"This outcome is quite good," Yi Qing said without any reservation.
Xiao Tian retorted, "If you don't know how to talk, can you just keep your mouth shut?"
She had no self - restraint at all. Even if she was truly happy inside, was this the right time to say it?
Yi Qing looked at him with a half - smile, "No wonder you're always so sparing with your words. Turns out you don't know how to talk."
Xiao Tian was rendered speechless.
Lu Tianzuo burst into laughter. "Miss Yi is truly a fascinating person."
It was Baozi who, having developed a bond with Xiao Tian, tried to defend him. "Mom, men and women are different. Uncle Xiao is a steady person, while you're an open - minded one. Both are great."
The way he seriously tried to maintain harmony on both sides was incredibly cute. Yi Qing was tickled by him and scolded with a smile, "He's only been here for a few days, and you've already been won over by him."
"Uncle Xiao is a good person," Baozi insisted. "Really, Mom!"
Yi Qing couldn't help but roll her eyes.
If they continued this conversation, the little bun would probably ask her and Xiao Tian to have a baby sister for him again. It was a headache.
Xiao Tian patiently peeled pine nuts for Baozi. Every time he peeled one, Baozi would take it from his hand and pop it into his mouth. The two of them clearly got along very harmoniously.
Looking at this scene, Lu Tianzuo actually felt a sense of relief in his heart.
He looked at Yi Qing and said, "Miss Yi, do you want to hear more about Yi Weiwei?"
"Yes."
It turned out that the Duke of Di, who doted on his only daughter, rushed to visit when he heard that Lady Di had fallen ill.
What happened next was utter chaos.
The Marquis of Huai'en was doing something disgraceful with Lady Di's maid outside. When the Duke of Di walked in, the marquis didn't even have time to pull up his pants.
The Duke of Di had always been dissatisfied with this good - for - nothing son - in - law. Seeing this, he kicked the marquis so hard that the marquis vomited blood and lay on the ground, unable to get up.
The commotion outside woke Lady Di up. Seeing her father, who had always doted on her, she was in tears and couldn't say a word.
Just as the father and daughter were having a heart - to - heart conversation, Yi Weiwei, who was under house arrest, heard the news and rushed in. Without even looking at Lady Di's pale face, she came up and cried about being punished, saying that Lady Di had treated her badly, which was why all these things had happened.
After all, Yi Weiwei was his own granddaughter and shared his blood. The Duke of Di didn't kick her, but he couldn't bear it anymore and slapped her.
Yi Weiwei had never been beaten before. She rolled on the ground and caused a huge ruckus.
Lady Di's illness got even worse...
This time, Yi Qing didn't laugh. She just said indifferently, "The Marquis of Huai'en fails to raise and educate his children. He's both bad and stupid."
"Hehe," seeing Xiao Tian's gloomy face, Lu Tianzuo wisely didn't continue and instead changed the topic. "Miss Yi, I've brought you so much news. Shouldn't you invite me to a meal?"
"Sure," Yi Qing waved her hand. "You guys chat. I'll go cook. Baozi, go out and buy a piece of streaky pork for Mom. Mom will make braised pork for you today."
After the mother - son pair left, Lu Tianzuo couldn't help but say, "Miss Yi is really a smart person."
She knew that he must have something to talk to Xiao Tian about, so she deliberately took Baozi out.
"How's the old man?" Xiao Tian frowned, his fist clenched on the table, clearly unhappy.
Lu Tianzuo put away his joking expression and sighed. "Not very well either. On the one hand, he's worried and heart - broken about Lady Di. On the other hand, you know how many injuries he suffered on the battlefield in the past. Now that he's old, the old wounds are really hard to bear."
"Does the emperor know?"
"Yes," Lu Tianzuo nodded.
Xiao Tian's face turned even uglier. "Then didn't he show any concern?"
Lu Tianzuo was stunned for a moment and then smiled bitterly. "It's not fair to say that about the emperor. Even a just official can't handle family affairs well. What can he do even if he knows? Kill the Marquis of Huai'en or strangle Yi Weiwei? He has to be cautious!"
Xiao Tian punched the small table, which instantly made a loud noise and fell apart.
Lu Tianzuo said, "Oops, sorry. I used too much strength."
Xiao Tian didn't appreciate his words. "Do I need to explain just because I broke this thing?"
Lu Tianzuo didn't expose him on the spot, but thought to himself that with Miss Yi's feisty temper, this really couldn't be explained clearly.
"So, what should we do now?" he asked.
Xiao Tian rubbed his fist. "I'll find some time to visit the old man."
"You have time? It seems to me that you're quite busy now."
Xiao Tian glared at him. "Stop joking around. You know very well that I can't show up in public now. I'm just hiding here."
Late at night, all was quiet.
In the Songhe Hall in the center of the Duke's Mansion, there came one or two coughs from time to time. The lamp was still on, and the window paper showed the tall and slightly hunched figure of a man standing with his hands behind his back.
Two guards were patrolling back and forth outside the door. Their shiny long knives glinted coldly in the moonlight, making one shiver.
Xiao Tian leaped down from the roof. The guards immediately became vigilant and pointed their swords at him. "Who's there?"
Xiao Tian pulled down the black cloth covering his face and said in a deep voice, "It's me."
The two guards stared at him blankly. One of them even dropped his knife, and the blade made a clanging sound when it hit the ground.
"Gen... "
"Are you a human or a ghost?"
Both of them spoke up.
At this time, the Duke of Di inside was alerted. He picked up his Longyin Sword and strode out, shouting roughly, "How dare a villain break into my Duke's Mansion? All of you step back. I'll deal with him myself today..."
"Bang -" The Duke of Di's sword also fell to the ground.
In his forty years of military service, this was the first time he had ever dropped his sword.
Xiao Tian lifted his robe and knelt down, kowtowing heavily.
The Duke of Di was both surprised and delighted. Although he didn't hear any other sound, he still looked around warily. He said sternly to the two guards, "Step back and guard well. If you let even a mosquito in, I'll take your heads!"
"Yes," there were tears in both of their eyes, and their voices trembled with excitement. They were reluctant to take their eyes off Xiao Tian.
In the second half of the night, Xiao Tian quietly jumped over the wall and returned. But he found that the light was on in his room.
After thinking for a while, he deliberately walked with heavier steps, then pushed open the door.
"Back?" Yi Qing asked calmly.
Caught in the act, there was nothing to say. Xiao Tian just grunted and didn't take the initiative to explain. Instead, he quietly waited for Yi Qing to question him.
Yi Qing was drawing something on the desk. From time to time, she would look up and then add a few more strokes, but she never looked up at Xiao Tian or asked any questions.
"Almost done," Yi Qing seemed to have finally finished her drawing. She put down the pen and looked at her work. "I suddenly remembered something and wanted to finish it. I was afraid of waking Baozi up. Since you weren't here, I came to your room."
"How did you know I wasn't here?" Xiao Tian asked, and at the same time, he looked at the rice paper.