Chapter 70
Zhou Li was frightened by Tang Jing's words.
She didn't expect that the old prince was so open-minded when he was young, but now that half of his body was about to be buried, he actually had such thoughts?
Tang Jing heard Zhou Li's heartbeat quicken, and she said lightly, "Why are you scared?"
"I just didn't expect it." Zhou Li shook his head and rubbed his chin lightly against Tang Jing's head.
There was a night watchman's sound outside, and someone was watching her. Zhou Li quickly let go of Tang Jing, got out of bed and got dressed.
Tang Jing was sitting on the bed wearing a bellyband and a coat, looking at Zhou Li lazily. Zhou Li had just picked up his clothes from the ground and put them on when he heard a voice behind him.
"Will you come tomorrow?"
Zhou Li subconsciously wanted to shake his hand, but held back.
Playing all these tricks in bed is also very tiring, okay? Especially serving Tang Jing. She is an intelligence officer and her physical strength should not be too good. Zhou Li's hands are tired and she doesn't know if she can still swing her sleeves tomorrow.
Zhou Li shook his head.
Tang Jing snorted coldly: "You don't recognize me after getting out of bed?"
Zhou Li was helpless. She walked over and pinched Tang Jing's face, saying seriously, "Come every day, can your kidneys handle it?"
Tang Jing's face flushed, but he forced himself to remain calm and said stubbornly, "If you don't come, how do you know if I can bear it?"
Zhou Li raised her eyebrows slightly and curled the corners of her lips. She put down her hand and leaned over to kiss the corner of Tang Jing's lips.
"good."
While Tang Jing was stunned, Zhou Li left.
Tang Jing put his hand on the corner of his mouth and couldn't help but smile.
As the night deepened, Zhou Li went back and heard the night watchman's sound again. She pulled up the quilt, covered herself with it, and fell asleep.
At dawn, Zhou Li moved his neck. His body was stiff after sleeping with the quilt rolled up all night. Zhou Li moved around in bed for a while before getting up and going outside to get some water to wash his face.
Dapeng also woke up. Seeing the boss holding a basin, he hurriedly rushed over and said he would do it. He threw the bucket into the well, drew a bucket of water, and pulled it up to fill Zhou Li's basin.
Zhou Li pulled up her sleeves and washed her face outside. Dapeng was talking to Zhou Li, and his eyes suddenly swept to Zhou Li's neck. He was confused.
"Boss, are the mosquitoes in your room that bad? Why did they bite your neck so red? Do you want me to go to the pharmacy and buy some mugwort for fumigation today?"
Zhou Li immediately covered her neck with her hands. She glanced at Dapeng and said vaguely, "That's fine."
He carried the basin of water into the house. Dapeng uttered a sigh. He had something to say to the class owner. Just as he was about to follow him in, his companion pulled him back and said jokingly, "I know you don't have any feelings for the class owner, and she's not an ordinary woman, but she is a woman after all. You should be more careful with what you say and do."
Dapeng scratched his head and nodded.
Zhou Li entered the room, put the basin on the shelf, and looked in front of the mirror first. She pulled down her collar, and a red patch appeared from her neck to her collarbone. She shook her head helplessly. She didn't know when the patch was planted. It was probably gnawed by a puppy last night. Fortunately, Dapeng was ignorant and the mark could be seen by anyone with a discerning eye.
She washed her face first, then changed into a gown with a stand-up collar, covered her neck tightly, and applied a layer of white powder. When she went out, Dapeng was still waiting outside. Zhou Li asked, "Are you waiting for me?"
Dapeng nodded honestly and said, "Brother Gangzi said there are differences between men and women and told me not to enter your room casually."
Zhou Li smiled and said, "If you can't just come in casually, you can always knock on the door. If you want me to delay a little longer, how long are you going to stand here?"
Dapeng laughed innocently for a few times before saying seriously, "Boss, there's news from the Ranger Hall."
Zhou Li also looked solemn. Dapeng handed a small bamboo tube to Zhou Li, which was delivered by a carrier pigeon in the morning.
Zhou Li opened the letter and unfolded a piece of paper. It said that several gangs had been swept up by the Northern Government and they were eager to negotiate with the Northern Government. However, Zhou Li was a little hesitant now. Compared with the ideas of the top leaders of the Ranger Hall, she wanted to talk to Zhang Mei more.
