ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 104
It is said that Xu Zhi went out of the door, hurrying to catch up with Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan had already boarded a small green sedan. Xu Zhi hurried over, bowed his body, and whispered, “Your Highness, by doing this, won’t we be alerting the enemy? We—”
“Mr. Xu,” Xiao Yan called out to him with a hint of smile on his face, saying, “Louyang is already a muddy pond, full of silt, and even with a sieve, it’s hard to find anything good. Did you not notice the situation today? Lan River just breached its bank not long after the flood disaster, and the people have not been properly resettled. Yet they can still put up such a luxurious banquet to entertain us. If you think there’s no trickery involved, I wouldn’t believe it for ten thousand times. Since that’s the case, why not let this pond water be even murkier?”
Xu Zhi couldn’t find words to respond. The green curtain of the sedan was lowered, and Xiao Yan’s voice came from inside, with a touch of coldness, “If someone comes to visit you privately in these few days, no matter what, please inform me. Otherwise, if I misunderstand anything, it might trouble you.”
Hearing this, Xu Zhi felt anxious and quickly said, “Yes, Your Highness, please rest assured. I will definitely not see them.”
To his surprise, Xiao Yan said, “You must see them, and not only that, you must welcome all visitors.”
Xu Zhi was immediately dumbfounded.
…
The night was quiet, hiding all the hidden currents, appearing calm yet dangerous, and at this time, the Li Residence was even more lively.
At first, Li Suwan didn’t know what had happened. Since Madam Song came to cause trouble once, she was scolded and beaten by Madam Li, locked in her room, unable to leave. No matter how much Li Suwan pleaded and cried, it was of no use.
She just hopes that Lady Li can calm down quickly so that she can be released.
As night fell, Li Suwan heard whispers from the maids outside, vaguely mentioning something about a fight and the master getting angry.
Upon hearing this, she quickly called someone over to inquire more carefully. The maid couldn’t explain clearly, only mentioning that the master had drunk too much and had a heated argument with Lady Li after returning, resulting in a violent altercation. The noise was loud enough that the servants didn’t dare to go and investigate closely.
Li Suwan felt uneasy after hearing this, with a sense of foreboding. After nearly half an hour passed, Li Xingzhi suddenly arrived. Li Suwan had never seen him like this before; his eyes were red, and there was a bruise on his forehead, as if he had been hit by something.
Filled with shock and suspicion, Li Suwan hadn’t even asked for the reason when Li Xingzhi said, “Father wants to send you away.”
Li Suwan was terrified, her face turned pale, and she shook her head vigorously, “No, I won’t leave. What about Mother? I want to see Mother; she won’t let me go! Let her persuade Father!”
“Mother has also left.”
Li Suwan was dumbfounded. It was then that she realized Li Cen had been stripped of his official position, came back and had a big quarrel with Lady Li, wrote a divorce letter, and sent her back to the Wang family. He also wanted to send Li Suwan away, accusing her of being an ominous star, saying that she should go back to where she came from.
How could Li Suwan agree to leave?
She had been born and raised in the Li family, living a life of luxury and comfort. Now, she was being asked to go to a rural place and suffer? Li Suwan would never agree to go.
She pleaded bitterly with Li Xingzhi, asking him to help persuade Li Cen, but Li Xingzhi’s expression was bitter, indicating that he had already tried, and Li Cen’s mind was made up. No matter who tried to persuade him, it would be of no use. The gates would open early the next morning, and Li Suwan would be sent away.
Li Suwan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, unable to react for a moment. She saw Li Xingzhi take out a purse and said, “There are more than ten taels of silver in here. Take it and go into hiding for a while, or go find Mother first. When Father cools down, you can…”
Li Suwan stared at him as if she had seen a ghost, trembling as she asked, “Brother, do you want me to leave too?”
Li Xingzhi hurriedly explained, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then help me plead with Father!” Li Suwan screamed, pushing Li Xingzhi’s hand forcefully, causing the purse to fall to the ground. She shouted, “I don’t want to leave. No one can drive me away!”
She burst into tears. Li Suwan had put in so much effort, endured so much injustice, all just to stay in the Li family. And now they wanted to send her away?
Why?!
She had lived in the Li family for so many years, born and raised there. Why should she leave?
The thought of the situation she was about to face made Li Suwan tremble with fear. She used to look down on Li Zhizhi, thinking of her as a peasant from the countryside, lowly and insignificant. But now they wanted her to be just like a peasant?
How dare they!
Li Suwan would never agree, even if she went to throw herself into the moat, she would never go!
She pushed Li Xingzhi away, ran out as if mad, leaving behind Li Xingzhi’s calls.
The night grew deeper, and there were no more pedestrians on the road. The shops on both sides had also closed down. Li Suwan held a lantern in one hand, quickening her pace. In the empty and quiet long street, her footsteps sounded abrupt and clear, as if someone was chasing after her. Li Suwan couldn’t help but look back, only to see darkness everywhere, which made her frightened. She had never walked alone on the night road until now.
