Chapter 253

253. Chapter 253: Safeguarding the Tiger Talisman

After Sun Shi and Li Jinfeng left, Jiang Xiaoxiao and her mother did not return to the Huang family's residence but instead boarded a horse carriage, preparing to head back to the village.

On the way back to the village, Jiang Xiaoxiao saw village children throwing stones at the Li family's courtyard.

The Old Matriarch chased them off with a broom, but this time, not only children were there—Guihua Shen and Zhou Shu's Daughter-in-law also joined, hurling rotten vegetables and stinking eggs at the Li family's courtyard.

The Old Matriarch was struck by stones until her head was covered in bruises; before she could scream curses, Guihua Shen dumped a bucket of foul-smelling wastewater over her.

Guihua Shen, having lost her daughter, hated the Li family with every fiber of her being and now showed them no mercy.

"Li family, get out of our village!"

"Do you dare defy the County Magistrate's orders? Get out of our village!"

"Exactly! Leave quickly, don't drag our village down with you!"

…

More and more villagers gathered outside the Li family's courtyard, all shouting in unison, determined to drive the Li family out of the village.

The mother and daughter did not join the commotion; after watching for a while, they quietly drove the carriage home.

The Li family couldn't stay in the village much longer—even without the villagers' expulsion, the Village Head would reclaim the Li family's ancestral house and base within two days; without a place to live, they would leave naturally.

The carriage stopped at the front gate; as Jiang Xiaoxiao jumped down, she saw a familiar figure standing before their door.

She froze, recognizing the figure as Shen Que, and couldn't help exclaiming: "Lord Shen?"

Shen Que turned at the sound, his usually calm face breaking into a smile: "Xiaoxiao, you're back."

Jiang Xiaoxiao rushed forward in delight, babbling without stopping: "Lord Shen, I thought you'd returned to the Capital! I'm so glad you didn't leave—otherwise, no one would teach me martial arts…"

Seeing Shen Que return, Jiang Xiaoxiao's joy was plain to see; she gripped his large hand and chattered endlessly.

Shen Que merely nodded silently, saying nothing.

Jiang Wei noticed something was off and spoke coolly: "Xiaoxiao, go inside and talk."

"Oh, okay!" Jiang Xiaoxiao finally restrained her excitement, pulling Shen Que inside, her voice bright: "Lord Shen, today we're having braised rabbit meat—help me catch the rabbits!"

"Alright," Shen Que finally replied.

The two walked hand in hand toward the backyard.

Jiang Wei followed behind, frowning slightly as she watched Shen Que's slightly desolate back.

She did not follow them; instead, she led the horse into the stable and entered the kitchen to prepare ingredients for the braised rabbit meat.

…

Lunch was abundant.

In the backyard, Jiang Xiaoxiao and Shen Que caught not only a rabbit but also two chickens, then made chicken stewed with mushrooms, slow-simmered over low heat with shiitake, sesame oil, wine, and sugar until the ingredients were tender.

The greens planted in the courtyard had matured; Jiang Wei picked some fresh young green grass, stir-fried them with lard, then reached into the chicken coop and pulled out four eggs to make a giant egg pancake, finally preparing a large bowl of Egg Scallion Soup.

Shen Que looked at the lavish table and his bitter smile deepened.

They knew he was leaving—so they prepared this lavish meal as a farewell…

All three ate in unusually silent silence.

After eating, Jiang Wei quietly cleared the bowl and chopsticks.

Shen Que moved to help, but Jiang Wei stopped him; she glanced at Jiang Xiaoxiao, head bowed and sullen, and said: "Say what you need to say, quickly."

Then she carried the bowl and chopsticks to the well by the courtyard.

Shen Que sighed, then forced himself to approach Jiang Xiaoxiao and hesitantly spoke: "Xiaoxiao…"

But as soon as he spoke, Jiang Xiaoxiao looked up: "Lord Shen, can't you stay…?"

Shen Que froze, seeing her pained expression, and shook his head firmly: "No."

"Why? Don't you know if you return to the Capital you'll…" Jiang Xiaoxiao bit her lip, stopping herself from uttering the word "die."

Shen Que understood her meaning.

He closed his eyes tightly, then spoke slowly: "I know—but I must go. Your Jiang Brother is waiting for me in the Capital. I have to save him."

He reached out and gently stroked Jiang Xiaoxiao's hair, smiling: "Don't worry—in a few months, Jiang Yu will return to see you."

Jiang Xiaoxiao bit her lip hard, saying nothing more.

She knew no matter how hard she tried to stop it, events would unfold exactly as written in the Original Work.

Shen Que returning to the Capital might save Jiang Yu—but for him, it meant only death.

There was nothing they could do; their opponent was the one seated on the Dragon Throne…

No matter how powerful they were, they could never defy imperial authority.

"Xiaoxiao, promise me one thing, alright?" Shen Que suddenly pulled something from his sleeve and placed it gently into her palm. "I leave for the Capital tomorrow. Keep this for me—if one day… I'm gone, give it to Jiang Yu."

Feeling the hard object in her palm, Jiang Xiaoxiao instinctively looked down—and her heart lurched.

It was the Tiger Talisman.

The Tiger Talisman that could command a hundred thousand troops!

"I—I don't want it…" Jiang Xiaoxiao instinctively tried to refuse.

Shen Que entrusting her with such a vital object meant he was returning to the Capital with a death sentence.

"This was granted to my Shen family by the late Emperor. Now, border wars flare endlessly without pause; two-thirds of our fighting forces are my Shen family's troops. My elder brother is the only one who can command all three armies. After Father died, my elder brother fell gravely ill… and only then did the Tiger Talisman pass to me for safekeeping."

Shen Que gazed at the Tiger Talisman in his hand, recounting the past.

But Jiang Xiaoxiao caught the implication in his words: "You mean… the Emperor wants the Tiger Talisman your family holds?"

Otherwise, why would Shen the General's death cause his elder brother—designated heir to the Talisman—to suddenly fall ill? Such coincidence was too suspicious to ignore.

"Precisely." Shen Que nodded heavily. "If this Talisman falls into… his hands, the soldiers who have guarded the Border Pass for twenty years of peace will be recalled. Without them defending the nation, the people of Da Yin will face invasion."

At that time, countless lives will be destroyed, the people will suffer beyond endurance. The imperial nobles in the Capital, accustomed to their comfortable, idle lives, will lack the courage to confront the enemy.

At that time, those useless, gluttonous fools will only sacrifice innocent civilians, ceding land and paying tribute to the enemy.

Listening to Shen Que's words, Jiang Xiaoxiao fell silent.

He was right; in the Original Work, soon after Shen Que's death, Dayin Country indeed plunged into a period of turmoil.

The national unrest caused by war, combined with the Imperial Court forcing local officials to increase taxes and exploit the people, conscripting vast numbers of men for corvée labor, pushed the already impoverished peasants into even greater hardship. (Chapter finished)