~ LIU LIANG INJURED ~
Yue Wang seemed odd: “Why did Yao’er suddenly remember this?”
“It’s not that I suddenly remembered. These days, we two are too conspicuous. Many people have taken up the ideas of Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Luo, especially the apprentices I personally taught. Many of them have come to dig them out. The methods on the front are not working, so they have a crooked idea. However, Caiyi was still vigilant and told me several apprentices met a charming and intimate confidant.”
“That Yu Heng and Yu Yi are going to be happy. Those subordinates of mine are almost all single. Those people will be overjoyed when I tell them this news another day.”
“Alright, even though you and I are in charge, they must also be willing. Thus, it’s up to fate to decide. Emotional matters are the most reluctant.” Those apprentices were different from Jin Lan and Jin Qiao. They had been with her for a long time, so they had a deep relationship with her. If they were forced to arrange marriages, they might do something bad.
Furthermore, she had spread out almost all of her embroidery techniques. She didn’t hide anything, nor did she worry about divulging anything. It was just that those people outside were constantly thinking that she was hiding secrets and kept trying to dig people out of Ni Yun Fang.
For dinner, Eunuch Cheng prepared it with extreme care, every dish was exceptionally exquisite, and Mu Yunyao ate it with satisfaction. When she returned to Qin Fang Garden, the sky was completely dark.
Not long after entering, Jin Lan reported, “Miss. Liu Liang is here.”
“Let him in.”
“Mistress.” He kneeled and saluted. There were wounds on his arms, and blood was dripping from them.
Mu Yunyao was startled and hurriedly stood up and walked over, asking, “What’s going on?”
“When this subordinate came, I was blocked. My swordsmanship was not very good, so I suffered minor injuries.” Liu Liang’s eyes were calm, without any ripples on his face, as if he couldn’t feel any pain in his body.
Mu Yunyao frowned and immediately thought of the Shadow Guard. “Wei Jiu.”
Wei Yi was at the Emperor’s side and was responsible for obeying the orders and guarding the Emperor’s safety.
Wei Er, Wei San, Wei Si, and Wei Wu protected Grand Princess Yi De and Xu Yanhan, respectively, while Wei Jiu stayed by Mu Yunyao’s side. Wei Jiu had a lively personality and a somewhat unconventional way of doing things. She had specially selected him.
A figure quickly appeared and knelt in front of Mu Yunyao. With a respectful attitude, he said, “This servant greets Mistress.”
“Liu Liang is my person. I will allow him to come to me. Don’t hurt him in the future.”
“Yes.”
Wei Jiu was responsible, so Mu Yunyao naturally couldn’t punish him. After Wei Jiu retreated, she made Liu Liang sit on a chair to the side and took out a medicine box to help him treat his wounds. “There have been a lot of things to do these past few days, so I forgot to tell Wei Jiu about you. I’m really sorry.”
Liu Liang pursed his lips and watched Mu Yunyao lower her eyes to help him clean his wounds. A struggle flashed in his eyes as he said, “Your subordinate’s status is low. I shouldn’t have made you help me….”
Mu Yunyao’s movements paused as she slightly raised her eyes to look over.
Being stared at by those clear eyes, Liu Liang even forgot to breathe. His back was sweaty, and his hands and feet were almost nowhere to put.
Mu Yunyao stopped her movements and called Jin Lan in, “Help Liuliang treat the wound.”
“Yes, Miss.”
In that split second, the warmth in his heart turned into ice, and even his face became extremely pale. After Jin Lan finished bandaging his wounds and retreated, he immediately got up and kneeled on the ground. “Please punish me, Mistress.”
“Hurry up and get up. You didn’t do anything wrong. What do I need to punish you for?” Mu Yunyao patiently explained, “After being a doctor for too long, it’s easy for me to neglect men’s and women’s defences. I don’t think it’s much, but I forgot you care.” Liu Liang’s pale face recovered some colour as he opened his mouth and wanted to say that he didn’t care, but his heart was beating too fast, which made him too flustered. That was why he had such a reaction. It was just like a person walking in a dark snowfield who suddenly encounters a flame and wants to approach it but is afraid of bringing up a cold wind to shatter the warmth in front of them.
