Hu Pin was skeptical, but said, "I'll take you to find my cousin Shu'er. Not only will I be able to take care of her, but I can also relieve her of her worries."
Meng Yuxiu acted swiftly, striking each of the guards who were holding Chang Lili with a palm strike, splitting them apart and rescuing Chang Lili.
Chang Lili immediately shrank behind Meng Yuxiu, peeked out to look at Hu Pin, and couldn't help but say, "Let me tell you, I've already warned you, your cousin isn't doing too well right now."
Hu Pin was unwilling to give up and rushed forward to try to take Chang Lili back, and the two began to fight each other.
Chang Lili, naturally, wouldn't stand idly by. Watching Meng Yuxiu fight Hu Pin, who was wielding a knife, with his bare hands, she felt anxious and kept trying to distract Hu Pin.
"Hu Pin, you'll regret it if you don't believe me. I advise you to go back and check on your cousin!"
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but don't blame me for not warning you later."
While running away from the two guards, Chang Lili spoke to disrupt Hu Pin's attack.
Hu Pin initially didn't believe in this matter, but after Chang Lili mentioned it repeatedly, it was like a seed sprouting in his heart, and the falsehood became the truth.
He finally lost interest in continuing his entanglement with Meng Yuxiu, withdrew, sheathed his sword, and rode away with two guards.
Before leaving, he glared at Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu, and said angrily, "I'll spare you for now, but I'll remember this grudge!"
After uttering those harsh words, he sped away, leaving Chang Lili bewildered in the wind.
Meng Yuxiu turned to look at Chang Lili. His gaze was deep and fixed on her, causing Chang Lili to look at him as well, blinking her big eyes with a blank expression.
The two looked at each other, and Chang Lili gave an awkward smile.
"I really used that hidden blade for self-defense. I didn't steal it; I made it myself," Chang Lili explained.
Meng Yuxiu raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you do something to Xiao Shu'er?"
He had overheard what Chang Lili had just told Hu Pin, and he also recalled Xiao Shuer's unusual behavior in the boat shop.
If Chang Lili were publicly humiliated, or even dismembered in broad daylight, he felt that would be Xiao Shuer's normal behavior.
Chang Lili puffed out her cheeks, still managing an awkward smile.
"Why did she get into trouble?" Meng Yuxiu asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well... I... gave her something to eat and told her it was poison, and that I had the antidote, the only one of its kind, and she obeyed," Chang Lili said without a trace of shame.
"You..." Meng Yuxiu was speechless for a moment. He didn't think Chang Lili had done anything wrong, but he also felt that she was being too reckless. As a result, Xiao Shuer was even less likely to let her go.
Before Meng Yuxiu could say anything, Chang Lili asked anxiously, "Who exactly is this Hu Pin? How can he be so arrogant and act so wildly in your general's mansion?"
Meng Yuxiu chuckled and said, "He not only dares to act wildly in front of my door, but he also dares to offend officials of all ranks in the capital."
Chang Lili exclaimed in surprise, "Is she that powerful? What kind of person have I offended? A princess is already enough trouble for me."
Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh and said, "You actually find it annoying and scary."
“I’m not scared at all,” Chang Lili said stubbornly, then suddenly became curious, “How did Hu Pin offend all the stewards in the capital? With so many enemies, won’t he be in trouble in the future?”
Meng Yuxiu glanced at her in surprise, then looked at her with admiration and said, "You'd better not mess with him. Be careful in the future. Remember, he once went to great lengths to search the residences of some officials in the capital."
"Huh? It wasn't the Emperor's order, he went to search on his own?" Chang Lili asked incredulously.
Meng Yuxiu neither agreed nor disagreed.
"Tsk tsk, he's got guts. Making enemies like this will definitely bring him bad luck in the future. But why is he searching those officials' residences for no reason?" Chang Lili walked towards her courtyard, and Meng Yuxiu naturally followed her.
“We don’t know what he’s searching for or why.” He said, looking at Chang Lili. Chang Lili’s profile was still glowing in the dim light.
When Meng Yuxiu saw her nod thoughtfully after hearing this, he suddenly found her charming and adorable, and felt that there was nothing he could hide from her.
Although he had already investigated her background and found nothing suspicious, he didn't feel the need to tell her too much. But at this moment, he felt there was nothing to hide from her.
“But the officials he investigated all had one thing in common,” Meng Yuxiu said subconsciously.
Just as he expected, Chang Lili turned her head with a burning gaze and asked, "What is it?"
“They were all involved in the affairs of the previous dynasty,” Meng Yuxiu said, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile he himself was unaware of.
"What did you say? Matters of the previous dynasty?" The mother-in-law looked at Chang Lili from inside the house, her eyes filled with fear.
Chang Lili nodded, then asked in confusion, "Grandma, why are you reacting so strongly?"
After Meng Yuxiu escorted her back to her courtyard, he left. A strange warmth flowed through her heart. Thinking of Meng Yuxiu's departing figure, she suddenly realized that the gate of the General's Mansion was actually so close to their courtyard.
The mother-in-law immediately looked away, concealing her fear, and said, "I... I'm just surprised. Logically speaking, this should be a secret, so why did the general tell you?"
Chang Lili thought for a moment and said, "Probably... because they think I'm reliable."
Thinking of the peculiar dagger he had forged for Meng Yuxiu, the two of them were on the same side, like comrades-in-arms, and it was understandable that he trusted his comrade-in-arms.
The mother-in-law frowned, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, she solemnly said to Chang Lili, "Lili, you should not associate with that Hu Pin anymore."
Chang Lili was surprised and said, "Relationship? Mother-in-law, you're joking. He's trying to kill me. How can you talk about relationship? I'm avoiding him as much as possible."
The mother-in-law nodded: "It's best to avoid him."
Chang Lili couldn't quite understand what her mother-in-law was saying.
After Hu Pin left, he went straight to the palace.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Chang Lili was cunning and scheming, and it was hard to say what might happen to Xiao Shu'er.
When he arrived at the palace, he went straight to the Magnolia Palace where Xiao Shu'er was, and happened to see the imperial physician examining Xiao Shu'er.
"Cousin, you're back? How did it go?" Xiao Shu'er asked Hu Pin expectantly, wanting to know whether Chang Lili had been eliminated or not.
Instead of answering, Hu Pin asked, "Cousin, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xiao Shu'er couldn't help but turn cold, and said viciously, "What can I do? It's all because of that Chang Lili! She actually poisoned me!"
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