Big Boss – Chapter 60

Within reach

The wound in her back was agonizingly painful every time she moved. As a modern person without any prior illnesses or disasters, she had been pampered and coddled all her life. This was the first time she had experienced such an injury, and she could barely speak, her voice as faint as a wisp of air.

The bitter taste of the medicinal soup still lingered in her mouth, and the sun was gradually shifting westward, suggesting it was the evening of the day the incident occurred.

The woman in front of her remained silent, only shaking her head, her actions quite odd but without any malice.

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, the owner of the residence came to investigate. As the footsteps drew closer, Ye You-qing did not have time to think further and quietly asked, “I cannot be seen by them. Do you know where the Slaughterhouse Butcher’s house is?”

Ci Ke pointed to the alley beyond three side streets, and she now realized that Ye Youqing had not recognized her, which actually made her feel a bit relieved.

Ye Youqing endured the pain and stood up. After hearing no sound from outside, she climbed back over the courtyard wall again. This time, Ci Ke did not lend her any assistance, but instead used the uneven surface of the wall to descend on her own.

Ye Youqing carefully avoided the patrolling guards as she made her way into the compound, startling the anxiously pacing Ma Da and Ma Xiao inside.

“Miss Ye!” Ma Xiao exclaimed in a hushed voice, quickly ushering Ye Youqing and Ci Ke inside and closing the door with a clang. She then called out to the courtyard, “Young escort head, Miss Ye has returned!”

The quick-paced footsteps of the Shi Li soon approached, and she visibly relaxed when she saw the two women. She tossed the sword in her hand aside, saying, “I had just gone out to gather information when I learned the officials were searching house-to-house.”

“I nearly climbed out the window and went down the back alley to look for you two.”

“Miss Ye, you’re awake?” Ma Da rubbed his hands together cheerfully.

“Evidently so.” Ye Youqing divided her attention, half focusing on the wound at her back, her mind somewhat clouded. With Ma Xiao’s assistance, she took a seat, then looked behind her. “This person…”

It was only then that the Shi Li noticed the silent Ci Ke behind Ye Youqing, as she had her face covered. At first, she was momentarily perplexed.

But upon seeing her plain clothes, she realized who she was. She was about to speak, but Ci Ke gave a slight shake of her head, and she swallowed back her words.

“This person, this person is…” The Shi Li’s tongue seemed to stumble. “It was she who took care of you today.”

On the side, Ma Da wanted to say something, but was pinched on the waist by Ma Xiao and aggrievedly closed his mouth.

Ye Youqing’s eyes fell on Ci Ke’s body, paused for a moment as if in thought, and then smiled lightly, “Thank you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her body suddenly shook, her right hand supporting her left shoulder, slightly bowing.

Several people took a step forward, and finally Ma Xiao stepped forward to support her, looked behind her, and saw that there was already a crimson liquid seeping out of her clothes. In a hurry, they brought her into the house.

“The young lady’s wound is bleeding again, we must stop it quickly!”

Ye Youqing was supported into the small house by her. Her upper garment was untied, revealing the wound on her back that had originally scabbed and was now dripping with blood. Ma Xiao quickly rummaged in a corner and found the hidden hemostatic medicine, using a piece of hemp cloth to apply it to the wound.

“Hiss…” Ye Youqing took a sharp breath, her hand suddenly grasping the square table, and she pushed the table forcefully, causing it to bang against the wall. Ma Xiao’s strength in applying the medicine was inconsistent, even if it was light the first time, the next time could still make Ye Youqing wince in pain.

Seeing that Ma Xiao was about to continue, Ye Youqing quickly dodged to the side, smiling bitterly, “It’s not necessary, I can do it myself.”

“How can that work? How can the young lady reach her own back?” Ma Xiao, with her black eyes wide open, reluctantly stepped forward, pressing Ye Youqing on the wound again, causing her to involuntarily cry out.

