The guards who had been waiting at the crossroads promptly stepped aside, retreating to either side of the road with their heads bowed in salute to the carriage.
Soon, the carriage door was pushed open, and a tiny figure peered out from within.
She was a little girl of five or six.
Her skin was so fair it seemed to glow. Her small, chubby face was adorable, and her large, bright eyes made her look like a little fairy child descended from the heavens.
She wore exquisitely made clothes, and several gleaming pearls adorned her hair.
A stunningly beautiful woman then stepped down from the carriage.
After being helped down, she lifted the five- or six-year-old little fairy child from the carriage and walked slowly toward them.
The Gu family matriarch had already awakened. Trembling, she looked ahead, then immediately knelt toward Rongyao and Cui Huaiyin without a moment’s hesitation.
“This guilty woman, together with the entire Gu family, thanks Your Highness and the Princess for coming to our aid and saving our lives. The Gu family will never forget this great kindness, for as long as we live.”
Once the Gu family matriarch had knelt, the rest of the Gu family, though utterly shocked, quickly came to their senses and bowed down before Cui Huaiyin and Rongyao as well.
Cui Huaiyin stiffened slightly as she looked at the group before her.
They had actually guessed who they were.
They truly were no ordinary people.
Then again, how could those whom the old immortal in her daughter’s dream had wanted saved possibly be ordinary?
Cui Huaiyin glanced at her daughter, then, despite herself, stepped forward to help Old Madam Gu up. “Please rise.”
Old Madam Gu remained kneeling on the ground. Her voice shook as she said, “I beg Your Highness to inform His Majesty and grant us an audience, so that my son may clear his name.”
Old Madam Gu bowed her head repeatedly as she pleaded. The other members of the Gu family did the same, knocking their heads against the ground with all their strength.
Only one youth knelt upright, asking for nothing.
Rongyao’s gaze fell upon the young boy, and her small body stiffened.
He looked even more like Qi Shen.
Instinctively, Rongyao looked toward Gu Shen'an’s right hand and saw that it was stained red, as though a wound had split open.
Rongyao let go of her mother’s hand and ran over to Gu Shen'an. Taking hold of his grimy right hand, she examined it.
A long knife wound crossed his palm.
He must have received it not long ago; it was still bleeding.
It would surely leave a scar before long.
And that scar would probably look exactly like the one she remembered.
Rongyao looked up at Gu Shen'an blankly.
Gu Shen'an really was Qi Shen.
She had found him.
And she had saved him, too.
How wonderful...
Once she saved the Marquis of Zhenxi as well, Gu Shen'an would not become Qi Shen—would not become a eunuch.
Then she would have repaid her debt of gratitude.
The corners of Rongyao’s lips could not help but rise.
She tipped her head back to look at Gu Shen'an, but his face was covered in blood, obscuring most of his features and preventing her from seeing him clearly.
He seemed to be looking at her too.
“Yaoyao, big brother’s hand is injured. If you keep touching it, it may bleed even more.” Cui Huaiyin came over and quietly pulled her daughter’s hand away. She took out a handkerchief and wiped it clean as she spoke.
“Mm-hmm!” Rongyao nodded obediently, then tugged at her mother’s sleeve and whispered, “Mother, let’s find somewhere to settle them down. White-Bearded Grandpa said in my dream that I have to protect them—at least for one whole month. We can’t let them die.”
Cui Huaiyin immediately grew serious. Looking at the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled members of the Gu family, she thought: the old immortal had appeared in Yaoyao’s dream. These people could not be allowed to die. Perhaps Marquis Gu had been wrongfully accused as well.
This concerned Yaoyao’s life. She could not take the risk.
Even if the Emperor learned of this and came to despise her, she still had to act.
Cui Huaiyin turned to the guards the Emperor had specifically assigned to protect her and Yaoyao. In an unquestionable tone, she ordered, “Take them on horseback to the estate west of the capital and settle them there. There must be no mishap.”
The guards hesitated visibly, but one of them reminded her, “Your Highness, they are the family members of convicted criminals. His Majesty has already issued an edict sentencing them to exile in the bitterly cold north.”
