Lili was confused again.
She thought that the strange feeling in her heart was probably because she had another cousin relationship with him.
"well."
Lili's head was buzzing. Recently, Liucheng had been busy stockpiling food, and she was so busy that she felt dizzy and disoriented, which made her feel uncomfortable whenever she thought about it too much.
Gu Ziqi shuffled over, his bottom bobbing gently, and tenderly patted her legs with his little fist.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
Lili felt Gu Ziqi's movements and comforted him greatly: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired, the carriage was bumpy and uncomfortable."
"Oh." Gu Ziqi thought for a moment, then pushed open the small window separating her from the front. "Brother Chenye, the carriage is so bumpy and uncomfortable!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ye glanced at the somewhat listless Li Li and slowed down: "Feeling unwell?"
Zhui Feng rode his horse beside the carriage to protect it, and there were also many hidden guards following in the shadows. On the surface, there were only four people in the group, but in reality, there were more than a dozen.
Seeing that Chen Ye had slowed down, Zhui Feng tightened the reins to slow the horse down as well. He then moved closer to the carriage and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Ye shook her head: "It's alright, take it slow."
The wind is clear.
The carriage slowed down, and Gu Ziqi closed the small window. He climbed back to sit next to Lili with some anticipation, waiting for praise.
Lili smiled and praised him, "Our Ziqi is so good at taking care of people. How come Ziqi is so well-behaved?"
Gu Ziqi happily shook his head.
The group moved slowly, unlike Gu Ziyi who always traveled at full speed. Gu Ziyi could arrive in one night, but Lili and her group took two days.
As mentioned earlier, Lili is going to Anding City this time. Anding City is the largest of the border city-states and also one of the border passes.
Lili once solved a pest infestation for the people of Yuncheng, and the last time Lili went to the border, she also went to Yuncheng.
This time, however, we went to Anding City.
Lili asked around and learned that Anding City was the first barrier on the border, where most of the Red Eagle Army was stationed. Yuncheng was after Anding City, and they would pass through Yuncheng before arriving at Anding City.
The group set off early in the morning, and since it was already dark, they did not stop to rest. Instead, they chose to continue their journey to Yuncheng and rest for the night at an inn there.
With nothing to do, Lili started doing needlework.
Her needlework skills are barely passable now. Lili quite enjoys embroidering small things. When she's embroidering, her attention gradually becomes immersed in it, which is quite therapeutic and perfect for passing the time.
Gu Ziqi played Huarong Road by himself, while Lili focused intently on embroidering her own patterns.
"Flowers, trees, fish, insects, birds and beasts... none of them seem particularly unique."
After thinking for a moment, Lili decided to embroider something unique.
Pear picked out a black thread from the sewing kit on the table, and after planning it out in her mind, she began to work on it stitch by stitch.
An hour later, Lili had finished most of the embroidery and felt quite pleased with herself.
Gu Ziqi had played the Huarong Road puzzle several times. Seeing that she was still focused on what she was doing, he simply put down the puzzle and leaned over to take a look.
Gu Ziqi looked at it from top to bottom, left to right, for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what it was embroidering.
The top is black, the middle is flesh-colored, and the bottom is black.
It looks like a villain?
Who is this round-faced creature?
"Sister, who are you embroidering?"
Lili said, "I'm embroidering a cute little figure."
"What?"
Gu Ziqi didn't understand what "q-ban" meant, but he got confirmation from Lili that the embroidery was indeed of a person.
Gu Ziqi, feeling smug because he guessed correctly, was overjoyed and continued guessing: "Is this the Crown Prince?"
Lili was startled and stopped what she was doing.
Lili took the handkerchief a distance and looked at it. This round-headed little person really did look a lot like Gu Ziyi.
She was so focused on embroidering a cute little figure that when she started, she only had a rough outline. Then, without realizing it, she noticed that the stitches she made were starting to resemble Gu Ziyi more and more.
Reminded by Gu Ziqi, Lili realized that when she was brainstorming ideas, she had been thinking about what Guoziyun looked like on New Year's Eve five years ago.
Lili was momentarily at a loss, but quickly recovered.
What's wrong with her embroidering a little doll for her own little person?
Lili coughed slightly, stuffed the half-finished product behind her back, and earnestly tried to fool him: "This is not your Crown Prince brother, this is your Jialuo brother."
"ah?"
Gu Ziqi tilted his head. Children are innocent; whatever Sister Lili says goes.
Gu Ziqi didn't ask any more questions.
