Chapter 90 Giving You a Sugar Figurine: It's My Incompetence That Only Saved Your Life
"I'll be right there."
These were the only two complete sentences Xi Congshuang uttered tonight. Before the two people by the bed could respond, the pale-faced woman grabbed a handkerchief from somewhere and covered her lips.
In an instant, the color stained the handkerchief red, which Xi Congshuang folded and grasped.
But Xun Suihuang had already seen clearly what was in her hand: blood, dark red blood.
Xi Congshuang said softly, "Excuse me."
Perhaps it's true that people outside say she's covered in poison; her blood is indeed poisonous.
Hongdou brought the tea. From being flustered at first, she has now learned how to serve tea to her at the right time so she can rinse her mouth.
He was completely bewitched. Xun Suihuang stood aside and watched her actions, without taking the opportunity to leave.
She felt that Xi Congshuang had something to say to her.
The thought came to Xun Suihuang's mind, and she found it amusing herself. She didn't think Xi Congshuang had anything to say to her.
She shouldn't have come in in the first place; turning around and leaving is her usual practice.
She turned to leave, but she was too late; a voice from the bed called her back.
"Commander Xun arrived so late and left without even having a cup of tea. Doesn't that make me seem like I haven't been hospitable enough?" Xi Congshuang's voice was weak, but it still contained a smile.
Xun Suihuang didn't turn her head, only wanting to say that it wasn't necessary.
His smoky gray eyes stared at her retreating figure as he slowly continued, "Or does Commander Xun think I would poison the tea and therefore dare not drink it?"
This simple and straightforward provocation piqued Xun Suihuang's curiosity. What exactly was she trying to say? She pointed outside and asked, "Do you even know where this is?"
Xi Congshuang calmly replied, "The General's Mansion."
Xun Suihuang: "It seems you're not delirious from your illness."
Xi Congshuang realized that she had relented, so she turned and told Hongdou to make tea. Hongdou was reluctant at first, but she had no choice but to say, "I'm not incapacitated yet, go ahead."
Since that's been said, Hongdou had no choice but to go reluctantly.
Xun Suihuang was led to the main room and sat down, watching Hongdou reluctantly brew tea.
Her expression betrayed her feelings; her mind was still in the inner room, her eyes kept looking inside, but her hands didn't slacken in the slightest, which amused her.
Speaking of which, she was about the same age as Hongdou when she went to the battlefield, both being fifteen years old.
He inherited the title at the age of seventeen and is not yet thirty. He has spent half his life in the military... Thinking about it, Xun Suihuang felt a chill in his heart.
Has she reached the point where she finds it amusing to watch children throw tantrums?
Hongdou gave Xun Suihuang a strange look, then turned to look outside. The night was deep and colder than during the day, but not cold enough to make one's arms ache.
She carried the teacup to Xun Suihuang and put down the steaming tea: "Please enjoy, it was brewed right in front of you."
Xun Suihuang reached out to touch the teacup, but upon hearing this, she almost laughed: "Can't I poison someone just because I'm brewing it in front of them? Aren't all of you from Yihaotang masters of poison, capable of killing without a trace?"
Hongdou was stunned, and angrily explained, "I didn't. If you don't believe me, I'll drink it right here and now."
Xun Suihuang wouldn't let her touch the teacup: "What if you're trying to trick me, and this is the only cup that wasn't poisoned?"
"..." For the first time, Hongdou regretted not studying harder back then. "Then can I drink what's in this pot?"
Xun Suihuang had many reasons: "It's not reliable. Who knows if you smeared it on the rim of my cup?"
Red Bean: "This won't work, that won't work, what else do you want?"
If she could do it all over again, she definitely wouldn't fall asleep as soon as she saw the sect leader's notes. She would have memorized them completely, even if it meant hanging her head from the rafters and pricking her thigh with an awl, and developed the skill of poisoning people without them even realizing it.
Instead of being talked to like this by Xun Suihuang today, I can't explain myself no matter how hard I try.
Xun Suihuang: "You're speaking so loudly. If your sect leader hears you, she'll give you a good scolding."
Hongdou instinctively covered her mouth with both hands, while Xun Suihuang slapped her thigh and burst out laughing.
"Hongdou is straightforward and earnest, don't tease her." A tall, slender figure emerged from behind the door, dressed in a blue robe and with a slim build.
