Shen Zhinan instinctively rubbed his arms, signaling to his mother with his eyes: Second Uncle doesn’t seem very welcoming of their visit.
Ji Wanwan received the signal and immediately sat back down. “Alright then, we won’t go. We’ll wait for you at home. Second Brother, do your best!”
As she spoke, she clenched a fist in encouragement.
Ji Mingjing twitched at the corner of his mouth upon hearing her strange choice of words.
What did she mean by “do your best”? Was she talking about kerosene? That phrase would be more fitting for his third brother, who was currently taking the imperial examination at the Gongyuan.
Ji Wanwan must be suffering from another bout of concussion.
However, he had no time to entertain her today. After informing Old Master Ji, he gathered his things and hurried to the examination hall.
Old Master Ji also tidied up and left for the Court of Judicial Review to attend to official duties. With her other two brothers also away from home and no one to restrain her, Ji Wanwan immediately sneaked out of the mansion with Shen Zhinan.
South Street.
Ji Mingjing sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting his mind. Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently, and the horse, as if startled, charged forward. The screams of children echoed through the street!
Ji Mingjing swiftly leaped out of the carriage. Before he could fully grasp the situation, he watched as the carriage he had just been sitting in, along with the horse, went flying!
The carriage crashed into several shops, but fortunately, the child in the middle of the road was saved by a woman dressed in red.
The woman’s expression was icy, her sharp eyes sweeping over the scene. Without hesitation, she drew the soft whip from her waist and lashed it fiercely toward Ji Mingjing.
Ji Mingjing dodged hastily and exclaimed, “What are you doing?”
The woman in red sneered, “Galloping through the streets and endangering lives—you deserve to be beaten!”
If she hadn’t appeared in time, the child might have lost his life!
The child’s mother tearfully thanked the woman in red before carrying her child away. The surrounding onlookers pointed accusingly at Ji Mingjing, murmuring about his reckless endangerment.
Ji Mingjing was furious. “Horses don’t understand human speech. How could I possibly control it? There must be some misunderstanding. But I’m in a hurry today and don’t have time to explain. Wangcai, let’s go.”
“You’re not allowed to leave! You can’t leave until this is cleared up!”
“Exactly! What misunderstanding? He’s clearly trying to slip away!”
“Stop him! Take him to the authorities! Under the emperor’s very feet, is there no law anymore?”
The crowd blocked his path. Seeing that time was running out, Ji Mingjing stepped onto the overturned carriage and leaped away. “Wangcai, stay here and compensate for the damages!”
Wangcai replied, “Yes, young master!”
The woman in red grew angrier with every word. This was clearly a spoiled noble trying to escape and shift the blame onto his servant. She shouted furiously, “Nonsense! Get down here!”
A soft whip descended from above, blocking Ji Mingjing’s path. Though the whip appeared flexible, its impact revealed the wielder’s formidable strength!
Ji Mingjing was astonished. Since when did the capital have such a skilled woman?
He dodged again, grabbing the whip and saying coldly, “Your skills are impressive, but you’re no match for me. I have urgent matters today and cannot spar with you. Feel free to visit the Ji residence another time.”
He Ying, having just returned to the capital, was unfamiliar with the various noble households. She simply thought this man was cunning and making excuses to escape!
He Ying attacked once more. “Still trying to run? What excuses are you looking for?” she shouted, charging forward again.
“You…!” Ji Mingjing defended himself, growing increasingly anxious.
If this woman continued to pester him, he would miss the examination!
Just then, the prepared duo in the corner was ready to make their move.
Shen Zhinan aimed his little slingshot at the woman in red, while Ji Wanwan had already changed into her new gear and put on her veil.
She instructed, “Aim carefully—don’t hit your Second Uncle, or else both of them might come after us later.”
Shen Zhinan nodded. “Mother, trust me!”
His slingshot was very accurate—even Father had praised his talent!
The little one pulled back the slingshot, aimed at the woman in red, and released it directly.
Although the pellet was made of mud, after traveling such a distance, it had gained considerable force. The woman in red was struck on the arm, cried out in pain, and looked toward the veiled woman in the corner.
Ji Wanwan deliberately said cheerfully, “Hitting a person is much harder than hitting a carriage!”
Upon hearing this, the woman in red was startled. Could it be that she had truly misunderstood the man before her? In her anger, she lunged to grab Ji Wanwan.
