Even though she had her parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words, she was not married after all. How, how…
She pounded her little head a few times in frustration. She must be in so much pain that she had become stupid.
At this moment, Nanny Xu entered the carriage. “You’re awake!”
Yu Youyao sat up straight and quickly asked, “How’s the clearing of the mountain bandits?”
Nanny Xu nodded. “Last night, there was a fire on the mountain. In order not to worry you, His Highness specially sent someone down the mountain to report and reassure you. His Highness is still in the mountain, so we don’t know the details.”
Yu Youyao’s heart tightened. “Have all the hostages in the stronghold been saved?”
Nanny Xu said, “Yin San has escorted the hostages down the mountain early in the morning and arranged for them to be not far from the camp. These bandits are very cunning. Until the hostages’ identities are verified, they’ll be temporarily guarded by the You army. Miss, don’t go near that place.”
Yu Youyao was overjoyed. “By the way, have the officials arrived? Has there been any news?”
Nanny Xu shook her head. “The government sent someone over in advance to send a message. They said that Lord Li has brought 500 people and is on his way. He won’t arrive until around noon.”
From the looks of it, when the officials arrived, everything in the mountain would be settled, and the matter of the gold mine could be covered up. Yu Youyao was finally relieved.
Nanny Xu helped Yu Youyao put on her clothes. “Girl, you’re really worrisome. You’re really too bold. Exterminating bandits is a man’s business. Why are you involved as a woman? You have scruples and your own opinions. Do you know how worried His Highness, who’s far away, is? How can you know that the problem you’re worried about can’t be resolved by His Highness?”
Yu Youyao was confused, but she was a bystander.
Indeed, there was a turbulent undercurrent inside and outside the court. It was not appropriate to complicate matters. The suppression of bandits was indeed a little inappropriate for the You army.
However, with Yin Huaixi’s ability, how could he not resolve it?
Yu Youyao wanted to eliminate the bandits, but she was worried that she would cause trouble for Yin Huaixi. She would rather take on more danger herself to kill them all.
In her opinion, Yin Huaixi cared more about Yu Youyao’s safety than the trouble brought by suppressing the bandits.
Before deciding to take the risk, Yu Youyao had indeed not considered Yin Huaixi’s feelings. However, she had also thought it through yesterday and thought about it carefully.
If she did it again, she would still insist on her decision. It was true that Yin Huaixi was capable, but she was the one who wanted to eliminate the bandits. There was no reason for her to throw the mess to someone else.
Yu Youyao said, “If I can resolve it myself, I definitely have to do my best to settle what I can. I won’t get involved easily if I don’t have the ability to resolve it.”
If she relied on others blindly, even if this person was Yin Huaixi, in her opinion, she would just be constantly exhausting the feelings this person had invested in her.
If she had the ability to do it well, why should she let others take the risk for her?
Nanny Xu sighed slightly. That made sense, but human hearts were made of flesh. After Yu Youyao returned yesterday, her body was covered in injuries. Even her knees, elbows, and back had varying degrees of abrasions. It was obvious that she had suffered.
How could Nanny Xu’s heart not ache?
Yu Youyao threw herself into her arms and said cutely, “Auntie, I won’t do anything I’m not confident of taking the risk.”
Nanny Xu did not say anything else. “I’ve prepared a medicinal bath. Soak in it carefully to loosen your muscles and bones. You can also nourish your mind and remove the medicinal liquid on you.”
There was a tent in the camp. After all, they were in the wilderness. Nanny Xu arranged for the old maids and maidservants to surround the tent.
Yu Youyao soaked in it for 45 minutes. The medicinal liquid on her body had been removed, and her skin had returned to being smooth and fair. She felt refreshed.
Nanny Xu helped her apply the medicine again and ordered someone to prepare breakfast.
Yu Youyao had not eaten properly the entire day yesterday. Now that she was hungry, she ate a lot.
After breakfast, Nanny Xu prepared a medicinal soup for Yu Youyao to soak her feet in for 15 minutes. Then, Nanny Xu took out the medicinal oil that could nourish her tendons and meridians and helped her with the massage.
As expected, Yin Huaixi did not lie to her. This time, the massage was not as painful as before. There was only a slight dull pain, and it did not need to take as long as the first time until the bruises dissipated.
Nanny Xu used a flat pushing technique to massage her for only fifteen minutes. Then, she applied an analgesic ointment before fixing the bandage again.
“The wound is wrapped too tightly, so it’s not conducive to recovery. Every two hours, you have to untie it to dissipate your qi. Then, you have to apply medicine by massaging your foot and bandaging it. You’ll recover in about five days.”
Yu Youyao leaned against the soft couch and passed the time with a book.
At this moment, Chun Xiao came over to report, “His Highness sent someone over to report to you.”
Yu Youyao quickly put down her book. “Please come in.”
Chun Xiao bowed and left the camp. Soon, she led a soldier into the tent.
The soldier lowered his head and looked straight ahead. He knelt on one knee three steps away from Yu Youyao and cupped his hands. “Greetings, Princess. His Highness was afraid that you would be worried about the situation in the mountains, so he specially ordered me to report to you that the situation in the mountains has been decided. Princess, don’t worry.”
After receiving accurate information, Yu Youyao smiled. “I heard that there was a fire in the village yesterday. Was the fire serious? Did any bandits escape? Were our people injured?”
The soldier lowered his head and remembered that before he went down the mountain to report, His Highness had specially instructed, “If the princess asks about the situation in the mountain, just say…” Every word and sentence that His Highness had instructed appeared in his mind. The soldier hurriedly said, “Princess, the fire in the village was very strong. Fortunately, the terrain in the village is special, and we have many people. His Highness ordered someone to isolate the fire area, and the fire calmed down. Other than the group of hostages that were saved first, almost all the mountain bandits who were left in the village died in the fire. Our people were not injured.”
At first glance, there was no problem with this.
Who had started the fire in the mountains? Why had it started? That was the least of it.
After the mountain bandits were dealt with, they would be burned completely. Even if they died, they would be buried in the sea of fire. There was nothing wrong with this.
It wasn’t a lie.
Yu Youyao did not know what the soldier was thinking, nor did she know that Yin Huaixi had slaughtered the mountain bandits wantonly. When the soldier said that, she subconsciously imagined the situation.
There were torches in the stronghold, and the You army also held torches. Most of the fortifications and houses in the stronghold were straw huts and wooden houses. Once the scene was chaotic, it was indeed easy to cause a fire.
Yu Youyao only treated it as an accident and did not think too much about it.
The bandits were cruel and treated human lives as grass. None of them were innocent. She would not sympathize with the bandits who had died in the sea of fire.
She only nodded and asked, “When is His Highness going down the mountain?”
The soldier said, “When the officials arrive, Your Highness will go down the mountain.”
As soon as they arrived at noon, Lord Li rushed over with the government guards. When he found out that Princess Shaoyi had sprained her ankle during the bandit attack, he quickly came over to greet her.