Tao Lengshuang sat up with Mo Lingxi's support, flicking Xiao Feng's forehead. "Okay, we'll listen to our Xiao Feng."
Xiao Feng propped his chin on his hands, gazing at her from the kang. "Mother looks even more beautiful. Will many people pursue Mother in the future?"
Tao Lengshuang froze, and Mo Lingxi stared at her intently.
At this moment, Tao Lengshuang was only wearing her inner garments, her beautiful figure subtly visible. She was no longer the plump woman she once was, but rather voluptuously full.
Her face now had a pointed chin, and her pair of captivating, beautiful eyes looked a little dazed, making her even more alluring. Her skin was fair, and the glow of the oil lamp made it seem somewhat translucent. Her delicate features held a hint of heroism, drawing even more attention.
A faint medicinal fragrance emanated from her, pleasant to the senses.
Seeing Tao Lengshuang like this, Mo Lingxi's gaze darkened, a small flame igniting in his black eyes.
"You have indeed become much prettier," he said, his low voice laced with an unidentifiable emotion.
Tao Lengshuang hadn't paid much attention to her appearance. She had been too busy with losing weight and daily life to bother with such things.
Moreover, as a married village woman, too much beauty could be a curse.
"I need to disguise myself. Being too beautiful is not a good thing in these times."
Xiao Feng didn't understand, but Mo Lingxi did. With his own selfish intentions, he nodded in agreement. "Do you have a pill that can make yourself look uglier without harming your body?"
Tao Lengshuang indicated that she did, then turned to instruct Xiao Feng not to reveal anything about her appearance, explaining why she needed to do so.
Xiao Feng covered his mouth, nodding frantically in alarm, promising not to speak of his mother's appearance. He didn't want anyone to snatch his mother away; his mother belonged to his father.
Tao Lengshuang wasn't intentionally trying to scare Xiao Feng; there was a genuine possibility of trouble arising from her looks.
Especially in times of chaos, beautiful women were often treated as commodities, fought over or gifted by those in power, with no voice of their own.
Mo Lingxi understood her concerns best. He gently reassured her not to worry, stating that he had the ability to protect both Xiao Feng and Tao Lengshuang.
Tao Lengshuang thanked him, but her heart was clear. Mo Lingxi could protect her for a while, but not for a lifetime.
As a woman of good looks, she needed her own means of support. Otherwise, she would eventually become someone else's plaything.
Seeing this, Mo Lingxi asked Xiao Feng to go play with his friends and then spoke to Tao Lengshuang in a low voice about Sheng Li. "Sheng Li has gathered some refugees, about three hundred people."
Upon hearing this, Tao Lengshuang knew what Sheng Li was planning and guessed that the Black Hand was involved. "Sheng Li is truly blinded by hatred. She can't even see such an obvious scheme."
Sheng Li, in her attempt to deal with her, dared to gather refugees at such a time. If reported to the emperor, the entire Sheng family could cease to exist.
A cold glint appeared in Mo Lingxi's eyes. "I will inform General Sheng tomorrow. Then we can witness a good show."
Tao Lengshuang frowned. "Poor General Sheng, to have such a daughter who harms herself and others."
Mo Lingxi didn't say much more. The Sheng family's affairs would continue to be chaotic, but he intended to protect General Sheng.
...
The next morning.
Tao Lengshuang, feeling somewhat recovered, instructed Xiao Feng, promised to bring him delicious food, and then asked Aunt Shen Er and the others to look after Xiao Feng. Afterward, she left with Mo Lingxi.
Mo Lingxi wrapped her up tightly, leaving only her eyes exposed. "Don't wander around when we get to Dongdu. It's a bit chaotic there now."
Tao Lengshuang promised not to wander and to stay by Mo Lingxi's side. She wasn't brainless enough to wander around in an unfamiliar Dongdu.
She glanced at the half-dead Tao Laoda and Tao Fangfang, asking Aunt Shen Er to release them, lest they die at her doorstep, which would be too inauspicious.
The two arrived at a secluded spot outside the village, boarded a waiting carriage, and headed towards Dongdu.
Although it was her first time in Dongdu, Tao Lengshuang felt no joy or excitement, only annoyance.
The royal relatives and noble families in Dongdu, with very few exceptions, only cared about themselves and not the lives of the common people.
Mo Lingxi spoke softly to Tao Lengshuang about the powerful figures in Dongdu, but she interrupted him.
"I don't want to know."
Mo Lingxi understood Tao Lengshuang's intentions. He sighed helplessly. For now, if Tao Lengshuang didn't want to know, she wouldn't; he would wait until she wanted to know.
Tao Lengshuang lowered her gaze and tidied her hem. These powerful figures had nothing to do with her, and she didn't need to understand them. She only needed to know that they were customers.
Mo Lingxi brought Tao Lengshuang into Dongdu discreetly through a small gate. The two went directly to a residence diagonally opposite the Sheng family's and entered through the back door.
"I'm sorry to inconvenience you. Once things are resolved, I'll bring you and Xiao Feng in through the main gate with full honor."
Tao Lengshuang calmly replied that it was unnecessary. Mo Lingxi was interested in her now, but he wouldn't be after a while.
Men's affection for women stemmed from their appearance or uniqueness.
In this ancient era, harboring hopes for a man or relying on a man was a mistaken notion.
Mo Lingxi could see Tao Lengshuang's indifference to these matters. Her indifference was because she was indifferent to him, which made him feel a dull discomfort.
"Judging by the time, Sheng Li should be arriving at the Sheng family's. Many of her businesses are not doing well."
He instructed the servants to prepare tea and snacks and heating tools, then led Tao Lengshuang to the main gate to watch the show. "Her dowry back then was a grand affair of ten miles of red silk, but unfortunately, she's not a good manager. Many of her businesses were already poorly run."
He mentioned that Sheng Li's dowry consisted entirely of General Sheng's war spoils from his campaigns over the years, but she had squandered a significant portion of it.
Tao Lengshuang couldn't understand why such good people as General Sheng and his wife would raise a daughter like Sheng Li. She asked this question as well.
"It's probably due to the people serving Sheng Li."
Mo Lingxi helped her sit in a chair, handed her hot tea, and gestured for her to watch the show through a slightly opened small door. "I only found out after investigating that Sheng Li's wet nurse who returned to the village was problematic. She taught Sheng Li many bad things from childhood, and this wet nurse mysteriously died on the way back to the village."
Tao Lengshuang's thoughts wandered. "Was it the work of the Black Hand?"
Mo Lingxi stated that it hadn't been confirmed yet, but it appeared to be the Black Hand's doing for now. This also gave him a direction for his investigation.
Tao Lengshuang understood that if it was indeed the Black Hand's doing, then the Black Hand had been plotting against the Sheng family years ago, which would rule out many people.
"How much hatred and resentment must one have to deliberately corrupt someone's only child from childhood and scheme against them at every turn?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the voice of a not-so-familiar young woman.
"Go and knock on the door. Knock hard."
Tao Lengshuang looked up and saw Sheng Li, dressed in a gaudy and ostentatious manner, standing at the Sheng family's main entrance with a furious expression, as if the Sheng family had wronged her.