The lock hung on the door, inexplicably lending a sense of desolation.
In the open space before the door sat a row of carriages.
Some of these carriages were their own, while the rest had been brought by Steward Jiang.
He had mentioned that he feared those following Sima Han would be too many, and the carriages wouldn't be enough, hence his preparation.
Sima Han naturally lavished him with praise; after all, it was a gesture of good will.
Of course, if it were someone else, they might have felt this was a deliberate insult.
Sima Han and his group were not such people, and thinking in such a way would be pointless.
The servants, under the command of Steward Jiang's men, had already boarded their respective carriages.
Sima Han and Yue Qingxin would ride in one carriage with Sima Shui Rong, while Huo Ying and Sima Shui Rong's wet nurse would share another.
Yi Zhiye, Nam Zhong, Lu Taobao, and Shen Xiaoming would travel together.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei, with the three children and their three nannies, would be in their own carriage.
This carriage was half again as large as a normal one. Zheng Wei had specially ordered it after the three children were born, so that all three could ride together with their nannies.
He hadn't expected that the convenience he sought then would save so much trouble now.
Otherwise, Shen Xiaoyan would surely have been in a constant state of anxiety.
During the journey, any number of accidents could occur. If the three children were not by her side, she would absolutely not be at ease.
At this moment, the nannies had already boarded with the babies, awaiting Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei to get on so they could depart.
As Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei reached the carriage and were about to board, a commotion suddenly erupted from the crowd.
These were the guards brought by Steward Jiang, who were supposed to be the most disciplined. How could they have caused such a disturbance for no reason?
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei exchanged a look, both feeling puzzled.
"Mimi, wait here for a moment. I'll go see what's happening," Zheng Wei instructed Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded and watched Zheng Wei walk away, then turned her gaze toward the crowd.
But when she saw a familiar streak of yellow in the gaps of the crowd, her face immediately showed shock.
Zheng Wei, now in the midst of the crowd, was also filled with astonishment as he discerned the cause of the commotion.
"Hua Dian Dian?"
The shadow, which had been darting and weaving through the crowd, stopped all movement upon hearing Zheng Wei's voice. Its eyes fixed on him.
The surrounding people were initially startled and fearful, unsure of what to do, and considering whether to attack Hua Dian Dian directly. Then they heard Zheng Wei's voice.
Especially when they saw Hua Dian Dian's reaction upon hearing its name, they were stunned into immobility.
Could it be that this spotted tiger had come looking for someone?
This was the simultaneous question in the minds of everyone present.
"Hua Dian Dian."
Zheng Wei waited for a long moment, but Hua Dian Dian did not rush to his side as it usually did. He called out again.
This time, Hua Dian Dian hesitated for only a second before quickly running to Zheng Wei's front.
"Young Master Zheng, you recognize this big cat?" Steward Jiang called out loudly from about six meters away, as if afraid Zheng Wei wouldn't hear him.
Zheng Wei bent down, patted Hua Dian Dian's head, and nodded, saying, "Yes, there's some connection with this spotted tiger."
"Is it Hua Dian Dian?" Shen Xiaoyan asked cautiously, having come up behind Hua Dian Dian without anyone noticing.
Upon hearing Shen Xiaoyan's voice, Hua Dian Dian suddenly turned its head and then lunged towards her.
This action stunned the surrounding guards, who were unsure whether to run or to quickly intercept Hua Dian Dian.
Before they could react, Hua Dian Dian was already lying at Shen Xiaoyan's feet, tightly hugging her leg with its two front paws.
Shen Xiaoyan looked down at Hua Dian Dian at her feet, at its large head, which was rubbing against her leg. Her nose tingled, and she felt tears welling up.
She crouched down, patted the top of Hua Dian Dian's head, and asked, "Did you know we were leaving, so you specifically came to see us off?"
Hua Dian Dian looked up at Shen Xiaoyan but remembered it shouldn't speak in front of people. It merely shook its head.
Yet, even this caused the surrounding people to gape in astonishment.
This spotted tiger could understand human speech?
Seeing Hua Dian Dian shake its head, Shen Xiaoyan felt a bit puzzled. Wasn't it here to see them off?
Could it be...
A thought struck Shen Xiaoyan, and her eyes narrowed. "You're not... you don't want to come with us, do you?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Dian Dian nodded suddenly.
Shen Xiaoyan was surprised and didn't know how to react.
She had already put Old Black, Hei Zi, Luo Luo, and Bai Bai into her spatial dimension.
Although Yi Zhiye and the others didn't ask or speak about it, they all had a general understanding.
They knew, but no one said it.
However, Steward Jiang and the others didn't know about this.
They weren't aware of the existence of Luo Luo and the other little creatures, which she could easily release upon arriving in the Imperial Capital with any excuse.
But now, she couldn't possibly put Hua Dian Dian into her spatial dimension in front of these people.
If she didn't put it in her spatial dimension, how could she bring Hua Dian Dian along?
Looking at the wary gazes of these people, Shen Xiaoyan had no doubt that if they felt Hua Dian Dian was a threat, they would unhesitatingly kill it.
Just as Shen Xiaoyan was at a loss for what to do, Yi Zhiye appeared beside her.
Shen Xiaoyan had been engrossed in her thoughts and hadn't noticed when Yi Zhiye appeared.
But the guards and Steward Jiang around them hadn't noticed how Yi Zhiye had appeared either.
They all knew that Yi Zhiye was the Grand Tutor.
Therefore, they were not surprised by this.
Although they were not old and had never seen Yi Zhiye before, seeing Steward Jiang bow to Yi Zhiye repeatedly and address him as "Grand Tutor" gave them a partial understanding.
"Hua Dian Dian is here? Do you want to come to the Imperial Capital with us?"
After asking, Yi Zhiye chuckled, "The Imperial Capital is so big, there must be many female spotted tigers. I can have someone introduce a few to you."
As Yi Zhiye finished speaking, he saw Hua Dian Dian glare at him, and Shen Xiaoyan watched him with a wry smile.
"Is that so? Did I say something wrong?" Yi Zhiye asked blankly.
Seeing Yi Zhiye's childlike face and his expression, he looked utterly like a submissive type.
"Hua Dian Dian is a female spotted tiger," Shen Xiaoyan said seriously to Yi Zhiye, word by word.