Behind the screen in the main hall of Dali Monastery,
Chen Jue and Zhang Tang sat opposite each other.
At first, neither of them spoke,
After a while, when they raised their heads, their eyes were heavy.
"Everyone has been poisoned mute." Zhang Tang's voice was filled with worry,
He even couldn't believe it.
Sending out such a death attendant to kill Li Xiao's people..,
What was their identity?
"Li Xiao is just a non-threatening girl, and she doesn't know much about her background.
And they came to kill her..,
I'm afraid it's because she's Li Yu's sister. "Chen Jue took a sip of tea. He sat here for half an hour..,
He went through everything that had happened during this period of time.
He already had a rough idea in his heart.
"Sir, who do you suspect?" Zhang Tang scratched his fingers on the chair for a long time,
His fingers hurt, but he still couldn't relieve the pressure in his heart.
He had a feeling..,
Something big was going to happen.
"Zhang Minglei." Chen Jue leaned against the back of the chair,
There was no expression on his face, and he spoke casually,
But he was exceptionally certain,
"That Commander Zhang who helped Liu Tianping surround the mansion.
Li Yu never killed the innocent. He injured Zhang Minglei's arm,
There must be a reason for it. "
The soldiers of the nine gates who followed Zhang Minglei to surround Liu Tianping's mansion..,
Although they were all weak or fainted due to blood loss, after recuperating..,
They all found that there were no major injuries,
There were no sequelae.
But Zhang Minglei..,
He had lost his right arm. How could a general wield his saber if he lost his arm?
Right arm was the reason why Zhang Minglei was the commander of the nine gates.
The Emperor had not chosen a replacement for him yet, but everyone knew that soon, the commander of the nine gates would be replaced.
If Zhang Minglei was smart enough, he should have asked to resign at this time.
But now, Zhang Minglei was still the commander of the nine gates.
Chen Jue guessed that Zhang Minglei must have unfinished business.
"Tell him to keep an eye on Zhang Minglei. Don't act rashly. Just keep an eye on him every day," Chen Jue said.
Zhang Tang hurriedly responded and filled in another column on the list of things he needed to do.
By the time he was done dealing with this mess, the sky was already completely dark.
Chen Jue explained a few more matters before returning to the House of Chen in the carriage.
Although Wang Yi could leave now, he arranged for several Shadow Guards to guard the area.
When he was finally done, Chen Jue stood in the small garden and looked up at the moon in the sky. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
As soon as he relaxed his mind, he felt sore all over.
He turned his head and glanced at Li Xiao, who was sitting at the small table. Li Xiao was looking at him eagerly. When she saw him looking at her, she immediately sat up straight and asked nervously, "Lord, please eat the watermelon."
As she spoke, she even stood up and looked at him nervously.
Chen Jue walked up to her without saying a word. After sitting down, he whispered, "Massage my shoulders."
Li Xiao hurriedly walked behind Lord Chen and helped Chen Jue massage his shoulders.
She did not have much strength in her fingers, but she used her body weight to press down on Lord Chen, trying to help him feel more comfortable.
Chen Jue closed his eyes and enjoyed it, but his fingers kept pushing up and pressing up.
After a while, he raised his hand and stopped Li Xiao's actions.
He stood up and did not look at Li Xiao. He only said lightly, "Go to bed early."
However, Li Xiao grabbed Lord Chen's sleeve.
Chen Jue turned around and looked at her. Li Xiao opened her mouth, but she could not say what was on her mind. Instead, under Chen Jue's gaze, she said softly, "Lord, the coming-of-age ceremony is over. I should … I should go back to the Li family village …"
Chen Jue was stunned. He stared at Li Xiao for a while before saying, "Okay, I'll ask Mammy Chen to prepare some things for you. Take them with you. Prepare well for four days before you set off."
Li Xiao looked hesitant, but in the end, she just nodded.
Chen Jue nodded and patted her head. "Go to bed."
After that, he turned around and left Xiao Su Garden.
Li Xiao stood in the courtyard and looked at Lord Chen's back view with a lonely and pitiful look in her eyes.
