Upon seeing An Xin's smiling face, Xu Ruolan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Yes, Xin'er is the most sensible!"
An Xin slowly, bit by bit, pulled the hairpin from her hand, her voice as cold as if it had been doused with water: "Sister is clearly a treacherous person, both on the surface and inside, do you understand?"
Xu Ruolan's expression suddenly froze.
An Wan suddenly opened her eyes wide.
An Xin held the hairpin in her hand, looked at Xu Ruolan, and smiled, "Mother, the capital has been in great turmoil these past few days. Yan Zhen has arranged for you and Father to leave the city with the Emperor's entourage. Please make some preparations."
Xu Ruolan asked urgently, "Xin'er, what about you?"
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "Mother, don't worry, I'll be fine. Steward Xu will stay to help me, but Lu Zhu and Jin'er will go with you."
Xu Ruolan said worriedly, "Xin'er, you..."
“Mother, my sister will be alright, let her stay!” An Wan interrupted Xu Ruolan. “If you’re worried, Mother, I’ll stay and keep my sister company.”
Xu Ruolan's face suddenly turned pale.
An Xin said calmly, "No need. You should go back with your mother. Staying here will only cause trouble."
An Wan retorted defiantly, "Sister, if you can stay, why can't I? Is what you're doing in the capital something shameful?"
An Xin suddenly gave An Wan a sharp look, but still suppressed her anger and said, "I have something important to do."
Xu Ruolan then came to her senses and frowned, saying, "Wan'er, how can you speak of your sister like that? What your sister is doing is a great thing for the country and the people, and even the Emperor and Empress Dowager highly approve of it! You must not talk nonsense anymore."
An Wan pouted and said, "Mother, don't I know my sister? What can she do? Besides, if she happens to succeed, the Emperor and Empress Dowager will definitely reward her handsomely. At that time, she's so stingy, she definitely won't think of me."
An Xin's smile widened, but her eyes were chillingly cold. "Mother, I'll go see if there's anything else to pack."
Xu Ruolan sighed, patted her hand and said, "Xin'er, you are the older sister, please be more tolerant."
An Xin smiled faintly and said, "I understand."
Xu Ruolan nodded and said, "If you insist on staying, I can't stop you. I just hope you come back safely, okay?"
An Xin's smile softened. "Don't worry, Mother."
Xu Ruolan's eyes reddened again, and she waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead."
An Xin gave An Wan a cool glance. An Wan, who was having her own thoughts, suddenly stiffened when An Xin stared at her. She quickly looked away, but then felt that she had no reason to be afraid of her. She looked at An Xin again, only to find that An Xin had already gone far away.
××× ×××
An Xin looked at the sky. A few clouds had drifted in from somewhere in the clear blue sky. As she looked, An Xin's expression suddenly changed, and she turned around and ran home.
Seeing An Xin run back after going out, Xu Ruolan asked in surprise, "Xin'er, what's wrong?"
An Xin grabbed Xu Ruolan and said, "Mother, don't wait for the Emperor's procession. Call Jin'er and the others and leave the city immediately!"
Xu Ruolan asked blankly, "Why the sudden rush? Besides, the Emperor hasn't even left the city yet, how can we set off?"
An Xin casually tied the package shut, but her words were brief: "Listen to me!"
An Wan said dismissively, "Mother, I'm sleepy. I'll take a nap first before I leave."
Dewdrop pulled An Jin in and hurriedly said, "Madam, Miss, the young master accidentally fell into the water and is soaking wet."
Xu Ruolan rushed forward, flustered, saying, "Dewdrop, quickly go and get the young master's clothes. Xin'er, there's no rush to leave. Your father is still in the palace; let's wait for him..."
An Xin grabbed An Jin and said, "Let's go right now!" Her unusual sternness, and the fact that she was always so respectful to her parents, surprised Xu Ruolan with her sudden decisiveness.
"An Xin! How dare you speak to your mother like that!" An Wan stood up abruptly, filled with righteous indignation.
"Shut up!" An Xin interrupted her sharply, but didn't even look at her. While packing her things, she instructed, "Dewdrop, go and tell Steward Xu to prepare a carriage. Don't bring anything from the manor. I'll find a way to send it over later."
Dewdrop had always trusted Anxin, and since Miss Anxin had said so, there must be a reason. She immediately turned around and ran out.
An Xin grabbed An Jin's shoulders, leaned down and looked into her eyes, saying, "You're a man, you have to protect the people around you, understand?"
An Jin opened her eyes wide and immediately nodded.
An Xin said, "Find some dry clothes to change into and gather in front of the carriage immediately."
An Jin turned and ran outside.
An Xin took out a small bag of silver from her sleeve and stuffed it into Xu Ruolan's hand, saying, "Mother, you go first. I'll inform Father right away, and we'll meet outside the city gate. Remember, you must get out of the city gate first. Don't ask why, there's no time!"
Xu Ruolan trembled slightly and grabbed An Xin's hand, saying, "Xin'er, do you know something? Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?"
"Mother, just trust me. I will explain to you later. There's no time now. I need to go to the palace. You should leave the city immediately." An Xin hugged Xu Ruolan and turned to walk out.
Xu Hai rushed over, and An Xin said as she walked, "No matter what, we must get my mother out of the capital, especially that An Wan. If she tries anything funny, knock her out and carry her out!"
Xu Hai had long been convinced of An Xin's abilities and repeatedly said, "Miss, don't worry, it's just that the silkworm silk..."
An Xin's eyes darkened as she said, "We'll get the Heavenly Silkworm Silk soon. Let's not worry about that today, let's get out of the city first!"
Xu Hai immediately replied, "Yes."
An Xin walked very fast, and in the blink of an eye she was out of the gate. She saw a man leading a horse past the gate. She moved quickly, grabbed the man's wrist, and the man suddenly felt pain. An Xin had already grasped his reins and mounted the horse.
"Ah! In broad daylight, they're shooting!" A young man shouted, clutching his wrist.
An Xin had already whipped her horse and sped away.
She was no stranger to horses, having ridden in a carriage with her father in her previous life. Now it seems that learning more things will always come in handy.