Chen Yi gave an instruction, cast an imperceptible glance at "Uncle Gui," then added to Wang Lixing:
"Today, let's visit somewhere more prosperous and lively. Brother Xing, trouble yourself to bring a few capable men."
"Understood."
Wang Lixing accepted the order and left.
Several Armored Soldiers stood guard outside the garden.
Chen Yi then led Xiao Wuge into Chunhe Garden. Seeing Xiao Die sitting absentmindedly in the pavilion and staring at the pond, he smiled warmly. "Xiao Die, take the Young Marquis to change into plainer clothes. We'll leave the mansion for a stroll later."
"Eh, eh?"
Xiao Die jolted and answered, then realized what he meant. "Son-in-law, has Second Master lifted your confinement?"
"The old master nodded. Second Uncle won't object."
"Don't worry. We won't be going somewhere like South of the City this time."
"That's good." Xiao Die patted her chest and relaxed.
Chen Yi patted Xiao Wuge, signaling for him to follow Xiao Die and change first.
Once the two entered the side room, his smile vanished. After he looked around, he immediately used the Playful Dragon Teases Phoenix Body Movement Technique, lightly vaulting into Jiaxing Garden.
With his current Ninth Rank, Middle Stage cultivation base and Proficient Level Playful Dragon Teases Phoenix Body Movement Technique, he crossed thirty feet and scaled the low wall in just three breaths at full speed.
After confirming that Jiaxing Garden was empty, Chen Yi headed straight to the pavilion from before, leaned down, and felt around beneath it.
Before long, he found a sheet of rough paper and opened it for a glance.
"Second-14, Bing-3, Monkey-21..."
Four lines and thirty-two sets of numbers—still encrypted text that required a cipher book to decipher.
Chen Yi quickly memorized them, replaced the letter inside the pavilion, then moved like the wind up the rockery and returned to Chunhe Garden.
Before he could settle the surging Qi within him, he heard several Armored Soldiers outside the garden.
"Fourth Brother, it's rare to see you in the rear courtyard. Did Brother Xing call for you?"
"Mm. I heard the Young Marquis is leaving the mansion."
"Along with the Son-in-law and the others. Hopefully they aren't going to South of the City again..."
Chen Yi thought to himself that Liu Si'er had come rather quickly.
He did not know whether Uncle Gui had tipped him off, or whether it was simply the scheduled timing they had settled on earlier.
It still felt somewhat superfluous to hide the Secret Letter elsewhere.
Chen Yi stood quietly for a moment, turned his head toward the Wooden Tower, and saw that Xiao Die and Xiao Wuge were not yet ready. He silently made his way to a more distant Wooden Tower.
Knock, knock-knock.
He knocked twice on the door.
Pei Guanli cracked the door open and extended a tender white hand, palm up.
Chen Yi froze. "...My apologies. I forgot to prepare your breakfast."
Earlier, he had been focused solely on finding the Old Marquis to lift his confinement. After returning, he had run into Uncle Gui by chance and completely forgotten about it.
Inside, Pei Guanli pouted, rubbing her stomach pitifully. "Brother-in-law, hungry..."
Chen Yi could only soothe her with a few words before quietly instructing her, "Do you remember the armored soldier you saw earlier?"
Pei Guanli brightened at once, forgetting her hunger as she blinked her large eyes and asked with great interest, "Brother-in-law, has he made another move?"
Chen Yi gave a quiet hum. "His name is Liu Si'er. Later, the Young Marquis and I will leave the mansion. He should accompany us. Try going to his quarters and look for what books, picture books, opera scripts, and the like he has. Just remember their titles."
Pei Guanli looked delighted. "All right, all right."
Chen Yi cautioned, "Don't agree so quickly. It's daytime, and the Marquis's mansion is heavily guarded. If it cannot be done, retreat. Remember, you must not make such a huge commotion as last time."
"Also, that man has accomplices hidden within the Marquis's mansion. One is the hunchbacked old man you saw before. Take care not to let him discover you."
"Understood, understood..."
Seeing this, Chen Yi still worried and reminded her of a few more things.
Then he told her the approximate location of Liu Si'er's quarters and explained what she needed to watch out for before leaving with a natural expression.
The two Secret Letters had thoroughly piqued his interest.
If he did not uncover those people's identities and purpose, he feared he would dream about it at night.
That was why he had subtly hinted at it to Wang Lixing earlier. He wanted to draw Liu Si'er away so Pei Guanli could search his room.
