Adhere to the gentleman's principles

Inside the Pingliang Palace, in the Yongyin Palace, the eldest princess Xiao Yumiao was watering the flowers with a small bamboo spoon, and the palace maid was standing by with water. "Is Xiaojiu's house arrest lifted today?"

The maid replied, "Yes, it seems that the Ninth Princess has been under house arrest in Qinrou Palace for more than half a year and two months." Xiao Yumiao handed the bamboo spoon to the maid and walked slowly to the pavilion and sat down. "Does Li Ziyan have such a big influence on Xiaojiu?" Xiao Yumiao asked, and the maid said nothing.

The maid came to report: "Princess, the fifth and ninth princesses want to see you." Xiao Yumiao was puzzled after hearing this, "Please let them in." The two walked to the pavilion and heard Xiao Yufu's complaint. Xiao Yule sat aside and said: "Royal sister, please take care of her. She has been miserable in her own palace for so long. It just so happens that the confinement is lifted today. I went to find her and she hugged me and cried when she saw me, asking me to help her teach Li Ziyan and Zhao Junning a lesson."

Xiao Yufu looked at Xiao Yumiao aggrievedly and said, "Royal sister." Xiao Yumiao frowned and said, "But I heard that Young Marquis Li said he doesn't want to marry you and the emperor hasn't issued an edict to get you engaged, right?" Xiao Yufu felt even sadder after hearing this, "But I like him! From childhood to adulthood, I can get anything I like. I am of noble status. Apart from being the daughter of a great general and having some fame, what else can Zhao Junning compare to me?"

Xiao Yule never tolerated others and went straight to the heart: "Xiaojiu, you are being unreasonable. Young Marquis Li is a human being, not an object. Moreover, my father has issued an edict that he will not easily allow the princess to marry a minister. Besides, I saw Zhao Junning when I was a child. She is quite powerful. She is proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, etiquette, and is more than a match for Li Ziyan."

Xiao Yufu frowned: "They are just not worthy." Xiao Yumiao just drank tea and listened to the two arguing.

Xiao Yule was puzzled: "General Zhao and Lord Li were both generals of the Eight Pillars of the State. Now one is the general of the state and the other is the Marquis of Guangping. How come they are not a good match?" Xiao Yumiao held his forehead and slapped the table, saying, "That's enough."

Then he looked at Xiao Yufu: "Xiao Jiu, listen to my sister, how about we change someone?" Xiao Yufu shook her head: "No, I want Li Ziyan." Xiao Yule asked: "Why must Li Ziyan?" Xiao Yufu thought for a while and said: "Because Li Ziyan is amazing, good-looking, and smart, these two points are enough. The main thing is that he looks good. And I think Li Ziyan has a future."

Then Xiao Yufu took Xiao Yumiao's hand and said, "Royal sister, you will help me, right? I don't want to ask my father to grant me a marriage. I just want to teach that Zhao Junning a lesson. She dared to make me apologize to her in front of so many people."

Xiao Yule knew that she couldn't persuade them anymore. Besides, their sister was famous for doting on them. She also knew that the eldest princess had a different status. When Xiao Yumiao taught someone a lesson, even the crown prince couldn't stop her. This was the status of the eldest princess. Xiao Yumiao touched Xiao Yufu's head and asked, "Then how do you want me to help you teach her a lesson?" Xiao Yufu thought about it, and Xiao Yumiao smiled and said, "Go back and think about it. There's no rush."

Then she said to the maid, "Go and get the herbs." When the maid went to the bedroom to get the herbs, Xiao Yufu teased, "My sister is collecting herbs for my fifth sister again!" Then she said, "My sister, why do you always study herbs and medicine? Doesn't the palace have a royal doctor?" Xiao Yule shook her head, "You don't understand this, I study medicine just because I like it, just like you only focus on teaching Madam Li Ziyan a lesson." The two sisters were about to quarrel again, but Xiao Yumiao's eyes were sharp. Neither of them dared to quarrel anymore.

The maid brought the herbs, and Xiao Yumiao gently said to Xiao Yule, "Xiaowu, these are the herbs that Yi An brought back the day before yesterday. They are all very precious." Xiao Yule happily took them and said, "Royal sister, thank my brother-in-law for me. Thank you too, Royal sister." Xiao Yumiao nodded, "Yes."

The next day, Li Ziyan wore a simple blue robe with tight sleeves, and his neat high-tied hair was tied up with a blue and white brocade. Lin Muchen wore a goose yellow robe with wide sleeves, and Xu Wenhe wore a simple blue robe with tight sleeves. The three of them stood together, one was a young man in bright clothes and riding a horse, full of high spirits, one was a stern young man, and the other was a gentle and refined young man from a scholar, standing at the gate of the beautiful and wealthy Qian's mansion.

The bailiff who came with him knocked on the door of the mansion. It was the housekeeper who opened the door. When he saw the three people, he asked, "Who are you?" Xu Wenhe smiled and said to the housekeeper, "The tallest one in the middle is our county magistrate. I'm his guard. The one next to him... I don't know who the one next to him is yet. Anyway, we are here to look for your master." The housekeeper was about to close the door but was stopped by Xu Wenhe.

Li Ziyan walked up and said with a smile: "Old housekeeper, why are you closing the door? We are here to visit the former county magistrate." The housekeeper saw Li Ziyan like this and asked: "My master is not in the mansion."

After hearing this, Li Ziyan questioned, "Oh, then we are guests too, so why are you just turning us away?"

At this time, a woman in the mansion asked, "Old Hu? Who are you talking to?" The old housekeeper turned around and said, "Madam, it's the new county magistrate who is here to see the master."

Mrs. Qian was also panicked after hearing this. She sighed and walked to the door of the mansion: "Then the visitor is a guest, why did you lock him out? Open the door."

Madam Qian smiled and walked over to the three people and saluted: "Are you three looking for my master for something urgent?" Li Ziyan looked at the delicate and pretentious woman in front of him and said with a smile: "Madam Qian, it's not a big deal for us to look for Master Qian. It was not until yesterday that we found some problems in Master Qian's accounts in the account book. They were all his private accounts. We wanted to ask him to make up the public funds."

Li Ziyan came straight to the point, which made Mrs. Qian a little at a loss. Mrs. Qian suppressed her nervousness and said, "Is that so? As a woman, I don't know about these things about my master. But you see, our master is not at home now, you can come again when he comes back?" Li Ziyan glanced at the mansion and smiled softly, "Okay, then I will visit you next time."

Xu Wenhe patted Lin Muchen on the shoulder and whispered, "Look at this Madam Qian, she can't lie at first glance, she's shaking so much. This Lord Qian must be at home." Lin Muchen nodded, "Yes, it's too obvious, even more obvious than when you were shaking last time." Xu Wenhe frowned, "Lin Muchen, you." Lin Muchen smiled and said, "Let's go and listen to what Zi Yan has to say."

After the three of them left the Qian Mansion, Xu Wenhe asked, "Zi Yan, why did you wait for a few more days when Madam Qian lied to you?"

Li Ziyan said, "We can't just barge in, right?" Xu Wenhe was a little puzzled: "So you're just going to let them go?"

Li Ziyan lowered his head and smiled: "What do you think, Brother Lin?" Lin Muchen smiled and shook his head: "Of course it's not that simple. Lord Qian is deliberately hiding from us. We wait for a day and he won't see us. It's better to let him fall into the trap himself."

Li Ziyan snapped his fingers. "Smart. Let's go find him every day. But we also have to check on the moat. If there's a problem with such a big river, it will be difficult when the rainy season comes."