Chapter 158 Entering the Palace
After staying in the east of the city for three days, the family moved back to the Li residence. Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi's new room was set up in the main room of the third courtyard, which was decorated with festive new bedding and curtains. She comfortably rolled around on her new bed twice without falling to the ground, and couldn't help but sigh, "It's so comfortable to live in this house. It's really easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. After staying in the east of the city for three days, I actually felt that the place was too small, just like Rui Rui."
So, thank you, Crown Prince and Crown Princess, for bestowing such a fine residence upon her, allowing her whole family to live comfortably. Moreover, the place is spacious, so even if she and Meng Guanqi make a lot of noise at night, they don't have to worry about disturbing others...
Li Xiaoxiao was very satisfied and decided to serve the Crown Prince well.
On the third day after returning to the Li residence, Li Xiaoxiao received the Crown Prince's letter of appointment, appointing her as a first-class female guard of the Eastern Palace, under the command of the guard commander Pang Shi. She was to be the personal protector of the Crown Princess and the Heir Apparent. The Crown Prince also thoughtfully sent her armor, two sets of uniforms, and a token for entering and leaving the palace. Li Xiaoxiao was very satisfied and specially wore the uniform and armor to show her family, naturally garnering a wave of praise and admiring glances.
Li Xiaoxiao was extremely proud. From today onwards, she was also someone who worked for the government.
Meng Guanqi's honeymoon ended quickly, and Li Xiaoxiao chose to go to work on the same day as him. In the morning, they took Asheng's car together from home, lined up together to enter the palace, and then he went to the Hanlin Academy while she went to the East Palace.
Meng Guanqi is more at ease than her. He can go home for lunch and take a nap, but Li Xiaoxiao works a full day and can't leave in the middle. However, they might be able to go home together in the evening.
Li Xiaoxiao was dressed in a smart outfit, her hair neatly combed. As a female guard, she went to pay her respects to the Crown Princess after entering the East Palace.
The Crown Princess's eyes lit up as soon as she saw her, and she stepped forward to take her hand: "You've finally arrived! Aze has been looking forward to you for so long, asking me every day when you're coming?"
Li Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I'm here now. Where is he? Has he already gone to school?" She and Meng Guanqi set off before dawn, and when they entered the East Palace, the sun had just risen. Logically speaking, Aze should not have started school yet.
The Crown Princess said, "Not yet, he's having breakfast. Have you eaten?"
The Crown Princess spoke in a friendly tone, implying that if she hadn't eaten yet, she could have another meal.
But Li Xiaoxiao was very sensible. She was fine before she didn't have a job, but now she had a position and received a salary. The Crown Princess and Aze were her masters. How could she be arrogant and do something against the rules just because her masters favored her? Besides, she had already eaten before coming in: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have already eaten."
The Crown Princess said, "If you've eaten, then that's fine. It's about time. Ta Xue, take Xiao Xiao to find A Ze. From today onwards, A Ze will be picked up and dropped off at school by her. Also, have you prepared a room for Xiao Xiao to rest in, as I asked you to do before?"
Ta Xue replied, "Yes, Your Highness, the room is ready and cleaned. After the young master finishes his studies, I will take Miss Li to her room to see if everything is in order."
The Crown Princess even prepared a room for her to rest in? That's so thoughtful of her.
Li Xiaoxiao was both surprised and delighted, and quickly thanked her. The Crown Princess smiled and said, "If you need anything, just tell Taxue. Don't be shy. You only need to take care of Gu Zezhi in the East Palace. You can rest when he takes his afternoon nap. If the palace gates are closed by chance, you will have a place to stay."
Normally, it's fine; Aze's schedule is very regular, with someone specifically reminding him when to get up and when to rest. Li Xiaoxiao has no problem going to and from work on time. However, on special holidays, especially during festivals or grand events, when there are many people around, extra attention needs to be paid to his safety. "Training an army for a thousand days is for using it in one," and the Crown Princess was willing to spend a lot of money to bring Li Xiaoxiao into the palace as Aze's bodyguard precisely to protect him from those situations where there are many people around.
