Chapter 550: The Cheng Family
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Ah Lian heard Li Yu’s words, she also felt that it was only right to give them a portion of the food.
She said happily to Li Yu, “Madam Li, we sisters admire you very much. Although we didn’t see how you killed those evil thieves with our own eyes, we know that you’re very powerful. Madam Li, if only we were as capable as you. They wouldn’t have died in vain.”
Li Yu looked at Ah Lian, who was in a low mood in the blink of an eye, and didn’t know how to comfort her. She patted her shoulder and looked at her.
“They must want you to live well and happily.”
Ah Lian wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and bowed to Li Yu. “Thank you.”
Li Yu carried the rice water and sat under the eaves to check on the manor head, Old Chi. After more than a quarter of an hour, she saw that his expression gradually improved. She thought to herself that fortunately she didn’t have to wash the rice water.
After another hour, Ah Lian also finished cooking and went to call Yang Liu and the others.
Li Yu sat on the chair and saw Old Chi’s eyelids twitch a few times. She knew that he had woken up and ignored him. She just looked at him indifferently to see if he dared to die again.
From his slightly opened eyes, Old Chi glanced at Li Yu, who was leaning against the chair. Then, he closed his eyes again. He no longer had the courage to endure it again. The feeling of being on the verge of death was really terrifying. His internal organs felt like they were being burned, and it was unbearable.
Li Yu looked at him. “Manor Head Chi, have you thought about it? Should you tell me?
Manor Head Chi said weakly, “What good will it do if I tell Madam?”
“Benefits!” Li Yu looked at him coldly. “If you want to discuss benefits with me, it depends on what useful things you can take out. Otherwise…”
Manor Head Chi panted and said in a thin voice, “The things in my head must be useful.”
Li Yu chuckled and said, ‘Whether they’re useful or not will depend on me. I’ll give you a hint. It’s like a cellar! You don’t have to mention a secret room.”
Manor Head Chi widened his eyes and looked at Li Yu. From the looks of it, he never dreamed that Li Yu would find the secret room.
“You don’t have to be so surprised. I can roughly guess what you do, so don’t think about getting away with it.”
Manor Head Chi nodded in admiration. “I was originally a servant of the Cheng family in Yuezhou. Fifteen years ago, I followed the steward to the capital and worked behind him for two years. The steward felt that I was still useful, so he promoted me to the head of the manor. After another year, I was sent here to manage everything in the manor.
After crossing a few mountain ridges in front of Liang Village, we saw the caravan from Liangzhou. It was the only way to enter the capital. When we received the news, we brought people out and ambushed and plundered. The plundered property was sent to the Second Prince’s residence in the capital.”
Li Yu cursed in her heart. The prince of a country sent people to slaughter the village for money just to raise a group of bandits for convenience. If such a cruel person was allowed to ascend the throne, the world would become his slaughterhouse.
“How long will it take to cross a few mountain ridges? Where will you rest along the way? Are there any villages along the way?”
Manor Head Chi thought for a moment. “There are still two mountain ridges and villages in front. There’s nothing beyond that. It will take at least a month to go back and forth.”
“When will you stop doing this?”
Manor Head Chi panted a few times. “Later, there was news that the Eldest
Prince broke his leg and something happened to the Second Prince. Then, the
Third Prince was appointed the Crown Prince. His Majesty died, and the Noble Consort committed suicide by taking poison. I haven’t been there since I received orders, so I’ve been staying here.
Four years ago, Steward Cheng pulled those weapons to the manor. Only then did I know that there was a secret room under the study. Steward Cheng sent many weapons to the cellar one after another. Two years ago, he picked up more than a hundred men from the manor and instructed me to continue guarding here and wait for news.”
Once, I asked Steward Cheng if the Cheng family wanted to rebel. He smiled and slapped me, saying that the world belonged to the Second Prince. I knew from that time that the Second Prince was not dead, but I didn’t know where they were hiding.
From then on, I have to stay at the Tongfu Inn in Shanyang County every half a month. As long as there’s news, they’ll get someone to put the note in a crack in the green brick at the entrance of the latrine.”
Li Yu asked, “You’re not a death warrior. Why are you hiding poison in your collar?”
“Supervisor Cheng said that as long as I go out, I have to wear this poisonous shirt with a collar. If I’m captured, I’ll immediately take poison and commit suicide.”
Manor Head Chi looked up at Li Yu and panted heavily. “Madam Li, I’ve already told you everything I know.”
