newbobooks Chapter 203 Peace Talisman!
Chapter 203 Peace Talisman!
"Father-in-law, I appreciate your kindness, but this is too valuable for me to accept," Shen Li politely declined.
Ebony is considered a very rare type of wood among ordinary people, and even a small piece like this would certainly not be cheap.
"This is nothing to you, just a token of our appreciation. If you don't accept it, we will kneel here forever." The village chief said, about to kneel down again.
"Yes, please accept it."
"Lord Shen, please accept it."
“Alright, alright…” Shen Li quickly helped the village chief up, raising her voice, “I’ll accept it.”
The villagers all showed expressions of joy.
She took the wooden plaque and placed it in her palm, cupping her hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you all for your kindness. I will never forget this encouragement and will strive to be a good official in the future."
"You must be a good official."
"Sir, please come to our village again when you have time. Once the village is built, we will definitely treat you to a sumptuous meal."
Shen Li answered them one by one. It wasn't until it was fully light that the villagers reluctantly stood on both sides of the road. Shen Li led her horse past them and rode away a little further away.
Peony rode her horse while tears streamed down her face: "Those villagers are so kind."
“Yes, no matter how many tricks officials use, the people know perfectly well who is a good official and who is a corrupt one,” Ma Zheng said. “Our leaders are still the best.”
Shen Li didn't say anything. During her break, she took out the ebony plaque and rubbed it in her palm. The front of the plaque had the seal character "Peace" written on it, and the back was carved with a beast holding a ring in its mouth—Jiaotu.
"What a fine piece of wood." She stroked the smooth surface and edges, praised it, and then put it around her neck.
Lianqiao and Shaoyao chuckled softly beside her; their young lady cared a lot.
Before setting off again, Shen Li gave Ma Zheng a map and pointed to a location on it: "I need to be in this town early in the morning three days from now."
Ma Zheng was puzzled to see that this town was not on the same road as Tang Huai Palace, but there was one advantage to spending so much time with Shen Li: she didn't ask questions she shouldn't ask, and she did whatever her superiors told her to do.
"I will immediately send someone to scout the route. According to the map, the location is not far. As long as we ride fast horses, we will definitely be able to reach it," Ma Zheng replied.
Shen Li nodded in agreement: "There will be a reward when we arrive."
"Thank you, sir." Ma Zheng immediately perked up and was even less inclined to ask why.
Forsythia and peony tacitly refrained from asking; the young lady had her own arrangements, and they certainly didn't know as much as she did.
Shen Li was prepared to explain, but when she looked around, she saw that everyone's eyes looked like they knew and wouldn't ask.
She was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Three days later, in Liujia Town.
"Sir, I've found out that there are eight weddings in town, but only one groom is a cripple named Liu Wang. He's on the street just ahead." Ma Zheng gave Shen Li directions after asking around.
Shen Li instructed her guards to continue slowly toward Tang Huai, while she herself, accompanied only by two maids and Ma Zheng, arrived in town. After riding horses all night, they finally arrived at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
"Ma Zheng, leave your horse at the inn and do what I asked you to do." Shen Li dismounted and said to the two girls, "Let's go."
"Yes." Ma Zheng immediately took care of it.
"Miss, it's someone's wedding, why should we go?" Peony really couldn't understand this time.
“There’s a banquet for the wedding, so of course we’ll go to the banquet.” Shen Li smiled and took the lead.
"A banquet?" Lianqiao and Shaoyao exchanged a glance, their eyes full of doubt.
They were certain that their young lady had never been to this Liu Family Town. She only knew one cripple, who was the steward of the Duke's mansion, and there was no way she knew anyone named Liu Wang.
How can I eat at someone else's banquet if I don't even know them?
As you walk into the alley, you'll soon see houses decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, with red silk hanging on the doors. Compared to the surrounding fences and gates, this house has a gate tower and a main gate, and even copper rings on the door, which clearly indicates that the family is wealthy.
There are young men wearing red sashes greeting guests at the door, and inside the door is the place to record the gifts from visiting relatives and friends.
Shen Li went up the steps as soon as she saw them. The young men who were greeting her were obviously unfamiliar with this young woman in blue. They were stunned for a moment. They must not have seen her before, otherwise they would not have forgotten her.
"Who are you?" a bolder young man asked as soon as he realized what was happening.
“My husband has a long-standing relationship with the Liu family, so I came to offer my congratulations.” Shen Li said, taking out a piece of silver from her sleeve, which looked to be about two taels.
The two young men immediately stopped questioning him. Two ounces, while not the most, was still a considerable sum. No one would spend that much money just to eat and drink.
Shen Li then entered the room, gave Gu Chang'an's name, and left two taels of cash as a gift.
"This way, madam." The young man who was greeting guests inside led Shen Li into the courtyard.
The table was set up in the courtyard, with a red cloth in the middle and tables on both sides. Shen Li glanced at it and saw that there were more than thirty tables of people, which was quite a large scene.
"Please have a seat, Madam." The young man led her to a table where women were sitting. Of the thirty-odd tables, this was the only one occupied by women.
Those who could sit at the table were all elderly, while their daughters-in-law served them from behind; they were clearly the elders of the family.
Shen Li liked this spot; she could hear a lot of gossip there.
The bride hadn't arrived yet, and everyone was still chatting and eating melon seeds. They were all taken aback when they suddenly saw Shen Li, such a petite woman, coming over, and then they looked at each other in surprise.
After a brief exchange, the elderly women came to the conclusion that they did not recognize the person.
"Madam, who are you?" an old man asked politely, not daring to be negligent because he saw two maids standing behind Shen Li and knew she must be the lady of a wealthy family.
Shen Li smiled in response to the question, and then asked, "May I ask who you are?"
“The old woman is Liu Wang’s great-aunt,” the old woman replied.
"Greetings, sir. I am here on behalf of my husband. He only asked me to come and offer my congratulations, and said nothing else."
Shen Li sighed as she spoke, "You have no idea what my husband is like. He has a terrible temper. If you ask him even one question, he'll turn on you and start hitting you."
"..." Forsythia.
“…” Peony.
They were used to the young ladies often speaking in half-truths, but this time not a single word was true!
"I see." The old man nodded knowingly and then said, "Men don't have many good tempers. Just bear with it and it will pass. Isn't that how we women all get through it?"
"Yes, just don't provoke them. You'll figure out their temper over time."
"That's right. You have to be careful to please him when you're newly married. But after you have a few children, his mind will be on the children. Once the children get married, he won't be able to discipline them anymore. Things will get better in a few years."
Shen Li nodded repeatedly as she listened, looking like she had learned something.
Peony couldn't listen to anything and muttered under her breath, "People will die in a few years."
Her voice was soft, and only Lian Qiao could hear it. Lian Qiao quickly shook her head at her, afraid that she would ruin her mistress's plans.