Chapter 90 Sparring (1)
When Li Xiaoxiao returned home, Magistrate Meng had just entered the house. Having served as an official for many years, he knew that since the reward for saving His Highness the Crown Prince had not been delivered, the capital would definitely send someone else to deliver it. However, Biyang County was a long and arduous journey, and this was not a lucrative post, so it would definitely be dragged on and no one would be willing to take it. In the end, most of those sent would be eunuchs who were ostracized or not valued. Unexpectedly, the person who came was Pang Shi.
Pang Shi is the commander of the Crown Prince's personal guards, so why would he come in person?
Magistrate Meng said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have kept the general waiting. I didn't think anyone from the palace would arrive so quickly..."
Pang Shi hurriedly said, "Lord Meng, you flatter me. Your Excellency is concerned about agriculture and official business is of utmost importance. Waiting for a little while is no big deal. This is Eunuch Rong, the adopted son of Eunuch Wan. Your Excellency, please go and bathe and change your clothes before awaiting the imperial decree."
Magistrate Meng agreed, and ordered someone to serve them tea. He then immediately returned to the inner courtyard to bathe and change.
Li Xiaoxiao also had to hear the imperial decree, so she went back to her room to wash up and change back into women's clothing. She stood behind Liu and the other women, where candles and incense tables were already set up, waiting for Magistrate Meng to come out.
Magistrate Meng didn't keep them waiting too long. He came out dressed in the official robes of a seventh-rank official and wearing an official hat. Eunuch Rong signaled the guards to bring out four large boxes with seals and put them aside. He then took out a bright yellow imperial edict, and Magistrate Meng took the lead in respectfully kneeling down to receive the decree.
Li Xiaoxiao knelt at the back, listening to the classical Chinese text in a daze. Using her limited knowledge, she pieced together the gist: it was a commendation of Magistrate Meng and Meng Guanqi for risking their lives to save the Crown Prince in a dangerous situation, a meritorious deed for the nation, and this document was issued as encouragement, or something like that.
Magistrate Meng kowtowed excitedly: "Your Majesty, I thank the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and His Highness the Crown Prince for their grace."
After receiving the imperial edict, Eunuch Rong took out a gift list, which unfolded to reveal seven or eight pages filled with gifts from the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, and Crown Prince. Guards stepped forward and opened the sealed boxes. Eunuch Rong read out each gift, and the guards took one out for everyone to see. After everyone had seen it, Eunuch Rong used a vermilion pen to mark a checkmark on the list, indicating that the account matched the actual items. It took nearly half an hour to read out all the gifts. The gifts were lined up in the courtyard, their colors vibrant and their beauty exquisite.
Li Xiaoxiao and the other newly arrived maids stared in identical amazement at the gifts bestowed upon them. The Empress Dowager received a jade ruyi scepter, a set of ruby headdresses, a double-sided embroidered small table screen, and a pair of hairpins with peacocks holding jade beads. The Emperor received a pair of Ru kiln plum vases, a mutton-fat jade pot and a tea set, three pieces of Huizhou ink, and three hundred taels of gold. The Empress received five bolts of various colored silks, a set of jadeite headdresses, a box of palace flowers, and a pearl necklace. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess received three bolts of palace silk, three bolts of palace satin, two pearl hairpins, a pair of glass cups, a multi-jeweled necklace, and a set of newly published poetry and prose collections from the Imperial Academy.
Li Xiaoxiao was dizzy looking at all this. So much! And it all looked so expensive and valuable! Was it all a gift to her family?
After checking the list one by one, Eunuch Rong pressed his seal on the bottom of the list and handed it to Magistrate Meng: "Magistrate Meng, the Emperor has decreed that since you are far from the capital, you do not need to go to the palace to express your gratitude. Please keep the gift list safe."
Magistrate Meng quietly picked up a gold ingot and placed it in Eunuch Rong's hand, saying in a low voice, "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, but I am apprehensive. Why is the imperial gift so generous?"
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Eunuch Rong's eyes: "His Highness the Crown Prince's safety is related to the stability of the entire court. The more valuable the gifts from the masters in the palace, the more secure His Highness will be, and the less likely those villains hiding in the shadows will dare to make a move. Lord Meng, you can rest assured."