Xun Suihuang turned her head to look, and was surprised to find that Sect Leader Xi had taken the time to tie up her hair, with an elegant wooden hairpin holding her black hair in place.
Hongdou felt like she'd been granted a pardon and rushed over to complain: "She insists I poisoned her! I didn't poison her!"
Xi Congshuang: "I'll be your witness, and you pour me a cup of tea too."
Hongdou arrived right on cue, placing the hot tea beside Xi Congshuang as soon as she sat down.
Xi Congshuang drank it in front of the two of them, then smiled at Xun Suihuang and asked, "General, are you relieved?"
"I have no worries." Xun Suihuang downed the tea in one gulp, his buffalo-like drinking startling Hongdou for a while. She felt a little sorry for the sect leader's fine tea.
Xi Congshuang remained unfazed even after her fine tea leaves were ruined, and even asked if she wanted another cup.
Xun Suihuang waved her hand in refusal, saying that she still needed to sleep tonight: "You seem quite content after not seeing me for a while, and you've even prepared everything."
It doesn't feel like a temporary stay, it feels like settling down.
She was in a hurry when she entered and didn't see things clearly. Now that she has a clear view of her surroundings, she realizes that her Feihong Courtyard is worlds apart from this nameless little courtyard.
It wasn't that she didn't have luxurious things, but she wasn't in the mood for them. Her living quarters were so empty that a horse could run across them. The place with the most things was her study, with walls covered with military books.
But she didn't look at them; they were all left to her by the old Marquis of Pingding.
Xi Congshuang said calmly, "It's not complete, it's all daily necessities."
Xun Suihuang: "..."
It turns out he was someone with so much money he didn't know what to do with it.
After that, they fell silent. Xi Congshuang quietly drank her tea, while Xun Suihuang, looking bored, picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.
The two sat across an octagonal table, sharing a pot of tea and watching Hongdou busily moving around the courtyard.
The small figure was very busy. She extinguished the fire in the stove, picked it up and put it aside, took a broom from behind the door and swept away the coal ash and firewood. Then, her eyes were drawn to the fireflies on the side, and she threw down the broom and ran away.
Xun Suihuang didn’t understand why she threw away the broom at first. Did she come in because she was afraid of bugs and complained to Xi Congshuang?
She soon realized she was wrong. Hongdou's anxiety just now wasn't fear, but excitement. She took an empty glass bottle from the house to catch fireflies.
She took the glass bottle, which was worth a fortune at the pawnshop, to catch fireflies, while Xi Congshuang leisurely drank her tea, making Xun Suihuang feel a pang of heartache.
It wasn't that she was worried about the money; it was that she had done this before and had been beaten.
That glass bottle was a gift from the emperor. She used it to catch cicadas, and when she was discovered, she was almost hanged up and beaten by the old Marquis of Pingding.
Xun Suihuang stopped looking at the little girl running around the courtyard and turned to Xi Congshuang: "You've finished your tea, but you still haven't finished your draft?"
Xi Congshuang seemed to just come back to her senses, her eyes glazed over for a moment, as if she were pulling herself out of her reverie: "What draft?"
Xun Suihuang found it hard to understand: "Don't tell me things like you want me to stay so you can have a cup of tea with you."
Having her prepared words spoken beforehand, she simply hummed in agreement in front of Xun Suihuang.
Xun Suihuang: "?" Huh? What exactly is she humming about?
"You don't believe me?" Xi Congshuang smiled. "Then let me put it another way: how about abandoning darkness and embracing the light?"
Xun Suihuang found this statement very strange, but one day she would be able to understand it.
Xi Congshuang: "Prince Xin poisoned me. He is a heartless and treacherous man. It is too late for me to regret it now. I don't want him to ascend the throne so smoothly."
Xun Suihuang didn't think it was rebellious for a commoner to discuss the throne. She casually said, "There's also the Prince of Wu. The Prince of Qin is crippled and probably can't handle it. If all else fails, you can choose an underage prince. There are princes whose mothers are alive or not."
Xi Congshuang's gaze was deep: "Can I choose you?"
Xun Suihuang looked at him with mixed feelings, she had never seen such a reckless person: "I said no, get well soon and go back to your Yongdu."
Xi Congshuang's gaze followed her movements.
Xun Suihuang stood up, seemingly offering a friendly reminder: "I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said tonight. You'd better go back before Prince Xin becomes suspicious... I forgot, your purpose isn't limited to the peace treaty."
Xi Congshuang: "There's no going back."
