Ch. 505 - Inside and Outside the Building

*Great!*

This was really speaking of the devil!

Watching Li Wan's master and servant panic, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but mutter to himself, should he take this opportunity to *'recommend'* both sides?

In theory, they were all his women, and they all hung out in the Rongguo Mansion. If they could form allies to take care of each other, they could avoid many unnecessary risks in the future.

However, they might not necessarily think the same way about each other. If they became jealous of each other and accidentally revealed their weaknesses…

However, if he was not honest, how should he send Ping'er away?

She has now obtained Jia Lian's approval, and using any excuse such as *"unsafe,"* it was obvious it was not true.

"My Lord."

Just as Sun Shaozong was struggling in his heart, Li Wan became increasingly anxious. She pushed him in the chest twice and urged, "Find a place for us to hide, don't let anyone see us!"

That was right too!

No matter what ideas he used to send Ping’er away, there would be no mistake in letting Li Wan's master and servant hide first.

So Sun Shaozong quickly led the two upstairs and reminded them not to make any noise.

"Lord Sun, Lord Sun!"

At this moment, a muffled cry had already come from downstairs, but the one with a rough and imposing voice seemed to be a man.

How come it wasn’t Ping’er?

Sun Shaozong realized it was a false alarm and stomped down the stairs, shouting, "Who is that?"

"It's me, Zhou Rui."

"Steward Zhou?"

Sun Shaozong was puzzled and opened the door halfway, only to see Zhou Rui leading two plump and healthy guardians waiting outside with flattery on his shoulders. He couldn't help but frown and say, "It's so late. Is there anything that you want from me?"

"This is what it was about."

Zhou Rui tidied up and immediately took a piece of silk cloth from the left side of the courtyard guard. He shook off the silk cloth and offered it with both hands, saying, "This is the patrol map set by our mansion’s courtyard guard last week. Because Second Madam was worried that it might not be safe enough, she specifically asked me to show it to you."

So it was for this matter.

Sun Shaozong reached out to take the patrol map, and another guard quickly lifted the lantern high. With the help of the light, he scanned the courtyard map and saw that there were a total of eight guards responsible for patrolling the night. Two teams were outside the courtyard wall, and six teams were inside the courtyard wall. Each team has six people, equipped with long and short blades and warning brass gongs.

The six patrol teams in the Grand View Garden were divided into three bright and three dark groups, with the bright ones carrying lanterns and responsible for patrolling secluded areas along the path. In the dark, the flag was lowered, and the drum was stopped, patrolling back and forth along the main road near the residential compound.

*Eh?!*

Seeing this, Sun Shaozong suddenly had a sound in his heart. It turned out that, according to the picture, there was a team patrolling back and forth from Zilingzhou to Qiushuang Pavilion, which was still patrolled by the secret guards without lights on!

Wasn’t this to say that when Li Wan's master and servant arrived at night, it was very likely that they had already been exposed by the secret guard?!

If that was the case, Rui's intention to come at this moment was somewhat suspicious—perhaps he received rumors, so he came to test himself on the pretext?

Sun Shaozong's suspicion grew, but his face remained calm and composed. With patience, he deduced the patrol map and pointed out two omissions to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui quickly took out a charcoal pen from his sleeve and marked Sun Shaozong's current oversight. He also wrote two lines of annotations at the edge of the patrol map.

Judging from his serious demeanor, it didn’t seem like he had any ulterior motives.

So Sun Shaozong probed again and said, "You attach so much importance to this patrol map, is it possible that the mansion really wanted to have permanent patrol officers in the Garden?"

"It is necessary to deploy permanent guards."

Zhou Rui hurriedly explained, "However, according to Second Madam's suggestion, it seems that she intends to select a group of women from the past and let the patrolling team train for a few days before replacing these male soldiers."

As he spoke, he put the charcoal pen and the patrol map into his arms, and pointed to the two guards on the left and right, saying, "Tonight they will be on duty in front of your gate. If you have any instructions, just let them know."

Wasn’t that ridiculous?

If these two door gods really guarded outside, wouldn't Li Wan's master and servant find it difficult to leave?

Sun Shaozong hurriedly said, "I have received your kindness, but the people in your mansion are already struggling. Besides, I don't need anyone else to protect me."

Zhou Rui politely said a few more words, and seeing that Sun Shaozong insisted on refusing, he also took the opportunity to say farewell and hurriedly left with the two guards.

Until the light of the lantern disappeared from the other side, Sun Shaozong finally locked the door and ran up the second floor with a hurried pace, saying, "When you come..."

Halfway through, he suddenly realized that the sky above the building was empty, and there was no one in sight.

In confusion, the wardrobe at the bottom of the west wall creaked open, revealing two women with hunched bodies.

Su Yun rushed out from inside, threw the embroidered shoes on her hand, and stepped on them with her feet wrapped in stockings. She didn't care to lift the heels, so she quickly bent down to wait for Li Wan to put on her shoes.

Sun Shaozong quickly continued to ask, "When you came, did you ever bump into anyone?"

