Under a reminder from Feng Qishi, the woman in the carriage stopped crying.
Next, Mu Anxiao entered the carriage and glanced at You Xian, who was still drunk and unconscious, muttering, "Why isn't she awake yet?" After thinking for a moment, she bent down, lifted the curtain, and looked at Feng Qishi standing beside the carriage, saying, "Hey, come up here for a moment."
"What for?" Feng Qishi asked coldly.
"Just come up if I tell you to," Mu Anxiao said impatiently. Not wanting to embarrass Feng Qishi, she mouthed instead, "You won't die."
Immediately, Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's mouthed words. Frowning slightly, he looked at the approaching soldiers who were about to leave with two men in black and said, "Wait a moment."
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao lowered the curtain.
"Yes." They responded in unison.
Feng Qishi glanced at them, lightly got onto the carriage, then lifted the curtain covering the interior, and looked at Mu Anxiao, who was crouching in front of You Xian, asking in a low voice, "What do you want to do?"
"Help me wake her up."
"What do you want to wake her up for?" Feng Qishi asked, bending down behind Mu Anxiao and sitting down beside her.
By the dim lantern light inside the carriage, Mu Anxiao saw Feng Qishi's questioning face clearly and said, "Just do as I say. I..."
"Why should I listen to you?" Feng Qishi retorted coldly.
Hearing Feng Qishi's devoid-of-warmth tone and considering his current identity, Mu Anxiao sighed, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She said gently, "Help me out, please."
"You're asking me, you..."
"I have something to tell her."
"She doesn't even recognize you. Are you sure she won't cause trouble when she wakes up?" Feng Qishi said faintly.
At this moment, Feng Qishi's words echoed Mu Anxiao's own worries. If even Yao Hun didn't recognize her, what were the chances of You Xian recognizing her? She hadn't thought about it, and dared not.
However, based on her past experiences confronting You Xian, if she didn't act now, You Xian might be influenced by Yao Hun. What if they became enemies?
Therefore, for the smooth progress of future missions, she cast aside all her worries, her eyes firm. "It's alright, I have a way." In truth, she hadn't come up with a solution yet.
Feng Qishi looked down at Mu Anxiao's determined expression, then glanced at the sleeping You Xian. He said, "I'll help you, but don't drag me into this."
"Definitely not," Mu Anxiao replied, pointing at You Xian. "Once you wake her up, you can get down."
"Alright." Feng Qishi agreed casually. He raised a finger, quickly cast a spell on You Xian, and then got down.
After Feng Qishi left, Mu Anxiao shifted all her attention to You Xian. She was still crouching in front of You Xian, looking up at You Xian's stirring eyes, and said, "You're awake."
"I..." You Xian slowly opened her mouth, her eyes opening as she raised her hand to her forehead. "Where am I?" She sat up slightly, looking around, but deliberately avoided looking at Mu Anxiao.
Seeing You Xian like this, Mu Anxiao felt anxious. "Look at me."
"Look at you..." You Xian said, her gaze finally settling on Mu Anxiao's face. "Who are you?"
As expected, she didn't recognize her.
To alleviate her own awkwardness, Mu Anxiao smiled at the dazed You Xian, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm the one who saved you."
"Saved me..." You Xian said, her eyes brightening. She looked around again and asked, "Wasn't I competing with them? Why... did I end up here?" As she spoke, her eyes met Mu Anxiao's.
Mu Anxiao calmly looked at You Xian, whose face was full of questions, and said unhurriedly, "To be frank, someone in the palace fancies you, and I'm taking you to the palace now."
"Going to the palace?" You Xian understood Mu Anxiao's words, but her goal was to find Yue Ci and get her dagger back. Moreover, her father had always told her since she was a child that the imperial palace was the most terrifying place, filled with many fearsome people.
Therefore, she had never yearned for the palace.
Now, the person in front of her was telling her she had to go to the palace. Naturally, she felt resistant. "No, I can't go to the palace," she said again.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "Why?"
"No reason. Let me pass, I want to get down, otherwise," You Xian frowned, her eyes turning cold, "I won't be polite." As she spoke, she reached out.
Mu Anxiao did not dodge. Instead, she calmly glanced at You Xian's slowly extended hand and said, "If you don't go to the palace, I will die."
"Die?" You Xian was startled and withdrew her hand.
Mu Anxiao said seriously, "To be frank, I am from the Mu household. My name is Mu Xiao. Like you, I have been ordered to enter the palace to serve the Empress."
"You're a woman?" You Xian asked cautiously.
Mu Anxiao nodded, raised her hand to touch her hair, and then lowered it. "Yes, I am a woman. I wanted to escape, but," she took a deep breath, "as soon as I arrived at this inn, I overheard your conversation with those two."
"Where are they?" You Xian reacted.
"They're outside, but they've been arrested because," Mu Anxiao said earnestly, "I reported them."
"You saved me, but why do I still have to go to the palace?" You Xian was confused.
Mu Anxiao sighed lightly and said, "It was those two. They planned all this while you were drinking. I originally intended to rescue you directly, but..." She stopped speaking, putting on a sad expression.
"What happened?" You Xian asked.
"But they said that the person who wants you to go to the palace is not to be trifled with. Most importantly, they saw me. They said if you didn't go to the palace, they would report me. You know, I have to go to the palace too, and if I let you go, they won't let me off."
"I can't go to the palace," You Xian shook her head.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "Why?"
You Xian hesitated for a moment and said softly, "I'm actually here to find someone."
"Find someone?"
"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have been captured so easily by those two. In any case," You Xian lowered her gaze slightly, "I cannot go to the palace. Once I enter the palace, I will never be able to come out again."
"How do you know you won't be able to come out?"
This was the first time Mu Anxiao had heard of this, so she thought You Xian was being overly cautious.
On the contrary, You Xian became serious. "My father knows many people, and most of them sent their daughters to the palace. They said that once they enter the palace, they can never leave. In short... it's particularly tragic."