Chapter 45: Gossip
Li Sicong looked at Magistrate Li, who was as flustered as if his pants were on fire, and suddenly thought of something that made him burst into laughter. His father was probably not going to sleep well tonight!
The second most luxurious courtyard in the Li Mansion, Tingfeng Courtyard, was right next to the most luxurious one, Yulan Courtyard. At this moment, Magistrate Li was nervously pacing back and forth along the corridor connecting the two courtyards.
It wasn’t appropriate to ask the lifesaving benefactor to stay at an inn, and the distinguished guest from the capital couldn’t be moved either!
“The people in these two courtyards haven’t run into each other, have they?” Magistrate Li anxiously stopped a maid who had just come out of Jiang Lili’s courtyard.
“They haven’t. The honored guest in Yulan Courtyard has already retired for the night,” the maid replied.
Magistrate Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Ah! What sin had he committed in his past life to encounter such a disaster now?
He wished he could weld the doors of both courtyards shut.
He instructed the butler, “Find someone to keep watch here. Under no circumstances can the two big troublemakers in these courtyards meet each other! If they do, I—no, our entire Li family will be finished!”
The butler immediately responded with a solemn expression.
After emphasizing his orders repeatedly, Magistrate Li finally returned to his room, though his sleep was far from peaceful.
Little did he know, the two “troublemakers” in the courtyards had already secretly connected behind his back.
Hou Xiaoxiao was sitting in her courtyard, enjoying a persimmon in the cool evening air, when suddenly a small head peeked over the wall opposite her.
She was so shocked that she forgot to eat her persimmon. “Oh my god! Xiao Lizi!”
It turned out that what Li Sicong had mentioned earlier about a “surprise” tonight was Jiang Lili!
From the moment HouXiaoxiao set off from the capital, she had been longing for this day. However, due to the presence of the empress dowager’s maids and guards, she hadn’t been able to find Jiang Lili.
Seeing Hou Xiaoxiao, Jiang Lili, who had climbed over the wall, was equally ecstatic. Just now, Li Sicong had messaged her, telling her to climb the wall because a surprise was waiting for her on the other side.
She never imagined that the “surprise” would be her best friend from high school, who used to sleep in the bunk below her, living right next door!
Jiang Lili was sitting on the wall, and while it hadn’t looked too high when she climbed up, it seemed a bit intimidating now that she had to come down.
“Hey, Xiaoxiao, quick, help me down!”
Hou Xiaoxiao quickly ran over and expertly helped Jiang Lili down.
Back in high school, they weren’t allowed to leave the school grounds, so when they craved a treat or wanted to pick up magazines or comics, they’d work together to sneak over the back gate wall.
Jiang Lili looked at Hou Xiaoxiao, her face full of surprise. “Weren’t you still in the capital a few days ago? How did you get here so quickly? I’ve been on the road for so long!”
“Your two legs couldn’t possibly be faster than a horse, could they? I changed horses several times on the way here.”
Hou Xiaoxiao quickly pulled Jiang Lili into the room.
Jiang Lili thought about it and realized Hou Xiaoxiao was right. They’d walked fifty miles a day, and with unforeseen delays. Meanwhile, Hou Xiaoxiao had a whole team helping her, and she’d read that a good horse could travel five hundred miles in a day, let alone the fact that Hou Xiaoxiao could switch horses at relay stations.
As they entered the room, Jiang Lili glanced around. “Your maids and guards must be asleep by now, right?”
Hou Xiaoxiao nodded. “They’re asleep. To make sure we could meet, Sales Champion Li had something extra added to the lotus seed soup he sent them.”
The way she said it made it sound like they were a pair of secret lovers meeting in the night.
“Xiao Lizhi, you’ve lost weight.”
Hou Xiaoxiao gazed at Jiang Lili’s pointed chin. She remembered that Jiang Lili used to have a baby face in high school, complete with two sweet dimples, making her absolutely adorable.
“Though, you’re looking a lot better than the zombie selfie you posted in the group the other day.”
Jiang Lili’s expression immediately cracked: If we don’t mention that selfie, we are still good friends.
Hou Xiaoxiao rummaged through the wooden chest she had brought with her. “Come, come, come, let me show you the good things I brought from the capital.”
“These are the secret gold ointment and detox pills bestowed by the Empress Dowager. I’ll split them in half with you.”
“These imperial-grade remedies are far more effective than anything you can buy on the modern market. They’re extremely rare; the Imperial Hospital makes less than ten bottles a year.”
