Shortly after she got into the carriage and drove off, someone came out of the alley behind her on a horse and followed her slowly.
The person on the horse was dressed in a brocade robe and stood tall and straight. It was none other than Gao Xun.
Ever since Madam Liâs death last time, he had felt that something was going to happen to the Sixth Princeâs Mansion. Occasionally, he would come and take a look nearby. It was probably due to his righteous nature that the servants at the door didnât suspect him at all. Today, when there was nothing going on in the army, he and Zhong Shang went out together. Zhong Shang went home to take care of what his father had told him, and he came to the nearest street of the Sixth Princeâs Mansion.
I didnât expect to meet Xie Zhen.
The servant maids also brought two bundles of luggage. Xie Zhen got into the carriage, which was heading in the direction of the Duke Dingguoâs Mansion. It was an unusual sight to see. Gao Xun was worried, so he didnât wait for her to leave before following her. He was afraid of being discovered, so he kept a certain distance from her and followed her slowly.
The carriage walked for a while and came to a street.
There werenât many people on this street. There were many houses on both sides, and there were only two or three pedestrians on the street.
There were more people on the street just as they crossed an arched bridge, but the horse in which she was riding suddenly lost control, whinnied, and galloped into the crowd.
The pedestrians on the street were frightened and fled to the sides.
The wagon overturned a vegetable stall by the side of the road, but the runaway horse did not stop.
The carriage was tilting from side to side. Even from far away, people could still hear the cries of alarm coming from inside.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Gao Xun was startled and hurriedly grabbed the reins and rushed forward.
The horse looked as if it had been provoked by something. Gao Xun galloped to the front of the carriage. He reached for the reins of the horse, ignoring the danger.
However, the horseâs front hooves were moving and it almost stepped on him.
In desperation, he snatched the sugar manâs pole from the side of the road and struck the horseâs front hooves from the side. The horse fell forward under the weight of the blow and then calmed down.
He jumped on the wagon, lifted the curtain, and looked inside. âAh Zhen?â
The two maidservants in the carriage looked at him with fear and trepidation. They had placed Xie Zhen in the middle of the carriage.
She looked up, her face pale, and was shocked to see him. âWhy are you here?â
He could not explain and could only lie: âOn the way, I saw that the carriage was out of control, so I went up to help. I recognized that this was the Sixth Princeâs Mansionâs carriage.â
She smiled weakly. âThank you.â
Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and she kept her hand on the ankle of her left foot. He blurted out, âWhatâs wrong with your foot?â
Shuang Yu explained for her: âMy girl didnât sprained her foot much when the carriage crashed into the wall.â Words were full of worry.
Gao Xun immediately tensed up. âIâll take you to see a doctor!â
As he spoke, he walked into the carriage.
After all, men and women were different, so Xie Zhen shook her head and refused, âNo needâ¦â âShuang Yu and Shuang Yan can accompany me.â
His thoughts were exposed and a look of distress flashed across his eyes. âThereâs a clinic by the street. Iâll accompany you there â¦â âYou canât be negligent in this matter. If you donât deal with it properly, it might cause problems for the rest of your lives.â
It hurt so badly that she didnât refuse.
Shuang Yu and Shuang Yan helped her over, and Gao Xun followed silently behind, not far or near. When they got to the clinic, the doctor said it wasnât too serious. âput cold water on for the night, then hot it for three days, and then he prescribed a kind of ointment for her to apply daily. These days, she had to get out of bed as little as possible.
On their way back, Gao Xun used his own horse to pull the carriage and sent them back to the Duke Dingguoâs Mansion.
The runaway horse could no longer be used. It was impossible for the horse to go crazy for no reason, lest someone was playing tricks on it. Thus, he stopped a strong man on the street and gave him some money to send the horse back to the Sixth Princeâs Mansion.
When they were almost at the Duke Dingguoâs Mansion, Gao Xun sat outside and asked hesitantly, âWhy are you the only one returning to Duke Dingguoâs Mansion.? Whereâs Ah Yu?â
There was silence in the carriage for a moment, then came the voice of Xie Zhen: âI donât want to come back with him.â
Gao Xun laughed softly. âHave you had an argument?â
Perhaps it was because of the deep friendship she had with him as a child, Xie Zhen didnât hide anything from him. What happened between she and Yan Yu could only be described as an argument.
