Chapter 54 Pei Guanli's Poisonous Hand
Leaving aside the trivial matters and troubles of the Xiao family.
The streets of Kangning in the north of the city were brightly lit, and the curfew had not yet begun. Groups of talented men and beautiful women strolled about.
Some traveled in groups, while others strolled under the flowers and moon, reciting poems in a refined and literary style under the bright moonlight.
Outside of the mounting and framing industry.
On the carriage bearing the red flag of the Xiao family, the coachman leaned against the carriage, arms crossed, his eyes darting around.
I kept glancing at this person and that person, feeling overwhelmed by the sights.
Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder. "Old Luo, if you keep looking around here, be careful the girls don't notice."
The coachman, named Lao Luo, was startled. Upon seeing that the newcomer was Liu Si'er, he immediately began cursing:
"Fourth Brother, why do you look like a ghost?"
"And how dare you say that to me? The whole manor has been in a frenzy today, and I haven't seen you anywhere."
Liu Si'er smiled, moved closer to make him move, and sat down in the carriage, saying:
"I have some personal matters to attend to."
"You're one to talk! If things were really busy at home, how would you have managed to get out?"
Old Luo pointed to the mounting shop not far away, "I have important business to attend to. My second son-in-law wrote another piece of calligraphy that needs to be mounted; he said it's for a gift..."
Before he could finish speaking, he glanced at Liu Si'er and said in an ambiguous tone:
"Wait a minute, you came here thinking you could have a secret rendezvous with the girl who went to your room last time?"
The girl from last time?
Liu Si'er frowned inwardly, but asked calmly, "Is she inside too?"
"That's right, Miss Xiaodie is waiting for her in the shop."
Old Luo pressed on, asking, "Fourth Brother, tell me, what's going on between you and that girl?"
“I hadn’t realized it before, but I only found out now that the girl was a mountain tribe from the Wumeng Mountains.”
"Aren't you afraid she'll poison you with a Gu worm?"
Liu Si'er casually replied that it was a misunderstanding, but her eyes were fixed on the framing shop, as if trying to see through two layers of wall panels to see Pei Guanli inside.
After much deliberation.
Liu Si'er jumped off the carriage again, "I just remembered that I have something to do at the manor, I have to go back."
"Why?"
Before Lao Luo could speak again, Liu Si'er turned and left.
After walking a few steps, he turned back, pointed to the mounting shop, and made a secretive gesture.
Luo realized what he meant and laughed, "You bastard, if it really works out, remember to invite me to your wedding."
Liu Si'er didn't reply to him, waved her hand and walked away.
But before he even left the street, he quietly turned back, carefully hiding in the shadows under the trees across the street, his eyes fixed on the framing shop.
The incident happened suddenly, so he had to act according to the situation.
"The second son-in-law's handwriting, by a mountain girl..."
The fledgling bird had only recently arrived in Shu Prefecture and had never come into contact with the mountain tribes during its few trips away from the capital, so it was impossible for it to know the girl.
How did he write calligraphy for that mountain girl?
Thinking about it, Liu Si'er's heart skipped a beat.
The worst-case scenario is that the person who knows that girl isn't a fledgling, but rather the second young lady!
"I hope it's not the second young lady."
If Xiao Jinghong were to discover the existence of the "hidden guards," things would be disastrous.
...
At this moment, the owner of the framing shop felt much the same way as Liu Si'er.
That's terrible.
Mounting calligraphy and paintings is an elegant and meticulous task; it usually takes three to five days to mount a piece of calligraphy or painting that is ten feet long.
Even if a guest is in a hurry, it will take at least two days.
Two young ladies from the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion came and, with just a few words between their lips, gave him only half a day, saying they would take it away that very night.
That's really putting people in a difficult position.
The framing shop owner wanted to refuse, but when he saw the young lady Xiaodie, he swallowed his words and had no choice but to call his assistants to help him.
If he hadn't lost a piece of calligraphy from the Marquis's residence earlier, and if the calligraphy he had asked Mr. Yue Ming to imitate hadn't been exposed, he would have had to try to get... half a day more.
They continued working like this until the first watch of the night.
The calligraphy piece, clearly intended for a birthday celebration, has just been mounted.