However, the upper echelons of the Youxia Hall were all old-school people, and they might not accept Zhang Mei's style, because Zhang Mei actually wanted to change the feudal monarchy into a republic and suggested the establishment of a liberal democratic party, which was called absurd. The people of the Youxia Hall were also one of the opposition.
Zhou Li was anxious. After reading the letter, she burned it. She asked Dapeng, "Is there a sect in the capital? I want to talk to the sect leader."
Dapeng was usually only in charge of contact and didn't know what Zhou Li and the others were discussing, but seeing the expression on Zhou Li's face, he knew it was a big deal, so he immediately nodded and said he would contact them.
The hall in the capital was very secretive, located in a mobile tea beach on the outskirts of the city. People from the Youxia Hall in the city usually didn't dare to stay there for long. Anyone who was found to have practiced martial arts would be questioned by patrolmen. If their identity was even slightly ambiguous, the Jingzhao Yin would rather kill the wrong person than let him go, because the Youxia Hall acted in the name of justice and had killed many corrupt officials.
Zhou Li arrived at the appointment on time. The Beijing Suburban Avenue extended to the outside of the city. There was a tea stall under the willow trees outside the city. Many people entering or leaving the city would stop here for a while to rest and drink some tea.
The tea seller was an old man with a thin build but a strong-looking body. Muscle lines could be seen on his forearms as he held the tea.
Zhou Li also didn't know who the hall master in the capital was. She knew that the other person was called Qiu Zhenghao. Judging from the name, he should be a man, but she didn't know his height, appearance or age.
They made an appointment at a tea beach outside the city. Zhou Li put a willow branch on the table. When the other party saw it, she would come over and pick up the willow branch to make a wreath.
Zhou Li broke off a beautiful willow branch outside the city and placed it on the table. The old man came over and greeted them, "Girls, would you like some tea or wine?"
Zhou Li said, "Please give me a pot of tea, both of you."
Old man: "Okay."
Zhou Li looked around. The people coming and going were all old farmers carrying bamboo baskets to buy vegetables and going home. There were also bodyguards holding heavy knives and placing them on the table. Next to them were a few scholars. It seemed that they were also going to the city and were tired, so they came here to rest.
Zhou Li was wondering who the hall master was when the old man came with tea and picked up the willow branches that Zhou Li had placed on the table. Zhou Li thought he was going to clear the table and was about to speak when the old man deftly wove a small wreath with his fingers and placed it on the table.
Zhou Li looked at the other person in shock, and the other person smiled at her kindly with bright eyes.
Qiu Zhenghao: "Miss, have some tea first."
Zhou Li knew that now was not the time to talk about things, so she lowered her head, picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Qiu Zhenghao's tea stall was doing good business, and Zhou Li had been unable to find an opportunity. She finished a pot of tea and was about to ask when Qiu Zhenghao passed by her and said lightly, "Someone is following you."
Zhou Li suddenly became alert. She had deliberately taken the main road when she went out today, and thought she had gotten rid of the other person, but she didn't expect that the other person was still following her.
Zhou Li stood up and said, "Pay the bill."
"Here I am!" Qiu Zhenghao came over to collect the money. On his tray, Zhou Li saw two words written with water. After a while, the water dried up and the words disappeared.
Zhou Li nodded to Qiu Zhenghao, continued walking out of the city, looked at the flowers, water, and trees on the outskirts of the city, and then went back.
At Guiyitang Restaurant, Li Ruiqi heard the spy report on Zhou Li's movements throughout the day and touched his chin. Could it be that he was wrong?
He should have investigated the person his uncle sent. Could it be that this ominous premonition was directed at that foreigner?
Li Ruiqi frowned. From what his uncle had told him to do, he could vaguely tell what his master wanted to do. Li Ruiqi hadn't enjoyed all the glory and wealth yet, and he really didn't want to do something that would put his head on the edge of a knife. But they were all on the same boat, and if something happened to his master, he couldn't escape either. He had to be more cautious, and he asked the spies to continue to keep an eye on Zhou Li.
Zhou Li performs in the restaurant at night. During the day, he sometimes goes out and sometimes stays in the house. Tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the lunar month and there is a big fair in the capital. Zhou Li goes out early in the morning to join in the fun. There are too many people in the market and the people sent by Li Ruiqi failed to keep an eye on Zhou Li, so Zhou Li disappears in the crowd.
