sick seedlings
As autumn fades into winter, the weather gradually cools.
Standing beneath the majestic city gates of Chang'an, she could no longer recall the scene of her departure years ago.
She lost her mother at a young age and grew up with her grandparents in Chongqing. She died of a cold at the age of five, and that's when "she came."
A murderous intent swept over her, and she pulled her cloak tighter around herself and hugged the hand warmer in her hands.
Xie Sili dodged to the side and stood not far away, seeing several men in black surrounding her.
One of them swung a knife and ran towards her, shouting, "Xie Sili, this day next year will be your death anniversary."
Suddenly, he fell backward to the ground, foaming at the mouth, convulsing until he died.
The lessons learned from the past made the men in black nervous.
She straightened her clothes and casually ordered, "Leave no one alive."
Before they could react, or even see where the person came from, they all collapsed.
Xie Sili slightly raised her eyes to look at the young man in black beside her, "What have you discovered? Who is this person?"
"Reporting to Miss, this is a fourth-tier assassin from the Misty Rain Pavilion. He must intend to kill you. Should Si Yi go and investigate?"
"They're nothing but clowns, no need to pay them any mind." A few figures flashed through her mind, and she gave a cold laugh. "Into the city, back to the Prime Minister's residence!"
Upon entering the city, Xie Sili's gaze fell upon the bustling streets, where goods were displayed in abundance, shouts filled the air, and occasionally, the sounds of passersby bargaining could be heard.
①Riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day.
The sentence had just surfaced in Xie Sili's mind when it was interrupted by a voice.
"Chang'an is not good; it's not as comfortable as Yuzhou City."
Hearing Luoju's soft complaints, she smiled without saying a word and reached out to pat Luoju's head.
The carriage slowly passed by the mansions of aristocratic families, from the residence of the Minister of Works to the residence of the Minister of Personnel, and finally she saw the two stone lions standing in front of the Prime Minister's residence.
The carriage came to a stop, and Xie Sili, with Luo Mei's help, stepped down. Looking at the group of people at the door, Huang Shi, who was smiling, was at the front with Xie Siyao, while the others stood to the side.
After leaving Chang'an, she never saw these people again, and the occasional news she heard from them did not interest him.
However, judging from the current situation, in addition to Huang, the father-in-law also has a concubine.
Under Madam Huang's scrutinizing gaze, she hugged the hand warmer in her arms and nodded to her, "Greetings, Madam."
After a long while, she heard Huang's voice.
"Are you Sister Li?"
“I have been living with my grandparents in Yuzhou City all these years, so it is understandable that my stepmother does not remember me.” She coughed as she spoke, “I have been weak since childhood, and I hope my stepmother will forgive me.”
Huang concealed the probing look in her eyes, the smile on her lips not reaching her eyes, "Sister Li must be tired from the long journey. I have already tidied up the old Li residence, you should go and rest."
Xie Sili coughed a few more times, his face becoming even paler against the backdrop of his clothes.
"girl……"
The four women, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, looked worried and wished they could push Huang aside.
Xie Sili took in Huang's emotions and lowered his head to hide the cold smile on his lips.
"Should we call a doctor?" Madam Huang asked with concern. "Doctor Du in our household has gone back to his hometown because of an emergency at home."
Xie Sili pulled his cloak tighter around himself, lowering his eyes and saying, "My health has been poor these past few years, but I have prepared medicine to alleviate it, so my stepmother need not worry."
During the conversation, Xie Sili's gaze fell on Xie Siyao, who was standing next to Huang Shi.
Xie Siyao wore a brightly colored gorgeous dress, her hair styled in a drooping bun, and a charming smile appeared between her eyebrows and eyes.
She was the child whom the Huang family had cherished and raised all these years. She was not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also had profound attainments in other areas. She was undoubtedly the most talented woman in Chang'an.
The appearance of a meteorite in the suburbs of Chang'an a couple of years ago pushed Xie Siyao into the spotlight, and she was praised by a high-ranking monk as having the destiny of a phoenix.
She then turned her gaze to the others, including Xie Siyao, Xie Siyue, and Xie Siyan. Xie Siyue's birth mother, Jiang, had passed away, and she was currently being raised by Huang. Xie Siyan was Li's child.
Her gaze swept over them one by one, before she returned to her original posture.
Under Huang's arrangement, they were led by a maid to Liju.
She could vaguely tell from the distance that the courtyard was very far away, so far that Huang Shi didn't even want to see her.
Luo Mei was about to speak out in displeasure when Xie Sili grabbed her wrist and shook his head.
Just as Xie Sili had predicted, the Li residences were very far away, one in the east and the other in the far west.
After the maid arranged by Madam Huang left, Luolan couldn't help but complain, "Miss, Madam Huang clearly doesn't want to take care of you and has thrown you into such a remote and desolate place."
“This is perfect. It will make our journey in Chang’an easier. We can scatter these herbs around to drive away snakes and insects.”
Xie Sili had already removed his cloak, and his face, which had been weak and pale just moments before, was now radiant.
Perhaps knowing she was coming back, the room was spotless, and even the bedding on the bed was new.
Of course, it would be even better if no poisonous medicine packets were found inside.
There were packets of medicine that emitted a slight toxic gas in the mattress, pillow, bedding, and wardrobe.
