The maid of Young Mistress Cheng turned pale and argued, "My mistress was just coaxing the little miss. There was no other intention. Besides... the little miss is young and slipped. It wasn't on purpose, and we didn't force anyone to save them..."
The maid was getting desperate. "You! What you mean is that the princess and Young Master Gu falling off the cliff is their own fault?"
Young Mistress Cheng scolded, "Ling Dang, stop talking nonsense. It's our fault. We're really sorry, so sorry!"
The maid was crying while looking down the cliff, completely at a loss.
Gu Liyue ignored the commotion here and immediately told her attendant to take the token and find the Feathered Forest Guards ahead. The imperial guards here were mainly responsible for the emperor's safety, and they were of little use in going down the cliff to search for people.
Young Mistress Cheng was in a panic. There were only women here and no one to take charge. She didn't even know what to do.
Gu Liyue said in a deep voice, "It's no use being anxious now. They've already fallen. But both my fourth brother and the princess know martial arts. They might be saved. We don't know the situation yet. Stop crying and go back."
Although Young Mistress Cheng was holding her daughter to comfort her, the life - saving benefactor's life was still uncertain. How could she dare to leave? She just cried her heart out. And seeing her mother crying, plus being scared and scratched just now, the daughter cried even more bitterly.
Gu Liyue impatiently scolded, "I've said stop crying. We don't know what's happened to them yet. Even for a mourning cry, it's not the time yet."
Young Mistress Cheng choked back her sobs and subconsciously covered her daughter's mouth.
Gu Liyue sighed helplessly seeing that she was really in a mess. This was the eldest young mistress of the Cheng family. Being so useless, she really didn't know how she would manage the Cheng family in the future.
"You're just in the way here. The little girl seems to be injured. It's important to get her treated. Hurry up and help your mistress back."
The maids nodded repeatedly upon hearing this and helped Young Mistress Cheng and the little miss leave.
Gu Liyue then said, "We're not sure about the princess's situation yet. One of you stay here, and the other go ahead and explain it to the emperor properly. Don't be so flustered and scare the emperor and the empress. Also, send someone to the Qingling Prince's Mansion and tell them properly. Don't let the concubine be shocked."
After she made these proper arrangements, the maids seemed to have taken a reassurance pill and carried out the tasks in an orderly manner.
Gu Liyue observed. The mountain path was wide all the way, but at this turning point, it was narrow, only allowing four people to walk side by side. There was a fence by the cliff, but it was a bit high and the gaps in the middle were too wide. The ground was still wet from yesterday's rain. It was estimated that the child was running on the mountain path, slipped due to her small size, and fell through the gap in the fence.
She would have to tell someone later that the fence here needed to be renovated properly. Warning signs should be put up in dangerous places.
Thinking like this, Gu Liyue felt a sharp pain in her back. It must have been when she caught the little girl from the Cheng family. Her back had rubbed against the ground. Although she was wearing thick winter clothes, the impact was really heavy. It was estimated that she had sprained somewhere.
She raised her hand. The left cuff of her sleeve was torn and the blood seeped out.
Gu Liyue stared blankly at the blood on her hand. In the past, she was afraid of pain and liked to cry. When she cut her hand while chopping firewood, she would come back with teary eyes and cry in Yunniang's arms for a long time. But now, although the wound still hurt badly, she couldn't cry.
Was it because she had grown up? It seemed not. It was just that she always felt wronged at that time. Only in Yunniang's arms could she find a bit of comfort. It was as if crying in Yunniang's arms would make the wound better and the pain go away.
Now she had many relatives who cared about her. They felt sorry for her and shared her pain, so she didn't feel that uncomfortable anymore.
The old lady stumbled over. Seeing the blood on Gu Liyue's hand, her eyes immediately turned red. She carefully held her hand and asked, "Liyue, how did you get injured? Does it still hurt?"
Gu Liyue looked up at the old lady, pursed her lips and pondered for a moment, then held her hand back. "Grandmother, I don't hurt, but my fourth brother..."
Tears welled up in her eyes. Looking panicked, she cried more and more bitterly. "Grandmother, my fourth brother fell off the cliff to save someone. Grandmother, what should we do?"
The maid of Lu Yunxi was extremely shocked. When the masters fell off the cliff just now, Miss Gu was clearly very calm and had handled the situation very well. Why was she like this now...
The old lady paused for a moment, then hugged Gu Liyue into her arms. "Liyue, don't be afraid. Grandmother is here. Grandmother will find a way..."
When Gu Liyue was hugged like this, her back hurt even more. Tears welled up even more. "It hurts, grandmother, it hurts..."
The old lady panicked. "It hurts? Hurry up, help the young lady up. How did this happen?"
Seeing this, the maid of Lu Yunxi immediately exaggerated and told the old lady what had just happened. When talking about them falling off the cliff, she didn't exaggerate for fear that the old lady couldn't bear it. But she repeated how Young Mistress Cheng and her maid thought that it was natural for others to save them.
The old lady was extremely angry. "They just left like that? My grandson fell off the cliff because of the Cheng family girl, and my granddaughter got injured because of the Cheng family girl. They don't care at all?"
Gu Liyue quickly comforted her. "No, grandmother. I... I was scared by their crying, so I sent them away..."
The old lady supported Gu Liyue and sighed. "First, send people down the mountain to look for them. Both Zhier and the princess know martial arts. Falling from such a height... they should know how to protect themselves."
Gu Liyue nodded. "I saw that there were too few imperial guards, so I asked them to find the Feathered Forest Guards. It is estimated that by now, the Feathered Forest Guards have already found a way down."
Just as she finished speaking, Gu Zhongxian came up with some people and anxiously asked, "Mother, Liyue, are you all right?"
Gu Liyue shook her head and told them exactly what had happened just now.
Gu Zhongxian breathed a sigh of relief. "The terrain here is not good, but the cliff is not very high, and there are many trees by the cliff. Neither Zhier nor the princess is stupid enough to just wait to get hurt. They will definitely find a way to save themselves."
Gu Liyue asked, "Isn't the cliff very high? I thought... I couldn't see the bottom..."
Gu Zhongxian explained, "The fog is too thick. You just can't see clearly. Liyue, don't worry. I've already sent people down from there. I think they'll be able to rescue them soon."
Gu Liyue nodded. Then she pointed at the fence and said, "Second uncle, people slipped down from here. I think since the mountain path is so dangerous and there's a fence, we shouldn't only consider adults. We also need to take care of children. Moreover, with such wide gaps, not only children but also thin adults might slip through."
Gu Zhongxian frowned and looked at the fence, then nodded seriously. "Liyue is very meticulous. Uncle remembers. I'll have this repaired when we get back and put up warning signs in front."