Chapter 153: Disappearance at the Racecourse

After conferring among themselves, Madam Jiang used the meager silver remaining to Shi Shaohua to buy a dress that was barely presentable.

Yet, once everything was settled, a sudden timidity gripped her heart, unsure of how to return and face her own son and daughter.

Having rehearsed her excuses, Madam Jiang ultimately rented an inconspicuous carriage, had it take her to the gates of the Marquis's Estate, and knocked upon the main entrance.

When the servant inside opened the door, he was astonished to see that it was none other than the Marquis's Madam who had returned!

What kind of day was today? The eldest miss had just returned, and now the Marquis's Madam had also come back. It seemed the eldest miss's prayer ritual at the temple had truly been efficacious.

Thinking back to the scandalous affair during the grand wedding, in the blink of an eye, so much time had already passed.

It was not that Madam Jiang failed to notice the servants' furtive glances, but she quickly assumed the imposing air of her former position as the mistress of the estate, walked straight back to her own courtyard, and instructed the servants to boil water for her to wash and freshen up.

Who would have thought that the hot water failed to arrive for a long time.

Madam Jiang grew furious: "Could it be that during my absence, the people of the Marquis's Estate have become this slack? What kind of household management is this from Shen Sisi!"

The servant hurriedly explained: "Madam, usually the bathwater is only boiled at night, and not much hot water is heated during the day. Coincidentally, the eldest miss also requested hot water earlier today, so it is taking some time."

"Miaodan? That's right, why haven't she and Lin'er come to see me yet?"

A pang of sorrow pierced Madam Jiang's heart. After managing to return against all odds, her daughter-in-law, daughter, and son did not even show their faces. Could it be that they all blamed her and refused to see her?

"Replying to Madam, the young miss went to the temple to pray for blessings for you and only returned this morning. It seems she was tired and is resting. The Heir is out, and the Heir's wife happened to go shopping on West Street, so neither of them is currently at the estate."

Hearing this explanation from the servant, Madam Jiang's heart felt slightly better.

Yet it was only slightly better. She locked herself in her room, not daring to imagine how the servants of the Marquis's Estate viewed her.

As for the affairs of the Marquis's Estate, Jiang Lin was still completely unaware of them.

Standing amidst the crowd, he stared fixedly at Shen Qingyun over in the distance.

Today had been arranged by the Empress and led by the Third Prince, who had invited numerous young ladies and gentlemen of high birth to race horses at the racecourse alongside the princess and princes of the Northern Li Kingdom.

County Princess Zhenyang, whom they had not seen in a long time, had also arrived. Leading a bay horse and attired in a blue riding habit, she looked at Shen Qingyun with utter disdain: "Oh, Shen Qingyun, you've come too? Hmph, you don't even know how to ride a horse; you're just here to gawk and join in the commotion."

It was all because of Shen Qingyun that she had not only been grounded for a long time but had also been specially assigned a nanny-嬷嬷 to lecture and discipline her.

Today finally presented another opportunity, and she was determined to thoroughly ridicule Shen Qingyun.

Leading a sturdy brown horse, Shen Qingyun was dressed in a plain cyan riding suit today, with only a simple hair bun pinned to her head. Yet this minimalist styling made her delicate, ethereal facial features stand out even more, and her skin, white and tender as a peeled egg, looked so smooth that it provoked intense jealousy in Zhenyang.

Facing the provocation of County Princess Zhenyang, Shen Qingyun uttered no words. Instead, with a single, crisp, and graceful movement, she vaulted onto the horse. Her spirited and heroic bearing instantly drew the admiring gazes of many, acting as a direct slap to County Princess Zhenyang's face.

Standing nearby, Ji Qianxue gasped in pleasant surprise: "Qingyun, you know how to ride horses?"

Her eyes were filled with envy; due to her frail constitution, she never dared to ride horses and could only stand by the sidelines to watch.

Shen Qingyun smiled at her: "Before my coming-of-age ceremony, my tutor, Mr. Xu, specially arranged for me to learn."