Xun Suihuang seemed not to understand: "What?"
Xi Congshuang picked up the teacup with her clean hands: "Why does Commander Xun have to ask such a question? Prince Xin is not the kind of person who trusts his subordinates. Once I enter the General's Mansion, I can't go back."
Xun Suihuang didn't understand: "If you can't go back, then go back to your Bingzhou, take your Hongdou and leave quickly."
Hongdou, who was running around the yard with a bottle in her hand, turned around when she heard the voice: "So you knew my name was Hongdou. You did this on purpose."
This time, Xun Suihuang wasn't in the mood to joke around with Hongdou and strode out the door.
The dark blue figure was swallowed by the night. Xi Congshuang remained seated in the main hall, her brows slightly furrowed, as if there was something she couldn't understand.
Before long, Hongdou came in with a glass bottle containing fireflies, showing off her achievement to Xi Congshuang.
"Sect Master, look, I didn't expect there to be fireflies even on such a cold day... What are you thinking about, Sect Master?" Hongdou closed the bottle and stood obediently to the side.
Xi Congshuang hadn't figured it out yet. She shook her head, slowly got up, and walked into the inner room.
A little red bean followed closely behind.
She thought, "Xun Suihuang has no intention of disloyalty."
Was it simply a matter of time, or was she hiding it well, or perhaps... she never even considered it?
"Is Xun Suihuang someone who was forced into this role?"
*
After a good night's sleep, Xi Congshuang was able to stand up straight again and take Hongdou out.
Today was a rare sunny day, so Xi Congshuang took her people out for a walk.
The outside world was much more lively than she had imagined. It was too late when she entered the city that day, and there was a strong wind yesterday, so the streets were deserted and quiet. But today, it was not like that at all.
Wearing a blue robe and a conical hat, Xi Congshuang attracted a lot of attention when she appeared on the street. The stall owners on the roadside saw that her clothes were made of fine material and loudly recommended their jewelry.
The women here are mostly tall and have a free-spirited air. They are curious about the uniquely dressed master and servant and look them up and down with great interest.
Then she turned around and asked, "Do you sell this style of dress here?"
Hongdou's attention was drawn to the sugar figurine, and she stared at it intently. Just as Xi Congshuang was about to leave, she tugged at her sleeve: "Miss..."
Xi Congshuang: "Go ahead if you want to."
Red Bean went off happily and asked the old woman who made sugar figurines, "Can you make anything? Do you make them look like the real thing?"
She's young, and asking such a question doesn't seem like she's looking for trouble; she's genuinely curious.
The old woman stirred the candy in her hand, smiled with narrowed eyes: "I wouldn't say they're exactly the same, but they have the same spirit."
Hongdou was delighted and took out a copper coin from her pocket: "Then make me a... General Xun."
The old woman paused in stirring the sugar, and the peddler selling silver hairpins next door was also taken aback, turning to look at her.
Red Bean asked, confused, "Can't I squeeze it?"
The old woman snapped out of her daze, smiled, and shook her head: "You can make candy, but I didn't expect you to admire General Xun so much that you even make candy figurines in her likeness. Judging from your appearance, you're from the south. You were also saved by the general?"
Hongdou was about to say who admired her, but she was going to bite her head off and make her pretend to forget her name, and even accuse her of poisoning her tea.
But she couldn't beat him, so she started gnawing on his head, gnawing and gnawing.
Xi Congshuang also walked behind her and watched the red-clad figure take shape for a while. She said, "Make one for me too. I want a horse."
The conversation was interrupted, and the forgetful old woman responded with a sound, then lowered her head to knead sugar figurines.
The image of Kaisheng in red was so deeply etched in the eyes of the people that an old woman even made a majestic spear for the sugar-coated general, with a lifelike red tassel.
Upon seeing the finished product, Hongdou burst out laughing.
The old woman's words that they were not exactly alike were true, but that they did have some resemblance. Apart from the imposing spear and the fiery red robe, those black bean eyes really did give Xun Suihuang a bit of his unruly spirit.
Hongdou took the sugar figurine, looked at it for a long time, and still couldn't bear to find a place to eat it.
Soon, Xi Congshuang's horse was ready, and the master and servant continued to walk forward. The sugar figurine of the general in Hongdou's hand attracted the attention of many children, who all begged the adults around them to buy her a sugar figurine as well.
