She planned to tell everyone at dinner that she had a secret technique that could move them hundreds of miles overnight while they slept.
If she didn't tell them, and they woke up tomorrow morning in a strange place, realizing they had traveled hundreds of miles overnight, they would surely be panicked.
Actually, she had wanted to say it during lunch, but as the words reached her lips, she suddenly felt it would be better to say it at dinner.
"Master, I'll catch up after I finish eating," Xiao Hei's voice suddenly entered Huangfu Yue's mind, catching her off guard.
"I see you. You are currently above Xu Yuqing's carriage," Huangfu Yue replied to Xiao Hei with a smile in her heart.
During lunch earlier, she had intended to call Xiao Hei to her side to eat with them. However, she feared that doing so might scare Yang Wanqian, who was timid and easily frightened, causing her to be unable to eat. Therefore, she had asked the spatial realm to send some food and place it on a tree for Xiao Hei to eat.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Hei had a bit of a stomachache. Just as it was about to eat, it suddenly needed to relieve itself. By the time it returned, they were already finishing their meal.
She had asked the spatial realm to send medicine out and place it next to its lunch. After it took the medicine, she instructed it to eat later and then catch up to them, as they wouldn't wait by the river for it.
Since it could fly fast, it would be able to catch up to them quickly.
And she had kept the connection with it open, so she had been seeing and hearing everything it saw and heard. She could now see the roof of Xu Yuqing's carriage, indicating that it was directly above Xu Yuqing's carriage.
"Master, I heard Xu Yuqing talking about you and the Grand Consort," Xiao Hei reported. "She said..."
"I heard it. She said it's all my fault and Grandmother's fault." Xiao Hei seemed to have forgotten that the connection was open and that it could hear everything it heard.
Jiang Shangyun, who was driving Xu Yuqing's carriage, asked Xu Yuqing why she had fallen. Xu Yuqing said it was all her and Grandmother's fault. Her tone clearly indicated she was grinding her teeth, and her voice was filled with deep resentment.
As expected, Xu Yuqing had been faking it all along.
She hadn't reflected, had a profound realization, or mended her ways even after being severely punished and given "poison."
She still felt it was her and Grandmother's fault, blaming them, and completely unwilling to admit that it was all her own doing and that she was the one at fault!
Truly incorrigible!
She wondered if she would reveal what happened before, when she was punished and fed poison and threatened, letting Jiang Shangyun and the others know.
Grandmother had instructed everyone present to keep it a secret and not to leak a single word to anyone else.
If Xu Yuqing dared to reveal it, the small red board that had been used earlier to slap her mouth would come in handy again.
Seeing Xu Yuqing slap her own mouth until it bled, she found it quite satisfying.
She felt that forcing Xu Yuqing to hit herself was more satisfying than hitting her herself.
"Eldest Young Lady, how can your fall be the fault of the Old Madam and Miss Yue?" a voice that sounded somewhat aged and filled with curiosity and confusion suddenly entered Huangfu Yue's ears.
Huangfu Yue thought for a moment. This seemed to be the voice of the wet nurse by Xu Yuqing's side. She remembered the person's surname was Song, and she was known as Nanny Song.
"They..."
"Second Young Madam, are you overthinking things? Your fall should have been an accident. How could it be the fault of the Old Madam and Eldest Young Lady?"
Inside Xu Yuqing's carriage, she was filled with grievances when she thought of Consort Zheng and Huangfu Yue, enumerating their faults and scolding them. However, she was interrupted by Jiang Shangyun as soon as she spoke.
Xu Yuqing frowned, her expression displeased. Jiang Shangyun knew nothing, yet he assumed it was an accident and spoke up for the old hag and Huangfu Yue, which was truly hateful!
Xu Yuqing opened her mouth to curse Jiang Shangyun, but she saw Jiang Shangyun give her a meaningful look. She followed Jiang Shangyun's gaze and immediately saw a raven flying in the sky next to the carriage.
She instantly thought of Huangfu Yue and inwardly felt a sense of foreboding!
This raven understood human speech and would surely report what she said to Huangfu Yue.
Fortunately, Jiang Shangyun had noticed its presence and reminded her in time.
She had only said that it was Huangfu Yue and her grandmother's fault, and hadn't cursed them. Otherwise, she would be in great trouble.
She wondered why the raven was near her carriage. Could it be that Huangfu Yue had specifically sent it to monitor her? To see if she had truly repented?
"My fall was indeed an accident. The reason I said it was Yue'er and Grandmother's fault is because they told me to walk faster, which is why I fell...
Actually, it's all my carelessness, and it's not at all Yue'er and Grandmother's fault... It's all my own mistake." Xu Yuqing quickly tried to cover up, explaining specifically for Xiao Hei.
Hearing Xu Yuqing's words, Huangfu Yue in front felt a wave of confusion.
