The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 172: Linked to each other

Although it was cold, Fanlou was still bustling with activity.

During the New Year festival, it is the time for friends to get together and relatives to meet, and there is an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages coming and going in front of the door.

However, the road is slippery in snowy conditions, and some collisions are inevitable.

Two men, dressed in ordinary clothes but generous, walked out burping.

He had not walked far when a carriage hit his sleeve.

"Are you blind? You didn't even see who you bumped into!" The older man, a little drunk, yelled.

"That's right, he's in a hurry to reincarnate!" The young man next to him gave him a light support and then cursed.

"Are you sick..." the driver muttered, spat, and drove away.

The young man was about to curse again, but was stopped by the man from before: "Alright... let me vent my anger. But when you go out, don't tarnish the reputation of our Duke's Mansion. I, Li You, will not bother with that lowly person!"

Hearing this, the young man quickly put on a smile and said, "Brother Li is right! I'm young and easily get carried away. I'll need your guidance in the future."

Li You burped. "You're not bad, kid. You've only been at the Duke's Mansion for three or four months, but you've become quite popular. Even my father praises you from time to time..."

"Hehe... isn't it because Brother Li speaks well of me every day? Otherwise, with hundreds of people in the Duke's Mansion, who would know who I, Zhao Donglin, am? It's even more impossible for Butler Li to know me." Zhao Donglin laughed and tried hard to flatter him.

Li You enjoyed listening to this and glanced at him lazily: "That's because you have a good brain." Today they were out on business, and Li You was lazy, so Zhao Donglin was the only one who was busy.

The task was not completed until dark.

I thought we were going home, but I didn't expect Zhao Donglin to go to the bank to withdraw the silver he had saved for a long time, and drag Li You to Fanlou for a drink.

Who wouldn’t like someone who is so capable and quick-witted?

Li You praised Zhao Donglin a few more times, and as they talked, they stumbled towards the Ningguo Mansion.

"You don't know, I haven't had a drink this good in ages!" A cold breeze blew, and Li You sobered up a little. "Ever since the Second Prince got into trouble, our Duke has been smiling all day long and gets angry at the slightest provocation. These past few days, he's sold off several people in the mansion! Everyone's feeling insecure. Even though my father is the chief steward, he's actually the one who's most nervous. I don't know when this will end."

The eldest daughter of the Ningguo Duke's family was the legitimate wife of the Second Prince. The Second Prince's imprisonment was like a sword hanging over the Duke's head, and he never knew when it would be implicated.

Zhao Donglin didn't know how to respond and could only offer a few dry words of comfort.

Li Youyi felt bored, so he started talking about other things, such as which maid in the mansion was pretty and which maid was easy to get along with.

We had covered most of the journey while chatting and laughing.

When passing the corner alley, I saw a person lying on the ground from a distance.

Both of them were shocked. The person was so cold and motionless, how could he be alive?

Zhao Donglin mustered up the courage to move closer, reached out his hand to feel the person's breath, and said, "He's still alive."

Only then did Li You come over.

Bending over, he saw the man had been lying in the snow for who knows how long. His overalls were soaked through, and his lips were frozen purple. Zhao Donglin whispered, "Brother Li, I don't think he'll be happy for much longer. This is none of our business. Let's go back home."

After saying that, he stepped over the man and pulled Li You away.

Unexpectedly, his toes kicked over the man's coat, and he fell down unexpectedly.

He was about to curse when he saw Li You looking down at something.

"Brother Li, what's going on..." he asked in confusion.

Before he could finish his words, Li You quickly gestured to silence him, then helped the man up from the ground: "Quick, carry him back to the mansion!"

Zhao Donglin: "..."

Although he didn't understand why, he had just recognized Li You as his boss, so naturally he had to respond. He gritted his teeth and carried the man on his back.

As soon as he touched it, he shivered from the cold.

This place was three blocks away from the Duke's Mansion. The two of them trotted all the way and went straight into the back room through the corner gate. Zhao Donglin threw the man to the ground, panting. Before he could catch his breath, he heard Li You say, "I'll watch here. Go call my father!"

Li You's father was the chief steward of the Duke's Mansion. He should still be busy dealing with things at this time. Zhao Donglin did not dare to delay and hurried over again.

Just after finishing all the affairs, the housekeeper Li had just picked up the tea bowl and had not yet skimmed off the tea foam when he saw Zhao Donglin running in rashly.

