Two guards from Prince Qi’s residence turned pale and sprinted in the direction Jiang Si pointed.
Two guards from Prince Yan’s residence followed suit.
A Man planted her hands on her hips and shouted, “Are you two idiots? Why aren’t you attending to the Princess Consort!”
Why chase after them? The spooked horse was certainly Princess Qi’s doing—it would be better to let that wicked woman fall to her death.
A Man couldn’t understand what her mistress was thinking. Among all the capable guards in their residence, why bring these two dimwits? Even Long Dan would have been better than these two.
Seeing A Man’s expression, Jiang Si knew exactly what the little maid was thinking and couldn’t help but smile. She had deliberately chosen two slow-witted guards to accompany them, making it easier to set up this trap for Princess Qi.
Hearing A Man’s shout, the two guards hesitated in their steps.
Jiang Si, maintaining her facade of having just recovered from a shock, urged them, “Quickly, go help!”
“Yes, My Lady.”
As the guards ran off, A Man pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. “Mistress—”
“Let’s follow and see what happened,” Jiang Si said calmly.
“Mistress, your clothes are torn…”
Having removed her snow fox fur cloak while in the carriage, Jiang Si now wore only a cyan-colored dress. Looking down, she saw her skirt was torn and covered in dust.
“Never mind that, let’s go look.” Jiang Si walked forward, unconcerned.
As she moved, she felt a dull pain in her legs, likely from jumping out of the carriage.
Seeing Jiang Si’s slow movements, A Man’s voice changed in alarm: “Mistress, are you hurt?”
Jiang Si’s face darkened. “Stop fussing, just follow them.”
Seeing her mistress’s expression change, A Man dared not say more. After a few steps forward, she suddenly bent down and lifted Jiang Si onto her back, then began running.
Lying against A Man’s back, Jiang Si’s expression froze. “A Man, you—”
Running at full speed without breaking a sweat, the little maid chirped, “Don’t worry, Mistress. Your servant is plenty strong!”
After all, eating two steamed buns per meal wasn’t for nothing.
A Man found it amusing when A Qiao and the others occasionally teased her about her appetite. How could anyone be strong eating so little? Could they carry their mistress and run at crucial moments like this? Why did they think the mistress always brought her along for important matters?
While A Man entertained these proud thoughts, her feet never slowed, and they quickly caught up with the guards.
By then, everyone had reached the cliff’s edge.
Jiang Si watched as the two guards from Prince Qi’s residence pulled Princess Qi up from the cliff edge, her emotions complex.
She had insisted on following because she had anticipated this possibility.
In her previous life, she hadn’t fallen directly off the cliff but had been caught by a small tree growing from the cliff face. Princess Qi could have met the same fate.
After all, it was the same cliff, and that small tree was still growing in the same spot.
The difference was that in her previous life, Princess Qi had been the one to arrive, making death inevitable. But now, with Prince Qi’s guards arriving instead, Princess Qi was saved.
Was she disappointed?
Jiang Si felt no such emotion. Having calmed down, she felt a touch of pity looking at Princess Qi unconscious in the guard’s arms.
Sometimes, survival could be more tragic than death—a truth Princess Qi would soon understand.
“How is Princess Qi?” Jiang Si gestured for A Man to set her down and slowly walked over.
The guard holding Princess Qi stared at the two deep gashes on her right cheek, his expression terrified.
A shrill cry rang out: “Princess! Princess, what happened to you?”
Princess Qi’s maid rushed over, covering her mouth in horror as her eyes fixed on the Princess’s face.
The Princess’s face—
Jiang Si raised her hand to gently touch her cheek, feeling its smooth perfection.
Back then, when she had hung from the cliff’s edge, she had felt a stinging in her cheeks. She must have suffered similar injuries as Princess Qi, her face scratched by sharp rocks.
But at that time, she barely registered the pain, focused only on survival.
“Princess, Princess, please wake up!” Princess Qi’s maid cried out frantically.
Princess Qi remained unconscious in the guard’s arms.
Just then, four elderly servants arrived. The two from Prince Qi’s residence began wailing.
“Silence!” Jiang Si’s cold command cut through the air.
Everyone fell quiet, turning to look at her.
Supported by A Man, Jiang Si took two steps forward, her voice stern: “Whether today’s incident with the horse was intentional or accidental remains to be seen. You two elderly servants will take turns carrying Princess Qi back to the main road. One guard from each household will stay to secure the scene, while the other two will escort us back to the city. Furthermore—”
Jiang Si paused, turning to the pale-faced carriage driver in the distance: “Arrest this driver and take him to the Shuntian Prefecture!”
The driver froze.
He couldn’t follow Princess Yan’s logic—even if he was at fault, why the Shuntian Prefecture?
Before Prince Qi’s guards could react to Jiang Si’s words, the two guards from Prince Yan’s residence immediately advanced menacingly toward the driver.
They finally understood—today’s danger to their princess might well have been this driver’s doing!
Fortunately, Princess Qi was the victim. Had it been their princess, their lord would have skinned them alive upon his return from the south.
The driver snapped out of his daze and turned to flee.
“Don’t even think about escaping!” The well-prepared A Man threw a stone, striking the driver’s back of the head.
The driver’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed with a thud.
A Man jumped with excitement: “Ha! Got him!”
She knew those two foolish guards couldn’t be relied upon—it took her quick eyes and hands to get the job done.
A guard bent down to check the driver’s breathing.
A Man suddenly covered her mouth and turned to look anxiously at Jiang Si: “Mistress, I haven’t killed him, have I?”
The mistress said the driver was suspicious—it would be troublesome if she’d killed him!
“He’s not dead,” the guard called out.
A Man’s expression brightened, then quickly turned stern: “If he’s not dead, hurry and get him up. Didn’t you hear the Princess? He’s to be taken to the Shuntian Prefecture!”
After speaking, the little maid lifted Jiang Si onto her back again and asked, “Mistress, shall we return to the residence, or go to the Shuntian Prefecture?”
Jiang Si glanced at the still-unconscious Princess Qi and said expressionlessly, “One person can go to the Shuntian Prefecture to explain the situation to Official Zhen.”
“Then shall we return to our residence—”
“No, we’re going to the palace.”
This declaration startled everyone, especially Princess Qi’s maids, elderly servants, and guards.
Jiang Si ignored their reactions and said gravely, “Princess Qi needs medical attention. Let’s waste no more time—we leave now.”
Since Princess Qi hadn’t died, she naturally had a grand gift to present.
This time, reporting to the Shuntian Prefecture alone wouldn’t suffice—she needed to file a complaint with the Emperor himself.
One guard from each household remained at the scene while the others made their way back to the city.
Jiang Si headed straight for the imperial palace without delay.
Meanwhile, Prince Qi, who had been waiting expectantly in his study without leaving all day, received news from a hurriedly returning elderly servant.
“Your Highness, terrible news! Something has happened to the Princess!”