"What are you?" Chen Jue moved back impatiently.
He stared at her calmly.
He was waiting for her answer.
"I always hurt you. It's better to avoid you in the future." Li Xiao's voice was small.
But her tone was very serious.
"Pfft!" Chen Jue snorted. "Before you entered the Dali Monastery,
I have experienced more than that.
A child like you has never seen the world.
Do you think that after these few incidents,
Are they dangerous to me? "
"Ah..." Li Xiao's eyes widened.
Was there a more dangerous situation than this?
"Dali Temple Yamen. is like this. The contact is either violent or suspicious."
Chen Jue took a deep breath and remembered how his mother cried and threw a tantrum when he was about to enter the Dali Monastery.
"I'm too lazy to touch a small case like robbery. But anyone who enters the Dali Monastery.
It's not an easy thing to do. "
"You..." Li Xiao did not relax. Instead, she became even more nervous.
"These two cases are all thanks to your help.
Your divination provided very crucial information for the progress of the case. "Chen Jue said with a rare serious and sincere expression." These all sped up the investigation of the case.
The murderer was arrested.
So with you around,
Not only did I not become more dangerous,
Instead, it's safer. "
"Really?
But - "Li Xiao wanted to say the whole sentence every time.
But she was interrupted by Chen Jue.
She was to blame for speaking too slowly.
Lord Chen could not wait any longer.
"It's just that there's something wrong with the recent cases. It's indeed dangerous, but you don't have to feel burdened."
Chen Jue recalled the tone and gaze of Wang Yi when he spoke to Li Xiao. Then, he tried his best to adjust his expression, so that his expression became... a little gentler.
His voice also became a little gentler.
"…" Li Xiao looked at Lord Chen strangely, but she was happy because of his words.
"Come here," Chen Jue suddenly said.
"Yes."
Li Xiao's voice became a little louder. She put down the brush, stood up and walked in front of Chen Jue. She stood straight and looked at him curiously.
Why did Daren call her over?
Chen Jue fished out what was left of the things the Emperor had given him in the morning from under the table.
Every time, the Emperor would not bestow anything precious. He would just go through the motions and encourage this and that every day. Although it was a superficial thing, since everyone liked it very much, he was happy to see it happen.
Li Xiao stared at the small tray and immediately remembered the gifts that Big Brother Wang and Lord Zhang had taken away.
She also remembered the rewards that Lord Chen had given her when the last case was closed — they were all real copper coins!
Li Xiao's big eyes lit up when she thought of this.
Chen Jue looked up and saw her expression. "..."
What a good-for-nothing!
"Come here!" Chen Jue ordered again.
Li Xiao obediently took a step closer to Lord Chen. She stood straight and looked at him with pious eyes.
Chen Jue put the tray on the table and opened the cloth that wrapped the things on the tray. Then, a red string was revealed. Strung on the red string was a golden gourd that was the size of a girl's thumb.
Li Xiao was immediately attracted by the glittering and exquisite little gold ornament. It was so beautiful!
Chen Jue looked at Li Xiao's fixated expression and couldn't help but think to himself: Women really like this kind of thing.
It's not as good as gold ingots, but it's beautiful and pleasing to wear.
He reached out and picked up the red string, then ordered, "Turn around!"
Li Xiao blinked her big eyes and stared at Chen Jue as if she was looking at an immortal. Then, just as Chen Jue was about to scold her, she turned around.
His slender fingers pinched the red string and wrapped it around the little girl's neck. He tied the red string behind her neck.
The hair on the back of the little girl's neck was fluffy, like a cute little animal.
She exuded a cute aura from head to toe. Every detail was so.
He grunted. "It's done."
His voice was faint.
Li Xiao was overjoyed. She had completely forgotten the shame and sadness that she had felt for 'causing' Lord Chen to get injured.
She was so happy that she almost jumped up.
"Sir, is this for me?" She looked up eagerly.
"What else?
Leave it with you?
Don't I have a place to put it in my house? "Chen Jue asked indifferently.
Li Xiao hurriedly stuffed the golden gourd into her clothes, then flattened her clothes with her hands. After hiding it, she felt the golden gourd pressed against her collarbone. She was so happy that she was about to ascend to heaven.
