Chapter 20 Hidden Guards, Secret Letters, and the Blushing Pei Guanli

Jiaxingyuan?

Chen Yi stared at the contents of the panel and thought to himself that the hidden guards really knew how to find a place.

Of the ten residences in the entire Hou Mansion's backyard, only Jiaxing Garden was the most laxly guarded because Xiao Wan'er, Shen Huatang, and others were not present.

Recalling what he had seen during his previous night visit to Jiaxing Garden, Chen Yi realized that the artificial hill and pond were just outside the wall of his Chunhe Garden, and he made a decision.

Even if it were just for the sake of a chance encounter, he wanted to see who this so-called "hidden guard" really was.

Thinking about this.

Chen Yi calmed himself down and waited quietly for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Once he was sure that Xiao Die and the others were asleep, he quietly got up and left the wooden building again.

This time, thanks to the "Dragon Playing with Phoenix" movement technique, his movements were even lighter and faster. He arrived at the west wall of Chunhe Garden in almost only five breaths.

Carefully surveying his surroundings, and seeing that the armored soldiers outside the courtyard were not making any move, Chen Yi then turned and entered Jiaxing Garden.

However, he didn't notice that inside Xiao Jinghong's boudoir, a figure spotted him and looked puzzled.

"Brother-in-law, what are you doing sneaking around there like that?"

Pei Guanli tilted her head and thought for a moment, a sly smile appearing on her face. Then she quietly left the room and followed Chen Yi.

The other side.

Chen Yi hid in a corner of Jiaxing Garden, concealed by a clump of flowers and trees, quietly waiting for the "hidden guard" to appear.

But he had barely hidden himself when he saw a figure roll over from the direction of Chunhe Garden.

He initially thought it was the "hidden guard," but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Pei Guanli.

Chen Yi was speechless.

But it would be inappropriate to offer a warning at this point, as it's hard to say whether the "hidden guard" had actually arrived at Jiaxing Garden.

Left with no other choice, he had to throw a stone to make a slight noise.

Fortunately, Pei Guanli was clever enough to follow the sound and come over. Upon seeing him, she immediately asked, "Sister..."

Before she could speak, Chen Yi covered her mouth, pulled her into the bushes, and whispered in her ear, "Shut your mouth and watch."

The scorching heat made Pei Guanli's earlobes itch, and she quickly waved her hand to indicate that she understood.

Chen Yisong released his hand without speaking again, but pointed in the direction of the artificial hill and pond, indicating that she should look and not speak.

Pei Guanli looked in the direction he was pointing. Although she didn't understand what he was looking for, she knew she couldn't make a sound at this moment, so she obediently squatted down to the side.

Chen Yi ignored her, his eyes fixed on the artificial hill and pond, waiting for the "hidden guard" to arrive.

While waiting, in the quiet flower and tree grove.

Pei Guanli inexplicably recalled the burning sensation on her ear just now, and her heart still felt pounding.

She touched her slightly flushed cheeks and glanced at Chen Yi.

Seeing his calm expression as he focused intently on the pool not far away, Pei Guanli could only press her chest, quietly take a deep breath and then exhale, trying to calm herself down.

You're so pathetic, Pei Guanli. Haven't you ever seen a man before?

Besides, he's Sister Jinghong's husband... Stop, don't think about it anymore!

Lost in thought, Pei Guanli didn't notice that a burly figure had quietly arrived at Jiaxing Garden.

Chen Yi spotted the newcomer immediately, held his breath, and stared intently at him, a sense of familiarity rising in his heart.

Who is it?

He hadn't had much contact with the armored soldiers at the Marquis's residence. Apart from Wang Lixing and a few others, the only other ones were the guards who had accompanied him to the south of Shuzhou City that day.

After matching them one by one, a figure flashed through Chen Yi's mind—was it him?

Soon, as the figure stood in the pavilion beside the artificial hill and pond, Chen Yi confirmed his guess.

Although the newcomer was wearing armor, a helmet, and a face shield, he was certain that the man was Liu Si'er, who had driven the carriage for them earlier!

