Chapter 95: The Carriage Explosion
Chapter 95: The Carriage Explosion
On the official road, chaos ensued, and Princess Qi was terrified.
Unsure of who was inside the Anyuan Hou manor's carriage, she could only hold onto Suisui and quickly walk forward to assess the situation.
A thick cloud of smoke billowed, emitting a pungent odor and scorching heat, deterring anyone from approaching.
Princess Qi couldn't very well demand that people risk their lives to rescue others.
The guards accompanying the Anyuan Hou manor, however, were already skillfully and efficiently saving people.
Suisui, unaware of what had happened, clung tightly to her mother's arm and cautiously peeked out.
Just as she poked her head out, before she could see clearly, a furious roar rang out: "Lord Ying!"
Princess Shou'an's angry roar startled everyone.
After her outburst, she clambered out of the carriage, looking somewhat disheveled, with Sunshi supporting her.
Although Princess Shou'an was not young, her hair completely white, her movements were extremely agile. After exiting the carriage, she jumped down, startling Sunshi, who nearly cried out in surprise.
Paying no heed to etiquette, the princess strode towards the carriages at the back.
The Ying manor had brought out two carriages. The front one held the Grand Princess and the marquise, while the rear carriage accommodated the manor's young masters and young ladies.
Trailing behind were two flatbed carts carrying a substantial amount of luggage, indicating their intention to stay at the branch manor for a while.
The explosion had torn apart the rear flatbed carriage.
At this moment, the carriage had been reduced to fragments, and the adjacent carriage had also been engulfed, losing more than half of it.
Right next to it, the luxurious carriage carrying the young masters and young ladies of the manor remained unaffected, though its rear was now smoked with a burnt scorch mark.
The Grand Princess, having alighted from her carriage, strode towards the rear one and barked at the stupefied guards, "Hurry up and see how the young masters and young ladies are doing!"
As she spoke, she had already nimbly climbed into the carriage.
She didn't even need the disembarking ladder, simply propping herself up and leaping into the carriage.
Her movements were so agile; one wouldn't believe she was an elderly person!
Witnessing this scene, Suisui was stunned.
Although there were some elderly folks in the village who were in exceptionally good shape, able to climb mountains and roofs even at their age.
However, Suisui recalled what her mother had told her before—the person inside the carriage held a high position and an esteemed identity.
So, did noble folk also climb into carriages like this?
Moreover, their movements seemed even more deft than those of the elderly folks Suisui had seen in the village.
Sunshi followed behind, watching the Grand Princess's actions with a mix of anxiety and helplessness.
Having lived a sheltered life for too long, even walking a bit faster left her breathless.
As she barely managed to catch up, her face slightly pale, she peered in and asked, "Mother, how are the children?"
Before she could even finish her question, a deafening cry rang out from within the carriage: "Grandmother, I was wrong, I was wrong, ahhh, stop hitting me!!!"
Sunshi: ...
Alright, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally dropped to her stomach.
Just from that cry, one could tell things were not too bad.
Sunshi's ashen face regained a hint of color upon hearing that cry.
The others tacitly refrained from making any rash movements. Aside from the guards left to protect the masters within the carriages, the rest went to the rear to put out the fire and salvage whatever they could.
Princess Qi belatedly reacted, gently handing Suisui to Aunt Qiu and soothingly patting the little girl's back. She softly explained, "Suisui, Mother has something to do. You go with Aunt Qiu first."
Suisui nodded obediently and allowed Aunt Qiu to hold her.
Seeing this, Princess Qi's worries eased a little. She turned around to straighten herself up before walking over to Sunshi and asking softly, "Are you alright? Do you need a physician?"
As their visit to the manor was impromptu, Princess Qi had not brought along Physician Liu.
However, there were other nobles' estates nearby, and they might have a physician on hand.
If not, they could always send someone to rush back to the city to fetch one.
The people from Ying Manor were probably busy tending to the children and salvaging their belongings, so they didn't have time to think about anything else.
It took a moment for Sunshi to recover from the shock. With the support of her maid, she managed to stay standing, her legs feeling weak. She offered a feeble smile to Princess Qi and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's our manor's children being unruly and causing you all a fright. How about you? Are you alright?"
Although the explosion had occurred on the official road, it was near a village, and she wondered if they had startled anyone.
Hearing Sunshi's concern, Princess Qi shook her head slightly. "Don't worry, we're fine."
At this moment, the cries and running footsteps coming from inside the carriage were deafening, and the carriage itself was shaking. Anyone watching from the outside would feel anxious, wondering if the carriage was about to fall apart.
Seeing this, Sunshi's face turned slightly embarrassed.
Who could have imagined this?
Here on the official road, the most fastidious and rule-abiding Grand Princess was now in the carriage, disciplining her children.
However, the earlier situation had indeed been terrifying.
Sunshi knew that her eldest grandson had some rather unique interests.
But to have an explosion occur while they were traveling...
That was just too dangerous!
Fortunately, no one was hurt. Otherwise, Sunshi dared not imagine the consequences.
Suisui didn't know what had happened, only that there were children crying inside the carriage.
The children's cries were sharp and painful.
Hearing this, Suisui snuggled closer to Aunt Qiu, seeking comfort.
She thought to herself that it was a good thing she had encountered her mother and brother.
They were both very kind and good people who would never harm her.
After a while, the Grand Princess finally emerged from the carriage, straightening her dress.
However, after all that commotion, she looked even more disheveled than before.
This left the usually image-conscious Grand Princess with a rather unsightly expression on her face.
Upon seeing her emerge, Princess Qi quickly stepped forward to pay her respects.
The Grand Princess had a favorable impression of Princess Qi and waived her greeting before offering a few apologetic words.
Sunshi, still concerned about the children, quietly made her way back to the carriage and was about to lift the curtain to check on them when Ying Junzhi suddenly popped out.
If not for Sunshi's quick reflexes, she would have collided with her grandson.
Ying Junzhi was a bit embarrassed to find his grandmother standing there. He quickly adjusted his momentum, letting out a couple of awkward chuckles before turning back towards the carriage and shouting, "Grandmother's not here, quick, run!"
Taking his cue, the children inside the carriage scrambled out after him.
Sunshi wisely sidestepped, not wanting to be bowled over by the rushing children.
Ying Junzhi led the way, followed by three young masters and then a young lady. The young lady was dressed in a lake-green riding outfit and moved with graceful agility.
As she jumped down, she turned her head and reminded her brother, "Second Brother, be careful not to fall!"
Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran towards the front, her pink silk ribbon, tied to her hair accessory, fluttering in the wind, leaving a trail of vibrant spring colors in Suisui's vision.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