The Crown Princess was very busy. After giving Li Xiaoxiao her duties, she asked Taxue to lead her to Aze's courtyard. Aze was unaware that she was going to the palace to serve today. When he saw her appear in front of his courtyard gate, he rubbed his eyes. After confirming that it was her, he shouted, "Sister Xiaoxiao!" and jumped into her arms with joy.
Li Xiaoxiao caught him steadily and saw that his face was flushed with joy so early in the morning. He chattered, "Sister Xiaoxiao, are you starting your palace duty today? Father and Mother said that you will stay by my side and protect me from now on, right?"
Li Xiaoxiao smiled and nodded: "That's right. Starting today, I'll pick you up and drop you off at school. Aren't you happy?"
Aze nodded emphatically: "I'm so happy, Sister Xiaoxiao—"
Ta Xue, who was watching from the side, coughed lightly and said softly, "Your Highness, now that Miss Li is your bodyguard, you can't just call her 'sister' in the palace. Otherwise, people will think that the Crown Prince's Palace has no manners."
Aze is the Crown Prince's child, and only princesses of the royal family are qualified for him to call her "sister." Li Xiaoxiao used to be a commoner and is now a guard. Regardless of their positions, it is not appropriate for Aze to call her "sister" in public.
Aze's face dimmed slightly: "Can't I call you 'sister'? Then what should I call you?"
Ta Xue said, "According to the rules, she is now your guard, and you should call her Guard Li."
Li, the guard, this feeling is too unfamiliar. Aze doesn't like it. She is Sister Xiaoxiao. Even Father has never said anything to her. Why does Taxue care so much?
Aze was a little angry and a little aggrieved. He looked at Li Xiaoxiao with pleading eyes, hoping that she would refute Taxue.
Li Xiaoxiao nodded: "That makes sense. From now on, Your Highness can call me Guard Li!" After saying that, she winked at Aze, signaling him to be quiet.
Aze could only reluctantly say, "Alright then."
After Ta Xue left, Li Xiaoxiao quietly said to Aze, "You can't call me 'sister' in front of outsiders. That's a royal rule. But if you still want to call me that, you can do so in private or when you leave the palace."
Aze's eyes lit up: "Really?"
Li smiled and said, "Of course it's true."
Aze immediately perked up and took Li Xiaoxiao's hand, heading towards the study. Once they were alone, he quietly asked, "Sister Xiaoxiao, you and Brother Guanqi are both out on official business, so what about my little brother? Is he all alone at home?"
He used to see many brothers when he was in school. But now that his older sister Xiaoxiao had gone to the palace, leaving only his younger brother at home, he couldn't help but sigh, "If only I could bring my brother in with me. He could wait for me after school, and we could play together."
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment: "When is your next day off?"
Aze said, "It will take another five days."
Li smiled and said, "Then come to our house next time you have a day off and play with Rui Rui for a day. He will be going back to Biyang County with my mother-in-law soon, and you won't be able to see him again."
Aze stopped abruptly, his eyes immediately reddening: "What? He's leaving?" His voice trembled with tears as he asked, "Didn't Father give you a house to live in? Why is he leaving?"
Li Xiaoxiao quickly knelt down to wipe his eyes, chuckling, "He's not leaving because we have nowhere to stay, have you forgotten? My father-in-law, Lord Meng, is still in Biyang County, waiting for my mother-in-law and Rui Rui to come home for a family reunion!"
Aze held back his tears. Only then did he remember that Magistrate Meng was still serving as the magistrate of Biyang County! He was very learned and patient. When Aze lived in Biyang County, Magistrate Meng would spend one or two hours a day teaching him. He was also Aze's teacher.
He was so happy after returning to the capital that he forgot that Magistrate Meng had been left alone in Biyang County.
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Rui Rui is already three years old this year, and he has reached the age to start his studies. Moreover, he is both domineering and mischievous. Your brother Guanqi and I have our own duties and don't have time to supervise his studies, so we have to send him back to his grandfather's side to start his studies."
