Gao Shaoming wiped away tears of joy at their long-awaited reunion and replied, "They sent your son back."
Gao Jiancheng frowned. "You didn't escape back on your own?"
The steward, Fan Zhuan, interjected from the side, "The young master was indeed sent back. Someone passed word to this old servant, and I went outside the city to receive him. After handing the young master over to this old servant, the other party left. Oh, and the channel used to relay the message was the one connected to Niu Youdao."
Then there could be no mistake. Gao Jiancheng nodded silently. Seemingly forgetting his son was even there, he stroked his beard and paced about, musing, "The people of Thatched Cottage Manor have only just gained a foothold in Southern Prefecture. We just sent people to watch them and were about to figure out what to do, yet they released Shao Ming at this time. What does this mean?"
In truth, Gao Shaoming had indeed been a hostage in Niu Youdao's hands at first. But by the end, given the cooperative relationship between Gao Jiancheng and Niu Youdao, it had ceased to have anything to do with hostages. Niu Youdao had merely provided Gao Shaoming with a place to hide. So long as Gao Jiancheng needed him, his son could return at any time—he simply could not return and show his face.
The reason they wanted to bring Gao Shaoming back now was that they feared that, after Niu Youdao's death, the people of Thatched Cottage Manor would once again have nowhere to go. They feared those people might exploit this point. It concerned the life and death of the entire family, so they had no choice but to prepare for it.
Who would have thought that those people would take the