“This is the life-saving hidden blade the Empress Dowager gave me. It’s cleverly crafted by royal artisans.”
Hou Xiaoxiao carefully took out one rare item after another, ones that couldn’t even be bought in the modern world, and presented them to Jiang Lili like precious treasures. Jiang Lili was so moved she felt like crying.
“Aren’t you going to keep some for yourself? Aren’t you going to the mountains too?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll have people from the Miao tribe meet me in the mountains.”
Hou Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips and laughed wildly. “Hahaha, I can consider this a paid trip to visit family! The Empress Dowager gave me the money so I could meet up with you.”
“The original owner of this body had a deep grudge with yours. They all thought I hated you to the bone.”
Hearing about all the benefits the Empress Dowager had given Hou Xiaoxiao, Jiang Lili burst into laughter. “Hahahaha, who would have thought!”
“I arrived in Linzhou City yesterday, and I’ll be leaving the Li Mansion tomorrow morning to head to the Miao tribe. I originally planned to investigate things there and report back to you once I had all the details, but who would’ve known we’d meet here already? It was Li Sicong’s brilliant plan!”
Hou Xiaoxiao then began telling Jiang Lili about what had happened the day she entered the palace. “The Empress Dowager gave me a lot of benefits and ordered me to persuade my tribe back home to intercept the entire Marquis household in the Qinglin Mountain range.”
“Our two families have conflicts of interest, so from their perspective, they’re sure I’ll carry out this mission and push you to your death.”
Hou Xiaoxiao’s maternal family was one of the major tribes in the Miao region. Her grandfather had achieved great success on the northern battlefield, winning by a narrow margin with the help of the Miao people and their ability to use poison and insect curses on the northern barbarians who had settled there.
However, the Miao people and their poisonous insects were not well-suited to the northern environment, and the effectiveness of their curses was limited. As a result, using such methods was more of a last resort, to be employed strategically in critical moments.
The Marquis household, on the other hand, was a family of military nobility. The entire household was filled with elites in tactics, combat, equipment, and more, far surpassing other military families.
“The Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s orders are something I have to follow, so once we reach the Qinglin Mountain range, you’ll have to be ready. But don’t worry, I’ll try my best to keep you informed.”
She could only try to prevent her own family from coming into direct conflict with Jiang Lili’s group, but the orders from the Emperor and Empress Dowager were to be delivered to the Miao tribe leaders.
Jiang Lili kept everything Hou Xiaoxiao said in mind.
“If you can avoid it, just stay out of their way. I’ll give you their route. You’re few in numbers, so it’s best not to engage directly.”
Hou Xiaoxiao added, “The Miao people can use water sources and food to curse others, so avoid drinking from mountain streams. Just drink bottled mineral water.”
A while later, Li Sicong climbed over the wall as well.
Hou Xiaoxiao and Jiang Lili were discussing the shopping list for the upcoming mountain trip, planning to send it to Xiaopang for the big purchase to prepare for the dangers they might face in the mountains.
Li Sicong pondered, “We definitely need to buy mosquito coils, right?”
Jiang Lili clapped her hands. “And an electric mosquito racket! Have Xiaopang charge it up and send it over.”
Suddenly, she thought of something. “Do those insect curses have any fear of fire?”
Hou Xiaoxiao recalled the information her grandfather and grandmother had shared with her about the Miao tribe. “Some of the insect curses are afraid of fire, while others aren’t. Once I get to the tribe, I’ll brush up on everything and send you pictures of poisonous insects and plants!”
“That’s great!” Jiang Lili marveled. Having someone like Hou Xiaoxiao, a double agent within the enemy ranks, was simply a dream!
With the night growing deeper, the three of them finalized the shopping list for Xiaopang to take care of.
Looking at the items on the list, Hou Xiaoxiao suddenly felt that it wasn’t Jiang Lili and her group who should be afraid, but rather the Miao tribe, who had never encountered modern technology and the fierce tactics they would bring.
“I’ll definitely warn my family not to mess with you. If they do, they’ll be in for big trouble!”
Li Sicong also spoke up. “I’ll make sure to arrange for the four bodyguards to protect you tomorrow. They’re reliable, all chosen by me and Guanyue. You can trust them.”
Being looked after by these two big shots was a wonderful feeling. Jiang Lili felt completely safe!
“By the way, I have a piece of gossip to share!”
After they had finished discussing the important matters, they sat down, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting.
Jiang Lili and Li Sicong both perked up at the mention of gossip. They had been feeling sleepy, but once gossip was on the table, they were wide awake!