20demayo Chapter 177 Worry
Chapter 177 Worry
With sufficient supplies, Li Xiaonuan and her family had a comfortable night. The forbidden chamber courtyard was fully equipped with a latrine, kitchen, well, and other amenities. Prince Jing had also sent them plenty of rice, grain, and vegetables. Thus, the Li family lived a peaceful life of imprisonment within the forbidden chamber.
Compared to the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere inside the forbidden room, the situation outside was far more tense. The military camp—no, it should be said that the general's compound—was temporarily under the control of Prince Jing. Seeing that Prince Jing could handle the situation alone, Wei Yu hurriedly returned to the city.
Before leaving, he only vaguely mentioned to Prince Jing: "Your Highness, those people are probably using the pretext of illegally growing chili peppers to frame you. Your Highness, please be careful. I will investigate further when I return to the city."
Prince Jing nodded and said calmly, "They've grown quite capable since they haven't been out causing trouble for a while. Let's go back and investigate thoroughly to see what they're planning."
After Wei Yu left, Qi Ji took Sang Moyun and carried the small bamboo basket he had prepared in advance to visit the Li family.
Sang Moyun stared at the bamboo basket and asked Qi Ji, "What's that? When did you prepare it?"
As Qi Ji walked forward with his attendants, he weighed the basket in his hand and said with a smug smile, "This young master is meticulous, so naturally I know to prepare some necessary items for the Li family."
Bathed in the pale moonlight, Sang Moyun stuck out her tongue and retorted, "Young Master Qi is indeed very perceptive, leaving his mark on everyone. I'm afraid such women are everywhere in your household."
Qi Ji glanced at Sang Moyun's cute and mischievous appearance, ignoring her sarcasm. He was lost in his own thoughts and paid no further attention to Sang Moyun.
Sang Moyun was also clever; she didn't care if others ignored her.
It would be a mistake to assume that the detention rooms were located in remote parts of the military camp. After all, those imprisoned in the detention rooms were mostly important figures. Therefore, the locations of the detention rooms were generally in the central areas of the military camp.
When Qi Ji and his companion stepped into the courtyard of the forbidden room, it was bustling with activity. Xiao Jun and Xiao Xian were playing around Xiao Gang in the courtyard. In the small kitchen nearby, Li Xiaonuan and the others were busy preparing dinner.
"Master, what brings you here? Mistress, you're here too?" Xiao Gang exclaimed in surprise when he turned around and saw Qi Ji and the other woman standing dumbfounded at the courtyard gate.
Xiao Jun and Xiao Xian followed behind Xiao Gang, calling out, "Master, Mistress, you're here!"
Sang Moyun chuckled. She stepped forward and hugged each of the two children, asking, "You two have such sweet tongues. Tell me, did Xiaogang teach you that?"
"Mmm, brother, teach me. What's a teacher's wife? Do you call her teacher's wife, sister?" Xiaoxian asked in her childish voice.
Qi Ji glared at Xiao Gang with a headache and handed him the bamboo basket: "Take it. You recognize all the medicinal herbs inside and know how to use them, so I won't say any more."
Xiao Gang innocently took the bamboo basket, looking at Qi Ji with admiration, waiting for Qi Ji to finish. Qi Ji, however, ignored him and walked straight towards the group of men from the Li family.
At this moment, the men of the Li family also noticed Qi Ji, and they all walked towards him with smiles on their faces.
Li Xiaonuan first heard Xiaogang's shout and thought she had misheard. When she peeked out from the narrow kitchen, she saw Qi Ji smiling at her in the moonlight.
Li Xiaonuan smiled back, turned around and told the people in the kitchen what she was doing, then left the kitchen.
"Miss Sang, what brings you here?" Li Xiaonuan walked towards Sang Moyun and asked happily.
Sang Moyun stood up and said in a deliberately arrogant tone, "Since you helped me before, I'll reluctantly come to see you."
