This first challenge wasn't difficult for Chang Lili; she accepted it readily and even seemed quite looking forward to it.
As she sat in the carriage, she couldn't help but lift the curtain and look around outside, humming a little tune. She looked more like she was out for a leisurely stroll than someone undergoing a test.
Meng Yuxiu sat in the carriage, his face sullen and unhappy. He had been looking like this since last night.
Chang Lili asked him what was wrong, but he didn't give her a friendly look and just said coldly that nothing was wrong. Chang Lili then rolled her eyes at him and ignored him.
After getting off the carriage, Chang Lili rushed into the blacksmith's courtyard, greeting Lu Qing and the other blacksmiths with practiced ease, chatting away and completely ignoring Meng Yuxiu's presence.
Meng Yuxiu's face darkened even more. He was so angry that he didn't even get out of the carriage and told the driver to drive away.
The mother-in-law forbade Chang Lili from touching weapons or similar items, but she trusted Meng Yuxiu greatly. So Meng Yuxiu had no choice but to cover for her again and send her to the blacksmith's forge.
Little did they know that at that moment, several people were hiding furtively in the corner of the wall, watching Meng Yuxiu's carriage leave before daring to peek out and take a closer look at the closed gate of the courtyard.
Inside the palace, Xiao Shu'er finished the white fungus porridge in her bowl, and Bai Mei quickly took the bowl away.
Her complexion had improved considerably, but her face still held a raw, ruthless glint: "What? She went to a courtyard with Brother Meng?"
"Yes, I can't be mistaken. However, General Meng didn't enter the courtyard; he just dropped her off there and left," the man reported tremblingly.
Xiao Shu'er's eyes widened like copper bells. In her rage, she slammed her hand on the table, startling all the servants present into kneeling down.
"Chang Lili, you shameless thing! How dare you follow Brother Meng around!" Xiao Shu'er wished she could devour her alive.
The hall fell silent; the servants didn't even dare to breathe.
"Keep observing her, keep a close eye on her. I don't believe she can stay home forever and stick to Brother Meng like a leech forever." She said coldly as she calmed down.
The ordinary-looking man respectfully accepted the order and left.
“Princess, you want to deal with that vile woman, but you still have the poison she put in your body. Finding the antidote to cure you is the most important thing!” Bai Mei tried her best to agree with Xiao Shu’er.
To her relief, Xiao Shu'er didn't get angry. Instead, she said disdainfully, "Poison? So many days have passed. Which eye of yours saw any signs of poisoning? There are so many imperial physicians in this palace, and not one of them could detect the strange poison in my body. Given that little bitch's cowardly nature, I've finally figured it out. She didn't poison me at all; she was just trying to scare me. This time, I'm going to get back at her for everything she did to me!"
Beside the blacksmith's fork, Chang Lili and several blacksmiths were busy at work.
Lu Qing and his masters were filled with admiration for Chang Lili. They had never seen anyone who could forge weapons so exquisitely, especially a pretty young girl like her. It was truly unbelievable.
Knowing that this was a test Meng Yuxiu had given to Chang Lili, they naturally dared not interfere or help. However, as experienced blacksmiths, it was only natural for them to give the younger generation some advice and guidance.
Soon, four of the five weapons—whip, halberd, hook, fork, and trident—were completed by the afternoon of the second day.
This speed was astonishing, even Meng Yuxiu was shocked. He thought that even if it could be completed in two days, it would be late at night on the second day. But when he went to pick up Chang Lili on the first night, he was told that three of the items had already been completed.
Chang Lili was enjoying herself, but a problem arose when she was making the last weapon.
They said they were missing some materials, which could have been replaced with other materials.
"This is just a test. If you can forge the item, you'll pass. Our general isn't one to nitpick. He values your ability, not the materials you're good at forging," Lu Qing advised.
Others chimed in with agreement.
Chang Lili, however, found it unbearable no matter what: "No, if we're going to do it, we have to do it the best we can."
She looked at the four weapons she had crafted, each one a masterpiece. She not only wanted Meng Yuxiu to see that she had completed the weapons on time, but also to let her know that she was capable of such work.
Once she made up her mind, she wouldn't listen to anyone else and insisted on going to the market.
“Since you’re going, I’ll go with you. It’s not convenient for a young lady to go alone.” Lu Qing said, and began to straighten her clothes.
Chang Lili waved her hand dismissively: "I'm not some sheltered young lady, so what's inconvenient about it? I'll be right back. You guys help me heat this iron up."
As she spoke, she pushed open the door and went out. She had had a great time these past few days, having crafted several weapons, and she was overjoyed.
Thinking of the weapons she had forged herself, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, anticipating the stunned scene that Meng Yuxiu would be when he saw these weapons.
She had just turned the corner when someone suddenly grabbed her neck from behind. Chang Lili felt her heart skip a beat and her scalp tingle.
Before she could react, the man covered her mouth and nose with a white handkerchief folded like a tofu block. Just as she was about to struggle, she felt dizzy and weak in her limbs.
She collapsed helplessly, the scenery before her eyes turning sideways. The moment she closed her eyes, she almost wanted to slap herself; there was blood on the handkerchief.
Despite her years of experience in the underworld, she fell for such an old trick.
When she woke up, before she even opened her eyes, she smelled a somewhat familiar musty odor. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw that she was lying on a patch of straw, with a makeshift cage made of wooden planks in front of her.
She had been here before; she remembered it. Last time, she almost died here. This was the prison under the jurisdiction of the town's magistrate.
Xiao Shu'er's face immediately appeared in her mind, and her voice rang in her ears.
"Awake?" Xiao Shu'er, dressed in luxurious clothes, though she had lost her former glory, stood in front of Chang Lili without showing any sign of dejection, still arrogant and haughty.
Chang Lili cursed herself for being so careless, actually forgetting that Xiao Shuer was capable of underhanded tactics.
"What do you want to do now?" she asked impatiently, not afraid at all.
At this moment, she began to feel a heat in her body, accompanied by a strange and unusual sensation.
She touched her flushed cheeks, feeling a strange surge of heat rising up.
Seeing her confused look, Xiao Shu'er couldn't help but burst into laughter: "What? Are you feeling hot and want a man?"
Chang Lili's heart skipped a beat. She had also worked in brothels before. She had never seen pork but had seen pigs run. She already guessed what was going on.
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