Chapter 247 The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat
The next morning.
The rain subsided slightly, and a light drizzle began to fall from the gray, overcast sky.
Everywhere there was a dense rustling sound.
Occasionally, a few beads of condensation would fall, hitting the puddles and leaves with a crisp dripping sound.
In this kind of weather, Xiaodie is always the busiest.
Before dawn, she helped Xiao Wuge wash up and get dressed, and watched him follow Wang Lixing to the training ground.
Immediately afterwards, she didn't have a moment to rest.
Washing clothes, drying clothes, cleaning, etc.
It took a full hour of work to give Chunhe Garden a fresh new look in this rainy weather.
It is elegant and natural, like a courtyard in a water town in Jiangnan.
Xiaodie looked at the clean courtyard, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and revealed a satisfied smile.
"It's time to wake the son-in-law up."
But just as she put the broom down, she heard a series of jingling sounds coming from outside.
Pei Guanli skipped over, "Sister Xiaodie, I'm back."
Xiaodie turned around and exclaimed, "Your clothes..."
Pei Guanli was no longer wearing the traditional mountain tribe attire she had worn before.
Instead, she changed into a navy blue long dress with pink floral embroidery around the waist.
The neckline was slightly low, with silver bells pressing down, revealing glimpses of her pink and white cleavage.
However, she was still barefoot, her fair feet stepping on the wet bluestone slabs, slightly damp.
Pei Guanli's round face broke into a smile, and she twirled around twice like a flower, asking, "Isn't it pretty?"
Xiaodie nodded repeatedly, "It's very beautiful."
She couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Although she had no shortage of food, clothing and other necessities in the Marquis's mansion, she mostly went out without makeup and wore the special attire of a servant.
It's rare to see someone dress up like Pei Guanli.
After exchanging a few jokes, Pei Guanli looked around the wooden building and asked, "Hasn't brother-in-law gotten up yet?"
Xiaodie nodded. "I was just about to go wake up my son-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Pei Guanli's eyes lit up, and she playfully pushed her out the door, saying, "Sister Xiaodie, you go prepare breakfast, I'll go call my brother-in-law."
"You? No, no, you're a guest, how can I let you do these things?"
"Don't worry, it's just getting hot water and towels for my brother-in-law, right? Leave it to me, leave it to me..."
Xiaodie couldn't refuse her, so she gave her a few instructions and then took the oil-paper umbrella to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Pei Guanli chuckled mischievously as she watched her walk away.
She then prepared hot water, took a towel, and went to Chen Yi's door.
"Sister...Son-in-law, it's time for you to get up."
Pei Guanli, using a high-pitched voice to imitate Xiaodie's, gently pushed open the door and peeked inside.
After seeing Chen Yi lying on the bed, she tiptoed into the room, carefully placed the hot water down, and wet a towel.
As she prepared, she kept looking back, afraid that Chen Yi might wake up at this moment.
After wringing the towel dry, she smiled again, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
But as soon as Pei Guanli turned around, she saw Chen Yi standing in front of her, and she was so frightened that she fell backward.
"ah!"
"Brother-in-law, help, help, help..."
Chen Yi said, "What bad things are you trying to do?" but his hand had already grabbed the towel and pulled her back.
Pei Guanli, still shaken, patted the pair of bells on her chest and said with a flushed face, "You brat, you were awake a long time ago, weren't you?"
Chen Yi looked at her amusedly, "Trying to turn the tables, huh? Who told you to try and scare me first?"
Pei Guanli pouted, handing him a towel while muttering that it wasn't fun.
Chen Yi took a towel and wiped his face. Knowing her childlike nature, he didn't continue teasing her, but instead asked:
"Is your brother settled in?"
Pei Guanli immediately put on a smiling face, took his hand and said, "Brother-in-law, do you know where the princes are now?"
"Kangning Street?"
"Yes, it's not far from Guiyun Academy."
Come to think of it.
Pei Guanli didn't know much about Shuzhou Prefecture. Apart from the Xiao family's residence, the only place she remembered was the academy.
