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Woman saw so much money and initially wanted to decline, but with a glance from Yin Luo, she accepted it and replied, "Don't worry, miss, we will be careful. In the future, you won't need to bring money anymore. Qin Girl will give us some every time she comes back. We old folks don't need that much."
Yin Luo smiled and said, "More is better than less. If there’s extra, just save it; it might come in handy later."
Woman nodded and sent Yin Luo out of the Yard Gate.
The snow was already thick, with large flakes falling gently, covering the entire street in a blanket of white. The whole world was dressed in silver. Yin Luo looked up, standing at the entrance of the Yard Gate, hoping that by next winter, she would have freed herself from many shackles and could openly leave this Capital City, living freely and happily for the rest of her life!
The Carriage was waiting outside, and when she emerged, the Driver immediately came down to help her into the vehicle.
The thick snow had already reached her calves. As Yin Luo sat in the carriage, it remained still for a long time; all she could hear was the sound of the whip cracking outside, followed by the Driver calling out.
Yin Luo lifted the curtain and asked, "What's wrong?"
The Driver turned to look at her, his face filled with urgency: "The snow is too thick; the wheels are stuck and can't move!"
Yin Luo paused for a moment and then got out of the carriage to look at the wheels buried in the snow, her expression turning serious.
"Miss, should I go find a horse?"
Yin Luo looked around and said, "How will you go? There’s not a soul within five miles. Even if you find a horse, by the time you come back, it will be dark, and I won’t be able to return."
The Driver also felt troubled and couldn't think of a solution for a moment.
Yin Luo thought for a moment, untied her money pouch, and took out a silver ingot to give to the Driver. She said, "Just sell me your horse. If you can't return tonight, you can stay at this Woman's house; she will take you in."
The silver was enough to buy several horses, so the Driver naturally did not refuse and repeatedly agreed.
After unhooking the Carriage and getting the horse out separately, Yin Luo mounted the horse. She turned back to glance at the Woman, who nodded at her. Without further delay, she urged the horse forward and galloped away.
The snow was falling heavily, accompanied by wind and snow that obscured her vision. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians on the road; it seemed that in such cold weather, everyone was reluctant to go out.
This place was far from the Palace, and despite wearing a thick cloak, the cold wind still rushed in through her clothes and around her neck, making her shiver.
Since she had to ride on short notice, she had not prepared anything, not even a pair of gloves. After riding for an hour in this frigid weather, Yin Luo felt completely stiff.
Fortunately, after another half hour, she should be able to reach the Palace!
The snowfall showed no signs of letting up. To avoid being caught in the dark, she rode at full speed.
As she reached a fork in the road, she never expected that another horse would come charging toward her from the opposite direction. She couldn't dodge in time; the horse leaped into the air, causing her to fall off. Luckily, the ground was covered in snow, so she didn't hurt herself too badly. However, she distinctly heard a sound of bones dislocating—her ankle twisted.
Breaking out in a cold sweat all over, Yin Luo lay on the ground unable to get up until a pair of black brocade boots appeared before her.
Startled, she looked up to see a tall figure standing in front of her wearing a Ghost Mask that stood out prominently.
She immediately wanted to rise but couldn't. Instead, she could only bow slightly and say respectfully, "This servant Jinghao greets Jin Wang."
"Are you alright?" Mu Changqing crouched down to look at her closely. "How did you end up here?"
Yin Luo lowered her head and replied, "Today is the anniversary of Jinghao's mother's passing, so Jinghao took leave from the palace. I didn't expect the heavy snow to block the way, and I disturbed Prince Jin!"
Mu Changqing glanced at her and then stood up. "It's fine."
He stepped toward his horse, was about to mount, but turned back to look at her again.
After a moment's pause, he walked back to Yin Luo's side and asked, "Can you get up by yourself?"
Yin Luo withdrew her gaze and tried to stand on her own. One foot sank into the snow while the other couldn't find any support. Before she could manage to stand, she fell again.
Her expression turned awkward.
Mu Changqing hesitated for a moment, then reached out and picked her up. Yin Luo stiffened at first, glanced at him, then quickly averted her eyes, not daring to look again.
Mu Changqing looked down at her and said, "I've heard that the Emperor is particularly fond of your service. If you can't return to the palace today, he might worry."
He placed Yin Luo onto his horse's back and then mounted himself.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he noticed she was still tense. With a neutral expression, he said, "Relax; I won't eat you. I'm saving you only because of the Emperor's favor. Otherwise, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me."
