"Sure," Second Master Qi nodded with a smile and agreed to everything. When Wei Dongling got up to take her leave, he couldn't help but redden his eyes.
Not wanting to see him sad, Wei Dongling raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "Uncle and I are both in the capital and not far apart. Uncle can come and visit me anytime if you miss me."
"Good!"
Wei Dongling waved goodbye. Second Master Qi stood outside the back door reluctantly and watched for a long time. It was not until the carriage disappeared from his sight that he lowered his head and entered the house. He waved his hand and told the servant to send those fine pieces of cloth to Qi Jinlan's courtyard.
The carriage galloped away all the way.
Wei Dongling half - lifted the curtain and chatted with Cui Huan, "Second Master Qi is a man with a strong sense of family. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed to know that General Qi is coming back home."
Cui Huan waved the whip and said with a smile, "Just by looking at his face, one can tell that Second Master Qi is a man of deep affection and loyalty. General Qi has been guarding the border for so many years. It's thanks to Second Master Qi that the General's Mansion has been well - run."
"Exactly!"
Just as they were talking, a hidden arrow suddenly flew from behind and shot straight at Cui Huan's forehead. Cui Huan turned her head to dodge, and the arrow flew past her cheek.
Both of them were alarmed. They turned their heads back at the same time and saw a carriage behind them. The coachman was dressed in black, and his hat was pulled so low that it completely covered his face.
"Sit tight," Cui Huan whispered sharply. She whipped the horses and galloped back. The two fine horses neighed in pain and galloped forward at full speed.
Who would have thought that in broad daylight on the bustling Zhuque Street, there would be someone daring enough to attack! Didn't they fear hurting innocent people?
The angrier Wei Dongling thought about it, the angrier she became. She took out the iron hairpin from her bun and held it tightly in her hand, keeping a close eye on the carriage behind them.
Cui Huan looked back and found that the carriage behind them didn't follow but turned into a small alley on one side. She couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"Ah—" someone let out a scream.
When Cui Huan turned her head, she saw a small figure of a child sitting on the ground right in front of the carriage, only a few inches away from the horse's hooves. Cui Huan broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly pulled the reins but found it was too late!
Wei Dongling leaped out suddenly, grabbed the child on the ground into her arms, and rolled several times in a row before narrowly avoiding the horse's hooves.
Cui Huan reined in the horse to stop it. A woman beside them cried and rushed forward, shouting, "My child! My child!"
The child in Wei Dongling's arms was so frightened that his face turned ashen. It was a while before he let out a loud cry.
Wei Dongling looked at the woman who was about to rush forward. Although she seemed trembling on the surface, her lower body was actually very stable. Her fingers were rough with calluses on her thumbs. It was obvious that she was good at kung fu. Looking further away, a group of constables were pushing through the crowd and coming this way.
Someone was deliberately trying to frame them, and it was a life - threatening scheme!
Without hesitation, Wei Dongling threw the child into the woman's arms, grabbed Cui Huan's sleeve, and the two quickly disappeared into the crowd.
The constables rushed over. Looking at the mother and child on the ground, they asked, "What happened?"
The woman who was holding the child had just seen Wei Dongling's figure, but in the blink of an eye, the two had disappeared.
More and more onlookers gathered around, pointing and whispering about the mother and child on the ground, "How could the mother be so careless?"
"Fortunately, someone stepped in to save the child just now. Otherwise, the child would have been in great danger!"
"Yes, yes!"
The woman on the ground turned pale and felt extremely uncomfortable.
After the constables learned about the general situation, they went up to question the mother and child carefully, and then turned around and left.
The mother and child thanked the crowd and left with the child in their arms.
Wei Dongling pulled Cui Huan and sat on the tiles of a nearby rooftop. Watching the woman's departing figure, she sneered, "It seems that the Crown Prince can't tolerate me for a single moment. He wishes he could get rid of me right away!"
Cui Huan clicked her tongue and sighed, "He even resorted to using a child as a bait. If you had been a step slower just now, the child would surely have died under the horse's hooves. When the constables came, we would definitely have been sent to jail. It's really scary to think about it. We haven't had a few peaceful days!"
"Exactly!"
Cui Huan asked again, "Shall we follow that mother and child to find out?"
Wei Dongling shook her head and said, "No. That woman came in disguise. I'm afraid we're no match for her, and there may be other helpers in the dark."
Cui Huan said, "It's not far from the Yunzhu Courtyard. How about you go there to collect the accounts first? I'll ask the waiter to come and take the carriage."
Wei Dongling looked at Cui Huan sideways and asked puzzledly, "Collect the accounts?"
Cui Huan took her hand and said with a smile, "Young Master was afraid that you'd be bored with nowhere to go, so he told me to take you to the Yunzhu Courtyard and the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. All the income is waiting for you to collect."
Wei Dongling said excitedly with a smile, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
The two walked hand in hand into the Yunzhu Courtyard.
When the waiter saw them coming, he quickly handed over the account book and went out to take the carriage.
Wei Dongling flipped through the account book with great interest, nodded, and said, "It seems that the business has been good recently."
Cui Huan poured her a cup of tea and asked, "The Crown Prince is so arrogant. Are we just going to keep taking these passive blows?"
Wei Dongling said with a soft smile, "He has power and influence. We can't afford to offend him."
Cui Huan sighed speechlessly and said, "So for now, we can only be more careful."
Wei Dongling just smiled noncommittally and lowered her head to count the silver.
When the two stepped into the main hall of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, the madam greeted them warmly and repeatedly praised the milk tea they had sent last time for being so delicious that all the girls in the building were crazy about it.
Wei Dongling nodded and said with a smile, "I'll ask Cui Huan to send some more when I'm free tomorrow."
The madam nodded repeatedly and presented the recent account books and silver. Wei Dongling lowered her eyes and flipped through them one by one.
Ruo Chen, dressed in a red dress, heard that Cui Huan had come. She swayed downstairs and leaned against the door frame, giving Cui Huan a disdainful look.
Cui Huan quickly stepped forward and bowed, whispering softly, "Senior Sister."
Ruo Chen glanced at her and sneered, "I heard that Miss He Yao went to Xingshan with you but was sent back by you? "
Cui Huan lowered her head and said, "Miss He allowed her maid Cai Qing to put poison in the medicine. It's already a light punishment for the Young Master to send her back."
A mocking look flashed in Ruo Chen's eyes. She whispered, "Cai Qing and Miss He grew up together. They're like sisters. I heard that Miss He cried and made a fuss for a long time after this happened. Do you think Master will spare you lightly?"
Cui Huan said unhappily, "Those with evil intentions deserve to die."
Ruo Chen sighed, "Junior Sister, you're still so naive. Be more careful yourself." Saying that, Ruo Chen swayed away.
Wei Dongling lowered her head and absent - mindedly flipped through the account book in her hand. Hearing Ruo Chen's words and thinking of the scene when Yu Zixi left in a hurry, she felt a little uneasy.
Could it be that He Yao's father forced Yu Zixi to marry He Yao under the pretext of sending him to the northwest?
With a powerful enemy in the northwest, it shouldn't be the case, right?
Yes! She had to trust Yu Zixi!
Wei Dongling closed the account book, counted the silver, carefully put it away, and then got up to take her leave with Cui Huan.