Chapter 113 Trouble
Even if she was angry, she couldn't lose her temper in front of the child. Li Xiaoxiao immediately put on a smiling face, reached out and patted Ayun's head, praised him, and then fed Aze water.
Aze was so thirsty that he drank a whole bowl of water in one go. Ayun, holding the empty bowl, asked, "Brother, do you want some more?"
Aze hesitated, his clear black and white eyes wide open. Li Xiaoxiao patted his shoulder and said, "If you want to drink, just say so. There aren't many rules here. Drink if you want to drink, cry if you want to cry, and laugh if you want to laugh."
Aze hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I still want to drink."
Ah Yun then strode off to get more water.
Looking at Aze's thin and weak appearance, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but sigh.
This is really a headache, what should we do with this child?
Thinking of how Magistrate Meng and Meng Guanqi had retreated again and again to avoid being drawn into the struggle for the throne, trying every means to protect themselves, only to have it all destroyed by her single action.
But she couldn't bear to watch the child be killed, or the old monk and Afu and Ayun be killed.
This is a headache. What should she do next to extricate the Meng family from this mess?
Aze sat obediently beside her, not daring to move, but he would steal glances at her from time to time, his eyes full of admiration.
This older sister is amazing! She's even more powerful than Aunt Qing and Guard Hang. She single-handedly defeated the people who had been chasing them. If only they had found her sooner, Aunt Qing and Guard Hang wouldn't have died...
Thinking of this, he felt a little down. His older sister had killed seven men in black, but he didn't know if anyone else was chasing after them. What if they came in droves like when they first left the capital? Could his older sister, who was alone, defeat them?
Li smiled and said, "Aze, do you know Pang Shi? He's the commander of the guards by your father's side."
Aze's eyes lit up: "I know him. Commander Pang usually works in our palace. Do you know Commander Pang too, sister?" Aze has known him since she can remember.
Li smiled and said, "Of course I know him, and we even have a connection. But I'd like to ask, how did you end up in Biyang County? Shouldn't you be living in the East Palace?"
Aze lowered his head and choked out, "My mother told me that things were not peaceful in the Eastern Palace, and asked Aunt Qing to take me to stay at the estate for a while. But we were spotted as soon as we left the city. Aunt Qing and Guard Hang led me on a long escape, and the people around us disappeared one by one." Thinking of this, tears welled up in his eyes. These people who disappeared were all those who had been with him since childhood, and now he was all alone.
Li Xiaoxiao pieced together the strange events: it seemed that the Crown Princess, seeing that two more children had suddenly disappeared from the Eastern Palace and that nothing could be found out, was afraid that her only son had also met with misfortune in the palace. So she thought of sending him to the imperial estate to avoid trouble, but instead he fell into someone's trap and was chased all the way.
Hang Wei must have heard Pang Shi mention her before. He was being chased south and had fewer and fewer people around him, so he simply came directly to her.
But wouldn't they pass through many prefectures along the way? Why didn't they go in and ask for help? Did the officials of those prefectures dare not protect the Crown Prince who was attacked?
Li Xiaoxiao couldn't understand Aunt Qing and Hang Wei's choice. Or did they have no other choice?
The thought made her heart skip a beat. Just how bad was the situation in Dongying? How could they be in such a passive position? How could this be so different from what she had imagined a crown prince to be?
I can't figure it out!
She and Aze sat side by side on the edge of the vegetable garden, both resting their chins on their hands, lost in thought, which startled the head constable Shi who had rushed in with his men.
When he led his men into the Guanyin Temple, there were corpses all over the ground. Only one person survived, whose hands, feet, and jaw had been dislocated. He didn't see Li Xiaoxiao or the old monk, so he knew that the people lying on the ground must have been taken down by Li Xiaoxiao.
But with nine dead and one injured in the main hall, it was a major tragedy. Why was Li Xiaoxiao sitting in the vegetable garden with a child, lost in thought? Was this the time to be daydreaming?
