The banquet started early, with men and women seated separately. By the time they finished, the sky was not yet completely dark.
On the way back, Madam Bai was willing to talk to Wang Qingyao.
"You and Prince Ding'an seem to get along well."
"Heh..."
"The Old Imperial Concubine also likes you quite a bit."
"Heh heh..."
"You're quite resourceful."
"Heh heh heh..."
Madam Bai shifted her posture. The carriage was dim, and she thought Wang Qingyao couldn't see her expression clearly. A strange curve formed on her lips. "When you were little, a fortune teller predicted that you would bring misfortune to your parents and were an ill omen. However, the State Preceptor Feng Fu said you had a noble destiny that ordinary people couldn't suppress."
She let out a couple of laughs, her voice hoarse and eerie, as if squeezed from her throat.
"What do you think?"
She raised her head and looked at Wang Qingyao. Wang Qingyao's face was blurred, and she couldn't see it clearly. With the enhancement of her clairvoyant eyes, Wang Qingyao saw her expression perfectly.
A sense of unease rose in her heart. She subtly glanced outside and said with a smile, "I don't believe in fate."
Outside was the road back to the Wang family, but it wasn't the main road they had taken. The young driver was urging the horses on at a breakneck speed, as if in a great hurry. The trees on either side blurred into streaks of shadow as they rushed past.
Madam Bai sighed, "You're still too young. How can anyone not believe in fate?" A fierce glint appeared in her eyes.
As her words fell, the driver pulled sharply on the reins with a "Hoo!" The galloping horses stopped abruptly, their front hooves rearing high, letting out a long neigh.
The moment Wang Qingyao was thrown forward, she steadied herself by gripping the small window. Madam Bai and Wang Qingyao sat facing each other, their bodies leaning back, their backs pressed tightly against the carriage wall.
"What's going on?" she called out to the driver, not opening the door.
Wang Qingyao could already see five or six burly men in rough, patterned clothes, their faces masked and carrying large sabers, standing in front of the carriage.
The driver trembled and reported, "Madam, we've encountered bandits."
"Ah!" Madam Bai cried out in alarm, her face changing drastically. "How could this happen?"
She looked at Wang Qingyao, her tone filled with self-reproach and anxiety, but her expression was twisted and ferocious. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let the driver take the shortcut. I was worried about Linlin and eager to get home. It's all my fault. If anything were to happen to you, Yao Yao, how would I face your deceased parents?"
Wang Qingyao watched her performance silently.
The bandits shouted, "This road belongs to us, this tree was planted by us. If you want to pass, leave your toll money!"
The driver stammered, "Ma... Madam..."
Wang Qingyao hadn't brought much money with her to the banquet, only a small purse containing some silver fragments, totaling less than three taels.
She cooperated by throwing out the purse and then took off her jewelry and threw it out as well.
Madam Bai sneered, watching her as if she were watching a play.
She smiled at Madam Bai, "Didn't the First Madam hear? The bandits want money!"
Saying this, she yanked the jewelry from Madam Bai's head and hands and threw it out. Madam Bai winced in pain, her anger flaring up! This slut!
Wang Qingyao's face was smiling, showing no sign of the panic one would expect from encountering bandits.
She didn't cry or make a fuss.
She wasn't even afraid.
Madam Bai stared at her as if she were a monster.
After taking the money and valuables, the bandits wanted to take them as well.
"Your hands are quite tender. Come out and let us have a look! If you're pretty, you'll come back with us as our bandit queen!" the bandit leader roared with laughter, and the others joined in with their own boisterous laughter.
"Big Brother, don't waste it. This is an official's daughter. We haven't had the chance to taste an official's daughter before! Why not all have a taste?"
With lewd expressions and vulgar remarks, Wang Qingyao frowned.
Madam Bai's lips curved slightly, and a look of provocation flickered in her eyes.
As long as Wang Qingyao was captured by these bandits for a night, even if nothing happened, her reputation would be ruined.
The Ding'an Prince's estate might not care about her looks, but could they ignore her chastity?
She bared her teeth, smiling silently. She wanted Wang Qingyao to be a hundred, even a thousand times more miserable than Wang Qinglin!
Wang Qingyao also smiled at her, then stuck out her foot and kicked Madam Bai out of the carriage.
Madam Bai, caught off guard, fell face-first into the dirt.
The bandits saw her face clearly and were disappointed. "Why is it an old woman?" they grumbled. "Weren't we told it was a beautiful young girl?"
"She's not that old. All women are the same in the dark."
"A married woman has more experience; she knows how to please."
The bandits chuckled and joked amongst themselves. One of them reached out to grab Madam Bai, but Madam Bai suddenly looked at the carriage. "Second Miss, you must not come down. Stay hidden, and absolutely do not let the bandits see your face."
"Oh, there's another one hiding!"
The bandit's hand, which had been reaching for Madam Bai, changed direction and moved to lift the carriage curtain with the tip of his saber.
Just then, a sword flashed from the side, striking the bandit's wrist. The bandit cried out in pain, "Ahhhh!"
"Who dares to interfere in our business?" the bandits snarled and swarmed forward.
As the hidden guards of the Ding'an Prince's estate, Jin Tiao's skills were far beyond what these ragtag bandits could handle. He didn't exert much effort before the bandits fled in disarray.
Madam Bai stared blankly at Jin Tiao, who had descended from the sky, her heart filled with bitter hatred. So close, just one step away! How could this slut be so lucky?
The chivalrous Jin Tiao showed no tender mercy. Without even glancing at Madam Bai, who was lying in a pathetic heap on the ground, he strode away.
The driver prostrated himself in the direction of his departure. "Thank you, great hero! Thank you, great hero!"
He then went to help Madam Bai up, but his hands were hesitant to touch her. "Madam, are you alright?"
Madam Bai had lost money and soldiers, gaining nothing. The bandits had never even seen Wang Qingyao's face.
Useless!
She supported herself on the carriage and stood up unsteadily. "I'm fine."
Her mind raced. She had thought it was foolproof, that Wang Qingyao had revealed her face too early. Wang Qingyao wasn't stupid; she would surely guess that she had bribed the bandits from the clues. However, she had left no evidence, and the bandits had already fled and disappeared. There was nothing Wang Qingyao could do. Moreover, would a young lady dare to make a fuss about such an incident?
The driver called out to the carriage, "Second Miss, don't be afraid. The bandits have been driven away by a great hero. Could you come out and help Madam?"
Only then did Wang Qingyao lift the curtain and peek out, her delicate face pale. "Have they... gone?"
The driver nodded.
Wang Qingyao put on a look of shame and distress. "I... I... my legs are weak, I can't get out of the carriage."
Madam Bai glared at her.
Her expression then turned to gratitude. "Thanks to the First Madam, who bravely stepped forward at the critical moment."
Madam Bai climbed onto the carriage using the shafts and entered the carriage without a word.
Wang Qingyao instructed the driver to pick up all the scattered jewelry. Upon inspection, several pieces were missing.
"Oh dear, never mind the others, but one of them was a memento left to me by my mother..." Her eyes immediately reddened. "Those damned wretches! I'm going to report this to the authorities!"
Madam Bai's expression jolted.