Second Marriage

Chapter 16.1

Translator: tarararawr

Editor: Larkspur

Chapter 16 Part 1

With Ye Shen’s intervention, the things that Xiao Youning did not have too many hopes for were properly dealt with.

She saw Chen Li after she woke up from her nap.

Today, she had established power over the Second Branch, so when the gatekeeper pozi heard that Xiao Youning was looking for her, she reported to Yuan Guo immediately.

By the time the guest arrived, Xiao Youning had combed her hair again and worn a dress embroidered with begonia flowers that displayed a young girl’s sweetness.

Chen Li kept his head down the entire time and didn’t even have the courage to look at her when he arrived. He followed the instructions and went over the words he needed to say several times in his mind.

“Those people knew they couldn’t escape death. When I tried to save them, they just wanted to escape. Furthermore, they didn’t suspect me a lot. Later, when I identified myself, they were really emotional and cursed a few times at the Young Miss. I said every word according to the Young Miss’s orders. They became discouraged and confessed to everything. It was actually your aunt’s wet nurse who told me that they were to throw you away during the journey, and they were promised a heavy reward for your dowry.”

After Chen Li finished speaking, he took out several hand-printed confessions and gave them to Yuan Guo.

Yuan Guo happily accepted them. Xiao Youning looked up and her eyes fell on Chen Li who was still looking down.

Things were going very smoothly. Chen Li made it clear that since there were handprints to the confessions, it could not have been falsified.

“Where are the people now?” Xiao Youning stared for a long time before she withdrew her eyes.

Chen Li’s back had been sweating, he could hardly stand those gazing eyes that exposed his undeserving emotions. He finally breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard her question. He replied, “According to Young Miss’s orders, I sent them to the place you mentioned for them to recover. They will not have the courage to escape for the fear of being found.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Brother Chen.” She didn’t ask any more questions and looked down at the confessions. She gave a faint smile and said, “I’m afraid Brother Chen won’t be needing lunch. Yuan Guo, pack some pastries for Brother Chen, so he can have something to pad his stomach on the way back.”

Yuan Guo crisply answered. Chen Li quickly raised his head and waved his hand at her. “No need to trouble Young Miss. I will be hurrying to return home immediately. You also know the current circumstances at home and I cannot be delayed. Thank you for your kindness, Young Miss.”

After he finished speaking, he turned around and left like there was a ghost chasing him.

The door was half-closed in order to make the discussion more private. When Chen Li ran out in a hurry and opened the door, he knocked the servant girl down who was eavesdropping outside.

The servant girl outside the door made him freeze on the spot. He was even more flustered when he went to help her up. “Are you all right? I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Yua Guo immediately turned cold when she heard the noise. She walked quickly to the door and clearly saw a nervous little servant girl. Her eyes slowly became angry.

How dare they eavesdrop on them!

They did not need to think to know it was the Second Branch’s husband and wife that sent the spy!

“You…” Yuan Guo was about to get angry, but then she heard Xiao Youning’s voice from behind her. “I don’t want to tolerate this kind of disrespectful person working here. You can go to the steward and say that you no longer want to serve this courtyard.”

The girl’s voice was faint, it couldn’t be said if she were offended. Yuan Guo thought of something and walked out of the door. She reached out and dragged the servant girl faraway.

Chen Li was startled by Yuan Guo’s strength to be able to drag a person. He saw Yuan Guo waiting at the gate of the courtyard and he quickly walked over. He said respectfully, “I have troubled Miss Yuan Guo to send me off.”

They tacitly understood each other and Chen Li was sent out through the back door. His ox cart was in the alley. He got on the cart and quickly left. When the cart was heading towards the main street, he was in a trance trying to remember whether there were any gaps in what he said.

He followed Xiao Youning’s orders to follow the group of people with Guard Xie among them. He saw them being taken to the woods outside of the city, but how could he save so many wounded people alone? It was when he saw how those people were about to die that someone came to assist in saving them.

He had the impression that the savior was a bodyguard who often followed the Daoist Master that regularly went to Qingfeng Daoist Temple.

When the guard saved the man, he was still thinking about what he was going to do. Suddenly, a sword was held against his neck and the other person discovered his hiding place.

Consequently, he was taken to that young Daoist Priest who ordered for each person to be interrogated. Chen Li was soon presented with the confessions. He was told to send the confessions to Xiao Youning. The only requirement was that he could not expose them and to keep his mouth shut. After several words with the unhappy bodyguard, he was thrown out.

He was so confused about what had happened during the rescue situation and how to explain it to Xiao Youning.

In fact, those people were still in the hands of the young Daoist Priest. They only said that if Xiao Youning had pertinent orders in the future, then send a message to Qingfeng Daoist Temple.

He wasn’t worried about being a bad person. He didn’t go to school, but he knew that they were helping him. Moreover, the land in their village belonged to Qingfeng Daoist Temple. Every year, they were taken care of well and they hardly had to pay field taxes. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to follow their instructions on how to handle things. Now, he was only worried about whether he had unintentionally exposed them.

Chen Li was worried that he had failed, and he did fail for half of it. Xiao Youning was already suspicious.

After Chen Li left, she looked through the confessions carefully again.

She did not doubt if the confessions were false. The content written in the confessions was the truth after a little scrutiny. Regardless of the time, motivation, or details, everything was precise. There was no way to draw up several watertight confessions in such a short time. She suspected that Chen Li lacked the capability to carry out these things properly in such a short time.

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From saving the people to taming Guard Xie, then returning to her side, the time was too short. She expected it would take a day or two to deal with. She was even prepared to negotiate with them.

After all, they were once fooled. They were once bitten by a snake and spent ten years fearing a well rope1. She had to thoroughly find out if those lives were worth saving.

And they just confessed like that?

There must be someone behind this that was helping her… who was it?

Xiao Youning stared at several confessions in contemplation. That person also asked Chen Li to help guard his mouth like a closed bottle.

“Young Miss, as expected, this place is another dragon pool and tiger cave2. They will go so far as to openly have someone come eavesdrop! They are truly rotten hearted and a bunch of disgusting people!”

Yuan Guo had returned after sending Chen Li off. She was panting, but it didn’t stop her from scolding them in one breath.

Xiao Youning folded the confessions and placed them on the table. “I intended for them to listen. Why are you still angry?”

“That doesn’t make me angry. But the more I see their faces, the sicker I feel!”

Yuan Guo had this kind of temper. When she was angry, she always needed to let it out. Xiao Youning smiled, there was envy in her heart.

When she was protected and spoiled by her father and brother, she didn’t have a fierce temper; when she was unhappy, she would say it clearly. But now, she trembled in fear.

Father, Brother… Xiao Youning’s smile became bitter and lonely when thought of her closest relatives that she had no further news about.