But now, Li Suwan had no choice. She bravely crossed through the East Market, perhaps her footsteps were a bit loud, as they startled a dog from a household. The fierce dog started to bark loudly, as if about to rush out, scaring Li Suwan, who trembled all over, causing her to run quickly.
After turning a corner, she saw a drunken man staggering towards her, humming a tune out of tune. When he seemed to notice Li Suwan, he stopped immediately, staring at her with his eyes fixed on her.
Li Suwan felt her heart sink and her hairs stand on end as he stared at her. The lantern in her hand almost fell to the ground. She couldn’t help but take a step back. The drunken man seemed to notice her fear and revealed a lewd and creepy smile, calling out, “Miss, where are you going so late at night?”
Li Suwan was scared and turned to run, not daring to look back. She had never run so fast in her life, running all the way to the front of a certain high gate mansion. Only then did she stop and urgently knocked on the door.
Before long, the gate finally opened, and the gatekeeper poked his head out, frowning as he looked at her, surprised, and said, “Miss Li?”
Li Suwan’s face was pale, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, “I… I want to see the county princess. Please inform her for me.”
At that moment, Xiao Man was preparing to rest. She had received the news earlier than Li Suwan, so she knew that something had happened at the Li Residence. She also knew that Li Suwan had come to her at this moment, probably to ask for her help.
After a moment of thought, Xiao Man had one of her servants bring Li Suwan to the flower hall. She saw that Li Suwan looked disheveled, with her hair in disarray and even missing one shoe.
Xiao Man found it amusing in her heart but pretended not to notice, nor did she ask the servant to fetch Li Suwan a new pair of shoes. She simply asked, “It’s late, what brings you to see me?”
Li Suwan’s eyes were slightly red, and she said anxiously, “County Princess, I beg you to help me.”
“Help you?” Xiao Man’s lips curled slightly with a hint of disdain in her eyes as she asked, “Haven’t I helped you before? What more do you want me to do?”
Tears welled up in Li Suwan’s eyes as she choked out, “I have nowhere else to go now, please…”
“But how is that my concern?” Xiao Man remained unmoved, just picked up a teacup, blowing on the hot liquid leisurely. She said, “You always aim high but achieve little. You used to deceive me, saying you would deal with Li Zhizhi and asking for my advice. But Li Zhizhi is doing well, even gaining more popularity, while you…”
She clicked her tongue twice, shaking her head gently with a pitying tone, “You’ve fallen to such a state, how can you still have the face to ask me for help?”
The blood drained from Li Suwan’s face, making her look somewhat pitiful. Her lips moved, “I…”
“For the sake of our past friendship,” Xiao Man sighed and said, “I can still give you some advice.”
Upon hearing this, Li Suwan was pleasantly surprised and quickly said, “Please enlighten me, County Princess.”
Xiao Man smiled faintly and replied, “If you really have nowhere to go, why not go find your cousin?”
Li Suwan hesitated and asked, “Find Cousin Song?”
“Yes,” Xiao Man sipped her tea lightly and continued, “I think your cousin must be fond of you and has some family background. You can think of a way to let him support you, can’t you?”
Li Suwan’s face turned pale. “But… how is that possible? Without formal engagement or marriage, wouldn’t that be taking advantage of him?”
At this, Xiao Man burst into laughter as if she had heard something amusing. Li Suwan looked uneasy, and Xiao Man continued calmly, “You’ve already done things in private, so why fear this? With your current status, even if you become a concubine, I doubt the Song family would object.”
Li Suwan’s expression turned extremely bleak, staring blankly at Xiao Man. Xiao Man placed her tea cup down, stood up, and said in a low voice, “Enough, we’re at this critical juncture, can’t you swallow your pride? If you can’t go back to the Li family, how will you survive in the capital?”
She glanced at Li Suwan with an ambiguous smile and added, “Are you thinking of selling yourself in a brothel?”
Li Suwan’s body trembled, her eyes widening as she hurriedly replied, “No, that’s not an option!”
“I’m just suggesting; ultimately, it’s up to you,” Xiao Man lightly patted her shoulder and chuckled, “To be honest, the troubles that befell the Li family this time were all because Li Zhizhi meddled. If she hadn’t complained to the Emperor, how could your father have lost his official position? And how could he have driven you out?”
Upon hearing this, Li Suwan’s eyes reddened again, filled with resentment. Xiao Man spoke softly, “Revenge is a dish best served cold. There’s still time; just look at King Goujian who endured hardships for years. It all depends on whether you have the determination.”
Li Suwan wiped her tears and choked out, “Thank you for your guidance, County Princess. I understand now.”
Finally satisfied, Xiao Man then noticed that Li Suwan was barefoot, surprised, she asked, “Why are you barefoot? It’s quite cold on the ground at this hour.”
She instructed a maid, “Quickly, fetch a pair of shoes and help Miss Li put them on.”