Once Tao Hongying got the starch, she plunged into the kitchen, taking Shuiyun as her assistant, and began to think about new dishes.
Once it was ready, she happily carried half a bowl into the house, urging her mother-in-law to try it, like a child eager to present a treasure, "Mom, try my cherry meat, it's so delicious with its sweet and sour taste!"
Old Mrs. Li was all smiles after being coaxed by her daughter-in-law, before she could even reply.
Jiayin, drawn by the aroma, sat up abruptly. Seeing her mother and grandmother secretly eating, she immediately crawled over and snuggled into her grandmother's arms, closing her eyes and opening her mouth...
Grandma Li and Tao Hongying were so amused by Jiayin's appearance that their stomachs hurt from laughing.
They were truly defeated by this gluttonous chubby girl!
Just as Tao Hongying was about to throw a damp cloth to her daughter to wake her up, two guards returned.
When Grandma Li heard that her eldest son wanted Gong Yunshu to identify the keepsake, she got up and went next door.
Seeing that there was something to watch, Jiayin opened her eyes and quickly got out of bed. She picked up half a bowl of cherry meat and ate it as she walked.
Tao Hongying was worried that her daughter would get a bellyful of cold air if she went out, so she stopped Jiayin and said, "Fu Niu'er, I'm too tired from roasting duck this morning and can't walk anymore. Why don't you stay with me and rest for a while?"
After the Marquis finished breakfast, he returned to the camp. Tao Hongying was worried because most of her family had already eaten roast duck, so she left the Marquis behind.
So she got up in the middle of the night and baked three more, steamed some pancakes, and chopped some side dishes.
At breakfast, the Marquis and his family shared one of the millet porridges.
She packed the remaining two, along with the pancakes and side dishes, into a food box and handed it to her personal guards to take to the dock camp.
Actually, she wasn't that tired or sleepy at the moment, but when it came to dealing with her daughter, the self-inflicted injury tactic worked best.
Sure enough, Jiayin immediately climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed a pillow and a blanket, settled her mother down, and then sat down next to her mother, happily eating from her small bowl.
Tao Hongying reached out and half-encircled her daughter, intending to coax her to talk to her, but perhaps because the kang (heated brick bed) was too warm, her daughter actually fell asleep...
In the side room of the Cui family next door, Gong Yunshu took out the bracelet and said with a complicated expression, "This is indeed my grandmother's. I heard that my grandfather bought her the bracelet when he passed the imperial examination. She would never take it off, even when she was bathing."
After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, "Where did my grandmother hide by my uncle? How could she have given you this bracelet?"
The two guards looked at Old Lady Li and Li Lao Er, who had already briefly discussed the matter on the way.
Old Mrs. Li felt a pang of pity, but she still spoke up, "I heard that your grandmother was hidden in a wooden house on the mountain. When our family found her this morning, she had already starved to death..."
Starved to death?
The bracelet in Gong Yunshu's hand fell to the ground with a thud, and she stood there stunned for a long time without moving.
Gong Yu, on the other hand, started to cry. When his family suffered a major upheaval, he was still young. His grandmother's beatings and scoldings of him had only occurred in the last few months. For the previous few years, she had always spoiled him rotten.
Upon hearing that his grandmother had starved to death, he couldn't bear it and struggled to get down to find her.
As a result, Gong Yunshu stopped him.
Seeing that her lips were trembling and she tried several times but couldn't make a sound, Old Lady Li sighed.
So she stood up and said, "Don't be too sad. Some things are your own choice, and no one can be blamed. This matter still needs to be investigated, and I will definitely let you know when there is any more news."
After saying that, she went out with Li Lao Er and two guards.
When the two guards were about to return to Qingmu Town, Li Lao Er said, "Mother, I also want to go to Qingmu Town. I suppose my elder brother is about to close the net. I'll go and help him."
Of course, Old Lady Li couldn't stop her.
Ultimately, the person behind all this is targeting the second brother; he's the mastermind behind this conspiracy!
Grandma Li nodded and said, "Go ahead, but be careful. Don't panic if you can't find the person behind it. We're not afraid of living with our tails between our legs, but you absolutely cannot get into trouble!"
"Don't worry, Mother, we'll definitely be back soon." As Li Lao Er spoke, he prepared to ride a horse with his personal guard.
Coincidentally, at that moment, Li Laosi returned from outside with four soldiers. After saying a few words, he turned around and went to Qingmu Town with his second brother.
At this critical moment, facing the machinations of outsiders, it is precisely the time for these brothers to unite as one...
Li Zhensheng stayed in Qingmu Town for a day, investigating the backgrounds of the local thugs and the Gong family, and even pinpointing their locations.
Seeing that his second and fourth brothers had arrived and there were enough people, he said, "In the past few days, I have inquired a lot about the owner of the Four Seasons Auspicious Gambling House. Indeed, there is no enmity between us and our family, and there is not even any connection between us and the Cui family, the Liu family, or the Marquis."
"Moreover, the owner is usually low-key and acts with discretion compared to other casinos. So, it must be this manager surnamed Bao who is causing trouble."
"But if the dog we keep at home bites someone, we still need to talk to its owner. We need to arrest the people we should arrest and get the evidence we should get. We should try to enter the new capital before the city gates close!"
"Okay, we'll listen to our eldest brother." Li Lao Er and Li Lao Si both had no objections and said in unison.
They quickly split up and took action!
The five or six men from the Gong family, the same men who nearly beat Gong Yunshu and her brother to death in the street, were all arrested.
Liu the Fat, a local thug who was drinking at home, was also knocked unconscious with a stick.
All of them were stuffed into the carriage, and someone was sent to deliver a message to the two guards on the mountain, instructing them to keep an eye on the wooden house. Then the group hurriedly entered the city.
Li Zhensheng had lived in Xindu for more than ten years, so it wasn't difficult for him to sneak a few people into the city in a carriage.
Even the sabers that everyone had hidden under the cart's deck were successfully smuggled in...
As the sun sets, the bustling city gradually quiets down with fewer pedestrians, but in some places, the excitement is just beginning.
The Four Seasons Casino is located in the north of the city. It was originally a tavern, which was not very big and had some tables and chairs inside.
Groups of men, young and old, some dressed smartly, others disheveled and dirty—no one bothered to distinguish them at the moment—were all crammed around a few tables, shouting and yelling, veins bulging on their foreheads.
It was as if the harder they shouted, the dice would spin according to their will!
In the backyard of the casino, seven or eight thugs stood guard, their mouths full of food, chatting idly.
Someone asked, "Did the boss come over tonight? I saw the lights were on next door!"
The other man, with a hint of covetousness in his eyes, chuckled softly, "They're here. They've also brought the young widow from the alley behind. They're drinking right now. It looks like it's going to be windy and rainy tonight."
"Pah!" the man laughed and cursed. "That's called 'turning the clouds and rain'! When it's really windy and rainy, people are freezing to death. What's the point of playing that game?"
"Haha, don't worry, just hug each other and you'll feel warm," someone else chimed in.
This caused everyone to laugh in a lewd manner.
They were joking amongst themselves, little did they know that in the neighboring courtyard, their master, while enjoying fine wine and food and beautiful women, also had a gleaming saber held to his throat...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com