Chapter 265: When Did Prince Wei Go Blind?

The deaths of the Silver Armor Guards and the fate of the women who had been abducted, violated, and had their lives ruined, left Xiao Li in a foul mood, her face an icy mask.

But when she returned to where the carriage was parked, she found Hong Yue scuffling with Qiao LanZhi and her maid.

The three of them were in a tangle, but the nearby guards hadn’t intervened—mainly because Hong Yue clearly had the upper hand.

"What’s going on?"

Hearing Xiao Li’s voice, Hong Yue immediately let go. "Master, you’re back."

"I just finished making the soup. It’s just in time to eat."

She hurried over and gently led Xiao Li to a nearby stool to sit down.

She hadn’t gone to the bandits’ den; instead, she’d had someone build a stove and was preparing a meal here.

As she brought water for Xiao Li to wash her hands, she shot a disdainful glance at the other two before explaining, "Master, I was simmering the soup when Miss Qiao claimed she was hungry and demanded to eat. It’s not that I’m unreasonable—there were dry rations and jerky right there, and I offered her some. But she insisted on having the fresh-cooked meal, and on top of that, she said she would only eat the chicken leg."

She had already calmed down, but retelling the story made Hong Yue’s temper flare up all over again.

"I told her it was cooked for you, Master, and she couldn’t have it. She went on about how she’s the governor’s daughter, a pampered young lady, and all that. But does being a governor’s daughter give you the right to forcibly take other people’s food?"

"When I refused, they told me that if I just served her well, my reward would be handsome."

’If she weren’t in front of Xiao Li, Hong Yue would have rolled her eyes into the back of her head. Honestly, she was the Empress’s most favored palace maid. What kind of reward from a mere governor would she possibly care about?’

’Besides, this governor’s daughter was completely clueless. She was traveling with four guards and a driver. One look at their own party—even without knowing Her Majesty’s identity—and anyone could see they were more distinguished. With thirty menacing guards and such an ornate carriage, how could they possibly look less important than a governor’s daughter?’

’The girl wasn’t just dense, she was blind.’

"Then, it got even more ridiculous. She actually claimed to be the future Princess Wei! I told her she was lying, that Prince Wei would never marry her, and then she tried to hit me. I had to protect the soup, so I had to get physical. What you saw when you arrived was the result of that."

Hong Yue was truly at a loss for words.

’No wonder the girl was still so arrogant after seeing their retinue. She must think she’s about to marry up.’

’But what a joke that was.’

’If Prince Wei were going to marry her, then who on earth was Her Majesty going out to rescue?’

’Prince Wei was kidnapped, his life hanging in the balance, waiting for Her Majesty to save him. And here this girl was, claiming he was going to marry her and putting on airs in front of the Empress herself. It was beyond ridiculous.’

Xiao Li thought, ’Is this another one of that scoundrel Xiao Jingyi’s romantic debts?’

Nearby, Qiao LanZhi and her maid were straightening their hair and clothes. After listening to Hong Yue’s story, Qiao LanZhi suddenly grabbed something, stalked toward them menacingly, and shoved it in their faces.

"Open your eyes and look closely! This is the Token Prince Wei gave me!"

Xiao Li glanced over. The token was inscribed with the character ’Yi.’ Although she had never seen it before, she could tell from its design and material that it was, in fact, Prince Wei’s Token.

Seeing Xiao Li’s silence, Qiao LanZhi assumed she’d been intimidated and said smugly, "Prince Wei told me I am pure of heart and exceptionally intelligent, a rare gem among women. He even said that if he had the chance, he would introduce me to the Empress."

She deliberately emphasized the final two words: "The. Em. Press."

Hong Yue: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

’Young lady, you don’t need Prince Wei’s introduction. You’ve already met the Empress. As for being "pure of heart and exceptionally intelligent"... When exactly did Prince Wei go blind?’

The girl’s antics almost made Xiao Li laugh, breaking through her gloomy mood.

Hong Yue shook her head, suppressing a laugh. She turned to set up a table and brought over the meal she had prepared.

Hong Yue was only responsible for cooking for Xiao Li. Travel was often inconvenient, but they had prepared well. Thus, Hong Yue had made rice, stewed jerky, and braised a chicken, along with a vegetable dish, a cold appetizer, and a small serving of fried cakes.

Xiao Li wasn’t picky about these things and would have been fine with dry rations and water. But Hong Yue couldn’t bear to see her master endure hardship. She had come along for the sole purpose of looking after Her Majesty. And it wasn’t just her—everyone else would do everything in their power to serve Her Majesty well.

In all the world, nothing was more important than Her Majesty.

Seeing that Xiao Li was ignoring her and eating so many dishes all by herself, Qiao LanZhi grew both hungry and furious.

But while she had been able to get close to Hong Yue, she couldn’t get near Xiao Li. Rong Qing stood in her way like a mountain, his face cold and his gaze so imposing it made one’s heart pound in fear.

In the end, all she could do was stomp her foot in frustration. "You’ll all regret this!"

After the meal, the group set out again.

Special arrangements were made for Yu Song’s body; it would be placed in a coffin and sent back for a proper burial.

The journey was delayed by half a day. The posthouse where they had planned to stop for a midday rest ended up becoming their lodging for the night.

Qiao LanZhi had her own money, so she took a separate room for herself.

Xiao Li went to her room to rest and read the dispatches from the capital.

Most of the messages from the court passed through Song Junzhan’s hands, and this handwriting was clearly his.

The dispatch first reported on court affairs, then moved on to news about Prince Wei. There was still no trace of him. However, there was some activity from King Xian’s faction; it seemed he was preparing to make a move.

After all the reports were concluded, only two words remained at the end: Be safe.

Everything preceding them was official business; only these last two words were what he truly wanted to write.

Though there wasn’t a single sentimental phrase in the entire dispatch, every stroke of those last two words was brimming with tenderness.

Xiao Li read those two words several times before burning the dispatch. Then, she picked up a brush to write her reply.

As for Lou Yan, he was in Longxi Gully and couldn’t send messages easily. But since it had only been a few days since she’d left, Xiao Li decided not to worry about him for the time being.

Early the next morning, as Xiao Li and her party prepared to depart, Ziyue whispered, "Sister, that Miss Qiao left at the crack of dawn."

Xiao Li hadn’t expected it, but she wasn’t particularly surprised either.

’Knowing she couldn’t gain any advantage and was only being snubbed, it would have been more surprising if she had stayed.’

Xiao Li didn’t give Qiao LanZhi another thought. Unexpectedly, however, just an hour after their departure, a sudden storm broke out. A landslide up ahead completely blocked the road, forcing them to detour toward Luoxia City.

Just as they arrived at the city gates, they happened to see Qiao LanZhi’s carriage meandering over, the driver preparing to present documents for entry.

Qiao LanZhi happened to glance in their direction and immediately flew into a rage. "Didn’t you say you weren’t coming to Luoxia City?"

Xiao Li remained still. Hong Yue lifted the curtain for a look and sighed, exasperated by this twist of fate.

"Master, what now?"

Xiao Li propped her head on her hand, trying to ease a dizzy spell. "What else can we do? You think I’m afraid of her governor father?"

When no one in the procession paid her any mind, Qiao LanZhi didn’t pester them further. She simply shot them a hateful glare before leaving.

However, after Xiao Li and her party had entered the city to rest and were in the middle of lunch, they were suddenly surrounded by soldiers from the Governor Mansion.

"That’s them! They colluded with bandits and tried to murder the Third Miss! Seize them!"

Xiao Li couldn’t help but curse inwardly: ’Xiao Jingyi, just you wait!’