Chapter 58 Sudden Death During Sexual Intercourse
(Author's note: The female protagonist in this chapter exhibits irrational curiosity; read with caution!)
Following the maid named Bitao out of the corridor they had just come from, they soon arrived at the garden. Li Sanniang looked at the scenery and could only envy the large private garden. In the inner city of Chang'an, where land was now extremely valuable, the fact that the Duke of Liang's mansion had such a large garden showed how illustrious it must have been in the past.
On the way, Li San Niang chatted leisurely with Bi Tao. It turned out that because the weather was nice today, neither too hot nor too cold, the sun was not glaring and there was a gentle breeze, the Liangguo Duke's Mansion set up the banquet directly in the garden.
Thanks to Qibi Yatong's rescue, Bitao said that Li Sanniang's seat was on the south side, arranged with some of the female relatives of minor officials.
Li San Niang thought to herself, "This is supposed to be a minor official, but he must be at least a fifth-rank official. Otherwise, how could the Duke's mansion allow the families of minor officials of the seventh or eighth rank to come and play at will?"
Never mind, it's just a meal and some sightseeing. When it's time, I'll hurry home.
Li San Niang was admiring the flowers in the garden. She didn't understand them, but she thought they were very beautiful, with their vibrant colors.
Just as they were about to ask what the yellow peach blossoms were called, a little girl suddenly appeared. She seemed to have come running, and was breathing heavily with uneven breaths.
Li San Niang carefully looked back at the way the little girl had come before she realized the wonder of the garden.
The architect who built this garden is truly amazing; he designed hidden, staggered paths within it.
It turned out that the little girl had run over from a path that intersected with the path that Li San Niang was walking on. However, the intersection was hidden by a rockery that was about one and a half meters tall, which is why Li San Niang thought that the little girl had suddenly appeared.
"What's all the fuss about! Can't you see we have important guests?"
“Sister Bitao, I know I was wrong. Aunt Hexiang said that the First Madam urgently needed to borrow the Old Madam’s glass cups to serve wine to Princess Anding. The Old Madam’s storeroom key is in Sister Bitao’s hands, so I was sent to ask you for it. I was afraid of delaying the masters’ business, so I rushed over here.”
Seeing this, Li San Niang didn't say anything. After all, this was someone else's house, so she should just behave herself.
After hearing the little maid's words, Bitao turned to look at Li Sanniang. Seeing that Li Sanniang remained silent, she spoke up: "Li Sanniang, you see, there's a reason for this. The banquet is not far from here, so please go there on your own. It was Bitao's rudeness, please forgive me, Li Sanniang."
Li San Niang smiled slightly: "No problem, no problem. Miss Bi Tao, go ahead and do your work. I'll go myself."
Bitao bowed again before hurriedly leading the little girl away along the path.
Standing behind them, Li San Niang watched their backs and thought to herself, "This is really clever. There must be quite a few paths in this garden, leading to various courtyards of the Duke's mansion. They might even be the kind that are winding and easy to get lost in. So only the servants who frequently walk around this mansion would know it well. Of course, it was built this way so that the servants could better serve the people in this garden without disturbing the guests' enjoyment."
The real reason was unknown to Li San Niang, but she was truly surprised and thought she could tell her family about it when she got home.
Seeing that Bitao and the little girl were no longer in sight, Li Sanniang continued walking south, thinking she would hurry to her seat and wait for the meal to be served.
But the more Li San Niang walked, the more she felt something was wrong. Why was the path getting narrower and narrower? Finally, Li San Niang stopped in front of a huge artificial rock that was two people tall.
Li San Niang glanced at the artificial rockery in front of her, then turned around to look at the path behind her. Subconsciously, she turned back and walked the way she came. After taking only a few steps, Li San Niang vaguely heard voices. After a fierce internal struggle, curiosity finally won out, and Li San Niang lifted her leg and walked towards the artificial rockery.
As a result, Li San Niang had to admire the architect who built this garden once again. He was amazing! But when Li San Niang entered the artificial rockery, it was a dead end!
