Not expecting Zhang Xin to react so strongly, Xia Mingzhe couldn't just let her leave. He knew Zhang Xin's personality somewhat; she was a bit spoiled and childish, but usually cheerful and easygoing, rarely bothered by anything, and seldom sad. This incident had probably frightened her.
"Sigh..." After getting off the small couch and calling out to Zhang Xin, Xia Mingzhe didn't know what to say. He sighed inwardly, thought for a moment, and finally asked, forcing himself to speak, "Is something on your mind, Your Highness?"
To his surprise, the question struck a nerve. Zhang Xin immediately looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. Xia Mingzhe instantly realized the gravity of the situation. Seeing the little princess already crying, he panicked even more and became flustered.
Then, Zhang Xin, who was sobbing uncontrollably, said, "If I hadn't insisted on chasing that damn fox, A-Hao wouldn't have gotten into trouble. But how did my brother get into trouble too? He's such a powerful person... He always protects me, but now that he's in trouble, I can't do anything and I'm just making things worse. How useless I am! I even caused you to get hurt..."
Xia Mingzhe listened to her remorse and self-blame, worried that she was under too much pressure. No one wanted to see something like this happen, and it was definitely not her fault. Even if she hadn't chased after the snow fox, those people wouldn't necessarily have let Song Shuhao go. As for encountering the two white tigers, that was an unexpected turn of events.
"No...Your Highness, you absolutely did not harm me!" Xia Mingzhe said solemnly, and in the blink of an eye, Zhang Xin rushed into his arms. He couldn't dodge in time and was caught in the arms of this little princess. Needless to say, his injured hand was injured, and he quickly removed his other hand. Zhang Xin burst into tears against his chest, and Xia Mingzhe dared not move.
Ling Xiao came over to check Xia Mingzhe's injuries and change his dressing. She lifted the tent flap and walked in, only to witness this scene. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly retreated. Looking around at the people guarding outside, she thought to herself, "Why didn't anyone tell me beforehand?" Frustrated, she carried her medical kit to the side to wait.
·
Having teased Song Shuhao once, Zhang Yu was in a good mood. He picked up his long sword and took Ahao to find food. As they passed through the fence, he saw a dilapidated corner. He turned to look at Ahao and saw her looking away, pretending not to know anything. It was quite amusing.
Imagining Ah Hao wielding his black iron sword like a woodcutter, Zhang Yu couldn't help but think of the phrase "a waste of a precious resource." What Zhang Yu couldn't understand even more was that Ah Hao had managed to use his sword until the blade was dull; one would think he had done something extraordinary.
Getting out of here won't be easy, and it's even harder for outsiders to sneak in. Resting and recuperating is the most important thing, and the first problem to solve is food. This is Zhang Yu's experience after escaping death in this place, so he doesn't have any doubts.
Ah Hao followed closely behind Zhang Yu, neither daring to stick too close nor to stray too far. Not far from the fence was a patch of waist-high weeds; this was the wilderness, and who knew what kind of poisonous creatures might be lurking there.
Seeing Zhang Yu stop, A-Hao stopped with him. She thought Zhang Yu was checking the situation, but saw him reach out his hand to her, turning slightly to the side and saying, "Hold on." A-Hao was too cowardly to extend her hand, and then heard Zhang Yu say, "Whether you want to go back to feed the worms or get bitten by poisonous snakes here is up to you."
She hadn't died from jumping off a cliff, so why would she want to die here? Zhang Yu's words immediately took effect, and Ahao no longer hesitated to place her hand in his palm. Zhang Yu took it and pulled her closer to him, but he didn't forget to control his strength because of the blood blisters on her palm.
Ah Hao's hands were small, soft, and a little cold, while Zhang Yu's hands were large and warm. Zhang Yu led the way, using his longsword to push aside the weeds and walk into the woods, carefully watching out for any venomous snakes that might appear at any moment. Even when he noticed that Ah Hao's palms were sweaty, he didn't let go of her hand.
After a close call, the two of them reached the edge of the woods. Because it was winter, some trees were bare, but many pines and firs still retained their vibrant green. Without providing complete shade, sunlight could filter through the trees.
Birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other living creatures could be seen not far away. Ah Hao originally thought it would be fine to let go of his hand here, but Zhang Yu only glanced at her, so she shrank back and continued to be led by him, obediently following behind him.
She didn't know how to describe it, but seeing Zhang Yu snatch a wild rabbit with a single thrust of his longsword still left her somewhat incredulous. Although subconsciously, she knew this person was indeed capable of such a feat.
Zhang Yu easily caught three rabbits and a pheasant, with A-Hao following happily behind him, picking them up. Zhang Yu didn't venture deeper into the woods; feeling he had caught enough, he stopped. Turning around to take A-Hao back to the hut, he saw her holding the rabbits and pheasant, grinning foolishly at him.
So, Zhang Yu's lips curved slightly. Since he was also responsible for clearing the way, he didn't take the things from Ahao's hands. Instead, he grabbed her arm and said, "Let's go back." Ahao smiled blankly for a moment, then nodded emphatically.
·
The journey back was fairly smooth. Although a venomous snake suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Zhang Yu beheaded it with a single sword stroke, posing no threat whatsoever. It must be admitted that Zhang Yu was so reliable at this moment that A-Hao forgot his most common violent side in the past.
While Zhang Yu was searching for prey, Ahao gathered some wild berries from the woods. Back at the hut, she busied herself with preparations. Zhang Yu didn't sit down to rest; instead, he personally took charge of processing the game. It wasn't exactly touching, but it certainly made Ahao look at him in a different light.
