"Okay, I promise you!"
Without hesitation, Yun Xi immediately agreed to Yu Xueming's request.
The top priority was that she had to return to the capital as soon as possible to try to rescue her father. She simply couldn't afford to worry about anything else!
So, after exchanging clothes with Yu Xueming, Yun Xi covered her lips with a handkerchief and, coughing lightly, was helped out of the courtyard by the maid Juan'er.
Then, under the pretext of seeing a doctor for Yu Xueming, Juan'er led Yun Xi onto the Yu family's carriage and headed towards the city. At a secluded place, Yun Xi temporarily changed into men's clothing and rented another carriage. All the way, she headed in the direction of the capital!
Thanks to Yun Xi's plan and Yu Xueming's careful instructions to Juan'er, no one suspected anything until Yun Xi left Lingchuan.
When Qi Rong finished all his business and returned to Yun Xi's courtyard, it was already getting dark.
Looking at Yu Xueming with tears in her eyes and Honglu looking terrified, Qi Rong's face instantly darkened. He slapped the table hard, and in an instant, it shattered into pieces!
Facing Qi Rong's thunderous rage, the two guards immediately knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably and breaking out in cold sweat on their foreheads.
"Hurry up and chase after her!"
Qi Rong suddenly roared coldly. The two guards immediately felt as if they had been granted amnesty and quickly replied:
"Yes!"
As soon as the words were out, the two guards quickly turned around and disappeared into the night.
"Brother Rong..."
Looking at Qi Rong, whose eyes were sinister and his whole body was surrounded by a terrifying chill, Yu Xueming called out timidly, as if the person in front of her was a bit strange and terrifying.
Qi Rong's black eyes coldly swept across Yu Xueming without a trace of warmth. Pointing at the door, he only said one word:
"Go."
Meeting Qi Rong's gaze, Yu Xueming couldn't help but feel a tightness in her heart, and her breathing suddenly became a bit difficult.
"Brother Rong, I was coerced by her! It was Yun Xi who insisted on leaving you. I've tried to persuade her, but she only cares about the Prime Minister's Mansion and doesn't care about your painstaking efforts at all!"
With tears in her eyes, Yu Xueming tightly hugged Qi Rong's arm and tried her best to explain.
"After Yun Xi found out that your involvement led to her father's imprisonment, she said she would break up with you from then on! She said she would hate you for the rest of her life!"
Hearing this, Honglu looked at Yu Xueming in shock and was about to speak up for Yun Xi, but Yu Xueming's cold gaze fell on her, and she said in a deep voice:
"In order to get me to help her escape from you, she even promised me that she would never see you again in this lifetime. But seeing that I didn't agree, she threatened me with what happened yesterday! She threatened that if I didn't help her, she would make public the fact that I was wet and you saved me!"
At this point, tears instantly welled up in Yu Xueming's eyes and slowly fell the next moment.
"It doesn't matter if my reputation is damaged. I can just never get married. But I don't want to repay kindness with hatred and cause trouble for you, Brother Rong!"
Since it was Qi Rong who saved her that day and the two of them had to have physical contact, theoretically, Qi Rong should be responsible for her.
Yu Xueming's eyes were full of tears, looking very submissive, but Qi Rong's expression remained cold.
On the contrary, when he heard that Yun Xi was so eager to escape from him, Qi Rong was filled with anger and tension all over. He raised his hand and pulled Yu Xueming's hands away from him. His tone was extremely cold:
"Don't let me see you for the time being."
Yu Xueming was stunned, and her face instantly turned deathly pale!
She bit her lips tightly, trying hard to hold back the pain in her heart and prevent her tears from falling. Finally, like a soulless body, she walked step by step towards the door.
Honglu watched Yu Xueming's departing back and sighed in her heart. She lowered her head tightly and didn't dare to say a word.
It wasn't until Qi Rong left that she let out a long sigh of relief.
She hoped that after the young lady left this time, she would be safe and sound, and the Prime Minister's Mansion could survive this disaster and turn danger into safety!
On the other hand, Yun Xi traveled day and night without daring to delay for a moment. Since the horses needed to rest, she changed carriages several times on the way. Finally, a few days later, before dawn, she returned to the capital.
She got off the carriage and rushed straight to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Looking at the once solemn and imposing Prime Minister's Mansion, now with a desolate entrance hall and even the gatekeeper nowhere to be found, Yun Xi felt more and more heavy in her heart as she walked deeper into the mansion.
When she reached the courtyard where the old lady lived, Nanny Zhang was stunned for a moment when she saw her. The next moment, her eyes turned red, and she hurriedly greeted her.
"Eldest Miss, you're finally back!"
Nanny Zhang tightly grabbed Yun Xi's wrist with both hands, and her eyes were full of expectation.
"The Second Miss was confused for a moment and poisoned the Crown Prince. As a result, the Master was implicated. As soon as he returned to the capital, he was arrested by the imperial guards and thrown into the prison! It's already been half a month. People in the mansion have either left or scattered. Now, there are only two old maids and a few servant girls in the old lady's courtyard. Everyone else has run away!"
Yun Xi nodded and held Nanny Zhang's arm in return, saying:
"Nanny Zhang, I already know the general situation. How is my grandmother now?"
Although the old lady had treated her badly, after all, she was her grandmother. The Prime Minister's Mansion had suffered such a great disaster, and it must have been a huge blow to her!
Hearing Yun Xi's words, Nanny Zhang quickly wiped the tears on her face and pulled Yun Xi towards the inner room. As she walked, she said:
"The old lady couldn't bear the blow and fell ill. Now she's just waiting for you to come back early to take charge of the overall situation!"
Yun Xi frowned when she heard this. As soon as she stepped into the old lady's room, she smelled a stronger smell of medicine than before, which made her feel breathless for a moment.
Looking at the dim environment in the room, Yun Xi immediately ordered:
"Nanny Zhang, open the windows and the curtains!"
It was already late spring, and the weather was getting warmer. Keeping the room stuffy like this with stagnant air was of no benefit to the patient at all.
Hearing Yun Xi's words, Nanny Zhang suddenly looked embarrassed:
"Miss, the old lady doesn't allow the windows to be opened."
After such a big event happened to the Prime Minister's Mansion, the old lady couldn't bear the blow for a while and became listless.
Yun Xi was silent. She walked straight to the bed, suddenly pulled open the curtain, and then opened the window. Fresh air instantly poured in, diluting the smell of medicine in the room.
"Pull the curtain back!"
A roar suddenly came from the bed, but it sounded weak.
The old lady had just managed to fall asleep. The moment she saw the sunlight, she woke up again. Just as she was about to scold someone, when she saw the slender figure in the morning light, her lips trembled, and she sobbed:
"Why do you still remember to come back? I thought you had long forgotten the Prime Minister's Mansion completely!"
Just like always, she was outwardly tough but inwardly weak. Her words were filled with a bit of blame and sadness.
Looking at her grandmother's gray hair and a more haggard face than when she left the capital, Yun Xi felt a complex mix of emotions in her heart.
She moved her lips and only said one sentence:
"I'm back."
Yes, she was back.
No matter how long she had been away, the Prime Minister's Mansion would always be her home! She would always care about it and couldn't abandon it.