Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 673: Chapter 330: Zhao Yao Gets Captured

After hearing Zheng Xilin’s words, Zhao Yao took Song Jicai and the others and left Jinling, only to encounter an accident on the way to Yangzhou.

At that time, the ship they were on was just about to sail out of the Jinling River and into the Yang River in Yangzhou’s territory. Unexpectedly, at this moment, two large ships not far from theirs suddenly collided with each other, and then the people on the ships began to fight each other fiercely.

Zhao Yao and the others were worried something would happen, so they purposely avoided the rivers near Runzhou Prefecture and chose to set out in broad daylight, yet something still occurred.

Afraid of being caught up in the trouble with the two ships, Zhao Yao and his companions’ ship was just about to leave when some people from those two ships ran onto theirs and started fighting fiercely on their ship.

Fortunately, there were Imperial Guards on the ship who protected Zhao Yao and his companions, preventing them from getting involved in the fighting. However, no one expected that the two ships would suddenly catch fire, and the fire spread quickly, soon reaching Zhao Yao’s ship.

Zhao Yao and the others didn’t have time to board a small boat to escape, so they had to jump into the river. Before jumping into the river, Zhao Yao was relieved in his heart that he could swim; otherwise, after barely escaping the fire, he would have drowned in the river.

After using all his strength, he finally swam to the shore. Just as he reached the shore and was about to sit down for a rest, someone knocked him out from behind, and he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself locked up somewhere. His hands and feet were tied, his eyes were blindfolded, and his mouth and nose were stuffed, rendering him unable to move.

Zhao Yao sniffed hard and smelled a musty and rotten odor. He guessed he was locked in a dilapidated house.

He originally thought he was the only one locked up, but unexpectedly, there were others, more than one. Judging from the breathing sounds not far away, it seemed like a dozen people were confined there.

Zhao Yao deliberately made sounds but could only make "mmm" noises. However, he quickly received responses from others. They too had their mouths gagged and couldn’t speak.

A dozen people locked together, judging from the breathing sounds, were all young, both men and women. Who had locked so many people in a rundown house, and what did they intend to do?

Many thoughts flashed through Zhao Yao’s mind, none of them good. Thinking about the rampant human trafficking in the Jiangnan region, Zhao Yao felt that they were likely to be sold, possibly to some shady places.

It’s not that he’s self-absorbed, although he doesn’t look as pretty as a parrot, he’s not bad looking. It’s not surprising if a trafficker took a liking to him.

Suddenly captured, Zhao Yao wasn’t the least bit nervous. He knew the Four Great Guards would quickly find him and rescue him. He wasn’t worried about his safety, but he was concerned about the four fatties. He didn’t know if they were safe or if they too had been captured by traffickers.

Listening to the birds outside the window, Zhao Yao knew it was nighttime, no wonder he was so hungry. The traffickers had drugged him with some sedative, causing him to be unconscious for most of the day.

Now he was extremely hungry and wanted to eat something. Before being captured, he hadn’t even had the chance to have lunch.

When would the Four Great Guards come to save him?

Zhao Yao originally thought the Four Great Guards would quickly find him. However, he waited until the next day, and there was still no sign of them.

What was going on?

The Four Great Guards actually hadn’t found him!

With their skills, it shouldn’t have been difficult to locate him within a day and a night.

The fact that they hadn’t found him; could it be that he was in some remote mountain or forest?

Or perhaps those who captured them were truly skilled, making it impossible for the Four Great Guards to trace him.

To elude the Four Great Guards, only the families in Jinling or the families in Suzhou Prefecture could have done it.

Why would these noble families capture him, to threaten his father perhaps?

That seems unlikely.

The Crown Prince and Prince Dai were unaware of his father’s affections for him. Outwardly, he appeared to be the unfavored Tenth Prince. Capturing him wouldn’t serve them any purpose. Moreover, taking a prince captive would be like holding a hot potato. But that doesn’t seem right either; as an insignificant prince, he wasn’t that important. In their eyes, killing him would be as simple as squashing an ant and wouldn’t create any waves.

In that case, those who captured him likely didn’t know his identity. They simply thought he looked good and could fetch a high price or curry favor with someone important, so they captured him.

