This can’t go on, Gu Youyou could only rack her brain for ways to self-rescue, as a means of diverting her attention.
She didn’t know whether Huo Li taking her away had been noticed by Jin Zijin’s spies left in Beijing. Had they informed Jin Zijin?
If they had, he should be able to catch up quickly on horseback, right?
But being taken away by Huo Li was a critical issue. She couldn’t afford to wait and hope for Jin Zijin to come to her rescue. Perhaps...
Looking at the small stove warming the teapot, an idea suddenly struck her. She reached to a specific spot on her clothes.
There was an item, just like the Jade Pendant, that Gu Youyou had treasured and hidden away.
It was tucked within the folds of her clothing.
That was a bell given to her by Jin Ziyuan, who had told her it contained a Poisonous Insect. If she heated the bell over a fire, he would come for her.
Coincidentally, Jin Ziyuan was indeed near Beijing at this moment.
But with Huo Li watching her , how could she extract the Poisonous Insect to heat it?
Her thoughts shifted, and suddenly, Gu Youyou began pounding on the carriage door, shouting, "Stop, stop for a moment!"
The carriage didn’t halt. Huo Li’s face darkened as he said, "Barely two or three hours out of Beijing and you’re already restless? I advise you to stay still. It would be wise not to bring pain upon yourself."
Gu Youyou clutched her stomach, saying, "I have an urgent need. If you don’t stop the carriage, I’m going to pee right inside it."
Huo Li almost stumbled, nearly falling off the seat inside the carriage.
In all his life, he had not encountered such a brazen woman. Weren’t the daughters of officials in Beijing all cultured and polite? Oh, that’s right, she wasn’t. She was a village girl.
"Stop!" Huo Li commanded, unable to bear it any longer, and the carriage finally halted.
Gu Youyou immediately got up to leave the carriage, but Huo Li reached out to stop her, saying coldly, "Stay put inside the carriage."
"Hmm...?" How was she supposed to take care of her personal needs then?
"I’m getting out!" Huo Li said, grinding his back teeth fiercely.
After Huo Li stepped out, a chamber pot was soon thrown onto the carriage.
Great, and she was worried about the inconvenience of using flint.
Gu Youyou quickly undid her sash and pried out the small bell sewn into her clothing, tossing it directly into the small stove with warm tea water.
That Poisonous Insect had been with her for a long time; she didn’t know if it was dead already, so she didn’t hesitate to get rid of it in the stove as evidence.
Then, fearing the Poisonous Insect might not work and might instead arouse Huo Li’s suspicion, she had no choice but to actually use the chamber pot to take care of her personal needs.
So embarrassing! She had never been so humiliated in both her lifetimes combined.
Hearing the trickling sound from inside the carriage, Huo Li, standing guard outside, had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"I’m done, here’s the chamber pot for you!"
A while later, Gu Youyou’s hand extended from inside the carriage, holding the chamber pot.
He was supposed to carry a chamber pot for her?
Enraged to the point of explosion, Huo Li kicked the chamber pot away and climbed back onto the carriage.
Of course, he didn’t get inside the carriage. The woman inside had just... he couldn’t stand the smell. Instead, he sat next to the coachman on the carriage seat.
Gu Youyou, who had been suffocated the whole trip, had never felt so relieved.
Jin Ziyuan stared blankly at the bell in his palm that was jumping wildly.
Years ago, he had given the other one to Gu Youyou, telling her that when she had made up her mind to leave with him, she was to heat the bell over a fire.
The Poisonous Insect inside the bell would die upon encountering the flame. Once one of them died, the other could sense it and would frantically collide with the bell. He would then be able to find her by following the direction of the insect’s collisions and then take her away.