“Girl, this road must be the most bustling Zhuque Avenue!” Qingmei was more lively. She listened intently to the commotion outside, and suddenly exclaimed excitedly, “Qingxing and I came here when we first arrived in the capital. This is the busiest place in the whole city, with vendors selling snacks and all sorts of trinkets…”
An Ran smiled slightly.
There must be many people doing various small businesses on this street. Qingmei only remembers the snacks; she's still a child at heart! This is quite unlike the steady and reliable head maid she was in her previous life.
But she prefers carefree, lively, and cheerful girls.
"I wish we could go for a stroll sometime soon!" Qingmei said with anticipation.
Before Anran could speak, Qingxing nudged Qingmei. This trip to the Prince's residence wasn't a joyous occasion; everyone knew the young lady was going to become the prince's concubine…
“When we have the chance, we should go out for a stroll.” An Ran didn’t seem to care at all. She smiled and said to the two of them, “I haven’t been out since I returned to the capital. I’m really curious.”
Seeing that An Ran seemed to be in a good mood, Qingmei and Qingxing breathed a sigh of relief.
The street was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and haggling, which slowed the carriage's pace. Qingmei found it fascinating and several times tried to lift a corner of the curtain, but Qingxing's watchful gaze stopped her.
An Ran couldn't help but chuckle.
The carriage moved slowly, which inevitably made me feel a little tired. I leaned back comfortably on the large cushion and closed my eyes to rest.
It was noisy and bustling outside the car, and when it started to get a little commotion, An Ran just thought it was the voices of ordinary vendors and pedestrians.
The carriage, which had been moving smoothly and slowly, was suddenly stopped by the driver's shout, followed by the sound of a sharp object cutting through the air. The carriage stopped abruptly, and Anran was nearly thrown off the cushions by the jolting.
The horses pulling the cart let out a long neigh.
Qingxing and Qingmei were startled and tried to lift the curtain to look outside. Before they could do anything, the carriage suddenly accelerated, and they heard screams and the sound of something hitting something outside.
The driver's voice was completely useless; the once docile horse took off galloping wildly through the bustling street. The horse, in its panic, seemed to have crashed into something. A scream rang out, and even the driver was thrown from the horse.
Amid the chaos, some of the guards from the Marquis's residence tried to catch up with the carriage, but they were hindered by the fact that the street was in complete disarray, with pedestrians lying on the ground and vendors whose stalls had been overturned.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Qingmei and Qingxing were terrified, and Anran's face was deathly pale. The three of them were jostled about in the carriage, falling over and sprawling together. They clung tightly to anything that could be secured in the carriage to avoid being thrown out.
Qingxing and Qingmei were terrified. Who knew where the mad horse would run off to, and whether they would even survive!
An Ran was almost scared out of her wits, her screams barely audible. Could it be that all her hard work and careful planning after her rebirth were destined to end here?
How could she accept this!
At this critical moment, someone jumped onto their carriage, firmly grasped the reins, and blew some strange tunes.
Miraculously, the carriage gradually slowed down.
The carriage was forcibly pulled into a dead end, almost crashing into the wall before finally coming to a stop.
Fortunately, no greater damage was caused!
Only when it stopped did Anran's seven souls and six spirits seem to return to her body.
Qingxing and Qingmei hadn't even sat down properly when they hurriedly helped Anran up. They quickly looked Anran over and, seeing no external injuries, breathed a sigh of relief.
As the three hesitated about how to call for help, footsteps suddenly grew closer.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a handsome face.
With his thick, dark eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a slender, sharply defined jawline, An Ran felt a sense of familiarity. His aloof demeanor and piercing gaze... it was Marquis Pingyuan, Lu Mingxiu!
An Ran was startled.
She couldn't help but flinch. Even though the person who had just saved her was very likely Lu Mingxiu, she was still instinctively a little afraid of him!
"Are you alright?" A slightly cold voice rang in An Ran's ears.
An Ran was terrified and nodded almost instinctively.
Her face was drained of color, her pale complexion resembling delicate white porcelain. Seeing her panicked appearance, Lu Mingxiu unconsciously frowned. He remembered this young girl; she had been with the Princess Consort of Prince Yi last time, so she must be the Princess Consort's younger sister.
The illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an.
Although Lu Mingxiu had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the little girl's face when she lifted the carriage curtain last time, he still remembered it. She was a very pretty little girl. When his gaze swept over her, the little girl hurriedly pulled the curtain down.
A look of confusion flashed in Lu Mingxiu's eyes.
Even though she was the one who peeked at him first, it was as if he had scared her.
There was no way to stay in the carriage any longer. Just now, a few bandits had deliberately injured the horse in their escape, causing the carriage to run wildly through the streets to confuse the government troops pursuing them. Fortunately, Lu Mingxiu happened to be returning from his post; otherwise, an ordinary person might not have been able to stop the frightened carriage or know how to quickly calm the frightened horse, and Anran might have lost her life.
"Can we go?" Lu Mingxiu asked, noticing An Ran's pale face. His voice, though still indifferent, was much calmer. "The horse is frightened; we shouldn't stay in the carriage any longer."
After saying that, he quickly glanced at An Ran. The little girl's body hadn't fully grown yet, and she looked delicate; he was afraid she would get hurt if she jumped down on her own.
An Ran's outfit today gave Lu Mingxiu the illusion that she looked only eleven or twelve years old.
He reached out his hand to An Ran, gesturing for her to help him out of the carriage. The people from the Marquis's residence hadn't caught up yet; even if they did, it would only be the guards.
An Ran hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth. For the sake of her life, what was there to be coy about? Getting down was the right thing to do. So she shakily reached out and placed her hand on Lu Mingxiu's large hand. His somewhat rough palm actually made her feel at ease.
Lu Mingxiu had been wielding a sword for many years, and calluses had formed on his fingertips and palms. However, his fingers looked long and strong, with distinct knuckles. An Ran's fingers, which had never done any rough work, were slender and soft, but her palms were sweaty and slippery from the fright she had just experienced.
Anran was very nervous, and her breathing became rapid.
Lu Mingxiu used a clever trick to help An Ran up, almost half-embracing her as he helped her down from the carriage.
A faint scent of pine lingered in the air, and the unfamiliar man's presence made her uneasy. She almost held her breath until she was back on the ground, at which point her legs felt weak and she could barely stand.