Officer Shi, leaning on his sword, walked over: "Sister! You're here. What's going on up there?" He looked at the child beside her, his thick eyebrows furrowing: "Where did this child come from?"
Li Xiaoxiao stood up: "Officer Shi, this is a serious matter. Quickly send someone to bring the magistrate back."
There was only one survivor left, and he posed no threat to them. Chief Constable Shi waved his hand and ordered his two subordinates: "You two go and bring the magistrate back right away. The rest of you clean up the scene and carry all the bodies to the steps outside and lay them together."
The yamen runners received their orders and went off to do their respective tasks.
After calling everyone away, Chief Constable Shi asked Li Xiaoxiao, "Little sister, what happened just now?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed: "I arrived late too. I guess the group of men in black were chasing after the people protecting the child. By the time I got there, they were already dead. When the men in black realized they couldn't beat me, they all committed suicide by poisoning themselves. The last one just happened to have his jaw knocked off by me, but I didn't succeed. At least I left one alive."
Officer Shi frowned, his gaze fixed on Aze: "Who is this child? Why are so many people chasing him? And those men in black all look strong and healthy; they're probably not ordinary martial arts practitioners—"
Seeing that Aze's face was growing paler, Li Xiaoxiao stopped Constable Shi from continuing with her gaze: "We'll decide everything when the magistrate arrives."
Officer Shi awkwardly shut his mouth, having forgotten that there was a survivor in front of him. Analyzing the case in front of him was like stabbing the boy in the heart.
He looked left and right, then ran to the side, moved a stone, and sat down with the two of them.
When Magistrate Meng arrived at the Guanyin Temple, panting, he saw the three of them sitting side by side.
Magistrate Meng: ...
He first examined the nine bodies, then called the old monk over and asked, "Master, can you tell me what happened in this case?"
The old monk's arm had been bandaged, but he was still somewhat shaken: "Ah Fu, Ah Yun, and I were watering the vegetables in the backyard when we suddenly heard a noise from the front hall. I thought it was some worshippers arriving, but instead, a man and a woman with a child burst in. Besides the child, both of them had quite a few injuries. As soon as the female benefactor saw me, she immediately handed the child to me, saying that the people chasing them were coming soon and that I should take the child and hide in the mountains, making sure no one finds them..."
The old monk glanced at the child, but didn't say anything. After the man and woman handed the child to him, they pulled Afu over and wanted him to exchange clothes with the child. The old monk thought to himself, "Isn't this a case of substituting one thing for another and sending Afu to his death in place of the child?"
Afu was raised by him since he was a child. Although he was disabled, the old monk treated him like his own grandson. Even if a knife was held to his neck, he would not agree to let Afu go to his death!
During the struggle, the young man had no choice but to let the old monk lead everyone to hide in the back mountain. However, they hadn't run far before the men in black caught up. Of the six of them, three were children who couldn't run fast, the old monk was also too old to run fast, and the young man and woman were injured and couldn't take care of so many people. Although they were able to delay for a while by using the terrain and the cover of the grass and trees, they were eventually forced back into the Guanyin Temple.
The two sides clashed inside the temple. The young man and the woman, covered in wounds, gradually showed signs of weakness. The old monk thought they would die there together, but fortunately, Li Xiaoxiao arrived just in time.
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered. So that's how it is. It was because the old monk led them on a journey through the mountains and back that they were able to wait for her arrival. If they had fought in the temple from the beginning, Aunt Qing and Hang Wei definitely wouldn't have lasted this long...
Aze is lucky to be alive. If he hadn't waited for her to come, he would have been the next one after the man in black killed Aunt Qing and Hang Wei.
Just as Magistrate Meng was about to ask for more details, Li Xiaoxiao pulled Aze to stand up and said, "My lord, may I speak to you in private?"
Magistrate Meng was taken aback, but still followed her to the backyard of the Guanyin Temple: "Is there anything that can't be said in the front hall?"
Li Xiaoxiao gently supported Aze's shoulder: "My lord, this is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Li Ke."
