Chapter 336: Going Out Disguised 1
Heir Pei’s attached mansion.
After several spies relayed the news to him, Li Qing walked into the compound with a solemn expression. He bowed before speaking up.
“My lord, the State Preceptor has arrived in Qingzhou City.”
Pei Fengtang drank his medicine without making a sound. He only raised his brows slightly.
Li Qing continued, “I heard that the Head Grand Secretariat had personally welcomed the State Preceptor at the gate.”
Pei Fengtang put down the medicine bowl and wiped the concoction from the corner of his mouth with a white cloth. He then took a sip of water and rinsed his mouth to get rid of the bitter taste. After that, he picked up a small snack and murmured while eating it, “When two tigers fight, one is bound to get injured.”
Li Qing lifted his head and thought for a long time before saying, “I don’t think the State Preceptor came to Qingzhou City to butt heads with the Head Grand Secretariat.”
“He did not manage to kill Jiang Yeqian despite poisoning him and hunting him down. Li Ruoxuan’s purpose for coming here this time probably isn’t only Jiang Yeqian,” Pei Fengtang said casually.
“My lord, what are your thoughts on this…” Li Qing asked.
“Maybe it’s for the Lingyun Restaurant Massacre.” Pei Fengtang said leisurely, “The entire mainland is about to have an eighth grand master, wouldn’t it garner curiosity?”
Indeed, it made everyone curious. Even their group had secretly sent people to investigate this but they got no findings. Li Qing said, “Lord, then for us…”
Pei Fengtang was not too interested in these things. “I haven’t fully recovered yet. We’ll stay put for the time being and watch the tigers fight from afar.”
Li Qing agreed This matter had nothing much to do with them.
Regardless of whether the State Preceptor could find the eighth grand master, Qingzhou City would usher in a storm during this period.
…
…
After discussing with Lu Yan, Qi Qingyao sat in the hall and drank her tea idly, her leisurely posture like that of an old fellow after retirement.
After Dong Jing reported to Lu Yan about her behavior, he could not help but walk out of the room to the hall to ask her in person.
“What are you going to do?”
Going to do what?
Qi Qingyao looked confused.
Lu Yan asked her how she planned on dealing with the fact that she had become the State Preceptor’s target.
Qi Qingyao only gave him two words, “Hang on.”
“What do you mean ‘hang on’?” Lu Yan asked her in a daze.
Qi Qingyao paced around and said seriously, “Hang on means that when the opponent has his eyes all over the grass, I can only stay still where I am lest I complicate the matter and get myself killed.”
“…” It was indeed a fresh rhetoric.
The opponent’s eyes had indeed spanned across more than half of Qingzhou City…
After sitting down, Lu Yan could not help but rub his chest. He had just changed the medicine on the wound and it stung a little. He reminded her, “However, you can’t lock yourself inside the house forever.”
Qi Qingyao pouted and said with dissatisfaction, “I knew you were going to say that I’m being cowardly. But in my opinion, staying alive is the most important.”
Lu Yan said helplessly, “Si Jin is rank nine, he can definitely protect you when you go out.”
Qi Qingyao said seriously, “I have three little children as well, who’s gonna protect them? Si Jin has to stay at home to protect them.”
Lu yan disagreed with her decision. “Then what you mean is, you simply don’t plan on going out for the rest of your life.”
“Just—just hang on first!”
Generally… it would have to wait until she thought of a solution, then they could talk.
Lu Yan, “…”
He took a glance at her and left the hall.
After Lu Yan returned to the compound, Qi Qingyao was the only one left. Si Jin walked in from outside and dusted the snow off his body.
As soon as he sat down, he saw Qi Qingyao pacing around the hall like a spinning top.
It looked as though she was very anxious.
After holding back for a while, Qi Qingyao cursed.
“F*ck, this house has become a prison.” ‘Trying to trap me inside, no f*cking way!’
Si Jin tilted his head. He said while eating some puffed rice candy, “Sister, if you want to head out, I can accompany you. I’ll protect you, so it’s okay.”
