Meng Yuxiu glanced at Chang Lili's hand that was linked with his arm, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips, and said, "You don't know his identity, yet you rashly struck up a conversation with him. You're playing with fire."
Chang Lili was even more confused and a little scared after hearing those words. Her mind raced as she carefully thought about what had happened in the past few days, wondering if she had done anything disrespectful to Su Ling.
"I... ignorance is no excuse, and besides, I didn't do anything to offend him," she said, then her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the questions she had asked Xiao Lingshou, including whether he was married. She wondered if she had upset him. "I guess... it doesn't count?"
"What?" Meng Yuxiu asked in confusion.
"No! I said I didn't do anything disrespectful. Tell me quickly, what exactly is Su Ling's identity?" Chang Lili gripped Meng Yuxiu's arm even tighter.
Behind them, Xiao Lingshou looked at the iron sheet that Chang Lili was teaching him to polish halfway on the blacksmith's platform. Then he looked at Chang Lili, who turned and left without saying a word. His face turned cold, but a raging fire burned in his chest.
Meng Yuxiu's smile deepened. His appearance was so unbelievable that others couldn't believe it, after all, General Meng was known for his iron-blooded and cold-faced nature.
“It’s better if you don’t know. You know that ignorance is bliss. If you don’t know his identity, no matter what you say or do, he can’t easily offend you,” he said, a hint of worry on his face. “Besides, the less you know about these things, the better.”
Chang Lili was still curious, but she thought that although she hadn't done anything disrespectful before, what she had done was far from respectful.
As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the more noble a person's status, the more scheming and unpredictable they are.
"Fine, then I won't ask anymore," Chang Lili said through gritted teeth.
"It's best not to have any further contact with him." Meng Yuxiu turned to look at Xiao Lingshou, only to meet the other's resentful gaze. He then turned back and said.
“That won’t do,” Chang Lili thought of the request she had made. If she broke her promise, the other party would definitely not keep it. “I already promised to teach him how to make weapons.”
Meng Yuxiu thought for a moment and said, "I'll arrange for Master Liu to teach him."
“No, no, no,” Chang Lili immediately waved her hand. “I’m new here and have only just handed over those three hundred spears. I’ve gained some people’s favor, and I can’t be a treacherous person and squander the little bit of goodwill I’ve worked so hard to win.”
Seeing Chang Lili's nervous expression, Meng Yuxiu said helplessly, "Alright."
He raised the short knife in his hand: "Then this is for you."
"Okay!" Chang Lili smiled and accepted it generously. The next moment, her expression changed, and she asked nervously, "What have you been busy with these days? You look much more haggard. Is there some kind of war going on?"
Meng Yuxiu's brows relaxed, and he patiently recounted the events of the past few days.
The matter is now considered resolved. Although the person who massacred the imperial tomb has not been identified, Meng Yuxiu discovered that the people killed in the imperial tomb were all Hu Pin's men, and that the killings were arranged three years ago.
Clearly, this must be some kind of complicated royal conflict. Now that Xiao Lingshou has returned to the capital unharmed, there's no need to rush anything else.
So Meng Yuxiu resumed his regular routine of going back and forth between the General's Mansion and the Military Manufacturing Office. He also instructed Ke Shou to keep a close eye on Xiao Ling Shou and to notify him immediately of any unusual activity.
What displeased Meng Yuxiu was that every time he went to the military workshop, Chang Lili was teaching Xiao Lingshou how to forge weapons.
Although Xiao Lingshou was not favored, he was known for his talent in both literature and martial arts.
But watching Chang Lili teach him how to forge weapons, and how she had to teach him some simple parts repeatedly, Meng Yuxiu felt increasingly choked up. He always felt that Xiao Lingshou was doing it on purpose.
Why did he do it on purpose? He seems to really enjoy being taught by Chang Lili.
“Young Master Ling is of such noble status, how can Lili, who is just a novice blacksmith, teach you? I will still call him Master Liu…” Meng Yuxiu finally couldn’t stand it anymore and said, suppressing his anger.
But Xiao Lingshou interrupted him rudely: "No need, General Meng. I am so stupid, only Lili has such patience. You should not ask anyone else to torment me."
Hearing him call Chang Lili that too, Meng Yuxiu clenched his fists tightly.
Chang Lili glanced at Xiao Lingshou in surprise, then at Meng Yuxiu, whose expression was unfriendly. Caught in the middle, she felt caught in a dilemma.
Xiao Lingshou seemed to like her quite a bit, specifically asking her to teach him, but Meng Yuxiu seemed worried about her and didn't want her to get involved with Xiao Lingshou.
Both of them seem to be doing it for their own good, which really puts Chang Lili in a difficult position!
"Stop arguing, calm down. It's okay if I teach him. Look, this dagger is almost finished!" Chang Lili comforted Meng Yuxiu.
Upon seeing this, Meng Yuxiu realized that the general shape of the dagger had indeed emerged, and his fist relaxed.
Xiao Lingshou gasped, raised one of his fingers, a small bead of blood clinging to the tip, and said with a troubled expression, "I'm injured and can't forge a dagger for a while."
Chang Lili stared at the tiny, glistening drop of blood for a moment, speechless.
Meng Yuxiu's face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists, ready to punch Xiao Lingshou in the head at any moment.
In an instant, Chang Lili was filled with countless thoughts. She thought about how Meng Yuxiu treated her, how noble this man was, probably even more so than Xiao Shuer.
Imagine how serious it would be if the emperor were to get hurt!
Thinking this through, she understood. She immediately took out her handkerchief and wrapped it around Xiao Lingshou's finger, saying, "Don't panic, don't panic, it's alright! I'll stop the bleeding!"
Meng Yuxiu was about to throw a punch when he froze for a moment. Then he forced himself to calm down, sneered, and said through gritted teeth, "I'll go and fetch the imperial physician right away."
After saying that, he made a move to leave.
Xiao Lingshou immediately said, "Why bother the imperial physician with such a minor injury? General, you're making a big fuss over nothing."
After he finished speaking, he took off Chang Lili's handkerchief, wiped the blood clean, and the cut on his finger was no longer visible.
Meng Yuxiu almost wanted to kill him on the spot, but luckily Chang Lili saw that things were getting out of hand and stopped him: "Calm down, calm down!"
Chang Lili really couldn't understand these two people, especially Xiao Lingshou. It was truly entertaining to see them bickering back and forth.
And so, the dagger, which should have been completed in three or four days, took seven or eight days to forge due to various reasons, big and small.
Xiao Lingshou clearly didn't want to finish the dagger. Chang Lili finally realized that this guy was just looking for trouble.
Meng Yuxiu diligently went to the military manufacturing office every day, and the time he spent there became longer and longer.
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