She took the items in her hand and then turned to ask Ye Jingchuan, "Did the two of you actually come here by yourselves? Without a single guard?"

  What if something happened along the way? These two were certainly being too bold.

  Ye Jingchuan frowned, clearly displeased. "Why do you have so many questions, little girl? We came to celebrate An An's one-month birthday—what would we need so many people for? Besides, Qingzhuo and Hanfeng came along, and he's dressed like a Taoist. Who would bother with him?"

  Zhou Weizhao gave him a light thump on the head, making him settle down, then turned back to Song Chuyi. "Don't worry. A few Taoist soldiers came with us. Nothing's going to happen."

  Song Chuyi couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled. Zhou Weizhao, raised in a Taoist temple, had always been independent. But Ye Jingchuan was the treasured son of the Princess of Zhennan; how did he manage to sneak out time and again, especially at a time like this?

  Seeing Zhou Weizhao's assurance, she nodded, then asked him, "I know you and I don't have any restrictions, but are there any dietary restrictions for the young Taoists?"

  Ye Jingchuan cut in eagerly, "No restrictions at all! They're happy to eat meat!"

  Zhou Weizhao nodded, reassuring her, "In our sect, we don't avoid meat, mainly because we train in martial arts. The men actually have pretty big appetites."

  Song Chuyi kept this in mind, guiding them across the corridor and into the courtyard. As they entered, she noticed a maid in her forties holding An'an, heading toward the west gate. She quickly called out to her, "Excuse me..."

  But when the maid turned and saw her, she only tightened her grip on An An and started running like the wind.

  Everyone immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to look at Song Chuyi.

  Song Chuyi's face turned pale with shock. In her urgency, she remembered that the two men beside her were skilled in martial arts, and she quickly asked for their help. "This person isn't one of the servants in this courtyard, and I don't know who she is. We can't let her take An An!"

  Ye Jingchuan had already leaped over the railing and was swiftly heading west. Zhou Weizhao's expression grew serious as he spoke coldly, "We should go check it out as well."

  At that moment, Nanny Xu and the wet nurse came rushing out in a panic, calling frantically for help.

  Following Zhou Weizhao toward the west gate at a brisk pace, Song Chuyi asked, "What's going on? Wasn't An An supposed to be taking a bath? Who is that person?"

  Nanny Xu's voice quivered with barely concealed anxiety as she stamped her foot in frustration. "It's An An's grandmother..."

  Song Chuyi froze, staring at Nanny Xu in disbelief. "Isn't she supposed to be working in the outer courtyard? How did she manage to slip into the inner courtyard?"

  As soon as she said it, she realized her question was somewhat redundant. After all, this wasn't the tightly guarded Marquis of Changning's estate, where strict rules governed who could enter and leave. Here, on the manor grounds, there weren't as many regutions. Often, tenant wives would come into the inner courtyard to fetch food or water when thirsty or hungry. With so many guests here for An An's one-month celebration, it was no surprise that this woman from the Li family might have slipped in from somewhere.

  Nanny Xu was so furious she nearly burst into tears, quickening her pace as she muttered reproaches to herself, "It's my own foolishness for keeping them here to work. If I'd sent them far away, none of this would've happened..."

  Meanwhile, Zhou Weizhao had already leaped off a tree, using it as leverage to propel himself forward. Both Song Chuyi and Nanny Xu gasped and turned to look, realizing that Zhou Weizhao was going after An An—the old woman from the Li family was actually about to throw An An into the pond! In this freezing weather, if the baby fell into the water, even if she survived, she'd surely suffer.

  Thankfully, Zhou Weizhao had managed to grab the child just in time. Nanny Xu let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she'd just been pulled out of icy water herself, her whole body aching, barely able to lift her arms.

  It was such a close call. If Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan hadn't been here, who knows if An An would've been saved...

  Song Chuyi hurried over and held An An in her arms. Seeing the little girl's mouth open in a wail, she panicked a bit and called to the wet nurse, "Nanny, come over and check on her!"

  The wet nurse quickly took An An, soothing her and reassuring Song Chuyi, "She's just startled. Tonight, I'll perform a calming ritual to help her recover." She kissed An An's forehead and spat on the ground to ward off evil.

  Nanny Xu quickly urged the wet nurse to bring An'an inside. "It's freezing out here, and it's no joke if she catches a chill." Then she walked over to the Li woman, who was lying on the ground after Ye Jingchuan's kick, and furiously shouted, "You're truly heartless! An An is just a little child; she won't need your family to raise her, yet you still can't let her go!"

  Hearing this, Song Chuyi turned to look and saw the old woman spit bitterly on the ground.

  "She's a curse! Ever since her mother conceived her, nothing but bad luck has pgued our family!" The Li woman showed no remorse, looking up at Nanny Xu with a sneer. "Killing her would be doing you a favor. Don't be fooled by the good times now; who knows what misfortunes will come with her and her mother dragging you all down!"

  Nanny Xu was so angry her hand shook as she pointed at the Li woman, her lips trembling. "Your words are utterly heartless! If it weren't for you, those other...!" She stopped herself, aware of Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan's presence, and then cursed bitterly, "Even if you got rid of the previous ones, this child is still a girl! It's your own ignorance and cruelty, yet you bme An An as the curse!"

  The Li woman sneered, "The old woman Wang in our vilge already said this one was another girl. If it weren't for you lot stealing her away, she'd never have survived!" She gred at Nanny Xu with resentment, her face twisted with bitterness. "If you hadn't insisted on taking this cursed child, our family wouldn't be in ruins like it is now!"

  Song Chuyi couldn't tell if this woman was truly superstitious or just using this as a pretense to seek revenge. All she knew was that An An's precious life had almost been lost because of her.

  "Nanny, talking to someone like her is pointless." She didn't spare the Li woman a gnce, looking directly at Nanny Xu with a cold smile. "Since she believes An An has brought misfortune to her family, let's make sure it's worth the accusation. Find a human trader—no need to ask for much—just send them all away."

  There were still a few Li family women left on the estate, and the Li woman had been counting on reuniting with them one day. Nanny Xu, understanding this, quickly agreed with a nod.