But the look in his eyes didn't quite seem to indicate disbelief.
Fortunately, Chen Ye knocked on the small window at that moment: "Miss, we're almost there."
Lili quickly packed her things and patted Gu Ziqi's head: "Hurry up and pack your things."
Gu Ziqi obediently put away his things and sat there properly.
The adorable little baby melted Lili's heart. She gently asked him, "Are you hungry?"
"A little bit."
"Tonight, Ziqi will have to make do with whatever we can eat. But when we get to Anding City tomorrow, we'll definitely give your Crown Prince brother a good beating."
Gu Ziqi nodded, then shook her head: "Okay! But as long as I stay by my sister's side, I won't feel wronged. I'll eat anything."
Lili smiled and ruffled his hair.
The carriage stopped in front of an inn. Gu Ziyi had a place to stay in Yuncheng; Lili had stayed there before.
Originally, it was arranged for Lili to rest there for the time being, but Lili didn't agree.
That house is full of Gu Ziyi's people. She doesn't want to live there. If she did, every word and action of hers would be reported to Gu Ziyi.
Lili is going out to do something big tonight.
Staying in a guesthouse is more convenient.
As for the secret guards, she had inquired with An Qi beforehand. When they arrived in Yun City, Zhui Feng was going to take the other secret guards to the military camp stationed there.
Then only Anqi will be keeping an eye on her.
Hehe, a group of people can't handle it, but she can't handle one Dark Seven?
When the moon is dark and the wind is high, it's the perfect opportunity to cause trouble.
On the roof, a dozen or so people were squatting together. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of crow gathering.
After listening to the sounds inside the room and confirming that Lili's breathing was even, Zhuifeng said to Anqi, "Keep an eye on Miss."
“Hmm,” An Qi replied coldly.
After watching Zhui Feng leave with his group of guards, An Qi waited for a moment, then jumped off the roof, climbed out of the window, and gently knocked three times.
Immediately, rustling sounds came from inside the house.
Hearing the noise, Lili rolled over, covered her nose with the blanket, and peeked out cautiously.
Lili blinked and whispered, "Little Seventh Brother?"
Two more brief knocks came from the window.
Three long and two short beeps, very good, correct password.
Lili jumped up, put on her shoes and socks, and opened the window: "I'm all ready!"
Anqi picked up Lili with one hand, not forgetting to close the window, and nimbly jumped onto the roof, taking Lili away in the opposite direction.
After the two people walked away, Chen Ye, who was in the next room, opened the window and frowned as he looked in the direction they had left.
"What are you doing out so late?"
"Brother Chenye..."
Gu Ziqi's soft moans came from the bed. He had vaguely heard the noise and was now sitting up, rubbing his eyes, asking him what was wrong.
Shen Ye hesitated for a moment, then closed the window and went back to the bedside to tuck him in.
"It's nothing, go to sleep."
"oh."
Gu Ziqi turned over and fell into a deep sleep again.
Shen Ye frowned, pondering whether or not to follow.
He wouldn't feel at ease if he didn't go with them.
If he were to go back to the past, he would be even more worried about Gu Ziqi.
Lili's sneaking out at this time must have been done without the knowledge of the guards.
Never mind, let's go to sleep.
Shen Ye also lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.
Lili had changed into a neat outfit, holding a folding fan in her hand, shaking her head and imitating a carefree manner. Her delicate appearance was exactly like that of a rich young master.
Lili recalled how Fifth Brother usually acted and imitated him perfectly.
It was quite fun to sneak around and "do something naughty" for the first time.
Anqi was no longer dressed as a secret guard, but instead wore the clothes of an ordinary bodyguard, following closely behind Lili.
Following the address written by Shen Jialu, Lili found the Ma residence. Yuncheng was not a large city; Lili felt that Yuncheng was equivalent to a county in Anding City.
But the Ma residence looked magnificent, with vermilion gates and high thresholds, and the characters on the plaque above the gate were vigorous and the gold paint shone brightly.
Hmm, they look very rich.
Although Anqi protects Lili in secret every day, he doesn't usually listen to what she says or observe her every move.
Therefore, Anqi had no idea what Lili was going to do.
An Qi had given in to Li Li's request out of momentary weakness, but now he hesitated. If His Highness found out that he had secretly brought the young lady out, he would be punished.
Most importantly, he has been by Lili's side for several years and doesn't know much about the changes in Yuncheng. For example, he remembers that a few years ago, the Ma family was just a small house bought by a wealthy merchant who fled famine from Xixiang County to Yuncheng. How come the Ma family has become so magnificent in just a few years?