Magistrate Meng's expression changed drastically. He was about to bow when Li Xiaoxiao stopped him, gently shook her head, and whispered, "The identity of the heir must not be known to outsiders, otherwise there will be endless trouble."
The Crown Prince's heir, isn't he the only son of the Crown Prince? Shouldn't he be staying in the Crown Prince's palace? Why is he in Biyang County? And why did those men in black chase him all the way here? And why was he rescued by Li Xiaoxiao?
Li Xiaoxiao told Magistrate Meng everything that had happened after she arrived, and also explained why Aze had ended up there by chance. As for how to deal with Aze's situation, that was up to Magistrate Meng to decide.
Magistrate Meng never expected that despite his repeated attempts to avoid any further contact with the Crown Prince, he still couldn't escape this fateful ending.
But now that things have come to this point, it's beyond human control; we can only say it's fate playing tricks on us.
Magistrate Meng considered the matter for only a short while before decisively issuing his order: "You're right, the heir's identity should not be known to outsiders. However, such a major murder case cannot be kept secret from the people. The county will announce that this is a bandit robbery and murder case, and the victims are a family of three who came to Biyang County to visit relatives. After receiving the report, the county government has already sent people to wipe out the seven bandits in one fell swoop. At the same time, we immediately requested Lin'an Prefecture to send patrol officers to support us and be responsible for patrolling the official roads from Biyang County to other counties to ensure the safety of the caravan's goods transportation."
The case of bandits murdering for money was used to cover up the case of the Crown Prince's pursuit and killing. At the same time, the patrol officers of Lin'an Prefecture were transferred to patrol the official road and check the travel permits and household registrations of pedestrians along the way. They cracked down on the unknown outsiders to prevent the pursuers from having any tricks up their sleeves and sneaking into Biyang County.
This plan is only temporary. The Crown Prince cannot stay in Biyang County indefinitely; we must find a way to send him back to the Eastern Palace.
But let's get through this hurdle first. At least we need to get the prince safely to his home, away from the eyes and ears of the common people.
Magistrate Meng made up his mind and immediately returned to the front hall. Without changing his expression, he said, "Xiaoxiao has already explained it to me. This family of three is a wealthy household who came to Biyang County to visit relatives. However, they showed off their wealth on the way and attracted the attention of bandits. They chased them all the way into the mountains and by chance came to Guanyin Temple. Now that the weather is hot, it is not easy to preserve the bodies of the bandits. If we bring them back to the county office, it will be too much trouble and waste of money, and it will also frighten the people. It would be better to just dig a piece of land in the back mountain, put up a pile of firewood, and burn them clean."
Unaware of the true situation, the yamen runners had been running up and down the mountain for half a day, and after carrying the corpse for half a day, coupled with the fact that it was June and the weather was hot and tiring, they couldn't wait to finish and go home to wash up and sleep.
Seeing that the county magistrate had spoken about disposing of the bodies, they naturally felt that this was the most convenient way to handle them. Otherwise, if they had to carry these burly men weighing a hundred or two hundred pounds back to the county office, they would never be able to get rid of their backs and legs. It would be better to do as the county magistrate said, find an open space in the back mountain to burn them clean, and bury the ashes directly in a pit.
Only Constable Shi's lips twitched. He thought that Lord Meng's reasoning could only fool these illiterate and brainless yamen runners. It was normal for bandits to kill for money, but six or seven bandits dying by poisoning themselves? Which bandit family was so fearless in the face of death?
I'm afraid this child's identity is not simple, is it? Lord Meng cannot reveal his identity to the public, for fear of continuing to attract the pursuit of his enemies, so he has to help cover it up.
But he knew this in his heart, yet he couldn't say a word. He could only work with the constables to clear a space on the back mountain, set up firewood, and burn the bodies of these men in black to ashes.
The bodies of Aunt Qing and Hang Wei were not left behind. Their identities could not be exposed, and in addition, the weather was hot, so the bodies would easily rot and smell if left for too long. Li Xiaoxiao helped to build two separate fires. After the fires were burned, their ashes were put into jars and buried in a shady spot on the back mountain. The burial site was marked so that someone might remember them when the Eastern Palace rises again and take their ashes back...
