Chapter 166 If they don't come out soon, they'll be home.
The carriage remained unusually silent throughout the journey. Yu Qingci and the man sat on one side, while Granny Pei sat opposite them. The three of them simply looked at each other without uttering a sound.
Granny Pei was filled with fear and unease, but she dared not make a sound, as if someone were choking her, for fear of angering the man opposite her who was holding a dagger and had an unfriendly look in his eyes.
Lu Yunqi glanced at Yu Qingci from time to time. He couldn't see her clearly inside the house that night, but now he looked at her without any hesitation. The woman in front of him was delicate and beautiful, with almond eyes and peach cheeks, skin as white as cream, and eyebrows that seemed to be angry yet beautiful. Just a side profile made him feel breathless and his ears turned red involuntarily.
I quickly looked away and then felt more at ease.
But then, a faint, pleasant fragrance lingered around my nose.
The carriage suddenly jolted, and Yu Qingci inadvertently fell towards the man. The man instantly pulled the dagger back a few inches, thus avoiding cutting Yu Qingci's skin.
Once everyone was seated again, Yu Qingci looked up and saw that the man was also staring at her. Their gazes met, then quickly shifted away, and she felt flustered.
Granny Pei, sitting opposite, saw everything clearly. She was almost startled and cried out, but luckily the man was quick-witted and put the dagger away.
But what was going on? Suddenly, Granny Pei felt that the man and her young mistress were strangely well-matched. The man had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and a strong temperament. The woman was as beautiful as the autumn moon, and charming. If someone who didn't know the situation saw them, they might mistake them for a couple going on a spring outing.
Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw, I've never seen a couple holding daggers.
Granny Pei shook her head, then focused her attention on the man, determined that if he dared to harm her young mistress, she would risk her life to protect her.
The carriage was almost at the city gate, and the shouts of the guards could be heard from afar.
The man cautiously lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside for a moment, then leaned closer to Yu Qingci and whispered:
"There is a hidden compartment under the carriage seat. I will hide there later. I hope the young mistress will help me get into the city."
Yu Qingci looked over with puzzled eyes. How did he know there was a hidden compartment under the carriage seat?
Before she could figure it out, she felt something being shoved into her hand.
She looked down and saw a small earring lying in her palm. In the center was a red coral the size of a pea, with the edges inlaid with pure gold. It was so red that it was dazzling and without a single impurity.
What does this mean? Compensation?
Before she could figure it out, the man had already opened the hidden compartment next to their feet and crawled inside, not forgetting to close the door behind him.
Seeing this, Granny Pei reached out to pull her young mistress over.
Yu Qingci calmly waved her hand, signaling her to calm down.
Looking down at the earring in her hand, she carefully placed it into her sleeve.
As the carriage drew closer, the shouts of the soldiers outside grew louder and louder.
Yu Qingci reached out and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, and felt that the situation seemed even more serious than when they left the city that day.
However, looking at the people leaving the city on the other side, it became clear that leaving the city was easy but entering was difficult, which meant that the assassin the court wanted to capture was still outside the city.
Wait, an assassin?
Yu Qingci seemed to suddenly remember something, her eyes darting nervously under the seat. What would happen if they found someone in their carriage?
Soon, several soldiers approached them, and Granny Pei went down to negotiate with them.
"I'm sorry, but we'll check not only the carriages of General Ningyuan's Mansion, but also those of the Marquis of Nanping's Mansion!"
As they were talking, someone suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and poked their head in.
Yu Qingci calmly picked up the veil beside her and covered her head, then moved her body a little further in so that the soldier could see her clearly.
The officer seemed to catch a glimpse of the beauty before him, but in an instant, the beauty was obscured by a veil and he could no longer see her clearly.
With a reluctant look, he scanned Yu Qingci from top to bottom before finally shifting his gaze to look inside the carriage.
The carriage was small, with seating on both sides and a small table in the middle with two plates of fruit and snacks on it.
If we're talking about places where people can hide, the only likely option is whether there's a hidden compartment under the seat.
Seeing the soldiers' eyes fixed on the area under the seats, Yu Qingci's already tense heart leaped into her throat, but she still spoke gently:
"Sir, may I get out of the car?"
The woman's tone was gentle, and the soldier unconsciously relaxed his expression. He reached out and symbolically tapped under the seat, asking, "What's under there?"
"Sir, there's only so much space down there, what can you put? Just a thin blanket for warmth, some food, cups, saucers, teacups, and the like. Aren't those the same things in a regular family's carriage?"
Granny Pei answered eagerly from outside.
In ordinary households, the space under the seats of carriages is indeed designed as a small cabinet for storing things. However, the carriage in the General's Mansion has an additional layer underneath the small cabinet. Unless you reach in and feel it carefully, you can't tell from the outside.
This was also what puzzled Yu Qingci earlier; she couldn't understand how that person knew there was a hidden compartment under the general's carriage.
Yu Qingci: "Granny, come up and open it for the soldier to see."
Seeing that the master and servant were answering each other fluently and showed no signs of nervousness, the officer's initial caution diminished considerably. He also wanted to curry favor with the Marquis of Nanping, so he waved his hand and said:
"Alright, you can go in now."
The carriage slowly entered the city gate.
They hadn't gone far when suddenly a series of rapid hoofbeats sounded from behind, as if someone was shouting something. The master and servant exchanged a glance and their hearts jumped into their throats.
We've been discovered?
The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and pedestrians on both sides of the street hurriedly made way for them. Coachmen also spurred their carriages to the side to clear the way.
Several fine horses galloped past, and Yu Qingci didn't even get a clear look at the riders.
The soldiers on horseback didn't even glance to the side, focusing only on galloping forward.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
Granny Pei wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and said to the outside:
"Let's go quickly."
The carriage continued on its way, the master and servant staring intently at the hidden compartment below. Why hadn't this person come out yet? What did it mean? If he didn't come out soon, they would be home.
When she saw the huge "Baiyeqing" sign in the shop in the distance, Granny Pei's eyes lit up.
"Young Madam, look! Our winery is doing really well."
Yu Qingci looked in that direction and saw that the shop in front was none other than her own winery. She could see customers coming and going from the gate from afar, so business seemed to be doing well.
"Since we're passing by, let's go down and take a look."
Granny Pei quickly put her veil back on and helped her downstairs, and the two entered the wine shop.
The rest of the people stayed outside and waited.
The wine shop owner's face lit up with delight when he saw Granny Pei helping a woman into the shop. He quickly came out from behind the counter, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:
"I haven't seen you for a few days. I thought you had accompanied the young mistress to Taijue Temple to pay respects and hadn't returned yet. I didn't expect you to come today."
The shopkeeper stepped forward to greet her, and Granny Pei forced a few words.
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