Warm medicine emits fragrance

On the afternoon of the day Siqing left, a maid appeared in Fan Liuer's room. She was about the same age as Siqing, but unlike Siqing, this person was not hired.

I've seen this maid before, Fan Liuer. She used to serve Li Chenbi. Her name is Li Qiuxia. Like Li Qiuping, she was a servant born into the Li family. Both her parents were servants in the Li family. She was chosen to serve Li Chenbi from a young age.

Li Qiuxia was much more clever than Siqing and worked much more efficiently. She took good care of Fan Liuer and never interfered in Fan Liuer's affairs, adhering to the duties of a servant.

Fan Liuer had already decided to leave, and didn't dare to get too close to the maid, worried that the maid might notice something.

The two maintained the distance between master and servant and lived peacefully for half a month.

For the next two weeks, Fan Liuer's life remained the same. Every morning after breakfast, she would sit on the couch and read storybooks.

The person picking up the medicine at noon comes to collect it, then has lunch, and continues reading storybooks until dinner.

Occasionally, people who come to pick up their medicine will bring over some amusing trinkets and new storybooks.

These were all sent by Li Chenbi.

Fan Liuer's life was not much different from that in the North Courtyard, the only difference being that Siqing was not there to keep her company and she was a little bored.

Li Chenbi, on the other hand, was not so relaxed.

From the day after he was sent to Niujiao Lane, many people began to watch him from the surrounding area.

They all possessed considerable skill; they were not ordinary household guards, but rather figures from the martial arts world.

Li Qiuping came in from outside, closed the door, and walked to Li Chenbi's bedside. "Master, there are eight men outside, and they are all quite skilled."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenbi showed no expression, only letting out a low sneer, "It seems Li Chenxin is here to take my life."

"Now that we've severed ties with the Li family, we don't need to keep up the act anymore, so..." Li Qiuping ran his hand across his neck, his eyes questioning Li Chenbi.

"Have Prince Rong's men left yet?" Li Chenbi asked.

"We've only been walking for less than an hour."

Li Chenbi nodded, "Delay until dawn before killing."

After saying that, he added, "The show must continue. At least we can't let Li Chenxin find any fault with us. We need to keep him in check for a while longer, and remember to handle things cleanly."

After receiving the instructions, Li Qiuping was about to leave when Li Chenbi stopped him again, saying, "Don't let your guard down at the residence either. Strengthen security and don't let any suspicious people get close."

"Yes."

Early the next morning, a faint fighting sound was heard in the quiet alley, but it ended quickly.

Li Chenxin, who was anxiously waiting for news in the mansion, had been waiting since last night until dawn but had not received any news.

Anxious and worried, he sent someone to inquire. The servant returned and told him that everything was fine in Niujiao Lane and that he had not seen the eight martial arts masters. Everything was normal in Li Chenbi's house as well. He had inquired around the neighborhood and found that no one in the area had heard any fighting noises at night.

Upon learning this, the First Madam complained, "I knew those were all unreliable charlatans; they must have run off with the money."

"Now look what's happened, all that money wasted!"

Li Chenxin frowned. "It shouldn't be like this. These people were introduced by the prince's personal guards. They can't be that unreliable."

"Could it be that Li Chenbi killed them?"

The First Madam snorted coldly, "I might believe he has the ability to work with one or two people, but there are eight martial arts masters. With Li Chenbi's current abilities, how could he possibly have that much skill?"

"Don't forget, those people around him either stayed in the mansion or were sent away by you. He only has a few servants left, and apart from Li Qiuping, who else knows kung fu?"

"No matter how good Li Qiuping is at fighting, he couldn't possibly defeat eight people. Besides, no one around heard any noise. If someone had really been killed, how could there have been no sound at all?"

After hearing what the First Madam said, Li Chenxin began to waver.

"Alright, Li Chenbi is beyond redemption anyway. Just have someone keep an eye on him and make your move when the opportunity arises. Right now, you need to focus on fundraising. Prince Rong instructed us to raise another 200,000 taels of silver to send over."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenxin frowned even more deeply.

"Two hundred thousand? Where am I supposed to find that kind of money in such a short time!"

At this point, the First Madam became angry and scolded, "I thought Li Chenbi had a lot of private funds, but it turns out he only has tens of thousands of taels. The rest are all shops and houses. Did he use all the money he earned over the years to buy shops?"

"Forget it, let's sell some of the less desirable shops tomorrow and raise the funds first."

The next day, Li Qiuping brought the medicine into the room. After Li Chenbi finished drinking the medicine, he handed her the breast milk he was holding in his other hand.

This was something Li Chenbi had asked for extra; now that he had finished his medicine, he needed to drink some breast milk to feel comfortable.

Since they couldn't see Fan Liuer anytime soon, they could only quench their thirst with this.

After Li Chenbi finished drinking the breast milk, Li Qiuping said, "Master, Li Chenxin has started selling shops."

Li Chenbi tasted the familiar flavor, a lingering sweetness in his mouth. In a fairly good mood, he lazily said, "List the shops next to the ones he listed, and no matter how many he lists, make sure the prices are a little lower than his."

"Yes."

A few days later, Li Chenxin sat in the hall with the First Madam, his face flushed with anxiety.

The First Madam said with a stern face, "What's wrong with the world these days? Nobody's even buying shops anymore."

"It's not just that no one is buying; everyone is eager to sell their shops, and the prices are getting lower and lower."

The First Madam pondered for a moment, "Why are so many people selling shops? Could there be something wrong with this?"

Li Chenxin said irritably, "Do you think I haven't thought about this? I sent people to inquire, and those shops are all owned by different people, and they all have names and identities. They didn't just appear out of thin air."

Upon hearing this, the First Madam gritted her teeth and said, "Since it's not someone deliberately targeting us, then it means that's just how things are now. In chaotic times, everyone wants to keep their money in their pockets, so who would be willing to spend it?"

"It seems we'll have to lower the price even further if we want to sell those shops."

The following day, Li Qiuping delivered medicine to Li Chenbi's room.

After he finished drinking the medicine and then the breast milk, she said, "Sir, the price over there has been lowered."

"Hmm." Li Chenbi didn't pay attention and responded casually.

Li Qiuping then said, "Madam Fan has sent a message through someone."

Li Chenbi immediately looked at him, "What did you say?"

Li Qiuping: "Madam Fan misses you very much and is concerned about your health."

Fan Liuer's original words: Please give my regards to Second Master and ask how he is doing.

These were just polite words from Fan Liuer. She thought that since she was there to ask for a favor, it would be too much to jump straight into the main topic. She needed to be more roundabout.

Upon hearing this, Li Chenbi's lips curled into a slight smile. "At least she still has some conscience. So what?"

Li Qiuping: "Madam Fan also told you to take good care of your injuries and to listen to you and not to make you angry, as this would be beneficial to your recovery."

Fan Liuer's wish was: Second Master is injured and needs to rest well. Steward Li should not trouble Second Master unless necessary, so as not to disturb his rest.

Fan Liuer's original intention was to tell Li Qiuping not to report everything, big or small, to Li Chenbi, especially matters concerning her. She knew that someone was watching everything she did and reporting it to Li Chenbi.

After Li Qiuping finished speaking, he felt somewhat aggrieved. "Sir, I don't bother you for no reason. I only contact you when I have something important to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenbi snorted, "She's the most troublesome one, yet she has the nerve to talk about others."