Aze lowered his head sadly. It seemed that his younger brother had no choice but to leave.
He sobbed, "But what can I do if I miss him?"
Although there is a six-year age difference between the two, and Rui Rui only started speaking fluently this year, the two have been able to play together ever since A Ze moved to Biyang County. Even in the capital, A Ze would always leave the palace to play with Rui Rui on his days off. When they were apart, they missed each other. When they met, they would fight and fight over things. A Ze was often beaten to tears by Rui Rui, but as soon as they were apart, they would immediately forget the previous unpleasantness and miss each other terribly.
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "How about this? After he goes back, if you really miss him, you can write him a letter or draw him a picture, and he can write back to you. He's learned to read after his early education, so he can write back to you." Even if he can't write, Magistrate Meng and Liu will write it for him.
Aze had no choice but to accept that Rui Rui was about to leave the capital, and he looked forward to the next five days: "I'll go back with you the night before my day off, I want to sleep with my brother."
Sleeping together at night and playing together for another day the next day, maybe he won't be so reluctant to leave after we send him off.
Li Xiaoxiao patted his head: "Okay, I'll go with you to ask the Crown Princess for her permission."
Aze became happy and nodded vigorously: "Mm!"
Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, the Grand Tutor had not yet arrived. Several familiar princes, seeing that Aze had brought a new face, couldn't help but look over. The older princes, Li Huai and Li Shen, immediately recognized her, their eyes widening: "Ah~! Isn't she that—"
Aze puffed out his chest proudly: "Yes, this is Guard Li. She will be by my side to protect me from now on. She taught me all my wrestling skills. Now that she is my guard, she will teach me new moves, and my skills will improve even more in the future."
The princes standing nearby stared wide-eyed. Aze's wrestling skills were already the best in the entire Imperial Study, and no one had ever been able to beat him. Now that such a powerful guard had arrived, did they still have a chance to defeat him?
At the same time, they were extremely envious; they also wished they had such a powerful guard.
Thus, Li Xiaoxiao gained a group of little fans the first time she went to the Imperial Study with Aze.
Aze was inside attending classes with the young princes, while Li Xiaoxiao waited outside with the princes' wet nurses and personal eunuchs for them to finish class.
In fact, they had to attend classes for at least two hours inside. Waiting outside was quite boring, so the servants who served them had their own ways of passing the time. For example, the wet nurses would take out their purses and handkerchiefs and embroider, while the eunuchs would gather in twos and threes to play chess. No one dared to make a sound, but passing the time was no problem.
Li Xiaoxiao, who was completely unprepared, became an anomaly.
She neither knows how to embroider nor likes playing chess, and as a newcomer, she can't really fit in with them yet.
She had no choice but to sit to the side and close her eyes to rest.
Footsteps sounded in front of her, heading straight in her direction. She opened her eyes and saw a burly man in Imperial Guard uniform looking at her with an unfriendly expression.
Li Xiaoxiao looked around, confirming that this person was coming for her, and stood up: "Do you need something?"
The burly man said, "You're Li Xiaoxiao?"
Li smiled and said, "That's me."
The burly man sneered: "A newly arrived first-class guard for the Eastern Palace?"
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
The burly man looked her up and down, then suddenly said, "Let's have a match. If you can't beat me, don't even think about us acknowledging your status as a first-class guard."
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Are you a guard of the Eastern Palace? The uniform you're wearing looks like it belongs to the Imperial Guard, doesn't it?"
The burly man sneered, "Do you even know that all the guards above the second rank in the Eastern Palace are selected from the Imperial Guard? Your sudden arrival here is stealing someone else's opportunity and taking their place?"
Li Xiaoxiao was taken aback; she really didn't know that.
The burly man sneered, "Whether it's the Imperial Guards or the guards of the Crown Prince's Palace, after entering the palace, everyone has to start from the third rank. First the third rank, then the second rank, then the first rank. The number of first-rank guards is limited. It's a one-person-one-position system. That's the path others take to rise step by step based on seniority and merit. But you come here and take away a first-rank guard position, and you won't even let us test your strength. Even if His Highness the Crown Prince personally appointed you, you can't win the hearts of the people!"
