Chapter 274: There’s Trouble, They Have Knives
Chapter 274: Chapter 274: There’s Trouble, They Have Knives
During her stay at the Ye Family’s residence, Shen Ningning had made a few observations.
Her sweet potato vines were actually growing faster than they had on Wolf Mountain.
Placed in a sheltered spot under the corridor, the green vines had grown even taller in just the past two days.
In the villagers’ words, they must have started bearing fruit in the soil.
The next stage was the slow growth of the sweet potatoes themselves.
Shen Ningning had analyzed the reason.
It was probably because the Ye Family’s estate was located in the suburbs of the capital and on the sunny side of a mountain. Compared to Wolf Mountain, it wasn’t nearly as cold.
The little girl earnestly took out her booklet and recorded her findings.
「That evening.」
Jiang Zhi came to help Shen Ningning pack her bags.
"Just now, I passed by the other young ladies’ courtyards and saw them all taking a walk to aid their digestion," Jiang Zhi said.
Shen Ningning smiled knowingly. "If you eat too many sweet potatoes, you need to pass gas."
Jiang Zhi paused, then laughed heartily. "Isn’t it just farting? It’s a perfectly normal thing, but they’re so concerned with their image. I saw them all looking like they were facing a mortal enemy, and they wouldn’t even let their maids get close."
Shen Ningning shook her little head, pulled out some meat jerky from a cloth pouch under her pillow, and handed it to Jiang Zhi.
She said, "Sweet potatoes are really good for you. You won’t get sick from eating too many, and passing a little gas is fine."
Jiang Zhi took the jerky and examined it.
The meat was sliced into translucent, thin pieces. It had likely been pounded with the back of a knife to break the sinews, making the texture more tender and firm.
It had been roasted over a high flame, glazed with a layer of honey, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and drizzled with white sesame seeds.
One bite would fill your mouth with fragrance.
Shen Ningning and Jiang Zhi ate their fill. Afterward, they didn’t forget to each have a bowl of warm Spiritual Spring Water.
It quenched their thirst and cut through the richness.
Just as they finished, there was a knock on the door.
Shen Ningning couldn’t help but ask, "Who is it?"
"Commandery Princess, it’s me, Chen Wanru," a soft voice replied.
Chen Wanru, the Second Miss Chen of the Chen Family, was one of the high-born young ladies invited by Ye Shangyi.
The little girl went to open the door. Chen Wanru offered a gentle smile. "Commandery Princess, would it be convenient for me to come in and speak with you?"
Shen Ningning nodded and stepped aside with her small body. "Come in."
She poured a cup of tea for Chen Wanru, which was brewed with Spiritual Spring Water, but Chen Wanru waved her hand and declined.
She said, "The hour is late, so I’ll get straight to the point."
"I’m so sorry to disturb you this late at night, but I’m here to ask on behalf of my elder brother. The Commandery Princess’s second brother will soon be returning to the capital to assume the post of Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice."
"My older brother is currently serving as a temple minister in the Ministry of Justice. This means that when your second brother returns to the capital soon, they will have a superior-subordinate relationship."
Shen Ningning sat on the stool, her little hands resting obediently on her knees. She blinked her large eyes twice.
"And then what?" the little girl asked, confused.
’Second Brother? Xie Ming’an?’
Chen Wanru took a long box out of her sleeve.
Upon opening it, she revealed a slender Seven-color Gemstone Bracelet.
Each of the high-quality gems was the size of a pinky fingernail.
They were strung together on a pure gold chain, their various colors shimmering with a magnificent luster. It was clearly priceless at a glance.
"This gift is a token of respect from my older brother to the Xie family. When your second brother returns to the capital, I’d trouble you to put in a few good words for him."
"My older brother is a rather reckless person, and he..."
Before Chen Wanru could finish, Shen Ningning pushed the box back.
The little girl shook her head decisively. "I can’t meddle in my second brother’s affairs."
"Besides, I’ve never even met him!"
She had only heard from Xie Suzhi, Xie Mingxu, and the rest of the Xie family that her second brother, Xie Ming’an, was an extremely cold person!
The two sons of the Xie family, Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an, both took after Xie Suzhi’s nature.
Cold, clear-headed, and ruthless.
And very intelligent.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have achieved such influential positions in the officialdom—one in civil service, the other in military affairs—while still so young.
But as the eldest son, Xie Mingxu had been personally raised by Shen Siyi, so he inherited some of his mother’s gentle nature.
Xie Ming’an was different, however. He seemed to have been distant from his family since he was young.
Chen Wanru hadn’t expected Shen Ningning to refuse so decisively.
’There’s a saying about not slapping a smiling face, yet Princess Funing was giving her no quarter at all.’
The smile on Chen Wanru’s face faltered.
She said, a bit forced, "You’re family. It’s much easier for you to speak with Second Young Master Xie than it is for us."
Shen Ningning pursed her lips. "I’m not the Xie family’s biological daughter. Why would my second brother listen to me on important matters?"
"And if it’s a small matter, then there’s even less reason for you to come to me."