After all, she almost died there.
"It's fine there. When the Five Poisons Sect comes in the future, they should also settle down there."
Pei Guanli blinked upon hearing this. "Is that so?"
"Brother-in-law, do you know where they are?"
Chen Yi helplessly slapped her hand away, and while putting on his clothes, he explained:
I bumped into them over there earlier.
After killing Yan Fusha that night, he did not mention Liu Zhaoxue to Pei Guanli.
To prevent Pei Guanli from finding out the truth and making a scene at the Liu family, thus affecting his plans.
Pei Guanli clearly didn't care about any of that. "So, it turns out I was right to leave the princes there."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Chen Yi dressed neatly and then led her downstairs to the living room to wait for Xiao Die to return.
Pei Guanli then recounted the amusing stories of her brother and others with great enthusiasm.
For example, her youngest sister, Lan Yanni, is a little girl who has just turned fifteen.
Although his cultivation level had surpassed hers, reaching the upper stage of the seventh rank, he was still like a country bumpkin, finding everything in the city new and exciting.
For example, the person she calls Aunt Chu, whose real name is Chu Fangling, has been clamoring to go back to the mountains these past two days.
In addition, her "Uncle Li" Li Yunjun appears to be honest and simple, but in reality, he is full of bad intentions.
Upon arriving in the city, he secretly went to the brothel district, where he was discovered by Chu Fangling and given a severe beating.
There's also her third great-uncle, Pei Ze, a fourth-grade poison master who fought against the Five Poisons Sect many years ago.
“Brother-in-law, Grandma sent my brother and his men here this time. They’ve made all the preparations. We’ll make sure the Five Poisons Sect doesn’t leave alive.”
"Won't your grandma do anything?"
“Don’t underestimate my brother. He went to the mountains a few days ago and got some treasures from the mountain woman.”
"Grandma Mountain?"
"Yes, yes, it's Mount Wumeng."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean the treasure your brother found in the mountains?"
Pei Guanli shook her head and explained that it was Wumeng Mountain, and that the mountain people called that mountain "Grandma Mountain".
“Brother-in-law, the Mountain Goddess is very effective. When I was a child, I lived on the mountain. Whenever I encountered danger, I would call out to the Mountain Goddess, and I would be safe.”
"She also had two messengers, one of whom was a tiger, a very large beast."
Pei Guanli drew a very large circle in front of her, "It's a full ten feet long, very impressive."
"The other one is a tree that more than a dozen people couldn't wrap their arms around."
"Whenever the tribe suffers a great disaster, Grandma will go to that tree and ask the mountain spirit."
"But Grandma never lets anyone follow her, so I don't know what she asked."
Although Chen Yi was skeptical, he also found it intriguing.
"Can the treasures your brother brought really deal with the Five Poisons Sect?"
Pei Guanli rang the bell loudly, "My grandma was absolutely right."
"If my brother isn't good enough, there's my third uncle and Uncle Li. They're the most powerful people in the clan. They'll definitely wipe out the Five Poisons Sect without leaving a single survivor."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.
As far as he was concerned, as long as the mountain tribes could help him, he was confident that he could get rid of Liu Zhaoxue and the others.
Before long, Xiaodie brought in breakfast.
The three sat together, eating and chatting, laughing and joking.
As he was eating, Chen Yi's ears twitched slightly. He heard footsteps outside the door and knew that someone had arrived.
He put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and then saw Liu Si'er appear outside the wooden building with Wang Ji.
"Young master, Manager Wang from Baicaotang is looking for you."
Chen Yi nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries with Liu Si'er, and then led Wang Ji to the study.
He had just met with Wang Ji last night and had already given the necessary instructions.
At this moment, Wang Ji came looking for him, which meant something must have happened.
Just as he expected.
As soon as Wang Ji entered the study, he took out a letter from his pocket and respectfully handed it to him: "Guard Liu sent it over early this morning."
Chen Yi's expression shifted slightly as he took the letter and began to read it.
