Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 6: Skirt-Tent Banquet ()

Qiao Lili took Caiqi and followed a maid from the princess's mansion to change clothes.

After leaving the garden and walking a few steps, I walked around a screen wall and arrived at a secluded courtyard.

"Miss Qiao, please come in. The ladies attending the banquet are changing their clothes here." The little maid pointed to the half-open courtyard door and said. If you listen carefully, you will find that she speaks a little fast.

"Why don't I see anyone else coming?" Qiao Lili asked casually. Normally, there would be so many people attending the banquet today, eating and drinking, and at this time of day, there should be many people coming to change clothes. However, it doesn't look like there is anyone coming and going here, and there is not even a maid guarding the door.

"Maybe he just left." The little maid lowered her head and said, "I'll watch the door for you here."

"Thank you." Cai Qi thanked him and went into the courtyard with Qiao Lili.

There are four or five main rooms in the yard, and there are side rooms on the east and west sides. Only the door of the main room in the middle is open. According to ordinary people's thinking, when going to an unfamiliar place, they must go to the room with an open door first.

Qiao Lili and Cai Qi entered the room with the door open. As soon as they stepped into the room, the door was immediately closed behind them. When they turned around to look at the door, the windows that were originally open also clicked shut.

The atmosphere suddenly became weird and tense.

Qiao Lili looked at the room carefully. The room was decorated very elegantly. Books were neatly placed on the bookshelf. Some of them were brand new, as if someone often read them. There were various objects for appreciation on the treasure pavilion, and there were signs that they were often played with.

A small Huanghuali tea table with a set of Jingdezhen official kiln tea sets on it, and a floor-standing bronze auspicious beast incense burner next to it filled with curling sandalwood.

Qiao Lili carefully distinguished that there was a sweetness hidden under the scent of sandalwood. At the same time, she felt her head a little dizzy.

"Oh no, there's something wrong with this incense." She quickly took out two detoxification pills from her purse. These were the ones she asked Caiqi to get from Azhu, who was by Concubine Yun's side, yesterday. She ate one herself and stuffed one into Caiqi's mouth.

Cai Qi walked a few steps to the tea table and shook the teapot. There was some residual tea in it. She picked up the teapot, poured the residual tea into the auspicious beast incense burner, and extinguished the burning incense inside.

Qiao Lili and Cai Qi stood back to back, checking other places in the room.

Behind the tea table was a large floor-to-ceiling screen, which completely covered the back half of the room. Cai Qi pulled out a dagger from her boots, and Qiao Lili moved the sleeve arrow from the crook of her right arm to her left wrist. She was left-handed, and she carried the sleeve arrow on her right arm for fear of exposing it when she habitually used her left hand.

Just like before, she used her left hand to grab Su Shiyun who fell into the water. If the sleeve arrow was on her left arm at that time, she would have been exposed.

The two men walked around the screen and found that behind the screen was an extremely exquisite carved rosewood bed with layers of curtains hanging on it. Cai Qi took the dagger and swung it quickly at the curtains. The curtains fell down, and the two men thought that there was someone hiding inside. Qiao Lili's sleeve arrows were already aimed at the bed, but there was nothing on the bed except brocade bedding and pillows.

At this moment, the door opened with a click, and the two of them quickly retreated to the screen. Looking through the gap in the screen folds, they saw that the person who came in was Ah Zi, who was beside Concubine Yun. She was wearing the clothes of a maid in the Third Princess's Mansion.

Qiao Lili and Cai Qi walked out from behind the screen quickly. "The young master was frightened." Ah Zi bowed to Qiao Lili. It was a bit early to call her the Sixth Prince's Consort, but it was too distant to call her Miss Qiao. Those who followed Concubine Yun took the initiative to call Qiao Lili the young master, treating her the same as Yu Jingyan.

"Why is Aunt A Zi here?" Seeing A Zi, Qiao Lili's heart finally settled down.

"My master said that the third princess must have bad intentions. She was worried and asked me to follow you secretly early in the morning." Ah Zi stretched her head and looked outside the door: "I will take you away from here first."

"Then what should we do here?" Yu Xinyao wanted to harm her, and she didn't want to leave quietly like this. Besides, Xiang Dazhuang and Tang Chengmin were lying in ambush in secret. If she left without giving any instructions, she was afraid that they would not know what to do next.

"Don't worry. I have discussed it with your two subordinates. I will tell you the details after they come and leave here." When Qiao Lili heard this, she stopped asking questions immediately. With A Zi's arrangements, what else did she have to worry about? She followed A Zi out of the room.

At a glance, they saw the little maid who had brought them here fainted inside the courtyard gate, which was ajar. The three of them pushed the door open and closed it.

A Zi led them around the courtyard and took a shortcut to another gate of the garden. This courtyard was where the noble ladies changed their clothes. Female guests coming and going were accompanied by little maids. Some noble ladies who knew each other greeted Qiao Lili.

Qiao Lili found a room here and changed her clothes. A Zi bandaged her wound. The wound was not deep, just broken skin. Because the area was a bit large, the amount of bleeding was a bit much, which dyed her sleeve red.

"If the master knew about this, I don't know how sad he would be." Ah Zi said with a frown as she looked at the scratch as big as a bowl.

"Aunt, just don't tell Aunt Yun." Qiao Lili pulled A Zi's sleeve: "It's not a serious injury."

"I will go back and ask Ah Zhu for scar removal medicine. I can't hide it." Moreover, given the master's personality, I'm afraid that every detail of what happened at the banquet has already reached her ears.

It was also her fault. She saw that it was someone else who fell into the water, not Qiao Lili, so she didn't expose herself and rushed over to help. Who would have thought that the young master would get injured while saving someone? What a simple-minded child.

"No need for scar removal medicine, this minor injury is nothing serious." Qiao Lili covered the gauze bandage with her sleeve.

Ah Zi knew that now was not the time to debate these things, and they had to return to the garden as soon as possible.

When they arrived at the garden, A Zi took Qiao Lili and sat down in a very inconspicuous place, waiting to watch the show. Since Chen Ruxin and Su Shiyun had already left, it didn't matter where she sat.

Qiao Lili asked Caiqi to inform Caixing that the sealed auction should end at this moment. People kept falling into the water, the games at the banquet could not go on, and people left one after another.

“See who offers the highest price right now, then give him the emperor’s calligraphy and ask him to deliver the money directly to the Ciyutang in Wugong Hutong.” She was not afraid of defaulting on her debt. If someone refused to pay for the emperor’s calligraphy, he must be crazy.

"Avoid people and go quickly and come back quickly." Qiao Lili instructed Cai Qi. With A Zi by her side, Cai Qi was not worried about Qiao Lili's safety. She walked through places with lush vegetation and came back in a quarter of an hour.

Not long after, Cai Xing also came back, and with her came Chen Ruxin's maid and Su Shiyun's maid. When the two of them left, they were afraid that Qiao Lili would need help, so they didn't take them with them. Qiao Lili felt a little touched. In that situation, the two of them could still consider her. They were undoubtedly true friends.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the main seat. Qiao Lili was too far away to hear any sound, but she saw a maid say something and the third princess angrily walked out of the garden with a group of people.

The curious people in the audience followed one after another, and Qiao Lili also followed from a distance behind.