But inwardly, he couldn't help but complain that someone in their household had been telling His Highness the Crown Prince that they were extremely poor, so poor that they couldn't even afford to support a maid who bathed the Crown Prince, and that it was Pang Shi, covered in injuries, who had to do it himself. When the Crown Prince pleaded with His Majesty, he kept hinting that Magistrate Meng should be given more money, and even told His Majesty that Magistrate Meng had emptied his pockets to help the refugees. As expected, His Majesty followed the Crown Prince's wishes and bestowed upon him valuable items, including three hundred taels of gold.
It should be noted that gold was rarely awarded as a reward in the palace.
His Majesty's gifts were generous, so the Empress Dowager and the Empress's gifts couldn't be too meager either; they all sent over items that could be easily exchanged for money.
After this incident, I'm afraid everyone in the capital knows that Lord Meng is so poor he can't even afford to eat.
Of course, he couldn't say this in front of Magistrate Meng, so Eunuch Rong had to say a few nice words to smooth things over. To his surprise, Magistrate Meng didn't doubt it at all and immediately believed it.
It doesn't matter what benefits one receives; what matters is that the more generous His Majesty's reward, the more secure His Highness's position will be.
It's nothing but gold and silver; nothing is as important as the thoughts of the master in the palace.
Magistrate Meng thought these things weren't very important, but for the Liu family, they were extremely important.
This is such a wonderful treasure, a godsend! Liu almost wept with joy.
She had to sell her belongings every day to make ends meet and hadn't had any money in a long time. Now, the palace had sent her so many treasures all at once, turning her from a poor person into a rich woman. Moreover, all these jewels and ornaments were things she could wear and show off. Not to mention in Biyang County, even in the capital, she no longer had to worry about being overshadowed by anyone.
Besides Liu, the happiest person in the courtyard was Aunt Luo. With so many imperial gifts in the house, could the eldest daughter's marriage be brought up again?
Last year, around the middle of the year, the lady started taking her eldest daughter out to social events. As a result, the family's situation deteriorated, and Meng Liniang's clothes and jewelry were stolen by her maid. The lady had to use her dowry to make up for the losses.
What's even more embarrassing is that the lady secretly pawned her gold necklace, and for some reason, the news spread among the noble ladies of Biyang County. Even Meng Liniang was ridiculed and dared not go out, let alone Liu Shi.
Therefore, Meng Liniang's marriage was naturally put on hold.
Now that she's latched onto the Crown Prince, does the young lady still need to be picked and chosen by those wealthy families? Now, it seems others will be begging to marry her!
Aunt Luo was overjoyed. With a high status in the family, the eldest daughter's status would also rise accordingly. Although she was an illegitimate daughter and might not be able to marry into a particularly good family, Aunt Luo still hoped that the eldest daughter could marry into an official's family.
If Xiumei knew what she was thinking, she would definitely say that she was fickle. Before, she clearly said that she was afraid that the madam would marry the eldest daughter to those poor scholars to help the eldest son, and that it would be better to marry a rich farmer and live a peaceful life. Now, why is she thinking that it would be better to marry into an official family?
Aunt Luo showed not a trace of shame. Times had changed. Before, her family was surrounded by enemies, no one helped them, the adults offended people everywhere, and Biyang County was desperately poor. They had no support whatsoever, so they certainly couldn't have hoped that their young lady would come from a good family. But now things were different. They had established a connection with the imperial family, and if their eldest son passed the imperial examination this year, their family would truly rise to prominence. How could an ordinary rich farmer be worthy of their young lady?
Aunt Luo looked at the dazzling array of imperial gifts with a delighted expression.
All four large boxes were opened, and a small box sat forlornly to one side. Everyone assumed it belonged to Eunuch Rong, but then Eunuch Rong pulled out a slip of paper from his sleeve: "Li Xiaoxiao, this is a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince. Do you want to see it yourself, or do you want to see it here?"
Everyone in the courtyard turned their attention to Li Xiaoxiao.
Everyone knows that, strictly speaking, His Highness the Crown Prince's true savior is Li Xiaoxiao. If it weren't for her, the people in the courtyard would probably be buried with tall grass by now.
It is only right that His Highness the Crown Prince would reward her.
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "Can I sing a line like the adults did just now, and then make a checkmark?"
Magistrate Meng and Liu exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Eunuch Rong's lips twitched: "Okay."
Then he unfolded the list: "Give Li Xiaoxiao one Spirit Serpent Dagger and one hundred taels of gold." As he spoke, the guard opened the seal, revealing a glittering gold interior containing ten gold ingots, on which rested a dagger gleaming coldly.
Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise: "That's it?"