[The old man and his eldest son conspired to eliminate those barbarian slaves. Except for one named Asutai, whom they planned to have a barbarian impersonate, the corpses of the other slaves were to be handed over to the authorities.]
[He also said that Lü Jiunan, a man from Vaishsa, should leave as soon as possible.]
[I have located Man Nu'er's location—No. 4, Pingyao Lane, near the East Market.]
[The people of Vashjhasa haven't found it yet, but it should be near the West Market...]
Seeing the last part, Chen Yi asked without looking up, "How long did Guard Liu stay at Baicaotang this morning?"
Wang Ji thought for a moment and replied, "He left as soon as he finished writing, without stopping for a moment."
Is Da Bao here?
"Him? He left the cell early this morning."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement, lit an oil lamp, and burned the paper to ashes, his mind racing.
Although the information Liu Lang sent was vague, he had roughly deduced what Liu Hong and Liu Taoyao had said last night.
—It must have been his presence on the pleasure boat last night that alerted that old fellow Liu Hong.
That's why Liu Hong wanted to eliminate all clues.
“Asutai is the son of the Left King. Liu Hong dares not and cannot kill him. Finding someone to impersonate him is a good idea.”
"And Lü Jiunan..."
Thinking of this, Chen Yi instructed Wang Ji: "Find Zhang Dabao and tell him that he is near the West Market."
He paused, then added, "After you've done all that, have him wait on Chuanxi Street."
Wang Ji replied, "Yes, I'll go right away."
"Wait," Chen Yi blew out the oil lamp, "I'll go with you."
Lu Jiunan and Ge Muxiao were alright, but his most important task right now was to find those few barbarian slaves.
If the opportunity arises, he might just interfere.
But when Chen Yi and Wang Ji came out of the study, they saw Pei Guanli standing outside the door with a grin, her face saying, "I heard everything."
"Brother-in-law, are you going out to play?"
"Can you take me with you?"
Just as Chen Yi was about to refuse, he suddenly remembered something and gestured for her to shut up: "If you're obedient, I'll take you."
Pei Guanli nodded vigorously, promising not to say a word.
Wang Ji glanced at her curiously before leaving the wooden building first.
Since the adults have spoken, he, as a subordinate, naturally cannot say anything.
Chen Yi gave Xiao Die a few instructions, then left Chunhe Garden with Pei Guanli and Wang Ji.
Just then, Xiao Wan'er came in from outside with Shen Huatang and Xie Tingyun.
"Brother-in-law, Manager Wang, what's going on here?"
Chen Yi smiled and explained that he was taking Tiger Girl to Baicaotang to pick up some tea.
Xiao Wan'er had no suspicions and continued, saying that the old master had already agreed to their plan.
Chen Yi smiled and said, "That's great news."
"In the next couple of days, my elder sister can start sending letters to some renowned medical experts, inviting them to Shu Prefecture."
Xiao Wan'er was referring to his proposal to invite renowned medical experts from all over the world to Shu Prefecture in the name of the old master.
Using this as an excuse, it would be convenient for Xiao Wan'er to select a suitable candidate for the dean of the Medical Academy.
Xiao Wan'er nodded upon hearing this, and said with a radiant smile:
"I have just found my third grandfather and asked him to help me find out which medical masters there are."
"My third grandfather has a wide network of connections and knows many people."
As she spoke, she pointed to Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang and said, "The Tianshan Sect should also send a letter to inquire about renowned physicians in the martial arts world. They should receive news back soon."
"And what about Tonglin..."
All of this is about the Medical Academy.
After hearing the praise, Chen Yi took his leave.
Xiao Wan'er acted quickly; within half a day of returning from Tonglin, she had arranged everything.
All we need to do now is proceed step by step, and I believe the Medical Academy will be able to hang its plaque within two months.
Not long after.
Chen Yi instructed Wang Ji to detour through Chuanxi Street, and then he led Pei Guanli to the house.
Pei Guanli looked around the house with curiosity, examining it inside and out several times.
