“En, you have to go quickly, else big brother will have already let them start cooking.” Du Xiao Li turned to Xia Yuan and said.
“This servant understands.”
Xia Yuan replied with a smile, and then turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Du Xiao Li, “Xia Yuan.”
“Does miss have any other instructions?”
Du Xiao Li shook her head and said, “No, thank you for staying with me.”
Seeing Du Xiao Li’s sentimental side, Xia Yuan also laughed, “Miss, we are also very thankful to you. Have you as our master is our good fortune. Miss, I’ll be going then.”
After Xia Yuan left, Du Xiao Li turned around again and continued watching the sunset for a while, feeling her mood, in such a warm moment, instantly relaxing.
Although there might be wind and rain in the future, at least in this moment, her heart was free, and also pure.
Once the red clouds scattered, Du Xiao Li finally got up from the guifei couch and returned inside. Seeing the incense on the table, she took out a box and opened it up, extracting a small piece inside. After using a handkerchief to wrap it up, she put the box back again, and shortly after, went downstairs.
And not long after she went downstairs, a shadow entered her room. Upon seeing the box on table, the shadow picked up the entire box and put it in a cloth bag, taking it away.
After the shadow disappeared, Du Xiao Li pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing the box on the table gone, she wasn’t at all surprised. She turned and descended the stairs.
A while later, in a courtyard inside the Du Manor, an ice-cold female voice sounded, “Has everything been taken care of?”
“All taken to the little river in the back and disposed of.” A deep male voice replied.
(T/N: Why does everyone like disposing poison into the water———-)
“Never thought that this Du Xiao Li would actually get suspicious of our incense. Heard that last time, when the Eastern Li third princess got poisoned, it was also her that saved the princess. This little girl, is her poison skills really that impressive?”
“In the future, we’ll temporarily stop using the poison from that side in the Prime Minister Manor, so as to avoid getting discovered by that girl.”
“En, right now the situation is tense. Additionally, because of the competition this time, the entire Phoenix city’s security has heightened. While you’re in the city, don’t casually go out. The information received this time, I’ll transmit it out.”
“Going out of the city to pray this time will be the perfect chance for you. You need to be careful. I’ll be going first.”
Very soon, the dark shadow left the room, and seeing no one in the surroundings, quickly departed from the courtyard.
Not long after Du Xiao Li went downstairs, Du Xiu Heng came over. He was just planning on letting someone make dinner, when Xia Yuan came to call him over to eat. The two chatted for a while, before Du Yun Han arrived.
The three ate dinner together, and then chatted for a while afterwards. Once Du Xiu Heng went back, Du Xiao Li had today’s matter reported to Du Yun Han.
“See, this piece, I secretly saved. I saved some for research purposes, the rest you can have. You can go investigate yourself.” Du Xiao Li had the incense brought out and divided into two, having the other half handed to Du Yun Han.
“If you know someone will come, why didn’t you catch him?” Du Yun Han asked.
“If I catch him, will you be able to find the person behind him?” Du Xiao Li looked to Du Yun Han and said, “Besides, didn’t you decide to not startle the snake? I can’t ruin your plans you know!”
“Hehe.” Du Yun Han looked to Du Xiao Li’s naughty appearance and laughed. She clearly just found the matter troublesome, yet still found herself an excuse. “You’ve been busy lately too. Stay at home and rest for two days, before going to Sui Yuan again. Everything else, just leave it for your father to take care of.”
“Alright, thank you father.” Du Xiao Li looked to Du Yun Han and happily smiled.
With Du Yun Han’s words, Du Xiao Li stayed at home for two days and didn’t go anywhere, staying in her own room studying the remaining incense the whole time. And on the day after fourth yiniang and fifth yiniang’s incident, they were sent to the monastery outside the city as punishment.
Once Du Xiao Li had the poison inside the incense figured out, she was seriously shocked, personally going to find Du Yun Han, and the two talked in his study for a long time.
Another two days later, it was Fu Ya Lan’s coming-of-age ceremony. Du Xiao Li took the long prepared present and headed to the Cabinet Minister’s residence with her servant girls. At the entrance, she ran into Madam Meng and Meng Jiang Zhuo.
“Xiao Li, you’ve also come!” Seeing Du Xiao Li, Meng Jiang Zhuo came to her side, coiling around her arm.
Du Xiao Li nodded at her and then bowed to Madam Meng, “Aunt Meng.”
Seeing Du Xiao Li, Madam Meng walked over with a smile and said, “Thank you for taking care of your grandma Meng and Jiang Zhuo last time.”
“Aunt Meng is too polite. For them to be able to come to my estate for a short stay is my honor.” Du Xiao Li said.
“Last time, we said to have you become our foster daughter, but afterwards you were busy the whole time, and until now, still haven’t settled the matter yet. Else, you would’ve changed to call me foster mother by now.” Madam Meng sighed.
“Whatever the address is, it all doesn’t matter. In my heart, aunt Meng is dear to me all the same!” Du Xiao Li replied with a smile.
“Haha, Xiao Li is still this good at talking!” Hearing Du Xiao Li’s words, Madam Meng was very happy, “Let’s not continue blocking the entrance. Let’s go in.”
After entering the Fu Manor, someone immediately took them to the guest hall. Du Xiao Li and the others went to greet Fu Ya Lan’s mother, then left the guest hall, and headed to Fu Ya Lan’s courtyard.
Fu Ya Lan had a few older brothers and sisters above her. Her older sisters have all married off already, and among her older brothers, some have already married as well, while some were still studying in the academy. Although a girl’s coming-of-age ceremony was a significant matter, not a single one of her older brothers were home, and among her married older sisters, only the one that married within the capital returned. The others that married outside to other regions all didn’t come back.
However, this didn’t mean that she wasn’t favored at home, but rather, a girl’s coming-of-age ceremony, compared to a man’s official matters, wasn’t nearly as important. If her older brothers just happened to be free and at home today, then they will attend the banquet. But if they have matters to attend to, then they won’t specially stay at home to participate in her coming-of-age ceremony.
But they still will have the presents they prepared sent to their younger sister the day before or the night before.
That’s why, when Du Xiao Li and Meng Jiang Zhou arrived in Fu Ya Lan’s room, they saw a girl in a married woman hairstyle chatting with Fu Ya Lan.
“Xiao LI, Jiang Zhuo, you’ve come!” Seeing Du Xiao Li and them, Fu Ya Lan got up to welcome them.
“Little birthday star, happy birthday!” Du Xiao Li had her present placed into Fu Ya Lan’s hands and said with a smile.
“Big sister Ya Lan, happy birthday!” Meng Jiang Zhuo also had her present handed to Fu Ya Lan. Both their presents were relatively delicate, and wasn’t heavy at all in her hands.
“Thank you both.” Fu Ya Lan handed the presents to a servant girl, dragging each by each hand inside, “Let me introduce you. This is my third sister, Fu Ya Ting. Right now, she’s the assistant minister of rite’s wife. Third sister, this is Jiang Zhuo and Xiao Li that I’ve told you about.”
Fu Ya Ting was older than Fu Ya Lan by three years, but appeared much more mature. She looked to Du Xiao Li and smiled, “So this is the little medicine god renowned throughout our Feng Ming? Truly is ‘seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times’!”
“Big sister Ya Ting overpraises.”
