Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 519 - 486: One Leopard Guards the Pass, Ten Thousand Men Cannot Break
"Sir, what should we do?" someone asked a middle-aged fat man among them.
This man had a chubby, hairless face and was dressed in luxurious furs.
Because of his size, he sank deepest into the mud.
He shifted slightly, and his body sank further down.
Terrified, he dared not move again.
"What to do? What do you think? And you ask me, you useless fool!" the fat man shouted, "Wait! This is a village path, and it’s nearly New Year. Someone is bound to come. When you see people, shout for help, shout loudly!"
"Yes, sir."
There were thirteen people trapped in the mud in total.
Aside from the fat man who was the leader, there were twelve attendants.
Just as the fat man said, shortly after, some passers-by came down the path.
"Help—"
"Help us—"
"Hurry and save us, I will give a hefty reward!"
All thirteen of them shouted in unison.
However, when they called for help, the leopard also began to roar.
The sound was like thunder.
Its tail bristled, exuding a ferocious aura.
The passers-by, frightened, screamed and turned to run, "A leopard, run for your lives!"
They all fled.
Similarly, on the other side of the path, a few more people came, and when they saw the leopard, they too ran back swiftly.
The people in the mud were left dumbfounded.
Guoguo, hiding in the nearby grass, waved to Li Xing’an with a mischievous grin, "Third Uncle."
"You little rascal, you’re really something," said Li Xing’an, who had been dumbfounded staring at the leopard, as he snapped back to his senses, picked up Guoguo, and headed back through the grass.
He didn’t take the village road or go through the main gate, because the fat man recognized him.
He crossed through the grass and the cotton fields, entering through the back door of the Li Family residence.
Once inside the estate, Li Xing’an, carrying Guoguo, quickly ran toward the North Courtyard Main House.
Li Jing and Li Lixing returned to the estate, each talking about what was happening on the road outside, one word at a time.
Flustered and panicked, they couldn’t explain clearly.
Prince Luling listened with a frown.
To avoid frightening the children, Prince Luling sent them back to their bedrooms to play, instructing them not to go outside.
He also sternly instructed Li Lixing to keep an eye on Li Jing.
Frightened, Li Lixing hurriedly took Li Jing away, and they indeed hid in their bedroom, closing the door and not daring to come out.
Princess Consort Luling was leisurely chatting with her daughters in Chai Eying’s room, ensuring the commotion wouldn’t disturb Chai Eying.
Nanny Jiang was busy in the kitchen.
The extension behind the kitchen, an empty room, served as her bedroom; when not cooking, she rested in her bedroom.
Uncle Gui was resting in his rear-facing room, while Qin Hu and four government officials were in their respective quarters next door to Uncle Gui.
Mu Yuanxiu and his servant Pei Shenyan had gone sightseeing on Niu Tou Mountain, planning to return by dinnertime.
In the North Courtyard Main House, only the Li family father and son were present.
Li Xingmao said, "I’ll go take a look, Father."
"You go and watch over E Ying and your mother, as well as your sisters. I’ll go check," Prince Luling waved his hand and said.
Finally, the day had come, what was meant to come would eventually arrive.
But just then, Li Xing’an came running with Guoguo in his arms.
"Father, Elder Brother, no need to panic. They won’t be able to get into the estate for a while, maybe not even today," Li Xing’an chuckled.
Prince Luling and Li Xingmao looked at him, puzzled.
"Why do you say that, Third Brother?" Li Xingmao asked.
"Because they all fell into the quagmire and can’t move, and the leopard is still guarding the road watching them. No one can come to save them, and they can’t get out on their own. So they won’t be coming anytime soon, will they?" Li Xing’an recounted the recent events and laughed heartily.
Li Xingmao had also overheard Li Lixing and his son mentioning something about a leopard.
"What’s going on, Third Brother?" he asked, utterly bewildered.
Li Xing’an detailed the events that had just happened to Prince Luling and Li Xingmao.
The more they listened, the more shocked they became, and they both turned to look at Guoguo in Li Xing’an’s arms.
Guoguo, with her innocent and adorable expression, looked back at them with eyes as big as black grapes.
"Guoguo? Commanding a leopard?" Li Xingmao couldn’t believe it. How could his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who had just learned to run and could barely speak, command a leopard?
Could it be this outfit?
Guoguo was dressed in a leopard-skin hooded cloak.
This leopard skin was from a leopard they had caught on Niu Tou Mountain when they first arrived here, thanks to the hunting skills of their younger siblings.
To make it look nice, the skillful Princess Consort Luling had crafted the hood to resemble a leopard’s head, complete with two small ears and eyes made from black buttons, along with a small nose crafted from a piece of black fabric.
