Chapter 111 The Four-Sided Brocade Box
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
Tao Tao's eyes crinkled into crescents, and she called out sweetly.
The sound warmed his heart, and he thought that this little girl was much more likable than those rebellious ones from the Heavenly Mystery Palace.
Bissian reached out and patted her head, trying to soften his voice.
"Good, good, little one!"
She paused for a moment, then said, "My name is Tao Tao."
"Little baby"? She's not that young, is she? It sounds strange.
Leng Qiao opened her eyes, and just as she was about to move, Tao Tao grabbed her.
She frowned, turned around, and looked somewhat puzzled.
Tao Tao only let go of the door after it was closed, and the smile on her face gradually faded.
She said coldly, "Let's go."
One person drove a horse-drawn carriage, and they left the mortuary and stopped at a suitable place.
The swaying mountain road shook the three unconscious people awake.
Xi Xin cried out in alarm, hurriedly stood up, and looked around in a panic: "Boss? Boss!"
Yu Shan was the second to wake up. He clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain, and slowly got up to look around. He realized he was inside a carriage.
The next moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Tao Tao's fair face lit up with a smile.
"You're awake? Oh, Yu He isn't awake yet."
Xi Xin rushed forward to check on her, her eyes slightly red: "Boss, are you alright? That old man..."
"I'm fine. I've reached a friendly agreement with that old man, otherwise why would he let us leave?"
"Your internal organs are injured. This is medicine given by Leng Qiao. You'll be fine after taking it."
Leng Qiao drove the carriage carrying the coffin to the side and glanced over when she heard this.
"Miss, I'm sorry, it's because my martial arts skills are not good enough."
She was expressionless, and although she expressed her apology, it didn't seem sincere.
"It's alright, it's alright, it's not your fault."
Tao Tao was a little surprised and quickly told her not to take it to heart, after all, he was not her bodyguard, but just someone who came to teach her whip techniques.
But she didn't know that Leng Qiao, who was ostensibly teaching her whip techniques, was actually also shouldering the important responsibility of protecting her.
It was because Duan Gan didn't want her to know about this that he didn't have Leng Qiao protect her closely.
When Leng Qiao first saw her, he was completely indifferent and did not care about her safety. When she encountered danger, he treated her with contempt and let his guard down.
How could they be so easily defeated?
If Duan Gan finds out, she will definitely be punished.
For some reason, Leng Qiao had a vague feeling that Tao Tao wouldn't tell her master.
She glanced at Tao Tao, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
The group placed the large and small coffins into the dug pit and then buried them. Tao Tao sat on a rock, holding a stone tablet in her arms and carving it little by little with a knife.
Yu Shan and Yu He, along with Xi Xin, began arranging other things.
As night fell, the group entered the city.
In the Privy Council study, candlelight flickered in the wind, casting shadows on the windowpanes. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, leaving a dark shadow on the floor.
"Master, the woman who appeared next to Miss is Ding Yunxiang, the daughter of the Salt Commissioner of Suizhou."
"She visited the Cai family these past two days with the engagement token."
Ding Yixu, the salt transport commissioner of Suizhou? The one who was abandoned by Qi Heng.
Upon hearing this, the man seemed thoughtful and tapped his chin with his fingertip.
"Keep them under surveillance, and deal with any unusual behavior on the spot."
"yes."
After a two-second silence, the figure on the ground spoke again: "His Majesty specially ordered the Imperial Advisor to refine a large number of pills to nourish the spirit and strengthen the bones for this autumn hunt."
"The Nourishing Spirit and Strengthening Bone Pill has miraculous effects. When consumed, it refreshes the mind and invigorates the blood. With continued use, it invigorates the spirit and makes the muscles and bones of the whole body seem to be reborn. No wonder His Majesty takes it every day."
He propped his elbows on the side of the chair, propped his head up, half-closed his eyes, and spoke in a lazy tone that revealed a hint of contempt.
"The Prince of Yingzhou and his son are currently showing no abnormalities, but they are somewhat anxious to see His Majesty."
"Furthermore, they also sent a letter to the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince did not meet with them."
Speaking of the letter, Duan Gan reached for the folded document placed in the corner, which was sent by the Prince of Yingzhou earlier that morning.
The Prince of Yingzhou was truly greedy, trying to please both sides, but things never went as he wished.
"Does the Prince of Yingzhou's mansion have no legitimate daughters?"
The shadowy figure looked up at the man sitting in the high seat, momentarily puzzled as to what the question was, but answered truthfully nonetheless.
"No, Murong Huaishi has two sons and three daughters. Only his eldest son, Murong Yan, is born of the principal wife; the rest are born of concubines."
He closed his eyes and pondered in his mind.
"The Crown Prince is already overwhelmed by the case at the Dali Temple, how could he possibly be in the mood to see them?"
The Empress is busy vying for the Emperor's favor with the other women in the harem, while the Emperor is preoccupied with achieving immortality, leaving most of the court's memorials here.
The cases involving Qiu Yanling seemed to have faded from public attention after his death.
The secret investigation also uncovered a batch of missing weapons and gunpowder.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"master."
Leng Qiao stood at the door.
"Enter."
Hearing the sound, she pushed open the door and entered. As she came in, the dark figure on the ground vanished instantly.
"Master, Miss did not take the key."
Leng Qiao held the keys in both hands and placed them on the table.
"Since I've instructed you to hand it over to her, you must make her accept it no matter what method you use. Can't you even do this simple thing?"
His voice was calm, yet it instantly put Leng Qiao on high alert, causing her to kneel down with a thud.
"It is my incompetence. I know this, and I will certainly make sure Miss accepts it."
She rushed forward to take the keys back, but he took them from her.
"No need, go and receive your punishment yourself."
She paused, her hands clenched tightly, her heart pounding uncontrollably, and she said in a dry voice, "Yes, Master."
What was her attitude towards your appearance?
Before Leng Qiao could answer, he said again, "Fine, you don't need to say anything."
He will ask her himself.
After dinner, Tao's mother appeared in her room with longevity noodles in both hands.
She smiled warmly, her eyes full of love: "Happy birthday, Tao'er."
Tao Tao paused, a hint of surprise in her eyes, and quickly stood up to take it: "Thank you, Mother."
She dodged it, placed it on the table herself, and then turned around and pulled Tao Tao's hands to sit down.
"Time flies, you're already sixteen this year."
“When you turned 18 last year, our family was struggling financially and had no money. This gift was supposed to be given to you when you turned 18, but you didn’t look like you had grown up yet.”
"I'll put it away for you."
As she spoke, she took out a square brocade box from her sleeve.
Tao's mother's expression was somewhat solemn, her eyes revealing a sense of nostalgia, and her fingers gently stroked the box, as if she were recalling something.
Tao Tao stared suspiciously at the thing in her hand, thinking it was something like earrings or jewelry.
But when she opened it, she was instantly shocked.
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