"Fourth Brother? Heh, a carefully selected guard from the army is actually a spy who has been hiding for many years."

It was only then that Pei Guanli noticed there was someone by the rockery, which startled her so much that she quickly covered her mouth and almost cried out.

She glanced at Chen Yi, and seeing that he looked serious but didn't move, she quickly shrank back, afraid of being discovered by that person.

Not long after.

After Liu Si'er's eyes swept around like a hawk's, she deftly took out a stack of papers from her bosom and stuffed them into the gap below the outside of the pavilion.

After finishing, he observed his surroundings once more before walking out of the main gate of Jiaxingyuan.

Seeing this, Pei Guanli was about to make a move when Chen Yi first raised his hand and pressed it against the back of her neck, leaning closer and whispering:

"Don't move, wait a little longer."

The aura made Pei Guanli feel a little dizzy, and she hurriedly pressed the bell on her neck and nodded her little head.

In just ten breaths, Liu Si'er returned, standing like a ghost in the shadows by the door, scanning his surroundings.

After confirming that nothing had been found, his gaze calmed down, and he gently shook his head before walking out of Jiaxingyuan again.

But Chen Yi still didn't make any move, and his hand was still pressing down on Pei Guanli.

It wasn't that he was paranoid, or that he knew anything about these "hidden guards" hiding in the Marquis's mansion.

But until now, he has not received any notification of the opportunity.

really.

After about an incense stick's time had passed, Liu Si'er returned to Jiaxing Garden for the second time, heading straight for the pond and artificial hill. He even leaned out to touch the secret letter outside the pavilion before leaving with peace of mind.

[Witness the shrewdness, caution, and ghostly movements of the Marquis's hidden guards, and comprehend the mysteries of their techniques. Reward: The "Playing Dragon and Phoenix" skill level is upgraded to the Profound Rank, and the chance bonus is increased by 12.]

[Comment: The person's arrival is noticeable, the scene is visible, but the thieving aspect is still too strong, revealing an inherently despicable nature.]

As the illusory words flashed before his eyes, Chen Yi's mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of the "Playing Dragon and Phoenix" movement technique.

Because he had practiced this movement technique before, he only needed to think about it for a moment to understand the differences. He believed that it wouldn't be long before he could catch up with the new Dragon and Phoenix Movement Technique.

As he thought about it, Chen Yi stood up.

After looking around, he walked straight toward the pavilion.

Seeing this, Pei Guanli snapped out of her daze and quickly followed, saying, "Brother-in-law, you're amazing!"

"How did you know he would come back? Did you discover that person beforehand, so you know him well?"

"Who is he? Is he a spy hiding in the Marquis's mansion? Can I tell Sister Jinghong?"

Chen Yi frowned, annoyed by her noise, and said, "Shut up."

Pei Guanli obediently shut her mouth, but still couldn't suppress her excitement.

In that short moment, she conjured up a dramatic and tragic love story of selfless devotion and unconditional love.

—My brother-in-law is incredibly talented, yet he willingly chose to marry into the Xiao family for Sister Jinghong because of "love." He's absolutely amazing!

Sister Jinghong will be so touched when she finds out, right?

Pei Guanli, as if she had discovered a great secret, followed closely behind Chen Yi, watching him take some things out from under the pavilion, and couldn't help but lean forward to take a look as well.

"Brother-in-law, what is this?"

The secret letter contained only four lines and twenty-eight characters, but the characters were something like "A1" and "B3".

Chen Yi shook his head; he didn't know either.

Clearly, this requires a codebook to decipher the coded message. Without finding that codebook for reference, the contents cannot be cracked in a short time.

After thinking for a moment, he had an idea.

He immediately returned to his study, found a pen and ink, added a few words to the secret letter, and then put it back under the pavilion.

Pei Guanli followed him quietly the whole time, but after seeing the words he added, she couldn't help but burst out laughing after holding back for a long time.

"Brother-in-law, you, you're so naughty, haha..."

(End of this chapter)