"We did not."

Li Wan lifted her slender foot the size of a palm and allowed Su Yun to put her embroidered shoes on it, then stepped firmly on the ground before supporting the cabinet door and placing her other foot on Su Yun's leg. She muttered, "Due to recent incidents in the Grand View Garden, I have been pushed over by Sister Feng, so I have also made a new set of keys for several corner doors..."

"When you came in, what was on the way? Have you ever bumped into a patrol officer in the Garden on the way here?"

Su Yun put on another pair of shoes for Li Wan and turned around to smile, "Don't worry, our Madam is being cautious. When we heard that you live in Zilingzhou and there are many patrolmen outside, we didn’t walk here. We found a small boat from the Lotus Pavilion and followed the waterway."

So that was what happened!

He couldn’t tell that these two masters and servants were quite cunning.

Sun Shaozong breathed a sigh of relief and then pondered whether the small boat could be used for other purposes.

As he was pondering, Li Wan suddenly said with a melancholic tone, "It seems that the rumor is indeed true."

"Rumors?"

Sun Shaozong hesitated and said, "What rumors?"

"Of course, it was the rumor that Brother Lian suddenly became magnanimous and gave the pretty maidservants around him to warm your bed!" Li Wan said sourly, " I used to be only half believing, but in the past, if you had the opportunity, you might have rushed forward long ago. Now, you are asking all sorts of questions, and you are also restless!"

These words, was he so lustful?

Sun Shaozong muttered silently. Originally, he was worried that Ping'er would find Li Wan having an affair with him, which he couldn't accept for a moment. However, Li Wan was just catching the wind and began to look sour and jealous. If she knew that his *"relationship"* with Ping'er was still before her, he might not know how sour she would be.

So he became even more determined in his heart, unable to let the idea of the two colliding be revealed.

Sun Shaozong leaned forward and, without hesitation, took Li Wan into his arms. He smiled lightly and said, "What are you thinking? I was just because I promised Zhou Rui to go around and inspect everywhere, and I couldn't bear to leave you two here. That's why I pondered for a while."

After bidding farewell for months, how could Li Wan's sensitive and broad body withstand his skillful sparring?

In just a few words, she became so weak that her spine was gone. She wished she could immediately roll onto the ebony bed and relieve her drooling love for spring.

However, she still had a bit of rationality left behind and said in a flustered and short breath, "Why don't you do it? The night is still long. You should go and finish your work before coming back... then come back..."

"Then, I will come back soon!"

As Sun Shaozong spoke, he lowered his head and took a bite of Li Wan's lips, then pecked at Su Yun's face. It was only then that he instructed them to turn off the lights upstairs and lock the door tightly. The only one they should accept was a call from him.

When Sun Shaozong saw the door close again, he pretended to take a few steps towards the bridgehead. When he avoided the visible range of the second-floor window, he immediately attached himself to the wall and circled behind the Zhuojin Building. Sure enough, behind a bleak thicket of bushes, he found a long, black-covered boat.

Sun Shaozong glanced into the cabin and saw that it was extremely tidy, with thick mats on the floor. He breathed a great sigh of relief in his heart.

Afterward, he returned to his original path and hid his figure in a secluded place near the arch bridge.l

It took almost two-quarters of an hour to wait, during which he didn't know how many mosquito bites he had before finally seeing a familiar figure carrying a lantern and hurriedly climbing the arch bridge.

"Ping’er!"

Sun Shaozong quickly stood up from his hiding place and walked up. However, as he approached, he saw Ping'er blushing and her lanterns flickering like laser light. He couldn't help but wonder, "What's wrong with you? Has something unexpected happened on the way?"

"I just ran into a team of patrol officers..."

It turned out that on the way, she collided head-on with a group of secret sentries. The leader's loud shout at the time almost scared Ping’er out of her wits, and she still hasn't been able to recover.

Sun Shaozong quickly held her in his arms and comforted her with a few words.

Ping'er's mood gradually calmed down, but she suddenly realized that she was hugging him on the bridge. She quickly blushed and took a step back, chatting and asking, "Why are you here, My Lord?"

Sun Shaozong's face remained calm, and his heart skipped a beat as he muttered, "I waited anxiously in the building. Thus, I might as well wait here."

Speaking, he walked forward and took Ping’er's little hand, guiding her down the arch bridge.

Ping'er felt both shy and happy in her heart, and pinched, saying, "How could you be so anxious? Yesterday was not just..."

"How can it be the same? Yesterday, there was that Xiaohong cross-cutting in, making it difficult to say many words of concern."

The two of them walked forward with their ears and hair rubbing against each other until Sun Shaozong stopped in his tracks. It was only then that Ping’er realized something was wrong and asked suspiciously, "Why did we take a detour behind the Zhuojin Tower?"

Sun Shaozong smiled slightly, took the lantern in her hand, shone it behind the bushes, and pointed to the Wupeng boat, saying, "How can we disappoint the beautiful lake scenery in autumn? Today, why don't we just go boating on the lake and rest in the mountains and rivers?"

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