More than ten people worked together, and by the time all the bodies were disposed of, the moon was high in the sky. The constables lit torches to identify the way down the mountain, and took turns carrying the only surviving man in black down the mountain. Aze held Li Xiaoxiao's hand tightly and walked at the back, his palms sweaty.
Walking with so many people shouldn't have been scary, but it was completely dark. The wind rustled the trees in the firelight, casting heavy shadows. Coupled with the terrifying cries of the unknown birds in the mountains, it seemed to Aze that demons from hell had opened their mouths to suck him in.
The tragic deaths of Aunt Qing and Guard Hang seemed to be right before his eyes. Aze finally felt he couldn't hold on any longer, his legs gave way, and he was about to fall to the ground.
She easily lifted him up with one hand, and then he was thrown onto her back. Li Xiaoxiao's steps were steady, and her tone was quite cheerful: "Are you scared? It's okay, you can tell me if you're scared, and I'll carry you down the mountain."
Aze's body was a little stiff at first, but gradually he relaxed. For some reason, he felt very safe on her back.
Just then, a partridge's call rang out, and Aze's relaxed body immediately tensed up again. Li smiled and said, "That's the call of a partridge, not a ghost. Don't be afraid. There are no ghosts in this world, only inner demons. As long as you overcome your inner demons, you won't be afraid of any ghosts."
Aze sobbed, "Really? There really aren't any ghosts?"
Li smiled and said, "Anyway, I haven't seen it before. Have you?"
Aze shook his head: "I don't either, but, but..." he said in a low voice, a little frustrated, "I'm scared."
But he was the heir apparent of the Eastern Palace, a role model for his younger siblings. From the time he was old enough to understand, his father, mother, aunt, and teacher all taught him that as the heir apparent, he could not be timid, could not cry, could not be lazy, but had to be strong, diligent, brave, and better than everyone else. Apart from Li Xiaoxiao, no one had ever told him to cry when he wanted to cry, to laugh when he wanted to laugh, or to speak up when he was afraid.
Now that he had told Li Xiaoxiao that he was afraid, he felt a great sense of relief and no longer needed to pretend to be strong.
Li smiled and said, "You're still young, you haven't seen many things, so it's normal to be scared sometimes when you see something you don't recognize. For example, you've never seen a partridge before, so when you hear its call you think it's a ghost's cry, and you're scared. But next time you hear the same call, you'll say, 'Oh, that's a partridge's call,' and you won't be scared anymore. Besides partridges, what we're hearing now is the sound of an owl. Owls like to be active at night, and sometimes they even fly out, but it's just a round-headed, round-faced bird that looks a bit clumsy. It won't hurt anyone, and it's not scary at all..."
After hearing her explanation, Aze gradually relaxed his tense nerves. A wave of weariness washed over him, and he slowly lowered his head and fell asleep on her back.
Down the mountain, Zhao Jian had already received the news and was waiting in his carriage. Li Xiaoxiao waited until Magistrate Meng got into the carriage, then she and Aze got in as well.
The curtain was drawn, completely obscuring the people inside.
It was nearly 9 p.m. when they returned to the backyard of the county government office. Liu heard that bandits had come to the Guanyin Temple and that Magistrate Meng and Li Xiaoxiao had gone to deal with them. She was so worried that she couldn't sleep and kept waiting for them to return.
When she saw that they had brought back a child, Liu was stunned: "This, this is the child we rescued from the bandits' knives?"
Magistrate Meng instructed Granny Qi: "Clean up the room in the east wing for Qi-ge'er to live in, and let A-sheng come in to serve him."
Granny Qi was taken aback, but seeing the master's serious expression, she immediately and efficiently led people to the east wing to tidy up the room.
A short while later, Ah Sheng came in: "Master."
Magistrate Meng instructed Li Xiaoxiao to hand Aze over to Asheng: "You've never served anyone before, let Asheng do it."
Li Xiaoxiao then handed the sleeping Aze over to him.
