Yi Qing thought resentfully that without Xiao Tian around, the other archery and horsemanship masters were really unreliable.
Her son was injured, and she was itching to scold the person in charge of guarding her son severely and would never forgive them.
"It won't be long," Jushuang said. "Don't worry, Madam. We'll be there soon."
"Okay."
However, after quite a while, although the carriage had been speeding forward without a break, they still hadn't reached Yunyang Academy.
Yi Qing began to sense something was amiss. She lifted the curtain on the side of the carriage and looked out.
This glance revealed something strange. They were already at the city gate?
Even more terrifying was that the people following the carriage noticed her action. One of them whispered, "She's noticed." Then someone climbed into the carriage from the shaft and pointed a long sword at Yi Qing's throat.
The blade of the long sword was cold, sending shivers down one's spine. Jushuang's face turned pale, and she stammered, "Who are you? Do you know that this is a first - rank imperial - bestowed noble lady, and she is..."
"They're here to kidnap me," Yi Qing interrupted her. She looked at the intruder with a cold gaze. "Am I right?"
Although it was dim inside the carriage, she could still clearly see the intruder's appearance.
He had sword - shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and deep, unfathomable eyes... If not compared to Xiao Tian, he could be praised as a handsome man.
There was a chilling aura about him that made people want to keep their distance.
Yi Qing had no doubt that he had taken lives, and probably more than one.
However, he didn't seem very muscular. He looked more like a scholar. His hand holding the sword was long and bony, and there was a purple jadeite thumb ring on his thumb.
Yi Qing squinted and stared at the thumb ring, then shifted her gaze to the intruder's neck.
I see.
The intruder stared at her intently, his eyes as sharp as a sword. After a while, he said sinisterly in a hoarse voice, "I think you're tired of living!"
Suddenly, Yi Qing reached out two fingers and pinched his sword. She said calmly, "On the contrary, I cherish my life very much. You want to capture me, and I can't escape. Put the sword away. After all, I'm a woman. I value my appearance and skin. It wouldn't be good if I got accidentally scratched."
A glint of playfulness and cruelty flashed in the intruder's eyes. "Do you know who I am?"
Although it was a question, he used an affirmative tone.
Yi Qing said indifferently, "Purple jadeite used to be worthless. But in recent years, because a certain important person likes it, its value has gradually increased, even exceeding that of green jadeite."
The intruder retracted his sword. "Go on."
"I was a bit troubled. Because I happened to like purple jadeite too, and I often asked people to buy it for me before. But later, I found that I didn't have enough money to buy good ones, so I had to give up. Gradually, I didn't like it anymore."
"You like purple jadeite too?"
"Yes. So I can tell at a glance that the thumb ring on your hand is made of the best material. Then skilled craftsmen carved it according to the color of the purple jadeite itself. It's ingenious and the craftsmanship is superb, so it's priceless."
Jushuang was completely confused, but she was still extremely nervous. She tightly grabbed Yi Qing's arm, warily looking at the intruder, ready to block in front of Yi Qing if the situation went wrong.
"So, you've guessed my identity!" The intruder's voice changed. It became shrill.
"Commander Deng," Yi Qing said with a half - smile. "I didn't expect our first meeting to be so exciting."
The intruder was none other than Deng Xiao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards whom Xiao Tian had searched high and low for and probably was still desperately looking for.
Yi Qing could recognize him indeed because of that purple jadeite thumb ring.
The important person she mentioned, who made purple jadeite popular, was precisely Deng Xiao.
Of course, the thumb ring alone was not enough to prove his identity. Yi Qing looked at his neck and didn't see an Adam's apple. Combined with his deliberately rough voice, the truth was obvious.
"You're quite smart. It's a pity," Deng Xiao said. "Be obedient and don't play any tricks. I don't have that much patience."
"Since you're the butcher's knife and I'm the fish on the chopping block," Yi Qing said. "A wise man submits to circumstances. I'm just curious. Why did you, Commander Deng, abandon a bright future and betray the emperor?"
"You actually know about this!" Deng Xiao's eyes instantly became deep and fierce.
Only after Deng Xiao said this did Yi Qing realize that she seemed to be suspected of betraying Xiao Tian.
She said indifferently, "Don't you know about my relationship with the emperor?"
"It can't be true," Deng Xiao said. "The emperor only loves Concubine Xue."
"But Concubine Xue is dead. Don't you know why Concubine Xue died?"
Deng Xiao didn't say a word.
Maybe he really didn't know, or maybe even if he knew, he couldn't admit it.
He had investigated many people and things for the emperor, but those were all authorized by the emperor. Matters involving the emperor were a forbidden area. Whether it was Concubine Xue or the relationship between the emperor and Yi Qing, they were not things he could pry into.
Seeing his reaction, Yi Qing heaved a sigh of relief.
Since Deng Xiao still respected the emperor, it meant that he still had scruples and didn't want to completely turn against the emperor. In this situation, her safety was somewhat guaranteed.
Yi Qing said with a smile, "You don't know! Let me tell you. Concubine Xue, she..."
"Shut up!" Deng Xiao rudely interrupted her. This time, his real voice returned - that unique, shrill voice of a eunuch.
Yi Qing felt even more at ease. She said, "To be honest, I'm a bit confused. Since you're still loyal to the emperor, why did you do such a thing?"
Deng Xiao said angrily, "It's none of your business!"
"Okay, it really has nothing to do with me. I won't ask. But was it you who almost kidnapped me in broad daylight last time? You can't say this has nothing to do with me."
"Yes," Deng Xiao admitted. "It was me. The purpose today is the same as last time. I'm here to find you."
So it was him. The mystery was solved.
Yi Qing tilted her head and said, "Now can you tell me why you kidnapped me?"
As she spoke, she heard the coachman talking to the city - gate guards and hesitated whether to shout.
Deng Xiao seemed to see what was on her mind and sneered, "You can try. Try the taste of mutual destruction."
Yi Qing: "… I won't try. It's better for both of us to stay alive, right, Commander Deng?"
Why did Deng Xiao go to so much trouble to kidnap her?
Deng Xiao probably knew that she was not an easy target. He said, "As long as you cooperate well, I can guarantee that I won't hurt you. I'll even be very grateful to you and will remember your kindness in the future!"
Yi Qing thought: Forget it. Being targeted by a ruthless and cruel official can't be a good thing, right?
"Tell me."
"I want you to treat someone for me," Deng Xiao said.
That's all? You should have said so earlier! Yi Qing finally felt much more relieved.