Chapter 86
"Boss." Today, when Zhou Li went on stage, Dapeng came and went. He stared at Zhou Li for several times before speaking hesitantly.
There were not many people backstage. After the shifts were arranged, everyone was living their own lives unless it was their own show. It was precisely because there were not many people that Dapeng dared to ask. Recently, there were many more noble people coming to watch the show, and they were generous. Dapeng received more people and heard some news, especially about Zhou Li. People from the Ranger Hall also came one after another. When the two pieces of information were combined, Dapeng could not sit still. However, the troupe owner himself did not say anything, and Dapeng did not know how to ask. This hesitation lasted for many days. Even if he opened his mouth today, he would hold his breath and scratch his head.
Zhou Li didn't see the hesitation on Dapeng's face while she was brow-raising, and thought he had something else to ask her. She lowered her head to tie her hair up and started applying the flowers again. She uttered a busy "Hmm?"
There was no response for a long time. When Zhou Li finished her work, she looked at Dapeng who was standing behind her like a pillar.
"What's the matter?" Zhou Li asked.
Dapeng scratched his head, an embarrassed look on his face.
"Well, just, outside, um, nothing much actually..."
Zhou Li looked puzzled, "Are you okay?"
Dapeng's mind raced, "A lot of people came outside to see the boss, I want to see if he's done it."
"Oh." Zhou Li turned around. "Are there many people here?"
"I'll have a while. I'll get it done after they finish their performance."
Dapeng scratched his face again, thinking he would ask the owner after the performance. He was about to leave when Zhou Li asked, "I've never seen you this nervous at any of the performances in the past."
Bang, Dapeng raised his right foot and stepped on his left foot, almost making himself fall down. Fortunately, he was a martial artist and had some footwork skills, so he kept his balance and did not fall flat on his face.
"Haha, hahaha." Dapeng laughed awkwardly, "Nervous, I'm not nervous."
Zhou Li turned around with her powder in her hand. Her eyes were as bright as stars in the sky, emitting a clear light as she looked at Dapeng's clumsy hands and feet.
She shook her head and turned away again.
Dapeng quickly slipped away, not daring to speak.
It’s not that Zhou Li is so majestic, it’s mainly because this troupe depends entirely on Zhou Li. Half of the people in this troupe were picked up by Zhou Li, including Dapeng.
When he was young, he ate a lot. When his family suffered from famine, he was sold to the owner of a troupe that traveled the streets. The original troupe owner was very cruel. He would not allow them to eat if they did not practice well, and would beat and scold them at will. He treated them as slaves and confiscated all the money they earned. Later, because of the war, the troupe owner offended the officials and fled overnight, and they all dispersed.
When Dapeng was starving and had nowhere to go, he met Zhou Li. It was Zhou Li who gave him a bite of food and a sip of water. It was also Zhou Li who brought him into the Ranger Hall. Only then did he realize how big this world was. There was not only the small piece of land in front of him, but also these chivalrous people who spoke up for the common people.
Dapeng finally decided to follow Zhou Li because he wanted to serve his benefactor more than the Wanderer Hall, but the recent rumors...
Dapeng scratched his head.
Forget it, whether to ask or not, the boss has her own ideas.
The boss's knowledge is always greater than his. If the boss didn't say anything, there must be other reasons.
Dapeng found an excuse for Zhou Li and continued to patrol with peace of mind.
He is tall. Although Guanshi County is relatively peaceful compared to other cities and the Zhang family has given us greetings, there are sometimes those who are short-sighted and deliberately do bad things. Dapeng's job is to maintain order in the area.
Zhou Li put on her makeup, put down her eyebrow pencil, and looked at herself in the mirror.
Long eyebrows, fine eyes, bright eyes and white teeth.
Every time she dresses up, Zhou Li always has the illusion that she is someone else in the mirror. She is going to show off her skills today and sing a song about a female general going to the battlefield.
Xiao Yuan ran in, stumbling and shouting in a low voice, "Boss, it seems like a big shot has arrived outside. He's brought people with him and has surrounded the entire stage!"
