Xie Nanjia was in the sedan chair when he heard some noise outside. Just as he was about to lift the curtain to look outside, he suddenly heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Without time to think, he subconsciously got up from his seat, squatted down, and curled up his body.
Two long swords then stabbed in from the left and right sides. If she had not dodged in time, she would have been pierced on the spot.
The man outside stabbed the air with his sword, was stunned for a moment, and quickly drew his sword and stabbed again.
The sedan bearers came to their senses and shouted in panic, but they were frightened by the long swords in the other party's hands and dared not approach.
Xie Nanjia took advantage of the moment when the other party drew his sword to leap onto the seat, pressed his body against the angle of the back wall of the sedan, and quickly thought of a way to escape.
Suddenly, she heard screams of people and neighing of horses outside, followed by two thuds, as if someone fell off a horse. Then the horse neighed and galloped out, running away in a flash.
Xie Nanjia was shocked and confused. Before she could figure out what was going on, the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted and Wei Jun's face appeared before her.
When their eyes met, Wei Jun widened his eyes in surprise, as if he had not expected it to be Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia didn't expect it to be him. Since he was there, did it mean that Zhao Jingyu was also there
Just as he was about to ask, he heard Zhao Jingyu's voice asking, "Is everyone inside okay?"
"It's okay." Wei Jun came back to his senses and turned to look at him, "Second Master, yes, it's Miss Xiu'er..."
Zhao Jingyu was stunned for a moment, took a breath, strode forward, pushed Wei Jun away, and looked into the sedan chair.
I was quite worried at first, but when I saw Xie Nanjia wearing a guard's uniform and standing on the seat close to the corner of the sedan chair, I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You are smart. You know that place is the safest." He said with a smile, leaning forward and extending his hand to Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia got down from her seat in shock and grabbed his hand.
Zhao Jingyu exerted a little force and pulled her out of the sedan chair and brought her into his arms.
Under normal circumstances, Xie Nanjia would have definitely broken free immediately, but now that she had just escaped death, she clung to him with lingering fear, seeking a sense of security in his arms.
"Are you scared?" Zhao Jingyu was quite surprised to see her so obedient, and asked softly with his head down.
"A little bit." Xie Nanjia honestly revealed her vulnerability, "Luckily you came in time, otherwise we might have said goodbye forever."
"Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Jingyu tightened his arms and hugged her tightly. "You are a smart girl. You have to believe in yourself. Even without me, you can still survive."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Why are you so rational? Can't you just go and comfort others
"How did you happen to be passing by?" she asked.
"I just received news that you entered the palace, and I was just about to go back to see you." Zhao Jingyu said, "But why are you here?"
"I came to see you." Xie Nanjia said, and told him roughly what happened in the palace.
Zhao Jingyu was so smart that he immediately understood Queen Meng's intention: "She wants to kill you to save the face of the Eastern Palace and make Song Jingxing and the Duke's Mansion give up."
"Yes." Xie Nanjia said, "That's why I wanted to come to you for advice."
"Even if you want to find me, you should send someone to inform me. It's too dangerous to run out by yourself!" Zhao Jingyu scolded, and suddenly raised his eyebrows, "How do you know that the Zhao family's ancestral tomb is here?"
I am buried here myself, how could I not know? Xie Nanjia thought to herself, but said, "I heard from the people in the mansion, I only know the approximate location."
Zhao Jingyu just asked casually, nodded after listening, and said that it was dangerous here and it was not suitable to stay for long. He ordered Wei Jun and two other guards to stay and clean up the scene with the sedan bearers, and he rode a horse with Xie Nanjia back to the city.
Xie Nanjia wanted Wei Jun and the others to share a horse for her to ride, but Zhao Jingyu refused and insisted that Xie Nanjia and he ride on the same horse, saying confidently, "The guards are all men, and riding together will tire the horse out."
"..." How could Xie Nanjia not know what he was up to? Considering that he had saved her life, she obeyed him and got on the horse and sat in front of him.
Zhao Jingyu was finally satisfied. He took the reins, held her in his arms, and urged his horse to gallop towards the city.
"Why are you still wearing red?" Xie Nanjia looked at his bright red sleeves and turned around to ask, "Madam is your stepmother after all, so you should at least change into mourning clothes even if it's just for show, right?"
"She doesn't deserve it!" Zhao Jingyu looked ahead and said disdainfully, "In the Marquis' Mansion, except for the old lady and the Marquis, no one else is worthy of me wearing mourning clothes."
"..." Xie Nanjia was silent. No wonder he was also wearing red clothes when she died. It turned out that she was not worthy of it.
As we entered the city, we saw more and more people as we walked further in. Zhao Jingyu, dressed in red, was already eye-catching, and with the handsome young man dressed as a guard in her arms, she attracted everyone's attention even more.