There was no other way; since it was a dead end, the only option was to retreat back to where we started.
Just as she was about to emerge from the standing artificial rock, Li San Niang heard the voices again. She took a few more steps toward the sound, and sure enough, the voices were much clearer. But the content of the conversation made Li San Niang want to give her earlier curiosity a good whack on the head.
"Rou Niang, it's been so long, have you missed me?"
"Lin Lang, I miss you so much. Have you forgotten Rou Niang?"
Standing in the shadows within the artificial rockery, Li Sanniang dared not move a muscle, holding her breath, and once again regretted wanting to give her earlier curiosity a good whack on the head.
They insisted on being curious and insisted on coming in. Well, look what happened; they stumbled upon a scene of a man and woman having a secret rendezvous.
What should we do?
Li San Niang remained motionless, fearing that any sudden movement might make a sound, just like in modern movies and TV dramas, where she might be sunk into the artificial river in this garden today.
Li Sanniang wiped the cold sweat that had broken out in her ruqun skirt, thinking that the two of them would probably leave after exchanging a few words. She decided to bear with it and wait for them to leave before running back the way she came to get away from this troublesome place.
Li San Niang's plan was good, but reality rarely goes according to her wishes!
Listening to the rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other outside the artificial rockery, Li San Niang had time to marvel again at the skill of the craftsmen. She could barely hear the sounds outside the artificial rockery from two steps away, but once inside, the sounds of the couple having their secret rendezvous outside were crystal clear.
I don't know what kind of physics caused this situation.
Moreover, the design is quite ingenious. Inside this artificial rockery, Li San Niang can't see anything, but she can hear everything very clearly.
She was afraid that the couple outside couldn't see her, but could still hear what was happening in her room.
If any noise is made and the other side discovers it, besides killing them to silence them, Li Sanniang thinks it's very likely that the entire Li family will be implicated.
As a young woman who is an obstetrician in modern times and a divorced woman from Chang'an who is now returning home with her daughter, Li San Niang is well aware of what will happen between the two of them next.
Li San Niang listened intently to the alluring and passionate voice of the woman named Rou Niang, and truly felt incredibly lucky to encounter such a situation while lost.
The saying "curiosity killed the cat" is absolutely true.
Li San Niang wanted to cover her ears, but she was afraid that if she covered her ears, she wouldn't be able to hear any other sounds and would miss something. So she could only endure it and continue to eavesdrop, but she still covered her mouth with both hands, afraid that she would make a sound in surprise and attract the attention of the couple.
Li Sanniang remained unmoved, waiting for the two to finish and leave so she could leave as soon as possible. She really didn't want to get involved in any of the affairs of high-ranking nobles!
Anyone could guess that this must be some young man and woman having a secret rendezvous, and such a rendezvous must be illegitimate, with who knows what kind of sordid things might be going on.
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly flashed through Li San Niang's mind. She remembered that none of her parents, elder brothers, or even her two elder brothers were comfortable with her going out alone. Ever since she saved the young man from the Qian family at the pastry shop, whenever she went out, something would happen two out of three times, and one of those two times would be when she had to save someone.
In fact, Li Erxiong even privately told Li's father, mother, and eldest brother that perhaps Li Sanniang's fate had been like this ever since she was taught by the female Taoist priest.
One must continuously save lives and spread medical knowledge in order to attain enlightenment.
Or is this the reason why Li San Niang was able to spread her teachings? So that she could heal the sick and save lives when she encountered trouble?
As Li Sanniang pondered, could it be that the couple she was supposed to save today were the ones who would meet with misfortune? Did that mean one of them would die? Or both of them would die?
Suddenly, the woman outside called out louder, "Lin Lang, Lin Lang, what's wrong? Lin Lang? Lin Lang?"
Then came a dull thud as he hit the ground. "Lin Lang? Lin Lang? Don't scare me! Ah!"
At this moment, only three words were on Li San Niang's mind: "Immediate death!"
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