All the maids in the Scarlet Smoke Palace were so frightened that they knelt down.
In the silence, no one dared to make a sound, except for Xiao Shu'er, who was panting heavily with anger. After a moment, she roared, "What are you all standing there for! Useless things! Keep an eye on Chang Lili, and kill her when you get the chance!"
Bai Mei immediately took the order and went to make the arrangements.
In a small courtyard of the General's Mansion, the mother-in-law was already busy in the yard, but Chang Lili didn't open her eyes until the sun was high in the sky, still feeling unsatisfied.
She stretched, rubbed her eyes, and her mind was foggy for a moment before she remembered what had happened last night.
Last night, Meng Yuxiu suddenly brought a food box and some wine. The two drank together for a while. Then Meng Yuxiu told her not to go to the military manufacturing department for the time being, and not to go out. He told her to prepare well for the third test.
Thinking of this, Chang Lili excitedly jumped up. She had been sleepy just moments before, but now she was beaming with joy.
She practically jumped out of bed, got dressed, and started to comb her messy hair.
But clutching her disheveled hair, she couldn't quite remember what happened afterward.
She frowned slightly, recalling how she had drunk heartily the day before, and how Meng Yuxiu, unusually, hadn't restrained her and had even drunk with her.
"And then?" Chang Lili muttered to herself, racking her brains to think.
Then she remembered that last night, while she was drinking, she seemed to lose her sense of direction, her face felt hot, and then she saw two Meng Yuxiu, then three Meng Yuxiu, and she even fell into Meng Yuxiu's arms with a silly smile.
I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it, I was clearly drunk.
Chang Lili blushed slightly; it's inevitable to lose control when drunk. She couldn't remember what happened after that.
But Meng Yuxiu's words echoed in my ears: "Although wine is good, it is not advisable to drink too much, as it is easy to make mistakes after drinking."
She froze, her face instantly turning red. She quickly sat back on the bed and looked through the clothes, then carefully recalled what she was wearing when she woke up. Her clothes were not disheveled.
It seemed that the alcohol hadn't caused any problems. She let out a breath and slowly began to comb her hair.
Deep down, she felt that Meng Yuxiu was a gentleman who would never take advantage of someone in distress, but then she felt something was off.
Given Meng Yuxiu's character, why did he pull on his clothes after saving him last time?
Perhaps it was an accident, she thought, and her combing movements quickened.
The most urgent thing right now is to quickly study the art of mechanisms in order to prepare for passing through the trap array.
Thinking of this, Chang Lili felt full of energy, and the dangers of the mechanical arts were completely forgotten.
The soft, golden sunlight bathed the courtyard. Chang Lili sat there, staring intently at a book in her hands, her brows slightly furrowed, deep in thought, as if she had encountered some problem.
On the stone table in front of her, there was a small mountain of books piled up.
At this moment, a maidservant carrying an exquisite mahogany box respectfully entered the courtyard and called out to Chang Lili a few times, but Chang Lili, engrossed in her books, paid no attention.
"Miss Chang...Miss Chang?" The maid called out a few more times, thinking that Chang Lili was deliberately pretending not to hear her, and nervously wondered if she should change how she addressed her.
Just as she was about to call out "General's wife," Chang Lili suddenly came to her senses, glanced at the little maid, and seemed quite unhappy.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
The maidservant quickly placed the box on the stone table and bowed slightly, saying, "Someone brought this to the mansion, saying it must be delivered to you."
Chang Lili had thought it was a big deal. She had thought about the question for a long time and felt that the answer was about to be revealed. But it turned out to be such a trivial matter, and she was unhappy.
"Alright, alright, just put it there." She waved her hand impatiently.
The young maidservant dared not be negligent in the slightest, and after putting down the things, she retreated out of the courtyard.
Chang Lili picked up the book, but found herself losing interest, so she put it down and went to see what was in the box.
To everyone's surprise, Chang Lili's expression changed as soon as she opened the box. Her previous impatience vanished, replaced by a look of delight.
The next moment, she rushed out of the courtyard and pulled the bewildered maid into the courtyard.
"You absolutely, absolutely, absolutely must not tell the General about this, understand?" Chang Lili said solemnly, gripping the maid's shoulders.
The young maidservant, bewildered, nodded obediently yet blankly.
After giving her instructions, Chang Lili warmly saw the little maid out, then happily carried the box back into the house and examined it closely.
Looking at the contents of the box, Chang Lili couldn't help but exclaim, "It's truly like fine wine in a moonlit cup."
Inside the box was a jade-colored wine pot, exquisite and translucent, with a shimmering sheen on its surface. One could vaguely see that the pot was filled with wine. Upon opening the lid, the aroma of the wine filled the air, making one's mouth water.
She carefully put the wine jug back into the box, then took out a wine glass made of a similar material and looked at it. Suddenly, she noticed an envelope at the bottom of the box.
There was nothing written on the envelope, but Chang Lili suddenly thought of Xiao Lingshou. This thing must have come from him.
She was so happy that she forgot she should be grateful.
She quickly picked up the envelope, opened it, and read it.
Although there was nothing written on the envelope, upon unfolding the thin letter paper, which faintly showed traces of ink, Chang Lili saw, as expected, the neat and elegant handwriting that read: "Master, how have you been lately?"
Chang Lili's brow twitched. She suddenly felt that this seemingly cold and aloof disciple was quite likable. He was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Looking at the fine wine and exquisite wine pot and cups he brought, she felt that he was even more adorable.
Then came Xiao Lingshou's words of comfort and concern, which truly showed his respect for his master.
The letter indicated that the author was aware of Chang Lili's ordeal, was very happy to know that she had returned safely, and hoped that she would take good care of herself.
Chang Lili couldn't help but think that everyone in the palace was indeed quite capable; even though they had lived in the deep palace for a long time, they were very clear about what was happening outside.
She had already guessed who was behind this incident. Apart from Xiao Shuer, there was no one else in the world who had such a deep hatred for her and was so ruthless.
Chang Lili felt that her apprentice was really thoughtful, and couldn't help but feel that she should reply to the letter, at least to let her know that she was safe.
So he took out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and in no time, a short letter was written.
After writing it, she wrapped it in an envelope, intending to deliver it herself. However, after walking out of the yard for a short while, she felt it was inappropriate to go out so abruptly.
Putting aside Meng Yuxiu's advice to focus on studying mechanical arts in the manor, she was still shaken by what had happened before. The guard whose legs were injured was not fully recovered yet, so how could she forget the pain once the wound had healed?
So she found Jingmei and asked her to deliver the letter. Fearing that the letter might not reach the palace, she also took out the jade pendant that Xiao Lingshou had given her and asked Jingmei to wear it.
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