Chapter 29: The Landlord's Innocent Daughter

"My lord, she has awakened!"

The physician, his tone sycophantic, turned to look at Li Wenxuan with a beaming smile. Li Wenxuan stepped forward, gazing at the young woman, who still appeared somewhat shaken, and offered what he considered to be a kindly smile.

"Miss Jiang, you suddenly fainted in the courtyard just now..." He looked at the girl, who seemed to be afraid of something, and said with a smile, "But you need not be afraid. Physician, write the prescription."

Li Wenxuan remained blissfully unaware that what Miss Jiang feared, from beginning to end, was none other than him—the smiling, bone-crushing Centurion of the Eastern Depot’s Tribunal.

"Yes, my lord. I shall write it at once..." The physician fished out paper and brush from his medical kit, swiftly scribbling a prescription before glancing cautiously at Li Wenxuan. "My lord, I shall go and attend to the other patient now."

"Go ahead." Li Wenxuan nodded, taking the prescription from his hand.

"Is anyone there?"

It was Zhang Xiaogui! He had arrived much faster than expected. Li Wenxuan glanced at Jiang Xiaoxiao, who was peering toward the door with a nervous expression, and smiled. "He is looking for me." He set down the prescription and walked briskly toward the door.

"Asheng, this lord, he..."

Jiang Asheng chirped, "Sister and Father weren't being good, they fell asleep on the ground. The big brother carried you into the house and put you on the bed, then went to find the doctor. You have to take your medicine, medicine is bitter, but you mustn't spit it out..."

Upon hearing this, a flush of excitement appeared on Jiang Xiaoxiao’s pale face. This lord... did he seem a little different? Could it be that he really was just here to rent a room? But this... this was completely different from the behavior of the "Blood-Robed Lords" of the Eastern Depot she had always imagined! The girl watched the tall, straight back moving toward the door with complex eyes, a feeling growing within her that was more complicated than ever.

Outside the waist-high fence, a figure was peering anxiously into the house. Suddenly seeing a man in a blood-red cloak—an Eastern Depot Centurion—step out, Zhang Xiaogui was so startled that his instinct was to turn and flee. But when he caught sight of the man's face, he froze, his expression one of pure shock. His mouth moved before he could stop it: "Young Master Li? Ah, no—this commoner has misspoken! I beg for your mercy, my lord!"

"Why? Because I’ve put on this skin, am I no longer Young Master Li?"

Zhang Xiaogui trembled, cold sweat breaking out across his face. He shook his head, his lips quivering. "No, no, that is not what this commoner meant. I..."

"Zhang Xiaogui, didn't you say you had a grievance? Have you forgotten what I told you?" Li Wenxuan asked with a smile. It was a golden opportunity—he wouldn't be a fool to turn down work that came knocking on his door!

"My lord? Do you mean you are willing to help this commoner seek justice?"

Li Wenxuan raised an eyebrow. "It seems that has been my intention from the very beginning, hasn't it?"

"This commoner..."

"Stop! Come inside to talk!" Seeing that Zhang Xiaogui was about to drop to his knees on the other side of the fence and start crying out to the "Heavenly Judge," Li Wenxuan waved his hand to stop him.

"Yes, my lord!"

With a look of profound gratitude, Zhang Xiaogui hurried through the gate Li Wenxuan held open. The tea had gone cold, and Li Wenxuan glanced toward the open-air kitchen in the corner of the yard. Before he could move, Zhang Xiaogui rushed forward, lifted the stove where the fire was still burning, and set about boiling fresh water.

"My lord!" Hearing Old Man Jiang’s voice, Li Wenxuan turned to see the old man still looking quite flustered.

He smiled faintly. "This is a friend of mine visiting."

He then turned back to Zhang Xiaogui. "That’s enough. You arrived just in time; help me tidy up this room, and we shall find a place to talk later."

"Yes, my lord!" Zhang Xiaogui, thrilled to be of service to the lord, felt as though he had been injected with vitality. He hurried past Old Man Jiang and began to clean the room with meticulous care.

"My lord, this old man can clean it himself!" Old Man Jiang said, feeling awkward and rushing forward to reclaim the work.

Li Wenxuan smiled warmly. "Old sir, you should go with the physician to get the medicine."

"This..." Old Man Jiang looked hesitantly at the physician, who was wearing a broad, fawning smile—a far cry from his usual demeanor!

"Oh, why go to the trouble?" the physician chimed in with a sycophantic grin. "I shall have it delivered shortly."

The physician was in shock, wondering how this old man had come to know someone as prestigious as an Eastern Depot Centurion—a "relative of the Imperial family." Fear gnawed at him as he began to frantically recall if he had ever bullied the old man. He thought back... and realized he had! For years, whenever the old man came for treatment, he had purposely prescribed ineffective medicine at first, only providing the real treatment once the illness had worsened.

He hoped no one had ever heard of it; it didn't seem like the worst thing in the world. As various memories flashed through his mind, the physician, though sweating profusely, silently congratulated himself on his ability to keep his mouth shut.

"This—" Old Man Jiang looked at the young man working feverishly inside the room, then at the smiling Centurion.

"Father, we should listen to the lord!" Jiang Xiaoxiao walked out, speaking cautiously.

Seeing his daughter looking sound and whole, Old Man Jiang’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nodded honestly. "Aye, we shall listen to the lord!"

With a final, hesitant glance at Li Wenxuan, Old Man Jiang followed the physician to the clinic.

As for Zhang Xiaogui, after moving the items, he picked up a broom to sweep, then scrubbed the floor of cheap pine planks with a damp cloth before drying it with a rag. By the end, the floor was polished to a near-mirror finish. The room, which hadn't even been built a year ago, was filled with the sharp, fresh scent of pine.

Li Wenxuan walked in and glanced at the empty, dilapidated wooden bed, planning to buy bedding and perhaps replace the bed entirely later. Realizing this wasn't the place for a serious conversation, he bid farewell to the landlord's daughter and took Zhang Xiaogui out to the street. They found a decent restaurant and booked a private room, ready to discuss business in earnest.

"Lord Li, let me offer you a cup of wine first!" Zhang Xiaogui raised his glass, his eyes slightly red and his expression moved. "Please, drink as much as you like, my lord!"

Before Li Wenxuan could say a word, the man threw his head back and downed the entire fist-sized cup in one gulp. Li Wenxuan, having barely had time to react, picked up his own glass and took a small sip, smiling at him.

"Tell me, if you down that much wine in one go, aren't you afraid you'll get drunk and be unable to explain your business clearly?"

Zhang Xiaogui realized the joke and gave a bitter smile. "My lord, you don't know—this grievance of mine... even if I were drunk, or even if someone cut out my tongue, I would still be able to recount every detail!"

Hearing this, only one thought crossed Li Wenxuan’s mind:

"Work has arrived—and it’s a big one!"