Li Yu nodded and dragged the weak Manor Head Chi into the cellar. She tied him up and placed him on the sack.
From the confessions of Manor Head Chi, Old Lin, Big Stone, it could be seen that these people had been plotting for a long time and were quite experienced. No one on the surface knew who their superior was.
Li Yu felt that some of them must be hiding in the capital’s government office. They should soon receive the news of what happened in Liang Village and quickly disappear.
Li Yu sat under the eaves of the porch and narrowed her eyes for a while. Seeing that it was already time to cook dinner, she stood up and entered the kitchen.
She saw a few old pumpkins on the table in the corner and took one down.
Seeing that there was mixed noodles in the rice jar, she scooped some out of the jar. After beating eggs and kneading the old noodles, he placed them in front of the stove to ferment.
She peeled of the skin of the old pumpkin, dug out the inner flesh, and placed it aside. She washed the pumpkin, cut it into strips, and placed it in the steamer. She planned to make pumpkin steamed buns after steaming it.
As soon as she lit the fire, he heard Ah Lian shout for the door to be opened.
Li Yu stood up and went out to open the door for them. Ah Lian, Yang Liu, and the others carried a basket of wild vegetables. San Qiao carried Hong Mei on her back and the group entered the courtyard.
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright! I steamed some pumpkins and plan to steam some pumpkin buns.”
Yang Liu looked at the fire in the stove, the steamer in the pot, and the flour fermenting on the stove. She then looked at Li Yu and said with a smile, “Madam Li, I thought you official madams didn’t do any chores. I didn’t expect you to know how to do these.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “I’m also from a farming family. I know everything you know. ”
Ah Lian smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you to be from a farming family. We thought you could be the daughter of an aristocratic family, but we didn’t think so. In the past, when we went to the capital to play, we saw that they were all delicate. How would they dare to fight with evil thieves?”
Everyone chatted and laughed as they got busy. After the meal, Li Yu warmed the steamed buns and food in the pot and waited for Ji Xiang to come back to eat.
She then said to Ah Lian and the others, “You have to be more vigilant when you sleep at night. I’m worried that someone will come to the manor to take revenge.”
Yang Liu said, “Madam Li, we’ll choose a few rooms in the backyard to rest and accompany you.”
“Alright, it’s up to you,” Li Yu said..
Chapter 550: The Cheng Family
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Ah Lian heard Li Yu’s words, she also felt that it was only right to give them a portion of the food.
She said happily to Li Yu, “Madam Li, we sisters admire you very much. Although we didn’t see how you killed those evil thieves with our own eyes, we know that you’re very powerful. Madam Li, if only we were as capable as you. They wouldn’t have died in vain.”
Li Yu looked at Ah Lian, who was in a low mood in the blink of an eye, and didn’t know how to comfort her. She patted her shoulder and looked at her.
“They must want you to live well and happily.”
Ah Lian wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and bowed to Li Yu. “Thank you.”
Li Yu carried the rice water and sat under the eaves to check on the manor head, Old Chi. After more than a quarter of an hour, she saw that his expression gradually improved. She thought to herself that fortunately she didn’t have to wash the rice water.
After another hour, Ah Lian also finished cooking and went to call Yang Liu and the others.
Li Yu sat on the chair and saw Old Chi’s eyelids twitch a few times. She knew that he had woken up and ignored him. She just looked at him indifferently to see if he dared to die again.
From his slightly opened eyes, Old Chi glanced at Li Yu, who was leaning against the chair. Then, he closed his eyes again. He no longer had the courage to endure it again. The feeling of being on the verge of death was really terrifying. His internal organs felt like they were being burned, and it was unbearable.
Li Yu looked at him. “Manor Head Chi, have you thought about it? Should you tell me?
Manor Head Chi said weakly, “What good will it do if I tell Madam?”
“Benefits!” Li Yu looked at him coldly. “If you want to discuss benefits with me, it depends on what useful things you can take out. Otherwise…”
Manor Head Chi panted and said in a thin voice, “The things in my head must be useful.”
Li Yu chuckled and said, ‘Whether they’re useful or not will depend on me. I’ll give you a hint. It’s like a cellar! You don’t have to mention a secret room.”
Manor Head Chi widened his eyes and looked at Li Yu. From the looks of it, he never dreamed that Li Yu would find the secret room.
“You don’t have to be so surprised. I can roughly guess what you do, so don’t think about getting away with it.”
Manor Head Chi nodded in admiration. “I was originally a servant of the Cheng family in Yuezhou. Fifteen years ago, I followed the steward to the capital and worked behind him for two years. The steward felt that I was still useful, so he promoted me to the head of the manor. After another year, I was sent here to manage everything in the manor.
