The three main rooms were closely adjacent. Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing moved into the leftmost one, the middle one was reserved for Jiang Mian, and the right one was for Xiao Jingcheng and the Taoist priest Yuan Zheng.
After sending Xiao Jingcheng into his room, Jiang Mian also returned to her own room to put away her luggage.
This was the first time she had lived alone since leaving Dongli Town. Although she had Dahuang for company, sitting in the room, she found herself somewhat unaccustomed.
Jiang Mian smiled. Sure enough, once there were loved ones and people she cared about around, she had become so sentimental.
In the past, if she could live alone, she would have jumped for joy.
A short while later, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Mian went to answer it. Standing outside were Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing.
"Daddy, Mommy."
"Come on. Go with your daddy to take a look around Luozhou City," Li Zhao said. "Let's see what this city is really like."
Jiang Mian's eyes lit up. "Sure!"
The three of them went out alone, while the Taoist priest Yuan Zheng stayed in the inn to take care of Xiao Jingcheng. However, after Jiang Mian and the others left, Xiao Jingcheng closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The yellow dog crawled out from under the table and chased after them.
Walking on the streets of Luozhou City, the unique charm of Luozhou assailed them.
Jiang Mian looked around. Suddenly, she seemed to see herself in her dream, wearing more luxurious clothes and more elaborate and gorgeous headdresses, freely walking on these streets.
"Mujin, look over there," Li Zhao's voice interrupted Jiang Mian's train of thought. She followed her parents' steps and looked at a five - story wooden pagoda not far away.
The wooden pagoda looked a bit old, but it was exquisitely built. Its gates were wide open on all four sides. Many commoners, men and women, the old and the young, walked in and out with baskets in their hands. It was hard to tell at a glance what its purpose was.
"Daddy, is there anything special about this wooden pagoda?"
"This wooden pagoda was built with the Li family's funds," Li Zhao's words surprised Jiang Mian.
He continued, "You should know that Buddhism is highly respected in Luozhou. There are Buddhist temples everywhere. Most families have Buddha statues enshrined, and almost everyone copies Buddhist scriptures."
Jiang Mian nodded. "I know. I read about it in a book. I was quite puzzled at that time. To practice Buddhism and recite scriptures, one has to be literate. Could it be that all the people in Luozhou City have been to school?"
Li Zhao smiled, a smile full of charm and pride.
"Yes, you've hit the nail on the head," Li Zhao said. "In the past, when Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains and reached Luozhou, the commoners flocked to it. But how to understand the obscure scriptures became a big problem."
"Studying costs money, but 70% of the city's commoners couldn't afford the expensive tuition fees. So, the Li family funded the construction of this wooden pagoda and invited people to give free classes to the city's commoners every day. The courses were not complicated. They just taught the commoners how to read and punctuate."
"There are also classics and scriptures copied by Luozhou scholars during their leisure time in the pagoda for the city's commoners to borrow. Anyone can come here to read and write, which solved the problem of the commoners not being able to understand the scriptures."
No one noticed that the yellow dog beside Jiang Mian opened its mouth in shock.
At this moment, it was Xiao Jingcheng controlling the yellow dog's body.
He knew that the Li family was highly prestigious in Luozhou, but he didn't know that the Li family had done so much for the city's commoners!
If the Li family hadn't fallen and the King of Chu hadn't gone crazy, the world might not have ended up in the hands of the Xiao family at all.
Li Zhao sighed. "The Li family no longer exists, but unexpectedly, this wooden pagoda is still serving its purpose."
Yes, and it seemed that there were quite a few people coming here to read and write. In the hearts of the people in Luozhou, the Li family, who built this wooden pagoda, must be like gods.
Along the way, Li Zhao introduced Luozhou City to Jiang Mian in detail, and even Jiang Zhiqing beside him listened attentively.
Gradually, they walked further and further until -
They came to a huge mansion with obvious peeling paint and a dilapidated appearance.
Li Zhao looked up at the mansion without a plaque, remaining silent for a long time, as if lost in memories.
Jiang Mian immediately recognized that this was the Li Mansion.
Whether it was the two blackened stone lions at the door, the columns as wide as three adults at the front, or the big door covered with cobwebs, it was exactly the same as the Li Mansion in her dream.
But... why did she have such a dream?
Li Zhao seemed to snap out of his memories. He said to his wife and daughter beside him, "Let's go."
He turned around as if he was about to leave.
Jiang Mian was stunned. "Daddy, aren't we going in?"
Li Zhao said, "It's too late today. The mansion hasn't been cleaned for nearly twenty years. It must be overgrown with weeds and covered in dust everywhere. We'll come back earlier tomorrow with tools."
Jiang Mian nodded vigorously. "Okay, we'll come back tomorrow."
On the way back, Jiang Zhiqing gently touched Li Zhao's palm and found his fingers were cold. Regardless of propriety, she tightly held his hand, offering him silent comfort.
Jiang Mian noticed this and imitated her mother, holding Li Zhao's other empty hand.
With his hands held by his wife and daughter, they quickly warmed up. The emptiness in Li Zhao's chest was filled with another emotion. He tightly held his wife and daughter's hands in return.
None of them covered their faces. After walking around the city for most of the day, they had already attracted a lot of attention.
On the way back, Jiang Mian always felt that there were more people looking at her. If she hadn't turned around and found that those looking at them were just the people of Luozhou City, she would have thought they were being targeted.
After the three of them entered the Jinyin Building, several figures appeared in the dark.
"Are you sure it's really Young Master Li?"
"I once worked as a groom for the Li family and saw Young Master Li once. I'm absolutely sure. That's him!"
"But the Li family has been... especially since they really found Young Master Li's body at that time. Could it be that someone is just wearing a disguise to swindle people in Luozhou City?"
"It's not impossible."
"Hey, they went to the Li Mansion today. To find out if they're the real ones, we just need to see if they'll enter the Li Mansion later!"
"You're right. Let's observe them for a while."
After those people left, behind a window in the post - house, Li Zhao's gaze swept lightly over the place where those people had hidden, and then he closed the window.
At night, the night breeze brought the coolness of early autumn. Xiao Jingcheng leaned against the head of the bed, eating the dinner sent by Jiang Mian.
Jiang Mian propped her chin on her hands and told him about what she had seen and heard in Luozhou City today.
For some reason, she leaned closer to him and whispered in a low voice,
"Xiao Jingcheng, do you think there are ghosts in this world?"