His gaze fell heavily on Nan Qianyue's face. "I'll have Hongyi take you back later. You should rest first."
At this moment, Nanqianyue's hair was disheveled, her hairpins hung loose, and her face was covered in dust and blood. When she looked up, she looked pitiful. If she went out like this, who knows what kind of rumors would spread about her.
Nan Qianyue understood something from Qin Yi's eyes, and she nodded, "Okay."
Qin Yi had the Black Riders find a carriage, and the woman in red escorted Nan Qianyue back to the Prime Minister's residence.
"Miss Nan, we've arrived," the woman in red said calmly.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Hongyi. I'll treat you to drinks another day when I have time," Nanqianyue said teasingly.
The woman in red remained silent.
Upon seeing Nan Qianyue emerge from the carriage unharmed, the steward standing guard at the door slapped his thigh several times and hurriedly went to greet her.
"Young lady! You're finally back safe and sound!"
Nanqianyue smiled and said, "Take me to see my mother."
"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what Madam was worried about!"
Qianxiang Hall.
The Prime Minister's wife paced back and forth anxiously, as the guards she had sent out had yet to send any word.
"Mother."
The southward migration month was almost a running trip into Qianxiang Hall.
The Prime Minister's wife was moved when she saw the intact moon that had migrated south. Her face lit up with joy, and she was about to run towards the moon when she was stopped by the etiquette ingrained in her bones.
She suppressed her overwhelming emotions and calmed her agitation, asking, "What exactly happened?"
Upon arriving from the south, Yue Buwang bowed to the Prime Minister's wife, saying, "I'm sorry to have worried my mother."
Nanqianyue recounted the general course of events, saying, "That's how it happened; it was a close call, but ultimately harmless."
The Prime Minister's wife had a complicated expression. She dismissed the servants and gently helped Nan Qianyue to sit down on a soft stool. "Qianyue, so, Prince Anzheng has been keeping secret guards around you all along?"
Nan Qianyue pursed her lips. Her mother's focus was actually on Qin Yi, rather than who had harmed her today.
"Mother, no matter what, if it weren't for those secret guards, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to avoid those bandits."
The Prime Minister's wife frowned and pondered for a moment, "Tomorrow I will prepare a generous gift and have it sent to Prince Anzheng's residence."
During the southward migration, "...it was still my mother who was so thoughtful."
"Qianyue, what happened today may not necessarily be the work of the Fifth Princess. You should avoid going out unless absolutely necessary in the future." The Prime Minister's wife patted Nan Qianyue on the back.
Nanqianyue nodded obediently. The Fifth Princess had summoned her to Lanyue Tower today, surely to arrange some kind of trick, but she hadn't expected someone to interfere halfway there.
If anything really happens to her today, the Fifth Princess will definitely be implicated.
"Mother, do you have someone you suspect?" Nan Qianyue asked, looking up.
The Prime Minister's wife's eyes flickered. "We'll discuss this matter when the Prime Minister returns. You should go back to Qingyun Courtyard and rest. The Prime Minister will help you cancel the palace banquet tonight."
"oh."
An old woman helped Nanqianyue up. She turned her head and looked around. "Mother, hasn't Green Robe returned?"
The old woman answered on behalf of the Prime Minister's wife, "Young lady, Green Robe abandoned you and ran away alone. The madam punished her by making her kneel for two hours."
"Who said she abandoned me? I made her jump! Mother, Green Robe did nothing wrong, you shouldn't punish her!" The rules that Nanqianyue had upheld for so long broke down at this moment.
The Prime Minister's wife's expression turned cold. "She is your personal maid. In times of crisis, she should prioritize your needs. Considering it's her first offense, making her kneel for two hours is already a minor punishment."
"How could she not care about me? Mother, your reason for punishing me is too far-fetched. Green Robe and I both escaped death and barely made it back safely. Why are you still punishing us?" Nan Qianyue raised her voice.
This prime minister's wife is a bit eccentric.
"Young lady, don't speak to the madam like that," the old woman kept winking at Nan Qianyue.
However, Yue, who was moving south, pretended not to see anything and stared coldly at the Prime Minister's wife with a pair of unconvinced eyes.
She added, though it was said in anger, "According to Mother's reasoning, shouldn't those guards also be punished?"
The Prime Minister's wife frowned. "Of course, he must be punished."
Nan Qianyue wanted to slap herself, but she was even more indignant and her words became unreasonable, "Then what about Mother? You knew that the Fifth Princess was up to no good, but you didn't stop me from going to the appointment. Aren't you also problematic?"
Her words stunned the maids and servants standing nearby.
It was you who wanted to go, young lady. Madam meant for you not to go, so why are you blaming Madam?
The Prime Minister's wife looked at her daughter, who had no manners whatsoever, and felt a headache, a heartache, and pain all over her body. She felt a tightness in her chest that she couldn't spit out or swallow, but she absolutely could not lose her composure.
She said coldly, "Punishment is necessary, of course. I will copy the sutra one hundred times and burn it in the quiet hall as an apology."
This time, it wasn't just the old women and maids who were shocked. Nan Qianyue opened her mouth, stunned on the spot, "Mother, you... are truly a talent."
"Help the young lady back!" The Prime Minister's wife rarely spoke loudly, as it was considered unseemly, but she miraculously shouted this at this moment, startling the old women and maids.
"Yes, yes, young lady, this old servant will take you back to Qingyun Courtyard."
The old woman dragged Nanqianyue away, and the maid who was hiding in the corner to watch rushed to relay the news to her master.
Qingxia Courtyard, Aunt Liu's courtyard.
“Aunt, do you think I should go and comfort Mother? I imagine she’s quite upset by Eldest Sister.” Nan Kezhi stood behind Aunt Liu, massaging her shoulders, her expression not showing much unusual emotion.
Aunt Liu smiled, a smile with a hidden meaning, "You shouldn't go and join in the fun. The Prime Minister will be back soon. Why don't you go and make some soup for him? I guess the eldest daughter won't be able to attend the palace banquet tonight."
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