Ah Sheng was already fourteen years old and had grown into a young man. He was quite strong and had been used to serving Meng Guanqi since he was a child, so he skillfully took Ah Ze and went to the east wing.
It was already quite late. Li Xiaoxiao, who hadn't eaten a single grain of rice all day, was sitting in the kitchen eating the meal her mother had left for her when a commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard: "Young master, you haven't put on your shoes yet!"
"Young master, watch your step, there are pebbles!"
The faint sound of a child crying could be heard. Li Xiaoxiao put down her chopsticks and hurriedly went out, only to see Aze running ahead barefoot, with Asheng chasing after him.
Li Xiaoxiao went to greet her: "What happened?"
Aze finally saw her and rushed towards her, crying, "Sister!"
Seeing that he wasn't wearing shoes, Li Xiaoxiao picked him up and asked, "What's wrong, Aze? Why are you crying?"
Aze cried so hard he couldn't speak. Asheng said apologetically, "I was wiping the young master's face and body, and I woke him up. He couldn't find you, so he got scared and ran out."
Li Xiaoxiao carried him towards the east wing, asking Asheng to bring the food from the kitchen to the east wing. She comforted Aze, saying, "It's alright, don't be afraid. This is my home, it's very safe. The room you're staying in is where our eldest son lives. He's a successful candidate in the imperial examinations now, and he'll be taking the spring examinations next year, but he's only seventeen. Isn't that amazing? People in our county say he's a reincarnation of the God of Literature. Since you're staying in the God of Literature's room, you'll become very good at studying too!"
"The man who helped you with your washing and grooming was Ah Sheng. He's a very kind person. He's served our young master since he was a child. Unlike me, who's clumsy and can't do these delicate things, he'll sleep in the same room with you tonight if you're scared and don't dare to sleep. How about he keeps you company?"
As Aze listened to her gentle and comforting words, his tense emotions finally began to relax.
He didn't know anyone here, so it was natural for him to be scared. Li Xiaoxiao could only try her best to comfort him.
Ah Sheng quickly brought over the food.
Li Xiaoxiao served Aze a bowl of rice: "Here, you probably haven't eaten for a day either, eat up."
Aze whispered, "Father said we shouldn't eat anything after 5 PM."
Li Xiaoxiao couldn't say to his face that what the Crown Prince said was wrong, but she changed her perspective: "Your father probably said that under normal circumstances, you shouldn't eat an hour before bed, but our situation is different now. We haven't eaten anything all day, and if we don't eat, we'll get sick, so eat, it's okay."
Aze then took a small bite of rice.
As a result, I saw the older woman across from me shoveling rice into her mouth and then eating vegetables. In just a few breaths, only the bottom of her bowl of rice was left, and then she got another bowl.
Seeing how much she enjoyed her food, Aze also felt hungry, extremely hungry.
He hadn't felt hungry in a long time. When Aunt Qing was still alive, she tried every day to get him to eat, but he ate less and less each day.
Seeing how much his older sister was enjoying her meal, he figured it must be really delicious.
Today, Mama Mao made salted vegetable and meat patties, which were both salty and fragrant. Seeing that Aze was having some trouble opening the meat patties, Li Xiaoxiao took his bowl, scooped up a large piece of meat patty, mixed it into the rice with chopsticks, and then handed him a spoon: "Take this and eat it, eat big mouthfuls. Mama Mao's salted vegetable and meat patty rice is the best."
Upon hearing this, Aze scooped up a large mouthful of rice and stuffed it into his mouth. He hadn't tasted delicious food in a long time; it really was delicious.
He finished a whole bowl of rice, while the older woman across from him ate five bowls.
He wanted to eat more after he finished eating, but Li Xiaoxiao touched his stomach and shook her head: "You're full, you can't eat anymore, you'll get stuffed."
Aze also felt really full, and after eating, a strong sense of sleepiness washed over him.
Li Xiaoxiao winked at Asheng, signaling him to take the child to bed, and whispered, "You sleep on the footstool tonight. Pay close attention to whether he has nightmares or a fever. If he has a fever, remember to wake the adults and go get a doctor."
