Not long after, Li Man'er heard a clattering sound from inside the room. Less than a minute later, Li Shu's roar, which seemed to penetrate the walls, gave the few people outside the door quite a shock.
After a while, Li Nian's mumbled voice could be heard, though not clearly. It was evident that Li Nian had not lost his composure and understood the concept of ears listening through walls, deliberately lowering his voice when speaking to Li Shu.
Li Shu first cursed the man named Xiao, then the heavens, his voice quite loud. Those outside the door remained expressionless, as if they had grown accustomed to such scenes.
Li Man'er, for one, didn't care. If he liked making a scene, let him curse. As long as it wasn't directed at her, he could curse as much as he pleased.
Li Shu's personal guards were unfazed.
Only Qin Si showed a hint of surprise, but seeing everyone else's calm demeanor, he too feigned a look of familiarity, trying his best not to appear out of his depth.
After a considerable pause, Li Nian's voice rang out again, "Man'er, come in."
Li Man'er pushed open the door and entered.
The room was somewhat disheveled, with various items scattered on the floor and water stains.
Li Shu's hair was damp at the forehead, but his clothes were dry, suggesting he had changed.
It seemed Li Nian couldn't wake him up otherwise, so he resorted to an extreme method.
Splashing a basin of water on him was actually letting him off easy.
Li Nian said, "Your father already knows."
Li Man'er remained silent, thinking to herself that with his loud curses, anyone with ears would have heard.
"This is a letter left by Xiao Ruqin."
Li Man'er took it and looked. She was immediately amused to the point of anger. The Xiao family's shamelessness truly redefined her understanding. How could anyone be so utterly without shame?
Xiao Ruqin's letter stated that the Old City, though old, was as impregnable as a golden fortress, and would stand firm even without the Xiao family's troops.
He mentioned that although the "Man people" would raid during the New Year, they only dared to harass and not engage in any major actions, assuring Li Shu that he could rest easy.
Of course, the phrasing was elegant. It spoke of Li Shu being summoned to Mobei and that the responsibility of guarding the city should have been handed over to him. Troop rotations were common and should not have been delayed for so long, attributing the delay to Li Shu's poor health.
The letter specifically emphasized that they were not merely playing with troops, but were using the opportunity of Li Shu guarding the city to inspect all the strategic passes around the Old City, thereby ensuring peace of mind.
Finally, the letter shamelessly added that they had left a contingent of men for Li Shu, all experienced veterans, whose assistance would undoubtedly help Li Shu secure the city.
Li Man'er refolded the letter and put it away. She then said loudly, "These Xiao family members truly speak with their eyes closed. He claims to have left a contingent, but unfortunately, it's only three hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled men."
Li Shu was well aware of this. Li Nian had already relayed everything that Lu Dakuan had said. A lame man who couldn't even mount a horse dared to boast of a contingent of men!
He was angry at the Xiao family for scheming against him, but upon hearing Li Man'er's words, he became even more furious, feeling that Li Man'er was mocking him. He immediately cursed, "You disobedient daughter, you bringer of misfortune."
Li Nian stared in disbelief, his face etched with surprise. "Big brother, are you still groggy from sleep? What does this have to do with Man'er? Why are you scolding her?"
Li Man'er let out a cold laugh, not taking Li Shu's words to heart. She simply said indifferently, "Third Uncle, please don't try to dissuade him. If you get implicated later, it might not be good for you to be caught in the crossfire."
"You scoundrel!" Li Shu, enraged, and seeing that there were no outsiders present, couldn't even bother to pretend any longer. He picked up the lidded bowl from the table and hurled it at Li Man'er.
It was as if Li Man'er were his punching bag.
"Enough!" Li Nian, with quick reflexes, blocked in front of Li Man'er. He casually deflected the lidded bowl, changing its trajectory. It crashed to the ground with a bang, shattering into pieces.
"Big brother, how have you become like this? What exactly did Man'er do wrong? I escorted her all the way to this desolate place like Mobei, for whose sake? Wasn't it to save you? If it weren't for Man'er, you would have died long ago. How else would you have the chance to flaunt your authority and throw tantrums in front of her?"
Li Shu's eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Li Nian. "Move aside, I'm going to beat this unfilial daughter to death today."
"Unfilial?" Li Nian was so angry he started laughing. "Fine, fine. I never knew saving your life was considered unfilial. Tell me, how is Man'er unfilial?"
Li Shu asserted self-righteously, "She is unfilial. Madam Guo was killed by her. She was her mother, so what if she suffered some grievances? And another thing. Third brother, you don't know, but not long after your sister-in-law died, she secretly married Zhao'er to the Liang family while I was on campaign. That Liang family, whose wife has died so many times."
Li Nian looked at Li Shu with disbelief. "Big brother, marriage matters are not something Man'er can decide. If the mother didn't agree, could Zhao'er have married during the mourning period?"
"Yes, even if Mother agreed, would she dare to say that she had no hand in it?"
Li Man'er stepped out from behind Li Nian, her expression neither happy nor sad. "Third Uncle, why are you arguing with him for so long? In my father's eyes, I am superfluous. He wishes I would die sooner so he can seize the dowry my mother left behind. Madam Guo colluded with her family in the Medicine King Temple to harm me, nearly ruining my chastity and forcing me to marry her useless nephew. Back at the Princess's Manor, she and her daughter Li Zhao'er conspired to slander my reputation, making me a laughingstock. I almost married that uneducated Third Young Master Geng. All of these, in my father's eyes, are considered my mother looking out for me and are not bad things."
Although Li Nian had heard these things from Li Man'er before, he still found them unbelievable upon hearing them now.
"Big brother, is this true?"
Li Shu stood with his hands behind his back. "Matters of marriage are ordained by parents and arranged by matchmakers. That child from the Guo family is not bad, and is, in fact, her cousin. What's wrong with a double kinship to strengthen the bond between families?"
"Enough!" Li Nian, though absent from the capital for a long time, knew what kind of person Madam Guo's nephew was. He immediately asked, "If that's the case, why don't you let Zhao'er marry her cousin? Their marriage would be a double kinship, wouldn't it? The children of the Ning family are considered Man'er's cousins!"
Li Shu's gaze flickered, but upon thinking of Li Man'er's status, he became smug. "Third brother, this is our family's private matter. Although you are her uncle, it is not appropriate for you to interfere."
After all, they were from different branches of the family, and some discretion was warranted.
Li Nian let out a cold laugh and turned to look at Li Man'er. "You shouldn't have come! Man'er, let him fend for himself in Mobei."
"What did you say!"
"Noisy!" Li Man'er waved her hand, and a faint mist drifted out from her sleeve. Li Shu, who had been about to lecture Li Nian in his capacity as elder brother, suddenly went limp after inhaling the mist. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.