"Sigh." Chen Jue sighed.
How can this be?
She's so short-sighted. If she gets married in the future, she'll be bullied to death by her husband's family.
Thinking of this, he frowned again and suddenly asked, "You're of marriageable age, right?"
Li Xiao blinked and shook her head. "I'll be of marriageable age on July 21 this year."
"Yes." Chen Jue nodded.
Li Xiao looked at Chen Jue curiously, not understanding why Lord Chen asked this.
"It's nothing. I'm just asking. Go and pour me a cup of hot tea." Chen Jue pushed the cold teapot on the table in front of her.
"Yes, sir!" Li Xiao's answer was particularly loud. Her crisp loli voice made people feel refreshed.
Chen Jue saw her briskly walk out with the teapot like a swallow. He shook his head and smiled unconsciously. Before she went around the screen, he suddenly said, "Tell the kitchen to clean up the tea powder!
Don't be so careless! "
"Yes, sir!"
The little girl's cheerful voice came from behind the screen. Her voice was melodious and drifted all the way.
Chen Jue leaned back in his chair and suddenly looked at the box of desserts that Li Xiao bought for him on the table.
He looked at the screen. Zhang Tang and the others were all flipping through books and writing behind the screen. It was impossible for them to know what he was doing in the inner hall.
He stretched out his arm, picked up a piece of dessert, put it into his mouth, and then tasted it carefully.
It was soft and crispy, with layers of texture. As he chewed, the sweet taste filled his mouth.
He closed his eyes and savored it carefully. After he chewed and swallowed it, he looked at the dessert on the table again.
He stretched out his hand hesitantly and was about to pick up another piece when he heard the sound of footsteps outside the door.
She's back so soon …
Thinking of this, Chen Jue quickly reached out and rearranged the box of desserts so that it was as good as new. It was impossible to tell that someone had eaten it.
When Li Xiao went around the screen and walked in, he carefully wiped his mouth.
…
…
"Sir, the case file of 'Puppet' has been recorded." Zhang Tang stood behind the screen and reported.
"Come here." Chen Jue did not look up.
He was focused on reading "The Innocence Record". Li Xiao sat beside him, quietly reading another book.
It was so quiet between them that only the sound of breathing and the sound of flipping books and picking up pens could be heard.
Zhang Tang's report broke them out of their completely immersed state.
Li Xiao raised her head and looked at Lord Zhang who had turned in from behind the screen. Then, she revealed a beautiful smile.
After Zhang Tang sat down, he did not waste time. He spread the case file in front of him and reported and introduced it bit by bit.
Chen Jue nodded. "No problem. Put it in the file."
"Yes, Sir." Zhang Tang nodded and went out again.
Zhang Tang organized the case file and put it in the wooden box where the case file was stored. After marking it, he put it back into the box.
He closed the box and pushed it back to its original position. He straightened his back and clapped his hands.
As he walked to his seat, he could not help but think.
These two cases of murder by superpowered people, the victims, and the murderer were all related to several people in the center of power.
Su King … Minister Qian of the Ministry of Works who lost his daughter … Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue who lost his son … Minister Lord Liu of the Imperial Cabinet who lost his fifth daughter … Minister Lord Ge of the Ministry of Appointments …
They were all princes, officials of the imperial court, second-rank officials, and ministers of the Imperial Cabinet …
This really made him feel uneasy. Even the top few people in the country couldn't protect him.
Zhang Tang could not help but shake his head. He prayed in his heart, 'Don't let such a big thing happen again.'
It was really hard to let go of the fact that so many families of important officials had died at once.
After sitting back in his seat, Zhang Tang picked up his pen and licked the ink. He spread out the book and prepared to continue working.
But he still felt a little uneasy.
He put down the pen and ink and closed his eyes to think.
In his mind, he began to recall all the things that had happened in recent years. The scary and the strange.
Until he thought back to a few decades ago, he suddenly remembered another big case.
It was a case that also involved many second-rank officials of the imperial court.
He organized the people involved in the 'Su King Case' and the 'Puppet Case'. He stared at the paper full of names in front of him and suddenly felt a little confused.
Was it a coincidence, or was he thinking too much?
