Chapter 41: A Special Invitation from the Empress Dowager
Little Bean Sprout Xin Yan, along with even smaller Bean Sprout Master Liao, was playing with a wild rabbit given by the villagers at the gate of the Ning family courtyard.
When he looked up, he noticed a young man dressed like a nobleman fawning over his aunt.
Xin Yan immediately became alert. Was this man trying to steal his fairy-like aunt away?
He glanced at his useless eldest uncle, Xin Che, who was standing there like a block of wood. Xin Yan quickly walked over and said to Li Sicong, “Mister, we’re not buying roasted chicken or pastries.”
“My aunt just ate roasted chicken made by her husband. She’s full now, so go sell your stuff elsewhere!”
Jiang Lili couldn’t help but laugh at Xin Yan’s puffed-up, indignant demeanor.
Li Sicong found the little boy standing with his hands on his hips amusing and had just started thinking about teasing him when he suddenly noticed the even smaller Bean Sprout next to Xin Yan. He froze in shock!
Those iconic protruding ears, that high nose bridge, and that calm-as-a-chrysanthemum demeanor—wasn’t this his good buddy and dorm leader from high school, Liao Ji, Master Liao?
Li Sicong cried out in dismay, “King Ji-Ji, how did you turn into a child?!”
Back in high school, Li Sicong and his dormmates had been the troublemakers of their class. Their dorm was constantly docked points for late-night chatter and poker games after lights out, earning them the nickname “Monkey Den” from their homeroom teacher.
The ever-composed dorm leader, Liao Ji, had been nicknamed “King Ji-Ji” by the mischievous group.
Li Sicong absentmindedly handed the pastries and roasted chicken to Jiang Lili, then bent down in disbelief to pick up Liao Ji. He turned the tiny child over and over, inspecting him thoroughly.
Seeing Li Sicong call a one-and-a-half-year-old child “King,” Xin Yan shook his head in confusion. He thought to himself, ‘This guy’s mental state seems a bit off.’ He warned Jiang Lili, “Aunt, don’t eat the things he gave you.”
Jiang Lili smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Your aunt is just discussing preparations for our trip to Linzhou with him. We’re about to cross the treacherous Qinglin Mountains, so it’s important to ask a local for advice.”
Xin Yan suddenly understood and scratched his head sheepishly. “So that’s how it is.”
Xin Che picked Xin Yan up and smiled faintly. “Kids shouldn’t worry about grown-up stuff.”
…
Meanwhile, Jiang Lili and Li Sicong squatted down to chat with Master Liao. The three of them huddled together, whispering like gossiping aunties at the village entrance.
Li Sicong said, “My father has asthma and relies heavily on herbal medicine. But, you know, when traveling, it’s not always possible to have a doctor or herbal remedies on hand.”
Jiang Lili immediately thought of modern asthma medication—portable inhalers.
Li Sicong’s eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. “I have an idea that will make my father willingly send people to escort you across the Qinglin Mountains.”
Liao Ji folded his small hands behind his back and said calmly, “Let’s hear it.”
Li Sicong leaned in and whispered his plan, “When you reach Linzhou and hand over the prisoners to the authorities, we can first do this… and then this…”
After listening, Jiang Lili clapped her hands. “This could work!”
Liao Ji gave a slight nod of approval.
When their discussion concluded, Jiang Lili stood up, her legs numb from squatting so long.
“Alright then, I’ll escort these human tr*ffickers back to Linzhou to report in. Once there, we’ll meet up as planned and carry out the next steps.”
For now, the team of bailiffs needed another day to recover from their colds. The others, still shaken from being dr*gged and tied up the night before, agreed to set out the morning after tomorrow.
Li Sicong, having delivered his message, bid farewell to Jiang Lili and Liao Ji before heading off with the officials to interrogate Yuan’s group.
After Li Sicong left, Jiang Lili received a message from the Vice Monitor, and her expression grew serious.
[Vice Monitor: Consort Ying doesn’t trust me. She hasn’t had any appetite these days and refuses to eat or drink. She already has chronic health issues, and now even her attending physician, Imperial Doctor Duan, has distanced himself from her.]