The room suddenly felt like a battleground, with continuous clattering noises.

Perhaps her cries of pain were too distressing, as the people outside couldn’t bear it any longer. The door suddenly pushed open, and the woman wearing a large cloth robe stepped in, gently taking the hemostatic medicine from Ma Xiao’s hand.

She silently pointed at Ye Youqing and shook her head lightly.

Only then did Ma Xiao place her hand behind her back and said, “Alright, miss, please come.”

She quickly left, leaving only the two of them in the room. Ye Youqing then weakly leaned against the table, as if she had regained a lifeline, breathing softly.

Her skin was touched by a wave of coolness, as a powder with a refreshing sensation was sprinkled little by little on the bleeding wound, aside from the pain of the wound itself, there was no other sensation.

There was even a kind of tingling comfort, alleviating the pain of the flesh.

She gratefully uttered a word of thanks, but received no response. If it weren’t for the soft breathing sound, Ye Youqing would almost have thought she was the only one in the room.

“May I inquire about how to address the young lady?” Ye Youqing tried to break the silence and asked.

Ci Ke remained silent. If Ye Youqing’s gaze could penetrate her thick bamboo hat, she would see her tightly biting her lips, with clear brows furrowed, an expression of struggle.

Ye Youqing felt somewhat embarrassed, awkwardly touched the tip of her nose, and continued, “Were you sent by Shi Li?”

Ci Ke did not respond, so Ye Youqing assumed she had tacitly agreed and allowed her to deftly and carefully handle the wound, wrapping it again with thick gauze and putting on underclothes.

Ye Youqing then turned back and looked at the woman wrapped from head to toe in front of her, sizing her up for a moment.

“Aren’t you able to speak?” she asked tentatively.

This time, Ci Ke nodded. She had her eyes tightly closed, as if she had made up her mind.

As long as she silently took care of her for a while, saw her getting better, then left, she thought.

She was at a loss on how to face Ye Youqing, but the current situation seemed to be a blessing in disguise.

Ye Youqing nodded slightly apologetically, put on her clothes, and stood up. As the sun was setting outside, she opened the door to be greeted by the orange-red sunlight spilling all over the ground.

Perhaps from staying here for a while, the stench of pig slaughtering in the air had faded, and the smell of various dishes from the neighbors filled the surroundings, along with a big pot of stew placed on the table by Ma Da.

“Miss Ye, none of us can make those delicate dishes, we only know how to make home-cooked meals, please don’t be disappointed.” Ma Da grinned and placed the bowls and chopsticks in front of Ye Youqing.

“No problem, it’s really good,” Ye Youqing reassured, took the bowl and sat down, and took a bite. Though not a delicious delicacy, the freshness unique to farm dishes was evident.

“Miss, please sit down.” Ye Youqing gestured towards the bench beside her, and Ci Ke sat down at her invitation but hesitated to pick up the chopsticks.

“This bamboo hat…” Ye Youqing spoke softly.

“She doesn’t like to show her face to others.” Shi Li answered instead and then handed a round steamed bun to Ci Ke.

When Ci Ke reached out to take it, the sleeve on one side accidentally slipped down, revealing a fair arm with two rows of deep bite marks on it. Although it was just a fleeting moment, Ye Youqing saw it clearly.

She lowered her head, her eyes showing a hint of emotion, and when she looked up again, she had switched to a different topic, not deliberately avoiding the veiled woman beside her.

“How is it on the Emperor’s side?” Ye Youqing asked in a low voice.

“The city gates are under strict guard, with every household searched with your portrait, it may be difficult to leave the city for a while,” Shi Li lowered her voice, “fortunately, some of the pursuers have already followed the salt smuggler to the south, and there are not many people left.”

According to the initial plan, they were supposed to leave the city together with the salt smuggler and head in the opposite direction. However, Ye Youqing’s injury disrupted the plan. They were afraid Ye Youqing might die on the road, so they had no choice but to hide back in the capital city first, finding it safer inside the city walls than outside filled with soldiers.

