Chapter 96: Supporting Slave’s Arm Upward

Chapter 96: Supporting Slave's Arm Upward

Upon hearing this, Su Youyue's brow immediately knitted together.

Having incurred the wrath of both Prince Third and Princess Third, there could be no good reason for Concubine Qiu to summon her into the palace. It was likely that she intended to vent her anger on behalf of her children.

But fear, she wasn't one to be easily intimidated. Born as the daughter of a high-ranking official in the imperial court, with a father who was a trusted and vital minister of the Emperor, Empress Concubine Qiu wouldn't dare to openly summon her into the palace to endanger her life. At most, she might humiliate her or find pretexts to slap her a few times.

"Big sister..." Su Rong realized that all of this had stemmed from her actions, and she was immediately overwhelmed with guilt.

A subtle intensity flickered in Su Youyue's eyes, but her voice remained calm and composed. "It's fine. It's just a trip to the palace. Chunya, go help me pack my clothes. Jin'er, you don't need to come along."

"Miss," Jin'er panicked. How could this be just a casual visit to the palace? It was more like stepping into a den of wolves. "Let this servant accompany you, Miss."

Just as Su Youyue was about to decline, the servant boy hurriedly added, "Eldest Miss, the person from the palace said to bring Xie Yuan along as well..."

Bring Xie Yuan to the palace?

Her eyes suddenly lifted. "Did they mention a reason?"

The servant replied truthfully, "No, Your Highness the Concubine didn't mention the reason for inviting Miss into the palace."

Su Youyue's eyelids twitched, a veil of gloom settling in her eyes. "If that's the case, fetch Xie Yuan and have him accompany me to the palace."

Back in Mei Garden, Princess San had mentioned taking Xie Yuan back.

Could it be that she intended to take him away from Su Youyue today?

If she had known this in her previous life, Su Youyue would have been overjoyed, eagerly wishing for Xie Yuan's departure. But now, her thoughts were filled with concern for the humiliation Xie Yuan might endure in the palace. If he were to end up with Princess San, would he suffer the same embarrassment as his two elder brothers?

She couldn't bear the thought of his being humiliated like that.

Regardless of whether he was the same plump boy from before, based on the friendship that had developed between them during this period, she wouldn't wish such humiliation upon him.

The delegation from Dongrong Kingdom, however, wouldn't arrive in the capital until tomorrow... She had to find a way to delay the matter until then.

Su Youyue's heart was pounding, yet her expression remained composed. After instructing Jin'er not to follow, she had Su Rong supervise the punishment of the two nannies and maids, and then she turned her attention back to Chunya...

As Chunya escorted Su Youyue just to the entrance of the manor, she caught sight of the man's figure silently awaiting her.

Outside stood several attendants in imperial attire, both eunuchs and matrons, all with haughty expressions on their faces.

As the wheelchair drew near, these attendants glanced indifferently at Su Youyue, their faces revealing a hint of disdain.

"One of the honored Miss Su, please hasten. We common servants dare not waste time of the Honorable Empress," urged one of the elder matrons impatiently, clearly annoyed.

If it weren't for the necessity, she wouldn't have exchanged even a single word with this ill-starred girl.

Su Youyue acknowledged her, seemingly with sincerity. Chunya hurriedly pushed her towards the door. Just as they were about to pass through, the wheelchair suddenly creaked, causing her to cry out in alarm.

Before her voice faded, Xie Yuan had already arrived by her side, firmly stabilizing the wheelchair.

Though he secured the wheelchair, his sudden appearance genuinely startled both Su Youyue and Chunya.

Upon recognizing him, Su Youyue breathed a sigh of relief and quickly signaled to him with her eyes.

The man's eyebrows barely furrowed in response.

Chunya, too, quickly signaled while pretending to push the wheelchair, feigning anxiety. "Miss, the wheelchair is broken. What are we to do?"

"What's going on here? !" The old nanny approached with a skeptical look, her steps quickened.

Xie Yuan glanced at Su Youyue before making way for the nanny.

Feeling a bit guilty, Su Youyue met his gaze. She was doing this to prevent both of them from entering the palace, for their own good. Yet, she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't right to let Xie Yuan worry unnecessarily.

But... Was he really that worried about her?

After learning that Xie Yuan was actually the little fatty, Su Youyue no longer doubted his sincerity in worrying for her safety. However, she hadn't expected him to be so concerned. Hence, she felt a bit embarrassed.

The nanny examined the wheelchair thoroughly and eventually noticed that the wheel seemed to have broken off naturally, rather than by force. Under the scrutiny of her sharp eyes, Chunya's palms were drenched in cold sweat. Miss had instructed her to use a hammer to break an essential part of the wheelchair and then roughly reassemble it, hoping that no one would notice anything amiss.

"Granny, this... Our household doesn't have a spare wheelchair, and my lady can't walk due to her leg..." She said, struggling to find a plausible explanation.

Behind the elderly lady came another eunuch, who cast a quick glance up and down at Su Youyue and said with a forced smile, "There's no need to worry, Your Highness the Concubine is concerned that Miss's wheelchair might not be suitable for the palace grounds, so she has specially instructed us to prepare a palanquin at the entrance."

"..."

Su Youyue fell silent for a moment.

The old eunuch chuckled and said, "Miss, please board the carriage first."

With her plan foiled, Su Youyue had no choice but to let Chunya assist her in getting on board.

However, without Jin'er's assistance, Chunya's strength alone was insufficient. None of the other palace attendants were willing to lend a hand, instead choosing to watch her coldly, waiting for her to struggle and climb up on her own, dignity be damned.

Su Youyue bit her lip. In truth, since her legs had become disabled, she had experienced many embarrassing moments.

But every now and then... those incidents still hurt her heart.

She was reluctant to seek help from these indifferent maidservants. As she gritted her teeth and struggled to grab hold of the carriage with one hand, an arm suddenly reached out to support her.

Surprised, she turned her head to see Xie Yuan standing beside her, his eyes fixed on her. "Miss, please be cautious. Allow this servant's arm to assist you."

With that, he lifted his arm, and Su Youyue was hoisted up effortlessly.

In an instant, Chunya stared wide-eyed at her young mistress, then at Xie Yuan.

Were all men this strong? She hadn't even exerted herself, yet her young mistress was already lifted up.

For a fleeting moment, she had the illusion that her young mistress had flown up on her own.

Chunya hurriedly followed, making sure her young mistress was securely seated in the carriage.

"Miss, it's fortunate that Mister Xie was there to help," Chunya whispered, immensely relieved. She had noticed earlier that those from the palace were eager to see her young mistress make a fool of herself.

Su Youyue faintly acknowledged her words, her hand that had just supported Xie Yuan's arm unconsciously tightening. It seemed as if the firm touch still lingered in her palm, causing it to tingle slightly.

Though Xie Yuan currently found himself in servitude, his proud spirit remained unbroken; he had never truly accepted his status as a slave. Before her, he would at most refer to himself as a subordinate.

After all, being a slave was a position even lower than that of a servant. Servants, at least, were treated as human beings, whereas slaves... were disposable entities that could be beaten or killed without reproach.

Since he wasn't even considered human, no one would criticize him for assisting her in such a manner.

Su Youyue lowered her gaze, a tumultuous unrest stirring within her heart.

Did Xie Yuan call himself a slave to divert attention, or was it to uphold her dignity and protect her reputation...