Thinking this, Chen Yi stood outside the Wooden Tower. "If it works, it works. If not, there'll be another chance."
After Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die had changed into casual clothes, Chen Yi led them out together.
"Brother-in-law, we don't need to bring the heir apparent along, right?"
"If you want to, I don't mind."
"Hehe, I don't want to. Not one bit..."
Not long afterward.
Chunhe Garden was exceptionally quiet.
Pei Guanli carefully pulled open the wooden door. Amid its creak, she looked around, a hint of cunning appearing on her face.
She had been right to come to Xiao Manor, and right to follow her brother-in-law.
Not only had he taught her how to achieve a breakthrough, pointed out the flaws in her techniques, he was even taking her to catch an inner traitor in the Marquis's mansion.
Hehe, interesting, interesting. Sister Jinghong's husband was far more interesting than those people in the Tribe.
"Brother, Sister Jinghong should marry brother-in-law instead. You're far too lacking."
Thinking this, Pei Guanli tiptoed outside.
Bright sunlight fell over her, revealing that she had changed into the clothes of a maidservant from the Marquis's mansion.
Her green short jacket was stuffed full, beneath it was a horse-face skirt, and embroidered cloth shoes adorned her feet. Together with the pair of buns on her head, she looked every inch a pretty maidservant.
After making sure no one was around, Pei Guanli stretched lazily and followed the location Chen Yi had told her about.
Who would have thought that just as she reached the entrance, she ran headlong into Zhang Heng, who came rushing over in high spirits.
Zhang Heng swept his gaze over her and ran into Chunhe Garden without a second thought, shouting loudly, "Runaway groom, Brother Wu Ge, this heir apparent has arrived! Come out and welcome me..."
Pei Guanli pursed her full lips. Before he could notice that Chunhe Garden had been emptied, she slipped away in a flash.
Along the way, she showed no timidity whatsoever.
Other than her eyes occasionally darting about, whenever she met maidservants or servants in the mansion, she even exchanged a few polite words with convincing composure.
Even when those burly Armored Soldiers looked her way, she greeted them with an open, radiant smile.
A few young, vigorous Armored Soldiers were so captivated by her smile that they stared blankly after her retreating figure.
"Which residence is that maidservant from?"
"She probably isn't from the Main Branch. Perhaps she belongs to one of the Second Branch masters' courtyards. I heard someone say last time that Master Chen had a child outside."
"You mean she... That figure, that face—what a pity."
"Forget it. We may be Marquis's Mansion Guards, but marriage still depends on family wealth. How could a Yingqiao'er like her ever look our way?"
"True enough..."
It was not that these Armored Soldiers were incapable of noticing Pei Guanli's oddity.
For one thing, people came and went constantly in the Marquis's mansion. Apart from the gate servants and the Third Steward, no one could remember so many faces.
For another, in broad daylight, the Armored Soldiers naturally let down their guard—the same principle as darkness beneath a lamp.
No one would imagine that someone would dare put on a maidservant's clothes and swagger through the Marquis's mansion. Even Chen Yi had not expected Pei Guanli to be so bold.
She truly deserved his own assessment: "a tigerish little girl," brimming with a fierce tiger's spirit.
In short, Pei Guanli encountered no obstruction along the way and arrived smoothly outside a side room beside the front courtyard stable.
"One, two, three... seven, eight. So many rooms. Which one does Liu Si'er live in?"
Pei Guanli looked left and right. They all seemed the same. Tilting her head to think, a clever smile immediately appeared on her face.
Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and, like when she used to sing mountain songs in the mountains, called out brightly:
"Anyone here?"
"Who is it?"
"A girl? A girl has come?"
One stone sent up a thousand ripples. Two grooms tending the horses walked out to look. Upon seeing a pretty maidservant, they immediately tugged awkwardly at their sweatshirts.
"Miss, who are you looking for?"
"Which room does Fourth Brother live in? The Son-in-law and Young Marquis left the mansion and forgot something. They said Fourth Brother has it in his room, so I came to take a look."
"The innermost room... Forget it, I'll take you there. It's dirty and messy by the stable. Don't dirty your clothes, miss."
Pei Guanli smiled her thanks and followed them to Liu Si'er's room.
After sending them away, she patted her full chest and muttered that she had been scared to death, that she was frightened, and that brother-in-law would have to compensate her.
But girl, when saying things like that, could you stop smiling so happily?
Before you continue