2. The shackles are too heavy and too tight.

◎Elopement with a random man◎

A sharp shout rang out, followed by the sounds of tables and chairs clattering and gasps from the crowd, instantly throwing the entire restaurant into chaos.

"Girl!" Pianzhu exclaimed in alarm, grabbing Huayao's arm tightly.

"Don't be afraid." She said calmly, squeezing Pianzhu's hand in return.

Amid the commotion, she saw a figure in black stride in through the main gate.

The moment he stepped inside, two guards followed closely behind, and the soldiers outside quickly parted to the left and right, silently blocking the entrance to the restaurant.

The man had a pair of affectionate eyes, with slightly upturned corners and a charming profile. They should have been brimming with spring water, but they were strangely quiet inside.

He remained calm and silent, his gaze sweeping over the group with utter indifference.

Finally, his gaze didn't settle on anything, but instead turned towards Hua Yao, a faint smile playing on his lips. "The entire capital is completely surrounded. Where do you think you can escape to?" His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually cold and deep.

Hua Yao blinked. Me? Me? That's like winning the lottery!

Just then, a rough hand pressed down on one of her shoulders from behind, and then a cold dagger was pressed against her throat.

A fierce threat came from behind her, "Let me go, or I'll kill her." A feeling of suffocation and the chill of metal struck her simultaneously, and she froze. She'd really hit the jackpot.

"Girl!" Pianzhu was so frightened that tears streamed down her face.

"Don't be afraid, he wouldn't dare kill me." Although Hua Yao was also afraid, she analyzed the situation and realized that this person was taking her hostage in order to escape alive. If she died, he would definitely not be able to escape. He was just gambling that the person would let him go for the sake of his people.

"Who says I wouldn't dare kill?" The thug, as if his thoughts had been read, retorted anxiously, increasing the pressure in his hand. A slight stinging sensation came from Hua Yao's neck.

"Cui Xun! Let me leave the capital, or I'll kill her right now!"

The man chuckled softly, as if he had heard a joke. His tone was calm but carried a hint of madness. "Kill her. As a citizen of Daze, she has sacrificed herself for righteousness."

Hua Yao frowned slightly. "No, brother, you really don't plan to save me?"

She had forgotten that this was an era that treated human life with contempt. Her breathing became heavy; the fear of death still gripped her. She hadn't gone home yet; she didn't want to die.

She has to rely on herself.

Taking advantage of the thugs' attention being focused on the man, she laboriously moved her fingers and touched her sleeve. Fortunately, she had been careful when she left home and had hidden silver needles in her sleeve pocket.

Cui Xun glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, smiled calmly, and approached them step by step. "Why haven't you killed them yet? The opportunity is right in front of you, but you're just not good enough."

The voice seemed to be right next to her ear, startling her so much that her hand trembled. For some reason, she felt as if the words were spoken to her.

She has never used her medical skills to harm anyone, but the instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

She seized the opportunity, shoved aside the arm of the villain holding the dagger, and then quickly turned around to aim at his Neiguan acupoint, stabbing it in hard and accurately.

"Ah!" Caught off guard, the assailant felt his entire arm go numb and throbbing with pain, as if all his strength had been drained away, and the dagger clattered to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, a figure swept past like a gust of wind, subduing the villain. Qin Feng and Qin Yan quickly followed and apprehended him.

Those around them breathed a sigh of relief and began to whisper among themselves.

"Girl!" Pianzhu quickly came over to help her up. "You're injured."

"It's nothing, this injury is nothing." Hua Yao felt a lingering fear. If he had really attacked, she would have been sending herself to her death across time and space.

With his arms pinned back, the thug struggled and looked at Hua Yao, unable to contain his anger as he roared, "You son of a bitch, how could you resort to underhanded tactics? You look the weakest in the whole restaurant, yet you're so cunning."

Seeing his current disheveled state, Hua Yao felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

She decided to tease him, and deliberately smiled innocently, "Oh! So it's true that kindness is taken advantage of." As she spoke, she picked up the dagger on the ground and brandished it at his neck a few times, "Tell me, if I were to slash him, he wouldn't just be leaving Kyoto, he'd probably be leaving the mortal world too."

"You... mother... um..." Before he could finish speaking, Qin Feng, expressionless, shoved a wad of cloth into his mouth. He could only glare fiercely at Hua Yao.

Hua Yao felt another gaze fixed on her.

They looked up and their eyes met.

