Three days later.
Early in the morning, when the sky was still foggy, Yan Li successfully completed her guard duty. As if her soul had been taken away by a ghost, she moved step by step back to her residence.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally reached her room. Just as she was about to go in for a nap, Liu Xing, who had rushed to catch up with her, brought her devastating news.
"What? What did you say? My monthly payment is going to be reduced by five taels starting next month?"
Yan Li straightened up instantly, her mind cleared, and she was no longer sleepy. She couldn't believe that Liu Xing had said such cold words without batting an eye.
She only has twenty taels of monthly payment, and now it's going to be reduced by five taels?
Seeing the undisguised surprise on Yan Li's face, Liu Xing nodded calmly, "The prince specifically instructed me just now, and I have already spoken to the steward about it."
The implication was that he was merely there to deliver the message, and he didn't know the reasons behind it, nor could he be expected to be of any help.
"Did you hear that right?" Yan Li looked at Liu Xing, still somewhat incredulous, and asked again, "Are you sure it didn't go up?"
She risked her life to help him deal with those assassins, and he still deducted her pay?
Wen Shaoxing is not only sick, he is also stingy.
"You heard me right, Yan Li,"
Seeing Yan Li speak like this, Liu Xing seemed to have successfully remembered something else. Looking at the person in front of him, he hesitated for a moment, as if afraid of hurting her heart, and stammered:
"And...and the prince also said that you don't need to be on guard duty recently, and that you should rest in your room and not wander around."
This statement is essentially the same as house arrest, but it still leaves her some room to maneuver.
As soon as he finished speaking, the air fell silent, as if time had stood still.
The eerie silence was broken when Yan Li patted Liu Xing on the shoulder.
"...Well, in the future, when there's good news or bad news, you don't need to deliberately hide the good news to surprise me."
It made her worry for nothing.
If there's no work, five taels less is fine; she's not a greedy person.
Liu Xing was already stunned by Yan Li's slap, and he couldn't help but raise his eyes in suspicion.
Is this really good news?
How could he not know?
Perhaps she suffered too much trauma.
Crazy?
That shouldn't be the case.
She seems quite lucid.
Clearly, in Liu Xing's mind, not being valued by his master was a more serious matter than the sky falling or having his monthly allowance deducted.
But this was not important to Yan Li.
A hint of sympathy, and a rare touch of confusion, gradually appeared in Liu Xing's eyes. Looking at Yan Li, who seemed unhurried, he couldn't help but ask:
"Did you do something to offend the prince?"
Liu Xing's original intention was to remind Yan Li to try to salvage the situation and not let himself become a pawn to be discarded.
In any case, she had served under him for so long, it would be such a pity if she died unjustly because of a small mistake.
"offend?"
However, these words brought Yan Li's thoughts back to the night a few days ago. She thought about it carefully, and after a while, she thought, "...That shouldn't be the case."
"Could it be that snake?" she murmured.
Liu Xing, however, heard it very clearly. Thinking of the snake, its body mangled beyond recognition, he frowned, thought for a moment, and said:
"Why don't you think about it again?"
“If His Highness wanted to punish you because of that snake, he would have done so that very day, and there is no way he would have waited until now.”
"But I haven't seen the Prince for the past few days, how could I possibly have offended him?"
Except for that night when he mocked her for not knowing how to climb into bed, she had promised him she would learn.
Seeing that Yan Li was still confused, Liu Xing seemed to have thought of something else, and a sudden inspiration struck him, wanting to find out more details:
What did the prince say to you after he called you into his room that night?
Logically speaking, the prince was not the kind of master who would punish them with money so easily, unless they had really done something wrong.
At this moment, Yan Li opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated to open it, and her eyes darted away.
Seeing that Yan Li remained silent for a long time, Liu Xing's mind was in turmoil, with countless thoughts surging forth.
Could it be that Yan Li, serving the prince at close range for the first time, didn't know her place and had other thoughts, so this is an opportunity to teach her a lesson?
Liu Xing nodded as he thought, as if he had solved the case. A hint of something unspoken lingered in his eyes as he looked at Yan Li. He then reached out and patted her shoulder.
“Yan Li, we are still servants after all. We must recognize our place. The fine is the lightest punishment His Highness can think of.”
"You'd better be more careful in the future, and don't let the prince discover your little schemes again."
Yan Li was still confused.
What's your little scheme?
Just as she was about to ask for details, Liu Xing had already given up on listening. "Yan Li, listen to me. Just stay in your room these next few days. Maybe in a couple of days, the prince will forget about those things and start using you again."
"In short, stop having those unrealistic ideas."
After saying this, Liu Xing almost used his lightness skill to fly directly out of Yan Li's sight.
Yan Li looked at her empty hand, then at Liu Xing who seemed to be fleeing for his life: Was he running so fast because he knew she was spreading rumors and was afraid she would hit him?
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