“Moreover, for some reason, your portrait is actually pasted on top of the salt smuggler’s, making a kidnapped noble lady look like a fugitive instead,” Shi Li rubbed her chin, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Ye Youqing shrugged her shoulders.

Regarding the matter of Fenghua Pendant, Ye Youqing did not tell anyone.

She knew that the Emperor was suspicious. Although they were just a squadron of cavalry, they were the cavalry of King Si Rong back then. King Si Rong had such a famous reputation in the border areas. If someone found the cavalry before the court and incited rebellion under the name of King Si Rong’s cavalry, with the Emperor far away up in the mountains, there would inevitably be chaos.

If not to avoid causing suspicion among the people, this good Emperor would probably directly brand her as a fugitive and chase her down from hundreds of miles away.

Ye Youqing touched the small pendant bulging in her chest and couldn’t help but sigh. This thing left to her by an unknown ancestor, she didn’t know whether it was a blessing or a curse.

It could make the Emperor go as far as to kill her to catch her.

The wound on her back was throbbing faintly, and Ye Youqing’s eyes gradually darkened. They wanted to determine her fate, but she stubbornly refused to follow their arrangements.

“Xiaoqing, how did you know that the salt smugglers’ accomplices would go to raid the prison when you had Ma Er and Ma San spread the news of the execution outside the city in the past few days? Shi Li couldn’t help but ask in confusion.

“It was just luck,” Ye Youqing replied casually as she put some vegetables into her mouth.

The incident of the raiding of the salt smuggler’s prison had caused quite a bit of trouble for the male and female leads, so she remembered it clearly. A few days earlier, she had instructed Qin Xin to keep an eye on the official notices. As soon as the news of the execution of the salt smugglers was released, she passed a note to Shi Li, asking her to have people spread false information outside the city, claiming that the authorities were afraid of unforeseen changes and were preparing to secretly conduct the execution at the Ministry of Punishments today at noon.

Upon hearing this news, the salt smugglers’ associates had advanced their plans to raid the execution ground.

Originally, Ye Youqing only needed a little disturbance to let Ma Xiao and the others capture her under the guise of using her reputation, thus avoiding implicating the Duke’s household. Who could have known that the jailbreak would happen at just the right moment, coincidentally intersecting with the wedding procession, making this accident even more realistic.

The only thing she hadn’t anticipated was that the Emperor had secretly given the order to take her life in case of any mishap.

“Miss Ye is truly wise; they really believed it,” Ma Da praised.

Ye Youqing pursed her lips, suddenly setting down her chopsticks and saying softly, “What about the others?”

Shi Li sighed, “Both the Duke’s and the Wei households are in chaos. It’s said that the Duke’s wife fainted in tears, and as for the Wei household, it seems Wei Yanei was trampled by a horse’s hoof and seriously injured. He should still be receiving treatment in the palace.”

Thinking of Zhao Qingrou, Ye Youqing felt a little sour in her heart. Although she had already reminded Zhao Qingrou, upon hearing news of her injury, Zhao Qingrou would inevitably shed tears.

She fell silent for a while and then asked, “What about the others?”

Who else in the capital would shed tears for her injury?

Subconsciously, Shi Li looked towards Ci Ke, unable to see the expression beneath the bamboo hat, only seeing that she seemed to have stiffened her body.

“What about her?” Ye Youqing asked more clearly.

Shi Li cleared her throat, “Um, I have never been close to the palace, so I don’t know what the situation is inside.”

Ye Youqing nodded, made a sound of agreement, poked at the vegetables in the bowl with her chopsticks, then suddenly chuckled lightly. She seemed to speak as if intentionally, yet also casually, as she looked at the woman next to her, whose hands had become pale.

“Perhaps she doesn’t care.” She muttered to herself.

LP: I’ve been busy with work, I apologize _(:3」∠)_