In order to prevent Xie Nanjia from being exposed, Zhao Jingyu suggested that she turn her head and lie in his arms.
In broad daylight, Xie Nanjia refused to let her lie in a man's arms.
Zhao Jingyu said sternly, "There are countless people who know me on the street, and you are wearing the clothes of a palace guard. If you don't want the queen to hear about it and implicate Su Jincheng, just be obedient."
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to do as he asked. She turned around and buried her head in his arms. To keep steady, she had to put her arms around his waist.
Zhao Jingyu chuckled and pulled her cloak over her body.
Even so, the news that the second son of the Zhao family wore colorful clothes and rode through the streets with his male favorite on the occasion of his stepmother's funeral spread, further deepening his image as a dandy boy in people's minds.
When they arrived at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, Zhao Jingyu did not dismount, but rode directly to bring Xie Nanjia into the west wing.
When the masters and mistresses of the two mansions in the east and west heard about this, they went to Marquis Dingyuan and the old lady to complain, saying that Zhao Jingyu had no respect for his elders and no sense of the overall situation, and that he had ruined the reputation of the Zhao family. They insisted that Marquis Dingyuan use the family law to punish him severely.
How could Marquis Dingyuan dare to hit him? Faced with the urging of his two brothers, he could only say vaguely that the mansion was already in chaos enough and everything should be discussed after the funeral was over.
The old lady was reluctant to let them go, and was also worried about Xie Nanjia entering the palace. She sent her second son, third son and two daughters-in-law away with a few words, and then closed the door to ask Marquis Dingyuan for advice.
"It's been several hours, why hasn't she come back yet?" the old lady said anxiously, "I also sent people to check, the sedan bearers who carried her are still waiting at the West Gate, saying that they haven't seen her come out yet. I'm thinking about whether I should find a way to ask the palace, if something happens to this person in our hands, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Duke's Mansion later."
Dingyuan Hou had no idea that the Empress had summoned Xie Nanjia to the palace. When he heard his mother tell him about it, he couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?"
The old lady said, "You are so busy, I don't want to disturb you. Besides, I thought the queen would at most call someone over to have a look. How could she have thought that she would not be able to come out after entering?"
"If that's the case, it means it's not just a simple visit." Dingyuan Hou thought for a moment, his face became solemn, "Based on the Queen's behavior, I'm afraid she doesn't want anyone to get out alive."
"What did you say?" The old lady was horrified, and then she understood what Marquis Dingyuan meant. She said in a trembling voice, "That's the daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Can she kill her just like that?"
"Before it is officially announced, she is not considered the daughter of the Duke's Mansion." Dingyuan Hou sighed, "Besides, in all these years, except for the Crown Prince, not even a single prince has survived in the palace. What does the Duke's Mansion count for?"
The old lady was so scared that she quickly stopped him, "Don't talk nonsense, be careful that there are ears on the other side of the wall. The prince has nothing to do with us. The most urgent thing is that you go to the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible. Although we have to give the Queen to her, she came from our family after all. If something happens, we can't get away from it."
Dingyuan Hou comforted her, "Don't worry, mother. Didn't you already inform the Duke's Mansion in advance? They should be able to find a way."
Speaking of this, the old lady suddenly realized: "No wonder Xiu'er asked me to send someone to inform the Duke's Mansion quickly. She must have thought of this a long time ago. This girl really has a delicate heart."
"In this case, mother doesn't need to worry anymore." Dingyuan Hou said, "Since she can foresee this, she must have a plan to deal with it. I don't think anything will happen."
"Then you have to go to the Duke's Mansion too." Although the old lady was relieved a little, she still felt that Marquis Dingyuan should communicate with the Duke's Mansion.
Marquis Dingyuan did not dare to delay, changed his clothes, and hurried to the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion.
He was in mourning and could not enter the Duke's Mansion, so he waited in the carriage and asked the guard to notify the young Duke Su Xian.
When Su Xian received the news, he hurried out to meet him.
Marquis Dingyuan told Su Xian the purpose of his visit and asked if he had any news about Xiu'er.
Su Xian was stunned when he heard this: "Our sedan bearer just came back and said that the person was taken away by your second son. I was just about to send someone to check it out. Didn't the Marquis see anyone?"
Marquis Dingyuan was also stunned. He had only heard that Zhao Jingyu brought back a male lover. Could it be that Xiu'er was pretending to be him
"I'm confused. What is going on?" he asked in bewilderment.
Su Xian then told him the general news that Su Jincheng and the sedan bearer had brought back.
Marquis Dingyuan felt his back tingle when he heard this: "This girl is too bold. She finally escaped from the palace, she should go home first, why is she running around everywhere? Are those two assassins from Kunning Palace? Did they leave any alive?"
