Landing together
The carriage continued to tremble, but inside the compartment was a deathly silence. Ye Youqing could feel Ci Ke’s soft body tensed up like a wooden sculpture, while she herself was not doing much better.
F*ck.
Ye Youqing, who always saw herself as refined, muttered under her breath.
Though the time was not long, Ye Youqing felt like it had been a century. A warm hand gently rested on her shoulder, and Ci Ke’s voice came from behind her: “You…”
Ye Youqing immediately blushed. She coughed lightly and tried to remain calm, saying, “It’s alright.” Then she quickly stood up, holding onto the carriage roof as if it were scalding hot.
Just now, the guard had already grabbed the reins, but the horse seemed startled. Even though it was struggling to breathe with the bit in its mouth, it continued to buck and kick. Its front hooves raised high several times, causing the carriage behind to sway and rock, the wheels swaying from side to side, as if they could shatter at any moment.
The carriage was moving fast, and ahead was a towering stack of leftover wheat straw from the previous year. Ye Youqing made a quick decision and reached out to Ci Ke.
“Come,” she said.
Ci Ke hesitated for a moment but ultimately followed her instructions, extending her palm into Ye Youqing’s. Ye Youqing pulled her out of the carriage door, and in the split second before crashing into the wheat straw stack, she loudly exclaimed, “Jump!”
At the same time, Ye Youqing heard the thunderous sound of the carriage collapsing, and in an instant, dust and debris filled the air, enveloping the two in accumulated dirt mixed with wheat straw fragments.
Ye Youqing instinctively hugged the woman in her arms, feeling the delicate arms of the woman hugging her back. Startled, the woman did not control her strength and almost pressed her whole body against Ye Youqing’s chest.
Everything about the woman was soft, heavy, and warm.
As expected, the two, just as Ye Youqing expected, landed on the prickly but not too hard stack of wheat straw, rolling a couple of times before coming to a stop in the dust.
The air was stifling, dust and rolling wheat straw covering their bodies. Ci Ke landed steadily on Ye Youqing’s body, her shoulder and waist gripped tightly by Ye Youqing’s equally soft yet strong hands.
The woman’s fair face was covered in some dust, no longer as beautiful, but her enchanting eyes remained unchanged, seeming to be flowing with something at that moment.
She suddenly sighed and pressed her face back against the woman’s chest, as if savoring the embrace.
“Ladies!” At this moment, several guards hurried over, watching the scene in astonishment, none daring to reach out to help.
Ye Youqing turned her head, spat out a blade of grass that had unknowingly gotten into her mouth, then propped herself up on the ground, slowly getting to her feet. The woman whom she had just held tightly in her arms suddenly let go and struggled to move away.
Retracting her momentarily empty arm, Ye Youqing looked up to see the carriage no longer resembling its original form. Only some scattered wheels and seats remained nearby, while the startled horses happily galloped away, their hooves clattering as they ran into the distance.
“Are you ladies alright?” A guard approached, his face filled with panic, asking.
“It’s nothing.” Ye Youqing wiped the dust off her face as she stood up, intending to help Ci Ke, only to find that she had already gotten to her feet, dusting herself off.
As they walked back to the main road, they both appeared quite disheveled, but fortunately, they had no injuries, just dirty and messy clothes, especially Ci Ke, whose light-colored dress was completely ruined.
Zhou Ziqiu was anxiously waiting by the roadside. Seeing Ci Ke unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, instructing a maid to drape a coat over her shoulders. He then turned to the guards and said coldly, “Who arranged for the carriage and horses? Look at how much these ladies have been frightened!”
Though a beauty, she displayed a dignified air when frowning, causing several guards to exchange anxious looks, unsure how to respond. They all knelt down simultaneously, about to speak, but were interrupted by another woman’s voice.
“The horse was startled, not due to human error. Noble Consort, there is no need to be so angry.”
Upon hearing the words, Zhou Ziqiu’s eyes showed a hint of disgust. She then turned slowly, only to find no one where the voice had come from. After a while, a delicate hand emerged from the imperial carriage.
Followed by a luxurious dress adorned with pearls, with golden silk threads forming bird shapes. The voice continued, “I see that these two ladies are unharmed. Let’s not trouble the guards any further, to avoid delaying the Emperor’s journey.”
As the voice trailed off, her face finally revealed itself, not matching Zhou Ziqiu’s beauty from a distance, but all her accessories were exquisitely crafted. Just by looking at the translucent jade on her forehead, one could tell it was quite valuable.
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A surge of familiarity and rejection washed over Ye Youqing, prompting her to take a step closer to observe carefully.
The woman’s face overlapped with the memory of a once arrogant and domineering girl, the one who had led the bullying against Ci Ke back in the day – wasn’t she surnamed Yan?
