Chapter 11 Chapter 11 made Cui Jue doubt her judgment in choosing a man.

Chapter 11

On a midsummer night, cicadas are buzzing, green trees are shady, and wooden sheds for cooling off are covered with lush green vines.

Su Li ate a bowl of iced mung bean soup at the stone table under the shed, and took Qiu Gui back to the room early.

Su Li took a bath, changed her clothes, and took a soft towel to wring out her hair. She grew up in the countryside and was not used to having people serving her. When she carried Zhou on her back, she dressed and washed herself.

Su Li closed the door and picked out a small box wrapped in floral cloth from the depths of the box.

When the wooden box was opened, ingots of golden gold were neatly arranged in the box.

In the ancient Wu Kingdom, the aristocratic families were powerful, and the powerful clans dominated one side. Wars were frequent, and the states and counties were often in chaos.

Rather than carrying banknotes and notes that could not be cashed in time in the event of war, Su Li preferred to carry priceless jewelry or gold and silver when traveling.

However, all the pearl jewelry she wore were cast with the Su family's crest. Every time a hairpin fell, it had to be recorded in a book by the housekeeper. Su Li had no chance to melt the gold and silver into ingots or gold leaves and keep them with her.

In order to control Su Li, the Su family not only imprisoned Su Li's grandmother, but also paid special attention to her financial expenses. Every expense was recorded in the account, and they even sent servants to check the number of precious jewelry to prevent Su Li from hiding her own money.

Zhou was on high alert, fearing that Su Lixin would grow up to not even care about her grandmother and would take advantage of the chaos to escape.

After Su Li got married, Zhou relaxed her discipline a little.

These silver coins were the private silver that Su Li had saved by lying about the prices of items for many years, bit by bit here and there.

Qiu Gui knew all about this matter, but she felt sorry for her daughter and helped Su Li to conceal it from others, not revealing Su Li's personal belongings.

Su Li counted the silver and money and had a plan in mind.

In addition to the three or two gold hairpins in the box, Su Li still had twenty taels of gold. One tael of gold could be exchanged for more than ten taels of silver. This money was enough for a poor family to live on for a lifetime, and it was also enough for Su Li to buy a yard and some land in the countryside so that he could live a worry-free life for the rest of his life.

Besides, Su Li has hands and feet, is good at farming and cooking, and living with her grandmother will definitely not make her starve.

Su Li took out five taels of gold and stuffed it into Qiu Gui's hand. "I remember your pawning contract stated that the price was thirty taels of silver. At a monthly rate of two qian of silver, it would take you forever to save up enough to redeem yourself. This is the money I saved specifically for you. Later, you can use it to ask for mercy from your mother and let you go home."

After saying that, Su Li laughed and teased Qiu Gui, "When the time comes, you should pick a handsome man to marry and enjoy the leisurely life of a wife... You are a good cook, good at embroidery, and hardworking. You will definitely be able to make a good living outside. You won't have to do those servant jobs of getting up in the middle of the night to boil water and clean people's bodies."

After hearing this, Qiu Gui immediately knelt down and said, "Madam, are you trying to kick me out? But what have I done that was not done with all my heart?"

Seeing Qiu Gui's red eyes, Su Li knew she was genuinely frightened and couldn't help but sigh, "Qiu Gui, stand up and talk. I've told you we shouldn't kneel like this in private... I'm not trying to get rid of you, but if one day I don't stay in the Cui family, you have to think of a way out for yourself..."

Qiu Gui quickly came to her senses and understood what Su Li meant.

Although I don’t know what Su Li’s plans are, if Su Li doesn’t stay in the Su and Cui families in the future, she must have thought of running away.

Qiu Gui thought about the chaos in the world outside. How could Su Li, a delicate young lady, make a living and protect herself in this chaotic world if she left the Su family?

As if she could see Qiu Gui's confusion, Su Li blinked and said casually, "I'm ready. Since I'm leaving the Su family, I have to change my appearance. It's not good for this face to be too beautiful. I'll apply some medicine and get a face full of sores. People will be scared and run away the first time they see me. Then I'll take my grandmother to the countryside and live our own life. I've also prepared fake identity cards and travel permits. At worst, I can say I'm a refugee from the north. I don't think they'll be investigated one by one."

