He Jiuniang nodded. She trusted Lu Baichuan completely. In all the time she had known him, he had never disappointed her in these matters.
"Since we've guessed that they have ill intentions, we should prepare in advance. They've come prepared, and it might not be easy for them to find out the girl's true identity now. Why don't we turn the tables on them?"
"Playing along with their plan?"
Lu Baichuan looked at her warily: "How exactly do you plan to turn the tables on me?"
He subconsciously shrank to the side, feeling that his wife was telling him to play along because she wanted to sacrifice him.
He Jiuniang indeed said, "It's very simple. Doesn't that girl want to get close to you? Let's take her back. The fox will always show its tail eventually. It's better to keep her by our side to monitor her and know who she often contacts. Then we can be prepared to find out who's behind her."
Lu Baichuan thought for a moment and said directly, "Then keep her by your side and don't let her have a chance to get close to me."
He Jiuniang couldn't help but laugh out loud and asked, "Are you that afraid of her?"
"I'm not afraid of her, I just don't want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings."
He actually meant to say that he didn't want her to misunderstand, but he quickly changed his words before he could finish.
"Okay, but we still need to see what that woman is going to do next before we can proceed with our next plan."
The couple were talking happily, completely ignoring the thugs who were already fighting outside.
They initially thought Lu Baichuan was only accompanied by Xu Dashan, so they didn't take them seriously. But when they saw the couple ignore them and get into the carriage, they got angry and attacked Xu Dashan.
Xu Dashan was just an ordinary person and was still a little scared, but thinking that he had just displeased his master, he could only grit his teeth and rush forward.
The two maids, Yueyan and Yueshu, watched anxiously from the sidelines, not daring to step forward to help, as they knew it would only cause more trouble.
Fortunately, Xu Dashan didn't actually confront that group of people, because several people had already appeared in front of him and knocked down those burly thugs.
Xu Dashan was startled. He had never seen these people before. They were dressed in black tight-fitting clothes and he had no idea where they came from.
After those people were beaten to the ground, the man in black took out a token and said, "This is an order from the Fire Cloud Division."
The thugs were initially annoyed, but upon hearing the words "Fire Cloud Division," they immediately wilted.
In the entire city of Jingzhou, apart from the Prince's Mansion, the organization they dared not provoke the most was the Fire Cloud Division.
The group exchanged glances, then could only admit defeat and get up to leave.
The men in black left after they finished their business, completely ignoring Xu Dashan. Xu Dashan swallowed hard and sheepishly went to catch his ride home.
While Lu Baichuan and his wife were still talking in the car, after finishing discussing the girl who staged the accident, Lu Baichuan finally had a chance to ask, "Why did you suddenly leave the banquet early? Did something happen?"
"It's nothing, I've already taken care of it anyway."
He Jiuniang didn't intend to say much to him. After all, this was a matter between women. If she took it seriously and it escalated into a power struggle between men in the officialdom, causing trouble for her own man, then it would be a loss.
Lu Baichuan didn't believe him. He knew He Jiuniang wasn't the type to cause trouble, so he pressed on, "What happened? You have to tell me, did they bully you?"
"It wasn't really bullying, it was just that they thought I was new and wanted to give me a hard time."
He Jiuniang shrugged, not really taking the matter to heart. Anyway, she had already taken revenge on the spot and had no regrets.
"This banquet was hosted by Madam Qian. If someone makes things difficult for you, didn't she speak up for you?"
"I originally thought she would speak up for me, but she kicked me when I was down, so I taught them all a lesson. Then, not wanting to embarrass them too much, I considerately left early."
Lu Baichuan: ...Yes, she is quite considerate.
"Besides Madam Qian, who else has been making things difficult for you?"
He Jiuniang glanced at him and asked warily, "What do you want to do?"
"I'm not doing anything, I just want to find out, so that my wife won't be bullied and I won't know anything about it."
He Jiuniang nodded and then said, "This is not a big deal. Don't make a big fuss about it."
"Okay, don't worry. So, who are the others?"
He Jiuniang: ...Why is this man never going to stop?
"Besides that, it was Madam Li who kept provoking me. Later, even her daughter chimed in and said a few words. The others were just speaking up for Madam Li. They must have had a good relationship with her."
He Jiuniang had no choice but to confess to the man.
Lu Baichuan nodded, already having an idea in mind.
He Jiuniang hurriedly said, "You mustn't get involved in these things. I can handle everything, and I didn't suffer any loss today."
"I know what I'm doing, don't worry."
He Jiu Niang turned her face away speechlessly, not wanting to pay any attention to him for the time being.
Back home, Xu Dashan untied the carriage, took the horses to the stable to feed them hay and water, and then quickly went to find Lu Baichuan.
Lu Baichuan and He Jiuniang sat in the flower hall, waiting for news from the clinic.
With nothing else to do, He Jiuniang was playing tic-tac-toe with Lu Baichuan.
It was a very simple game, but the two of them had a great time playing it. Lu Baichuan lost a few times and was not convinced, so he kept trying to win back a round.
Just then, Xu Dashan rushed in and knelt down before the two men without saying a word.
"Third Master, I made a mistake outside just now, please punish me."
He was referring to his earlier words to the girl, where he had presumptuously made a promise. He thought that the girl was young and likely to be bullied, and that his master was kind-hearted and wouldn't stand idly by. However, he didn't realize that he was just a servant and not qualified to make decisions for his master.
He Jiuniang didn't know what had happened, so she simply sat there watching with her cheeks propped up on her hand.
As soon as Xu Dashan arrived, Lu Baichuan lost interest in playing tic-tac-toe. He put his pen aside and said, "Madam said before that everyone is given three chances to make a mistake. This is your first time, so consider it a lesson learned. Go now."
These were the words He Jiuniang spoke to the other servants, but Xu Dashan and his family of three never used them to describe themselves.
They always thought of themselves as elders of this household and that they should be different from these newcomers.
But to his surprise, his master's words brought him back to reality.
The family of three were indeed old servants in this household, but they were merely servants who looked after the house, no different from the newly purchased servants.
He made this mistake because he was too arrogant.
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