a visit to express thanks, the side gate behind him opened again. A group of people in fine clothes hurriedly walked out.
The leader was none other than Ling Yinghua. At first glance, he saw Yue Fuguang and promptly cupped his hands. "Greetings to the Junior Mentor."
"Libationer Ling, we were passing by and saw these people carrying a child, acting suspiciously, so we wanted to stop them." Yue Fuguang said, glancing around. The five had already been completely apprehended.
She continued, "They resisted arrest and even tried to take your granddaughter as a hostage. We'll leave the rest to you."
She waved her hand, preparing to leave. "No need for thanks. We just happened to pass by and ran into this. We're off now; this Junior Mentor still needs to see the lantern festival!"
[Master, how did Old Man Ling come out so quickly?]
"Thank you, Junior Mentor, for saving the three children of my Ling family. If not for your appearance, the guards of my residence wouldn't have discovered the children were missing so quickly. Ling, on behalf of the whole family, thanks the Junior Mentor for the lifesaving grace!"
