Yao Yao was still nestled in bed when she was woken up by the shrill voice of her maid.
"Oh, my dear young lady! Why are you still sleeping? Something big has happened!"
"What are you shouting about? Father isn't leading troops into battle. What big thing could possibly happen?" Yao Yao said indifferently, then turned over and continued to nestle in bed.
"It's the second young lady. Something has happened to her!" Xiao Zhu pulled her up.
"What's wrong with my second younger sister? Isn't she by the Empress Dowager's side?" Yao Yao woke up instantly and almost bumped into Xiao Zhu when she got up.
"Early this morning, rumors spread outside that the Empress Dowager secretly sneaked out of the palace with the second young lady for fun. But unexpectedly, they encountered villains, and the second young lady got injured while saving the Empress Dowager."
"Who spread this rumor?"
This rumor was no small matter. Who dared to spread rumors casually in the name of the Empress Dowager? Unless it was true.
"How would this slave know? This morning, when Madam and Master heard this news, they didn't even finish their breakfast and rushed straight into the palace."
"How muddle - headed! Rushing there like this will only confirm this rumor. If it's false, it will even displease the Empress Dowager." Although she knew the possibility of it being false was small, she was afraid that someone with ill - intent would take advantage of Yao Yunnian's hot temper and frame him.
"Madam and Master were just worried about the second young lady, so this slave came to wake you up quickly." Xiao Zhu was always a smart one.
"When did Father and the others leave?" Yao Yao got out of bed.
"Master and the others left not long ago. They all rode horses."
Yao Yao didn't waste any time. She immediately called several maids to serve her. After quickly getting dressed, she ran towards the stable.
Shi Muwǎn hadn't slept well all night. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the blood on Yao Kun's cyan dress. Finally, just as she was about to fall asleep, she vaguely heard someone calling her.
She bit her lower lip tightly, trying to get rid of this voice.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
Shi Muwǎn jolted up from the bed. Outside the window, snow was flying. The charcoal fire that had been burning in the room all night was about to go out, but she was covered in sweat, with strands of hair sticking to her forehead.
It was Zihuan calling her at the door, her tone a bit urgent.
"What's the matter, Zihuan?"
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, General Huaihua and his wife are here. They want to take Miss Yao back."
Shi Muwǎn's heart skipped a beat. She steadied her mind and then asked, "Where's Xiao Xiao?"
"Aunt Xiao is attending to the two of them in the outer hall. They both look strange. Aunt Xiao told this slave to wake you up no matter what." Zihuan said boldly.
It seemed that the Yao family knew something and had come to find her so quickly. But why did they come to her? She had sneaked out of the palace secretly, and no one knew about it.
Could it be what Huo Qizhou said? No, he wasn't such a person. He wouldn't want to wade into such muddy waters and dirty his white clothes.
Then was it Yan Mo? He didn't know her identity either!
Shi Muwǎn shook her head. Maybe it wasn't about this matter. Maybe she was overthinking. She'd better go and take a look first.
"Come in and help me get dressed. Then send someone to call Ze Ze. Hurry up."
"Yes, this slave will go right away."
Yao Yao rode her horse desperately in pursuit. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the street early in the morning. But there were always some naughty kids who liked to run across randomly. Seeing that the kid was already under the horse's hooves, no matter how hard Yao Yao pulled the reins, it seemed inevitable that the kid would be hurt.
What was wrong with the Yao family recently? Could it be that someone had cast a curse? Bad things kept happening one after another. Next time, she must take the whole family to the nearby spiritual temple to burn some incense and pray to drive away the bad luck.
Yao Yao aimed at the kid's position and leaped off the horse's back. She hugged the kid and rolled on the ground several times before stopping. The snot bubbles from the crying kid got all over her.
But she didn't have time to think. The frightened horse behind her still needed to be tamed. She placed the kid in a safe area. Just as Yao Yao was about to jump onto the horse's back with the help of a small step nearby, a man jumped onto the horse's back before her. In a short while, the horse calmed down.
People who had been dodging the horse stopped and began to praise continuously.
"General Shi is really amazing!"
"General Shi is so handsome!"
Yao Yao also saw the heroic figure on the horse. His black hair fluttered in the wind, bathed in the morning light. Under his black feather cloak, his big hands firmly controlled the reins, and his dark, deep eyes stared straight at her.
Yao Yao uncomfortably averted her gaze.
"Are you okay?" Shi An dismounted as soon as he had tamed the horse and walked up to her to inquire about her condition.
"Thank you, General Shi, for your help. This little girl is fine." Yao Yao felt a bit embarrassed. Although the result of their previous conversation was satisfactory, the ending hadn't been very nice.
During their last conversation, she had deliberately stepped hard on his foot. She still remembered the feeling of stepping on his instep.
"Good. As long as you're okay." Shi An nodded, then took out his purse and apologized to the nearby common people who had suffered losses. Yao Yao noticed that there was even a pair of chopsticks in his hand.
"General Shi, what are you doing? This was my fault. How can I let you pay them the silver?" Yao Yao quickly stopped him when she saw his actions.
"I saw that Miss Yao came out in a hurry and probably didn't bring any silver. You can pay me back later." Shi An smiled politely.
Only then did Yao Yao touch her waist. Sure enough, there was nothing there.
"Then thank you, General Shi. I will definitely send someone to deliver the silver to your mansion as soon as possible."
"Okay."
"General Shi, what about these chopsticks?" Yao Yao couldn't help but ask.
Shi An looked at his hand and then realized. He pointed to a small vendor not far away. "I just came back from the military camp this morning. I ate something to fill my stomach. The situation was so urgent just now that I forgot the chopsticks in my hand. I've made Miss Yao laugh."
"Hahaha, not at all." Shi An looked a bit simple - minded, which was different from his usual sharp self. Yao Yao couldn't help but look at him a few more times. She had to admit that the Shi family members were all good - looking!
Could it be that he had already forgotten that she had stepped on his foot?
"General Shi, are you also going into the palace?" Yao Yao asked.
"Of course. General Yao should be almost at the palace by now. Would Miss Yao like to go with me?"
Yao Yao felt a bit embarrassed. The Yao couple had rushed into the palace to seek an explanation, while the Empress Dowager's elder brother was here helping her deal with the mess.
"Then let's hurry into the palace."
Yao Yao shyly led the horse that he had tied beside the small stall for him. The two of them mounted their horses and headed towards the palace one after the other.
Shi An, who was slightly behind, looked at her back and felt a faint pain on his instep.
When she stepped on his foot last time, he had thought that as a little girl, she wouldn't have much strength and it would only hurt a bit at that moment. But unexpectedly, when he got back, he found that his instep was bruised. Shi An couldn't help but smile as he covered his foot.
It seemed that he had to be more polite to Miss Yao in the future, lest he suffer again.
Such a gentle - looking girl actually had quite a temper.