Yin Luo felt somewhat relieved but reminded herself that as a maid, she still had to play her part.
She murmured, "Thank you, Prince Jin, for saving my life."
Mu Changqing coldly curled her lips but did not respond. She simply urged her horse and changed direction toward the palace.
Along the way, Yin Luo dared not speak much, trying to maintain her identity as a maid. However, after a long while, she finally asked, "This is not the way to Prince Jin's residence. May I ask why Prince Jin is here?"
"Are you interrogating me?"
"I wouldn't dare. I was just curious and asked casually."
With a puff of mist escaping her lips, Mu Changqing looked at the falling goose-feather snowflakes in the sky, her eyes shining slightly. "Such beautiful scenery should naturally be enjoyed with a loved one."
"Is Prince Jin referring to Princess Jin? But isn't she traveling outside? How could the prince..."
"You wouldn't understand, nor do you need to."
Yin Luo lowered her gaze and replied, "Yes," then fell silent. Mu Changqing seemed to think of something, her eyes brightening.
Finally arriving outside the palace, the guards recognized Mu Changqing and immediately came forward to greet her. She instructed them to arrange for someone to take Yin Luo back to her residence before leaving.
Having injured her foot, Li An De ordered a physician to treat her wounds and specifically granted her three days off.
However, within just an hour, her right foot had swollen significantly. The physician first set the bone and then applied medicine while massaging it. Yin Luo winced in pain until her face turned pale. Li An De couldn't bear to watch and said, "In this freezing weather, if you get hurt and can't return, what if someone sees you in the morning? You'd be nothing but a corpse! I don't know what kind of bad luck you had to run into Prince Jin; not only did he not say anything, but he also had to bring you back. Tsk tsk..."
Before Li An De could finish speaking, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.
Seeing so many people inside, Mu Fengyan was momentarily taken aback and quickly turned to Li An De, saying, “Li An De, you are actually here? I’ve been searching everywhere for you! Tell me, have you become too bold? How could you make me look for you!”
“Uh…” Li An De raised his eyes and noticed Mu Fengyan giving him a signal. He hurriedly replied, “Jinghao was injured, and I asked Xue Yiniang to take a look. That’s why I was delayed and neglected my duties. I hope Your Majesty can forgive me!”
“Jinghao is injured?” Mu Fengyan feigned surprise and stepped forward to look at Xue Chun'er Xue Yiniang: “Did she sprain her leg?”
Xue Yiniang quickly bowed and replied, “Yes, Jinghao has a severe ankle sprain. I have already set the bone for her, but her foot is badly swollen and needs daily massage to heal quickly.”
Mu Fengyan nodded and turned to Yin Luo, saying, “In that case, Jinghao, you should rest for a few days and cooperate with Xue Yiniang. You can come back to serve me once your injury has healed.”
Yin Luo lowered her head: “This servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness.”
Mu Fengyan nodded again, glanced at her once more, and pointed to Li An De: “It’s fine with Xue Yiniang here. You, come with me.”
Li An De did not dare to be slow and responded with a quick “Yes,” hurrying to follow him out.
Once Li An De informed him of the details, Mu Fengyan let out a heavy sigh of relief: “Fortunately, fortunately, my elder brother passed by.”
Li An De glanced at him, hesitating to speak.
Noticing his expression, Mu Fengyan said, “If there’s something to say, just say it directly. There’s no need to be so hesitant.”
Li An De responded and took a step forward, saying softly, "I can see that the Emperor really likes this Quiet Palace Maid. Since he likes her, why not take her as a consort? This way, the Emperor wouldn't have to be so secretive."
Mu Fengyan squatted down, his gaze looking into the distance, lost in thought.
After a long while, he turned to Li An De and said, "This matter should not be mentioned again in the future. I do not wish to bind her with the terms of the Harem, nor will I marry her."
With that, he strode away.
Li An De watched him hurry off and sighed inwardly: The Emperor must have his reasons. His feelings for that Quiet Palace Maid are indeed strange; they seem close, yet there is always a distance between them. Moreover, that Jinghao's character, at least from what I have observed over this time, appears affectionate but is actually quite ruthless. It seems no one can truly enter her heart.
*
Late at night, Yin Luo finished writing a letter.
There was a knock at the door. She extinguished the lamp, took the letter, and limped to the door to ask, "Who is it?"
The person outside replied, "Qin Family Young Master."
Yin Luo immediately opened the door and handed the letter directly to him, lowering her voice to instruct, "Make sure it reaches Qin Girl."
The person replied, "Understood."
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