Ah Sheng was taken aback. Was he going to wake the adults? Just who was this child?
Li Xiaoxiao whispered, "He is the Crown Prince's son..." Aze's identity could be kept secret from others, but there was no need to hide it from the person he was to serve closely.
Ah Sheng was completely stunned, unable to move, and after a long while, he stammered, "Wh-what?"
Li smiled and said, "Not many people know about this. The master's intention is to keep it a secret as much as possible, but since you are serving him, it would be better for you to know. Just don't tell anyone."
Ah Sheng nodded repeatedly.
As expected of someone who had always served as Meng Guanqi's page and had experienced the Crown Prince's assassination attempt, Asheng had a feeling that Aze's current situation was probably even more dire and dangerous than the Crown Prince's three years ago.
He should just shut up; such important matters are naturally decided by the adults.
After learning about Aze's identity, he accepted the fact that he might have to sleep on footrests for a long time.
After giving Ah Sheng her instructions, Li Xiaoxiao went back to her room.
She rarely lit an oil lamp, considering that she was usually carefree and would sleep soundly from dusk till dawn, and she never used up the ration of oil lamps she was given each month.
But today, she surprisingly lit the oil lamp.
She took out Aze's gold lock from her bosom.
Opening the openwork gold lock revealed a gemstone with a light green luster, its color a deep blue-green. It was so beautiful that it seemed to see right through one's fingers.
No wonder Aze wore it around his neck; such a "gem" must be very rare in this era.
She closed her eyes, then opened them again after a long while, a resolute glint in them.
She made a decision: since the Meng family could no longer avoid entanglement with the Crown Prince, simply hiding and backing down was no longer the best solution; what was coming would come anyway.
Since there's no way to avoid it, let's face it bravely. Let her wade through the waters of the capital to see just how deep they are.
The Crown Prince's side has been unable to break the deadlock because they cannot find the root of the problem.
But by a twist of fate, she found it.
But given how cunning and vicious his opponent was, it's normal that he couldn't find him, just as it's normal for an ordinary person to not be able to find him either.
The Crown Prince has been beaten for too long; it's time for him to retaliate.
At this moment, she was incredibly grateful that Meng Guanqi had postponed his return home by six months. If he were home, he certainly wouldn't have let her go to the capital alone.
Fortunately, Magistrate Meng was relatively easy to persuade.
Early the next morning, she told Magistrate Meng about her idea of going to the capital.
Magistrate Meng frowned: "If it's about the heir apparent, I can send Zhao Jian. You've never been to the capital, nor have you traveled far from home. What if something goes wrong along the way—"
Li smiled and said, "My lord, I am the person involved. I need to pass on a message from Hang Wei to Pang Shi. Zhao Jian is not clear about the ins and outs of the matter, so it is more appropriate for me to go instead of him."
Magistrate Meng said, "Then I'll have Zhao Jian accompany you, so you can look after each other on the way."
Li Xiaoxiao refused, saying, "The family needs manpower right now. It is not appropriate for the young master to appear in front of outsiders. Asheng is still young and does not know martial arts. It would be best if Zhao Jian stayed by his side as a guard."
Magistrate Meng sighed. It seemed she was determined to go and make the trip to the capital herself.
But since she was already a free woman, Magistrate Meng could only dissuade her, not forbid her: "Then when will you come back?"
Li smiled and said, "I won't stay in the capital for too long. I will definitely return within a month."
Magistrate Meng's eyes held a deeper meaning: "I know you are highly capable and incredibly bold, but the capital is teeming with powerful figures, a veritable den of dragons and tigers. You must remember to keep a low profile and avoid causing trouble. If Brother Qi were here, he might not necessarily agree to let you go to the capital..."
Li Xiaoxiao's face stiffened, and she sighed, "I understand."
Magistrate Meng said, "When you see the Crown Prince, you must not speak nonsense. It would be best if you could bring people with you to take the young prince away. In this month, I will do my best to protect the young prince's safety."
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