However, there were too many people on the street, and the noise drowned out Song Yi'an's cries for help.
Seeing the burly man and Huang Ying getting closer, the large hand was almost about to reach her collar.
Song Yi'an gathered her strength, saw the carriage ahead, steeled her heart, and regardless of anything else, charged straight out.
"Stop her!" Huang Ying let out a shrill, distorted scream from behind.
But it was too late; Song Yi'an had already rushed out.
The imperial guard in front clearly had not expected a little girl to come charging toward the carriage like a little firecracker.
"Audacious."
Song Yi'an did not care about being audacious; if she were not bold, she would be captured.
At a distance of five or six steps from the carriage, Song Yi'an was intercepted by the imperial guard Qing Chao.
Almost simultaneously, the two burly men who had been in hot pursuit slammed on their brakes, their expressions changing drastically.
No matter how arrogant they were, they dared not rush up to demand a person; this was clearly the imperial procession.
Huang Ying squeezed to the front of the crowd and, seeing this scene, turned pale with anger.
She absolutely could not let this money in her grasp fly away, and even more so, she could not let this wretched girl ruin everything.
The scene reached a stalemate.
Huang Ying's eyes darted around, and she walked out from the crowd with an anxious expression.
She hurriedly bowed and said, "I am sorry, I am sorry. This is my little daughter; she is too playful. I lost track of her for a moment, and she ran out and bumped into your carriage. I truly deserve to die."
As she spoke, she reached out with her uninjured hand to pull Song Yi'an's arm, her tone filled with feigned heartbreak: "You stinky girl, hurry home with your mother. Don't make a fool of yourself here and disturb the noble person."
Huang Ying's few words led others to think the two were mother and daughter, and that Song Yi'an was just a mischievous child.
For the sake of the child being ignorant, the imperial guard did not make things difficult for the mother and daughter, waving his hand to signal Huang Ying to take the child away.
Huang Ying took this opportunity to take Song Yi'an away.
Song Yi'an had worked so hard to get this far; how could she let her be dragged back?
She recoiled violently, dodging Huang Ying's hand as if avoiding a venomous snake, and shouted at the same time.
"She is lying! I am not her daughter. She is a human trafficker, and she wants to sell me!"
Once these words were spoken, the imperial guard Qing Chao blocked Huang Ying's further movements.
"Wait. This matter is quite suspicious. Whether it is true or not must be investigated clearly."
He turned toward the carriage and respectfully asked for instructions: "Master, this little girl claims to have been abducted, while the woman claims to be her mother. They have conflicting stories; how should this be handled?"
There was no sound from inside the curtain, and Song Yi'an almost suspected that the Master inside had fallen asleep.
Seeing this, Huang Ying knew things were going wrong and hurriedly stepped forward: "You child, just because I didn't buy you that sugar figurine at the street corner this morning, why are you holding such a grudge?"
Watching as Huang Ying began to twist the truth.
Song Yi'an could not care about so much; she raised her head and continued to speak.
"I am not lying. They are human traffickers. I am from Luo Town in the Southern Region, and my name is Song Yi'an. A few days ago, I was traveling to the Capital City with my mother and brother to visit relatives. When we stayed at an inn, they abducted me and have held me captive ever since..."
Song Yi'an stated in one breath where she came from, where her home was, and how she had been abducted by the human traffickers. Her speech was clear, her reasoning was logical, and her narrative was tight.
Except for omitting the fact that she was the granddaughter of the Prime Minister.
Hearing the name Song Yi'an, Huang Ying suddenly raised her head. This girl was actually not Wei Jingjing.
No wonder the Wei Family had no reaction; it turned out the problem lay with this girl.
At this moment, Huang Ying did not know the severity of the situation and was still immersed in the regret of having captured the wrong person.
The imperial guard Qing Chao swept a sharp gaze toward Huang Ying and said no more. His sword was already drawn, and the next moment, the blade was steadily pressed against Huang Ying's neck.
Huang Ying's face turned deathly pale, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
The two burly men saw that the situation was bad and tried to slip into the crowd, but others intentionally or unintentionally blocked their retreat.
The next instant, they were firmly pressed to the ground by the guards beside them, unable to move.
At this moment, the carriage curtain was lifted by a fair, slender hand, and a voice between a child's and a youth's came from behind the curtain, falling clearly into everyone's ears.
"Take the human traffickers and send them to the government officials for severe punishment."
After a pause, the owner of the voice looked through the gap in the curtain at the small figure in the crowd.
"Little girl, come up."
Song Yi'an froze for a moment. To be honest, she did not want to go up; sending her to the government officials along with them would be best.
Since the Master had already spoken, Song Yi'an remained motionless.
Qing Chao, who was on the side, saw this and assumed her legs were too short to climb into the carriage, so he leaned over, steadily supported Song Yi'an under her arms, and sent her into the carriage.
Song Yi'an was caught off guard and shoved inside. Before she could adapt or see the situation inside the carriage, the carriage started without warning. She lost her footing, lost her balance, and fell onto her bottom.
"Pfft."
Song Yi'an looked up at the sound. The youth was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, his posture elegant and noble. He was leaning lazily against the carriage wall, watching Song Yi'an with interest.
Song Yi'an's little face was dusty, but her eyes were startlingly bright. At this moment, she was staring unblinkingly at the "Fairy" before her who seemed to have stepped out of a painting.
Having lived two lives, this was the first time she had seen someone so unrealistically beautiful.
Fu Xihe was being stared at so unabashedly by a little child for the first time. In the past, he would have had Qing Chao gouge their eyes out, but now he found it interesting. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he asked, "Is it good to look at?"
Song Yi'an came back to her senses, wiped the non-existent drool from the corner of her mouth, scrambled up using her hands and feet, and stood properly: "Thank you, Fairy... Master, for saving my life."
After finishing, she even performed a proper bow.
Just as she lowered her head, a pitch-black, unidentified object suddenly fell from her arms, rolled twice on the carriage floor, and finally landed squarely against Fu Xihe's brocade boots.
Fu Xihe: "..."
The scene was somewhat awkward. Song Yi'an silently walked over, bent down to pick up the black shadow, and whispered an introduction: "This is Xiao Bai; it is a puppy."
Fu Xihe raised an eyebrow, his gaze scanning back and forth between that pitch-black ball and the name "Xiao Bai," his tone filled with obvious absurdity: "You call this pitch-black thing Xiao Bai?"
Song Yi'an blinked, her expression completely natural, even with a hint of righteousness: "Just because it looks black, can't it be called Xiao Bai?"
Fu Xihe: "..."
He gave up on discussing this issue with the little one and instead asked, his tone returning to a bit of indifference: "Where is your home? I will have Qing Chao send you back."
Song Yi'an hesitated.
Fu Xihe glanced at her, "What, you were quite fluent when reciting your background just now, but now you don't know where you are staying?"
It was not that she did not know, but she could not say. The identity of the Prime Minister's granddaughter could not be easily revealed before knowing the other party's background.
"Just send me to the entrance of the Capital City. My mother and brother will be waiting for me near the city gate."
Fu Xihe saw at a glance that the little girl was lying. He intended to ask more, but at that moment, a familiar, needle-like sharp pain exploded from his temple without warning, rapidly spreading to his entire head.
His face turned pale for an imperceptible moment, and he immediately closed his eyes, leaning back against the carriage wall to endure it silently. His head illness was truly painful, and he had no time to say more.
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