Li Wanming found his words amusing and couldn't help bursting into laughter.
She never expected that although this Second Uncle was a bit of a philanderer, he saw everything clearly.
The polo tournament was such a major event, yet the Kang family didn't even mention it to her. They must be plotting something...
Li Wanming deliberately said, "If I need Second Uncle's help then, Second Uncle must..."
Before she could finish, Xiao Yuanjie waved his hands repeatedly. "Forget it! If I had the ability, I wouldn't have let her turn the Ning Prince's Mansion into such a mess. I'd better go back and tend to my flowers!"
With that, he actually turned around and left without even looking at Li Wanming again.
Chuntao said angrily, "He's so ungrateful! We haven't even given him the orchid yet, and he acts like this!"
"Forget it," Li Wanming said. "He's telling the truth. Even I, such a smart person, find it so difficult to deal with Second Aunt, let alone him... Come on, Chuntao, help me go back and take a nap."
Just after noon, Xiao Jingnan came back.
As soon as he entered the Shiyong Studio, he shouted loudly, "I'm starving! Hurry up and serve the meal!"
Li Wanming quickly told Chuntao to bring up the prepared meals. She then stood up to help him take off his outer robe and snorted, "Can you get hungry in the palace? Is the Empress Dowager so stingy that she asks people in for a talk but doesn't even offer food?"
"How can I have time to eat in the palace?" Xiao Jingnan took off his outer clothes and sprawled on the beauty couch under the window. He let out a long, satisfied sigh. "Finally back."
Li Wanming sat down beside him. "So? What did they say in the palace?"
Xiao Jingnan propped himself up on one hand, resting his head, and looked at her sideways. His dark eyes sparkled. "Is my wife worried about me?"
Li Wanming gave him an annoyed pat. "Not really... If the Empress Dowager had called you alone into the palace, she must have wanted to settle accounts with you. But she called you, the Duke Protector, the Prime Minister Fang, and the Grand Tutor Lü. What could it be?"
"Tsk..." Xiao Jingnan squinted at her. "You're really at ease."
"Stop talking about this. Quickly tell me what the Empress Dowager said when she called you into the palace. Why did it take so long?"
"What else could she say?" Xiao Jingnan got up lazily. The table was already filled with all kinds of delicious dishes. He picked up a bowl of polished rice and ate it in big mouthfuls.
"First, she scolded His Majesty for being naughty and daring to leave the capital without permission. Then she scolded us for being bold and daring to proclaim the imperial edict under the city gate. After that, she carefully inquired about the matter of me being wrongly accused of being greedy for merit and rushing forward... Well, this matter finally cleared my name..."
"Then, she talked about the matter of the Marquis of Kangping..."
He ate very fast, but his tone was calm, even with a hint of schadenfreude. "The Marquis of Kangping and his son knelt on the ground, swearing oaths and shouting their innocence. They almost fainted from crying. As a result, General Feng rolled his eyes and fainted on the spot before them! His Majesty was extremely anxious. He quickly summoned the imperial physician and gave him ginseng soup... It was a complete mess all night long."
"Wow... Was it that exciting?" Li Wanming murmured. "General Feng... Is the Duke Protector so good at acting now?"
"Isn't he?" Xiao Jingnan said. "The ginger is spicier when it's old, and people are more shrewd when they're old. After a trip to the Southern Border, the Duke Protector has really reached the pinnacle of his acting skills."
"Feng Xiao and I are fine. We're young and can stay up. But it was really tough on those old officials. Grand Tutor Lü couldn't help dozing off on the table in the middle of the night..."
"However," Xiao Jingnan put down his chopsticks. Finally, there was a cold glint in his eyes. "We finally got the Empress Dowager to agree to thoroughly investigate the case of the Marquis of Xuanping."
"Will the Empress Dowager really investigate?"
The Marquis of Xuanping was the Empress Dowager's father and an important arm of hers in the court. He was even more important than Grand Tutor Lü and Prime Minister Fang.
Would the Empress Dowager really agree to this kind of risky move?
In the end, wouldn't it just be a case of making a mountain out of a molehill?
"Whether she investigates or not doesn't matter..." Xiao Jingnan lowered his eyelashes and muttered. "As long as the Kang family father and son don't cause any trouble outside during this period..."
"What?" Li Wanming didn't understand. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she saw Xiao Jingnan put down his bowls and chopsticks. His dark, ink - like eyes stared straight into her soul. "I have a request. I wonder if my wife can agree?"
He rarely looked so solemn. Li Wanming felt a bit uneasy. "You... You tell me first. I'll see if I can do it..."
"On the sixth day of next month, it will be the annual polo tournament in the capital."
Xiao Jingnan leaned a little closer. His tone was terrifyingly calm. "I hope my wife can break the legs of the Marquis of Huo and his son."
"What?!!!"
Li Wanming suddenly stood up. "You... What do you want me to do...?"
"Break the legs of the Marquis of Huo and his son..." Xiao Jingnan repeated. Then he suddenly frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, "Or, poison their tea. Otherwise, find a way to make their horses go crazy... Anyway, the Marquis of Huo and his son must not leave the polo tournament intact."
His words were absurd, but his expression was very serious. He was obviously not joking.
"Wh... Why?"
Li Wanming's face turned as white as a sheet. She stammered, "Do you... Do you know what you're saying? You're asking me to harm important court officials, and in such a despicable way..."
"Can my wife do it?"
Xiao Jingnan looked up at her. His dark eyes sparkled with a hint of expectation.
"I... I can do it..."
Li Wanming hadn't recovered from the shock yet. "But... But why? Even... Even if you want to avenge Aunt and Uncle, you don't need to use such means..."
The Marquis of Huo abandoned his wife and children, harmed his young daughter, and forced General Huo to sever ties with him. Finally, General Huo died in battle... But after all, he was an important court official and a second - rank marquis!
Xiao Jingnan didn't answer. He just stared at her quietly, his eyes unfathomable.
Suddenly, the autumn wind blew outside the door, swirling a few scattered fallen leaves past the corridor.
Li Wanming suddenly understood. "You... You're trying to..."
The Marquis of Huo and his son were just appointed in the Ministry of War the year before last, in charge of military equipment and war horses. Before the Marquis of Xuanping served as the supervisor of the army, he served as a general in the Jinwu Guards. At that time, Princess Danyang was able to mobilize the Jinwu Guards because of him. The suburban camp on the outskirts of the capital was already handed over to General Liang Xiong, the Yunhui General, a year ago. During the Southern Border War this time, General Feng didn't even take him on the expedition. Now, Xiao Jingnan was also serving as a Grand Master for Glorious Service, leading the Huben Guards...
All the defensive forces around the capital, including the palace city, the suburbs, and the outer city, were already in their hands.
If they could also find a way to make the Marquis of Huo and his son leave the court and hand over the military equipment and war horses...