Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 37

“Let this Princess see just how capable you are.”

Shen Tangning couldn’t stop thinking about the last thing the Princess said before leaving. What exactly did she mean?

She had no clue for now, so she decided to meet up with Chi Yan first. Since the Princess had invited her to talk, Chi Yan had to keep his distance to avoid suspicion. He was currently waiting behind a carved archway nearby.

As Shen Tangning walked beneath a flourishing wutong tree, a leaf fluttered down in front of her. She frowned. It was only June—why were the leaves already falling?

Just as she looked up, her pupils shrank in alarm. A burlap sack dropped from above, plunging her world into darkness.

“Mm—!”

Several thugs grinned triumphantly, exchanging glances. “Finally caught her alone!”

…

Meanwhile, Chi Yan was leaning against a wall, bored, watching ants carry crumbs.

He wasn’t known for his patience and looked up suspiciously. “What could the Princess possibly have to talk about for this long?”

It had already been ages. Why didn’t Shen Tangning return?

It is nearly noon now. Chi Yan could no longer sit still. He straightened up, determined to check on things. Manners be damned—he still needed to get back in time for lunch!

He followed the path to the pavilion where they were supposed to meet, only to find it empty. The tea on the table was still warm to the touch—someone had only just left.

Frowning, he approached a young monk sweeping the courtyard. “Excuse me, do you know where the Princess is?”

The boy looked up in surprise—very few knew her whereabouts. “At this hour, Her Highness is likely in her chamber having lunch.”

Chi Yan’s unease deepened. He asked again, “And what about the lady in the green dress who was talking to her earlier?”

“Oh, her? She left just a little while ago.”

Chi Yan froze. Something felt wrong.

Shen Tangning knew he was waiting; there’s no way she’d leave without saying a word.

His heart thudded faster. She must be in danger!

He quickly searched for the nearby area. Beneath the same wutong tree, he spotted a jade moon-shaped earring—one Shen Tangning had worn today.

She wasn’t the type to be careless. If she dropped this, something must’ve gone very wrong.

“Young Master Monk, how many paths lead down the mountain?”

“There are two,” the monk replied quickly. “One is the main road; the other is a secluded trail.”

Chi Yan’s eyes darkened. “Where’s the secluded one?”

If she’d really been taken, her captors wouldn’t use the main road—that’d be far too conspicuous.

“Thanks!”

With that, Chi Yan took off. If they had someone with them, they couldn’t move fast—he might still catch up.

Meanwhile, news reached Yan Mingyi.

Yin Fang whispered urgently, “Your Highness, it’s likely Miss Shen has been kidnapped—just a short while ago…”

She’d heard it from a young monk while picking up the communal meal. The boy had hesitated but finally told her everything.

Yan Mingyi’s gaze sharpened. “That girl certainly knows how to stir trouble, doesn’t she?”

She scoffed coldly. “To kidnap someone in my domain—do they think I don’t exist? Send people to find her. If something happens, I’ll be blamed no matter what…”

A flicker of frustration crossed her face.

—

Shen Tangning struggled to stay calm. She was being carried—not gently—over someone’s shoulder. The rough mountain path jostled her so badly she felt like vomiting.

She tried to recall who might have a grudge against her.

Recently, the only one she’d clashed with was the Marquis’s wife. But would that woman really go so far as to send someone to abduct her? That seemed unlikely—the risk was too great if things went wrong.

Chi Yan wouldn’t realize she was missing right away. She had to stay calm and look for a way to save herself.

She heard one of the men ask, “Big Bro, where are we taking this little lady anyway? What if her family reports it to the authorities?”

The leader sounded experienced. “People aren’t considered missing until 24 hours have passed. We’ll stash her somewhere for now, send her back tomorrow morning.”

Shen Tangning’s thoughts swirled. Well… at least they don’t seem to be after my life.

Still, for a woman, vanishing even a few hours was no small matter. Whoever planned this was vicious, to say the least.

Midway through the journey, a group of strangers blocked the path ahead.

Four men in black stood in their way, eyes cold and expressionless. The gang leader sensed danger immediately and tried to play nice. “Hey there, brothers. What can we do for you?”

One of the men in black spoke coolly, “Leave the girl. Then you can go.”

The thugs bristled.

“What the hell? Who do you think you are?” one shouted. “You don’t know the rules? First come, first served!”

The leader forced a smile. He wasn’t happy, but something about the other group felt dangerous. “Look, sir, we took this job. If you cut in like this, it puts us in a tough spot.”

Suddenly, the man in black moved—and just like that, the thug beside him collapsed, eyes wide, throat slit clean.

“He’s… dead!”

The rest of the thugs went pale. They’d never seen anything like this.

The leader didn’t hesitate. He signaled to drop the girl and swallowed hard. “She’s yours! We didn’t mean anything by it. Please, don’t hold it against us!”

But the assassin’s voice remained cold. “Too late.”

The thugs exchanged terrified glances—then bolted.

But these were trained killers and professionals. In seconds, the thugs were all dead.

One man in black wiped the blood from his blade, unfazed.

Shen Tangning finally struggled free of the sack, only to witness the carnage—her blood ran cold.

One thought flashed through her mind: Run.

She couldn’t fall into their hands. Taking advantage of their distraction, she scrambled up, lifted her skirts, and dashed into the forest.

But her escape didn’t go unnoticed.

“She’s running.”

“Go after her.”

Shen Tangning ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. Her throat burned like razors with every breath.

These men were clearly professional killers—possibly even assassins trained by powerful families. She had no idea when she’d managed to provoke someone like that.

But she knew one thing: If they caught her, she wouldn’t survive.

Yet she was just a noblewoman. She had neither strength nor stamina—how could she outrun men like them?

Suddenly, a blade flashed before her. If she hadn’t stopped in time, she would’ve run straight into it.

“Miss Shen,” the man said flatly, “Take one more step, and I won’t be able to hold this blade back.”