The man had a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes held a sharp, probing gaze that made her uneasy.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her smile froze on her lips.

Hua Yao threw the dagger beside the villain, saying, "Here you go." Then she turned and pulled Pianzhu beside her, saying, "Pianzhu, let's go."

No, that person is too calculating, it's like they can see right through you. It's best to leave quickly.

Cui Xun stared at her retreating figure, his expression inscrutable.

--

In front of the Prime Minister's residence.

Before the echo of the wheels rolling over the bluestone had even faded, Pianzhu had already nimbly jumped off the carriage and turned to help her young mistress.

Hua Yao subconsciously lifted the slightly cumbersome skirt hem, lowered her head slightly, and the loosely wrapped ribbon around her neck fluttered gently in the wind.

She thought to herself, "This wide-sleeved silk skirt is beautiful, but it's really cumbersome."

The two walked through the front yard, and a few whispers drifted from a corner.

"Yes, this Miss Zhao is truly shameless, actually strolling through the streets with a man."

"Do you remember our second daughter? A while ago, it was said that she was kidnapped, but actually she was caught after eloping with someone."

"You're only finding out now?" the other person said in a low voice. "I'd heard about it a while ago, but I didn't dare say anything, since I still had to make a living in the manor..."

Pianzhu jumped up and down in a panic, looking at Huayao with concern, "Miss, they've gone too far."

Hua Yao merely curved her lips slightly, revealing a faint hint of sarcasm.

As a woman herself, she also felt a pang of guilt when her reputation was smeared.

If such filthy ideas still lingered in the world she lived in, let alone in this feudal era.

Hua Yao raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the group of figures gathered together. Most of them were women.

She felt a mix of emotions, a chill, anger, and above all, a profound sense of pity and helplessness at being unable to offer any relief.

In this world, the shackles on women are too heavy, too tight. Heavy enough to bend their pride, tight enough to imprison some of them.

She withdrew her slightly damp gaze, merely gathering her fingertips together, and said calmly, "Let's go."

She just happened to come to this place called Daze for a visit, and she might go back any day. She couldn't care less...

--

A few days later, Pianzhu could no longer withstand Huayao's torment and had no choice but to take her to East Street.

People were coming and going on the street.

“Miss, that person may have already left the capital.” Pianzhu looked at Huayao. She didn’t know why the young lady was in such a hurry to come to East Street, not to buy anything, but just to look for someone.

Hua Yao frowned, her heart sinking. Why was it such a coincidence? Why was she a step too late?

Early this morning, she overheard the servants whispering that a wandering traveler, knowledgeable about the movements of stars and the flow of rivers and the earth's veins, had arrived. This man's whereabouts were mysterious, and he had been in the capital for over a month; something significant was likely about to happen.

Hua Yao hurriedly summoned Pian Zhu. Before coming, she had a premonition and could even imagine that the wandering scholar might actually have some skill and be able to see where she came from, so she might be able to get a clue to go home.

But right now, there's not even anyone to be seen...

Hua Yao stood there listlessly, her voice weak and strained, filled with undisguised fatigue and disappointment, "Let's go back."

Just as she was about to turn and leave, a small figure in the corner caught her eye.

A thin, ragged little girl.

She squatted in the corner, holding a thin twig in her hand, intently drawing lines on the muddy ground.

The streets were bustling with people, but she hid alone in her own corner.

Hua Yao paused for a moment, then stepped towards the little girl, as if walking towards her younger self.

She lifted her skirt and slowly squatted down in front of the little girl.

Pianzhu was puzzled, but could only follow.

A pale blue skirt came into view, and the little girl looked up in surprise. When she saw the smiling face, she didn't run away.

Hua Yao's gaze fell on the few crooked strokes on the muddy ground, which vaguely resembled the two characters "Zhao Di".

Zhao Di, Zhao Di.

A slight smile played on her lips, but a bitter feeling flickered in her heart.

She picked up a branch from the side and gently traced a few lines next to the words.

“Look, ‘昭’ (zhāo), the sun and moon shine brightly, doesn’t this character look brighter?” She looked up at the little girl, her eyes gentle. “Do you like this character?”

The little girl stared at her blankly, then looked down at the "Zhao" on the ground, her eyes gradually brightening, and she nodded vigorously.

...

On the corridor outside the private rooms on the second floor of the teahouse across the street.

Cui Xun stood by the railing, his posture upright, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. A dark brocade robe with subtle patterns outlined his slender figure, and he exuded a calm and reserved aura.