Zhou Li stood up, not at all surprised. Someone free helped her put on her costume as a female warrior. Zhou Li, holding a three-foot-long red tasseled spear, said, "Don't be afraid. I'll be back soon!"
The tail end of her opera voice was still lingering in the background when she had already gone on stage.
She performed a fancy spear trick with both hands, and Zhou Li thrust out with one hand. The red tasseled spear spun and flew high into the sky, where she caught it steadily. She sang in a clear voice, and laughed, scolded, and spoke freely. Zhang Mei, Ji Qingshu, and Zhang Man, who were sitting in the first row, could not help but cheer with the crowd, as they came here specifically to listen to the opera.
Zhou Li knew about it a long time ago, but in order not to cause a commotion, she deliberately didn't tell anyone.
Zhang Man leaned over to her mother with sparkling eyes and said, "Look how well Mr. Zhou sings! The last time I came to listen, I couldn't stop singing. It's a pity that my eldest sister didn't come with me. I asked my youngest brother to come, but he refused, saying he didn't like all that babbling. If he had heard Mr. Zhou sing this, he would definitely like it!"
"Your brother and your elder brother are both rough people. What do they know?" Ji Qingshu sighed. "I wonder who they took after? I read a lot when I was pregnant with them."
Zhang Mei laughed and said, "Madam, are you choosing me?"
Ji Qingshu said angrily, "Who told you to take your seat?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Mei held Ji Qingshu's hand. Ji Qingshu blushed and said, "Just watch the show." She didn't try to break free.
Zhou Li was completely focused, with only the play she was performing in her mind. The performance was as good as ever. The crowd, who were originally frightened by Zhang Mei's arrival, quickly got back into the play. After the show, everyone was discussing the heroine in the play.
Zhang Man was also fascinated by what she heard and asked Zhang Mei, "Father, is the heroine in this play real or fictional?"
Zhang Mei smiled and said, "I usually tell you to read more books, but it seems you haven't read the Records of the Grand Historian. This heroine really did exist. Historical records say she was eight feet tall, majestic, and stronger than most men. She disguised herself as a man, yet no one noticed. Whether in training or on the battlefield, she was always at the forefront. Others were far inferior to her, so they didn't notice her."
Zhang Man was a little disappointed. She was not born with such physical qualities.
"Then how did she find out later? If she was so powerful?"
Zhang Mei smiled and said, "Because she was so powerful, the emperor wanted to grant her a marriage. The heroine was too frightened and took the initiative to reveal it, which is how it was exposed."
"Then didn't the emperor execute the person? This is a crime of deceiving the emperor." Zhang Man asked again.
Zhang Mei shook her head and smiled, "Why kill him? It's a good thing!"
Zhang Man seemed to understand, but at this time most of the people in the venue had left. Zhou Li changed out of her warrior-dan costume and came to pay her a visit.
Seeing that she was still wearing her stage makeup, Ji Qingshu knew that she must have just come here off the stage. She said with a distressed look on her face, "We are just here to take a look. You just got off the stage, you should take some time to relax."
"I'm fine, ma'am." Zhou Li smiled and said, "I'm used to it."
Ji Qingshu was relieved when she saw that she looked clear-headed and upright, and that she looked more energetic than the people sitting in the audience.
Zhang Mei nodded secretly. Apart from anything else, just looking at Zhou Li's spirit and energy, people would like him just by standing in front of them.
Zhang Mei didn't say anything. Ji Qingshu also knew that it was a great honor for him to take the time to accompany them to watch the play, so she said a few words to Zhou Li and left. However, before leaving, Zhang Man smiled and whispered in Zhou Li's ear, "My sister said she would come over later and asked me to tell my sister-in-law."
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment. Zhang Man had already disappeared following her parents' footsteps.
Xiao Yuan ran over from behind and asked in a low voice, "Boss, who are they? Why are there so many people following us?"
