After the banquet, Jin Shanyao led the siblings out of the palace. As soon as they arrived at the stables, they heard meowing. The siblings couldn't understand cat language, but Jin Shanyao understood it perfectly.
The cat bristled in anger.
"Don't touch me! Don't touch me! I'm a cat, not a cow. If you're looking for a cow, go look somewhere else. Stop spitting on me!"
Is this never going to end...? Get out of the way!
Immediately following was the sound of my old ox's hoarse voice.
"If I don't harass you, who will I harass? You're sleeping on my food bowl! It's only because I have a good temper that I don't stoop to your level. Any other animal with a bad temper would have bullied you long ago. You're truly lawless."
Meanwhile, their two horses stood far away, looking at the old ox as if it were an idiot!
Jin Shanyao forward and slapped the ox on the back. "Let's go... I'll give you ginkgo leaves to eat when we get home."
The old ox mooed and spat at the kitten, covering its head in spittle...
The kitten instantly bristled, "You idiot! You dare to spit on me just because you have someone backing you up? Don't let me see you again, or I'll pee all over your rice bowl!"
Old Niu gave a wicked smile and followed Jin Shanyao back to the Anzhi Hall, swaying back and forth.
Anzhi Hall.
Jin Shanyao took out three handfuls of ginkgo leaves and fed them to the old ox and the two horses.
"You all performed well today, very bravely, especially Black Grand Marshal and General White, who were both courageous and resourceful, and even knew how to dodge attacks, which deserves praise."
After saying this, he specially rewarded the two horses with extra ginkgo leaves, which made the old ox swallow hard; it had eaten too quickly to taste anything.
Jin Shanyao turned and went back to her study.
The siblings were reviewing the day's battle. Meng Anci's voice was icy cold, "If we had just poked the horse's eyes, one blow would have killed both man and horse."
Meng Anzhi nodded silently, "Hitting the horse's leg is fine too, but it requires strength... Luckily, we both had this kind of training since we were young, otherwise we would have suffered a great loss. Next time, we will need to use a more skillful approach."
Meng Anci nodded in agreement.
Post-war debriefing is a tradition of the Meng Household, and Jin Shanyao didn't see anything wrong with it.
There was a knock at the door, Qing He came in carrying a bowl of ashes. "Master, what you requested is ready."
Jin Shanyao her head and gave a soft "hmm." Qing He said worriedly, "Master, it's too dangerous for you to go to the embassy alone. Perhaps we shouldn't..."
"That won't do, I promised Xiaoji I'd go see him."
Jin Shanyao her hand, reached into the bowl, grabbed a handful of ash, and smeared it on her face. Five black finger marks instantly appeared on her fair cheek.
The siblings exchanged a glance. "Auntie, what are you doing at the embassy?"
"Go scare Jin Xiaoji..." she said with a sigh, "If this were in Qingzhou Prefecture, I wouldn't need to lift a finger; Ghost One and Ghost Two could handle it." After saying that, she grabbed a handful of ash and smeared it on her forehead.
Meng Anzhi's expression hardened. This meant her aunt was going to personally dress up as a ghost to scare people. "Auntie, Jin Xiaoji isn't worthy of your personal attention. Let my younger brother go."
Meng Anci said solemnly, "Auntie, my sister is right. How can we let you go like this? I'll go... I'm willing to go through Mountain Foot Fire for you."
Jin Shanyao her hair, letting it fall loose. "A person should keep their word. Since I promised Jin Xiaoji, I can't let someone else do it for me. Qing He, go and get my battle robe."
Qing He, "Master... when you're dressed as a ghost, you wear white, nobody wears yellow..."
Jin Shanyao the hair away from her eyes. "Then go find me a white robe, write the character 'prisoner' on it, and remember to draw a circle around it."
After Qing He left, Jin Shanyao, her face smudged with soot, looked at the siblings and said, "Be good... wait for your aunt at home. I'll be right back."