The wet nurse stopped embroidering, and the eunuchs stopped playing chess. They all gathered together, watching the scene before them in astonishment. The Imperial Guards had come directly to the door of the Imperial Study to deliver a declaration of war; this was the first time they had ever seen anything like it.
Everyone loves a good show, and they love it even more when a fight breaks out. The eyes of the onlookers lit up, all hoping that Li Xiaoxiao would accept the challenge.
Seeing that Li Xiaoxiao remained silent, the burly man sneered repeatedly: "What? Are you scared? Is this the kind of courage the Crown Prince's favored first-class guards have? Since you don't dare to fight, then remember to take a detour when you see us grandpas in the future. Those who have connections should have the awareness of those who have connections!"
Li Xiaoxiao shook her head and stroked her chin: "I'm not afraid, but I don't quite understand. I'm clearly a first-class female guard, so why would I take up a male guard's position? Is this a mixed-gender system?"
Logically, shouldn't it be other female guards who jumped out to protest? Why is it a male imperial guard who stepped forward to object?
The burly man was taken aback, completely unexpected that she would ask such a question. What mixed-gender? There were no other female guards in the palace, okay? Besides, he wasn't really there to provoke her for that reason; he was there on orders!
Running out of words and getting angry is the most direct reaction for most men, and the burly man was no exception. He said aggressively, "Why are you saying so much nonsense? Do you dare to accept the challenge or not?"
Li Xiaoxiao stared at him intently, and after considering for less than five breaths, she slowly asked, "How do we fight? What happens if we win? What happens if we lose?"
The burly man raised an eyebrow: "How do we fight? Naturally, we'll fight openly and fairly in the martial arts arena. What's the stakes? What do you want to bet on?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Time and location are not problems. How to fight is the problem. What if you guys use a tag team battle, and one of you loses and the other is not satisfied, and you take turns going up against me, leaving me to fight against dozens of people by myself? I definitely won't agree to that."
The burly man roared, “Nonsense! Do you think I, Lu Biao, am such a shameless person?! I am only a second-class guard. If you beat me, you have to beat a first-class guard first, or you can fight to a draw and that will count as a win for you.”
Li smiled and asked, "What's the stake?"
Lu Biao asked, "What do you want to bet?"
Li Xiaoxiao reached into her pocket, pulled out ten taels of silver, and tossed it in her hand: "Nothing beats gambling with money. How about this, bet ten taels of silver per round, and the winner takes twenty taels. What do you think?"
It was only ten taels of silver, which Lu Biao could afford: "Alright! It's settled then. When do you want to fight?"
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then raised her hand: "I'm on duty, and I'm under Commander Pang's command. I have to report to him about fighting with the Imperial Guards, right? What if we fight against the rules and get dragged out and beaten twenty times for violating palace regulations? Wouldn't I have fallen into your trap?"
Lu Biao angrily said, "The Crown Prince's guards and the Imperial Guards have always had a tradition of sparring. Why would that violate the palace rules? As long as you issue a challenge in a fair and square manner, it is all within the scope of permission. If you are afraid, just say so. Don't make up these nonsense."
Li Xiaoxiao suddenly realized, cracking her knuckles as she pinched her fingers together: "There's a precedent? That makes things easier. Go back and prepare some medicine for sprains and bruises. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Anyone can talk tough, right? Lu Biao glanced at her slender figure and said contemptuously, "Don't cry and beg for mercy when you get hurt. There are no men and women on the martial arts field, only winners and losers!"
Li chuckled and said, "Bring it on!"
Having achieved his goal, Lu Biao turned and left, saying as he went, "Later, the Imperial Guards' challenge will be delivered to the Crown Prince's guard battalion. It's a competition, and casualties will be disregarded..."
Deaths and injuries are no object? Li Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat. Was this a deliberate attempt to scare her or a provocation with ulterior motives?