He frowned and was about to scold him when he heard Li You "picked up" someone from outside. He then followed him to the back room with a suspicious look on his face.

"What's going on?" Butler Li, who had been in charge of the Duke's Mansion for over a decade, spoke with an air of authority. "Weren't you out on business? Why did you bring a stranger back?"

Although they were biological father and son, Li You was also cautious: "Father, this man seems a little strange." Upon hearing this, Butler Li looked at the man on the ground. Under his lifted coat, he was wearing a gray-brown robe with a colorful cloud pattern embroidered on the collar.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, understanding Li You's meaning: "Is this person affiliated with the Jiangnan Dao?"

The clothes worn by officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were very different due to their different ranks and subordinates.

The grades are mainly distinguished by color, while the different affiliations are determined by the embroidery on the collar.

Judging from his attire, this person should be a low-ranking official of Jiangnan Road, under the command of Chang Jing, the Commissioner of Promotion and Demotion.

"Father said before that officials from other places are not allowed to return to the capital in their official capacity unless they are reporting on their work or on leave. This person... has such a low official rank that he doesn't need to come to the capital to report on his work. Moreover, he almost froze to death alone in the capital, and it doesn't look like he is on vacation. He is neither of those things, yet he is wearing official clothes. I think there must be something strange about his entry into the capital!" Li You said firmly.

The steward Li also thought so. As the steward of the Duke's Mansion, he naturally knew the grudge between the mansion and Chang Jing:

Chang Jing is the crown prince's confidant, and the Ningguo Mansion is the second prince's in-laws. Now that the crown prince and the second prince are fighting, it is not an exaggeration to say that the two families are rivals.

Since the Second Prince's incident, the Ningguo Mansion has been trying to overturn his case in order to protect itself, but it has been at a loss as to where to start.

Could this person right now be a breakthrough?

It’s just that the timing of this person’s appearance… isn’t it too coincidental?

He ordered, "Search him."

Naturally, it was Zhao Donglin who did the physical work.

He searched the person thoroughly inside and out, only to take out a gray sign.

"What is this?" Li You took it and turned it over and over but couldn't figure out what it was.

Li, the chief steward, picked up the oil lamp on the table and poured the oil onto the waist plaque. In an instant, a colorful cloud pattern appeared.

Li You and Zhao Donglin widened their eyes, but Butler Li was not prepared to explain.

He took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and asked:

"Where did you find this person? How did you find him? Tell me in detail!"

Li You knew his father would ask this question, so in order to avoid being exposed for drinking, he had already prepared an excuse.

He simply said that he had taken Zhao Donglin out on an errand and that they were late returning due to the cold and slippery weather. As they passed by the alley around the corner, they found the man collapsed on the ground. He went forward to check on him and noticed something strange about his clothes, so he picked him up.

Upon hearing this, Butler Li frowned:

Corner Alley is three streets away from the Ningguo Mansion, but only two streets away from the Eastern Palace.

Could this person be going to the Eastern Palace? He looked coldly at the unconscious man on the ground: "You must keep an eye on him tonight! It's too cold in this room. Bring two braziers and some quilts to prevent him from freezing to death. When it's daybreak, ask the palace doctor to come and see him. When he wakes up, report back to me."

"Yes!"

After giving the instructions, Butler Li left in a hurry.

Zhao Donglin hurriedly brought over two charcoal braziers, then ran to get his own quilt and covered the man with it.

When he finished his work breathlessly, Li You patted his shoulder and said, "Well done. Go to the inner affairs room tomorrow to get two new quilts. Tell them they are rewards from my father."

"Thank you, Brother Li!" Zhao Donglin smiled so hard that his eyes were blurry, and he couldn't help but flatter him. "You are really amazing. You can tell this person's background at a glance!"

Li You was very pleased with himself: "Of course, from now on you should follow me and learn from me." "Thank you for the advice, Brother Li!"

There was a sound of iron chains, and the wooden door was locked tightly.

When everything inside and outside the room quieted down, the purple color on the man's face quickly faded away and he returned to his normal expression.

If there were anyone in the Yongjia Hall of the Eastern Palace at this time, it would not be difficult to find out that this person was the messenger who had just come to the Eastern Palace to deliver a handwritten letter for Chang Jing.