Chapter 36 Confrontation
A voice suddenly sounded behind Li Xiaoxiao. Li Xiaoxiao turned around and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a servant in the Zheng family's clothing, with only a jade buckle tied at his waist and a tuft of gray beard on his chin.
He seems like someone who can get things done.
Li Xiaoxiao bowed and said, "This servant is a maid from Magistrate Meng's residence. I heard that the young master is drunk, so the madam specially sent me to take care of him. May I ask how to get to Mingyue Hall in your residence?"
The steward was taken aback, then returned the greeting and said, "I see." He looked around and called out to someone, "Baohe, come here and take this young lady to Mingyue Hall to find Young Master Meng."
Baohe?
Li Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes. If she remembered correctly, the words she had overheard earlier were about Bao He giving Meng Guanqi the drug.
When Baohe saw Steward Zheng calling him, a look of panic flashed in his eyes. He glanced at Li Xiaoxiao and lowered his head.
Steward Zheng said, "Young lady, you can find Mingyue Tower by following him."
Li Xiaoxiao said "Oh," took a couple of steps, then suddenly turned back and said, "By the way, how many people named Baohe do you have in your household?"
Butler Zheng glanced at Baohe and asked in surprise, "There's only one? What's wrong?"
Li smiled and said, "It's nothing, just asking. I'll go find the young master now."
Bao He walked forward with his head down and without saying a word. Li Xiaoxiao followed about two meters behind him, saying as she walked, "By the way, Bao He, do you know Xiang Yun?"
Baohe stopped in his tracks, cold sweat almost breaking out on his brow: "Why, why are you asking this?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Oh, I overheard Xiangyun say a few words, mentioning your name, and also some young master..." She paused, then slowly continued, "And some lewd talk about drugging the wine, haha, isn't this Old Madam Zheng's birthday banquet? Everyone in the manor is someone of importance, how could someone dare to drug someone on such a day? You agree, Baohe?"
Baohe's clothes were almost soaked with sweat, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles turning white.
He didn't dare to look back at all and walked very fast, but he didn't expect that he had already walked so fast. Li Xiaoxiao always kept a distance from him that was neither too close nor too far.
Li Xiaoxiao continued slowly, "Why aren't you saying anything, Baohe? Fine, if you don't know how to answer this question, then I'll ask you again. Do you know why I asked that steward how many Baohes you have in your household?"
Baohe's forehead was covered in cold sweat, his eyes were trembling violently, and he dared not reply.
Li Xiaoxiao didn't wait for his reply: "Then I'll kindly explain it to you. What I mean is, if anything unpleasant happens to our young master in your residence today, you're dead meat. Do you still want to drag me around in circles? Baohe?"
Baohe turned around abruptly, staring intently at Li Xiaoxiao. Li Xiaoxiao grinned at him: "Can you take me to Mingyue Hall now, Baohe?"
Baohe's chest heaved violently, veins bulged on his forehead, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his nostrils flared as he gasped for breath.
Li Xiaoxiao didn't even raise an eyebrow.
Baohe stared at her for a long time before finally lowering his eyes: "Over here."
He turned a corner and continued walking forward.
After walking for less than half an incense stick's time, a three-room courtyard appeared before them. Bao He walked over, opened the door of one of the rooms, and whispered, "Young Master Meng is inside."
Behind the house stood an old locust tree, its branches and leaves blocking out the sun, making it impossible to see inside from the outside. As soon as Li Xiaoxiao stepped inside, Bao He suddenly reached out and pushed her hard from behind. Li Xiaoxiao was pushed to the ground and looked up in surprise. Bao He grinned maliciously and quickly locked the door.
Li Xiaoxiao glanced at the bed behind her, only to find it empty. She had been deceived; this was not Mingyue Hall at all, and Meng Guanqi was not here.
She had already made herself so clear, yet Baohe still dared to lock her up like this.
She walked to the door: "You think locking me up will make things alright? Who gave you the audacity to harm the county officials like this? Aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"
Baohe said fiercely, "After today, I will leave Biyang County and follow Young Master Lu. I will never appear in the Zheng residence again. It's no use you suing me! If today's matter succeeds, Lord Meng will be too busy to care about his own affairs. How can he have time to listen to a girl's complaint? Let me tell you the truth, if Lord Meng offends Young Master Lu, he won't even be able to keep his official hat on. With his only son in such a situation, would he dare to spread the word?"
Li Xiaoxiao stroked her chin: "Just who is this Young Master Lu? Does he have powerful connections?"
Bao He leaned closer to the crack in the door and sneered, "It's no harm in telling you. Young Master Lu's aunt is the wife of Prefect Song. Prefect Song is Lord Meng's superior. His life and fortune are entirely in Prefect Song's hands. Do you think Lord Meng would dare to sue him?"
Li Xiaoxiao gasped, "It's him again! He's disgusting!"
Bao He sneered, "You can stay locked up here. Maybe when Young Master Lu is done with you, he won't remember to punish you, and you might even save your life. But if you dare to say a word about what happened today—"
Li Xiaoxiao kicked both doors away, one of them slamming down on Bao He. She stood on it, hands on her hips, and asked, "So what if someone tells? What can he do to me?"
Bao He was caught off guard and knocked to the ground by the door, then Li Xiaoxiao stood on top of him. The sinister smile on his face vanished instantly, and his expression immediately turned terrified.