However, she could not call out to him. She pursed her lips and stood there for a while before she turned around and went back to her room.
Just like what her mother said, all good things must come to an end.
… …..
In the next few days, Lord Chen was so busy that she could barely see him.
Li Xiao did not have a lot of things, so she packed up quickly.
However, Mammy Chen did not agree to let the little girl leave just like that. Since she could not persuade the little girl to stay, she had to make sure that the little girl was safe and sound on the road.
Thus, Mammy Chen began to spend Lord Chen's money crazily to buy Li Xiao a luggage bag.
Li Xiao refused several times, but to no avail. She could only watch as Mammy Chen bought things for her.
First, there was the carriage, then the horse, which was said to be very durable.
Then there was the quilt, saying that autumn was coming and she was afraid that she would catch a cold on the road.
She exchanged a few silver leaves for her to carry with her, afraid that she would not have enough money to spend.
Then, she bought some autumn clothes.
She bought three pairs of shoes for her.
If it were not for Li Xiao stopping her, Mammy Chen even wanted to buy some flowers for the little girl all year round. She wished that she could decorate the Li family village well.
As the days went by, Li Xiao became more and more depressed.
The smile on her face became fewer and fewer.
She felt that it was natural for her to leave. She could not rely on Lord Chen for the rest of her life.
Previously, it could be said that she was staying at Lord Chen's place. She worked at Dali Monastery while looking for her brother.
But … now that she had found her brother, and …
She could not continue to stay here.
While Mammy Chen was buying things for her, Li Xiao was embroidering by herself.
She sewed a pair of single shoes for Lord Chen. She was so serious that she forgot to eat and sleep.
On the second last day, she finally finished sewing.
Li Xiao woke up early and rushed to stop Chen Jue before Lord Chen entered the palace.
It seemed that this was the first time she saw Lord Chen in his official uniform so early in the morning.
The sun had just risen from the horizon, and the light was dim.
Lord Chen stood under the lantern, looking unusually majestic. The expression on his face was serious and stern.
She lowered her head, stood aside, and handed the shoes to Chen Jue.
Chen Jue took it and glanced at it. The stitches were crooked.
He looked up at the little girl again. Her beautiful face looked a little haggard. She probably did not sleep well.
He sighed and reached out to touch Li Xiao's head. "Go back and get some sleep."
Li Xiao nodded. Chen Jue strode away.
When he walked out of the long corridor, he handed the cloth shoes to A Liu and said with some disdain, "Put it in the box later."
A Liu nodded and looked at the shoes. The stitches … were really ugly.
Lord Chen did not throw them away and kept them …
… … …
Dali Monastery's North yamen.
Zhang Tang raised his eyebrows and looked at Chen Jue, who was sitting across from him.
He sat steadily. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "Lord Chen, Li Xiao will be leaving in a few days, right?"
Chen Jue looked up at Zhang Tang and nodded.
"Oh, I heard that the Li family village is very desolate. The people there are like barbarians and unreasonable." Zhang Tang's tone was particularly exaggerated, as if the Li family village was a cannibal tribe.
Chen Jue was speechless.
"Little Li, that girl, how is she going to survive over there?
Her brother is gone, and her mother is gone. She's all alone … Who knows if her father is still alive … "Zhang Tang almost said that Li Xiao was miserable.
Chen Jue still did not speak.
Seeing that Zhang Tang was about to say something, Chen Jue tapped the table and said coldly, "Do you think there's too little work to do?"
"…" Zhang Tang quickly shut his mouth.
Lord Chen has a heart of stone!
Serves him right for not being able to find a wife!
"Wang Yi," Chen Jue suddenly turned his head and said to Wang Yi, who was sitting on the side and had been silent all this time.
"Ah, Lord Chen."
Wang Yi was also thinking absentmindedly about Li Xiao's matter. He was considering whether it was appropriate for him to send the little girl home.
When he was suddenly called, he was stunned for a moment before he looked up.
"Tell Zhang Long and Zhao Hu to send Li Xiao back to the village tomorrow."
Send them all the way to the Li Family Village, "Jue Chen said with some annoyance.
