Chapter 69.2

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd felt a chill down their spines. How despicable—he didn’t even spare his own sister-in-law. But who dared to speak of it? If someone with bad intentions heard, they could lose their head.

“Oh no! The Dagen family is really done for this time!” someone lamented.

“Will it affect us?” Others began to worry about their own safety.

Mrs. Zhou quickly reassured them, “Don’t worry! It was my mother-in-law and I who discovered that the Dagen family was hiding the princess. Early this morning, my father-in-law reported it to the county, and the county magistrate promised us that they will only punish the offenders’ family, not involve anyone else. Everyone, rest assured!”

The villagers, hearing this, felt uneasy, as if they had swallowed a fly. They exchanged looks, originally thinking that today they would drive the Dagen family out of the village, but now this situation had turned into something else.

However, the attention of the villagers quickly shifted away from the Xiang family, and curiosity about the events at the village’s end grew. Some bolder individuals couldn’t resist their curiosity and had already headed towards the Dagen family.

Meanwhile, He, the magistrate, and his entourage hurriedly arrived at the foot of East Mountain. From a distance, Pear Blossom saw that her small courtyard was surrounded by eight or nine officers, with guards at both the front and back doors. The people inside had no way to escape.

Pear Blossom had the system check the situation inside the house. The system reported, “Xia Xunyan and Dong Yun are in your house, one standing, the other sitting, both silent. Your mother is holding Fubao in the courtyard, walking back and forth anxiously. Fubao is crying. Your father and Daniu were originally digging a hole in the mountain but have now quietly come down, pretending to return with firewood. However, they are blocked at the back door and cannot enter. Erniu is still up on the mountain tending to the cows.”

Upon hearing that Dong Yun was inside, Pear Blossom’s heart raced. Sister Dong Yun knew she wasn’t home in the morning, so why was she at the house now, and why was she in the same room as Teacher Xia? The two rarely interacted on ordinary days.

When she heard Fubao crying, Pear Blossom’s heart ached. Why wasn’t Sister Dong Yun comforting Fubao?

But there was no time to think about this now. What mattered was how to handle the situation with Teacher Xia. The magistrate was determined to bring back the princess, but he was acting like he was capturing a criminal. It was obvious that if Teacher Xia was taken away, the consequences would be dire.

Pear Blossom’s mind raced with anxiety.

At that moment, the magistrate had dismounted and stepped forward. The officer at the front immediately reported, “My Lord, everything is surrounded. Even if they had wings, they couldn’t escape!”

The magistrate, hearing this, praised them and waved his hand, commanding, “Break down the door!”

Pear Blossom quickly called out, “Wait! My mother is in the courtyard. Let her open the door; there’s no need to break it down!”

The magistrate, irritated, shot her an impatient look and shouted, “Hurry and have her open it!”

Pear Blossom took a deep breath, approached the door, and knocked, raising her voice, “Mother, it’s me. Please open the door.”

Upon hearing her daughter’s voice, Mrs. Xiong relaxed. She tried to put Fubao down, but the child began crying. The east room door was tightly shut, and no one knew what was going on inside, so she could only carry Fubao over to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, several officers rushed in like wolves, knocking Mrs. Xiong off balance. Fubao, startled, began crying loudly.

Pear Blossom quickly helped her mother up, took Fubao from her arms, and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it from here.”

Only then did Mrs. Xiong cover her arm and stand to the side. Pear Blossom gently comforted Fubao, who stopped crying when she saw the all-powerful Pear Blossom arrive. However, the little girl’s nose was red, looking particularly pitiful.

She sniffled and said, “Pear Blossom, mother… mother…”

Pear Blossom embraced her, gently shushing her. “It’s okay, with Pear Blossom here, mother will be fine. Fubao, be good and don’t cry, alright?”

Fubao clung to her neck and nodded.

At this moment, the back door was suddenly slammed open, and the four or five people who had been guarding the rear rushed in.

Several constables quickly searched the rooms and finally ran to the clerk, saying, “my Lord, except for this room, there is no one else in the others. Liu Dagen’s family, except for the youngest son, is all here.”

The clerk nodded, his gaze fixed tightly on the door, his eyes red, and his hands trembling in his sleeves.

As long as this door opened, endless riches and glory awaited.

Beside him, Mrs. Xiang impatiently interrupted with a shrill voice, “It’s this room! Yesterday when I came, I heard a woman’s reading voice coming from here. Curious, I climbed to the window and saw a woman in her twenties in white sitting inside. She had fair skin, a delicate nose, and a pointed chin, exactly as the jailer had described.”

The clerk’s face showed unmasked joy, and he desperately suppressed his excitement. His voice trembled as he commanded, “Someone, break down this door!”

Everyone held their breath. Pear Blossom’s eyes were fixed on the door, her heart in her throat. Her only hope was that Teacher Xia was not the princess.

If she was, a new plan would be needed.

Murong Jin’s face remained taut, his eyes like a leopard’s, focused on the door.

Several constables, upon receiving the order, stepped forward. Just as they were about to break down the door, it suddenly creaked open. A woman in white appeared at the door.

This was what the moon goddess of the Guanghan Palace must look like, untouched by the world but exuding the aura of scholarly grace.

All eyes were on this woman, and the constables’ faces lit up with frenzied joy, as though they had spotted prey.

However, Murong Jin’s tense expression instantly softened into a smile when she saw Xia Xunyan.

The rumored Princess Mingyue was said to be plump, proud, and unapproachable. Her instincts told her that the woman before her could not possibly be her.

The aura was wrong! The feeling was wrong!

The clerk, who had been so confident, was stunned, and his smile instantly disappeared, his face turning ugly.