Mama Mao pinched her from behind, and Li Xiaoxiao finally realized what was happening: "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."
One hundred taels of gold is equivalent to one thousand taels of silver, and the Crown Prince actually rewarded her with one hundred taels of gold.
Li Xiaoxiao pretended not to see the dagger, happily picked up the gold, took a bite out of one, and a clear tooth mark appeared on the surface. Real gold is indeed soft!
Apart from the magistrate and his wife, everyone in the courtyard looked at Li Xiaoxiao with envy. One hundred taels of gold! They could never earn that much money in their entire lives!
Mother Mao had an even bigger worry: with so much money, Xiaoxiao could easily redeem herself from the county government, buy a house and a piece of land to become a landlord, and then find a son-in-law to live with her in the family, living a free and easy life as a commoner.
I wonder if she would make that choice? She's lost her family; could she bear to leave them behind?
Dinner was naturally a feast of fine wine and delicacies to entertain Pang Shi and his entourage, and Magistrate Meng also invited Constable Shi to join them.
After being forced to drink two more cups by Pang Shi, Magistrate Meng became dizzy and collapsed. He was helped back to his room by Madam Liu. Eunuch Rong and the guards were also drunk and staggering. Pang Shi had an amazing capacity for alcohol. After drinking two jars of plum wine, he first knocked out Magistrate Meng, then Shi Yi, and he was still conscious.
However, the sobriety after drinking alcohol is quite different from normal sobriety. When sobriety after drinking alcohol, one's courage is several times greater than when sobriety is normal.
At least Pang Shi now finds himself unable to suppress his inner thoughts.
An idea that I've longed to have for a long time, an idea I've always wanted to take the opportunity to realize, but one I haven't dared to bring up casually.
He doesn't care about anything now. If he doesn't speak up today, he will definitely regret it very much when he returns to the capital.
He looked at Xiumei, whose belly was rising and falling slightly, as she helped the drunk Zhao Jian tidy up: "You, come here!"
Xiumei was startled and quickly put down the bowls and chopsticks she was clearing: "What are your orders, sir?"
Pang Shi stared straight ahead: "Go to the inner courtyard and call Li Xiaoxiao out."
Xiumei was stunned. Call Xiaoxiao out? Why call her out?
Pang Shi's tone was firm and resolute: "Tell her to change into men's clothing! I want to have a fair and square competition with her!"
This idea came to me when Li Xiaoxiao easily defeated the four black-clad assassins who were besieging her. At that time, she was too badly injured and had to protect Wan Quan, so she couldn't defeat these assassins. But she appeared like a divine warrior and easily forced all the black-clad men to commit suicide in just a few rounds.
Then, on a rainy night back in Biyang County, she was besieged by the rebellious Luzhou Guard. She disguised herself as a Luzhou Guard soldier and infiltrated the ranks. First, she killed eight rocket launchers on the wall, then she used words to provoke them and disrupt their morale, thus delaying the arrival of the Qingzhou Guard. In the end, she still forced Ying Shiwu to commit suicide.
Unfortunately, she suddenly collapsed, and it was very inexplicable. He had been standing in front of the Crown Prince and had witnessed the whole thing. Shadow Fifteen hadn't been able to get close to her at all. The Xuanjia soldiers had been fighting her for so long, but they hadn't even touched the hem of her clothes. Moreover, she had no external injuries, but she just collapsed inexplicably.
The wives of Huichuntang and Jimintang were present at the scene, and the diagnosis for her was that she had been overworked and exhausted.
Pang Shi could understand that she was exhausted from overwork. After all, she hadn't had much rest during her escape, and she had been caught in the rain and fighting. She would recover after a couple of days of rest.
Unexpectedly, her illness became fatal, and she remained unconscious until they left seven or eight days later.
After returning to Beijing, he often thought of her, of her strange methods, her powerful strength, and her fragile body.
This is so contradictory. How could someone in such poor health have such great power?
Pang Shi once asked Meng Guanqi if she had suffered any hidden injuries before, but unexpectedly, Doctor Xie, who was prescribing medicine for her, overheard this. He had a very deep impression of Li Xiaoxiao and immediately mentioned that she had been hit by a boulder in the flood and suffered a very serious injury, which took a long time to recover from.
Pang Shi could only attribute her illness to this outcome, lamenting how the flood in Yizhou had truly harmed so many people.
But now that he's back here, he can't suppress the urge to compete with her anymore. He probably won't be able to sleep if he doesn't fulfill this wish!
