Zhao Nuan in the carriage squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding.
She held Zhou Ningyu close, securing him with cloth straps to ensure he wouldn’t slip away during their escape.
“Yan’er, what if Mother asks you to run alone?”
“Yan’er won’t.” The little girl looked at Zhao Nuan with wide eyes. “Without Mother, even if Yan’er survives, life would be hard. Yan’er wants to follow Mother forever.”
“Good!” Zhao Nuan kissed her. “Then trust Mother and make sure to follow her directions.”
Yan’er nodded vigorously, pressing close to Zhao Nuan as they waited for the approaching hoofbeats.
The deities Li Kui had prayed to ultimately failed to protect him. Three officers surrounded the carriage.
The officers’ horses neighed, and the carriage horses grew restless.
Li Kui put on a smile. “Honorable officers, we’re from the capital’s Weiyang Security Company, here in Yunzhou for an escort job.”
The lead officer ignored him, tapping the carriage window with his whip. “Zhao Nuan, you’re quite the runner, aren’t you?”
“We’ve been chasing day and night without rest, nearly running our horses to death to catch up with you.”
“Honorable officer…”
“Get lost!”
When Li Kui tried to intervene, an officer lashed him across the back with a whip.
Xiao Bai, young and hot-headed, wanted to argue but was pulled back by Lao Zhang.
Knowing she couldn’t hide any longer, Zhao Nuan patted her cheeks and lifted the carriage curtain. “Is this officer looking for me? But I’ve committed no crime.”
“Let me ask you—were you a servant of Wu’an Marquis Manor?”
“I was,” Zhao Nuan admitted readily. “But the Marquise returned my contract of servitude. I’m not anymore.”
“Heh, quite the tough talker.” The lead officer laughed. “Then why were you running?”
To them, Zhao Nuan was already like a fish on the chopping block—no matter how she argued, she couldn’t escape, so they grew careless.
“Officer, you flatter me. How could I be running?” Zhao Nuan smiled brightly, leaning halfway out the carriage window.
Her tone was light. “My husband does business in Yunzhou. I’m just hurrying to reunite with him.”
“With your man not around, you still managed to have a big, healthy son?”
“Hahahaha…”
“How about…” The other two officers exchanged glances, laughing lewdly. “On the way back to the capital… you try having some with us brothers too.”
While Zhao Nuan kept them talking, Yan’er quietly climbed onto the carriage shaft.
Lao Zhang’s expression darkened when he saw the dagger in the little girl’s hand. Before he could react, the horse let out a sharp neigh.
“Ouch~”
The little girl cried out, nearly thrown from the carriage.
Luckily, Lao Zhang reacted quickly and grabbed her.
Unexpectedly, Yan’er showed no fear. Amid the jolting, she managed to pull the dagger from the horse’s rump.
Though Zhao Nuan had prepared for this, the initial lurch still made her hit her head. She quickly gripped the window frame tightly to prevent Zhou Ningyu, held against her chest, from being crushed.
Lao Zhang held Yan’er close, crouching on the carriage shaft.
He shouted, “Escort Chief Li, Xiao Bai! I deceived you—I’m sorry!”
As Lao Zhang’s carriage suddenly surged forward, Li Kui and Xiao Bai’s horses spooked, rearing on the spot.
The chain reaction caused the officers’ three horses to whinny and spin in place.
“Whoa~”
“Whoa~”
They hurried to calm their mounts, but by the time the horses settled, Zhao Nuan’s carriage was almost out of sight.
“After them!”
The three officers whipped their horses in pursuit.
“Big… Big Brother Li, what’s… what’s going on…”
Xiao Bai was pale with fright. How had they suddenly ended up confronting officers?
“And what about Old Zhang? What did he swindle from them?”
Li Kui’s horse circled in place. He took a deep breath, as if having made a major decision.
“Xiao Bai, Zhao Nuan should be a servant at the Hou Estate.”
“I know that. Didn’t the bailiff say so?”
“The child in her arms… might be the youngest son of the Marquis Manor.”
