Chapter 283: Wanting to Bathe with You
Chapter 283: Wanting to Bathe with You
October 17, 2024
"No."
Si She answered.
Ji Li tapped Si She's arm with her folding fan, "Hey, she asked you a question. Don't you want to ask her about her intentions?"
Si She calmly replied, "Her intentions are her own, and my answer is mine."
Ji Li, feeling a bit foolish, opened her fan and looked at Meng Qianqian with suspicion, "Little Yin Hu, what are you up to now?"
Meng Qianqian blinked her eyes and said, "You answer me first. Have you secretly gotten married in the past few years? Do you have a faithful consort?"
Ji Li scoffed, "Hmph, as a Commander Guard, I have countless beauties!"
Meng Qianqian said, "So, you don't have one."
Ji Li retorted, "Who do you think you are?"
Meng Qianqian hit the nail on the head, "With your poverty, wouldn't a faithful consort end up starving with you?"
Ji Li was left speechless.
Meng Qianqian touched her chin and muttered softly, "But the Princess has money. She could afford ten of you."
Ji Li frowned, "Hey, what are you muttering about?"
Meng Qianqian spoke seriously, "Ji Li, your fate is not something ordinary people can handle. You need to find a true member of the Imperial Bloodline to avoid being burdened by your fate."
Ji Li tapped her head with her fan, "I don't recall accepting you as my disciple. And here you are, acting like a fortune-teller in front of me!"
Meng Qianqian grabbed her fan, "I'm serious. Do you want to give it a try?"
Ji Li was at a loss for words, "You're saying you have a grudge with someone and want me to jinx them?"
Meng Qianqian: "..."
Si She spoke up, "You suddenly came to find us. Is there something wrong?"
Wanping Princess's marriage... Meng Qianqian couldn't bring that up; it would make the atmosphere awkward.
Meng Qianqian released Ji Li's fan and spoke solemnly, "Hai Zhu disclosed a key witness in the Ministry of Justice the other day—Luo San. He used to be a guest at the Crown Prince's residence. He acted as the Prime Minister's lackey, secretly encouraging the Crown Prince to eliminate the Chu Family."
"In a few days, the Imperial Hunt will be held, and Luo San is likely to attend. I hope you can capture him together."
At this point, Meng Qianqian added, "All expenses paid, with a balanced diet."
Ji Li replied, "I have no objections."
Si She paused and said, "Okay."
Meng Qianqian continued, "Ji Li, can you divine Luo San's location for us?"
Ji Li shook her fan, "First, I need Luo San's birthdate and time. Second, I need my compass."
Meng Qianqian asked curiously, "What about your compass?"
Ji Li sighed, "It's broken, unprecedentedly so. The needle is completely destroyed. It's his fault!"
Ji Li glared at Si She without mercy.
Si She recounted the events of that night.
Meng Qianqian frowned, "So, Hai Zhu met with one of the Shier Wei."
She became even more curious as to which of the Shier Wei was so well-informed about the Chu Family's case, as if intentionally pushing them to uncover the truth.
"Why doesn't he come out and meet with us?"
Meng Qianqian couldn't understand.
Ji Li said, "It must be that Wu Gou!"
Meng Qianqian looked at him, "What do you mean?"
Ji Li analyzed, "Don't you all feel it? Among the twelve, the one who loves to stir up trouble in secret is Wu Gou. He's also the most well-informed. Back then, the Scout Corps of the Black Armored Army was under his full control. He could have discovered the truth before us."
Meng Qianqian's memory wasn't complete, but as Ji Li talked about Wu Gou, images of her interactions with him involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
"What's wrong?"
Si She noticed Meng Qianqian's unusual behavior.
Meng Qianqian pressed her forehead, "Just a bit of a headache. It's nothing."
In her memory, Wu Gou was in charge of intelligence. He was a scout himself, and his scouts were as sharp as eagles.
Could it really be the Wu Gou?
Meng Qianqian said, "It's still the same. If it's Wu Gou, why didn't he acknowledge us?"
Si She frowned slightly, also finding this point rather incomprehensible.
Ji Li said, "Tsk, he's probably worried that we're traitors too!"
Meng Qianqian seemed to ponder, "Currently, that's the only explanation."
Ji Li, fanning herself, said, "Instead of guessing here, why not just ask Hai Zhu directly?"
Meng Qianqian said, "You go ask."
Ji Li extended her hand, "Five copper coins! And food!"
Meng Qianqian agreed, "Deal."
Despite saying this, Meng Qianqian didn't believe Ji Li could get an answer about the other party's identity from Hai Zhu's mouth.
Regardless of who the other party was, it didn't matter for now; their goal was the same, and that was a good enough situation.
Meng Qianqian went to visit Feng Granny and brought her persimmon pear jelly, new cotton quilts, and thick mattresses as the weather turned cooler.
Lei Qianfu wasn't there, but he knew Meng Qianqian had visited him before, so he gave the key to Feng Granny and let Meng Qianqian enter directly.
Meng Qianqian also prepared several jars of persimmon pear jelly and several jars of the finest daughter red wine for him.
Looking at the bamboo grove in the courtyard, she blurted out without thinking, "The little bamboo shoots from back then have grown so tall."
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"Call me Uncle."
"Oh, Uncle, what are you doing?"
"Planting flowers. The ones I planted a few days ago died. Are you alone? Where are your parents?"
"My parents are dead."
"Oh, don't cry! I didn't mean to... I didn't know your parents were gone... But there must be others in your family, right...?"
"Waaah—"
Gone, all gone.
The Shang Clan... only she was left.
"Uncle, let me plant a bamboo here, and I won't cry if you let me plant bamboo."
"Plant as much as you like, just don't cry!"
Meng Qianqian touched the bamboo, and sealed memories flooded her mind, "So that's how it is."
-
When Meng Qianqian returned to the Governor's Mansion, Tan Er had also come back from the Princess's Manor.
Meng Qianqian asked, "How was it?"
Tan Er, with her fists under her chin, said dreamily, "The red braised meat at the Princess's Manor is so delicious!"
Meng Qianqian touched her forehead, "I'm asking about Princess Wanping. Did she agree to go on the Autumn Hunt?"
Tan Er described vividly, "She didn't want to go at first, but I told her that Sister, the Governor, and Bao Zhu Zhu were all going, so she agreed! Sister, I love the Princess's Manor!"
Ban Xia, holding Meng Qianqian's clothes, entered the room, "You must like the red braised meat there, right?"
Tan Er stuck her tongue out at Ban Xia.
Ban Xia scolded, "Why don't you go be a maid at the Princess's Manor?"
Tan Er pouted, "I won't go!"
Ban Xia put the clothes in the wardrobe, "Don't want to eat red braised meat anymore?"
Tan Er hugged herself and looked up, "I'll bring the chef here!"
Ban Xia burst out laughing.
The maids and servants working in the courtyard also laughed out loud.
At night, the family strolled in Tinglan Manor to aid digestion and watched Bao Zhu Zhu and Tan Er engage in a battle of wits.
Meng Qianqian looked around, "I haven't seen Yu Zichuan all day. Where is he?"
Lu Yuan said, "He went to the hunting ground."
Meng Qianqian was puzzled, "So early? Aren't there still a few days left?"
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "The hunting ground has hot springs, but they are scarce, so it's first come, first served."
Meng Qianqian nodded, "The Governor's cold syndrome hasn't fully recovered; soaking in hot springs will be beneficial for him."
Lu Yuan said coldly, "You can soak too."
Meng Qianqian smiled, "My cold syndrome is already cured."
Qing Shuang said, "The Governor wants to bathe with you."
(End of Chapter)
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