She recalled how Mr. Xu had been unable to instruct her personally at the time and had specifically hired someone to teach her how to ride. She wondered how Mr. Xu had been faring lately.

Meanwhile, Wusun Ya rode over, her eyes carrying a provocative gleam as she looked at Shen Qingyun: "County Princess, Lady, how about we women have a horse race?"

Shen Qingyun's expression remained unchanged, and just as she was about to refuse, County Princess Zhenyang chimed in directly: "Alright! Coming to the racecourse is precisely for racing horses."

Wusun Ya gave a hearty laugh: "County Princess is truly worthy of being a noble lady."

With that, regardless of Shen Qingyun's opinion, she rode off to invite others.

Ji Qianxue frowned in slight worry: "Qingyun, you must be careful."

"Don't worry, I will pay attention," Shen Qingyun nodded at her, gently steering her horse onto the turf of the racecourse.

Within a short while, Wusun Ya had gathered six or seven aristocratic young ladies. Seeing that they were about to race a few rounds, the gentlemen on the sidelines also gathered around with keen interest to watch.

Simo Li had been discussing matters with the Emperor and thus arrived somewhat late, catching sight of the pale cyan figure on the field from afar.

Seeing him arrive, Wusun Ang came over with a smile to greet him: "Prince Li, you actually came as well? Why don't we have a match later too?"

Simo Li nodded, though he did not speak, keeping his full focus on the situation on the field.

The crowd over there had already prepared themselves. At a wave of the attendant's hand, the noble ladies galloped away on their fine steeds, presenting a truly unique and picturesque scenery.

The one leading at the very front was unmistakably Wusun Ya in her red riding attire, who left all the other noble ladies trailing behind by several yards in no time.

Wusun Ang laughed heartily: "My apologies. The women of our Northern Li Kingdom learn horsemanship and archery from childhood, rather than being confined to chambers to practice embroidery. It seems Ya'er is destined to win."

The Third Prince standing beside him wore a somewhat displeased expression. However, facts were facts—Wusun Ya's horse had consistently remained in the lead, leaving him with no room for rebuttal. He could only glance toward Simo Li beside him, only to find Simo Li frowning as he watched the field, paying no heed to whatever they were discussing.

This racecourse was vast and semi-open, featuring a dense forest on one side. The racing route required riders to loop around the forest and return, leaving a stretch where the riders completely disappeared from view.

After waiting for a short while, Wusun Ya's fiery red figure finally reappeared from the other side of the forest, galloping directly toward the finish line alone.

Wusun Ang wore a look of utter smugness, but after a moment, he sensed something was amiss.

No matter how slow the others might be, they should not have fallen behind by this margin and failed to show up for so long.

Simo Li said nothing. He immediately mounted his own horse and galloped away. Though startled, the Third Prince and the others hastily mounted their horses and gave chase behind Simo Li.

When they rounded the other side of the forest, they were met with a scene of utter chaos. A strange scent lingered in the air, prompting everyone to instinctively cover their noses—someone had scattered sleeping powder.

One horse lay collapsed not far away, while the other horses seemed to have bolted and vanished. Three noble ladies lay unconscious on the ground. Simo Li leaped off his horse to inspect the scene.

Shen Qingyun and County Princess Zhenyang had both vanished.

......

Elsewhere, after learning that Shen Qingyun had gone out today, Shi Shaohua considered it an exceptional opportunity and plotted to make contact with the Dowager.

Shen Zhifeng then produced the money he had secretly hidden, handing it to Shi Shaohua to bribe the guards at the back gate. This time, they acted craftily; instead of having a direct message sent to Yansong Hall, they had Shi Shaohua masquerade as a relative of a servant to summon that specific person over.

That person was an inconspicuous covert agent, who quietly passed the note to the Dowager in this clandestine manner.

Upon opening it, the Dowager was so shocked she nearly passed out on the spot. Her clouded eyes welled with tears as her hands trembled incessantly, holding the note: "My son is still alive."