Why were so many unlucky families in these two cases related to the case from nineteen years ago?
… … …
… … … …
While A Liu was changing the medicine for Lord Chen, Li Xiao was sitting in the inner hall, fiddling with her fingers.
She had been reading the 'Record of Innocence' on the table for a whole day, but she did not understand much. Now, she was even more distracted.
After Chen Jue returned from changing the medicine, he found that there was not only a box of desserts on the table that he would never admit to eating before, but also a new fruit plate and freshly brewed hot tea.
The fruits were cut piece by piece, and toothpicks were inserted into the fruits. It could be said that they were very considerate.
He turned to look at Li Xiao. The little girl buried her head and pretended to be reading seriously.
Could she understand?
She could recognize a lot of words, but he did not know how she learned them.
Although he had checked her family's situation, there were still many suspicious points.
Chen Jue thought silently for a while and put it aside for the time being.
He turned his head and saw that she was reading and peeking at his back. It was as if she was worried that she would suddenly see his back start to bleed.
He felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart.
With a little girl by his side, the feeling was indeed very different.
If the group of people outside the screen were so careful and worried about him, they would probably be scolded by him.
Chen Jue was thinking about his own matters, so he twisted his neck.
However, this small movement was immediately caught by Li Xiao.
She was like a smart and agile little animal. She suddenly stood up and ran behind him. She rolled up her sleeves and began to massage his shoulders.
Chen Jue was stunned at first, but then he realized that it was the movement of his neck that gave her the signal that he was tired.
He was amused.
Although he did not feel tired, sometimes she would pinch his wound too hard.
However, Chen Jue did not open his mouth to ask her to leave.
Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling Li Xiao's slender fingers. When she tried her best to massage his muscles, he felt a slight sense of relief.
When Li Xiao was tired and returned to her seat to continue reading, Chen Jue turned his head and seriously looked at the little girl's face.
When she was reading, she looked very calm and had forgotten to be afraid. There was a faint sense of demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
He always felt that she should have been educated like a lady from a noble family since she was young.
She should not be timid, overcautious, and rustic like she was now.
After thinking for a while, Chen Jue suddenly stretched out his foot and used the tip of his foot to hook a small basin out from under the table.
Then, he used the tip of his foot to kick the small basin to Li Xiao's foot, as if he was feeding a dog.
Then, he used the tip of his foot to tap the small basin so that the other side of the basin bumped Li Xiao's foot.
"?" Li Xiao lowered her head and saw a small metal basin. There was a small bag in the metal basin.
"?" She raised her head to look at Lord Chen. Lord Chen had already sat up straight and buried his head in his book.
Moreover, he was exuding an aura that said, "Don't disturb me."
“？”
She bent down, picked up the small metal basin, and placed it on her lap. Then, she carefully opened the bag in the basin.
There was a dark blue object in the bag. After Li Xiao took it out, she realized that it was a hat.
She turned her head and blinked her starry eyes. She saw that Lord Chen was still ignoring her.
She carefully put the hat on her head. Lord Chen still did not look at her.
Was … was it for her?
Li Xiao excitedly put on the hat completely. After tidying it up, she realized that there was a pendant on the front of the hat made of a layer of dark blue gauze.
She could see things through the gauze. Although it was a little blurry, she could still see things clearly.
And this layer of gauze covered the area above her nose, so that others could not see her face clearly.
After putting on the hat, she repeatedly lifted the layer of gauze, shook it off, lifted it off, and shook it off …
Her eyes were sparkling as if she had obtained the most precious treasure in the world.
After playing for a while, she would turn her head to look at Lord Chen. After playing for a while, she would look at Lord Chen again. After playing for a while …
Her face was full of joy and excitement, but after seeing Lord Chen's side profile, which was focused on reading, she had to suppress it.
Repeatedly, until lunch break. The joy, joy, excitement, and happiness finally filled her heart completely. It was about to burst and overflow.
She happily walked around Lord Chen and thanked him. She smiled and thanked him. Sometimes, she would happily touch the hat, and sometimes, she would happily touch the golden gourd hanging on her neck!
If it were not for the fact that she still had some rationality left, she would be willing to hug Lord Chen's leg and sing a little song …