Little Huang turned its small head around and around, trying to understand Xiao Jingcheng's words. Finally, it turned around and barked at Xiao Jingcheng.
[No, Uncle Li is also family. Uncle Li has Mother's scent on him.]
Huh?
Xiao Jingcheng squinted his eyes. Did Li Zhao have Jiang Mian's scent on him?
Suddenly, the red mole he saw on Li Zhao's chest the day Li Zhao coughed up blood and fell into a coma flashed through his mind.
At that time, he had lost the memory of being possessed by Little Huang after falling off the cliff, so he had forgotten that he had also seen such a red mole on Ye Wanmian.
Combined with what Little Huang said, could there be another connection between Li Zhao and Ye Wanmian?
He had long thought that Li Zhao was not an ordinary person. The knowledge he showed and the temperament on him could only be possessed by those who had been influenced by poetry, books, rituals, and music in a noble family for a long time.
Jiang Mian, Li Zhao, and that crazy woman locked in the courtyard...
It all pointed to one result.
Xiao Jingcheng temporarily suppressed the thoughts floating in his mind and continued to bamboozle Little Huang.
"Well, you're right. Apart from Uncle Li, everyone else is an outsider."
"Precisely because we are family, it's only natural for me to protect Jiang Mian and get close to her, just like when I was still in you before, right?"
Little Huang had been quite disdainful of him before, thinking that he wasn't as powerful as before since he had lost to Mo Zhizhang. But now, after being bamboozled like this, its tail began to wag involuntarily. It nuzzled his palm with its wet nose.
"Little Purple Man and Little Huang will protect Mother together."
Little Huang's beady eyes were as black as ink. All the hostility in its eyes had disappeared, making it look simple and cute.
Xiao Jingcheng couldn't help but reach out and touch Little Huang's head. He found it soft and fluffy, and the feeling was quite nice. Remembering that Ye Wanmian used to often hold him and gently stroke him while sitting in the small courtyard in Qingyu Alley, a tingly feeling flashed through his heart again.
"Listen, Little Huang. I don't think that Doctor Mo who came yesterday is a good person." He said to Little Huang, "Look, he showed his true colors today and injured me. Do you think he'll hurt Jiang Mian next?"
Little Huang immediately became alert.
Right! If this powerful Little Green Man hurt Mother, would Mother also vomit blood like the Little Purple Man?
Little Huang barked loudly at Xiao Jingcheng twice: "Bad guy! Don't get close to Mother!"
Xiao Jingcheng's face was filled with relief. He rubbed its head again.
This dog is teachable.
"Yes, you have to keep a good eye on things. Don't let him get close to your mother."
After soothing Little Huang, Xiao Jingcheng finally let it off and took it forward with him. However, instead of going to buy firewood as he had agreed with Ye Wanmian, he came to the vicinity of Liuxiang Tower and hid in an inconspicuous corner.
Little Huang was extremely annoyed. It bit his trouser leg and shook it, whining.
"Little Purple Man, big liar! Mother said we should buy firewood!"
Xiao Jingcheng looked down at it and didn't stop its actions. Instead, he put his finger to his lips:
"Shh, be quiet. He's about to come out."
Little Huang tilted its head in confusion and poked half of its head out to look at Liuxiang Tower across the way.
They saw Xiao Yixuan strolling out of the door casually and getting into the carriage parked outside. Soon, the carriage drove away in the direction of Huichun Hall.
"Woof?" Little Huang recognized Liuxiang Tower and Xiao Yixuan.
It tilted its head, looking a bit confused.
Why didn't the Little Purple Man go to buy firewood but came here to stare at this person?
Xiao Jingcheng looked down at it with lowered eyes: "Do you want to eat roast chicken every day, have Jiang Mian move into a bigger house, wear expensive clothes, and use a golden bowl?"
Eat roast chicken every day!
Saliva pooled in Little Huang's mouth, but it still kept its wits about it: "Mother has no money."
"Don't worry. We'll have money soon." The corners of Xiao Jingcheng's lips curled up slightly, and his eyes were full of scheming.
No money, no people, and no opportunity. This was indeed his current predicament. But how could he, Xiao Jingcheng, just sit back and wait for death? Since there was no money, he'd get some; since there was no opportunity, he'd create one.
Although he had no one to order around, in Dongli Town, he had an army of "dog soldiers" that was a hundred times more useful than people.
He whistled. Soon, Sangsheng appeared behind Xiao Jingcheng with the other dogs.
"General, what are your orders?"
Xiao Jingcheng said to the dogs beside him: "Find a way to distract the guards at the back door of Liuxiang Tower for me and give me a quarter of an hour."
Sangsheng barked once and immediately gave the order. Then, several dogs scurried out from the wall and quietly approached Liuxiang Tower.
A moment later, when he saw the little white dog poke its head out from the corner, Xiao Jingcheng bent down and patted Little Huang's head, saying: "Wait for me here. I'll be back soon."
Little Huang bit his sleeve, looking extremely eager.
Little Huang also wanted to go! Little Huang could also help!
Xiao Jingcheng thought for a while and said: "Come along then."
Little Huang was so excited that the tip of its tail spun. Wagging its tail, it followed Xiao Jingcheng and Sangsheng quietly towards Liuxiang Tower.
It was daytime, so it was actually not easy to hide their tracks. But fortunately, Xiao Yixuan was out today and not in Liuxiang Tower. The remaining guards and the servants in the tower were a bit slack. With the dogs keeping watch, no one noticed that Xiao Jingcheng had entered the courtyard and then gone upstairs.
Following Juanmao's guidance, Xiao Jingcheng accurately found Xiao Yixuan's room and climbed in through the ajar window.
Liuxiang Tower was the best inn in the whole Dongli Town, and the private room where Xiao Yixuan was staying was naturally the most spacious. Since Xiao Yixuan had many things hidden in his room, although he was no longer there, there were still two people guarding the door.
However, those two people outside had no idea that there was a person who had quietly entered the room.
Xiao Jingcheng slowly scanned the furnishings in the room. His gaze finally landed on the bedroom behind the green gauze cabinet.
Judging from Xiao Yixuan's cautiousness, the valuable things should be placed in the most hidden and closest place to him.
Sure enough, Xiao Jingcheng walked around the green gauze cabinet and the standing screen and found the box containing the silver notes under Xiao Yixuan's bed.
There were silver notes worth five thousand taels in the small box. These silver notes were all from the bank under Xiao Yixuan's maternal grandfather's family.
Xiao Jingcheng wasn't polite at all. He took all the silver notes in the box.
He put the box back in its original place and was about to get up and leave when his gaze was suddenly attracted by a scroll.
He took out the scroll, unfolded it, and found that this was exactly the dossier related to the Crown Prince's assassination case, which was written by Xiao Wuchen himself and intercepted by Xiao Yixuan.
Xiao Yixuan had asked Xiao Wuchen to transcribe it again in his own handwriting and had the messenger send the newly transcribed one back to the capital immediately, while the original one was hidden by him.