"Ah, yes, Lord Chen." Wang Yi hurriedly stood up and went out to inform Zhang Long and Zhao Hu.
Fortunately, with these two brothers escorting her, he was finally relieved.
After Chen Jue finished his instructions, he stood up and walked out of the North yamen of the Dali Monastery.
"Lord Chen, where are we going?" Coachman asked.
"The Ministry of Appointments," Chen Jue replied.
…
Early in the morning, after the sun rose, it was time for all living things to come back to life.
People woke up at sunrise, opened the door, and prepared to welcome the day's work.
Li Xiao was dressed in a grey robe, and her long hair was tied up on top of her head.
The hat that Lord Chen gave her was confiscated by him, so she could only wear her previous grey hat.
Mammy Chen woke up early in the morning and helped Li Xiao carry her small bundle. Then, she followed her out of Xiao Su Garden.
Li Xiao looked back. Everything in the courtyard was so familiar.
In the future, it would be unfamiliar.
She was going to leave this place.
In the future, perhaps someone else would move in.
Her heart was bitter and dry.
When she walked out of Xiao Su Garden, she looked towards Chen Jue's courtyard again.
But … at this time, Lord Chen should already be in the palace.
She bit her lower lip and suddenly tasted something salty.
She blinked her eyes and reached out to touch it. Only then did she realize that she had started crying.
Mammy Chen reached out and patted the little girl's back. Li Xiao turned around and threw herself into Mammy Chen's arms.
"Mama … Lord … Lord Chen didn't even send me off …" Li Xiao felt terrible. She felt that her whole body was trembling and cold.
She felt as if a knife was cutting her heart.
Lord Chen would no longer protect her. He didn't seem to care about her anymore.
Was he that busy?
Last night, she had been waiting for Lord Chen, but he hadn't returned to the residence until very, very late.
She was worried that Lord Chen didn't know that she was leaving today. She even repeatedly confirmed with Steward Chen.
Steward Chen said that Lord Chen knew.
From the beginning to the end, Lord Chen knew that she was leaving today. He also remembered.
Lord Chen even sent Zhang Long and Zhao Hu to send her off. Obviously, he knew that she was leaving today.
But … she was leaving and would never come back …
Did Lord Chen not have the slightest bit of reluctance …
Her heart trembled. In her ears, Mammy Chen's voice seemed to be far away. It was hazy and couldn't be heard clearly.
She only knew that she was so sad that she was about to die.
"It's okay. Go back to the Li family village and take a look first. Come back later." Mammy Chen patted the little girl's back and sighed.
"Okay …" Li Xiao sobbed, but she forced herself to hold it in.
"Is your brother's clothes ready?" Mammy Chen stroked her long hair and asked.
Li Xiao nodded.
"Let's go, Mammy." Li Xiao took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
Wet Nurse Chen nodded and helped her carry the small bundle. Together, they left the courtyard.
In the stable, the Coachman had already tidied up the horse carriage.
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu had already led their horses and waited for a long time.
When the two of them saw Li Xiao, they hurriedly stood up straight and smiled at her.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhang." Li Xiao greeted politely. Her voice was slightly hoarse.
The two men nodded and led their horses out.
Li Xiao watched the two men leave the stable. She pursed her lips and looked back at the House of Chen.
She clutched her clothes tightly. She knew that no matter how much she hoped, she would never see Lord Chen again.
Tears welled up in her eyes again. She almost bit her lip until it bled.
She took deep breaths and hugged Mammy Chen. "Mammy, I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."
Mammy Chen's eyes reddened. She nodded and rubbed the little girl's shoulders. "Go. Take care of yourself."
"Okay." Li Xiao nodded and reluctantly took the small bundle from Mammy.
"I've already put the other things in the carriage. If there's anything, write me a letter." Mammy Chen took her hand and was even more reluctant to leave.
"Okay." Li Xiao nodded again. She took a deep breath and turned to wait for the carriage.
She said goodbye to Mammy Chen again. She rubbed the tears in her eyes and turned to push the carriage door open.
After a slight creak, the carriage door opened.