Xiumei stared wide-eyed at Pang Shi's robust, bear-like physique, probably twice the size of Li Xiaoxiao. "This scoundrel, after a couple of drinks, he actually wants to hit a woman?"
Xiumei glanced at Pang Shi with displeasure: "My lord, today is our master's special day; we can't afford to have fighting and killing!"
Pang Shi rubbed his temples: "I'm not her enemy, there's no need for us to fight. I want to have a martial arts contest with her and see who is better!"
Xiumei said, "Our Xiaoxiao is a reasonable and good child, she won't easily get into fights..."
Pang Shi started to get a headache: "Stop nagging. Go and call her out. Let her decide for herself whether to hit her or not."
Even after Xiumei had said all that, Pang Shi was still so unreasonable. However, as a servant, she didn't dare to disobey him too much. She wanted Zhao Jian to speak up for her, but Zhao Jian was already snoring on the table. Helpless, she had no choice but to go into the inner courtyard.
Two tables were set up in the inner courtyard. Liu went to serve Lord Meng to rest, while Aunt Luo and Meng Liniang simply sat down with the servants to make one table, and everyone was drinking and playing drinking games.
Li Xiaoxiao then discovered that Mao's mother had an amazing alcohol tolerance, having downed half a jar of plum wine by herself.
Granny Qi laughed and said, "Madam Mao loved to eat and drink when she was young, which is why she liked to study cooking. Everyone else was trying to get close to the master, but she preferred to rush into the kitchen. If she hadn't been without a background, she would have been the head chef of the mansion long ago."
Mama Mao smiled, her eyes narrowed: "Now that I'm the head chef, don't I? I'm in charge of the whole kitchen. I can make whatever I want, and I don't have to worry about being accused of putting weird things in my soup anymore!"
The young maids, who had never lived in the Meng family mansion in the capital, listened with great interest. In their eyes, Madam Mao was the kindest person they knew and would never scold anyone for no reason. Even Granny Qi, who was known for her strictness, only paid attention to the rules and would never deliberately make things difficult for others. How could such a good person be deliberately framed and made things difficult for in the capital? What kind of dangerous place was it?
Li Xiaoxiao said indignantly, "They even added things to your prepared food to frame you? Who's so unethical as to waste food like that?"
Mother Mao put her arm around her shoulder: "Remember this, wherever there are many people, the water is deep. Our little courtyard is very good, with few people, so there is less trouble..."
Granny Qi rarely cracked a joke: "Don't listen to this old hag's nonsense. Even back in the Meng family, our branch of the family was unusually peaceful."
This was all thanks to the fact that Magistrate Meng had only one wife, one concubine, one son, and one daughter. The jealousy, rivalry, and power struggles that were common in other men's households were completely absent in his household.
With fewer responsibilities for their masters, the servants have an easier time.
As someone who was practically a mistress, Aunt Luo rarely expressed her feelings: "That's because our master is usually low-key and always swallows his anger and makes concessions no matter what unpleasant things anyone says. Otherwise, where would we find peace in such a mansion?"
Seeing that Aunt Luo had spoken, and considering the happy occasion and that everyone present was one of their own, Meng Liniang couldn't help but add, "Not only that, but even my brother has always been low-key and tolerant since childhood. He was clearly the fastest learner and did the best homework in school, but in order not to steal the limelight, he only dared to show his good essays to Father, and then wrote a mediocre one for the teacher..."
Granny Qi knew this better than anyone. The young master waited until his two elder brothers from the main branch had both passed the imperial examination before taking it himself. He didn't even dare to compete too much in the examinations, which was why he didn't incur the displeasure of the old lady and his cousins from the main branch...
Li Xiaoxiao said, "In that case, it was definitely the right decision for our family to separate. Without those mountains weighing on our heads, our family is getting better and better..."
Upon hearing this, the room fell completely silent.
After a long while, Madam Mao reached out and poked her forehead hard: "It's a good thing you didn't enter the mansion in the capital, otherwise, with your unrestrained speech, no one would even want you to do the laundry."
Everyone present knew that it was better to be in charge of their own affairs after the family division. However, since the master's legal parents were still alive, such words could not be uttered. Even if they were the ones who were kicked out, as long as they harbored the thought of dividing the family, they would be considered unfilial.
Li Xiaoxiao touched her forehead, about to speak, when she suddenly saw Xiumei rush in: "Xiaoxiao, that General Pang has drunk too much and is going to cause you trouble!"
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