Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 135 Testing

Shen Li brought Xiao Shitou onto the carriage, draped clothes over her, and then there were five people tied up in the back of the carriage, attracting the attention of passersby.

Many people recognized Lai San and wondered who dared to tie him up and beat him so badly.

In her previous life, Shen Li had heard Xiao Shitou say in prison that these shady businesses were all paid for by the constables, who would turn a blind eye when they received reports.

In short, no one was killed, and the government didn't see it as a big deal, since these thieves were impossible to eradicate.

When they arrived at the government office, officials came over, but Ma Zheng, following Shen Li's instructions, directly asked to see the prefect and showed the official document in his hand to the official.

The constable had also received bribes and originally intended to help Lai San, but then he saw the men from the three battalions of the capital, and they weren't ordinary soldiers, but rather a sixth-rank centurion.

Officials are not to be trifled with, and those in the capital are even less so, especially since Ma Zheng was saying that his master wanted to see the prefect.

Keep in mind that the prefectural governor was only a fourth-rank official, and the person sitting in the carriage might be of a higher rank than the prefectural governor.

"Brother Li, it's me, Lai San." Lai San winked at the constable.

"Don't shout nonsense, who knows who you are?" the constable scolded, then smiled obsequiously at Ma Zheng and said, "Please wait in the second hall, I will inform you right away."

Lai San was dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that he had offended a big shot he shouldn't have messed with.

When Shen Li got out of the car, Lai San kowtowed repeatedly, but Shen Li ignored him and instead took Xiao Shitou's hand and walked towards the government office.

The prefect immediately came out to greet the people from the three major camps.

Shen Li never revealed her identity, but the prefect did not dare to neglect her and immediately ordered Lai San and others to be detained.

"The Prefect is truly a good official who stands up for the people," Shen Li said admiringly, then suddenly became somewhat worried: "But will those few of them come out to cause trouble again?"

The prefect immediately understood and said, "Please rest assured, madam, I will handle this matter impartially and will not let any heinous criminal go unpunished."

"Heinous crimes, yes, yes," Shen Li said casually, then smiled and took her leave.

After seeing Shen Li off, the prefect wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, thinking to himself, "Who is this person with such an imposing presence?"

"Investigate whether any important figures have been in the area recently," the prefect ordered.

"Yes."

"The other few scoundrels don't need to come out. You can handle them yourselves."

"Yes, sir." The constable responded and left.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Shen Li took Xiao Shitou to a nearby inn, asked the innkeeper to prepare hot water, gave her a bath, and changed her into a light green padded jacket. Apart from her slightly rough and sallow skin, she was a very pretty little girl.

"You're too thin, eat more." Shen Li put food on her plate, her eyes full of heartache.

In her previous life, while she was in prison, Little Stone, though her younger sister, took good care of her. She remembered that Little Stone had not yet been sold to Kyoto at this time but was in Hejian.

She was later sold by Lai San to an old man. The old man was a gambler who would beat and scold her after buying her. Later, when he had lost all his money, he took her to the capital and forced her to continue stealing. As a result, she was arrested and imprisoned in Shuntian Prefecture.

That was more than a decade later; now it's not too late.

Little Stone, seeing the table laden with delicacies, disregarded everything else and began to wolf down his food.

"Slow down, there's plenty more," Shen Li said softly, trying to put some easily digestible vegetables on her plate.

Lianqiao and Shaoyao were quite puzzled. Their young lady was indeed approachable and very kind to her servants, but they had never seen her like this before. It was as if she was taking care of her own younger sister.

Little Stone nodded repeatedly, but didn't seem to slow down much. So when Shen Li saw that she had almost finished eating, she had someone clear the table.

Looking into Little Stone's pitiful eyes, she explained, "You can't eat too much at the first meal, or you'll get sick. Don't worry, you'll have whatever you want to eat later."

"Fairy Sister, what do you want me to do? With this full meal from you, I'll do anything you ask." Little Stone seemed to have made up his mind, and unlike his previous timid demeanor, he spoke very resolutely.

“You’re still young. Take a job at my residence first, and when you grow up, you can choose what you want to do,” Shen Li said.

Little Stone asked doubtfully, "Is it really just being a maid?"

"Otherwise what?" Shen Li pinched her cheek and laughed, "Should I send you to steal the Imperial Seal?"

Little Stone looked at her as she naturally moved closer and lowered his head, but soon mustered up his courage and asked, "Then why did you choose me?"

“This must be fate. The moment I saw you, I felt like we’d met in a past life. You look like my sister,” Shen Li said, looking at her.

That's great, she rescued her. She'll keep her by her side in the future and never let her suffer again.

Not only Little Stone, but she also wants to find all her sisters and share the good times together.

“I also feel that my sister is kind... Is it wrong to say that…” Little Stone realized the difference in their status after he spoke.

"It's nice to be friendly. From now on, you can call me 'elder sister.' But do you like this name?" Shen Li asked.