The courtyard of the forbidden room became even more lively for a moment. During the meal, the Li family invited Qi Ji and Sang Moyun to dine with them, and they readily agreed. They hadn't eaten anything since learning that Li Xiaonuan's family had been brought here that afternoon.
Although Qi Ji and Sang Moyun weren't exactly exhausted from their journey, they weren't in much better shape either. The meal prepared by the Li family tonight wasn't lavish, but the ingredients sent by Prince Jing were plentiful, with plenty of meat and eggs. So everyone ate well.
After dinner, Qi Ji and Qi Xiaonuan explained the current situation to Li Xiaonuan. When she heard that privately cultivating foreign crops was a violation of regulations, Li Xiaonuan was stunned. According to Qi Ji, everyone in Zhou Village who had grown chili peppers with her would be implicated. Li Xiaonuan immediately regretted giving the advice without properly investigating the situation.
"What should I do? I've caused the deaths of Aunt Zhou and Granny Yu. Ignorance of the law is terrifying. If I can successfully overcome this difficulty, I will definitely study the laws of Qisong thoroughly." Li Xiaonuan said dejectedly.
Seeing Li Xiaonuan's dejected look, Qi Ji suddenly felt sorry for her and comforted her, "Miss Li, things aren't as serious as you think. We suspect that those people are trying to frame Prince Jing in this matter, not because of the private cultivation of chili peppers. Don't worry, as long as Prince Jing and his group can successfully resolve this situation, the chili peppers in your village will be fine."
“Qi Ji is right, Prince Jing and the others are trapped this time. But based on my understanding of the Wei family and Prince Jing’s residence, they will be able to resolve this matter soon. Everyone in the capital knows that Prince Jing is the Emperor’s most valued brother, and he will definitely not believe those people’s schemes.” Sang Moyun was unaware that she had unwittingly made things worse by explaining herself.
After hearing Sang Moyun's words, Li Xiaonuan felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that the so-called kinship within the royal family wasn't so solid. Many seemingly close relationships were actually just a means to maintain a facade of security.
She was certain that the Emperor had long harbored resentment towards Prince Jing. She wondered if the Emperor would take this opportunity to deal with this potential threat.
After seeing Qi Ji and the other person off, Li Xiaonuan was gripped by panic. She didn't know how to help the villagers in Zhoucun who grew chili peppers, nor how to get out of her current predicament.
That night, Li Xiaonuan slept very restlessly, having all sorts of bizarre dreams. When she woke up early the next morning, she was listless and anxious. The old lady asked her if something was wrong, and Li Xiaonuan forced a smile and said nothing was amiss, offering only the excuse of not being able to sleep in a new bed.
Everyone in the Li family noticed Li Xiaonuan's unusual behavior, but they wisely refrained from asking why. At this point, scolding Li Xiaonuan would be pointless; it was better to simply wait and see how things unfolded.
After breakfast, the gate to the forbidden room was opened once again. This time, it was Prince Jing himself who came. Accompanying Prince Jing was Zhou Liufeng, who was in a disheveled state. When Zhou Liufeng entered, Li Xiaonuan could even smell a faint scent of blood.
"Liu Fei, what brings you here? Look at you, what happened to you?" The old lady was the first to ask.
When Zhou Liufeng saw that Li Xiaonuan and her family were all safe and sound, a pale and weak smile appeared on his exhausted face.
“Grandma Li, I’m here to take you back to the village. You’re no longer spies who colluded with the enemy. I caught that spy, and he’s locked up in the military camp right now. He confessed everything, saying those things had nothing to do with you.” A gleam of white teeth made Li Xiaonuan’s eyes dazzle.
"Really?" That excited exclamation was, of course, from Chen. "That's wonderful! Let's quickly pack our things and head back."
Li Xiaonuan looked at Prince Jing, who nodded to her. Li Xiaonuan breathed a sigh of relief. But the worry and fear in her heart remained. After all, they were about to face the problem of illegally grown chili peppers.