Why had Xu Yuqing suddenly... Strange!
Since Xiao Hei hadn't seen Jiang Shangyun give Xu Yuqing a meaningful look, nor had Xu Yuqing noticed it, Huangfu Yue hadn't seen it either.
"Eldest Young Lady, you need to be careful when walking in the future. Make sure you don't fall again. Look at how you've hurt your forehead and mouth... This old servant's heart aches for you!"
Nanny Song hadn't realized that Xu Yuqing was trying to cover up and seemed to be explaining to someone. She believed her words and said with a pained expression.
Hearing Nanny Song's words, Huangfu Ying, who was being held by Fang'er, looked at her mother's injuries and showed a pained expression. Her small mouth quivered, and she wanted to cry.
"Mother, did it hurt a lot when you fell and scraped your forehead and mouth?"
"It's alright, it doesn't hurt much. Don't cry... You, girl, don't cry at the slightest thing!" Xu Yuqing quickly shook her head and comforted her daughter.
"I don't cry at the slightest thing on purpose, I just..." Huangfu Ying wanted to explain, but her mother interrupted her.
"Mother knows. It's all because of Mother... You are a good girl, a very good girl!"
Xu Yuqing reached out, picked up the little girl sitting on Fang'er's lap, and placed her on her own lap, reaching out to stroke her daughter's small head.
When she wasn't angry and her heart was free of rage, she was still good to her daughter, a gentle and loving mother.
"Ying'er, you must remember what Mother said. Don't cry at the slightest thing in the future, don't shed tears. Crying too much is bad for your health, especially your eyes."
"Mm-hmm." Huangfu Ying nodded vigorously. Seeing her mother's gentle and loving demeanor, she became bolder and hesitantly said, "Mother, don't argue with others anymore, especially don't argue with your eldest aunt... She has so many servants... you'll suffer..."
"Earlier, I saw your eldest aunt's maid tightly gripping you and refusing to let go. You were in so much pain, and Ying'er wanted to save you but couldn't. I was so anxious and scared..."
Although Huangfu Ying was young, she was already sensible. From the earlier argument and scuffle between her mother and Zhu Jiayi, she realized that her mother had fewer servants than Zhu Jiayi, and her mother couldn't win and would suffer.
Recalling how her mother was tightly held by Zhi Shuang earlier, her hand being pressed and kneaded forcefully, causing her immense pain and tears to stream down her face, the little girl was still shaken and very scared.
Hearing Huangfu Ying's words, Nanny Song, Fen'er, and Fang'er all felt the same way and were still lingering in fear.
"Eldest Young Lady, Miss Ying's advice is correct. You should not conflict with the eldest branch anymore. We are outnumbered by the eldest branch, and their servants are twice ours. We are no match for them at all," Nanny Song advised.
Fen'er and Fang'er nodded in agreement. Nanny Song looked at Jiang Shangyun with an expression of gratitude. "Fortunately, Lord Jiang stepped in to save you earlier. Otherwise, who knows how you would have been bullied by that Zhi Shuang and suffered more...
Thinking about what happened before, I'm still trembling."
Because Nanny Song was full of gratitude towards Jiang Shangyun, her address to him had changed; she respectfully called him Lord Jiang.
Hearing Nanny Song mention Jiang Shangyun saving her earlier, Xu Yuqing also showed a grateful expression towards Jiang Shangyun.
"Guard Jiang, thank you so much for your help earlier!"
"Uncle Jiang, thank you for saving my mother earlier... This is candy that my paternal aunt gave me. I want to give it to you... Ah..."
Although Huangfu Ying was young, she already knew how to be grateful. She jumped down from her mother's lap, took out a piece of candy, and ran towards Jiang Shangyun, wanting to give him candy to repay him.
However, she had only taken two steps when the carriage was moving, and her small body swayed, losing her balance. Seeing that she was about to fall, the little girl screamed in fright...
"Miss Ying, don't be afraid!" Jiang Shangyun quickly extended his hand and held the little girl, who was not far from him, before she could fall.
"Thank you, Uncle Jiang." Huangfu Ying, after Jiang Shangyun helped her regain her balance, patted her small chest with her little hand in fright. She had thought she would definitely fall.
Xu Yuqing, who had initially thought her daughter would definitely fall and had turned pale with fright, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her daughter narrowly escape the fall and not fall. She quickly went to pick up her daughter.
"Why did you suddenly jump down and run forward, you girl? Don't you know the horse is running and the carriage is moving, so it's very unstable...
Fortunately, Guard Jiang reached out and supported you just now, preventing you from falling. Otherwise, you would have cried again, you little girl." Xu Yuqing lightly tapped her daughter's small head and scolded her.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think that far. I just wanted to give Uncle Jiang some candy to thank him..."