Xiao Die carefully put the item away and handed it to Pei Guanli, her face regaining its smile. "The matter of you losing the 'son-in-law' character is now forgotten."
The framing shop owner smiled ingratiatingly, "Hey, take care, young lady."
He was eager to get this matter over with as soon as possible, and his resentment about rushing to finish the work dissipated considerably.
Before long, Pei Guanli and Xiaodie walked out of the framing shop.
Recalling the conversation between Xiaodie and the boss earlier, Pei Guanli asked with a smile, "Did the boss lose your brother-in-law's handwriting?"
Xiao Die raised her voice and was about to call Lao Luo to drive the carriage back to the mansion.
Pei Guanli's eyes darted around, and she made an excuse that she had left something at the framing shop before turning around and going into the shop.
However, after only two breaths, she turned back.
"My brain is so bad, I've forgotten everything I always wear on me."
Xiao Die smiled gently, but didn't say anything, and pulled her into the carriage.
After spending half a day together, Xiaodie discovered that although Pei Guanli dressed strangely, she was actually quite easy to get along with.
It's not surprising that, after hearing from the son-in-law that Pei Guanli was the second young lady's god-sister, I thought she would ask some questions related to the second young lady.
But in reality, Pei Guanli asked more questions about her son-in-law.
He asked about everything from his marriage into the Xiao family, his elopement, his confinement, to the subsequent events.
Xiaodie couldn't figure out her intentions and didn't want to refuse, so she picked and chose what to say.
Fortunately, Pei Guanli didn't say anything after hearing this, except that the bell hanging around her neck swayed more frequently.
With Lao Luo cracking the whip, the Marquis's carriage headed south.
Once the carriage had driven far away, Liu Si'er emerged from the shadows with a gloomy face and gazed at the back of the carriage from afar.
"A mountain girl?"
"Damn it, that girl is Granny Shan's granddaughter!"
No wonder someone silently poisoned the armored soldiers along the way; now it must have been her.
Liu Si'er's face grew increasingly gloomy as he pondered his next move.
The Silver Flag Officer's orders were to find the person who knew his identity and was hiding in the shadows, and kill her.
We've found the person, but what about killing them?
The poison and Gu worms on that girl alone, made by Granny Shan, were not something that ordinary martial arts experts could handle.
Worse still, if we really kill her and anger Granny Shan, the whole of Shu Prefecture will be thrown into chaos.
Thinking of this, Liu Si'er hesitated and pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket.
By the light of the lanterns along the street, I could see the words: "Tonight at midnight, behind the Guiyun Academy."
Now, he has no choice but to seek help from that person.
Just as Liu Si'er was heading to Guiyun Academy, he heard cries of pain coming from a mounting shop not far away.
"Quick, quick, the outhouse, the outhouse, get me some toilet paper!"
"Boss, boss, I...I'm in a real hurry...let me go first..."
"Get out! I'm the boss!"
Liu Si'er glanced at it, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Even though he didn't go inside, he guessed that the people inside had probably fallen victim to the "poisonous hand" of that mountain girl.
It was just a little laxative; it's not poison, so we should be happy about it.
"It seems that girl is a kind person who doesn't kill much..."
...
On a carriage traveling south.
Pei Guanli was unaware that her whereabouts had been exposed. She was holding the calligraphy and looking out the window at the night view with great interest.
She was quite happy today.
Not only did she receive her brother-in-law's courtesy name, but she also learned a lot about him from Xiaodie.
I never imagined that while she was hiding in Chunhe Garden, her brother-in-law would do so many interesting things.
She'll insist on going next time no matter what.
Just then, Xiaodie, who was standing nearby, looked out the window and exclaimed "Eh!"
"Why is he at Guiyun Academy?"
Pei Guanli snapped out of her daze. "Who is it?"
Xiaodie hesitated and said, "He is the son-in-law's older brother."
"Although I heard from my son-in-law that they don't get along, they didn't seem to be when they met at noon today."
"That's quite strange."
Pei Guanli immediately became interested, and while having Xiaodie point out where the person was, she urged him to ask:
"Tell me, how did he and my brother-in-law not get along?"
However, her hand was already inside her clothes, and she was thinking about which bottle of powder to use.
(End of this chapter)
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