Is she already this impatient on her very first day working at the Eastern Palace? Is someone trying to kill her?
She should wait until she returns to the Eastern Palace to ask Pang Shi what the situation is. If someone really wants to kill her, she wouldn't mind making an example of him.
Li Xiaoxiao glanced back nonchalantly and immediately spotted the onlookers with wide eyes. When they saw her looking over, they quickly looked away.
Before half a day of classes was even over, the entire Imperial Study knew that Li Xiaoxiao was going to fight the Imperial Guards. Aze excitedly ran out, followed by a string of kids: "Xiao-Li Guard, they said you're going to fight the Imperial Guards, is that true?"
Li Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Aze said urgently, "The entire Imperial Study knows, and it won't be long before the entire palace knows... How could you agree to the Imperial Guards' provocation without consulting us? They are clearly taking advantage of you because you are a woman!"
What kind of Imperial Guard would issue a challenge to a female bodyguard? It's unheard of! Sister Xiaoxiao must have been tricked.
Li Xiaoxiao patted his head: "Don't worry, Aze. They're the ones who should be worried, not me. Who am I? You don't trust others, but you don't trust me either?"
Aze said sullenly, "But the people in the Imperial Guard are really powerful. When I was a child, I saw them compete. They fought until they were bleeding. As long as one side was unwilling to admit defeat, they would keep fighting until the other side begged for mercy."
As long as one side refuses to admit defeat, the fight must continue until one side begs for mercy? Is this what Lu Biao meant by "no regard for death or injury"?
But if you lose, you lose. Is it really that hard to admit defeat? How could there be deaths and injuries? Unless someone deliberately wanted to kill someone and refused to stop even after the victim begged for mercy, taking the opportunity to kill them.
Li Xiaoxiao had a preliminary guess in her mind, but she still decided to go back and ask Pang Shi how she needed to fight.
Lu Biao returned to the Imperial Guard camp and requested an audience with Lu Ke: "General, I have already met with Li Xiaoxiao. She couldn't resist the provocation and has accepted the challenge."
Lu Ke was deep in thought when he heard this and looked up: "You've already accepted it? Good, you should go and prepare. This person's strength is extraordinary. I heard that Pang Shi was also defeated by her..."
Lu Biao was startled and exclaimed, "What? Pang Shi was also defeated by him? Then this humble general—"
He can't even beat Pang Shi, so how could he be a match for Li Xiaoxiao?
Lu Ke smiled slightly: "What's the rush? You're just throwing out an idea, it's normal for you to lose to her, she has someone else to fight."
The Imperial Guard's First-Class Protectors? Who will Lu Ke send to fight?
Lu Biao said, "This humble general has heard Kong Li say that he was protecting Her Majesty that day, but was easily thrown out by her, which he felt deeply ashamed of. Does the general intend to send him out to fight this time so that he can avenge his humiliation?"
Lu Ke did not answer the question, but instead brought up another matter, saying, "His Majesty will also be watching this competition, so you must perform well, understand?"
Lu Biao's eyes widened: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty also wants to watch?" This has never happened before. You must know that this is not a big competition. Usually, it's just something lively in their camp.
Lu Ke nodded: "There haven't been many amusements in the palace lately. It's rare that His Majesty is in such a good mood, so you should do your best. If you can defeat Li Xiaoxiao, you will be credited with a reward."
Lu Biao was immediately filled with fervor: "General, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to ensure that our Imperial Guards are not disgraced!"
This is an immense honor! If he can defeat Li Xiaoxiao in front of His Majesty, will he catch His Majesty's eye? Perhaps he can even be promoted to personal bodyguard, on par with Kong Li! Lu Biao naturally doesn't want to miss such a good opportunity.
He absolutely, positively cannot lose to Li Xiaoxiao! So what if she defeated Pang Shi before? He will do everything in his power.
Moreover, his skills are extremely advantageous, and his weapons are so formidable that even the brothers in the camp tremble with fear!
He initially thought he would go easy on her because she was a woman, but since His Majesty would also be watching the match, it was impossible for him to let her win.
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