She remembered that Little Stone had changed her name afterward; the new name was the one she used when they met in her previous life.

"That's what they call me, I want to be called Rain Butterfly." Little Stone's eyes held hope: "Is that okay?"

"It sounds nice," Shen Li said, then looked at Lian Qiao and the other person, "What do you think?"

Both of them nodded and praised her, gradually making Yu Die laugh.

"Miss, I'll kowtow to you. I'll listen to you from now on, and I'll be yours even in death." Yu Die stood up and was about to kneel.

"Alright, alright, we're all family, don't stand on ceremony." Shen Li stopped the person and added, "You can't kneel down so easily in the future. With your older sister backing you up, we're not afraid of anyone."

Yu Die nodded with tears in her eyes.

That night, Yu Die slept in the outer room of the suite at the inn, and the two could still talk.

To be honest, Shen Li misses the days when they slept in the dormitory together, but if she were to bring Yu Die over now, she'd probably scare the child.

The day after finding the person, Shen Li no longer lingered in Hejian Prefecture. After having a big meal at a restaurant and taking some snacks with her, she left the city to chase after the army.

Her carriage was large enough that it could now seat four people instead of the previous three.

Shen Li was reading a book, with Lian Qiao standing by her side, ready to serve her at any time, while Yu Die was being led by Shao Yao to play cat's cradle.

"Yudie is so clever, she learns so quickly." Peony found the girl more and more pleasing to the eye, praised her, and then asked, "Miss, would you like her to learn something?"

"That depends on what she wants to learn." Shen Li was unusually patient even when her reading was interrupted; anyone else would have been unhappy long ago.

"I want to learn martial arts," Yu Die said cautiously yet with a longing look on her face. "If I learn it, no one will be able to bully me."

Peony immediately smiled: "I really can't teach you anything else, but this is easy. From now on, you can practice with me, and I guarantee no one will dare to bully you."

“I can vouch for this; it’s the truth,” Shen Li said with a smile.

Peony is not only known for her strong subordinates, but also for her extremely violent temper. Most people don't even dare to approach her, let alone bully her.

Lianqiao was also smiling.

"Thank you, Sister Peony." Yu Die was overjoyed. She never expected that in just one day, she would get what she wanted: food, shelter from beatings, and martial arts training.

This is nothing short of divine intervention.

Peony, who had always been the youngest, felt a little smug when she was called "older sister" and immediately promised to take good care of her.

"Miss, are we going back to the manor?" Yu Die asked, somewhat puzzled as she saw that they had left the city.

“Yes, our home is in Kyoto, not in Hejian Prefecture, so there’s no rush,” Shen Li reassured her, afraid she would worry.

"I'm not in a hurry. I'll go wherever Miss wants." Yu Die had already accepted it. No matter who Miss was, she would do whatever she was asked to do.

She arrived at the military camp that evening, and seeing so many soldiers in front of her, she was somewhat incredulous at how a woman could be here.

"Eat up, this is army food, the communal cooking is delicious too," Shen Li said to Yu Die.

Since it was already spring, we ate outside instead of inside the tent.

"Li..." Li Rui swallowed the word "li" and then cut to the chase, not wanting to call her "sister," "You're back so soon?"

"After a few meals, you've got nothing to do. Why is Your Highness up so early too?" Shen Li teased. "Didn't you go to those brothels and theaters?"

"I went there last night, but the girl wasn't particularly special. However, she played the zither very well." Li Rui walked over and noticed that there was another person with Shen Li, but the person was eating and didn't know how to greet her.

"When did you get a maidservant by your side?" he asked, puzzled.

He had noticed Shen Li ever since she moved into the General's Mansion, but it seemed he had never seen this girl before.

"I saw it on the street yesterday and felt sorry for it, so I brought it back. I am still ignorant of etiquette, so please don't take offense, Your Highness." Shen Li said apologetically, but she didn't stand up once while sitting there, very casually.

Yu Die realized that the person who came was an important figure, so she put down her bowl and was about to kneel.

"His Highness won't blame you, let's eat." Shen Li pulled the person back.

Li Rui smiled and said, "This girl is quite simple and honest, I don't find it strange at all, but I can't just watch you eat, can I?"

Shen Li gestured for Lian Qiao to bring over another bowl.

Li Rui sat not far from Shen Li, and seeing her pick up her chopsticks, he also picked up his chopsticks and ate with relish.

“We’ll be in Kyoto in a few days. You’ve done a great job this time. What kind of reward do you want?” Li Rui asked during the meal. “I can help you get it.”

"This humble woman has no particular desires. What about Your Highness?" Shen Li looked directly at him and asked earnestly, "What does Your Highness desire?"

"I'm a carefree person, and I have no other desires. I just want to continue being a free spirit," Li Rui replied easily.

A faint look of doubt appeared between Shen Li's brows.

Does he really not want to seize the throne?