Li Nian was startled, watching Li Shu collapse before him without even a chance to cry out.
This was too terrifying.
"Man'er, this, he's not dead, is he?"
"Third Uncle, don't worry, he won't die," Li Man'er glanced at Li Shu and said lightly, "He's merely been drugged."
Only then did Li Nian heave a sigh of relief. The way Li Shu had fallen down without a sound was truly terrifying.
However, at such a critical juncture, what was to be done with the commander collapsing?
"Man'er, do you have a plan in mind?"
Li Man'er heard the apprehension in Li Nian's voice and asked softly, "I've always had a plan, but I need Third Uncle's cooperation. Without you stepping forward, this matter cannot be accomplished. Have you considered it carefully?"
Li Nian pondered for a moment before saying, "Before this, I never would have imagined what you've spoken of. I was away from the capital and hadn't had contact with my elder brother for many years. I never knew he had become like this. In the past, I always felt that he was the legitimate eldest son, and I was born of a concubine. Whatever he gained was his right, and I wouldn't compete with him. I was content to live our quiet lives."
Li Nian sighed suddenly at this point, "But I never knew he was this kind of person. He is so unreasonable; he will drag the entire Marquisate down with him sooner or later."
As a member of the Marquisate, he naturally could not stand by idly. Rather than be Li Shu's stepping stone, he might as well fight desperately to carve out a path for his family.
"Man'er, tell me what to do, and Third Uncle will listen to you."
Seeing his attitude drastically change, Li Man'er felt a surge of relief.
"Third Uncle, you must immediately arrange for people to set up defenses at Xiashi Beach. Do not send a large contingent of troops. That area is flat and open with no cover. Once the barbarian cavalry arrives, it will be a suicide mission."
"That's easy. Find people to dig some horse traps nearby. They don't need to be large, just deep enough. Horses will fall in when they step on them. We can also set up some tripwires and bury sharp stakes. This will allow us to snipe a portion of the barbarians. Without their horses, their combat effectiveness will be reduced by more than thirty percent."
An expert's touch was evident. Li Nian's every word hit the mark, greatly increasing Li Man'er's favorability towards him.
"The people we send must also bring a few guides. It would be best to find some old soldiers who guarded the city. They know more and might have set up traps before. We don't want our own people to fall into them."
Li Nian nodded. Li Man'er's concern was indeed very necessary.
However...
"Isn't it a bit too early to talk about this now? Shouldn't we resolve the immediate problem first?" Li Nian pointed at Li Shu, who was lying on the ground. "Those people outside are all waiting for him. He's fainted now, how are we going to play this scene?"
"It is precisely because he has fainted that we can set the stage and perform our play," Li Man'er said. "Third Uncle, we will just say that Father was angered by the Xiao family. He had a stroke before, and the sudden rage caused him to spit blood and faint, which is a normal occurrence."
Li Nian hadn't expected Li Man'er to play such a bold hand. "There are three military doctors accompanying us. How can we hide it from them?"
"I have my ways," Li Man'er replied. "Those are mediocre doctors, and they may not have any profound skills. I will naturally find a way to make his pulse appear as if he has a stroke and has fainted. As long as Father sleeps, you can ascend to power, Third Uncle. As long as you command properly and defeat the barbarians, what difficulty will there be in the future for you to hold a different position than him?"
Li Nian said with some helplessness, "I hadn't thought about those things. I was just thinking that your father cannot remain confused forever and implicate the family." He looked at Li Man'er, his heart filled with mixed emotions, "You've suffered so much all these years."
His legitimate mother was a woman of many schemes. The old Marquis had many concubines, but he was the only surviving son born of a concubine. This alone showed how capable Cui Shi was.
Li Man'er had lost her birth mother, and Li Shu was as he was. His new wife was the daughter of Cui Shi's concubine sister's family. How could she not have suffered grievances?
"I'm used to it, and in the future, I won't be," Li Man'er said. "Third Uncle, let's be brief. You quickly go find the military doctors. I'll stay here to watch over Father. Make sure they come quickly, as quickly as possible."
"Can you manage?" Li Nian asked with some worry.
"It's fine, you hurry."
Li Nian nodded, "Alright."
Before Li Nian could finish speaking, Li Man'er immediately shouted, "Father." After shouting, she winked at Li Nian.
Li Nian understood her intention and also called out "Elder Brother" twice. Then, he strode out of the room and ran outside to call for people.
Li Shu's personal guards heard the commotion and rushed over, only to see Li Shu lying on the ground. Two pages were tossed beside him, and a broken teacup lay not far away. Li Man'er was checking his pulse, her expression grave.
"Eldest Miss, what happened to the Marquis?"
"You've come at the right time. Quickly go to my room and fetch the medicine box. Father fainted from anger and might not be well."
The two guards stepped forward to look. Li Shu's face was ashen white, and there was a trace of fresh blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked quite unwell.
The two dared not delay and immediately ran towards Li Man'er's courtyard.
By the time they brought the medicine box, Li Nian and the military doctors had already arrived.
Li Man'er silently took the box, saying nothing.
"Third Master, why are you in such a state?" In the cold weather, Li Nian was sweating profusely, his hair disheveled and stuck to his forehead. He panted heavily, like an exhausted ox.
"I was afraid of delaying the Marquis's condition, so I hurried here with these two doctors." He then wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The two guards quickly said, "Thank you, Third Master."
Although the two military doctors were not as burly as soldiers, adult males typically weighed around 150 jin. Two of them would be nearly 300 jin. The fact that the Third Master of the Li family could carry them both and run at such speed showed that his martial arts skills were indeed quite outstanding.
The two military doctors examined Li Shu for a long time and could only conclude that it was a case of rage leading to illness, a relapse of an old condition, and another stroke.
"Eldest Miss also understands medicine. Why don't you examine the Marquis as well?"
Due to the stroke, they dared not move Li Shu easily, and having him lie on the ground was quite uncomfortable.
Li Man'er stepped forward and said, "Before you two arrived, I had already taken Father's pulse. Your diagnosis is basically consistent with mine."
Both doctors looked relieved.
When Li Shu was poisoned before, they had been incompetent and unable to detoxify him successfully. If they were not accurate this time, losing their jobs would be a minor matter; they might even lose their heads.
"Eldest Miss, what exactly happened? Why was the Marquis so angered?"
Li Man'er picked up the letter from the ground and showed it to them. "This is a letter from the Xiao family to Father. They fled overnight."
Li Shu's guards took the letter and looked at it, immediately feeling astonished. In their many years of serving in the army, they had never seen such a frivolous act as the Xiao family's.
To hand over a perfectly fine city so readily? Such a change of guards was too hasty!