Chapter 203: Naked Toad Li Shiyan shrugged. “He might have come here before? We grew up together, but five years ago, after his father’s death, he went missing. However, I heard that he was guarding the tomb during his three years of mourning.”
“Three years?” Her eyes brightened, filled with hope once more. However, she appeared absent-minded. “What about his legs?” She asked.
“He got injured five years ago on the battlefield. As you can see, this is the sequelae of it.”
“Injured five years ago?”
‘Then, he really isn’t Ji Pei.”
Li Shiyan noticed her strange behavior. His mouth curled up and he moved closer to her. “You both have identical tassels. Could it be that there’s a secret between you too? Let me hear about it.”
She became clear-headed as soon as she heard his words. She walked back to the room entrance. “Young Master Li, you misunderstood. I was just asking out of curiosity. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’m taking my leave.”
“Wait!” Li Shiyan ran and closed the door tightly. He had an evil smile on his face. “Leaving already? I could still be considered to be your benefactor.”
“I won’t forget the debt of saving me. If one day you need my assistance, I won’t hesitate to lend you a hand.”
“What if I have no need for your help? Doesn’t that mean that you will owe me a debt of gratitude your whole life?”
‘Hey! What are you thinking about?’ At this moment, Ji Yunshu felt depressed and didn’t have the mind to pay attention to his antics. “Young Master Li, I will repeat myself – If one day you need my help, I will certainly go through water and tread on fire to do so without hesitation.”
“What a temper!”
“The guards from Rong Estate are probably searching for me everywhere. If this alarmed Prince Rong and he found me here, I’m afraid that it will give you a lot of trouble. Hence, please allow me to go.”
Li Shiyan had thick-skin, so how could he allow her to leave like that. He pressed his palm on the door frame and was about to start flirting.
Bang! The door was fiercely pushed open from outside, causing his hand to be stuck.
“Ouch! Ouch!” The pain he felt showed in his expression.
Xiao Luzi immediately trembled in fear. He bent at the waist and asked in alarm, “Young Master, I… didn’t mean it. How is your hand?”
“Are you looking for trouble? Why did you enter without knocking? If you’ve crippled my hand, I will peel off your skin!”
“It’s this lowly one’s fault! It’s this lowly one’s fault!” Xiao Luzi was clearly frightened by the threat.
Li Shiyan was irritated as he found how swollen his hand became. He used his other hand to swatt Xiao Luzi’s head. “I will chop you into pieces sooner or later!”
“…” Ji Yunshu was exasperated looking at their master and servant interaction. Fortunately, Xiao Luzi timely pushed open the door which allowed her to escape. She didn’t miss the chance to quickly leave.
Behind her, Li Shiyan was still scolding and beating Xiao Luzi. He didn’t even notice that she had escaped without a leaving a trace. As soon as she left the inn, She encountered Jing Rong’s guard who was full of perspiration.
“Teacher Ji, where did you go? If we hadn’t found you, we won’t have been able to keep our heads.” The guard said with lingering fear in his voice.
‘Could it be that the usual peaceful Jing Rong is nothing but a facade? Does he usually kill people like grass? How can this guard exaggerate so much? Yet, he was obviously being serious.’
“I’m fine, so you will be able to keep your heads.” She walked toward the Rong estate while speaking.
Meanwhile, in the reception hall of the Rong estate, Ji Li and Jing Rong were chatting about some family matters. They glossed over Ji Li’s family situation and instead conversed about the state of affairs in the Ministry of War.
Which lord with which lord went against a certain lord; Which ministry sent out an official document full of mistakes that needed the lower ranked officials to busy themselves with the corrections. The corrupted within the Ministry of Revenue that was awaiting arrest warrants to be issued, but the evidence was still being compiled and prepared for submission. They even talked about Ji Li’s damned third little sister who didn’t have a shred of filial piety, burnt down their ancestral home, causing their grandmother to die from the shock before she finally, disappeared.
Once in a while, Jing Rong would grunt and groan during Ji Li’s narration. In the end, he was the left secretary of the army supervisor. Even if they had been in conflict before, Jing Rong still needed to give him some respect.
Who let him currently have the wind in his sail! Finally, when they ran out of topics of conversation, Ji Li planned to leave.
Sigh! Jing Rong inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly summoned a servant to send Ji Li away.
‘Hurry and leave! Get out quickly! Get lost far away!’
After Ji Li left the Rong estate, the subordinate who accompanied him whispered in his ears. “I secretly search Prince Rong’s residence and I didn’t see that Teacher Ji.”
Ji Li showed a cold face. “That person can hide the first time, but not forever. If Teacher Ji is really Ji Yunshu, I must kill her.” He growled.
“Should I notify General Ji Huan?” His subordinate inquired.
“No need. He’s too impulsive. If he decided to pull out his sword and slash the carriage curtain like before, there will be not enough life to redeem such mistakes.”
“Yes!”
Ji Li turned back and stared at the signboard of the Rong estate. He grunted, then flapped his sleeve before leaving.
Without Ji Li’s presence, Jing Rong felt as if the calm has returned. Lang Po bend down and said, “Left Secretary Ji obviously pretended to seek your Highness’ advice. In fact, he was secretly investigating Teacher Ji. How treacherous! Fortunately, his trick was seen through and we have promptly notified Teacher Ji.” He raised his suspicions while buttering to Jing Rong.
The corner of Jing Rong’s mouth raised. He leaned his head. “This Ji Li is merely a rough man who loved to play mind games, thinking he is farsighted by grasping Army Supervisor Yi, acting like he owns the court. But he’s merely a naked toad underneath all his subterfuges. Even if he can jump high, reaching the sky is another matter.”
‘A toad?’ The description spoke by Jing Rong was quite comical. The ancients’ jokes deserved their reputation.
He sipped his tea and asked, “Where did you hide Teacher Ji?”
“Lu Jiang said that he left for Yuhua Pavilion.” Lang Po answered.
“Yuhua Pavilion?” Jing Rong frowned, feeling his anxiety rising. “Why did she have to leave the tiger’s cave to enter the wolf’s den?”
Mo Ruo was the so-called wolf in sheepskin. Countless ladies have fallen under his sweet words, unable to stop themselves despite knowing the truth. His place was truly a wolf’s den.
Just thinking about it gave Jing Rong a headache. He shook his head and got up. “Go and bring her back.” He instructed Lang Po.
“Yes, Your Highness!” Lang Po replied and left.
As for Jing Rong, he strolled to the East Courtyard. He ordered people to bring his chair which he sat on, waiting for Ji Yunshu’s return. While waiting, he looked at the water wheel rotating and admired the plum blossoms in the courtyard. He appeared very satisfied.
After a long time, as the sky gradually darkened, the guards finally escorted Ji Yunshu back safely. Seeing her entering through the big entrance with several guards after waiting until he was tired, he heaved a sigh in relief.