Xia Ning smiled shyly. Although Lili's words were usually very childish, she could say things that even adults couldn't say when it mattered, and she could also analyze the situation!
"Lili is nothing like a three-year-old; she's incredibly clever!"
Lili scratched her head. She couldn't very well say that she wasn't actually almost three years old, but almost thirty.
Fortunately, Xia Ning quickly changed the subject: "But why is His Highness the Crown Prince here? Lili, you seem to know His Highness the Crown Prince very well."
Xia Ning only knew that His Highness the Crown Prince had requested to come to the border for training from His Majesty, and seeing His Highness the Crown Prince here today truly frightened her.
Especially knowing that Zhou Wukui's backer is the First Prince, Xia Ning doesn't understand politics, but the Crown Prince openly came to arrest the First Prince's people, doesn't that mean that the two are not on good terms?
Looking further ahead, could it be... a struggle for the throne?
Xia Ning dared not think further, fearing that the more she knew, the shorter her life would be.
His Majesty is diligent in governing and rarely sets foot in the inner palace. Even in middle age, he has only three princes and one princess. His Highness the Crown Prince is the third son of the Empress.
Xia Ning remembered that the princess was a bit older than Li Li, but about the same age as the cousin of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, and the two were very close.
I've never seen His Highness the Crown Prince treat his own sister so well. Why does it seem like His Highness is closer to Lili than to that princess?
"Your Highness?" Lili thought for a moment and chose a conventional answer, "We're helping His Highness with his escort missions."
"Oh? A caravan? Is it a merchant caravan?"
Lili nodded: "Yes, my uncle is a镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
Xia Ning didn't think much of it, but instead became curious about what kind of family could raise such a clever and quick-witted child as Lili.
"So, is your family a traveling merchant family, or a security escort agency?"
Some wealthier merchant families would train their own escort teams, while smaller ones would hire escort teams from escort agencies.
Lili shook her head: "No, my family farms! It's just that my uncle goes with Grandpa Liu on escort missions to supplement the family income."
Xia Ning was surprised. Li Li had indeed said that her home was in Xinghua Village, but Li Li didn't look like a farmer's child at all.
Her temperament and appearance surpass even those of women in the capital.
"Our house is so much fun! We grow lots and lots of vegetables and fruits in the backyard, and there's a little chicken coop next to it with a few chicks that chirp and twitter all the time. There's a mountain right next to us, and my brothers and I go mushroom picking there every day. There's also a little river; it feels so good to walk barefoot in it, and we can even catch fish—it's so much fun! And there are beautiful rice paddies; they're lush and green now, but in a few months they'll turn golden and beautiful as you look out!"
Xia Ning had never seen anything like this before, and her interest was immediately piqued by Li Li's animated description.
The main reason is that she thinks that if Lili finds a place interesting, then it must really be interesting!
"Wow, I've never seen these before."
"Sure, sure, I'll take you out to play sometime."
As Lili talked, she started to miss home.
He suddenly disappeared again yesterday; his family must be frantic with worry.
Especially my mother, she must have cried all night.
And what about the third brother? Will he feel guilty and remorseful like the eldest brother did last time?
After the two girls finished washing up and changing into the new clothes prepared by the maids, they went hand in hand to the front hall to find Gu Ziyi.
Gu Ziyi had already sorted out everything. He decisively ordered his men to raid the prefectural government office and sent his personal letter back to the capital via express courier to be presented to His Majesty.
Zhou Wukui's advisor and steward were facing certain death and had no choice but to admit it. The evidence found in Zhou Wukui's study was enough to exterminate ten generations of the Zhou family.
After this incident, even if the eldest prince wanted to protect the Zhou family, he could no longer do so.
Moreover, the eldest prince wouldn't be so foolish as to defend the Zhou family when the evidence has already been presented to His Majesty.
The Zhou family is about to fall completely.
"Your Highness, we've really struck a lucky angle. We can severely injure the Crown Prince without arousing suspicion from others."
Gu Ziyi's plan to eliminate the Zhou family was to first deal with the First Prince step by step, because he had no direct reason to cause trouble for Zhou Wukui. In the eyes of the First Prince, he was still just a crown prince who had not yet gained full power, so he naturally could not take the initiative to attack.
But now Gu Ziyi came from the border because of Lili. The outside world will only think that His Highness the Crown Prince captured Zhou Wukui in order to save people and accidentally found evidence in the prefectural government.
He not only dealt a heavy blow to the eldest prince and eliminated corrupt officials, but also earned a reputation for being loyal and righteous.
For them, it couldn't be better.
Gu Ziyi, however, could not be happy. Heaven knows how anxious he was when he learned that Lili was missing. Although he knew that Lili was capable, he still rushed all the way, fearing that something might really happen to her.
And just now, when he learned that Zhou Wukui had captured Xia Ning and Lili with the intention of committing illicit acts, his mind nearly exploded.
If Zhou Wukui weren't still waiting for his father's personal judgment, he would have loved to tear Zhou Wukui to pieces. How could such scum deserve to live!
Fortunately, Lili is different; she is a person blessed by God.
"Brother Ziyi!"
The soft, fragrant little dumpling snuggled into his arms, dispelling the fierce look in Gu Ziyi's eyes.
Xia Ning bowed respectfully and stood aside, not daring to say a word.
How terrifying! His Highness the Crown Prince's gaze was so cold just now.
Gu Ziyi looked at the little dumpling standing properly in front of him in her new clothes, and her heart settled back down.
"Brother Ziyi, shall we go eat?" Lili's stomach was rumbling, and she just wanted to finish eating quickly and go home.
Gu Ziyi didn't want to eat in this unlucky place, so he took the little dumpling to the largest restaurant in the city.
Pear ate happily.
While eating, he couldn't help but ask, "Oh, by the way, how is the county magistrate? Is he alright?"
Gu Ziyi knew she was referring to Zhou Wukui's words that morning about taking action against Qin Renjie, and said, "Don't worry, Zhuifeng has taken care of everything. With Zhou Wukui's matter resolved, things will be much easier for your uncle's side. I'll have Han Xi keep an eye on things later, and I estimate your uncle and the others will be back soon."
It's good news that Shen Laoda has been away from home for more than two months. Lili thought she would tell her grandparents when she got back.
Lili was relieved and began to eat her meal with relish.
Xia Ning listened with trepidation, fearing that His Highness the Crown Prince would say something she shouldn't have heard. Fortunately, apart from those two sentences, Gu Ziyi was focused on taking care of Lili's meal and even told her some interesting stories from the border.
Xia Ning was silently shocked, but then she thought that this was Li Li, and she was willing to be close to Li Li like this. As she thought about it, it was not strange. In fact, after listening to the stories Gu Ziyi told, she felt that His Highness the Crown Prince was approachable.
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