Cui Huaiyin steadied herself with effort and spoke with feigned authority. “Did you not see what happened just now? Someone deliberately wanted them to die here. There is something wrong with the escorting officers as well. Since those officers have fled and no one remains to escort them, it would be better to settle them somewhere first. I will report this to His Majesty and let him decide. You will not be implicated.”
Hearing Cui Huaiyin’s assurance, the guards no longer hesitated. They mounted their horses, preparing to take the Gu family to the place Consort Cui had named.
They were all natives of the capital—how could they not know of Marquis Gu’s case? Everything that had just happened proved that there was something suspicious about it. Marquis Gu had once been a great hero who fought across the land, a man every soldier admired. If they could lend a hand without bearing any consequences, they were naturally willing to do so.
Thus, each of the guards carried one person on horseback.
As for Old Madam Gu, Madam Gu, and Gu Xi’an—the only daughter of the Marquis of Zhenxi—
Cui Huaiyin spoke up and had them board the carriage.
The carriage was spacious enough to accommodate three more people.
The journey passed in relative peace.
Even after boarding the carriage, the three generations of Gu women remained extremely restrained. Old Madam Gu seemed as though she wanted to beg for something more, but after glancing at Cui Huaiyin and Rongyao, she ultimately held back.
How could she not know that it would be asking too much?
They had already saved her entire family’s lives. How could she force them to do something that might offend the Emperor?
So Old Madam Gu decided not to speak again.
Madam Gu made several attempts to say something, only for Old Madam Gu to silence her with a look each time.
Rongyao took several pieces of candied fruit from a small box and held them out to Old Madam Gu, Madam Gu, and Gu Xi’an.
“Candied fruit. Try some—it’s sweet.”
Old Madam Gu’s eyes reddened, and she hurriedly declined. “Princess, this sinner does not deserve it.”
Rongyao firmly distributed the candied fruit into all three of their hands, leaving them no room to refuse.
“Eat something sweet. Then your wounds won’t hurt as much.”
All of them had been injured to varying degrees. Some of the blood on them belonged to the bandits; some was their own.
They had once lived pampered, privileged lives. How could they possibly be used to such suffering?
Besides, they had gone an entire day without food.
With tears streaming down her face, Old Madam Gu thanked her gratefully.
Gu Xi’an had already stuffed the candied fruit she had received into her mouth. She tried hard to smile at Rongyao, but as she smiled, she began to cry.
Madam Gu’s face was likewise wet with tears. Covering her mouth, she wept soundlessly.
Unable to bear it, Cui Huaiyin said softly, “The Marquis of Zhenxi is a hero of Great Zhou. Those... accusations may not be true.”
Madam Gu broke down and cried even harder.
Old Madam Gu looked at Cui Huaiyin gratefully. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Cui Huaiyin forced a smile. The only reason she had said that was because of her daughter. Since they were the people the old immortal in her daughter’s dream had told them to save, they could not possibly be criminals.
She trusted her daughter.
The journey was long.
It took the carriage two hours to reach the estate on the outskirts of the capital.
The estate was part of Cui Huaiyin’s dowry. It was not large, but all its land was fertile, and it had several well-maintained houses.
Cui Huaiyin had begun restoring it some time ago, after she and her daughter had returned to her family home following the divorce.
She had originally thought that, from then on, she would live alone with her daughter. Whenever they had the time, they could come and stay here. With mountains and water nearby, living here would surely make one feel more at ease.
When they arrived at the estate, everyone in the Gu family was nervous and uneasy. They stood stiffly in place, too afraid to move.
The first thing Rongyao did after stepping down from the carriage was look for Gu Shen'an.
Gu Shen'an was not far away. He had kept his head lowered, as though lost in thought.
Rongyao walked over, took out some candied fruit from her pouch, and offered it to Gu’s brothers. Only after that did she walk up to Gu Shen'an and hand him the entire pouch.
“It’s all for you.”
Gu Shen'an lifted his head. His long lashes trembled as he reached out with his uninjured left hand to accept the pouch Rongyao offered him. “Thank you.”
The corners of Rongyao’s lips curved upward. Tilting her head back to look at him, she whispered softly, so quietly that only the two of them could hear:
“Don’t be afraid. This princess will protect you.”