Jin Shanyao instructed Dahuang and Xiaoli to keep an eye on the siblings, then strode towards the embassy with her hair disheveled.
Inside the embassy.
While fast asleep, Jin Xiaoji felt an itch on his face. He reached out to scratch it... and touched a patch of fur. Thinking it was his own hair, he brushed it aside, turned over, and continued sleeping.
In his dazed state, Jin Xiaoji felt a cold hand slowly moving up his neck and onto his face, which startled him awake.
The moment I opened my eyes, my scalp tingled... A pitch-black face with two large eyes staring straight at me.
Jin Xiaoji was so frightened that his heart was pounding. He pushed the person away and pulled the blanket over himself tightly.
He roared, " Jin Shanyao, are you crazy? Why are you pretending to be a ghost to scare me in the middle of the night?"
Jin Shanyao brushed her hair aside in surprise and said, "You actually recognized me?!"
"Nonsense... I'd recognize you even if you were ashes."
The Jin Shanyao, enlightening her. No wonder the book says that the one who understands you best is always your enemy... Sure enough, even in this terrible state, Jin Xiaoji could still recognize her at first glance.
Jin Shanyao heated brick bed) on all fours, wanting to have a long talk with Jin Xiaoji.
Jin Xiaoji remembered that Jin Shanyao touched his face, and he was so frightened that he covered himself with the blanket and backed away repeatedly.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll call for help..."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, her large, dark face looming close to Jin Xiaoji's. "Don't be afraid, I don't mean any harm! I just remembered that the way you looked at me during the day seemed a bit off..."
As she spoke, she pried open Jin Xiaoji's eyelids, "Come on, show me how fierce you are..."
"Get away from me, you perverted bastard!"
Jin Xiaoji angrily pushed at Jin Shanyao, only to find that she wouldn't budge. She stood firmly in front of him like a rock.
So he reached out to pry open the Jin Shanyao fingers, trying to save his eyes, but he couldn't pry them open at all.
Enraged, he shouted towards the door, "Help! Someone help me!" At the same time, he punched Jin Shanyao on the head.
But the next moment, her wrist was gripped tightly, and a bone-cracking pain instantly swept through her body. "Ah! Let go, let go..."
Jin Xiaoji felt like his wrist was about to break.
" Shopkeeper Jin, Madam Jin... please listen to me..."
Jin Xiaoji's mind raced. "Um, I have kidney deficiency... I'm sick... I... I like men, but I can't get an erection."
Jin Shanyao finger and moved it, then touched his pulse. "You have so many illnesses??? I didn't realize..."
The strong, vigorous pulse told her that Jin Xiaoji was lying. Jin Shanyao swung her fist and punched Jin Xiaoji right in the eye.
A scream rang out... "You vicious woman, you can't have me, so you start abusing me, you... Ah..." Her other eye was also punched hard.
Jin Shanyao his chin with one hand, looked him over from left to right, and found it very symmetrical, which pleased her.
Then she slowly stood up and kicked Jin Xiaoji, saying, "I'll teach you to hit my child, I'll teach you to ignore me, I'll teach you to mock me... I'll teach you to be mean... What kind of good person do you take me for..."
She kicked him with every word he spoke.
Jin Xiaoji, clutching his head, retorted, "It wasn't my idea, you've hit the wrong person..."
Jin Shanyao in her striking motion, thinking back to the scene... it seemed to have nothing to do with Jin Xiaoji.
She apologetically tucked him into bed, gently covered him with the blanket, patted his head, and comforted him, "I'm so sorry..."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Immediately afterwards, a terrified scream came You Tuo next door, "A ghost..."
"Bang!"
"Ah... Help! Is there a ghost? An assassin?"
Bang bang bang...
The sounds of fists landing, mixed with You Tuo's curses and pleas for mercy, lasted for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.
Jin Xiaoji rubbed his eyes, hissed, and pricked up his ears to listen. He discovered that the young prince had been beaten for longer than him, and his heart instantly felt relieved.