The north borders a small country outside the Great Wall, and border battles often occur. Once a city is broken, refugees flee, and there are countless civilians without identity documents. The government will not waste time inquiring about them one by one.

Qiu Gui heard that she had arranged everything properly, which showed that this plan had been conceived for a long time. The little girl was gloomy and wanted to persuade Su Li, but in an instant, Qiu Gui thought of Su Li being manipulated like a walking corpse over the years, and her heart was filled with pity.

Qiu Gui bit her lower lip and said, "If my lady leaves, then I, after I redeem myself, I will come find my lady and follow you!"

Su Li thought about it and realized that in the future she would not only be able to live with her grandmother, but she could also live with Qiu Gui.

In the small house, the three of them lived a carefree life, chatting about everything under the sun, drinking and eating meat every day, and they were very happy.

Su Li chuckled and nodded repeatedly: "Okay. Then you keep the money, I'll wait for you... Since you want to follow me so much, then I can only grant your wish. Alas, I didn't expect that Qiu Gui, you are so clingy..."

Qiu Gui looked at Su Li shaking her head helplessly, and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The two little girls laughed together. Tonight, Su Li did not let Qiu Gui stay alone on the bamboo beauty couch outside the inner room to keep watch. Instead, she pulled her into the soft brocade quilt.

There was a small ice jar in the room, and the night wind blew through the window, bringing a cool breeze.

Su Li and Qiu Gui lay side by side on a soft pillow. It was rare for her to talk about her childhood with Qiu Gui.

At that time, although Su Li's house had thatched windows and doors, and even the woven thatch could not block the rainwater leaking from the roof tiles, when it was not raining, late at night, she could see the starry sky through the gaps in the weeds.

She was carefree, as if sleeping between heaven and earth.

It's nothing like it is now. Although I live in a wealthy mansion with a luxurious house, my bedroom is surrounded by walls on all sides, and the bed curtains are covered with gauze curtains on golden hooks, making it airtight.

Normally, Su Li had to look at the stars and the moon, and even to enjoy the breeze in the courtyard, she had to look at the mood of the aunt in charge and get the approval of the mistress. She had no freedom at all.

She thought of her grandmother and was worried about her. Even if she was tortured, she would not die. She endured day by day, waiting for the day to escape from this place.

Su Li endured her life without a single complaint.

However, every day she felt like she was imprisoned in a square prison.

Without sunlight, there is no liberation.

-

Every summer, the girls of Jianye County would gather together for banquets, either to drink tea or to appreciate flowers.

However, in the capital, the status of the young ladies of the imperial family was judged by their family background. Although the invitations sent to the Cui family in Wudong came like snowflakes and piled up on the desk, most of them were for Cui Shunying, and none for Su Li.

Cui Shunying frowned, threw away the invitation, and refused to go.

Soon, the young ladies came to their senses and included Su Li in the invitations this time.

Cui Shunying only paid several visits to this family because they did not show favoritism.

However, every time Cui Shunying invited Su Li to go with her, Su Li would come up with an excuse on the spot. Either she said the sun was too hot and it would be more comfortable to stay in the yard and eat an ice bowl; or she had a heat stroke and had a headache and wanted to lie down on the bed and take a nap. In short, she just didn't want to visit someone else's house.

After a while, Cui Shunying understood that Su Li didn't want to see the looks of those young ladies, nor did she want Cui Shunying to take care of her cousin everywhere and not have fun.

Cui Shunying said guiltily: "Then when I come back, I will bring you some fruit cake from Jinxianglou."

Su Li pursed her lips and smiled: "I also want ham puff pastry."

"Okay, okay!" Cui Shunying didn't mind the trouble. What she was afraid of was that Su Li had nothing else to ask for. The fact that she had the pastries she wanted to eat made Cui Shunying feel much more relieved.

After seeing Cui Shunying off, Su Li stared at the pavilions in the distance in a daze.

That is the direction of Shuyue Pavilion.

