Chapter 62: What Young Lady Is This?
“Young Lady!”
Maidservant Bi Yun was the first to see the youth driving the carriage. Although she hadn’t yet seen if there was a young lady inside the carriage, she shouted loudly as if grasping at a lifesaver.
Duke Ding’an, Liu Changqing, and the others who had been pulling and arguing also stopped their quarreling and looked over.
Their gazes ignored the youth leading the horse and instead looked toward the carriage. The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing two women.
“Chan’er!”
“Liu Chan!”
Cheng Yuan and Yang Hui said in unison.
Mo Zheng extended her hand, helping Liu Chan jump down, then extended her hand to Yang Luo again.
Yang Luo looked at her, grabbed her hand, but didn’t jump down. Instead, she pulled Mo Zheng slightly into the carriage.
“A Sheng, you…” she said hoarsely, “are a woman?”
Mo Zheng looked at her, stunned for a moment, seemingly somewhat shocked. But then she thought of the form of address Liu Chan had blurted out to her, and her expression became uneasy again. She hesitated for a moment, then firmly accepted the fact that Yang Luo had seen through her.
Her expression carried apology as she said softly: “Yes, I’m a woman. I had no choice but to hide it from you, young lady. I’ll explain to you later.”
A woman, ah. Yang Luo was dazed, then suddenly somewhat enlightened. Some things that had always felt strange before now had answers.
Why a hunter youth would have makeup powder.
Why, after being injured, he refused to undress in front of her no matter what.
Although he always said men and women should keep their distance, actually, in getting along with her, this woman, there was an indescribable ease, and not the slightest awkwardness involving men and women.
So under this man’s skin was a woman.
Yang Luo’s mind was in chaos, and the sounds in her ears were also in chaos.
“Young lady, are you alright?”
“Chan’er, are you okay?”
“Chan’er, what exactly is going on?”
“Father and Mother, that’s Liu Chan.”
“Liu Chan, you’re really the wicked complaining first, actually inciting your family to come make a scene at our house!”
The Liu Family people and Duke Ding’an’s Mansion people who had originally been tearing at each other all gathered around. Liu Changqing looked at his daughter, Yang Hui rushed straight to Yang Luo still sitting in the carriage, and for a moment everyone was talking animatedly.
Duke Ding’an lagged a step behind, looked at his daughter, then at Liu Changqing, feeling something was off: “Which one is Miss Liu?”
Yang Hui reached out and pointed at Yang Luo still sitting in the carriage: “Her.”
Liu Changqing and Cheng Yuan looked at her, then at Yang Luo in the carriage.
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Cheng Yuan shouted, pointing at Liu Chan standing beside Liu Changqing, “This is my junior sister.”
Yang Hui glared over. The lights in front of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion were bright, and the woman standing beside Liu Changqing was graceful with a delicate face, a stranger’s face.
“You’re the one spouting nonsense! Pretending to be dumb!” Yang Hui shouted, then looked back into the carriage. Although the person was still sitting inside and her face somewhat blurred, Yang Hui remembered this face clearly even in her dreams, “This is Liu Chan. I went to school with her. How could I not know?”
Duke Ding’an looked at the one Cheng Yuan pointed to, then at the one his daughter pointed to, even more confused: “Which one is it exactly?”
This time, the response to him wasn’t Yang Hui or Cheng Yuan, but the sound of footsteps, and a cold male voice.
“Right, hurry and tell everyone, this young lady, are you Miss Liu, or…”
Everyone’s gazes were drawn over again, their expressions startled. The embroidered uniform guards originally surrounding them parted, and Wei Jiao walked over slowly, casually drawing a saber from an embroidered uniform guard’s waist and spinning it in his hand, flourishing cold light.
“…Miss Yuan.”
The words seemed addressed to Yang Luo sitting in the carriage, but unlike the others, his gaze was on the young guard standing beside the carriage, his hand still supporting the young lady, dusty and unremarkable.
“…Or perhaps not a young lady at all.”
What did it mean, not a young lady at all?
The atmosphere became even stranger. Everyone looked at each other, seeming more confused, yet also perceiving something wrong.
“Chan’er, what exactly is going on?” Liu Changqing frowned and said, looking at Liu Chan.