“Liu Liang?” Mu Yunyao called out, but Liu Liang was stunned and didn’t respond. It was the first time she had seen him in such a state. “What’s wrong?”
Liu Liang suddenly snapped out of his daze and said, “Please forgive me, Mistress.”
“You …” He had always been strict with his rules. Thus, Mu Yunyao couldn’t correct it, so she could only let him go. “You came over in a hurry. Did something happen?”
“Yes, Qi Ming sent word that he has already started contacting the Li family’s forces, but he’s still in the periphery. Prime Minister Li Qingzhou doesn’t completely trust him, and he even secretly sent people to investigate the origin of the Yi Bao Xuan and Qi Ming.”
Mu Yunyao frowned, saying, “Although the origins of these two matters have already been arranged, the fake one is still fake. It can’t withstand too much scrutiny and investigation. The Li family was under the protection of the First Prince. The Emperor was angry this time but confined Jin Wang and did not reward the First Prince. No amount of punishment would be given, and the majority of it was for the sake of the Li family.”
“Mistress, what are you planning to do?”
“Qi Ming couldn’t let the Li family investigate carefully. Back then, when Qi Ming appeared in Yangzhou City, he cheated so many salt merchants, and although he used his identity as the Third Prince’s aide as cover, in the end, the silver did not reach the third prince, ultimately the silver did not reach the Third Prince. Now that the Third Prince has lost his power, the Li family must be able to find some clues if they are interested in investigating. I asked you to investigate the Li family’s businesses. Did you manage to find anything?”
“Reporting to Mistress, the Li family does not have many businesses on the surface. They have some farmers and some common storefronts. They only do some grain business in Jiangnan, so there’s nothing else worth paying attention to.”
“Jiangnan?”
“Yes, the Li family does not open a grain shop but becomes a travelling merchant on the road, mainly going between Heilong City in Beizhou and Tianshui City in the Northwest. The size of the caravan is not small, and during the winter, they rested in Jiangnan. When the flood hit Linjiang City, they also took the initiative to transport grain and made a good reputation.”
Mu Yunyao slightly lowered her eyes. “In Jiangnan, but they travel to and from Beizhou and Tianshui... Let someone check it out. I think there’s something wrong with this caravan. In addition, let Qi Ming be careful. It is better to pass on less information than to expose himself. I’ll think of a way to make the Li family spare no effort to investigate him and Yi Bao Xuan.”
“Yes, your subordinate will go now.”
Mu Yunyao looked at Liu Liang’s arm and said, “You’re injured, so let the others go.”
“This subordinate is fine.” After Liu Liang finished his words, he immediately left the room.
Jin Lan walked in. “Miss, why do I feel like Liu Liang is a bit weird as if he is throwing a tantrum?”
“Perhaps he’s just not reconciled to being beaten by Wei Jiu. Send some medicine over and let him rest well for the next two days. If he’s too busy, I’ll get Wei Jiu to help him.”
“Yes.”
When Liu Liang returned after notifying Qi Ming, he saw the medicine on the table. His cold expression immediately softened.
Wei Jiu appeared like a ghost, squatting on Liu Liang’s window sill and looking at him with burning eyes. “Liu Liang, your martial arts are not bad, but your moves are too broad and wide. You can deal with ordinary people, but it’s not enough to deal with assassins. Are you interested in joining the Shadow Guard?”
He turned his head around and looked at Wei Jiu coldly, “Did Mistress ask you to come?”
“No, I think you’re talented. Although you’re old, you should still be fine after some training. Don’t you want to stay by Mistress’s side for a long time?”
Liu Liang put away the wound medicine and ignored Wei Jiu.
“Come and find me once you’ve thought it through.” Wei Jiu spoke with a firm tone. He quickly disappeared after taking a look at Liu Liang. Liu Liang gripped the bottle tightly as the light in his eyes gradually faded. His empty eyes were filled with a sense of loss. “Mistress has another Shadow Guard by her side. He can help her less and less....”
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