Several men with swords in their hands slowly surrounded the carriage.
Mo Qinghuan also got ready. She was just waiting for the critical moment to sprinkle out the sleeping drug.
Suddenly, Mo Qinghuan heard the sound of a man grunting and falling to the ground, followed by three more such sounds.
Just as she was wondering what was going on, someone suddenly rushed over and lifted the curtain of the carriage.
She subconsciously raised her hand. Only to hear the man shout, "Yiyi." Then he fainted.
"Miss, it seems he's not an assassin," the coachman ran over, turned the man over and took a look. "It's our future young master."
"General Ning Yuan!" Mo Qinghuan remembered what the Duchess had said in the palace about Zhao Yiyi's marriage last time. She just didn't expect it was him.
"He must have mistaken the person in the carriage for your young lady just now!" Mo Qinghuan thought so. Bai Ke also led his men over at this time.
However, she didn't see Mu Yanming. Even she herself didn't realize that she felt a bit disappointed for not seeing him.
"Bai Ke, you came just in time. Check the identities of these people on the scene. Also, please send General Ning Yuan back to his mansion," she stuffed a small pill into Bai Ke's hand. "Give this to him. He will wake up in about the time it takes to burn an incense stick after taking it."
When Ning Yao saw Ning Shouzhang shoot and kill those killers with a crossbow just now, he slipped away. When he returned to the General's Mansion in a hurry, Mo Yao was sitting in the main hall waiting for him.
"Judging from your appearance, you failed," she said with her hands hanging by her sides.
Ning Yao rushed over. "Yao Yao, it was an accident. We could have captured Mo Qinghuan smoothly today. But who would have thought that Zhao Yiyi's fiancé would show up halfway and shoot all the killers I hired with a crossbow."
"Zhao Yiyi... You're really my good sister. I've been like this for so long, and you haven't come to see me once. Now you've even ruined my good deed."
Ning Yao watched her ferocious face and added fuel to the fire. "Since she's your good sister, why don't you join hands with her? I heard that Mo Qinghuan went to the Duke's Mansion today to treat Zhao Yiyi's mother. Why not let Zhao Yiyi frame Mo Qinghuan with her mother's illness."
Mo Yao looked up at Ning Yao. Her eyes were full of disdain when she looked at him now.
There was no trace of the former tenderness at all.
"What do you know! Alright, you can go down first. Let me think things over alone," she said as she stood up and walked towards her own courtyard.
She didn't see the chill that flashed in Ning Yao's eyes behind her.
Ning Yao prodded his right cheek with his tongue and looked at Mo Yao with full - faced disdain.
After Mo Yao returned to her room, she thought for a while and felt that directly starting from the Duchess's illness would easily arouse people's suspicion, and might even lead others to trace back to herself.
Just as she was thinking, the door was pushed open. When she saw it was Mrs. Lan, she quickly called her in. "Mother, come in quickly."
"Yao Yao," she looked at Mo Yao's hands. "My poor child." Then she hugged Mo Yao and cried.
Remembering what the doctor had said, Mo Yao quickly comforted Mrs. Lan. "Mother, don't cry. The doctor said you can't get too emotional."
"Don't worry, mother is fine. Mother still has you. Mother can't fall down," she stood up and walked out, but was stopped by Mo Yao.
"Mother, can you tell me what exactly happened that day?"
Mrs. Lan forced a smile. "It's okay. You stay here first. Mother will go and find medicine for you now."
Then she walked out of the room, leaving Mo Yao with a confused face.
Mo Yao ordered her servants to prepare things and then went to the Duke's Mansion.
When Zhao Yiyi heard from the gatekeeper that Mo Yao had come, she was really a bit surprised.
"What does she want?"
"She said she heard that the young lady had almost been assassinated, so she came to see you."
Zhao Yiyi smiled. "Oh, really? I've been ill for so long, and she never came to see me. I'm afraid she's up to no good again."
She remembered that when she was recuperating, her mother had taught her that Mo Yao was not a worthy friend and that she should be careful when getting along with her in the future.
At first, she didn't believe it. But during the period of recuperation, Mo Yao really never came. Only then did she understand that she had been deceived by Mo Yao before. She was a cold - hearted person.
But she still asked the gatekeeper to invite Mo Yao in. After all, some things could only be clearly said face to face.
When Mo Yao came in and saw that Zhao Yiyi was safe and sound, she immediately pretended to be worried.
"Yiyi, I'm so glad you're okay. I heard that something happened to the Duke's Mansion's carriage. I immediately thought of you. I was so worried."
Since her arms couldn't move, she couldn't go over and hold Zhao Yiyi's hands. So she just tried her best to look extremely worried.
But all this looked ridiculous in Zhao Yiyi's eyes.
"You immediately thought of me! Oh, your feelings for me are really extraordinary, aren't they?"
Mo Yao didn't catch the meaning in Zhao Yiyi's words and put on a smiling face. "Of course. You're my best sister. The reason I haven't come to see you for so long is really..."
She lowered her head. Zhao Yiyi couldn't help asking, "Really what?"
Mo Yao smiled bitterly. "Look at my useless arms. How could I have the face to go out and meet people! So, although I knew you were recuperating before, I didn't come to see you. It was really because I hadn't adjusted myself at that time."
As she said this, tears streamed down her face.
Zhao Yiyi grabbed her arms and saw that they were already extremely stiff.
Mo Yao had suffered such a disaster, but she not only didn't know about it, but even blamed her for not coming to see her.
What about herself? When had she ever cared about Mo Yao? What right did she have to doubt Mo Yao's affection for her!
Thinking of this, she pulled Mo Yao to sit down.
"What happened?"
Seeing that Zhao Yiyi's tone had softened, Mo Yao immediately started to play the victim. "You know, my eldest sister is powerful now. She not only knows how to treat diseases, but also knows how to poison people. My arms are her masterpiece!"
Zhao Yiyi's heart skipped a beat. Mo Qinghuan knows how to poison...
But she still had a bit of sense. Her eyes looking at Mo Yao were full of inquiry. "Why did your sister poison you?"
Mo Yao sighed. "I was over - confident and offended her a few words. So, I ended up like this."
Zhao Yiyi felt that Mo Yao was acting strange, but she didn't ask further. After all, it was a matter between sisters. No matter how bad it was, she was the outsider.
Seeing that Zhao Yiyi didn't say anything, Mo Yao pondered for a while. Not knowing what else to say, she got up and was about to leave.
"Yiyi, it's getting late. I'll leave first. I'll come to see you another day."
Zhao Yiyi nodded and told the maid to send Mo Yao out.
After Mo Yao went out, she looked back at the gilded plaque of the Duke's Mansion.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
Zhao Yiyi watched Mo Yao's action from the dark and helplessly shook her head. She let out a self - deprecating laugh. "This Mo Yao really thinks I'll still trust her without a reason like before."
"Miss, the people sent to investigate said that on the afternoon before the lady was poisoned, when she was drinking tea with several other ladies in the teahouse, she met Miss Mo and seemed to have exchanged a few words."
"Could it be related to her?"