Zhou Li was grabbed by the shoulders and dragged into a room before she could react. Qiu Zhenghao watched as the people following Zhou Li searched for her and then headed north. He smiled and said to Zhou Li, "You've only been in the capital for a few days. Who did you offend? They're watching you so closely."
Zhou Li sighed and said, "This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."
Qiu Zhenghao said, "Follow me." Going out of the back door of this empty room, they found a courtyard hidden in the bustling city. An old lady served them tea, and Qiu Zhenghao let Zhou Li talk.
Zhou Li told Tang Jing about what happened in the provincial capital and what she saw and heard in Guiyi Hall. She did not say that it was Tang Jing who told her, but said that it was her own guess.
Qiu Zhenghao picked up the teacup to drink water. When he heard Zhou Li say that the old prince wanted to become emperor, his hand wavered and the water spilled. Fortunately, he didn't drink it and asked, "Are you sure?"
Zhou Li nodded and said, "I think the cooperation matters mentioned in the hall should be considered more carefully."
Qiu Zhenghao sighed, "All three of our gangs have been destroyed by the government. Those bandits who once committed evil in the mountains have surrendered to the government and become generals. You don't know how jealous we are. We're all bandits, so at least we have more moral principles than them, right?"
Zhou Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Is this the reason you're seeking cooperation?"
Qiu Zhenghao shook his head: "Yes and no." He looked at Zhou Li and sighed: "It's mainly because we are old, while many brothers and sisters in the hall are still young. We want to find a way out for you."
Zhou Li's heart was shaken.
She had never thought about this before. When Qiu Zhenghao said this, she fell silent and suddenly thought, is it really a good idea to propose to follow Zhang Mei?
The Youxia Hall is a place like the Peach Blossom Spring, and the brothers in the hall all hate evil. However, Zhou Li also went there under Zhang Meizhi, who forbade breaking the law with force, so Zhou Li hesitated.
She neither thought the Northern government was good nor that Zhang Meihao was good. After all, her brothers were used to freedom and lacked discipline.
Seeing Zhou Li's expression, Qiu Zhenghao smiled and said to her, "I've brought you your message. Now, here's what we need to consider. Young people, don't always frown when you encounter problems. Everything will pass."
Zhou Li heard the cheerfulness in Qiu Zhenghao's voice, as if the future was bright and the things before him were just trivial matters. Zhou Li's brows relaxed and he nodded in agreement.
At night, there is silence and the chirping of crickets.
After several heavy rains, the temperature rose rapidly and it became very hot and humid.
Zhou Li opened her clothes and sat alone under the window, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. Seeing that the day was getting hotter and hotter, Zhou Li was most afraid of heat and had begun to consider fleeing the capital, but she was worried because the matter of the Youxia Hall had not been settled.
A mosquito flew past her ear, and Zhou Li impatiently drove it away with a palm-leaf fan. Suddenly, she heard a very slight sound of ground landing, and a pair of arms stretched out from behind her and hugged Zhou Li's neck.
"How many days have you not come to see me?"
It’s been five days.
Zhou Li looked up. Tang Jing came around from behind her and sat on her legs. Zhou Li was overwhelmed by the heat. She pressed the palm-leaf fan against Tang Jing's chest and said, "It's hot."
"If you're hot, don't come to me." Tang Jing didn't want to let Zhou Li go, "I have ice."
"There are also ice fruits, ice porridge, and various ice drinks."
Zhou Li's eyes lit up, and he said modestly, "It's not good to climb over other people's walls all day long."
Tang Jing drew circles on her chest with her delicate fingers, "It's not like you haven't turned over a leaf before."
"It all comes down to the severity of the matter," said Zhou Li.
"So you don't come to see me if you have nothing to do?"
Tang Jing's words sounded plaintive. Zhou Li held her fingers and kissed them, "I've been busy lately."
Tang Jing looked at Zhou Li and snorted coldly, then took off his clothes, flirted with Zhou Li for a while, and rolled onto the bed.
Zhou Li stood up to drink some water. It was so hot that day that she broke out in a sweat, even though she didn't sweat much before, especially when she was close to someone.
Tang Jing lay on Zhou Li's bed, feeling her whole body enveloped by Zhou Li's scent. She took a deep sniff, then opened her eyes and said to Zhou Li, "I want to go home to visit my family. My adoptive father is in trouble."
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