Zhou Li turned around and realized that everyone on duty in the troupe was looking at her.
Zhou Li coughed and said, "He is the master of this city."
There was a loud splash, like a pebble falling into the water, stirring up a huge wave of water. The troupe members were shocked. Someone couldn't help but ask, "Boss, so what they said is true?"
"Is this really true?"
"What's the matter?" Zhou Li blinked, puzzled.
When they heard her ask, everyone was too embarrassed to say anything. Zhou Li finally looked at Dapeng, who was the most honest.
"you say."
Dapeng's face turned green, and he stammered, "It's said that you are going to marry into the Marshal's Mansion."
Zhou Li thought that if it was just about getting married, no one would have such expressions, so he slowly asked, "What else?"
"Be my concubine." Dapeng took a deep breath.
Zhou Li was stunned, then burst out laughing.
"How did it get spread like this?"
Seeing her smile, everyone relaxed. It seemed that the rumors outside were all just rumors. Dapeng told them all in one breath.
"The Marshal's Mansion has been decorated with lanterns and has been sending out invitations. The announcements aren't very clear, saying only that there's a happy event at home. Looking at the red silk, everyone's guessing is mixed. You've been in and out of the City Lord's Mansion so often, and their carriages keep coming to pick you up. Even the soldiers in the city are polite to you. They're guessing you're having an affair with someone in the City Lord's Mansion, and that you're of low status, so you can only be a concubine."
Zhou Li raised an eyebrow, but before he could react, someone strode in. Tang Jing angrily asked, "Where did this rumor come from?"
She had a dark face and was dressed in black, like a gust of wind mixed with dark clouds, rolling over the top of their heads. No one dared to respond, and was temporarily overwhelmed by Tang Jing's momentum.
Zhou Li pulled her sleeve and said, "Don't be so harsh on my people." She said slowly, but she was not angry. Tang Jing's face changed and he suppressed his anger.
"I'll handle this matter." Tang Jing lowered his head and said to Zhou Li, "I will definitely not let you down."
"I believe you." Zhou Li's eyes were bright as she said, "Dapeng, tell Tang Jing the whole story. If anyone else knows, please tell us. If anyone doesn't know, please disperse. Don't gather here. If someone comes in, they might think something's wrong with us."
Everyone dispersed obediently, and someone came over to ask where she heard it from.
When Zhou Li is around, everyone is very well behaved.
Dapeng told Tang Jing, then stood beside Zhou Li and said worriedly, "Boss... I..."
Zhou Li raised his eyebrows and smiled at him: "Did you want to tell me before?"
Dapeng nodded.
Zhou Li said, "Aside from the fact that the rumor was spread in the wrong direction, the rest of the information is pretty much the same. It's indeed related to the City Lord's Mansion, and I'm going to marry into his family."
Dapeng let out an "ah", and then another "ah", but this time his tone was completely changed.
Zhou Li looked at Tang Jing, who was asking about the origin of the rumor, and said, "Because it's not proper, I hesitated to tell you. The person I married was none other than this Tang Jing in front of you. Marshal Zhang will adopt me as his adopted daughter. This is indeed attracting some attention."
Dapeng froze in place.
He always knew that class owners were different, but he didn't expect them to be so different.
After Tang Jing finished asking, he came over, took Zhou Li's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. Give me one night. Nothing in Guanshi County, big or small, will escape my scrutiny! I want to see who is slandering you behind your back!"
Zhou Li instead held Tang Jing's hand and said, "Don't check anymore. I probably know."
Using a woman's reputation to defame a woman is something that only an old-fashioned person who knows the importance of a woman's reputation and takes it extremely seriously would use.
But this was really a dirty trick, which ruined Zhou Li's reputation and was not a good thing for the Zhang family, unless he had a follow-up trick waiting for him.
Tang Jing is so smart, how could he not guess who Zhou Li is talking about next.
"You mean it was him?"
Zhou Li just smiled.
Tang Jing's expression grew increasingly darker, and she said in a deep voice, "Let's confront him right now!"
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