Had the leopard mistaken her for its cub?
Li Xingmao took his daughter into his arms, "Guoguo, you mustn’t approach the leopard again. Today was an accident, next time that leopard may not listen to you."
"Big kitty listens to Guoguo," Guoguo earnestly told her father, "Big kitty won’t bite Guoguo."
Li Xingmao raised an eyebrow; after all, she was just a child, unaware of the danger beasts could pose.
However, he didn’t want to discourage his daughter, so he agreed, saying, "Alright, alright, it won’t bite you." But in his heart, he resolved to keep a closer eye on his daughter.
Li Xing’an suggested, "Big Brother, I’ll hold Guoguo while you sneak out the back door and hide in the grass to observe what’s happening."
If they’re all trapped, there’s no need to panic.
Li Xingmao handed his daughter to Li Xing’an and headed toward the back door.
Outside the Li Family’s back door was an open space, where they kept a few chickens and ducks, along with Guoguo’s favorite milk lamb.
Additionally, there were some fruit trees planted in the open space, like grapevines, peach trees, loquat trees, date trees, waxberry trees, and lychee trees.
To the left was the Li Family’s field, and beyond that was a stretch of grassland.
Li Xingmao walked into the grassland and indeed saw the thirteen people Li Xing’an mentioned trapped miserably in the mud.
A fully-grown big flower leopard lay lazily on the village road, looking at the people in the marshland ahead, occasionally letting out a few low growls.
Li Xingmao was puzzled. Normally, leopards were hungry in winter and would attack at the sight of a person. Yet, this leopard neither attacked Guoguo and Li Xing’an nor the people in the marshland, simply guarding the area. What was going on?
The chubby middle-aged man among them was the Chief Eunuch An, Li Can’s attendant, who had sent the Li Family here for hard labor.
He’s a smiling tiger.
Laughing on the surface, but a cold-blooded and ruthless person inside.
Along the way, their family had endured no small amount of humiliation from him.
Li Xingmao observed for a while, noticing that none of them dared to struggle, only groaning miserably. He chuckled coldly and headed back the way he came.
Upon returning to the North Courtyard Main House, Prince Luling immediately asked, "Eldest Brother, what’s the situation with those people?"
"Just as Third Brother said, thirteen people are stuck in the mire, unable to move, with a leopard watching the road and no passersby to rescue them; they’ll remain trapped there indefinitely," Li Xingmao responded, "Father, it’s Eunuch An and the Twelve Great Guards."
Prince Luling sneered, "If we hadn’t been forewarned, would they have just let us celebrate the New Year in peace?"
If Pei Shenyan hadn’t risked his life to deliver the news, the Li Family would’ve been completely unaware of the happenings in the Capital.
The Little Emperor suddenly dispatching someone to deliver an edict would have caught the family off guard, possibly forcing them to send away one daughter, or even three at once.
Beiyang had always been greedy, and Li Can, that soft target, wasn’t unfamiliar with cooperating in such deeds in the past.
Li Xing’an said, "Father, I have an idea, when it gets dark, we can ambush them and shoot a few with arrows!"
Prince Luling kept a stern face, coldly retorting, "Killing them all would only prompt Li Can to send more people if Eunuch An doesn’t report back. Local matters stay local, which would fall onto County Magistrate Li’s shoulders. That doesn’t just cause problems for him. What should he do then? Arrest us or find a scapegoat to blame? That scapegoat would die for nothing. Besides, do you think Li Can and the people in court are so easily fooled by a scapegoat?"
Li Xing’an was taken aback, "Then what should we do? Just let them be?"
Prince Luling looked at the sky, "It’s cloudy today, likely to snow tonight; let them remain trapped. If they don’t get killed, they’ll freeze or suffer injuries, and then it won’t be anyone’s fault. Besides, it was the leopard that drove them into the mire, not a person. If they want revenge, they should catch the leopard."
Li Xing’an’s eyes lit up, "Father, wisdom comes with age indeed."
Prince Luling laughed, "Don’t flatter me, get on with the important matters. The unexpected guests will inevitably arouse Uncle Gui’s suspicions. We’ll all agree that those people were our past enemies from the Capital, unable to bear seeing us live well, here to provoke and mock us."
Li Xingmao and Li Xing’an replied in unison, "Understood, Father."
Li Xing’an went to see Li Lixing and Li Jing, while Li Xingmao, holding his daughter, went to the South Courtyard.
In the small hall, Princess Consort Luling was talking with Chai Eying.
Li Yuzhu and Li Yuwen were looking at baby clothes.
Li Xingmao stood outside the door calling his two sisters, "Third Sister, Eldest Sister, Father is looking for you."
The two of them walked out together.