The more Zhao Yao thought about it, the more likely he felt this was the case. The Four Great Guards probably didn’t even consider that he could have been captured by traffickers. They were likely busy investigating the families in Jinling City and Suzhou Prefecture.

It seemed he wouldn’t be rescued anytime soon.

Although he wouldn’t be rescued immediately, his life was not in immediate danger. So, he might as well wait patiently for the Four Great Guards to rescue him. However, he was very hungry and wondered when he could eat.

Faced with the prospect of being sold, Zhao Yao was still not panicked. He firmly believed that the Four Great Guards would rescue him.

Too hungry, Zhao Yao could only think of other things to distract himself.

Where would they be sold, and to whom?

If, as he suspected, they were sold to the dignitaries of Jinling City or Suzhou Prefecture, should he take this opportunity to gather information and clarify some things?

No, that’s too dangerous. It’s better not to. He should just wait honestly to be rescued. However, before being rescued, he still needed to save himself. If the Four Great Guards were delayed, wouldn’t his reputation be at risk?

With some terrifying thoughts in mind, Zhao Yao found himself filled with horror. No, he couldn’t just sit and wait for death. Before the Four Great Guards found him, he had to protect himself.

Upon reaching the next location, he’d have to thoroughly understand the situation.

Feeling both hungry and exhausted, Zhao Yao drifted off to sleep while thinking. When he woke up again, he realized he wasn’t in the previous broken house but in a different location, a secret chamber.

The ropes binding his body and covering his eyes had been undone, and the fabric blocking his mouth had been removed. The chamber contained a bed and a table, with a teapot and teacup on it.

Upon waking up, Zhao Yao felt groggy, much slower in response than usual. He then noticed there was someone else in the chamber, instantly putting him on alert as he cautiously observed the person.

This person sat in front of the table, staring at him coldly.

Zhao Yao noticed this person was strikingly handsome but with an exceedingly pale complexion, appearing to be in poor health.

Furthermore, their gaze was intensely cold, making Zhao Yao feel an instinctive sense of danger, much like being watched by a snake.

This person bore a resemblance to a parrot—not just in appearance but also in the impression they gave.

"Who are you? Where is this place?"

The person ignored Zhao Yao, withdrawing their gaze from him.

Having anticipated the person’s silence, Zhao Yao didn’t press further. He slowly stood up, walked to the table, and with trembling, weak hands, poured himself a cup of tea.

He was exceedingly hungry and thirsty, needing to drink something quickly or risk dying of thirst.

The teapot contained little water, so Zhao Yao didn’t dare finish it all. He drank two cups and then stopped.

After two cups of tea, Zhao Yao felt as if he’d returned from the brink of death. However, his stomach was still painfully empty. He lay down on the table to rest for a while, then stood up to survey the secret chamber he was in.

A typical secret chamber, it had only a small window. Outside light filtered in, yet the chamber remained dim.

The door to the chamber was concealed against the wall, and Zhao Yao guessed it would require triggering some mechanism from the outside to open.

The sound insulation of the chamber was excellent, as he couldn’t hear any noise from outside, making it unclear if this was a standalone chamber or if there were others adjacent.

Zhao Yao examined the chamber again but found no anomalies. He had also knocked on the walls earlier, without discovering any mechanisms to open the chamber.

Lying on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Where exactly was this place?

Why was he and another person confined here?

Was it because both of them were good-looking?

If that were the case, they indeed were "top-class goods." Consequently, they would probably be well-treated and fed until they recovered, at which point they’d be sold to some dignitary.

According to procedure, before being sold, they would be groomed thoroughly, perhaps offering an opportunity to escape then.

Zhao Yao assessed his physical state and noted that the effects of the sedative had worn off, and he hadn’t been drugged again. Clearly, their captors were confident they couldn’t escape.

Before trying to escape, he needed to eat properly; otherwise, he wouldn’t have the strength to flee.

Why was the food still not delivered?

If they didn’t send food soon, he, the "fine product," would starve to death.

Lying on the bed, Zhao Yao entertained wild thoughts, completely ignoring the other person in the chamber.

However, the exceptionally beautiful person kept staring at Zhao Yao, making it impossible to ignore them. Zhao Yao turned his head to look at the person and asked, "Do you need something?"