Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 600 - 598

Chapter 600: 598

"Try this steak, I fried it myself," Xiao’er pointed to the steak in front of him.

Shangguan Xuanyi skillfully picked up his knife and started eating.

He had rushed over immediately after leaving the palace, knowing there would be good food for him here. Therefore, he hadn’t eaten much at his meal, to save room.

Seeing him finish eating, Xiao’er asked, "Is the Emperor’s health improving?"

There was an abundance of information in her words.

But Shangguan Xuanyi knew what Xiao’er was asking: "It’s still the same."

Shangguan Xuanyi meant that the situation had not seen much progress.

However, this was normal. It had only been a few days. They would need to wait and see, to truly comprehend the Emperor’s condition.

"It will get better soon," Xiao’er hinted.

Shangguan Xuanyi simply nodded.

"I heard that..." Xiao’er was about to mention the conscription in Lianyun County.

Shangguan Xuanyi suddenly picked up a walnut from the table and threw it in a certain direction.

"Ah!" A woman’s scream came from the flower bushes.

"Come out!" Xiao’er coldly ordered the flower bushes.

"Miss, young master!" Rou’er stood up, gave them a bow with a scared expression on her face.

"What are you sneakily doing hiding in the flower bushes?" Xiao’er asked sternly.

"This slave lost an earring while cleaning the courtyard this afternoon. I was looking everywhere for it, and happened to see Miss appreciating the moon here. I didn’t want to disrupt you, so I squatted here and didn’t dare move. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop." Rou’er raised a hand as if swearing oath.

"Didn’t anyone tell you that no one is allowed into my courtyard after nightfall without permission?"

"That earring was a reward from the Lady this morning. I wore it for only half a day before losing it. I was so anxious to find it that I forgot the rule. Please forgive me, Miss. This slave will never do it again, please spare me!" Seeing Xiao’er in full fury, Rou’er quickly knelt down and started kowtowing.

Seeing her like this, Xiao’er’s tone softened: "Did you find the earring?"

"Yes, yes, it’s over there." Rou’er pointed to the bluestone slab not far away.

Xiao’er looked over and indeed there was something twinkling under the moonlight.

"Pick up the earring and leave! Remember, no one is allowed here after nightfall without permission, or I won’t let you off easily."

"Thank you, Miss, you have a kind heart." Rou’er kept kowtowing.

"Enough, get out." Xiao’er impatiently waved her hand.

Rou’er glanced at the silent Shangguan Xuanyi, then shyly lowered her head and left.

After she walked out of Xiao’er’s courtyard and saw no one around, she patted her chest, relieved. She was discovered so easily and almost driven away. Luckily, she had deliberately dropped an earring while cleaning the courtyard in the afternoon.

The Sixth Prince had only thrown a walnut at her, not darts, and he didn’t pay any attention to her afterwards. She should be in the clear, right?

Otherwise, how could she have gotten away so easily?! Rou’er thought as she returned to the servants’ quarters.

After Rou’er left, Shangguan Xuanyi opened his mouth: "A newly bought maid?"

Xiao’er nodded and told him about how Shen Chengyao had purchased the maid.

After hearing the story, Shangguan Xuanyi raised an eyebrow.

"I decided to keep her under my watch because I was worried she might cause trouble."

"Assign someone to keep a secret eye on her." There have been many successful honey traps since ancient times. It’s commonly said that a hero can hardly resist a beauty’s charm.

"Of course," Xiao’er nodded.

"What were you about to say?"

"I heard that Lianyun County is conscripting soldiers. Has the Imperial Court ordered any conscription there?"

Lianyun County? Shangguan Xuanyi thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, Lianyun County had conscription three years ago. They won’t have conscription again this year in Lianyun County. Who told you this?"

"My aunt’s sister-in-law is from Lianyun County. Her nephew is planning to enlist. His parents are worried about his safety. They heard that he’s going to serve under General Di. When my aunt found out, she wrote a letter asking us to ask General Di for a favor and let him be in the cooking class!" Xiao’er couldn’t help but laugh as she said this.

She had never heard of anyone needing to pull strings to get into the cooking class.

If someone enters the military camp with the determination to gain merits on the battlefield, but ends up cooking and not even getting to go to the battlefield, they would probably die of frustration.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s mouth twitched when he heard this. A cook in the military camp? He actually needed to use connections to get into the cooking class, what a lofty aspiration!

"He probably ended up in the ranks of the treacherous soldiers." Shangguan Xuanyi frowned for a moment, then immediately relaxed it. He couldn’t afford to frown; it aged him.

Xiao’er of course knew this: "I will immediately send a Pigeon Post back in the hopes of stopping him in time!"

But she was not optimistic about it.

If he really became a soldier of the traitors, those with greater merits would be doomed more thoroughly in the end!

"What kind of person is he? Can he be trusted?" Shangguan Xuanyi thought for a moment and asked.

"I don’t know," Xiao’er replied honestly.

Her aunt’s sister-in-law’s nephew... this person had nothing to do with her. She hadn’t had any contact with him.

"Brother Shangguan, are you trying to take this opportunity to plant a spy in the enemy’s army..."

Shangguan Xuanyi looked at Xiao’er.

"Er, a mole?" Xiao’er quickly corrected herself.

Being a spy was a hard existence, how could she describe it as a traitor? It’s too disrespectful, sinful, sinful.

"Indeed, I am considering it. However, we must be able to trust this person," said Shangguan Xuanyi as he peeled sunflower seeds.

The potential spy was very important. If the spy became a counter-spy, that would be truly disastrous.

"I’ll send a letter to my aunt to ask! But he’s just a new soldier, so the information he can access is limited."

"But it’s better than having no one."

"That’s true!" Xiao’er had a way to ensure a person’s loyalty, because she had Loyalty Powder in her space.

But she was in the Imperial Capital and he was in Lianyun County. How could she give it to him? Moreover, the medicinal powder also needed a contract document signed by both parties. When the contract period was over, the effect of the medicine would naturally disappear.

After thinking for a while, Xiao’er said, "I suppose I could make a trip back to Shengping County to personally investigate."

"No!" Shangguan Xuanyi immediately rejected the idea.

He couldn’t leave at the moment. How could he let her go back to Shengping County alone?

"I will secretly send someone to investigate the conscription situation in Lianyun County, and then we can plan how to arrange someone there. Don’t worry, now that our enemy is exposed and we’re hidden, it’s easier for us to act."

Xiao’er then mentioned her Loyalty Powder, which made a person completely loyal during the contract period after consumption.

Shangguan Xuanyi was astounded after hearing this: "There’s such a miraculous medicine in the world?"

Xiao’er nodded.

"In that case, anyone could do this task, and we wouldn’t have to worry about their betrayal. I’ll arrange for someone to be in charge of this. After they infiltrate the enemy lines, they can help take care of your aunt’s sister-in-law’s nephew and look for an opportunity for him to make a mistake and get expelled from the army."

"Okay." Staying in an enemy camp is risky at best. This was something that Xiao’er’s aunt had personally asked for. If they could help, they should.

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