It is Cui Jue's residence.

The weather is the hottest in the midsummer months of July and August. There is no wind during the day, and it is hot and stuffy.

For several days in a row, Su Li had seen the kitchen staff walk into Shuyue Pavilion and bring out the meals prepared for Cui Jue intact.

The food was not edible.

Maybe it was because of the hot weather, Cui Jue had no appetite at all.

Su Li knew what was going on.

Wealthy families, fearing that their masters would be picky about food, mostly chose high-quality delicacies from the mountains and the sea, including anything that runs on the land or swims in the sea, as their ingredients.

Even if there were a few vegetarian dishes, they were all cooked with stewed chicken soup and boiled mutton fat, like tonics. They tasted so greasy that it was no wonder Cui Jue disliked them.

Su Li knew what was going on.

The wealthy families had ice jars to dissipate heat in their homes, so they ate the same as usual.

They are nothing like the country people who, if they want to cool down, can only go to the stream to soak in the water, or use well water to cool wild fruits and melons, then break them open and eat them to relieve the heat.

My grandmother rarely used oil in her summer dishes, resulting in a light, refreshing, and never greasy taste. This was because rapeseed oil and lard were expensive, so she was reluctant to use them in the pot. Adding oil to the dishes was also a recipe for summer heat, especially when working in the fields under the scorching sun.

Since Cui Jue finds it hard to swallow...

After thinking about it, Su Li took Qiu Gui to the outer courtyard kitchen and cooked a bowl of salted edamame, tea-marinated eggs, and refreshing salted duck cubes. Finally, she prepared a pot of iced rice wine and sent it to Shuyue Pavilion.

The snacks are all boiled dishes to go with wine.

The wooden bowl is filled with lush greenery and the aroma of tea. Even the sauce for dipping the duck is sweet and sour, making it tempting. In the hot summer, just smelling it makes your mouth water.

"Madam Su, I can't..." Wei Zhiyan glanced at Su Li and Qiu Gui. He knew that this was excellent food, but he couldn't send food of unknown origin to the eldest master's table... It was hard for Madam Su to be so thoughtful. She could see that her master was afraid of heat and loved coolness, so she even cooked snacks in a unique way.

Su Li was a very perceptive person, she understood Wei Zhiyan's thoughts very well. She smiled sweetly and personally brought a tray to Wei Zhiyan, "This is not for the eldest son. This is a snack for Guard Wei. I have sent you a message several times before, so please help me run errands."

Wei Zhiyan was flattered: "For me?"

Qiu Gui raised an eyebrow, "Why? Is it that the guards dislike it? Or are you afraid that my wife will poison the food?"

After saying that, Qiu Gui broke open the edamame and stuffed it into his mouth to test the poison.

Wei Zhiyan waved his hands repeatedly and said he didn't dare. Now that things had come to this, he could only accept these snacks.

But Wei Zhiyan still understood the principle of no reward without merit, so he waited here for Su Li's next words.

However, Su Li didn't make any excessive demands. She just blinked and said, "Guardian Wei, don't feel burdened. I'm not from the Su family's main branch, but from a branch of the family. Therefore, our family isn't well off. I often go into the kitchen and instruct the cook on how to cook... This is just a small thing that's not presentable. I can entertain myself in the house, but I wouldn't dare present it to the Cui family's master. If Guardian Wei doesn't mind, you can help me taste the saltiness."

"How, how could I dislike it!" Now that things have come to this, it would be a bit ungrateful for Wei Zhiyan to refuse again. Besides, he is eating it himself, not for the master, so what is there to be afraid of?

Thinking of this, Wei Zhiyan reached out and took it: "Then I will respectfully obey your command!"

Even when guarding the Shuyue Pavilion, there were often guards patrolling and rotating at noon.

When it was Wei Zhiyan's turn to have lunch, he called a few good friends to go to the tea room to eat together.

When the brothers saw the refreshing and delicious salted duck on the table, they couldn't help but salivate: "Brother Wei, your duck meat looks good..."

Wei Zhiyan scratched his head and said, "Madam Su sent this. There's only one plate. You can eat it if you want, but leave two pieces for me!"

