柳柳 gritted her teeth. She had forgotten about Riyeong. He was assigned to her by the Emperor and had now become her personal guard.
However, Liu Liu couldn't be sure if this fellow would report to the Emperor. She flickered and landed beside Riyeong, a short sword pressed against his jaw as she spoke in a chilling tone.
"I am going out to find the Crown Prince. If you dare to say a single word, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Riyeong was not panicked. He knew that Her Majesty the Empress was only fierce in appearance and not so cruel at heart. He could not rest easy if he let her leave the palace alone. Although Nangong Yu was dead, Prince Xiang, Feng Luo, was still out there. Most importantly, Lou Sijing had also gone out. If Her Majesty fell victim to their schemes, he would never forgive himself.
"This subject is willing to accompany Her Majesty out of the palace to find the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, Liu Liu breathed a sigh of relief. So, he wanted to accompany her out of the palace. She sheathed her short sword and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me resort to using my hands."
Riyeong looked up at the sky powerlessly. She hadn't given him a chance to speak, so how could he have said anything?
However, since she wanted to leave the palace, there was no time to delay. It was already the third watch, the perfect opportunity to leave. He immediately lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Your Majesty, please board the carriage. It is time for us to depart the palace."
"Alright." Liu Liu leaped onto the carriage. Hongxiu followed her into the imperial carriage. Riyeong and Zhao Jiu jumped onto the front seat, pulled the reins, and the carriage drove towards the palace gate.
The carriage was driven by Lord Riyeong and Commander Zhao. Who dared to stop them along the way? They left the palace unimpeded, and even passed through the city gate checkpoints with ease.
Liu Liu reclined on the soft couch inside the carriage to rest. The carriage sped out of the palace.
Wenchuan County.
In a modest inn, a beautiful child sat at a square table, attracting the attention of many diners. The child was so adorable, dressed in silk and satin, clearly made of fine fabric. His identity was likely not low.
But why was he sitting alone in this inn? The entire inn was filled with hushed whispers.
This beautiful and lovely child was Mu Xing, who had followed Ye Nu out of the palace to find his mother. The thought of Ye Nu telling him that His Majesty and Her Majesty were fighting in a certain place made him scared. He heard that many people had died, and he was terrified. Thus, he begged Ye Nu to take him out of the palace to find His Majesty and Her Majesty. He had initially wanted to bring Aunt Cui along, but Ye Nu did not agree.
"If Cui'er knew, would she still let you leave the palace?"
Ye Nu's words made sense. If Aunt Cui knew he wanted to leave the palace, she would definitely keep an eye on him and would never let him go. Therefore, he followed Ye Nu, and the two of them hid in the carriage of the old man who delivered vegetables to leave the palace.
As they traveled, he didn't know how far they had gone, nor had they reached the place where the fighting was. Moreover, after leaving the palace, Ye Nu seemed different from when she was in the palace and was very harsh with him. However, he still wanted her to take him to find His Majesty and Her Majesty, so he endured it forcefully.
Just now, three men arrived and sat in the innermost corner, talking about something. They kept looking in this direction from time to time. Mu Xing suddenly trembled. He remembered Lou Sijing in the cold palace.
Someone who looked so good in appearance had ultimately harmed the Empress. Could this Ye Nu also want to harm the Empress? Mu Xing thought of this and slowly jumped down from his seat, inching towards their table, wanting to hear what they were saying.
He heard a rough male voice exclaim, "Your master ordered you to kill that little brat, why haven't you acted yet?" Then, a weak female voice trembled, "You don't know, that little brat is very powerful. I don't dare to act, fearing bad luck if I do."
As soon as Mu Xing heard this voice, he knew it was Ye Nu's. So this woman wanted to harm him. What a hateful creature!
Little Mu Xing's beautiful little face turned grim, his eyes flashing with a cold light. How dare they have designs on him! He would let them know how wrong that thought was.
Mu Xing wanted to listen further, but the people nearby cried out in surprise, "Where is he?"
Then, several people stood up in a panic and looked around. Mu Xing, hidden behind the staircase, remained still, coldly watching them search inside and out. When Ye Nu saw his small figure, a hint of panic flashed across her face, and she spoke carefully.
"Mu Xing, why are you standing here?"
Mu Xing did not speak. A devilish, wicked smile curled his lips. He quickly ran to the center of the hall and shouted in feigned terror, "Help! Uncle and Auntie, help! This woman is our family's maid, and she wants to sell me. Everyone, please save me."
As soon as Mu Xing finished speaking, he caused a ripple in the small hall. All the diners stopped eating, stood up, and looked together at Ye Nu and the three fierce-looking men behind her.
Seeing this, Ye Nu quickly put on a smiling face and greeted the people, "How could that be? Our young master is too naughty. He always likes to do this."
Upon hearing this, the people said "oh" and sat down. Since all young ladies and young masters would act this way, they paid no further attention and continued eating their meals.
When Mu Xing saw that people were not paying attention to him, and Ye Nu was leading the three men towards him, he quickly dodged. He shouted as he dodged.
"She really wants to sell me. Why are you people heartless? If I were your son, would you also be like this?"
Mu Xing's words stirred the emotions of the people in the inn again. Yes, if this child were their son, would they stand by and watch him being sold?
He was so cute, and he didn't look like someone who would lie. On the contrary, that maid and the three men behind her, which servant dared to treat their master like this? Immediately, anger surfaced on everyone's faces.
"How dare you sell a child."
"We didn't! It's the young master making trouble."
Ye Nu was extremely angry, but she still wore a cautious smile. She carefully weaved through the crowd and walked towards Mu Xing.
Mu Xing unceremoniously picked up the dishes from the table and threw them at Ye Nu. Ye Nu quickly dodged, but the people behind her suffered the consequences. Someone immediately grabbed her tightly, glaring at her fiercely.
"How dare you bully a child? It seems you don't want to live." The person was actually a skilled martial artist and had some ability. He lifted Ye Nu and spoke menacingly.
Ye Nu was furious. She turned to the three men behind her and shouted in panic, "Call the people from outside. Beat anyone who dares to move rashly."
As soon as she spoke, someone rushed to the inn door and shouted. More than ten tall and strong men rushed in and lined up in the hall.
Ye Nu smirked triumphantly, flung the man who was holding her aside with a slap, and roared angrily, "Let me down, you blind fool. If you meddle further, I'll cripple you."
Although the man had some skill, he saw so many people enter, and they all seemed to have skills. He was just asking for trouble by showing off. He immediately let go of Ye Nu obediently, suffering a loss without daring to utter a sound.
Seeing that these people were intimidated, Ye Nu immediately spoke coldly, "Sit down quickly. Anyone else who dares to cause trouble, I'll cripple you!"
These people dared not say another word and sat down obediently, feeling pity for the beautiful and adorable child. They never expected to be killed by these more than a dozen burly men. Thinking of this made them heartbroken. They didn't even dare to lift their heads, nor could they breathe much.
"You, you, you surround him from that side. I don't believe we can't catch him."
Ye Nu pointed and instructed the burly men. They immediately surrounded them, preparing to catch Mu Xing. This matter had to be settled quickly and could not be delayed.
She feared that news had already reached the palace. That woman was no ordinary person, and she believed they could find out soon. They had to deal with this child immediately, otherwise, she would lose her life too. Consort De was not someone to be trifled with.