Zhuangyou looked behind them with a puzzled expression, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Before she could even ask, a sweet, childlike voice asked for her first.
"Beautiful sister, why are you running away!" The little dumpling blinked its watery eyes, nestled in Zhuangyou's arms, looked into the distance, and then looked at Xia Yi.
That sweet, childlike voice was so soft and charming, and that little mouth was so lovely to talk to that Xia Yi couldn't help but secretly look up and steal a few glances at the adorable little baby.
"Replying to Your Highness, it is Princess Changyin who has arrived," Xia Yi replied.
The little boy asked curiously, "Who is Princess Changyin? Is she a rogue? Why do all the beautiful older sisters run away when she comes? Mother said... mmm—"
Zhuangyou was still shaken by what had just happened. Upon hearing the little boy's "rogue" comment and the subsequent mention of "Mommy's words," she immediately covered the little boy's mouth, fearing he might utter something shocking.
Even so, Xia Yi was stunned for a moment, truly shocked by that "rogue".
Zhuangyou gave the little baby in her arms a helpless glare. Most of the baby's face was covered by her hands, leaving only one bright, dark eye, which rolled around innocently.
Zhuang You was in a terrible headache. She coughed lightly and called for Xia Yi to come back to her senses.
Xia Yi smiled awkwardly and explained, "This Princess Changyin is the daughter of the late Princess Xinglin. The princess grew up in the presence of the Empress Dowager, so after the princess lost her mother, she was raised in the Empress Dowager's palace."
Zhuangyou did have some impression of this Changyin County Princess. "But isn't this county princess only four and a half years old? How did she scare you like this?" It was as if she had seen a ghost.
Xia Yi smiled bitterly, "Aunt, you don't know, but the Princess had a beloved dog that was the size of a wolf and extremely fierce. Since the Princess passed away, it has been staying by the County Princess's side all day long. It would bite anyone except the County Princess, and even the wet nurse who served her couldn't take care of it."
"I see," Zhuangyou said, puzzled. "Then why not have the eunuchs who train the beasts teach them a lesson?"
"The Empress Dowager did consider having someone forcibly take it away, but the dog was too ferocious, and even the eunuchs in the animal training room couldn't handle it. Moreover, whenever someone came to take the dog away, the county princess would cry and scream incessantly, her cries heartbreaking. The Empress Dowager felt sorry for her and could only let her be for the time being, thinking that she might get better after some time."
"Moreover..." Xia Yi also looked puzzled, "In the past, the county princess and that dog never left Wenruo Pavilion, but today, I don't know what happened, just now, they suddenly ran out!"
Just as Xia Yi finished speaking, the sound of barking dogs came from behind her, indicating that they were not far away.
Xia Yi immediately became anxious, standing uneasily and urging, "The county magistrate is here! Let's go quickly!"
However, the little boy kicked his legs in Zhuangyou's arms and then pointed his little hand into the woods next to him, "Sister Zhuangyou, there are people over there."
Zhuangyou looked over there and indeed saw a master and servant pair.
However, the pair of mistress and servant were quite strange. The girl was sixteen or seventeen years old, but she was only wearing a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that reached her chest, while her outer garment was worn by the maid next to her.
The maid wrapped her young mistress's outer robe tightly, clutching a hairpin in her hand. The pointed end of the hairpin gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Xia Yi also looked in the direction of the sound and, seeing that Zhuang You didn't recognize her, explained softly, "That's An Miaolan, the eldest daughter of the Xingbai Marquis's mansion, with her maid Cui'er."
The Xingbai Marquis's residence was the maternal family of Consort Shu.
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