The adults, exasperated by the child's tantrum, slapped the child a few times, but the child still wouldn't stop, so they had no choice but to take the child to buy the items.
Xi Congshuang lifted the white veil and looked around the bustling streets. Even without the vendors and customers, the traces of war were still visible on the streets.
It is only because of peace that we have come together again to rebuild our home.
As Xi Congshuang passed through a narrow alley, her peripheral vision was drawn to it. She peered inside and saw a stone lion with half its head broken off lying in the depths of the alley. The other half of its head was blackened, and its entire body was charred black.
"Miss, we're almost at the restaurant."
Today's outing is not just for sightseeing; it's to meet with the members of the Yihaotang gang who were sent in advance, so that we can know more to handle things better.
After playing with the sugar figurine for a while, Hongdou started looking for a place to eat.
Xi Congshuang sighed inwardly: I'm sorry, I can only save one.
She was helpless when the other children had their sugar figurines of generals.
He reached out and snatched the sugar figurine from Hongdou's hand, then shoved the silver-saddled white horse figurine from his own hand into hers.
The red bean, having bitten off the shell, was speechless.
Where's my sugar figurine? How did it turn into a horse?
Hongdou hurriedly caught up with the figure in green robes ahead, puzzled, and said, "Miss, why are you taking my sugar figurine? I want this general sugar figurine; I haven't eaten it yet."
Xi Congshuang clenched the sugar figurine: "I'll trade you my horse, and I'll treat you to ten more sugar figurines, and you give me this one."
As the two figures disappeared into the distance, many children emerged on the street behind them, each sculpting a sugar figurine of a general.
A child stumbled and fell, tripping over a protruding brick. The sugar figurine in his hand broke off its arm, and he cried out, "My general's arm is broken!"
The spy following at a distance: "..." Can I say that?
She silently crossed out a line: "Reporting to the General, the maid under Sect Leader Xi bought a small sugar figurine in your likeness, which has become a trend in Fuzhou."
Cross out another line: Reporting to the General, the children of Fuzhou like to gnaw on your head.
After crossing out two lines, the two had already entered a restaurant.
In times of war, doctors are lifesavers.
Xi Congshuang was also meeting a doctor today. She was in charge of running the pharmacy in Fuzhou City. She was usually charitable and would treat the poor without charging a penny for serious illnesses. She was quite prestigious in the city and had also met the general.
The woman's surname was Liu, and her given name was Jinniang.
She was slender, with delicate features at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she was unremarkable; it seemed impossible to remember her face no matter how many times you looked at her.
"Your subordinate greets the sect leader." Liu Jinniang squatted down and bowed, placing her hand beside her face and peeling off a layer of skin as thin as a cicada's wing to reveal her original appearance.
Liu Jinniang was originally even more beautiful, with a small mole on the tip of her nose; she was certainly not an appearance that could be easily forgotten.
Xi Congshuang raised her hand, gesturing for her to sit down, and said, "How did you do with the things I asked you to do?"
"Your subordinate has been following the sect leader's orders and has not dared to be too conspicuous. I run a pharmacy in the city and have also been to the military camp a few times to treat injuries." Liu Jinniang recounted everything she had heard and seen during this period and then waited for the sect leader's orders.
Xi Congshuang could not and did not want to smear Xun Suihuang according to the original plan. She only wanted to let Xun Suihuang be as normal as possible after gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how the people viewed her.
After listening to Jinniang's story, she asked, "Have you been to the Northern Yan military camp? Do you remember the terrain and general layout?"
Liu Jinniang was a little puzzled. She nodded, "I remember, the sect leader asked me to draw..."
Xi Congshuang: "No, what you need to do is forget the terrain and layout in your mind. Given General Xun's vigilance, the layout must have changed drastically after you left, but it is not without trace."
Liu Jinniang simply obeyed orders without understanding why, but she did so nonetheless.
As she was about to leave, Xi Congshuang said again, "Change your name and appearance, and go back to Bingzhou."
Previously she was just puzzled, but this order shocked Liu Jinniang. The task was already eight-tenths done, so why give up now?
Xi Congshuang didn't explain much to Liu Jinniang, only telling her to leave. She said, "It won't be long before Fuzhou is at peace, and it will be Yongdu that falls into chaos."
Liu Jinniang, who obeyed orders, withdrew.
Hongdou sat by the window, munching on white horse candy, ignoring the person clinging to the roof. The sect leader had said before entering that he wouldn't care, so she wouldn't care either.