In fact, she wasnât arguing, she was just sulking.
Arriving at the entrance of Duke Dingguoâs Mansion., Xie Zhen asked Gao Xun to come in for a seat. He said that he couldnât, that he had to return to the military residence later.
âTake careful of your feet,â he said patiently. âThe doctor said not to get out of bed.â
She had to nod again.
Returning to the Yutang Court, Madam Leng was startled when she saw her being carried in. She didnât even bother to ask why she had returned and hurriedly carried her to the Arhat bed inside. Even though Xie Zhen was married, she didnât say anything. Xie Zhen threw herself into her arms and shed two tears. âI donât want to go back,â she said with reddened eyes.
When Madam Leng asked her the reason, she said that she hated Ouyang Yi.
Madam Leng asked her, âAre you happy to come back like this?â
She shook her head and said honestly, âIâm not happy.â
She didnât understand, but as a mother, she guided her step by step, âYou donât say anything to him. Heâs a dull man, and you are together. You donât even know why the other party is angry. What kind of quarrel is this?â âIf you come back like this, you can only make others happy.â
She asked gloomily, âWhat should I do?â
Madam Leng ordered her maidservants to prepare half a basin of cold water. Shuang Yu stepped forward and took off her shoes and socks, dipping her left foot into the cold water. She shivered with cold, gritted her teeth and fought to hold it in.
âIf you donât want to go back, then stay here for a few days. I will tell others that I am not feeling well, you came back to see meâ Madam Leng had thought of everything carefully.
She said âMotherâ with emotion.
Madam Leng gently pinched her nose, âSmall trouble!â
She giggled, and her mood improved a little.
After the cold compress of the left foot, the ankle was not so badly swollen, but the bruise did not go away. Shuang Yu took the ointment and gently applied it to her wounds. She was in pain and wanted to dodge it, but she was finally intimidated by Leng , âbe careful of becoming a cripple in the futureâ, then she obediently did not dare to move.
When she was done, she sat down on Arhat Bed and thought about the runaway horse. She thought, as Gao Xun had thought, that someone was doing something behind the scenes, but she couldnât figure out who it was.
Frightened today and cold outside, she sat for a short time before drowsiness overtook her, yawned, and, too lazy to move any further, fell asleep on the Arhat Bed. The Shuang Yu covered her with a blanket, and the stove was scarce, soon she fell into a deep slumber.
When Xie Xun learned that she was asleep, she sat by herself and played with her own, waiting for Xie Zhen to wake up.
As soon as Yan Yu stepped out of the door, he saw a strong man pulling a horse towards him.
The brawny man said it was a horse from his house, and he asked the steward to check it out.
And itâs the one that Xie Zhen went out with today.
Why is it here?
After asking around, he found out that this horse had lost control and was rampaging through the streets. It even knocked over many vendors, but fortunately, no one was injured.
Hearing this, Yan Yuâs eyes reddened. He grabbed his arm, âWhere are the people in the carriage?â
The muscular man replied, âI was saved by a young man. There shouldnât be any major problems.â
âWho saved her?â
âI donât know about that. All I know is that he asked me to send the horse over â¦â Halfway through his words, he suddenly remembered, âHe said his surname is Gao!â
Yan Yu was silent for a long time.
Then he got on his horse and told the steward, âGo find out who touched this horse. Do not let anyone who has had any contact with it off!â
The steward replied repeatedly. Before he could say anything else, he had already ridden away on his horse.
Yan Yu rode very fast. The cold wind blew past his ears, and the snowflakes blew on his face. The cold feeling spread to all his limbs and bones. He didnât know why Gao Xun had appeared, and he didnât know how he had saved Xie Zhen. He didnât dare to think too deep into it and was about to go crazy. All he knew was that he had to hurry to Duke Dingguoâs Mansion to see if Xie Zhen was hurt.