After crossing a few mountain ridges in front of Liang Village, we saw the caravan from Liangzhou. It was the only way to enter the capital. When we received the news, we brought people out and ambushed and plundered. The plundered property was sent to the Second Prince’s residence in the capital.”
Li Yu cursed in her heart. The prince of a country sent people to slaughter the village for money just to raise a group of bandits for convenience. If such a cruel person was allowed to ascend the throne, the world would become his slaughterhouse.
“How long will it take to cross a few mountain ridges? Where will you rest along the way? Are there any villages along the way?”
Manor Head Chi thought for a moment. “There are still two mountain ridges and villages in front. There’s nothing beyond that. It will take at least a month to go back and forth.”
“When will you stop doing this?”
Manor Head Chi panted a few times. “Later, there was news that the Eldest
Prince broke his leg and something happened to the Second Prince. Then, the
Third Prince was appointed the Crown Prince. His Majesty died, and the Noble Consort committed suicide by taking poison. I haven’t been there since I received orders, so I’ve been staying here.
Four years ago, Steward Cheng pulled those weapons to the manor. Only then did I know that there was a secret room under the study. Steward Cheng sent many weapons to the cellar one after another. Two years ago, he picked up more than a hundred men from the manor and instructed me to continue guarding here and wait for news.”
Once, I asked Steward Cheng if the Cheng family wanted to rebel. He smiled and slapped me, saying that the world belonged to the Second Prince. I knew from that time that the Second Prince was not dead, but I didn’t know where they were hiding.
From then on, I have to stay at the Tongfu Inn in Shanyang County every half a month. As long as there’s news, they’ll get someone to put the note in a crack in the green brick at the entrance of the latrine.”
Li Yu asked, “You’re not a death warrior. Why are you hiding poison in your collar?”
“Supervisor Cheng said that as long as I go out, I have to wear this poisonous shirt with a collar. If I’m captured, I’ll immediately take poison and commit suicide.”
Manor Head Chi looked up at Li Yu and panted heavily. “Madam Li, I’ve already told you everything I know.”
Li Yu nodded and dragged the weak Manor Head Chi into the cellar. She tied him up and placed him on the sack.
From the confessions of Manor Head Chi, Old Lin, Big Stone, it could be seen that these people had been plotting for a long time and were quite experienced. No one on the surface knew who their superior was.
Li Yu felt that some of them must be hiding in the capital’s government office. They should soon receive the news of what happened in Liang Village and quickly disappear.
Li Yu sat under the eaves of the porch and narrowed her eyes for a while. Seeing that it was already time to cook dinner, she stood up and entered the kitchen.
She saw a few old pumpkins on the table in the corner and took one down.
Seeing that there was mixed noodles in the rice jar, she scooped some out of the jar. After beating eggs and kneading the old noodles, he placed them in front of the stove to ferment.
She peeled of the skin of the old pumpkin, dug out the inner flesh, and placed it aside. She washed the pumpkin, cut it into strips, and placed it in the steamer. She planned to make pumpkin steamed buns after steaming it.
As soon as she lit the fire, he heard Ah Lian shout for the door to be opened.
Li Yu stood up and went out to open the door for them. Ah Lian, Yang Liu, and the others carried a basket of wild vegetables. San Qiao carried Hong Mei on her back and the group entered the courtyard.
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright! I steamed some pumpkins and plan to steam some pumpkin buns.”
Yang Liu looked at the fire in the stove, the steamer in the pot, and the flour fermenting on the stove. She then looked at Li Yu and said with a smile, “Madam Li, I thought you official madams didn’t do any chores. I didn’t expect you to know how to do these.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “I’m also from a farming family. I know everything you know. ”
Ah Lian smiled and said, “I didn’t expect you to be from a farming family. We thought you could be the daughter of an aristocratic family, but we didn’t think so. In the past, when we went to the capital to play, we saw that they were all delicate. How would they dare to fight with evil thieves?”
Everyone chatted and laughed as they got busy. After the meal, Li Yu warmed the steamed buns and food in the pot and waited for Ji Xiang to come back to eat.
She then said to Ah Lian and the others, “You have to be more vigilant when you sleep at night. I’m worried that someone will come to the manor to take revenge.”
Yang Liu said, “Madam Li, we’ll choose a few rooms in the backyard to rest and accompany you.”
“Alright, it’s up to you,” Li Yu said..