To think she had become a concubine in the palace, seeing her sitting in the Emperor’s imperial carriage, one could tell she was greatly favored.
Ye Youqing immediately looked at Ci Ke and indeed noticed a coldness in her eyes.
“Why would Yan Jieyu say such things? This was clearly their fault. The horse that frightened the two ladies today could easily ruin the Emperor’s carriage tomorrow. If no punishment is meted out, are we simply going to stand by and watch? Where then is the dignity of the royal family placed?” Zhou Ziqiu quirked her lips and smiled.
“Enough. Find out who is responsible for the horses and dismiss them,” the Emperor’s impatient voice sounded from the carriage. “Inspect the remaining horses and let’s depart as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the long-faced eunuch outside the carriage bowed, then hurriedly ran off.
Yan Jieyu scrutinized Zhou Ziqiu for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Ci Ke, her expression very displeasing. She covered her lips and chuckled, “Since the Emperor has spoken, I will naturally follow the Emperor’s words.”
After staring at Ci Ke for a while, she turned and boarded the carriage.
Ye Youqing watched Ci Ke’s back with some worry. Seeing the person who used to bully her in the past not being punished and still provoking others must be very uncomfortable.
However, Ci Ke did not look back at her.
“Miss Ye, thank you,” it was actually Zhou Ziqiu who said this to Ye Youqing, looking hesitant to speak further, and finally taking Ci Ke onto her carriage.
“Miss Ye!” Wei Yanei suddenly popped his head out and waved at Ye Youqing with a smile on his face.
Ye Youqing couldn’t be bothered to even look at him, so she turned and walked towards the end of the caravan. She pushed aside the curtains and boarded the maids’ carriage. When Shi Li saw her, she moved aside, leaving a space for her.
After a busy inspection outside, the caravan resumed its journey, fearing they wouldn’t reach Luoyang before nightfall. The speed increased significantly, with trees and grass flying past rapidly outside the window.
Since Ye Youqing boarded, the other maids exchanged frantic glances. During a break, they all crowded into another carriage, leaving only Ye Youqing and another maid in the carriage.
“Did you see her?” Ye Youqing asked quietly.
Shi Li remained silent, nodded, leaned her head against the window, and the curtains were occasionally lifted by the wind, exposing her light-colored eyes to the sunlight before being cast in shadow.
Ye Youqing truly couldn’t understand that kind of emotion.
“Do you want to, meet her?” Ye Youqing asked.
“Can ants shake a tree?” Shi Li responded, “Even a bird’s dropping can affect the vast universe. It’s better to just stay here and listen from afar.”
Ye Youqing looked at her, filled with words in her heart but unable to speak them.
Shi Li must still like Zhou Ziqiu, Ye Youqing thought, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been a beggar in the capital for seven years. Relying on her skills to survive in the Jianghu, she could have at least made a living.
“Ants in large numbers can indeed shake a tree, let alone ants won’t always be ants,” Ye Youqing said gently.
“Xiaoqing, I don’t know what you’re planning, but I can see that you’re not content with this.” Shi Li stood up straight, let out a long sigh, “I heard those maids say earlier that the Emperor brought you and that Wei Yanei along, it seems there might be intentions for an arranged marriage in the future.”
“May your wishes come true, don’t follow in my footsteps,” Shi Li patted Ye Youqing’s shoulder.
Ye Youqing nodded, snorted, “That man is not a good person. If I’m not mistaken, he was responsible for the carriage’s loss of control just now.”
If no one tampered with it, the royal carriage wouldn’t be so fragile. Wei Yanei probably thought that the two of them sharing the carriage could have a hero saving the beauty moment, but he didn’t expect Ci Ke to intervene.
Sly. Ye Youqing frowned in thought.
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The carriage raced all the way and finally arrived outside the city of Luoyang before the sun set. By the time they entered the mountains and saw the palace next to the Baima Temple, the surrounding forests were shrouded in darkness, leaving only rows of tree shadows.
Although the palace was not as grand as the imperial palace, it was still exquisitely decorated, with houses and courtyards lined up. Lanterns were lit everywhere in the night to welcome the Emperor’s arrival.
The bell in the ancient temple on the mountain rang, echoing through the mountains, the reverberations colliding between heaven and earth, startling the birds in the mountains.
The Emperor had already gone to the highest palace to rest amidst the crowd, while Ye Youqing and Shi Li followed the old palace servant to her assigned side palace, only hearing the howls of wild beasts along the way.
This place is too dangerous, Ye Youqing frowned in thought. Although surrounded by elite imperial forces and with the second largest city, Luoyang City, under the mountain forests, ensuring the safety of the palace, if someone were to leave this palace alone, one can imagine what they might encounter.
