Before he finished speaking, Luo Cuiwei felt someone rush to her side from behind, half-blocking her from the man.
Xiahou Ling, who had swiftly approached, flicked her wide sleeves and waved them seemingly unintentionally in front of the man's folding fan. She then turned to face Luo Cuiwei, handing her a small wooden box containing plums and a bamboo tube of water.
Upon closer inspection, it was Xiahou Ling. Luo Cuiwei pressed her stomach and bent over in annoyance, "You scared me!"
"Here's some water, rinse your mouth quickly," Xiahou Ling said, handing the bamboo tube to Luo Cuiwei before gently pushing her to turn away and rinse her mouth. She then turned back to look at the person beside her and said with a smile, "And this is..."
"I'm asking for directions," Luo Cuiwei answered casually, bringing the bamboo tube to her lips.
Hearing Xiahou Ling behind her seemingly say to the man, "No need to be polite, please take care," Luo Cuiwei didn't pay attention. She waved goodbye without turning her head and focused on rinsing her mouth.
She didn't see that the man with the folding fan stared blankly at the spot for a long time, his eyes still unfocused, while the two guards across the street quickly approached, grabbing the man's unsteady body from either side and leaving quickly.
After Luo Cuiwei finished rinsing her mouth, she turned around and tried to grab Xiahou Ling's right arm, but Xiahou Ling pulled her to the left.
"I have something dirty on my right sleeve." As she spoke, she took a few steps back, put her right hand behind her back, and vigorously shook her sleeve.
Luo Cuiwei felt something was off, but her mind was sometimes sharp and sometimes dull since she was pregnant. She had just vomited again and wasn't feeling well, so she didn't bother to think about it. After saying "Oh," she took a plum and put it in her mouth. "Let's go back."
After walking slowly with Xiahou Ling by her arm for a while, she casually asked, "What's that on your sleeve?"
“A sleeping drug, the kind that kidnappers and kidnappers usually use.” Xiahou Ling turned her head and glanced at her.
Let her think that the man was just a kidnapper who frequents the streets selling women.
Luo Cuiwei suddenly realized: "That person's fan just now?"
Seeing Xiahou Ling nod, Luo Cuiwei was furious: "This is outrageous! To plot against the dignified Princess Zhao with only ordinary 'flower-swatting' drug, they have no respect for me at all!"
Xiahou Ling rolled her eyes, both amused and exasperated.
I always feel that this person's temper has gotten worse since she got pregnant, but her brain has gotten smaller.
That's good, it's easier to fool them than before, and it saves a lot of trouble.
75. Chapter Seventy-Five
It was past mid-Shen Shi (3-5 PM), the sun had disappeared behind the clouds, the sky was gray-white, and a chill was gradually rising in the air.
On the way back to the city, Luo Cuiwei remained silent, only focusing on stuffing plums into her mouth one after another.
Aside from her slightly fixed gaze, her expression remained unchanged, but Xiahou Ling gradually began to feel uncertain—
She thought she had glossed over the matter, but perhaps she hadn't?
After all, she had been by Luo Cuiwei's side for many years and knew Luo Cuiwei's behavior and habits better than anyone else.
To an outsider, Luo Cuiwei's constant eating of plums might seem like nothing more than a pregnant woman indulging in a sweet tooth; but Xiahou Ling clearly remembered that whenever Luo Cuiwei suddenly fell silent and started eating, it was usually because she was thinking about something.
Constantly stuffing small snacks into her mouth or aimlessly fiddling with a small abacus are Luo Cuiwei's usual actions when she encounters a problem she can't figure out.
Xiahou Ling's throat tightened, and she kept stealing glances at Luo Cuiwei's expression out of the corner of her eye. Finally, she couldn't help but whisper, "Cuiwei, there is..."
"Don't talk to me yet," Luo Cuiwei interrupted her, glancing casually at her with the corner of her eye, and then popped a plum into her mouth. "I'm thinking about something. My mind has been slow lately, and it keeps going in circles. Don't bother me."
Xiahou Ling took a deep breath and pursed her lips in a resigned smile.
It seems she misunderstood some things.
The fiery eldest daughter of the Luo family who was able to take on the responsibility in times of crisis, even though she was often a little distracted and slow-witted after becoming pregnant, was still the same troublesome eldest daughter of the Luo family when something really happened.
****
The two returned to the courtyard before dusk, but Yun Lie, who had originally said he would bring Song Jiuyuan back first to discuss matters, was not there.
He summoned Tao Yin and asked her what was going on. He learned that Yun Lie had returned around 1-3 PM, and someone had come to report something after 3-5 PM. He then told Song Jiuyuan to go home first, and he and the person who came hurriedly went out.
Luo Cuiwei nodded thoughtfully. When Tao Yin asked if she wanted the food served, she casually waved her hand and said, "Take a bowl of soup to the side room and bring me a plate of snacks."
After saying that, he went into the side hall without looking back.
"Isn't it inappropriate to just drink soup and eat snacks?" Tao Yin cast a worried glance at Xiahou Ling and whispered, "Miss Xiahou, should we go and try to persuade her?"
Xiahou Ling lowered her head and touched her nose, her expression somewhat strange. "I dare not go near her right now."
She had a premonition that once Luo Cuiwei figured things out, the first thing she would do would be to give her a thorough dressing-down.
"Miss Xiahou, your smile is strange," Tao Yin muttered after observing Xiahou Ling's expression with a hint of suspicion.
A hint of unease lingered in his eyes, yet a faint pride graced his brow; it was a bitter smile, a mixture of helplessness and pride.
Her once gentle and dignified face was distorted almost out of shape by this overly complicated expression.
Xiahou Ling pressed her index finger to her nose and chuckled softly, "If I get scolded later, don't come to plead for me. Just listen from outside."
Miss Luo's rules for disciplining people are something she will never forget.
****
In the side hall, Luo Cuiwei sat casually against the back of her chair, her left leg straight with her toes resting on the crossbeam under the table, but her expression was unusually serious and focused.
His right hand casually moved a small abacus framed in gold foil.
The abacus was originally made of rosewood for its frame and beams, but it was covered with patterned gold leaf. The beads were a rare type of river-polished jade, with a deep green color and a simple and solid texture, which was very different from ordinary nephrite.
Because it is too blatant and ostentatious, Luo Cuiwei usually does not easily take it out to show to others. She only puts it in her hand to calm herself when she cannot figure something out.
After pondering for a long time, Luo Cuiwei's eyes darkened, and she suddenly stood up, walked to the window, pushed it open, and leaned out: "Xiahou Ling, come in here!"
Xiahou Ling had anticipated that she would be scolded, so she waited under the tree in the courtyard.