Duke Ding’an’s gaze no longer darted around. A father wouldn’t mistake his own daughter: “This is Miss Liu? Hui’er, did you mistake her?”
Yang Hui glared: “How could I mistake her!” With that, she looked at Wei Jiao. Actually, ever since Wei Jiao appeared, her gaze had been on him, “Wei Jiao, why are you here?”
Her expression was joyful. Could it be he came specially to see her?
Yes, she was Princess Pingcheng’s companion reader, and Wei Jiao was close to Princess Pingcheng, so naturally he wasn’t ordinary toward her either.
Yang Hui hurried toward Wei Jiao.
“Wei Jiao, you’ve also been to the National Academy—no, you haven’t met her. You know, right? This is the princess’s companion reader, Miss Liu.”
“These things aren’t important. You came at the right time. The Liu Family people came to make trouble at my house. Hurry and arrest them!”
But she couldn’t reach Wei Jiao’s side. A nearby embroidered uniform guard stepped out, blocking Yang Hui, saying nothing, just brandishing the cold saber in his hand.
Yang Hui was scared and didn’t dare take another step, shouting “Wei Jiao.”
Under the bright lights, Wei Jiao’s fair face glowed, his eyes sharp, not looking at the young ladies, ignoring Yang Hui, only looking at the young guard.
“This time I’ll chop two more strikes,” Wei Jiao said, full of enthusiasm, “What young lady will appear now?”
With that, he waved his hand. With a leap, wrapped in saber light, he slashed toward the young guard standing beside the carriage.
This sudden action startled everyone present, and the women all let out shrieks.
“Stop—”
Yang Luo, originally sitting in the carriage, shrieked and jumped down, blocking in front of the young guard.
“Wei Jiao, she is Duke Ding’an’s Mansion’s young lady!”
With a clang, the saber struck the carriage shaft nearby, sparking firelight that illuminated the two pale faces in front of the carriage.
Wei Jiao looked at these two faces, somewhat dissatisfied: “How is it still this line? Nothing new? Then I’ll just go straight for the head.” With that, he raised the saber again, arching his brow.
Mo Zheng wanted to push Yang Luo away, but Yang Luo stood firmly in front of her, not looking at Wei Jiao, but at Duke Ding’an.
“Uncle!” she shouted, grabbing Mo Zheng’s hand and pushing her forward, “She is your niece, your younger sister’s daughter who was lost outside—”
She is? Mo Zheng’s body stiffened slightly, feeling Yang Luo squeeze her hand hard.
Mo Zheng lowered her gaze, her face taut, unmoving.
Daughter? Wei Jiao’s hand gripping the saber paused slightly, frowning.
Ever since Wei Jiao appeared, the others had become even more confused, and were also frightened by the scene of him swinging the saber to murder. The women were still unsteady on their feet, Duke Ding’an also rigid. At this moment, hearing these words, he stared dazedly at the youth being pushed by this woman.
Who?
What?
“For safety, the young lady changed into men’s clothing—” Yang Luo looked at Duke Ding’an, her voice choked, hurriedly continuing, “Uncle, we went through so much hardship to finally reach the Capital City. Uncle, Madam is gone. You don’t know how terrible things were—”
“I know!!”
A sharper female voice rang out, so loud it was hoarse and piercing, shattering everyone’s eardrums.
Everyone looked over dazedly again, seeing Duke Ding’an’s Wife standing nearby at some point, her face deathly pale. The next moment, she stumbled toward them, throwing her arms around the young guard.
“My child, my child, it really is you. I’ve searched so hard for you.”
Duke Ding’an’s Wife cried loudly, then pulled the young guard over in front of Duke Ding’an.
“This is your niece, our poor niece who was lost outside.”
With that, she raised her hand and fiercely struck Duke Ding’an’s arm.
“What are you standing there stunned for! You’ve lost your mind!”
Whether it was from Duke Ding’an’s Wife’s punch, or the reminder from “lost outside,” or shaken awake by “lost your mind,” Duke Ding’an’s face suddenly became pained, then instantly deathly pale.
“Ah, ah—” his voice hoarse, “You are—”
Mo Zheng raised her eyes.
“I’m Yang Luo,” she said, looking at Duke Ding’an, “Uncle.”