"Okay."

Everyone rushed over, just to grab the food for fun, but when they really started to eat the duck, they all started to salivate, muttering under their breath, "This duck tastes absolutely amazing... It's comparable to the roast duck at Linlong Pavilion!"

"Brother Wei, could you please ask Madam Su for the recipe? I'd like my mother to learn it too. It would be great to have with wine tonight."

Wei Zhiyan was irritated. "Mrs. Su is so happy that she sends us food. That's a favor, a reward. We're so disrespectful to the guests by asking for recipes. I'm afraid the eldest master will skin us alive!"

After saying this, Wei Zhiyan saw that the faces of the brothers in front of him were pale, and he thought that they were intimidated by Cui Jue's reputation, so he didn't say anything more.

But even though he kept his mouth shut, these brothers still lowered their heads and sweated profusely. That was a bit strange...

Wei Zhiyan felt like sitting on pins and needles.

After a while, a light scent of grass and woods approached. It was clearly the elegant and refreshing scent of orchids, but now it was filled with evil spirits and was as strange as the Shura from hell.

Wei Zhiyan quickly realized what had happened. His back was stiff, the bowl and chopsticks in his hands were motionless, and he couldn't get the rice into his mouth for a long time.

Until the icy cold man's voice sounded from behind him——

"I had no idea when Shuyue Pavilion produced such treacherous bastards like you. You could bribe them with just a few ounces of duck meat, and you even brought food into the house..."

Wei Zhiyan turned back tremblingly, meeting Cui Jue's fierce and imposing eyes. He immediately knelt down and confessed his guilt: "Master, Master, please calm down!"

Wei Zhiyan felt a little aggrieved and couldn't help but whisper, "Master, I wasn't bribed by Madam Su... Madam Su gave me this food, and I didn't intend to submit it to your case."

The implication was: What constitutes bribery? It's taking advantage of someone and then helping them to cheat their master. He didn't cheat Cui Jue, and the food went into his own stomach. Even if something good or bad came out of it, it had nothing to do with Cui Jue. As for betrayal... it wasn't just a bowl of meat; there was no need to make such a fuss.

Cui Jue is well versed in how to control his subordinates.

If you want your subordinates to be loyal, you can't just use harsh words to criticize Wei Zhiyan. You have to use both kindness and force to make people willingly do things for you.

It's just a meal.

Cui Jue would not eat the snacks sent by each family on weekdays, but would give them to his servants as rewards.

But today, for some reason, he was so angry that he felt a sense of disappointment when facing Wei Zhiyan.

In addition, Cui Jue also sensed a different kind of resentment in his heart - the reason he was angry was also because he felt despised and ridiculed by Su Li.

At first, Su Li tried every possible means to please Cui Jue, even resorting to the most despicable methods.

Not only did Su Li come to Shuyue Pavilion to give gifts every few days, she also deliberately fell on the road that Cui Jue had to take to return to the camp, showing her weak and charming side and tempting Cui Jue to be kind.

Such a scheming woman, after being rejected many times, actually gave up on herself and gave up seducing Cui Jue.

Su Li no longer pestered Cui Jue, but instead tried to please the guards under Cui Jue... The techniques and strategies she used were exactly the same as when she treated Cui Jue.

She was so indifferent to both meat and vegetables that Cui Jue began to doubt her judgment in choosing a partner.

Su Li seemed to be saying that to her, Cui Jue and Wei Zhiyan were no different.

No matter whether he is a young man from a noble family or a pawn of a wealthy family, he is just a man who is easy to control.

Cui Jue pursed his thin lips slightly, his expression unfriendly.

He could sense Su Li's joking intention, and she was trying to embarrass him.

She is a vindictive girl.

Cui Jue originally wanted to issue an order, such as prohibiting the guards of Shuyue Pavilion from talking to outsiders.

But if this happens, if Su Li comes to visit next time, she will definitely know that Cui Jue is angry over such a small matter... He doesn't want to have any contact with Su Li again.

Cui Juexue's eyelashes drooped slightly, his face darkened. In the end, he said nothing, but just turned away.