He began to struggle desperately: "You, you get—away—!"
As a result, Li Xiaoxiao, who was standing on him through the door, did not move an inch.
Baohe felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him; he quickly found it hard to breathe, his face slowly turning red, and he felt the weight on his body growing heavier and heavier...
He finally panicked, tears and snot streaming down his face: "Spare me, spare me, my wife! I, I'll never do it again, I'll never do it again, please spare me, my wife..."
Li Xiaoxiao showed no sign of letting go, but instead leaned down: "How much did that man surnamed Lu give you? Why would you do this to harm our young master?"
Baohe said with difficulty, "Here, he gave me ten taels of silver. If the matter is settled, he'll let me, let me work for him..."
Li Xiaoxiao scoffed, "Ten taels of silver can buy your life? How can your life be so cheap? For these powerful and wealthy people, taking the life of a servant is easier than crushing an ant. Even if they succeeded, do you think they would admit to it when things get out? They'd probably just push you out to take the blame. I don't understand where this young master Lu got the guts to even target the magistrate's son, let alone a scholar like himself. What wouldn't he dare to do? What were you thinking, accepting this kind of money?"
Bao He trembled all over, feeling the weight on his body growing heavier and heavier, making it difficult for him to breathe: "Spare me, young lady, spare me, I will never dare to do it again."
Li Xiaoxiao gave a cold snort and jumped off Baohe. The weight on her suddenly loosened, and Baohe couldn't help but roll over, coughing violently, gasping for fresh air. Tears, snot, and saliva uncontrollably covered her face, quickly soaking her clothes.
He really felt like he was about to die.
He pushed open the door, trembling, and knelt before Li Xiaoxiao, banging his head heavily on the floor: "Thank you for sparing my life, young lady. Thank you for sparing my life, young lady."
Li smiled and said, "Now can you tell me where Mingyue Hall is?"
Baohe pleaded, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll take you there right now."
His legs were shaking so badly he could barely stand. He struggled several times before finally regaining his strength and hurriedly ran in the opposite direction.
Li Xiaoxiao followed closely behind him, wishing she could slap him to death. How dare he lead in the opposite direction, wasting all this time. She wondered if that beast had received the news and rushed to Mingyue Hall.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she encountered more and more people on the road, and the houses became more and more exquisite. Li Xiaoxiao turned a corner and finally saw the three characters "Mingyue Hall" hanging brightly on the lintel.
The houses here are more than twice as exquisite as the ones we just saw, with carved beams and painted rafters in bright colors, but it's quiet all around, and there's not a soul in sight.
Meng Guanqi fell asleep here, and there wasn't a single familiar person around him. If they didn't harm him, who would they harm?
Ah Sheng is a servant, so he must be eating elsewhere like her. Magistrate Meng is a grown man, so he probably never imagined that his son would be plotted against like this in broad daylight. He also wouldn't think to ask Ah Sheng or Zhao Shou to guard Meng Guanqi. So now, no matter who comes, it would be an easy thing for them to harm Meng Guanqi.
Bao He said tremblingly, "Young Master Meng, Young Master Meng is sleeping inside."
Li smiled and said, "Open the door."
She had been caught off guard and this bastard had pushed her, causing her to fall. If he dared to lie to her again, she wouldn't mind kicking down another door. She just didn't know if this kid still had the guts.
Baohe had the same idea as her, so he dared not refuse anymore and immediately opened the door. Li Xiaoxiao looked up and saw a young man sleeping on the dark brown carved canopy bed, dressed in a blue robe. The young man was sleeping upright, with a handsome face, a high nose and deep eyes, smooth profile lines, and a bit of baby fat on his cheeks.
Such a fine young lady, almost ruined by a pig! Li Xiaoxiao thought to herself how lucky she was. She glanced around the room and saw that, despite the sweltering summer heat, layers upon layers of curtains were hung up, blocking out all light. Apart from the wide-open door, not a single ray of light could penetrate the room. Yet, despite the intense heat, there was no heat inside. Li Xiaoxiao opened the door a little and discovered that there were four large vats in front of the bed, piled high with ice.
This must have been arranged by that young master Lu. Not only did he want to steal her little cabbage, but he also complained about the heat and put in four tanks of ice!
Utterly despicable!
She could even imagine Meng Guanqi, drugged and powerless, helpless in the dark, at the mercy of others, his room pitch black, not even knowing who was bullying him—how utterly devastating that would be! Thinking of this, Li Xiaoxiao wanted nothing more than to slap that man surnamed Lu to death.
While she was deep in thought, she suddenly noticed Baohe's footsteps moving lightly. Then, she slowly picked up an incense burner placed next to the pillar and smashed it hard against Baohe's head.
Li Xiaoxiao tilted her head, easily dodging the attack. She reached out and grabbed Bao He's wrist, intending to break it, but in a flash, she changed her mind and instead elbowed him in the face.
Before Baohe could even let out a scream, he had already fainted from the pain.
Li Xiaoxiao squatted down, looking at Baohe whose face was covered in blood from his nose, and clicked her tongue: "You really won't give up until you're completely desperate. Do you really want to work for that guy surnamed Lu? Well then, I'll grant your wish."
She walked to the bedside, helped Meng Guanqi to sit on a chair, picked up Bao He and threw him onto the bed, then pulled down the bed curtains, and sneered, "You're welcome."
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