Xie Yun was shivering in the Shifang Pavilion.
Given his status, he should never have been able to enter the Shifang Pavilion. Even when passing messages between Manager Liu and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he could only tell the maids guarding the pavilion and have them relay it to Manager Liu. But who could have thought that although he now stood here looking presentable, just an incense stick's worth of time ago, he was still in the dungeon, wearing prisoner's clothes.
Two days ago, as a "trusted" deputy general of Li Yanqing, he followed Li Yanqing into the Bian Palace. Unexpectedly, they were all captured by Gong Tan and thrown into the dungeon.
Actually, before Li Yanqing's action, he had managed to inform Liu Mei of this. At that time, the feedback from Liu Mei's maid was that the information he provided was too late.
That meant either Liu Mei or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had obtained this information before him.
Xie Yun felt a bit disheartened. Although he was forced to work for Liu Mei under threat, he never thought that Liu Mei was actually on the Crown Prince's side. Only then did he realize that the Crown Prince, who seemed timid on the surface, was actually a man of many schemes. Since he had the chance to work for the Crown Prince, as long as he clung to this powerful figure, he would surely rise to prominence when the Crown Prince became the King of Lixia.
But the Crown Prince already knew the news before he reported it. As someone who didn't know about the Tingfeng Pavilion, he felt a great deal of pressure. He thought the Crown Prince had other channels and that he was no longer of any use. He was in a bad mood for quite a while after that.
Two days ago, Li Yanqing broke into the Bian Palace as planned. As one of the "accomplices", he was also captured by Gong Tan. He waited in the dungeon for two days and two nights, his heart growing colder and colder. Just when he thought the Crown Prince was going to abandon him, a young jailer sneaked over and opened his cell door.
After that, he followed the jailer out through the back door of the dungeon secretly, changed his clothes, met the Crown Prince, and was then brought to the Shifang Pavilion by the Crown Prince.
This was his first time entering the Shifang Pavilion. Thinking he had been abandoned, he felt a bit excited for a moment. He followed Xia Chuli into the room. When he saw Liu Mei's dressing, he immediately closed his eyes in fright and turned his head away blushing.
It couldn't be blamed on him. After all, this was the first - reaction of any man who saw Liu Mei for the first time.
Liu Mei sitting in the room let out a coquettish laugh. She even mischievously pulled down her already low - cut dress even lower.
Xia Chuli frowned, stepped in, and plopped down on the seat opposite Liu Mei. Looking at Xie Yun who still stood at the door, too afraid to look inside, he said coldly, "Why aren't you coming in?"
"Yes, yes..." Xie Yun was extremely flustered. He lowered his head and walked into the room, standing obediently on one side with his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose fixed on his heart.
Come on, he didn't dare to look. Manager Liu might seem just a merchant, but after he got in touch with her, he knew how unfathomable this woman was. He didn't dare to provoke her.
Xia Chuli glanced at Xie Yun, who stood obediently on one side with a blushing face. He clicked his tongue and then turned to Liu Mei and said, "Can you dress properly for once?"
"Humph." Liu Mei shook the ash out of her pipe and said charmingly, "You boy, how are you talking to your elder?"
No normal merchant would talk to the Crown Prince like this, right? Xie Yun was even more certain in his heart that there must be something special about this woman, Liu Mei.
"I've brought the man here for you." Xia Chuli said, "If you have something to do, just say it directly."
Liu Mei smiled. She took out a beautifully - crafted mahogany box from the secret compartment of the table, placed it on the table, and said to Xie Yun, "Young man, stop lowering your head. Look here."
Xie Yun paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head. His eyes involuntarily glanced at Liu Mei's chest, and then he belatedly looked at the box.
Liu Mei didn't seem to think there was anything inappropriate. On the contrary, she actually liked it when someone appreciated her beauty. So she deliberately bent down a bit, revealing her deep cleavage even more prominently.
"Young man, now I'm giving you a task. You should take this red box and go to Yueli, the capital city of Yushan. Then take this thing to a place called Tongque Tower and hand it over to a man named Lü Pingsheng. Do you understand?"
Xie Yun was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly nodded and said, "Understood, understood."
Liu Mei smiled, glanced at Xia Chuli, and said, "This is a special task arranged for you by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It only takes four days to get to Yushan Yueli at full gallop. You must deliver this thing to Lü Pingsheng within four days. If there's any mistake, you know the consequences."
Xie Yun was secretly delighted. He quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your Royal Highness, please rest assured. I will do my best to deliver this thing!"
Xia Chuli frowned and looked at Liu Mei. He saw Liu Mei raising her eyebrows at him. Then he heard her say again, "Of course, if you do this well, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will surely reward you handsomely. Do you understand?"
Xie Yun kowtowed again and said, "I understand."
"Hey, you can't call yourself 'your subordinate' anymore. 'Xie Yun' is still locked up in the dungeon at this moment." Liu Mei laughed. She picked up the red box, wrapped it carefully with a delicate silk cloth, then walked up to Xie Yun and said, "From now on, you must not reveal your name to anyone. The horse downstairs has been prepared for you. You can set off now."
After a cup of tea, the two sat by the window, watching Xie Yun, wearing a bamboo hat, mount his horse. Then he whipped his horse and galloped out of the Shifang Pavilion in a hurry.
"Humph, you brought him here just for this?" Xia Chuli sneered, "And you even used my name?"
Liu Mei withdrew her gaze and let out a soft laugh. She shook the teacup in her hand and said in her charming voice, "Didn't you see the way his eyes lit up when he heard it was an order from 'His Royal Highness the Crown Prince'? This man is eager to work for you. Why not give him a chance?"
Xia Chuli put down the teacup, frowned, and asked, "What's in that red box? It seems very precious?"
Liu Mei propped her head up and thought for a while, then said, "Well, it's very precious to someone, but to others, it's just a little trinket."
Xia Chuli's eyes stayed on Liu Mei's face for a while. Then he suddenly seemed to wake up from a dream and understood, "Such a precious thing to that person. You're giving it to Xie Yun? Can he be trusted?"
Liu Mei raised her eyebrows and said, "That red box can't be opened by ordinary people. It's made like a Luban Lock."
Xia Chuli frowned and said, "Is that the problem? I don't care whether he can open it or not. I care whether he can deliver it. Why don't you send someone from your pavilion?"
Liu Mei glared at Xia Chuli, crossed her legs, and said disdainfully, "I said, if you don't know, just keep your mouth shut. Do you know what that person will do when he sees that thing? My subordinates are very precious. I'd be heartbroken if I lost one."
Xia Chuli was stunned for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Will he kill Xie Yun?"
Liu Mei shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe. If he doesn't die, since he's so lucky and willing to be loyal to you, you might as well give him an official position later."
Xia Chuli ignored Liu Mei's teasing. Frowning, he asked, "What exactly is in there? Why is it in your hands?"
Liu Mei looked at him and said, "What is it... Well, it's something my sister didn't want, so it was naturally sent to me."
Xia Chuli's eyes widened, "My... my mother actually... for him..."
"Humph, do you think it's a sad love story of stealing love from the tiger's mouth?" Liu Mei picked up her pipe and took a slow puff. She let out a soft snort, and there was a hint of melancholy in her expression. "Let me tell you, my sister never met the right person in her life."
Xia Chuli lowered his head, thought for a while, and said, "I originally planned to use other methods."
Liu Mei smoked her pipe and said, "There's no need. That thing is enough."