This wouldn’t do. Jiang Lili realized she needed to come up with a plan to give Xin Yingshu a reason to hold on and keep living.
Jiang Lili, deep in thought, entered the courtyard and found Xin Che. “Li Sicong brought me some news, it’s about Consort Ying.”
Hearing this, Xin Che’s expression became serious. “What happened to my aunt?”
He had just received the latest intelligence from Cheng Jiayu a few days ago, and he didn’t expect the situation in the palace to have changed so suddenly.
Jiang Lili replied, “Emperor Qingning has sent her to the Cold Palace, and even the Imperial Doctor refuses to treat her.”
Xin Che clenched his fists, a layer of frost forming on his face. “Emperor Qingning really has a heart of stone.”
Jiang Lili also loathed Emperor Qingning with all her might, thinking of him as a heartless scoundrel and a treacherous wolf.
She sighed. “The main issue right now is that Consort Ying feels hopeless. She hasn’t heard any news from our side and thinks the Marquis family is in grave danger. Without any hope, she’s losing the will to live.”
Jiang Lili changed the subject. “However, Li Sicong has a way to send messages to the palace.”
Xin Che’s pupils dilated. The eldest son of the Linzhou magistrate had just recovered from an illness less than a month ago, and yet he had such capabilities? But thinking about how Li Sicong was someone Jiang Lili’s maternal grandfather had arranged, Xin Che understood a little better.
Jiang Lili explained the intel from the vice monitor in detail. “Emperor Qingning has also discovered that the Yang family’s embezzlement of disaster relief funds is connected to the Marquis household.”
“The thirty thousand taels of stolen funds are still unaccounted for, and Emperor Qingning suspects the Marquis household used it to raise private soldiers and stash weapons.”
Xin Che was surprised at how much Jiang Lili knew about the details. Her maternal grandfather, Min Xunli, seemed to have far more influence and power than just his scholarly reputation.
“I already knew about this, but I haven’t told Father or Mother yet. I’ve been observing the Yang family on this journey.”
“They’re just pawns in this game. They probably don’t even realize their greed has been exploited. But who knows, the Ministry of Revenue might be pretending to be weak and hiding their true strength.”
Jiang Lili couldn’t exactly tell Xin Che that even the Emperor’s personal eunuch was part of her network. She furrowed her brows and said, “The rebellion plot is clearly a setup. Now even the Yang family’s corruption case from two years ago is being tied to us.”
“We both know who’s behind this chess game. Proving our innocence is difficult, but not impossible. There’s always a clue somewhere.”
Xin Che said in a deep voice, “The problem is that my people are scattered, and I can’t even protect myself right now. There’s no one in the capital to offer support.”
This was the first time Xin Che had shared the state of his forces with her, and Jiang Lili was surprised. Did this mean he was starting to trust her?
Jiang Lili thought for a moment. “How about we ask Aunt to stay calm in the palace and be the anchor for our case there? That way, she would have a reason to live and something important to hold on to.”
“Alright, I’ll prepare a token to send to her right away.”
Xin Che remembered that the Ning family’s ledger room had ink, paper, and brushes, and immediately began preparing.
Jiang Lili felt that her body was still too weak, and she needed to improve her physical condition. After finishing her meal, she began exercising in the Ning family courtyard.
Having worked multiple part-time jobs before, Jiang Lili had done quite a bit of research on fitness and energy-boosting exercises. She followed the routines she had studied in the past to improve her strength and stamina.
Sister-in-law Chen, seeing Jiang Lili running and jumping in the courtyard, became quite curious. After hearing Jiang Lili explain that it was to strengthen her body for the upcoming journey, she decided to join in without hesitation.
Soon, the exercise routine spread among the household. Yin Zhen also brought Liao Dabao to join the fitness group.
Dididi!
While Jiang Lili took a break and drank some water, her group chat notification went off.
She looked at the message, and saw that Hou Xiaoxiao had posted three selfies in the group.
[Hou Xiaoxiao (Princess of Jin): Family members, the Empress Dowager has specially invited me to the palace tomorrow for tea and flower viewing. What outfit should I wear to look good? (Sunglasses)]