"Hello. Sorry for the trouble, but could you go in and announce me to your Miss Xiao Xin? I'd like to see her." Li Sinian stood at the back gate of the Cui residence and spoke to the guards.
"Miss Sinian, our young lady hasn't been home lately. You should come another day." The guard wore an ingratiating smile. Li Sinian had always been close to their young lady, Xiao Xin, and the two had often met during the past few days. All the guards knew her, so they treated her with warmth and courtesy.
"Not home? How could that be? She clearly made an appointment to see me today." Li Sinian spoke angrily. "Go in and announce me again. If that doesn't work, have Tao Hong or Little Green come out to see me."
"Miss Sinian, our young lady truly isn't here today. Please don't make things difficult for us servants." The guard looked troubled.
Li Sinian widened her eyes as she stared at the two gatekeepers. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, no." The two men shook their heads frantically. "How could we possibly hide anything from Miss Sinian?"
"You're gatekeepers of the Cui family, while I'm a young lady of the Li family. It's only natural for you to hide things from me. Why are you so nervous as you explain yourselves?" Li Sinian looked at them suspiciously. "A guilty conscience betrays a thief."
"Miss Sinian, we really aren't hiding anything from you."
"That's right. Miss Sinian, please don't make things difficult for us servants. If we let you in, the two of us will have our legs broken."
"Hm?" Li Sinian was extraordinarily clever and immediately detected something amiss in their words. "Why would someone break your legs if I went inside? Who wants to