Xiao Bai widened his eyes, pointing at the dust kicked up ahead, too shocked to speak.
The Wu’an Marquis Manor was a household name in the Da Hong Dynasty. To the common folk, they were like temple bodhisattvas, driving away evil spirits;
They were even painted on paper and used as door gods;
When children cried at night, chanting the names of past General Zhou would let them sleep peacefully through the night.
Even disobedient children could be frightened into behaving with their names.
It could be said that the Wu’an Marquis Manor was the guardian deity in the hearts of the people.
So without a second thought, Xiao Bai also urged his horse to give chase.
On the official road, the group began their pursuit.
The horse, stung into a frenzy, galloped wildly with the carriage.
Whenever they hit uneven ground, the carriage would jolt and bounce.
The people inside tumbled about like meatballs, rolling in every direction.
“Zhao Meizi, hold on tight!” Zhang, seeing he couldn’t control the horse, simply let go of the reins. “I’m holding Yan’er, don’t worry.”
How could Zhao Nuan not worry? Right now, Zhang wasn’t protecting her and Yan’er—he was protecting Zhou Ningyu in his arms.
If they faced a critical moment, her daughter would surely be abandoned.
So she struggled to move inside the carriage, finally managing to grab her daughter: “Yan’er, come to Mother.”
Zhang looked at Zhao Nuan, their eyes meeting.
Helpless, Zhang had to let go, pushing Yan’er toward Zhao Nuan.
With her daughter in her arms, Zhao Nuan’s anxious heart eased slightly: “Yan’er, hold onto Mother’s waist and don’t let go.”
“Mm.”
Whenever the carriage hit a bump, it would leap into the air. Zhao Nuan hunched over to prevent Yan’er from being thrown upward and hitting the roof.
“Ugh,” Zhao Nuan grunted in pain.
The carriage wheel struck a rock, tossing them into the air. Yan’er’s head slammed into Zhao Nuan’s chest and abdomen, while Zhao Nuan’s back hit the roof.
“Mother… Mother, are you alright?” The resilient Yan’er burst into tears upon hearing her mother’s pained cry.
“Mother’s fine, Yan’er, don’t cry.” Zhao Nuan gripped the carriage walls with both hands, only able to nuzzle her daughter with her cheek.
Hampered by the carriage, the old horse ultimately couldn’t outrun the officials’ steeds.
Zhao Nuan glanced at the remaining goods in the carriage and came up with an idea.
“Brother Zhang, is there anyone in Yunzhou City to receive me?”
“Yes! As long as we reach Yunzhou City, you’ll be safe.”
“Good, how much farther?”
Zhang scanned the surrounding mountains and fields: “Fifteen li.”
Steeling herself, Zhao Nuan began kicking one item of goods out of the carriage each time it jolted.
Finally, she spotted a large clump of reeds by the roadside ahead.
But such reeds usually grew on cliffs of some height.
Just then, Li Kui from behind caught up with the officials, brandishing his horsewhip in an attempt to delay them.
Unexpectedly, one of the men near him leaned down and slashed at his horse’s legs.
Both the horse and Li Kui were thrown forward by momentum, then slid harshly across the ground for a distance.
Zhao Nuan’s heart tightened. After years in this world, she still harbored innate compassion.
But there was no time for that now—if they were caught, all three of them would die.
“Yan’er, are you afraid?”
“With Mother, I’m not afraid!”
Zhao Nuan braced her knees against the carriage to steady herself.
She untied a section of the swaddling cloth binding Zhou Ningyu, wrapped it around Yan’er’s back, and tied her daughter to herself.
Then, with a powerful kick, she rolled out of the carriage.
Zhang hadn’t expected Zhao Nuan to be so daring. His vision blurred by the carriage’s violent shaking, he thought she had been thrown out by the jolting.
“Brother Zhang!” Zhao Nuan called out to him: “Until we meet again!”
Upon hearing these words, he suddenly realized that Zhao Nuan had jumped down voluntarily.