Her face was still flushed, and she looked lively and adorable.
Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh. He was usually very reserved and never showed his emotions, but he was an exception in front of Chang Lili.
His deep, pleasant laughter echoed in the study, and a smile bloomed on his handsome face, leaving Chang Lili stunned.
“That’s true. Whatever you want to know, you can find out. It can’t be hidden from your ears and your eyes,” she said wistfully.
As she spoke, she lowered her head, looking somewhat disappointed: "But I really didn't mean to ask you for this strange thing. I was just angry at the time and said things without thinking."
A warm hand covered her head. She looked up in surprise and met Meng Yuxiu's eyes, which were as dark as a deep pool yet infinitely gentle.
"Alright, keep it safe. You've already said it in public, so it's better to have this just in case. Besides, I could never marry Xiao Shu'er, and I don't want to be associated with her all the time." As he spoke, he handed the document to Chang Lili.
Chang Lili looked at him, feeling her face getting hot, but her feelings were complicated.
She felt that she must look just as silly as those girls who would swoon over Meng Yuxiu at that moment.
She hated herself for being like this, hated her own lack of ambition.
So Meng Yuxiu wrote this agreement to sever ties with Xiao Shuer? Was it because he disliked Xiao Shuer that he did this? Was getting close to him also a way to get rid of Xiao Shuer's entanglement?
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt, and the warmth and joy that had filled her heart gradually dissipated.
She put the note away in a huff, frowning slightly as she said helplessly, "Fine then."
Meng Yuxiu was left alone in the study, looking puzzled: "Didn't Ke Shou say that she would be happy if I did this?"
Leaving the study, Chang Lili felt exhausted. She returned to the courtyard and changed out of her restrictive clothes, which made her feel much more relaxed.
Sitting at the table, she took out the receipt again to look at it.
Looking at the words on the paper, she felt as if she were looking at Meng Yuxiu.
The feeling was like sunshine falling into her heart, and she couldn't help but laugh, then read those words aloud: "He will surely die alone and miserably."
She laughed heartily, but the next moment her expression darkened.
"He's using me as a shield to distance himself from Xiao Shu'er, whom he despises, isn't he? It's just an act... I can't take it seriously..." she said in a low voice, but then she frowned and scratched her head, "But he's already signed a written agreement. He's a great general, and his word is his bond!"
A hint of joy reappeared on her face: "He's so powerful and influential, holding a large army, even the Emperor has to give him some leeway. If he really doesn't want to marry Xiao Shu'er, who can force him? Why bother writing this formality for me?"
“But if the emperor commands a subject to die, the subject must die. If the emperor really issues such an imperial edict, can he disobey it?” Then she chuckled. “He may seem law-abiding on the surface, but he’s actually a wild and unrestrained person. Why would he use me as a shield?”
She blushed as she spoke, but before long, a look of worry returned to her face.
And so she sat alone in the room, sometimes laughing, sometimes worrying, and talking to herself.
The mother-in-law listened from outside, looking very worried.
The next day, Chang Lili went to the military manufacturing department early in the morning, feeling refreshed.
Although she hadn't reached a conclusion or figured out Meng Yuxiu's thoughts until she fell asleep yesterday.
But she inadvertently discovered that the scabs on her hands had fallen off, so wouldn't she be able to return to the military workshop?
The thought of being able to pick up her favorite hammer again and continue forging weapons made her feel happy, so she temporarily put this matter out of her mind.
Meng Yuxiu estimated that her injuries were almost healed, so he did not stop her.
The written agreement he gave her was now lying peacefully in her arms.
Upon arriving at the military manufacturing plant, Chang Lili couldn't help but think of Xiao Lingshou.
The pale, thin, and handsome young man who once seemed untouched by worldly affairs had a place here, but now he is in the deep palace.
Thinking of how he looked yesterday, so depressed and alone, Chang Lili felt from the bottom of her heart that he was unhappy. Those luxurious but heavy robes really didn't suit him.
She shook her head, sighing inwardly. No wonder Xiao Lingshou had developed such a personality. On the surface, he seemed like an immortal, but one could always sense his unfathomable depths and the darkness within his heart.
It's already quite remarkable that someone raised in a place like the palace, where intrigue and backstabbing happen all the time, could still grow into such a refined young gentleman.
After sighing, she tidied up her blacksmithing table, laid out all her tools, and wore a satisfied smile.
Before she knew it, she noticed that everyone was looking at her frequently, even the experienced craftsmen were looking at her differently.
It's no longer the disdain or indifference of the past; it now carries a sense of exploration and re-examination.
The news that he had been personally appointed by the Emperor as the Imperial Casting Master of the Military Workshop must have already spread.
It's true that life is unpredictable and people's hearts are unfathomable; in the blink of an eye, everyone's attitude towards her has completely changed.
As she stood tall and proud, before she could even finish her internal reflection, a young blacksmith from the military workshop brought her tea, his face full of eagerness.
Chang Lili thanked them helplessly and then ignored everyone else.
Although she was indeed happy to have finally gotten her revenge, she felt uneasy at this moment. In the past, when people didn't like her, they really didn't like her and were unwilling to give her a friendly look.
She no longer believes that everyone has started to like her; it's only because the Emperor has spoken so eloquently that they treat her this way, but all of this is just pretense.
On the contrary, the cold, indifferent gaze that Master Liu cast at her made her feel comfortable and at ease.
Now when soldiers come to her to repair weapons, other young foundry workers will rush to take the job first, saying that this kind of work is not her responsibility.
She now has a legitimate, even noble, status, yet she has become an idle person.
However, she found herself in a relaxed and carefree state, so she began to plan her own affairs, thinking that she should take advantage of this time to forge the nine-section whip.
Without hesitation, she picked up her tools and began working. Once she started, she became engrossed in the task and did not leave the blacksmith's workbench for two hours straight.
She didn't notice that an unknown blacksmith was looking at her from a distance, across several blacksmithing stations.
Xiaodu's blacksmith was lean and wiry, with dark skin but decent appearance. However, his expression gave him a somewhat shifty and cunning look.
For some reason, he didn't lower his head to attend to his own business, but kept peeking at Chang Lili.
He watched Chang Lili work for as long as she did so, and as time passed, anxiety showed on his face, and a thin layer of sweat seeped from his forehead.
Having stayed by the blacksmith's platform for so long without leaving, Chang Lili urgently needed to relieve herself of her urgent needs.
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