This slow-acting poison is little known, and even those poisoned are unaware of the signs of poisoning, eventually dying from bodily exhaustion.
"That Huang family is utterly vicious!" Luoju said indignantly. "How can we tolerate this?"
"It's alright." Xie Sili smiled as she looked at the medicine packet that had been found. "After all, no one can accept a face that resembles their mother."
"Si Ze".
As Xie Sili's voice rang out, a young man in black carrying a sword appeared before them.
She glanced at the things on the table, and the young man in black quickly cleaned them up and then disappeared.
"What are your plans, young lady?"
Xie Sili looked at Luo Mei, a smile curving his lips, "An eye for an eye."
Before sunset, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju finally cleaned the courtyard, throwing away everything Huang had arranged and replacing it with things they had brought from Yuzhou City.
Night falls.
Upon hearing footsteps, she picked up the hand warmer placed beside her and, with Luo Mei's help, put on the cloak.
Not long after, a servant walked in from outside.
His eyes were full of disdain, as if he didn't take her, this girl who had come from afar, seriously at all, and could even be described as disgusted.
"The master wants you to go there," the servant ordered impatiently.
Xie Sili noticed his unusual behavior but didn't pay it any mind. She stood up and nodded to him.
"Thank you for your trouble."
She gave Luo Mei a wink, and Luo Mei stepped forward and handed a few gold leaves to the servant.
The current currency is copper leaves. The monthly allowance of the Prime Minister's mansion is ranked according to rank. Even the highest-ranking maidservant receives only two strings of copper leaves, while the lowest-ranking maidservant receives only five hundred copper leaves.
Five gold leaves are enough for an ordinary person to live on for several years.
The servant immediately changed his expression, putting away the gold leaves and looking at Xie Sili with a fawning expression.
As the saying goes: money makes the world go round.
"Today is a welcome banquet prepared by Madam for the Third Miss. The Second Young Master and the Fourth Young Master, who is studying abroad, will also be returning."
Although the servant looked at her with some hostility, Xie Sili didn't care and followed him into the hall.
Before she even got close, she could hear the cheerful laughter of Xie Zhun and the Huang family. Xie Sinan, who was sitting on the far side, had successfully blended in as one of them.
Both Li Shi and Xie Siyan were out of place in this joyful atmosphere, while Xie Siyue, because of Xie Siyao, was occasionally able to chime in with a word.
Li lowered her head and clutched her handkerchief, clearly disgusted by the occasion, while Xie Siyan looked at the dishes on the table with anticipation, her mouth practically watering.
"I have met my father and mother."
Seeing that Xie Chun remained silent, Xie Sili coughed, his face growing paler and paler.
Xie Zhun said calmly, "Sit down."
"Why is your body so weak and frail?"
Xie Sili could clearly sense the anger hidden in Xie Zhun's tone.
She looked up at Xie Zhun, then quickly lowered her head and said, "Father, you don't know, I have been weak since childhood. I have been fortunate to have my grandmother take care of me all these years. When I was five years old, I caught a cold and almost died. Since then, my health has been like this, and I have suffered from repeated illnesses."
Noticing Xie Zhun's gaze, Xie Sili curled into a cold smile.
Why did she pretend to be so frail? It was to lower this good father's guard.
Fortunately, she did not live in Yuzhou City for many years, but instead traveled around with her master.
Before returning to Chang'an, she specifically asked her grandparents to write a letter to Xie Chun to inform him about her health condition.
Given the current situation, it's likely that Xie Zhun hasn't even opened the letter.
"Does your sister have any dietary restrictions?"
Hearing this voice, Xie Sili looked up and saw Xie Siyao looking at her with a smile in her eyes.
Those eyes were completely different from Huang's; there was no scheming, no conspiracy, only clear concern and genuine worry.
"There are no dietary restrictions, and eating a little bit or two won't cause any harm," Xie Sili replied to Xie Siyao. "I am very grateful for your concern, sister."
When Xie Sili said this, she clearly felt the gazes of Xie Zhun and Madam Huang.
There was even a third pair of eyes watching her with scrutinizing eyes.
She recognized that look; it belonged to Xie Sinan, the "dull-witted tyrant" raised by the Huang family, who only knew how to fight cocks and ride horses.
He was a notorious playboy in Chang'an. If it weren't for Jun Qiyu standing in his way, this legitimate son of the Prime Minister's family would have been at the top of the list long ago.
Huang did not want Xie Sinan to become a stumbling block on her biological son Xie Siyu's bright future, which is why she raised him to have this kind of personality.
Xie Sili glanced at his elder brother out of the corner of his eye.
Kidney deficiency, spleen deficiency, and deficiency of both qi and blood, along with a dark complexion, all these symptoms reminded her that her brother was severely poisoned and did not have long to live.
As Xie Sili was thinking this, Xie Zhun suddenly spoke up, "Do you know why we brought you back?"
As Xie Sili pondered these matters, she heard Xie Zhun's voice, "Do you know why I brought you back?"
She looked up slightly at Xie Zhun, but there was no trace of fatherly love in his eyes. Instead, he seemed to see her as a fish on a chopping board, at his mercy.
She lowered her head, a cold smile playing on her lips, and was about to speak when a voice reached her ears.
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