“Going out is not an issue, but what if I bump into the State Preceptor and some others while I’m out?” Qi Qingyao asked worriedly.
Si Jin simply said, “We’ll take measures appropriate to the actual situation.”
Qi Qingyao rolled her eyes at him and thought to herself, ‘Innocent sure is bliss!’
Si Jin’s words made sense, but she was now a target. If the State Preceptor was targeting her, once she headed out, even if she was not greeted by a fresh assassination attempt, then there would at least be a fight, or… a test!
At the moment, it was clear that the State Preceptor also knew about the assassination attempt by the ghost organization.
The State Preceptor might even come to test Si Jin in person.
Although she did not believe that Si Jin was a grand master, the State Preceptor was at rank nine, so he must be surrounded by powerhouses. What if a few rank-nines besieged Si Jin and caused him to be injured or even die?
This was a risk she could not take.
Qi Qingyao contemplated for a while. “Wait, there’s another way.”
“??” What is it? Si Jin continued eating the puffed rice candy.
Qi Qingyao stroked her chin, the smile that lifted from the corner of the lips extremely sinister. “Qi Qingyao can’t go out, but that doesn’t mean other people can’t.”
“???” Other people, what did she mean by that?
“Hehe~~~”
Qi Qingyao’s smile was extremely cunning and eccentric.
She rushed to her room and fiddled around for the entire afternoon. The three little children were also confused by their mother’s behavior. Qi Qingyao was finally done by dinnertime. She walked out of the room with a big smile on her face that carried a trace of mystery.
After the meal, Qi Qingyao began to teach the three children to play Chinese chess as if nothing happened. At first, the children did not understand the rules of chess and kept messing up, but after a few tries, the children, who were all four years of age after the Lunar New Year, were getting the hang of it, especially Xiaobao. He was the quickest in familiarizing himself with the rules and was even able to correct Erniu’s mistakes.
Under Xiaobao and Qi Qingyao’s simultaneous teachings, Dabao and Erniu quickly understood the basic rules of Chinese chess as well.
Qi Qingyao and Xiaobao started playing chess while Dabao and Erniu watched by the side.
After the first round.
Qi Qingyao asked Dong Jing to exchange ten taels of copper coins. Dong Jing complied and exchanged the copper coins. Ten taels of copper coins were equivalent to ten strings of coins!
After the copper coins were brought back.
Qi Qingyao gave the three little children a string of coins each.
The three children, “????”
“Most of the time, apart from learning to read, the three of you must have gotten bored of playing your small games.”
“…” It was indeed a little boring.
“Now Mommy has taught you Chinese chess! From now on, remember to win money when playing this.” Qi Qingyao smiled very amiably.
Xiaobao’s eyes lit up suddenly.
Erniu looked at Qi Qingyao piteously, “…”
Dabao, on the other hand, licked his lips a little nervously.
“If you can win money, the chess game will become more interesting,” Qi Qingyao explained.
The three children were confused, but a little excited.
Although the children were still young, they knew that it cost money to go out and buy things.
They had just gotten out of poverty, so every single penny was very important.
The three of them thought of it simultaneously now. If they had money, they could buy a lot of candied haws and osmanthus jelly!
Excited, Xiaobao wanted to play against Dabao.
Dabao accepted the challenge.
Qi Qingyao stood up, patted the three children’s heads, and left with a few words. “Go to bed early after you’re all done playing!”
The three children chorused the affirmations obediently.
Qi Qingyao took out some things from the box in the corner and left the room quietly.
She stealthily walked up to the door of Si Jin’s room and knocked on it.
After Si Jin opened the door.
Qi Qingyao scurried in.
“Sister?”
‘Si Jin, let’s go out for a stroll tonight.”
“Ah.”
“From a strategic point of view, we should just hang on. But from a tactical point of view, we can go out secretly. As long as the enemy is kept under the light and I’m kept under the dark.”
Qi Qingyao said all this very seriously.
Si Jin was completely confused upon listening to her.
Qi Qingyao produced the two prosthetic masks in her hands.
It dawned on Si Jin—Sister planned on going out for a stroll in disguise!