She knew that Chen Yi was the behind-the-scenes owner of Baicaotang, but she was not very clear about the things Chen Yi had done before.
Arriving here at this moment, even if she wasn't very bright, she could guess that Chen Yi had made preparations.
"Brother-in-law, did you buy this?"
Chen Yi hummed in agreement and sat down in the main room to wait for Zhang Dabao to arrive.
Seeing that he didn't continue, Pei Guanli moved a grand chair and sat down next to him, staring at him with her big eyes without blinking.
Chen Yi felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze. "Ask whatever you want."
"Brother-in-law, do you always go out and have fun by yourself without me?"
"Fun?"
Chen Yi raised his hand and tapped her forehead, saying in an annoyed tone, "It'll be more fun if I bring you along."
The things he did before were really inconvenient to involve Pei Guanli.
Even during the burning of the summer grain in the three towns, if he hadn't been so desperate to find a suitable person, he would never have let this little tiger girl deliver a message to Xiao Jinghong.
Pei Guanli rubbed her head and pouted, saying, "I knew my brother-in-law didn't want to play with me, you bad guy."
Chen Yi glanced at her. "So, are you going back now?"
Pei Guanli was slightly taken aback, then leaned closer and asked excitedly, "I knew my brother-in-law wouldn't forget me."
"Tell me quickly, what do you need me to do?"
"Why aren't you calling me a bad guy now?"
"No way..."
After exchanging a few jokes, Chen Yi glanced at the sky and then asked her to take out the bottles and jars she was carrying.
"I need to prepare a few bottles of poison. See if you have any that you can use."
The previous incident with Yan Fusha made him realize that while Shenxianzui and Qingfengzui were effective against ordinary martial artists, they were not enough to deal with evil and heretical people who dealt with poisons year-round.
Sorcerers like Lü Jiunan belong to one such category.
Therefore, Chen Yi thought of getting some local specialties from the mountain tribe from Pei Guanli to see if he could concoct a more powerful poison.
After examining all the poisons Pei Guanli carried, he couldn't help but sigh, no wonder the Mountain Clan was feared by so many martial artists in Shu Prefecture.
The variety of poisonous insects on Pei Guanli's body was astonishing, even to him.
After some deliberation, he took three bottles, and had Pei Guanli put the rest away for future use.
"Brother-in-law, is this what you asked me to come here for?"
Seeing that Tiger Girl was slightly disappointed, Chen Yi could only smile and say, "Of course not, come with me to do something big later."
"OK……"
About half an hour later, Zhang Dabao hurriedly returned.
Before he could say anything more, Chen Yi instructed him to disguise himself.
"Have they found those two?"
"Reporting to you, sir, they are in Black Fish Alley deep in the West Market, the place that General Jinghong led his men to sweep through before."
Where is Liu Lang?
“He’s still watching over there. I’ve already told him to keep his distance.”
Chen Yi nodded and said nothing more.
After he finished disguising himself, before Pei Guanli could ask anything, he took her to change into a black robe and put on a bronze mask. Zhang Dabao then drove them to the East Market.
Along the way.
Pei Guanli only asked one question at the very beginning; otherwise, her eyes were full of excitement.
When she reached Pingyao Lane in the East Market, she almost burst out laughing.
"Brother-in-law, this is the first time I've done something so fun, like disguising myself and pretending to be someone else... Do you think I should come up with a catchy name?"
"Fairy Pei? Or Pei Xingdao, acting on behalf of Heaven..."
However, when Pei Guanli noticed Chen Yi's gaze, her face immediately hardened.
"Okay, okay, I know the important thing is to get down to business."
Chen Yi ignored her, listened for a moment, and then his gaze fell on the house not far away.
Just as I was about to go and check, I faintly heard a pleading voice with a strange tone coming from inside:
"...Please, please don't kill me..."
"If you're going to kill, kill me..."
"Please forgive me, but in today's 'switching the prince for a cat' drama, you are the main character, you can't die..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
