Eventually, seeing Song Jiaojiao in such a state, the old lady had no choice but to bring her along to the capital.
Thus, their already crowded carriage became even more cramped, with no room for anyone else.
As soon as Song Jiaojiao settled into the carriage, the First Madam began to mock her, her eyes and nose practically contorting with disdain. "The daughters of your Song family from Jiangzhou, I've truly seen them all! They're capable of anything. I'm terrified of you all! Now that we're nearing the capital, you'll be satisfied only after you've disgraced the entire Song family! I don't know what sins I committed in my past life!"
If the First Madam had said this to Song Xiuxiu, Song Chaoyu felt that Song Xiuxiu would never have endured it silently.
But clearly, Song Jiaojiao and Song Xiuxiu employed different methods.
She merely lowered her head timidly, adopting a pitiable demeanor. "I know I've displeased Grandmother and Aunt. You can punish me however you wish, Grandmother and Aunt; I have no complaints! I only hope to serve by your sides in the future and fulfill my filial duties!"
The First Madam opened her mouth, truly unsure how to address Song Jiaojiao, and muttered, "Filial duties? I fear you're not here to fulfill filial duties, but to anger me to death!"
Song Jiaojiao pretended not to hear. Even within the carriage, she became increasingly diligent in helping Tiaohong and Qiuqing attend to Song Chaoyu, whose health had not fully recovered.
Her kind treatment of Song Chaoyu did, to some extent, thaw the old lady's icy demeanor.
However, because she had lingered at the tea house for some time, the Song family's carriage did not reach Shantou Town, where they were to stop for the night, until evening, as night began to fall.
Shantou Town was on their route back to the capital. Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, it was not clearly visible.
"Bang—"
However, as their carriage traveled smoothly along the official road, it was suddenly as if struck by something. The carriage lurched violently, accompanied by the neighing of horses!
Although the carriage did not overturn, the horses were clearly startled and began to bolt towards the woods beside the road.
"Old Madam, hold on tight inside!"
The coachman outside suddenly shouted into the carriage. Qiuqing and Tiaohong, who had been sitting beside the coachman, also entered the carriage. The two of them used their bodies to block the carriage door tightly.
Song Chaoyu felt the carriage's jolting intensify. She quickly grabbed Qiuqing with one hand and Tiaohong with the other. "What's happening? What's going on outside?"
Qiuqing still appeared calm, but Tiaohong's eyes showed a flicker of fear. "I don't know where they came from, but two large stones suddenly appeared and hit our carriage wheels! The horses pulling our carriage were startled and are now running into the woods!"
The sounds of bushes and the carriage scraping against each other filled the air. The old lady reached out and held Song Chaoyu tightly in her arms. "Let's hold onto each other tightly; we must not fall out of the carriage!"
Song Chaoyu also saw that the First Madam's face had turned pale with fright.
In contrast, Song Jiaojiao, holding Song Chaoyu with one hand and Tiyue with the other, had a determined look in her eyes.
The daughters of the Song family from Jiangzhou might have had many other issues, but what Song Chaoyu admired most about them was their composure in the face of danger!
Except for Song Yanyan, they seemed unafraid of anything that happened.
If she had possessed their mindset back then, would she have ended up being poisoned to death?
—
Just as she was contemplating this, the coachman outside seemed to have gained control of their carriage.
The violent jolting of the carriage finally subsided slightly.
Tiaohong lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, then shouted at the coachman, "Stop! Stop quickly!"
Her panicked tone made Song Chaoyu realize that the situation was likely not ordinary.
"Whoa—"
The coachman also saw many figures in the woods ahead and, startled, yanked hard on the reins. "Who... who are those people up ahead?!"
Who were they?
Hearing the coachman's question, Song Chaoyu looked towards the old lady.
The old lady's eyes sharpened, and she said in a low voice, "Someone did this deliberately! They lured our carriage into the woods?"
Song Chaoyu was baffled.
The Great Yue Dynasty was currently at peace, so there were naturally no bandits lurking in these woods.
Moreover, their carriage bore the Song family's lanterns. Anyone passing by could tell they were Song family women.
The Song family was a high-ranking official family, holding a third-rank position in the court, and they were traveling on the official road.
Why would anyone want to trouble them?!
"Whoa—"
As the coachman shouted again, the carriage came to a halt.
Song Chaoyu clearly heard that outside the carriage was not a silent forest, but the sounds of people and horses.
Upon seeing the figures, the coachman was too frightened to move. "You... who are you? This is the carriage of the Song family from the capital's Ministry of Personnel. Do you dare to block us?"
"Heh heh!"
A man's cold laughter came from outside, and he said to the carriage, "Those inside, all of you, come down!"
Even with just that one sentence, Song Chaoyu recognized the man's voice... it didn't sound like a person from Great Yue. It had a strange accent, and it was incredibly uncomfortable to hear him speak Great Yue.
The old lady shifted her body, released Song Chaoyu, and prepared to get out.
But the First Madam grabbed her. "Mother, don't go out!" she whispered. "Who knows who those people outside are!?"
The old lady glanced at the First Madam. "Do you think they'll let us go if you just sit here? Even if I have to die, shouldn't I at least know why?"
However, she turned to look at Song Chaoyu. "Fourth girl, you stay in the carriage."
Her gaze deepened as she instructed Qiuqing and Tiaohong, "If anything happens outside, you two protect Fourth girl and Tiyue and escape! Make sure you get back to the capital, understand?!"
Song Chaoyu understood. This was the old lady creating an opportunity for her!
But her mind was already made up. "Grandmother, I'll go down with you! I will never leave you here alone! Whatever happens, we will face it together."
In her previous life, she had never returned to her ancestral home in Jiangzhou, so such an incident had never occurred.
Since she had no foresight of this "outcome," Song Chaoyu's heart was filled with trepidation.
What... should she do?
Seeing Song Chaoyu's determined gaze, the old lady understood her thoughts and sighed. "You girl, with such a stubborn temper, I wonder who you take after!"
As if remembering something, she whispered something in Song Chaoyu's ear before preparing to leave the carriage. "I'll go down first. Once you're ready, you can follow later!"
Before Song Chaoyu could object, she had already alighted from the carriage.
Tiaohong, who had heard her words, stepped forward and looked at Song Chaoyu with determination. "Miss, I'll do it!"