Chapter 314 Bare Bones

The third quarter of the Yin hour.

The sky was still shrouded in a hazy, crab-shell-like mist when a thunderous shout, like tearing silk, rang out from all around the military camp: "Charge—in battle—!"

The soldiers, who were resting in various tents, were already dressed and jogged to the open space to gather for morning exercise, still lingering in the air.

"Startled Goose Style!"

"Tiger Crouching Stance!"

"Piercing Sun Style!"

Tens of thousands of elite soldiers roared in unison, their voices almost echoing through the sky, and Qi Yuxuan couldn't sleep either.

After resting for three days and drinking countless bitter medicines, I finally recovered from the fatigue of traveling. The rest will require slow and gentle recuperation to fully recover.

The military camp was full of strong men. To avoid suspicion, apart from Lady Li and Xiahou Yin, her barracks was located at the very edge of the camp. She only needed to walk less than a hundred feet to enter the inner city of Kuncheng, which also made it convenient for Lady Li to buy things on weekdays.

Li Niangzi and her husband's family have been from Kuncheng for generations, and they speak Mandarin with a Kuncheng accent, which sounds very familiar.

She had two sons and two daughters. Her daughters married and moved to a nearby town, while one son was studying away from home and the other was learning carpentry from an old carpenter in the neighborhood. She was considered fortunate and had a leisurely life.

At night, after Qi Yuxuan fell asleep, Li Niangzi would lay a thick blanket on the floor beside the bed, cover herself with a thin quilt, and sleep fully clothed, never leaving her side.

At first, Qi Yuxuan thought she had misunderstood her.

Fish-shaped wooden plaques are not unique to the Yue Kingdom. She saw that the back of the plaque was uncarved wood, so she thought that it might just be a little toy that Li Niangzi's carpenter son made for fun when he had nothing to do.

However, after that fleeting glimpse upon waking up, Lady Li put the wooden plaque away and never wore it again.

Afterwards, Qi Yuxuan feigned curiosity and asked about it, to which Lady Li only replied:

“Normally, I can wear them when I have nothing to do, but now that I’m serving the princess, it’s inconvenient to wear those little things. What if I lose them somewhere? It’s my first time in the military camp and I’m not familiar with it, so I wouldn’t know how to find them.”

The wooden plaque was no bigger than the palm of one's hand, and wooden things are not as easily damaged as gold and jade. Li Niangzi's appearance only made people suspicious.

Qi Yuxuan didn't tell Xiahou Yin, but observed for a few days on her own. During these two days, she observed Li Niangzi's words and actions, as well as her few words of conversation, and she really discovered something was wrong.

Li Niangzi boasted that she had done a lot of hard work, her husband died early, and she raised her children alone. However, the calluses on her hands were not the kind that would appear on the hands of an ordinary woman.

When she was in the Ye family, the calluses on her hands, her adoptive mother's hands, and even the calluses on the inside of her index finger were mostly on the base of her thumb, the base of her palm, or the inside of her index finger. But the calluses on Li Niangzi's hands were on the palm, the groove of her index finger, and her thumb.

It is evident that Li Niangzi's hands had never held a hoe handle before; most likely, they had held the hilt of a sword, the trigger of a crossbow, or a spear.

Furthermore, Li Niangzi's dressing habits were also problematic.

Qi Yuxuan woke up several times from her dreams, unable to fall back asleep. She decided to secretly observe Li Niangzi by the bed through the curtain and discovered that after Li Niangzi took off her outer garment, the front of her inner garment was not overlapping left to right, but right to left—

In the State of Qi, this was the way the deceased wore their clothes, and the people of Qi avoided it. However, in the State of Yue, there was no such thing as left or right overlapping; as long as the clothes were neatly arranged, it was acceptable.

Based on these points alone, it is not enough to determine that Lady Li's identity is suspicious. Qi Yuxuan plans to go out for a walk today and take the opportunity to investigate her background.

Breakfast was the same big pot stew that everyone in the army ate, and Qi Yuxuan felt no discomfort at all and enjoyed it very much.

She understood that eating well would help her recover as quickly as possible.

Lady Li took her clothes to the river to wash, and then followed Xiahou Yin to familiarize herself with the layout of the military camp.

Xiahou Yin hadn't seen Qi Yuxuan for several days. He was pleased to see that her face had gained some weight and she was no longer as fragile and disheveled as she had been three days ago.

"Princess, the temporary granary is to the east. A batch of grain and fodder is delivered from the inner city every three days and is temporarily stored there. The artillery camp is to the south, where our military supplies are stored..."

He enthusiastically introduced to Qi Yuxuan that on the way, they would occasionally see young soldiers training hard, fighting shirtless. When they saw a beautiful girl passing by, the shy ones would immediately pick up their clothes and put them on, while the shameless ones would whistle. When Xiahou Yin looked over coldly, they would quickly put away their frivolous expressions and concentrate on training.

It's one thing if they didn't see General Xiahou, but the girl who made him smile and lead the way must be no ordinary person. She might even be someone sent by the imperial court. The soldiers just liked to joke around and didn't want General Xiahou to remember them.

After getting familiar with the area, Qi Yuxuan's face grew paler and paler, indicating that she was still too weak. She had already started sweating after walking for only a short while.

There were no chairs here, so people would have to sit on the ground. Qi Yuxuan leaned against the railing, breathing softly, while Xiahou Yin grew anxious.

“Princess, why don’t you wait here for a while? I’ll go and call Lady Li to help you back.”

If it weren't for the consideration of the difference between men and women, Xiahou Yin really wanted to carry the person back directly. However, there were so many people in the army, and they had already attracted a lot of attention as they walked along. If he really carried her back, one could imagine the gossip that would circulate in the army.

He came out to fight, and he was just walking around with a girl in his arms. Even if he explained it afterward, most people still had preconceived notions and thought he was frivolous and incapable of being of great use.

After Xiahou Yin finished speaking, Qi Yuxuan nodded and said, "Li Niangzi went to do laundry. I don't know if she's back yet. I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."

Seeing his figure disappear into the distance, Qi Yuxuan turned around and found something among the yellowing grass and trees not far away.

This was the key to her confirming whether Lady Li was a spy from the Yue Kingdom.

After Li Niangzi finished washing the clothes, Xiahou Yin hurriedly summoned her over. Xiahou Yin himself was taken to the commander's camp, where it was said that there were important matters to discuss.

Following the direction Xiahou Yin had indicated, Lady Li hurriedly looked up and searched for a while before spotting Qi Yuxuan, who was sitting slumped on the grass, her face deathly pale. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Princess? What's wrong?"

Lady Li quickly took a few steps and helped the woman up. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat and her lips were bloodless, which was quite alarming. "Princess, I will help you back to rest immediately. Please hang in there."

She dared not imagine what would happen if someone really got into trouble while she was in charge.

Only after helping the person up did Li Niangzi see a blood-stained red plant at Qi Yuxuan's feet, covered in sharp thorns, which did not look like a kind creature.

Her pupils contracted. This was Crimson Bone Grass?!

Qi Yuxuan observed Li Niangzi's reaction closely. She remained calm, took a weak breath, and said:

"Madam Li, you've arrived. I was just about to find a place to sit and wait for you, but... but I accidentally cut my hand here. Not only does it hurt terribly, but I'm also having trouble breathing..."