Through the crack, people on the roof looked down and saw a woman in a blue dress, who had taken off her conical hat, sitting at a table, drinking tea with her eyes downcast.
They were also very particular about their appearance. They would wear a cone-shaped hat when they went out and gloves when they came inside. Except for their face, they would be covered from head to toe.
Suddenly, Xi Congshuang moved. She put down her teacup and asked, "Hongdou, did you hear anything?"
Hongdou crunched off the last bite of candy and mumbled, "There are birds on the roof, I'll go check."
Before Hongdou could even leave the house, the figure on the rooftop vanished as if it had flown away.
Those two people were right; Xi Congshuang's eyes do have a problem.
Hearing the sound of someone leaving, Hongdou didn't chase after them but sat back down in her original spot to continue waiting.
She would never leave Xi Congshuang's side without permission; what if someone took the opportunity to attack her?
But she was a little hungry and muttered, "Why hasn't the food I ordered been served yet?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the food she ordered was served. The waiter was so slow that several times Hongdou wanted to help carry the food so she could eat quickly.
But then the waiter said, "The supervising officer asked me to ask you when you plan to make your move?"
"..." A perfectly delicious and visually appealing meal suddenly became unappetizing.
Xi Congshuang casually replied that the general's mansion was heavily guarded and it was inconvenient to take action so quickly.
Yongdu felt that Xun Suihuang was ambitious and had a guilty conscience. It was only natural that the mansion was heavily guarded. He couldn't blame the sickly man who was with the little girl, so he had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
Before leaving, he urged them repeatedly, but the supervising eunuch was too busy to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
*
The spy left the rooftop and went straight back to the general's mansion, where he found Xun Suihuang in the study.
Today I heard that she presented them all to Xun Suihuang's desk, including two deliberately large ink marks.
Xun Suihuang asked, "What is this?"
The spy said, "I made a mistake and I dare not show it to the general."
Okay, whether her handwriting is wrong or not, it's still ugly.
Undercover agents are always on the edge of a knife; expecting them to write neatly and beautifully is asking too much.
Xun Suihuang made do with what he read, and after finishing, he tossed it aside and continued writing his memorial.
"I really don't know which of her words is true." Xun Suihuang was caught off guard and a word was misspelled in the memorial under his command. The ink smudged, and the memorial, which was mostly written, was ruined.
“This woman is me.” Xun Suihuang changed to a new sheet of paper and continued writing.
She actually wanted to ask someone else to do this for her, but looking around, all she could find in the manor were either the elderly, the weak, the sick, or the deputy generals who got dizzy just looking at words.
The stubborn Gu Daifang can read and write, but asking her to write a memorial to the throne would be an affront to the emperor's ears. Even if Xun Suihuang wanted to shirk his responsibilities, he would have to think twice.
"With you bunch of ancestors around, even if I'm about to die, I'll have to get up and finish writing a memorial before I can die." Xun Suihuang's pen moved like a dragon and a snake, its strokes flying.
May the general live to be a hundred years old.
"Heh heh." Xun Suihuang sneered.
The deputy general, who was grinding ink, didn't dare to say a word and quickly ground the ink.
He was then kicked out by Xun Suihuang, who said: "The inkstone is full and still needs grinding. Go cool off somewhere else."
After finally finishing writing the memorial, it was already afternoon. Xun Suihuang prepared to go out for a stroll. She was never one to stay idle, and when she had some free time, she couldn't stay at home and would ride her horse around.
It's been like this since I was little. When I was a child, I rode miniature horses, and when I grew up, I rode spirited horses.
She walked out, while the master and servant, who had finished their meal, walked in, and they met on either side.
Xi Congshuang was holding something in her hand when she saw Xun Suihuang and said, "What a coincidence!" Then she handed her a sugar figurine.
"You brought me a sugar figurine? You brought me a sugar figurine?" Xun Suihuang looked around. "Is this a meme? What are you giving me this for?"
Xi Congshuang smiled mysteriously: "This is how I saved your life."
There are so many lives out there that she can't save.
She then said to Xun Suihuang, who was full of doubts, "Try to stay home as much as possible lately, or you might see something bad."
Xun Suihuang: "???" She was completely baffled.
When the matter was brought up, Xi Congshuang felt a little guilty: "It's my incompetence that I couldn't help you."
Xun Suihuang: "".
They were mumbling something in English, which I couldn't understand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com