She had clearly seen the Emperor riding a horse, leading many Imperial Guards up the mountain. It looked like he was also searching for someone.

But this didn’t make sense. The Emperor, a man of immense importance, wouldn’t personally go out to look for two unknown female members of a Hou Mansion.

Then, Xie Wan Yu recalled the events of the past few days.

The Emperor had no consorts and had never shown favor to any woman. In the Emperor’s eyes, there was no distinction between men and women, only the hierarchy of ruler and subject.

Any palace maids with improper intentions who tried to climb the ranks were severely punished.

Any young lady who dared to show ambition to become a consort and approached the Emperor at a court banquet would be sent out of the palace in disgrace.

Therefore, Xie Wan Yu was extremely shocked when the Emperor so lightly dismissed her sister’s offense.

She thought the Emperor might not want to fall out with the Empress Dowager and gave the Xie family some face, so he let her sister off. But now, on second thought, it didn’t seem quite right…

“Auntie, are we really going to be sold?” Yu Xiao Bao’s hands were tied, pulled forward by a rope. Xie Yu Hua was the same.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiao Bao,” Xie Yu Hua suppressed her fear and comforted Xiao Bao.

They had accidentally fallen into a trap and called for help, attracting the hunter who had set the trap.  They thought they were saved, but the hunter had malicious intentions and tied them up, intending to sell them!

Xie Yu Hua shouted loudly to the hunter in front, “I am the fourth young lady of the Yongning Hou Mansion. If you dare to do anything to us, you will surely face dire consequences.

But if you release us now, I will forget about this and pretend I never saw you.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I’ll believe you? Such pretty young ladies, they’ll fetch a good price.”

Seeing that their clothes were made of fine materials, they must be the daughters of wealthy families.  The hunter couldn’t let them go. What if they came back for revenge? It was better to sell them quickly and get a large sum of money.

Yu Xiao Bao looked helplessly at Xie Yu Hua, who was also distraught and tearful.

“Will I not see Mother anymore…?” Yu Xiao Bao understood the hunter’s words.  Thinking of being sold and never seeing her mother again, she immediately became sad, tears streaming down her face.

Xie Yu Hua had initially held back her tears, but now she couldn’t help but cry too.

The hunter was annoyed, grabbed the rope, turned around, and raised his hand to slap Xie Yu Hua. “Shut your mouth! Stop crying!”

At that moment, an arrow pierced the air.

“Ah!” The hunter screamed, clutching his hand and falling to the ground, rolling in pain.

The arrow had pierced his palm.

The sound of horses’ hooves approached. Xie Yu Hua and Xiao Bao looked back and saw a team of soldiers in black armor approaching.  At the head was a man in dark blue robes, his bearing magnificent and his eyes sharp and gloomy, making people dare not look directly at him.

Yu Xiao Bao happily jumped up. “Auntie, look, someone’s here to save us!”

Xie Yu Hua was stunned, unable to believe what she saw.

If she wasn’t mistaken, those soldiers were Imperial Guards, and the man at the head was… the Emperor.

The blooded steeds stopped, and the Imperial Guards dismounted, guarding the Emperor on both sides.

Two Imperial Guards untied the ropes on Xie Yu Hua and Yu Xiao Bao’s hands and gave them waterskins to calm them down.

After escaping death, Xie Yu Hua’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground.

Yu Xiao Bao, being small, didn’t know the identity of the person in front of her.  She was especially happy and ran to Shen Tuo, tugging at his clothes and complaining, “Uncle, that bad man was going to sell us! Quickly catch him!”

“Good girl.”

Shen Tuo’s hand fell, his fingers brushing across Yu Xiao Bao’s head.

His large hand grasped the child’s neck, turning her around.

“Yu Xiao Bao, close your eyes.”

In the mountain forest, the grass and trees trembled.  Looking around, there were Imperial Guards everywhere.

“Cough, cough.” Yu Ning had been shouting for a long time, her throat hoarse. She leaned against a tree trunk, gasping for breath, her eyes scanning the boundless forest in front of her.

White beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face was pale.

A child can’t run far, and Xie Yu Hua, a sheltered young lady, doesn’t have much stamina. They definitely couldn’t have gone far.

But they couldn’t find them after searching nearby. Had someone taken them away?

Yu Ning had been a bandit, agile and skilled, easily traversing mountains and rivers, fighting and drawing her sword effortlessly. But now, her mind was blank, her head dizzy, her legs weak, only willpower keeping her going.

She couldn’t imagine what she would do if Xiao Bao was lost.

This was what it felt like to lose a child.  Now, she finally understood her mother’s feelings when she had lost and regained her child.

“Found them, found them!” Xie Zhi An hurried over to give his daughter the news, leading Yu Ning down the mountain.

“How are they? Are they injured?”

“They seem to have some scrapes, but they’re fine. We were looking in the wrong direction. They’re in the forest ahead.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they found them. The guards returned to their ranks, while Xie Zhi An and Yu Ning went to pick up Xiao Bao and Xie Yu Hua.

“The Imperial Guards found them and took them ahead to see the imperial physician. Ning’er, don’t worry, Xiao Bao is fine.”

Yu Ning nodded, relieved. “Good, it’s good that they’re found.”

The father and daughter were led by the guards to the carriage carrying the imperial physician, but they found it surrounded by Imperial Guards.  Standing in the center was the master of the Imperial Guards—the Emperor.

Yu Xiao Bao and Xie Yu Hua were sitting on two small stools, heads bowed, looking like they had done something wrong. Xie Yu Hua had some scrapes on her hands, and a female physician with a medicine box was applying medicine to her.

Xie Zhi An pulled Yu Ning to bow, and after standing up, Yu Ning immediately ran to Yu Xiao Bao and asked if she was hurt.

Shen Tuo was behind them, but Yu Ning wasn’t nervous or afraid.  Her heart was completely focused on her daughter, not even glancing at him.

“No, Mother, I’m fine.” Xiao Bao’s face was dusty, as if she had just crawled out of a dirt pile. Her hands also had some scrapes, which had already been treated.