"No, your second son was too ruthless and both of them died." Su Xian said, "There was nothing on him to prove his identity. I don't know who he is."
"..." Marquis Dingyuan expressed regret for his son's recklessness, twirling his beard and said, "Then how should we deal with it next?"
When these words were spoken, both of them were stunned, and then they realized that a little girl had tied the Su and Zhao families together with a rope for some unknown reason.
Su Xian smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest with you, Lord Marquis, I really have no idea what to do now. Originally, we had agreed to take the child back as an adopted daughter, but now because of my wife's recklessness, things have become difficult to reverse. I really don't know what to do."
"Madam loves her child so much that she inevitably loses control," Dingyuan Hou apologized. "It's also my fault for not managing the household properly, causing the child to fall into danger. Madam rushed to rescue him, exposing the child's identity."
Su Xian waved his hands hurriedly: "My Lord, don't blame yourself. This matter has nothing to do with you."
Dingyuan Hou shook his head in shame: "Since the Duke has no good solution at the moment, why don't I go back and see the two children first to see what they think?"
"Thank you very much, My Lord." Su Xian bowed.
Marquis Dingyuan said goodbye to him and hurried back to the mansion and headed straight for the west wing.
Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia were sitting in the room, warming themselves by the fire, drinking tea and discussing countermeasures. When they heard that Marquis Dingyuan was coming, they hurriedly stood up to greet him.
When Marquis Dingyuan saw that Xie Nanjia was indeed here, he finally put his mind at ease. He couldn't help but blame the two of them, blaming them for acting secretly without telling him.
"Luckily, I came back safely. Otherwise, if anything happened to any of you, I wouldn't be able to explain to your father... and grandmother."
He almost let the cat out of the bag in a panic, but luckily he reacted quickly and recovered in time.
Xie Nanjia was indeed surprised when she heard "your father", but then she heard "grandmother". She guessed that Marquis Dingyuan meant that it would be difficult to explain to the young duke and the old lady, so she felt relieved.
"My Lord, please calm down. This is all my fault. It has nothing to do with the Second Young Master. If I hadn't taken the initiative to go out of the city to find the Second Young Master, there wouldn't be any danger later." She unconsciously defended Zhao Jingyu and took all the blame on herself.
Zhao Jingyu felt very happy and grinned.
Dingyuan Hou glared at him unhappily: "How dare you laugh!"
To be honest, compared to Xie Nanjia, he was more afraid that something would happen to Zhao Jingyu. If anything happened to Zhao Jingyu, he would have no choice but to die to atone for his sin.
Zhao Jingyu understood what he was thinking and said with a grin, "I'm back with good health, father, stop complaining and help Xiu'er think of a solution!"
Dingyuan Hou said: "The little duke is at a loss, what countermeasure can I have? Aren't you smart? Why don't you think of one?"
Zhao Jingyu spread his hands: "I have thought about it, but I'm afraid the Duke's Mansion will not agree."
"You haven't even said anything, how do you know that they don't agree?" Dingyuan Hou said, "Why don't you tell me first and we can discuss it."
"It's very simple, just let Xiu'er marry me." Zhao Jingyu said.
Dingyuan Hou: “…”
The Duke's Mansion doesn't even look down on the Crown Prince, so how could they look down on a bastard like him
I'm afraid this idea really doesn't work.
Besides, if Xiu'er doesn't restore her status, the emperor may not agree to let Zhao Jingyu marry a maid.
"Where is Xiu'er? You are also a smart kid. Do you have any ideas?" Since Zhao Jingyu's idea didn't work, Marquis Dingyuan simply didn't even bother to discuss it and turned directly to Xie Nanjia.
Xie Nanjia smiled slightly, confident: "Since the Duke's Mansion planned to take me back as an adopted daughter from the beginning, why not just follow this plan and pretend that nothing happened before."
In this way, the face of the Eastern Palace can be preserved, and she can be prevented from marrying Song Jingxing. The Queen Mother will also be cautious with her. Moreover, her status as an adopted daughter is very compatible with Zhao Jingyu's status as a bastard, so she can be married back to the Marquis' Mansion with equal status.
In this way, everything will return to the trajectory she had originally expected. She can be nice to her parents, younger brother, son, and aunt with justification, and she won't have to separate from Green Willow and Painted Tower. Isn't that wonderful
"This is a good idea, but it's too disrespectful to the Queen." Dingyuan Hou said, "I'm worried that the Queen will be angry and do something bad to the Duke's Mansion."
"She is already doing something that is detrimental to the Duke's Mansion." Xie Nanjia said, "This world belongs to the Song family, not the Meng family. Since I dare to make such a decision, I have a way to make her dare not touch the Duke's Mansion. Without further delay, please inform the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible and ask them to pick me up tomorrow!"
(End of this chapter)