Footsteps approached. He didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the street corner.

Qin Feng walked a step behind him, clasped his hands together, leaned forward slightly, and then straightened up like a pine tree. "My lord, the fish has taken the bait."

Cui Xun's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "No rush," he said calmly and composedly, "the big fish is still hiding."

"Yes." Qin Feng followed his gaze and saw a slender figure at the street corner. Did the lord suspect that woman?

On the street, Hua Yao had just handed the money to the girl and told her to go home early when a gasp came from behind her.

"Get out of the way!"

...

The sound of hooves thundered as a carriage came charging towards them like a madman.

On the second floor of the teahouse, the man's expression hardened. He placed his hand on the railing, leaped out of the corridor, and landed steadily on the sloping eaves.

The crowd in the street screamed, and the panic receded like a tidal wave being split open.

"Ah!" A man in a blue robe in the street was half a step too slow, and the carriage shaft scraped hard against his side, knocking him to the ground.

Cui Xun galloped along the roof tiles, seized the opportunity, and leaped down from the corner of the eaves, landing precisely on the horse's back. After a brief struggle, the horse's frenzy subsided.

"You go with Qin Yan and find out who caused the trouble today." He handed the horse to Qin Feng and turned around to see a light blue figure running from a distance.

"Yes," Qin Feng replied.

Cui Xun stepped to the side and stood under the eaves, quietly observing the throng of people. He wanted to see what she was up to.

Hua Yao had just run from the street corner to the main street when she saw someone carrying away the man in blue. "Quickly take him to the clinic."

"Don't touch him!"

A woman's voice rang out from behind, soft yet carrying a hint of authority. The crowd turned to look and instinctively parted to make way.

Someone recognized her, "Isn't that the second young lady of the Prime Minister's residence?"

Hua Yao was puzzled. Pian Zhu told her that she had stayed in the mansion all day since she was eight or nine years old and had never gone out. How could anyone recognize her?

"Yes, she eloped with a wild man and got caught. Instead of staying at home, she dared to come out and embarrass herself."

Hua Yao glanced coldly at the gossipers; she had no time for them right now.

She strode forward and knelt down in front of the injured man without hesitation. Her gaze quickly swept over his entire body; his right calf was twisted unnaturally, his face was deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

She instructed Pianzhu, "Pianzhu, go buy some Panax notoginseng, make sure it's mashed, and also find some wooden strips and cloth strips. Be quick."

Hua Yao looked at the man, her voice calm, "The bone is broken, it needs to be realigned first," then she glanced around, "Is there anyone willing to help?"

In the crowd, Fu Changqing, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, stood out with his handsome features. He was gazing at her intently when she seemed to look at him as well. A slight blush rose to her ears, and he quickly knelt down beside her.

Hua Yao glanced at him and said, "Please trouble you to roll up his trouser legs, young master." She then tore off a corner of her inner garment and wrapped the strip of cloth around her palm.

With his trousers rolled up, the twisted leg bones came into sharp view.

Hua Yao pointed above the broken bone, "Hold this and pull it in your direction." She held the injured man's ankle with both hands.

"Uh... okay." Fu Changqing stretched her out while secretly glancing at her. The second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion? He had only heard about her from others before, but this was the first time he had seen her in person.

He had seen her when she was on the street corner. She gently stroked the little girl's face, then stood up and turned her face slightly to the side.

Fu Changqing's breath hitched, his gaze suddenly fixed, and all the sounds around him seemed to fade away. The people on the street were blurred in fast-forward, only she was clearly imprinted before his eyes...

Hua Yao skillfully and slowly rotated the bone, causing the man in the blue robe to howl in pain. In just a moment, the dislocated bone was precisely repositioned.

"Girl, here's what you wanted." Pianzhu returned just then, panting heavily as she ran.

Hua Yao quickly took the items, applied medicine to the man through the brocade cloth, then wrapped it tightly with a cloth strip, and finally used a wooden board to clamp and bind the injured leg, her movements were quick and steady.

After doing all this, she lowered her eyes and slowly untied the strips of cloth wrapped around her hands.

In the past, she only saw muscles and bones. But now, she is the second daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion. Before she left, this status gave her a place to live and wealth before her eyes.

She still had to play along with this act of "maintaining strict separation between men and women." In case the real person returned one day and she couldn't keep her reputation intact, at least she wouldn't ruin her escape route.