maidservant

The door creaked open, and two ferocious-looking rebels stood outside.

They were full of impatience and without saying a word, they stepped forward and pushed the deputy general hard.

One of the rebels glared with eyes as bright as copper bells and roared viciously, "Everyone, come out! We are guards from the Li family, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and we have something important to interrogate you about!"

The arrogant tone is as if they are the masters of this world.

Yun Shan snorted inwardly, "These people are really good at throwing dirty water on the Li family."

Yunshan pretended to be calm and slowly walked out of the kitchen, holding the child. The child had just eaten some rice porridge and was now quiet, nestling quietly in her arms.

Yunshan held the child in her arms, her waist slightly bent, a humble smile on her face, and she kept saluting the two rebels. Her eyes were full of awe and obedience, but her heart was as tense as a taut string that could break at any time.

A rebel with a face full of flesh stepped forward, stretched out his rough big hand, suddenly grabbed Yunshan's chin, lifted her face up, looked around, and then casually glanced at the child in her arms.

Yunshan's heart was in her throat and she dared not breathe. Fortunately, the Second Prince was usually well hidden by the Queen and Lin Yu. He never showed up at family banquets or parliamentary meetings, for fear that he would be infected by the disease and these people would not recognize him.

"What are you doing? Have you seen anyone suspicious tonight?" Another rebel strode up to the old man, grabbed his collar, and asked with his eyes wide open.

The old man pointed at his throat and whimpered, with an anxious and helpless expression on his face, indicating that he could not speak.

Upon seeing this, the deputy general immediately smiled and said with a nod:
"Sir, my grandfather is mute. I really didn't see anyone today. I usually ride my horse to deliver food to people at the restaurant, but it was so scary outside tonight that we quickly closed the door and didn't dare go out to see."

As he spoke, he took out a few old coins from his pocket and handed them over carefully.

The money was so little that the two rebels took one look at it and their faces instantly turned pale. One of them slapped the money to the ground and spat, "Don't embarrass us by showing it here!"

"Yes, yes, the officials are all important people, how can it be the turn of a commoner to show respect to them?"

The deputy general still had a forced smile on his face, nodding and bowing, his waist almost bent to the ground.

The two rebels patrolled the house inside and out. With every step they took, Yunshan's heart became more and more nervous, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

They reached out and fiddled with the objects on the table, and the rustling sound was particularly harsh in the small space.

Then, one of them walked to the corner and casually kicked the grain vat that was pressing against the secret room door. The vat didn't budge, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. He ripped off the lid, drew his sword from his waist, and stabbed viciously into the vat, each blow a stab to the hearts of Yunshan and the others.

"Ancestor, please don't wake up." Yunshan prayed in her heart.

Fortunately, the eldest prince did not make a sound.

Finally, the two men left. As their footsteps faded, Yunshan's frayed nerves relaxed a little. She hurriedly opened the door to the granary and went down to check.

In the dim granary, the eldest prince had already woken up and was looking at her with his big eyes, curious and ignorant.

"Your Highness! You're awake!" Yunshan was surprised and happy, with a slight tremor in her voice.

The childish voice replied crisply: "Yeah."

Yunshan was terrified. She squatted down, held the eldest prince's hand with both hands, and said solemnly:

"Your Highness, thank goodness you didn't say anything. We are in a dangerous situation now. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will not make a sound, okay?"

The eldest prince blinked his bright eyes, nodded obediently, and said crisply, "Yeah." Yunshan closed her eyes tightly and let the tears flow.

As expected of a general and an emperor, the eldest prince is truly a good and stable child.

An hour seemed to be stretched into a year.

Finally, the sky began to turn pale, and the faint morning light, like a thin silk thread, penetrated into the darkness little by little, slowly dispelling the thick night, and a new day came quietly.

The deputy general took advantage of this moment of peace and hurriedly brought some porridge, carefully handing it to the eldest prince and Yunshan.

Yunshan was exhausted throughout the day and night. She felt as if all her energy had been drained away. Every inch of her skin and every bone showed unspeakable fatigue, as if she had aged a lot in an instant.

The noise outside seemed to fade away slowly, and a burst of hurried horse hooves and chaotic footsteps hurried past the door. Then, the courtyard fell into a dead silence again.

This brief period of peace made everyone feel a little relieved, but they still did not dare to let their guard down.

In this way, another two hours passed.

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence.

"Maber—open the door."

The old man's legs seemed to be filled with lead. He took steps with great difficulty and moved tremblingly towards the door.

He arrived at the door, carefully moved closer to the crack, squinted his eyes, and looked out nervously and carefully.

In an instant, his eyes widened, and a hint of disbelief and surprise flashed across his face. Then, his hands began to tremble violently uncontrollably.

He reached out to open the door eagerly, but because he was too excited, his movements were clumsy and flustered, and he finally managed to open the door.

The voice that had been hoarse for a long time now made an uncontrollable "woohoo" sound, and the sound was full of excitement and sobs, as if telling of endless grievances and joy.

The deputy commander inside the room was already on edge, constantly alert to any movement around him. Hearing the noises coming from outside, he keenly caught the clash of weapons mixed in. His heart suddenly tightened, and he subconsciously quickly reached for the sword beside him, gripping the hilt tightly. The blade trembled slightly, reflecting his vigilant gaze.

Seeing the old man's abnormally excited attitude, he was full of doubts. He walked quickly to the window and looked out through the gap.

The next second, he shouted excitedly: "General Lin! General Lin!"

Lin Xiao dismounted and walked quickly into the house. There were still traces of battle on his armor, with mottled bloodstains mixed with dust, highlighting the danger of last night.

"Finally we found you. The rebels have been repelled, and Your Majesty is safe!"

The deputy general saluted him, then quickly stood up and walked towards the grain vat pressing against the entrance to the secret room. The grain vat slowly moved away, revealing the entrance to the secret room.

The dark room was filled with a damp smell and the light was dim. The only few rays of light came through the cracks, reflecting a blurry human figure.

"Is it you?" Yunshan had already stood up, and subconsciously held the two princes tightly in her arms.

The moment Lin Xiao's tall figure appeared before her, she was stunned. The fear in her eyes instantly turned into incredible surprise. Her lips trembled slightly, but her throat was choked with excitement.
"——You're here! You're here!"

"I'm here." (End of this chapter)