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Nanny Qi glared at her and stood up, saying, "This servant’s quarters are too narrow for someone of your stature. You’ve been uncomfortable here far too long to take your meals as well. Come, let’s go to the Side Hall."

Lian Hua affectionately took Nanny Qi’s hand, "Nanny, why do you still treat me like a stranger? Your quarters really are too small. That chubby eunuch couldn’t even turn around properly. It should be more comfortable once we move to the Side Hall, remember?"

The two of them got up and headed towards the Side Hall.

At the crossroads next to the Imperial Academy, Lian Bao, dressed in coarse linen with altered features, was disguised so well that he blended with the small traders who set up their stalls nearby.

This was a major intersection, only a few hundred meters from the Imperial Academy. Everyone coming from the South Gate, the vicinity of the Imperial Palace, or the areas where the officials and nobility gathered had to pass through this main road to reach the Imperial Academy.

He had paid a high price to take over this spot from a vendor. When Guo Neng returned to the city from the South Gate and headed to the Guo family’s residence, he passed by a street not far from here, and Lian Bao had chosen this spot with a purpose in mind.

In front of him was a basket of rattan vines, a very unpopular item to sell. He had been setting up shop all morning, and only an idle old man had stopped to ask a few questions.

He was multitasking, keeping his eyes and ears open, watching all four directions while sitting in front of the basket. He wove some of the rattan into a whip and then wrapped the handle meticulously with strings of various colors. In this way, a complete rattan whip was made.

The vendor selling Autumn Pear Paste next to him was puzzled, watching the young man weave all morning. The rattan was crafted beautifully, but there hadn’t been a single transaction, yet the young man remained calm, not showing any signs of anxiety. The vendor then asked what he was making.

Lian Bao said he was weaving rattan.

Not understanding, the vendor asked what it could be used for.

Lian Bao replied that it could be used to hit people. It pains but does not injure one’s own hand, and it’s particularly effective for scaring children.

The vendor had an epiphany, realizing it was meant for adults to discipline their children. But to him, it seemed unnecessarily serious. Who would buy a rattan for the sole purpose of scaring kids? When children misbehaved, it was easier and free to just spank them a few times with the hand.

The vendor, trying to be helpful, suggested that making a basket with the rattan would be better since nobody was buying the whip. It was pretty to look at but lacked practical use, and the red string wrapped around it was even more expensive than the rattan itself.

Lian Bao thanked the vendor, smiling, saying his younger sister loved such imposing items. When she was little, all the rattan whips she played with were made by him.

Shaking his head, the vendor said there was a method to doing business, one cannot rely purely on personal preferences. Such items couldn’t be eaten, and he advised further.

Seeing Lian Bao only smile without responding, the vendor murmured that the young man must be foolish to occupy such a good location for selling such nonsensical trinkets, not even worth using as firewood.

Without waiting for him to say more, another customer arrived, and the vendor cheerfully greeted them. Thanks to the students outside the Imperial Academy, his business was several times better than usual.

Lian Bao didn’t care; he wasn’t there to seriously do business—the quieter, the better.

He continued with his work, and thinking of his little sister, he smiled tenderly.

His little sister always remembered what she enjoyed but never the punishments. Her tastes were different from those of most people. For some reason, she was fascinated by things like rattan since she was young.

He had made one for her, and as soon as it was finished, she swung it around and went out to play. Later, a neighbor came complaining that his little sister, along with a group of children, had hit the neighbor’s dog with the rattan.

He knew the neighbor’s watchdog, which was usually ferocious and intimidating.

In that incident, the little troublemaker of a sister and her group of kids had scared the dog senseless.

It was said the dog was so frightened it refused to eat and trembled in its sleep, padding its eyes with its paws and backing away whenever it saw his little sister.

After the neighbor complained, Mother confiscated the "evidence" of the dog beating on the spot and used the rattan whip to discipline my little sister. That time both my little sister and I were taught a lesson by Mother.

Afterward, my little sister forgot about the punishment completely and nagged me to make a new rattan whip, saying it was very imposing and satisfying to play with.

I made her another one, but not long after, Mother confiscated it again.

From then on, when Mother disciplined my little sister, she only used the confiscated rattan whips, which were more than enough.

Thinking about this, Lian Bao’s smile was very tender.

The passing young ladies blushed at the sight of him.

He seemed to be an ordinary vendor, with common clothes and an average face.

But the smile on his face was intoxicating; his peach blossom eyes were exceptionally beautiful, possessing a unique charm.

It was just a pity that one couldn’t tell what he was selling.

Lian Bao paid no mind to the passing people, his hands had just finished making a new rattan whip. After placing it down, he habitually looked around in all directions at the crossroads.

There was no problem outside the Imperial Academy;

Nor was there any problem coming from the north;

He looked towards the Imperial Palace, and his breath hitched for a moment. Up ahead, someone was wearing an official’s hat with a round, plump body and a Buddha-like smiling face, appearing to be strolling around leisurely.

Despite the disguise, he couldn’t fool his eyes.

He was certain that this person was the same plump man disguised as a wealthy merchant whom he and Uncle Ma had encountered outside the residence where his Clan Uncle was detained!

At this moment, the plump man, wearing a smiling face, walked towards his direction at neither a fast nor a slow pace, aimlessly, yet he could sense the tension in the man’s shoulders, very vigilant, as if observing the surrounding environment, his gaze pausing slightly in several places along the way.

Could it be...?

His spirits lifted, and he looked around the plump man’s vicinity but didn’t see the imposing young man from before. He looked into the distance, still failing to see the person he wanted to, feeling extremely disappointed.

Just then, he felt someone approaching from behind, and turned around alertly to find that it was Uncle Ma and Wang San.

The two had anxious expressions, and knowing that something was up, Lian Bao could no longer pay attention to the plump man and followed Uncle Ma away silently, leaving behind only a basket of rattan vines and the crafted whips.

When they reached a spot out of the public eye, Uncle Ma whispered a few words to him.

Lian Bao, as if facing a great enemy, said with a chilling smile on his face, "In that case, let’s release the person we caught today, and send Noble Lady Guo’s eldest young master a big gift."

"Good!" Uncle Ma was very excited, agreeing with zest. They had been frustrated for so long; it was time to teach the Guo family a lesson about blackmail, collecting some interest first.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The Guo family thinks they’re vigilant, and by having someone follow them, they would discover their plans. Dream on. They were in the underworld when Noble Lady Guo’s family wasn’t even born yet!

Lian Bao played along with their plans, today capturing that person casually, saying they could be useful, and now it proved to be true.

To ensure the smooth re-examination outside the Imperial Academy for Lian Musu, Lian Bao made many arrangements; this was just one of them. Even if this strategy failed, Lian Bao had other contingencies in place.

Lian Bao quietly instructed a few things to Uncle Ma and the second person, and they quickly sprang into action.