Mrs. Xiang screamed, “It’s her! my Lord, it’s this one! Yesterday, I saw her! This family has been hiding her. The people who came to the village last time were looking for this woman, but they hid her! my Lord, you must arrest her!”

Xia Xunyan stood at the door, her gaze as cold as ice, scanning the crowd of heads before her. She spoke coldly, “Is all this trouble just to find me, Xia?”

The clerk’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He slapped Mrs. Xiang across the face.

Mrs. Xiang staggered and cried out, covering her face. “My Lord, why are you doing this?”

The clerk roared, “Are you blind?” He trembled with rage and pointed at Xia Xunyan. “Look at her! Plump? Sharp chin? Eyes full of sharpness? This is not the person!”

Mrs. Xiang, feeling wronged, cried, “It’s a misunderstanding, sir! The jailer only said the woman had a high nose and sharp chin. I saw this woman was incredibly beautiful, with noble manners, just as the jailer described. That’s why I reported it. I’m wronged!”

Outside, everything was in chaos, but all eyes were still on Xia Xunyan as she walked forward.

However, in a corner behind the door, a person stood quietly like an invisible shadow. Only Pear Blossom, who was familiar with every inch of the room, noticed the faint figure through the crack in the door.

When Fubao opened her mouth to call out for her mother, Pear Blossom quickly covered her mouth, leaning close to her ear and whispering, “Don’t call out, not yet. Wait until they leave. Pear Blossom is here…”

Fubao, confused and with red eyes, dared not speak. Tears streamed down her face.

Pear Blossom looked at her, her heart aching, and gently soothed her.

The clerk, whose earlier excitement had been dashed like a bucket of cold water, was now furious with Mrs. Xiang, who had leaked the information, and furious with the jailer for not handling things properly. The person before him was not the target he had been looking for, and capturing her would do no good.

Suppressing his anger, he tried to save face. “Who are you, woman? Do you have any identification papers?”

Xia Xunyan stood straight, her voice calm. “I am Xia Xunyan, the eldest daughter of the Xia family in the capital, and the late General Zhennan’s wife. On my way through Jingyang County, I was captured by mountain bandits. Thankfully, Pear Blossom from Daliushu Village saved me from dishonor. My identification papers were lost during this time. I was just planning to report it to the authorities and have them reissued, but it seems the officials have come to me today, so I shall report it all together.”

Upon hearing this, the clerk trembled, realizing he had messed with the wrong person. This was the eldest daughter of the former prime minister’s family. Even though Xia Xun’s father had retired, his influence remained, and many officials in the court were his former students and allies. A small county official like him had no right to provoke such a person!

Not to mention her husband’s family—although her husband had passed away, the connections still ran deep and could not be severed so easily.

Talking in circles, it all comes down to people they couldn’t afford to offend!

Fortunately, the woman before him held no official position nor was she of noble rank, so at least there was no need to kneel before her. Forcing himself to maintain composure, he cupped his hands respectfully and said, “A misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding! I had no idea the Madam was present. It was due to vile rumors spread by petty individuals, claiming that fugitives were harbored in the village. Concerned for the villagers’ safety, we hurried here, only to cause this unfortunate incident. I beg the Madam’s forgiveness!”

Xia Xunyan stared at him expressionlessly and replied coldly, “If it’s just a misunderstanding, why are you still here? Leave at once!”

Master He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly bowed in farewell. However, just as he turned to leave, a clear and frosty voice echoed from behind him:

“I passed through your county and was attacked by bandits. I trust you will report this to your magistrate and ensure those scoundrels are swiftly captured, so justice can be served. This way, they won’t continue harming innocent passersby.”

Hearing this, Master He immediately turned back and replied, “This official will begin investigating as soon as I return. I will not fail the Madam’s request.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

“I dare not accept such thanks.”

With that, Master He waved his hand, and the constables, feeling as though they had been granted amnesty, hurried out the door.

Once on horseback, Master He grew increasingly frustrated as he reflected on the situation. Turning to the prison warden, he barked, “Bring Xiang Kui and his wife to the yamen! Filing false accusations and deceiving officials—such crimes deserve even harsher punishment!”

Without another word, he drove his carriage away without looking back.

The elderly Xiang couple, dragged and hauled by the constables, wailed loudly as they were taken away.

The other villagers, stunned by this unexpected conclusion, stood in confusion before dispersing in small groups.

Murong Jin, watching the icy and unyielding Xia Xunyan, couldn’t help but recall how this very woman had made Master He break out in cold sweat earlier. Admiring her even more, he smiled brightly and called out, “Sister Xia!” before eagerly following her.

Meanwhile, Pear Blossom had already carried Fubao into the house, closing the door firmly behind them.

The woman behind the door seemed unaware of her surroundings. She reached out with trembling fingers, only to find them icy cold. As she touched other parts of her body, she discovered the same chill everywhere, with only her eyes retaining a faint glimmer of life.

It wasn’t until she noticed Pear Blossom entering that her gaze shifted slightly, fixing on her in a daze.

Pear Blossom felt her heart break. Pulling her into a tight embrace, she whispered, “It’s over. They’re gone. I’m here.”

Little Fubao, seeing her mother at last, stretched out her tiny arms to hug her neck, crying, “Mama!”

Dong Yun’s lifeless eyes flickered, and she reached out to hold her child, murmuring, “Mama didn’t abandon you… Mama didn’t abandon you…”

She had resigned herself to being taken away today, knowing that taking Fubao with her would only lead to a worse fate.

Pear Blossom embraced the mother and daughter tightly, saying, “No one is abandoning anyone. You still have me. I want you both.”

Dong Yun leaned her head against Pear Blossom’s, tears streaming silently down her face.