novelzi Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Mrs. Lu rose to make arrangements. Li Ming got up to write a letter, ordering his trusted men to urgently send a secret message to the capital city. The trusted subordinates rode away from Liuzhou on swift horses, carrying the letter, unaware that they were being followed.
Tian Jiu disposed of the pursuers, swiftly chasing after the galloping horses. He was frustrated at having to act as a bodyguard for the formidable assassin Tian Jiu, who ranked ninth in their order. Yet he dared not disobey, as Li Xia's aura and methods had instilled fear in him. Tian Jiu not only had to carry out Li Xia's orders, but do so impeccably.
Li Ming freshened up, drank a strong tea to stay alert, and headed to the Songtao Courtyard. He first checked on the unconscious Lu XuanNing, then turned to the pale-faced Li Hui.T/his chapter is updated by
Li Hui had not slept all night and lost blood from his injury. But out of concern, he refused to rest. Li Ming felt pity for his son, "Go get some sleep for a couple of hours."
"Father, I'm fine," Li Hui tried to persist.
"I'm here, go sleep for a bit," Li Ming patted Li Hui's shoulder. Li Hui swayed unsteadily.
Li Ming hurriedly supported him, "Go rest quickly, you and I will face the battle together as father and son."
Hearing this, Li Hui grunted and went into the inner room. Without even removing his clothes, he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
Wang Butler entered, "Master, Commander Wang has arrived."
Li Ming was delighted, as this was a fortuitous opportunity. He had been wondering how to find Commander Wang. With Lu XuanNing being hunted, those men in black would undoubtedly come to the magistrate's office sooner or later. He needed men to protect Lu XuanNing and his own family.
The magistrate's officers were more focused on investigating the cause of the fire. Li Ming was currently short-handed, so Commander Wang, a military officer with troops under his command, was just the person he needed. Moreover, the Wang family had long been entrenched in Liuzhou, essentially the local power.
Li Ming entered the guest hall, and Commander Wang, upon seeing him, stood up and greeted him with a deep bow.
Li Ming quickly stepped forward to support Commander Wang, his face puzzled, "What is the meaning of this, Commander?"
"I am here to express my gratitude to the honorable Li. My youngest daughter was saved by your esteemed family's maiden, sparing me the grief of burying her while I still live," Commander Wang insisted on expressing his gratitude with bows.
After Commander Wang departed, Li Ming summoned Wang Butler and issued quiet instructions. He then directed someone to take Commander Wang's gift of gratitude to the Orchid Courtyard.
Li Xia received the gift, a box of lustrous pearls, clearly a thoughtful selection. Li Xia took a handful of pearls and put them in a pouch, then headed to the Elegant Refinement Pavilion.
Since Li Xin had sprained her ankle, the maids would not allow her to do anything and insisted she rest. Li Xin was feeling bored when Li Xia entered, and she motioned for her to sit.
"Sister, Father had someone send me a box of pearls as a gift of gratitude from Commander Wang. I've brought some for you," Li Xia said, handing the pouch of pearls to Li Xin.
Seeing Li Xia's completely clueless expression about Commander Wang, Li Xin smiled, "Do you know who the maiden you rescued last night was?"
"Who was it? I just saw a pretty young lady push her down," Li Xia had witnessed the incident clearly.
"Whenever you go out with Mother, you can't just focus on food. You should also observe the young ladies from different families," Li Xin tapped Li Xia's forehead, this girl only thought about food. She then introduced Wang Lan's background, emphasizing that Wang Lan's mother Xu's family was near the sea, renowned for their fine sea pearls. Li Xin offered the sea pearls to Li Xia.
"But these can't be eaten," Li Xia showed little interest in the sea pearls and pushed the pouch back to Li Xin.
Seeing this, Li Xin accepted the pearls and asked, "Xia Xia, do you know how Brother got injured?" Li Xin remembered that Li Hui had been fine when she returned the previous night, but he had been severely wounded by the time she saw him again shortly after.
Li Xia had her suspicions, but she simply replied that she did not know.
"I want to go check on Brother's condition, but my foot is immobilized," Li Xin lamented, lightly pounding her foot in frustration and wincing in pain.
"Sister, it's rare to see you make such a childish gesture," Li Xia's remark made Li Xin realize her uncharacteristic behavior, and she laughed.
"Xia Xia, chatting with you always lifts my spirits. You seem happy all the time," Li Xin imitated Li Xia's posture, hugging a pillow by the window.
Hearing this, Li Xia thought of her short life of less than twenty years in her previous incarnation, "Life is short, shouldn't one try to be joyful?"