With that, Chen Wanru was left completely speechless.
She took back the item, stood up, and looked as if she wanted to say something more but hesitated.
Shen Ningning then said in her soft, sweet voice, "I’ll walk you to the door~"
Chen Wanru felt too embarrassed to stay any longer.
But once outside the door, she couldn’t help but turn back and add, "My older brother is reckless by nature. I’m just afraid they might clash in the future and have a misunderstanding."
"Since we’ve met, Commandery Princess, we can be considered friends. If things get ugly because of my brother, I’m afraid..."
But Shen Ningning said, "In that case, Miss Chen, you should hurry home and teach your older brother a lesson."
"Tell him not to be so reckless."
Chen Wanru’s expression froze for a moment, then she nodded. "Yes... you’re right."
"By the way, Commandery Princess, why does your room smell so fragrant? Were you eating something?"
Shen Ningning picked up a piece of dried sweet potato from the nearby cabinet.
"You have a sharp nose. Freshly roasted sweet potato, want a bite?"
Chen Wanru hastily refused and left in a hurry.
After she left, Jiang Zhi spoke up. "That Second Miss Chen is so strange."
"Her older brother hasn’t even offended your second brother yet, and she’s already here to plead for leniency?"
Shen Ningning scratched her cheek with her little hand. "That’s why I guess it’s probably not that simple."
"Grandma always said you can eat anything, but you can’t say just anything, and you definitely can’t accept just anything. Otherwise, you’ll be in their debt."
Just as she finished speaking, the little girl clutched her stomach as a GRUMBLE sounded.
She and Jiang Zhi looked at each other, and both burst out laughing.
"I guess you really can’t eat too many sweet potatoes!"
Shen Ningning had a good night’s sleep.
When she got up the next day, she was under the corridor checking on her sweet potato vines.
"I’ll be taking you home soon," Shen Ningning said, reaching out a cute little finger to gently stroke the sweet potato vine.
She was as careful as if she were tending to a small animal she had raised herself.
Just then, someone ran past outside in a panic.
It was accompanied by a servant’s terrified shout, "Quick! Tell all the young ladies to pack their things and leave immediately!"
A surprised Shen Ningning walked to the door, only to see Jiang Zhi running towards her with a swift pace and a grave expression.
Jiang Zhi hoisted Shen Ningning onto her shoulder in one move.
The little girl was confused. "What’s happening?!"
"A group of bandits, who look like disaster victims, have appeared out of nowhere. They’re coming up the mountain, robbing everyone they see. They’re about to reach us, we have to go now," Jiang Zhi said.
Shen Ningning frantically kicked her little legs. "My sweet potato vine! We can’t leave it behind!"
So Jiang Zhi turned back, grabbing the flower pot with one hand while carrying the little girl with the other.
However, she was still a woman, and her chest had been injured before. Her face was now slightly pale, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.
Seeing this, Shen Ningning immediately wanted to get down and run on her own.
But Jiang Zhi was worried. "It’ll be chaotic in a moment. I’m afraid you’ll get caught by them."
However, when they ran to the entrance of the estate, they saw Ye Shangyi running back, her face pale.
The servants following her also hurried into the estate.
Everyone was crowded here, creating a chaotic scene.
"What in the world is going on?" Shen Ningning asked in her soft, sweet voice.
Ye Shangyi’s lips trembled. "They’re coming up! It’s so scary! They all have knives!"
"What do we do? What are we going to do? We can’t escape! Behind the mountain is a cliff, there’s no way out!"
She was on the verge of tears as she spoke.
Shen Ningning suddenly jumped down from Jiang Zhi’s arms.
With a wave of her small hand, she gave a calm command, "What else can we do? First, close the gate!"
Then, Shen Ningning told Jiang Zhi and the estate’s servants to get oil from the kitchen.
"Pour it along the eaves! Don’t give them a chance to climb up. Hurry!"
Everyone was in a panic like ants on a hot pan, but fortunately, Shen Ningning stepped up to take command.
So, the servants and Jiang Zhi immediately went to the kitchen to get oil.
Ye Shangyi and a few of the other young ladies hid to the side, trembling in fear.
Shen Ningning climbed a ladder to take a look.
Down the slope, a huge crowd of people was swarming upwards. Their shouts were deafening, and even from this distance, she could hear them—
"The soldiers drove us out, so we’ll just rob! We’ll fight them to the death!"
Shen Ningning’s little face was grave. She immediately jumped down from the ladder.
"This won’t work. We have to abandon the outer courtyard. Leave it for them. We’re going to the inner courtyard."
Everyone followed her orders. The little girl saw Ye Shangyi and the others and immediately said, "Take off the bracelets on your wrists and the hairpins and ornaments in your hair. Throw them by the entrance."
Ye Shangyi and the others quickly did as they were told.
Shen Ningning saw the servants pour oil on the eaves as the roars from outside the gate grew closer.
Someone even kicked the main gate with a loud BANG.
Shen Ningning waved her small hand. "Go! To the inner courtyard."