Ji Mingjing, being farther away, couldn’t quite make out whose voice it was. Seeing the woman in red turn to pursue someone else, he seized the moment to dash toward the examination hall.
There was no time to waste—let Wangcai handle things here.
This year, he absolutely had to take the exam!
Seeing her Second Brother run off, Ji Wanwan was about to rejoice when she noticed her Second Sister-in-law charging over with a whip in hand!
Oh my goodness!
The fierce daughter of a military family was here!
“Mother! Run!”
Ji Wanwan scooped up the little one, stepped onto her newly made roller skates, and glided far away in an instant!
Neither of them knew martial arts, so stopping Second Aunt for Second Uncle was difficult. Shen Zhinan remembered that his mother had taught him how to roller skate and mentioned it to her. Ji Wanwan, familiar with all kinds of extreme sports, immediately crafted a pair of ancient-style roller skates.
Though the combined weight of the two was not light, fortunately, Ji Wanwan was an enthusiast of dangerous sports and was exceptionally skilled at roller skating. Even with a little one in tow, her speed remained unaffected!
The woman in red was highly skilled in qinggong and chased after them, shouting, “Stop! Don’t run!”
Ji Wanwan thought to herself, only a fool wouldn’t run!
If her Second Sister-in-law caught them, they’d definitely get a severe beating!
With that in mind, she sped up even more!
The living map on her back frantically guided her: “Mother, left! Right! These alleys are short—her qinggong won’t work here! Go this way, right!”
Sharp turns on short routes tested the skater’s skill, as well as the qinggong user’s technique. Shen Zhinan recalled that his Second Aunt had grown up on the border since childhood. Not only was she unfamiliar with the capital’s alleys, but she might even get lost in no time!
Sure enough.
After twisting and turning through the alleys, Ji Wanwan successfully shook off He Ying, and the two escaped pursuit!
Shen Zhinan excitedly high-fived her. “Yes!”
“Nan Nan, how does Mother’s skill compare to eight years later? Has it declined?”
“Not at all—Mother is as amazing as ever!”
“Hahaha, the material of these shoes isn’t great. When we have money later, Mother will make a better pair and take you out to play!”
“Sure! But Mother, if Second Aunt sees roller skates in the future, won’t she know it was us?” Only Mother had something like this.
Ji Wanwan paused. “That’s true. Then let’s wait until your Second Aunt marries your Second Uncle before we play again.”
“Okay.”
The little one cheerfully took out Ji Wanwan’s shoes and handed them to her. “Mother, change back into your shoes quickly. Let’s hurry back home—Maternal Grandfather will be back soon.”
“Right away!”
Ji Wanwan quickly changed back into her own shoes, then wrapped the pair of roller skates in a bundle, layer after layer. The two of them carried it and hurried back to the Ji residence.
Not far away, the Shadow Guard who had been tailing and investigating them stared at the small wheel marks on the road, his brow furrowed tightly.
He had never seen such a strange thing before—he needed to report it to the Prime Minister immediately!
The Military Imperial Examination lasted three days in total. Candidates could return home after each day’s tests, unlike the civil imperial examination, which confined examinees in the examination hall for nine days and seven nights before releasing them.
After finishing his exam, Ji Mingjing rushed home. The more he thought about it, the more that voice sounded like Ji Wanwan. If it really was her, with that red-clad woman’s martial skills, she could have beaten her to death!
When he arrived home, Ji Wanwan was waiting at the entrance to greet him, flashing him a big, bright smile. “My dear Second Brother, how did your exam go?”
Beside her, the little one also peeked out with a cheeky grin.
Ji Mingjing’s worries instantly melted away. As long as Ji Wanwan was safe, all was well.
He replied calmly, “It went smoothly.”
Ji Wanwan also breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she hadn’t missed it this year.
Ji Mingjing had been watching her expression closely. Seeing her like this, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask, “What did you do today?”
Although the question was directed at Ji Wanwan, his eyes drifted toward Xiao Tao.
Xiao Tao, who had been assigned by Ji Mingjing, naturally told the truth. “The young lady sneaked out to play this morning and didn’t return until almost noon. She didn’t take me along…”
Ji Wanwan, thoroughly exposed: “…”
The weather’s getting cold—time to change personal maids.
Ji Mingjing paused. So she really had gone out in the morning.