After washing the wild fruits to use for roasting meat later, Ah Hao took a bamboo pole from the fence, split it into strips, washed them, and prepared them to skewer the food. Zhang Yu's method of processing prey was simple, brutal, and so bloody that it was shocking. Chopping off the head cleanly was nothing unusual, but gutting and skinning the prey was undeniably violent, though there was no easier way.
Ah Hao took the initiative to start a fire ahead of time, and soon after, Zhang Yu used the bamboo strips she had prepared to skewer the cleaned wild rabbit and pheasant and carried them into the thatched hut. The two sat around the firewood pile, watching the food slowly cook over the fire.
During this time, Ah-hao casually cut open the wild fruit he had brought back, squeezed out the juice, and sprinkled it on the food. It didn't necessarily make it more delicious, but it was still a little better than tasteless white meat.
Only then did they have a moment to relax, and Zhang Yu finally asked Ahao what had happened the day before. After carefully recalling the events, Ahao explained the situation to Zhang Yu. She tried to be as detailed as possible, and Zhang Yu didn't miss a single detail.
After hearing Ah Hao's explanation, Zhang Yu had a plan in mind. He didn't say anything to Ah Hao, but deliberately asked, "What did you do to offend someone you shouldn't have? That someone would be willing to go to such lengths to do this?"
Ah Hao was momentarily embarrassed, but she seriously considered whether she had offended someone. The only person she could think of who she had unknowingly provoked was Prosecutor Zhao, but he didn't seem to have any reason to take her life.
If there are other possibilities, could she be someone from the former Duke of Wei's mansion? Back then, when her mother met with misfortune, the Empress Dowager protected the Song family and brought justice, leading to the downfall of the Duke of Wei's mansion. How could the descendants of the Duke of Wei's mansion not hate her?
"Could it be... the Yang family from back then?" Ahao asked Zhang Yu hesitantly. Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying, but Ahao understood from his eyes that it wasn't that. She shook her head and said again, "This servant really can't think of anything."
Zhang Yu remained silent, calmly flipping the food he was grilling. Then, as if having made up his mind, he looked at Song Shuhao, slightly raising his chin, and asked, "So what will you do in the future?" Before Shuhao could answer, he added, "I can protect you. What will you give in return?"
Ahao felt she understood what he meant, yet she didn't want to. She stared straight at Zhang Yu, without making any move or replying. After a long silence, Ahao looked away and said, "Your Majesty has already saved my life, and I have no way to repay you. Perhaps the only thing worth anything is this little life of mine."
Zhang Yu seemed unsurprised by her answer, his expression remaining calm, but he nodded and said, "Fine, from now on your life belongs to me. If you betray me, I will kill you."
Ah Hao glanced cautiously at Zhang Yu, and seeing that he wasn't joking, she nodded seriously and said, "Okay."
Chapter 29 Later Blessings
If they traveled by fast horse, it wouldn't even take a day to send a message from the winter hunting grounds to the palace.
When Xie Lanyan received the news that Zhang Yu and Song Shuhao had fallen off a cliff and gone missing, she had just finished breakfast and was practicing calligraphy in her study. She was sensitive to the cold, so the palace servants had lit many charcoal braziers in the study, making it warm but somewhat stuffy. Haitang was attending to her, preparing brushes and ink for Xie Lanyan.
Haitang didn't know what was written on the letter, but she did notice Xie Lanyan's darkening expression. She cautiously guessed and dared not say anything. When Xie Lanyan handed the letter back to her, she tore it up and threw it into the charcoal brazier to burn.
Haitang returned to her desk, somewhat disapproving of her mistress's unusual outburst, but simply awaited orders. It wasn't until much later that she heard, "Who else is in Song Shuhao's household?"
The sudden question made Haitang, who had been looking down, straighten up. After thinking about it carefully, she answered Xie Lanyan, "A mother who has been mentally ill for many years, an aunt with whom I still have some contact, and a cousin from the aunt's family who is about to take the imperial examination."
Xie Lanyan was silent for a moment after hearing this. Then she put away the calligraphy she had just written and quickly picked up her pen again to write a letter. After putting the letter into an envelope and sealing it herself, she handed it to Haitang and instructed, "Send the letter out as soon as possible."
Haitang responded, noticing the special marking on the envelope, realizing it meant it was extremely urgent, which surprised her even more. However, she had no right to comment, so she ultimately put the letter in her sleeve, took her leave, and went out of the study.
After Haitang left, Xie Lanyan was left alone in the study. She got up and walked to the window, opening it and letting in a blast of cold air. Leaning against the window, the cold wind made her even more awake.
She gazed silently at the bleak scenery outside the window, lost in thought. After a long while, a smile bloomed on Xie Lanyan's previously expressionless face. That smile was filled with delight.
·
The truth is, Zhang Yu and A Hao were found in the early morning of the third day after they fell off the cliff, just before dawn. Prince Ning and Zhao Jian led their soldiers in a night-long search and finally found them in a cave. Zhang Yu was haggard but unharmed, but A Hao's condition was not good.
The next day, the day Zhang Yu awoke from his deep sleep, he prepared food and rested briefly before leaving the thatched hut with Song Shuhao. The hut was a good choice as a temporary shelter, but it was not a place to stay for long.
Besides, Song Shuhao's encounter with danger and her rescue were not part of Zhang Yu's plan. Even if things went wrong for a while, his plan still had to continue, so it was necessary to go back as soon as possible.
They used a longsword to carve the meat off the leftover pheasant and rabbit, wrapped it in the oiled paper they had prepared, and then filled two sections of a bamboo tube with water to carry with them. In this way, at least they wouldn't have to worry about water and food on the road.