Qin Yining didn"t understand why an old servant of more than two decades would suddenly turn traitor. His earlier words of "for the stability of this country" floated back up.
She really wanted to know what was cooking in Qitai"s mind.
"Hurry miss, let"s go!" Jiyun led Qin Yining with one hand and dragged Bingtang with the other, speeding to the rear yard. The poor maid was stunned with fright.
The masked men were both surprised and angry to see that Qin Yining"s maid knew martial arts. Fists waved as they came in hot pursuit, spewing malicious threats in their wake.
If Qin Yining had never experienced such things, she might really be scared senseless. But thanks to the rich experience of her youth and partic.i.p.ating in negotiations, being chased by killers, and almost eaten by the empress, she"d trained the ability to be calmer the more danger she was in.
The men weren"t armed and were all dressed like commoners. Though they were masked, it didn"t hide their southern accents. So it would seem that people from Great Yan wanted to kidnap her this time.
She was more worried for her father than her own safety. She had an expert by her side for protection, so her life wouldn"t be in danger. As for father… hopefully Cao Yuqing would be able to do what needed to be done.
A mult.i.tude of thoughts flitted through Qin Yining"s brain in the span of a breath. The three girls rounded the corner to see no one guarding the bamboo fence of the rear yard.
Jiyun kicked the yard door open with a smooth motion, Qin Yining and Bingtang scrambling to follow her. The three ran into a quiet alley off to the side.
The dozen men were hot on the chase.
Unfortunately, there were many twists and turns in the alley. The many nooks and crannies ended up being convenient hiding spots for the three girls.
Mu Jinghu caught up to them when there was no one around. "Why didn"t you let me make a move just now?"
"Something"s really off about this, Sir Mu. Just follow us in private. Don"t come out if my life"s not in danger."
Mu Jinghu gazed into Qin Yining"s eyes, exceedingly bright in the night light. He was inadvertently reminded of a wild beast on the hunt, his hairs rising at the a.s.sociation. She"s the same kind of person as the Sly Fox Pang alright!
"Alright, as you say." He turned and vanished into the shadows.
A thundering cacophony of boots marching in lockstep and horse"s hooves abruptly sounded from outside the alley. There was also the jangling of armor intermixed between the sounds.
Qin Yining"s pulse raced, exchanging an incredulous glance with her maids.
"It"s the army! Only our army can possibly appear here!"
Bingtang was flabbergasted. "Has the world gone mad?! Why does our army want to capture us??"
"Maybe they"re here to capture those bandits…?" Jiyun pushed Qin Yining and Bingtang behind her, sidling to an intersection to sneak a peek out.
The sight that greeted her eyes made her heart pound.
The men who"d been chasing them earlier seemed to be making a report to the officer that"d surrounded the alley. They plainly knew each other!
"Miss, this is bad! They"re in cahoots with each other!"
"What should we do?" Bingtang"s voice trembled.
Qin Yining compressed her lips and thought furiously. "I have a plan, but it"ll put Bingtang through some suffering."
The maid swallowed hard and nodded with hesitation. "Go ahead miss, I"ll do as you say."