"No father or mother at home, and no hope for the New Year.
'Alas, life will get better!'
Zhao Jiaqi got distracted, stepped on a firewood stick, and her body tilted backward. Her back of the head hit the windowsill with a muffled thud, and she slumped to the ground.
Shi Er, who had been hiding in the shadows, quickly emerged and caught her. When he wiped his hand, he saw a hand full of blood, and was immediately shocked: 'Princess, Princess?'
Princess?
The man did not expect this peasant woman in front of him to be a princess. He was so scared his legs went weak and he wanted to run, but Shi Er stopped him: 'You were sent by the Chu Mansion. You followed the Prince and Princess all the way. Our masters already know about this. Do you think you can escape from the temple after escaping the monk? Do you think you can hide if the Prince wants to find you?'
At this, the man's face turned even paler, and he trembled uncontrollably. He immediately knelt down to Shi Er: 'Sir, sir, I didn't do anything. The Princess fell by herself, and it really has nothing to do with me. I'm just a runner, I haven't done anything bad!'
He cried with a runny nose and tears streaming down his face. Why was he so unlucky? He was just a guard of the Chu Mansion, earning three taels of silver a month, but doing dangerous work!
Shi Er saw everything, which was why he didn't make things difficult for him. But if he had run, things would be different!
'Stop talking nonsense. Take your horse to the village entrance and take the Princess to the clinic in town!'
Upon hearing this, the man scrambled to his feet and immediately rushed out. Shi Er draped his black cloak over the Princess, wrapping her from head to toe.
First, it was to prevent the villagers from seeing her and saying inappropriate things. Second, it was to prevent the Princess from catching a cold on the way.
He carried her, moving swiftly, and reached the village entrance. He saw that silly boy riding over on a horse. He put the Princess on the horse and they galloped away.
The man didn't know what to do. He wanted to follow, but his legs couldn't keep up with a four-legged beast. He wanted to go back and wait, but he was afraid that if he said anything, he wouldn't be able to explain himself. So, he could only squat at the village entrance. If the Prince returned, he would confess and perhaps have a chance to live!
If he ran away, the Regent King would just say one word, and he would be found even if he hid at the ends of the earth. At that time, he would be better off dead than alive!
Time passed slowly. The people in the house noticed that Zhao Jiaqi had gone to boil water and hadn't returned for a long time. Granny Li went out to check on the situation.
In the kitchen, there was a pool of blood. The water kettle was bubbling on the stove, but the person was nowhere to be seen. She nervously came out of the kitchen and shouted several times in the yard. She searched the storeroom, the backyard, and every corner of the house, but she couldn't find her.
At this, she rushed into the house and said in a panic: 'Madam Fan is missing, and there's blood in the kitchen!'
'Ah?' said Madam Liu Qin.
With a cry, she ran out in her slippers, followed by a string of people. The four women turned the house upside down again, not even sparing the outhouse!
The village chief's wife waved her hands in distress, tears almost falling: 'How could a living person just disappear? How could this happen? What will we say to Fan Da when he returns?'
Madam Wang Zhang comforted her: 'There's not much blood on the ground. Perhaps she cut her finger and went to see a doctor herself to get it bandaged?'
At this point, they thought it made sense. They left Granny Li to guard the house, and the three of them rushed out of the yard and headed straight for the only doctor in the village.
As it turned out, the doctor hadn't seen Madam Fan at all today. The three of them became anxious and started searching house by house in the village.
Fan Zehao returned excitedly, driving his horse cart. Seeing Granny Li's dejected expression, he asked: 'Master, why are you sitting outside in this cold weather? Come inside!'
'Fan Da, you're back. Madam Fan said she was going to boil water, but then she disappeared. There's also some blood in the kitchen. I'm afraid something has happened?'
When she said this, Fan Zehao was stunned. He went to the kitchen and saw the bloodstain. Although there wasn't much, cutting a finger while chopping vegetables would definitely not happen under this window!
'You all stay here, I'll go find her!'
He rushed out of the kitchen, dismounted the horse, and mounted his own horse. His movements were swift and fluid. He raised the reins, and the horse galloped away.
The village chief and the others came back to their senses and let out gasps of admiration.
'We all know he's a hunter, but his riding skills are also so good. He must have some martial arts skills, no wonder he could catch wild boars!'
Granny Li, hearing them still chattering, got angry and retorted: 'You still have the mood to talk about that? Madam Fan is lost!'
The village chief thought he misheard. He cupped his ear and asked: 'Say that again, I didn't hear clearly!'
'Madam Fan can't be found, she's gone, and there's blood in the kitchen!'
When the village chief heard this, he was dismayed. He immediately ran to the kitchen and saw the meager amount of blood, like that from slaughtering a chicken. He didn't know how to explain it to himself.
Immediately, he began to organize the entire village to search. The men went up the mountain in groups, while the women searched in the village and near the entrance.
'I don't believe it. How can a living person just disappear into thin air!'
The village chief and his wife separated to organize people, almost turning the village upside down.
Meanwhile, Fan Zehao, with the man named Xiao Song, was heading to town. Halfway there, he met Shi Er, who had someone behind him.
Seeing his master, Shi Er dismounted and immediately knelt down, lowering his head in shame: 'It is my subordinate's fault for not protecting the Princess properly, causing her to be injured!'
Zhao Jiaqi sat on the horse, looking at the man who was coming towards her. During the time she had lost her memory, he had always taken care of her and never left her side.
This fall had made her remember everything she had forgotten. She smiled at the approaching man and stretched out her hands: 'I want a hug!'
Fan Zehao was surprised, but he still carried her down from the horse cart and held her tightly in his arms. Listening to his strong heartbeat, Zhao Jiaqi slowly closed her eyes, feeling extremely safe.
'I accidentally stepped on a firewood stick and slipped, falling on the windowsill. It has nothing to do with either of them. I just scraped the back of my head. The doctor said I shouldn't get it wet for a few days, avoid certain foods, and take some medicine, and I'll be fine!'
Fan Zehao held her, said nothing, but nodded vigorously. Then he put her on his horse and turned the horse around to head back to the village.
Shi Er and Xiao Song exchanged a glance, unsure what the Prince meant. Finally, Shi Er grabbed Xiao Song onto the horse, and instead of returning to the village, they stayed in a hidden place, waiting for their master to find them.
On the horse, Zhao Jiaqi's lips were filled with joy. Nestled in his arms, she hugged his waist with her back hand, smelling the familiar scent and closing her eyes comfortably.
On the other hand, Fan Zehao was a little dazed, wondering why his wife was acting so unusually today. Normally, she didn't act like this. Since she lost her memory, she wouldn't let him touch her, and holding hands was already a great favor.
Today, she actually took the initiative to embrace him. Did this mean his wife was starting to like him?"