Since An Qi was chosen by Gu Ziyi to protect Li Li, his kung fu skills are undoubtedly top-notch.
Anqi himself was a little scared. He didn't know much about the Ma family. If something went wrong, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect Lili by himself.
An Qi bent down and advised her, "Miss, we've come all this way, let's go."
“That won’t do.” Lili covered her face with her fan. “What kind of talk is this? What do you mean by ‘we’ve already come’? It should be ‘we’ve come all this way’.”
Anqi regretted her momentary lapse in judgment.
The main problem is that the young lady said if he doesn't agree, she'll never grow cucumbers for him to eat again!
The two hid at a corner opposite the Ma residence. Just after midnight, the streets were deserted, and the area outside the Ma residence was quiet.
"Little Seven, what's the background of this Ma family?"
"Master Ma of the Ma family is named Ma Ke. He is a wealthy merchant who fled from Xixiang County six years ago."
"Fleeing famine? Fleeing to the border?" Lili asked suspiciously.
Anqi: "His Highness had suspected it before, but after investigation, it was found that he was indeed from Xixiang County. After coming to Yuncheng, he opened a shop and started a business. Mark originally ran a salt business, but due to a famine in Xixiang County, they couldn't afford salt anymore, so Mark took his remaining belongings and ran away, hoping to find a new place to do business. I heard that Mark originally came to Yuncheng thinking that there was an army at the border and he wanted to cooperate with the army. Unexpectedly, there was no shortage at the border, so he could only buy a shop and do ordinary business."
"oh."
Lili nodded, looking at the Ma family's attire.
Seemingly noticing Lili's confusion, Anqi also said curiously, "I remember a few years ago the Ma family wasn't so rich. Is business so easy now? Has the Ma family grown so powerful?"
Lili pondered for a moment.
mark……
Lili recalled Shen Jialu's words: "This Ma family originally ran a salt business. I don't know what happened, but last month we had a batch of cloth that was supposed to be sold to the local cloth workshops in Baise. The Ma family snatched it away and wouldn't let us do business there!"
And the price they offered was incredibly low, not even covering their costs! And to make matters worse, the cloth belonged to the Qi family. You know their current situation; they've been struggling to recover in Nanlin County for the past few years, finally managing to expand outwards discreetly with the help of the caravan His Highness provided, only to have it all snatched away!
Baise is a city in Xixiang County, bordering Nanlin County.
The Ma family's actions were truly unreasonable, but Shen Jialu was powerless to stop them. The Qi family had not yet officially partnered with the shops under Shen Jialu's control because Shen Jialu was still adjusting. It would be at least next year before they could smoothly begin cooperating, as both sides were currently in their respective development stages.
As everyone knows, the Qi family was in dire straits after the patriarch was captured. They barely managed to survive, and their fortunes have declined drastically since then.
Even so, isn't the Ma family being a bit too ruthless?
There's no such thing as blatant robbery; they leave no way out.
Lili scratched her chin. Mark must have someone backing him up.
Interesting, interesting.
Lili took another look at the Ma Mansion, which was so out of place in the simple Yuncheng. She remembered that when she came to Yuncheng before, the Ma Mansion was not this luxurious.
"However, everyone knows that His Highness the Crown Prince is at the border, yet they dare to cause trouble right in front of him without any remorse..."
Lili snapped her fan shut, making a crisp sound. "Either his backing is too strong, or Mark's abilities are truly that amazing, his business acumen is too powerful, and he can quickly earn tens of millions of silver dollars wherever he goes, so he can do it so openly and honestly."
However, Lili wasn't interested in any of that. Lili's goal today was to double-cross someone.
Lili seemed to be deep in thought when a bold idea popped into her mind.
It's very simple: we can give up doing business, but we can't afford to suffer losses.
If the Ma family dares to forcibly buy out the Qi family's cloth at a low price, then she dares to steal all of the Ma family's private treasury!
Lili didn't understand business warfare either. Her second brother said that they really had no way to retaliate against the Ma family right now, so they could only grit their teeth and endure it until the two families cooperated and grew stronger before taking revenge.
Pear wouldn't agree.
Animosity must be avenged on the spot.
Besides, she's not that bad. She's not trying to steal the Ma family's business. She just wants to see if the Ma family's silver looks different from other families' silver.
Looking at Lili's mischievous and clever appearance, Anqi had a bad feeling: "...Miss, we..."
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