She remembered that dream again, feeling a headache for a moment.
Fortunately, everyone was exhausted that night, and the Emperor had not yet reviewed official documents, retiring early to sleep. The long night passed peacefully, and although Ye Youqing didn’t rest well, it was considered a good sleep.
The next day, the bird calls, several times louder than in Bianjing, woke Ye Youqing. She opened her eyes and turned over, seeing that it was just dawn outside, the hazy light only illuminating the shadows of flowers outside the window.
Meanwhile, Shi Li, who was already awake, was lying on the couch, looking out the window.
Ye Youqing yawned, got up, and started dressing and washing up. She struggled for a while while putting on clothes, lacking the motivation, which greatly reduced her efficiency.
There was a knock on the door, and Ye Youqing glanced at Shi Li.
Shi Li clicked her tongue, her lazy demeanor from earlier disappearing instantly. She straightened her slender back, slouched her embroidered shoes, and hurried to open the door in small steps.
Outside the door stood the elderly palace attendant from yesterday, who bowed and said, “Miss Ye, a morning banquet has been arranged in the garden. Please come for a meal. After eating, a carriage will take you up the mountain. Those accompanying His Majesty to the palace must go to the Baimu Temple every day to offer incense.”
“Is it necessary to go offer incense every day?” Ye Youqing asked.
“Yes, it’s a rule,” the elderly palace attendant replied.
“Understood, thank you,” Ye Youqing said, then exchanged a glance with Shi Li.
If someone wanted to harm someone, the deserted mountains and forests around, along the way, would be the best opportunity.
However, without mentioning anything else, the air in the palace was quite pleasant, filled with the scent of the earth in the mountains and forests. The hot early summer breeze, after being filtered through layers of green shade, carried a faint coolness.
Ye Youqing strolled through the orderly yet wild-interesting garden and reached the garden described by the palace attendant. Beside it was a small pond where a few red koi fish were swimming. A stone bridge spanned the pond, with the railing set unusually low for aesthetic purposes.
“Xiaoqing, is that Ci Ke?” Shi Li suddenly grabbed Ye Youqing, pointing to a cluster of trees by the pond, “The one opposite her, is that Yan Jieyu whom you said had bullied her?”
“Where?” Ye Youqing lifted her eyes abruptly.
Sure enough, there were two women standing by the water’s edge. One was dressed in luxurious silk garments, adorned with more jewelry than a noble consort. Her outer garment was embroidered with gold and silver, and her head was piled high with various hairpins, forming a small mountain that made her seem burdened.
The other woman was Ci Ke, speaking while surrounded by several maids, a scene that appeared quite dangerous.
“Come on,” Ye Youqing acted without thinking, feeling her heart leap to her throat in an instant, and she quickly walked past the bridge before her.
As she got closer, she could hear the two women speaking.
Yan Jieyu was holding her head high, looking down at Ci Ke, angrily saying, “The guards informed me that you were the only one passing through the garden last night. Hand over what you took, or you’ll face the consequences!”
“How did Yan Jieyu come to suspect me?” Ci Ke’s voice was soft, her rosy lips slightly curved.
“You really live up to your despicable lineage, just like Zhou Ziqiu, always resorting to theft. Zhou Ci Ke, have you forgotten how you used to kneel before me, polishing my shoes? Have you suddenly forgotten your place now?”
“I will never forget, Zhou Ci Ke,” Ci Ke chuckled, a glint of coldness flashing in her eyes briefly before she softened, “But Jieyu has no evidence and cannot unjustly tarnish someone’s innocence.”
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“Innocence?” Yan Jieyu seemed on the verge of a rage-induced fainting spell. She was about to say something when a calm voice from behind interrupted her remaining words.
“Ci Ke,” Ye Youqing spoke, then walked slowly to stand between the two.
With her slender figure and cold gaze, the maids involuntarily stepped back upon seeing her.
Ci Ke’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ye Youqing?” Yan Jieyu whispered, clutching the handkerchief in her hands.
“This humble servant have met Lady Yan Jieyu,” Ye Youqing smiled warmly.
Yan Jieyu seemed unwilling to have others overhear the conversation. She ignored Ye Youqing, gave Ci Ke a fierce glare, said her farewells, and departed with her maids.
Ye Youqing sighed and turned to Ci Ke, asking, “Why did she wrongly accuse you?”
“Now you choose to believe me so readily,” Ci Ke fluttered her eyelashes, then added in a seemingly random manner.
Ye Youqing met her gaze, momentarily speechless, only softly acknowledging with a gentle “hmm.”
“But it was indeed me who took the item,” Ci Ke lowered her eyes, then raised them again, gently tugging at the corner of Ye Youqing’s clothes, her voice softer, “You shouldn’t trust me.”
