Heroic Wife Reborn - Chapters 168 onwards

Chapter 171

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the Grandmaster with a puzzled expression. A big guy called "Xiong Xiong"? She had always disliked the nickname "Xiao Xiao" given to her by that annoying man, thinking it wasn't powerful or intimidating enough. But now, hearing the name "Xiong Xiong," she suddenly felt that maybe "Xiao Xiao" wasn't so bad after all—it seemed more cultured in comparison.

The Grandmaster had no idea what the princess was thinking. Instead, he saw Li Yuanle as his sworn enemy and sneered, "Who do we have here? Isn't this Li Yuanle, the one who sold his sister for glory?"

Li Yuanle's face darkened immediately. "You bastard," he snapped, "let's see where you can run this time."

The Grandmaster just laughed. "I'm Xiong Xiong, a notorious pirate who's never cared about living a long life. But you, Li Yuanle, I can't wait to see what happens to a hypocrite like you in the end!"

Gu Xinglang, sitting in the carriage, ordered, "What are you waiting for? Gag him."

Xiao Wei moved to gag the Grandmaster, but Yu Xiaoxiao stopped him. Something about this situation felt off. She turned to Gu Xinglang and asked, "What's going on here? Is Li Yuanle the bad guy?"

Gu Xinglang replied, "Princess, we should talk about this later."

The Grandmaster, sensing the tension, sneered again. His demeanor, once bulky and intimidating, now seemed sinister.

"He's just a thief," Li Yuanle said coldly.

"Yeah, I'm a thief," the Grandmaster shot back, "but at least I'm honest about it. I admit I love a woman and I'm not afraid to let everyone know. That's more than I can say for your Li family, who pretends to be all noble!"

Yu Xiaoxiao whispered to Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei, "There's more to this story, isn't there?"

Xiao Zhuang nodded, "Yeah, it's getting interesting."

Xiao Wei frowned, remembering that Li Yuanle's sister was a concubine in the palace. Could there really be some connection between her and this pirate? "Princess," Xiao Wei said, "you don't need to concern yourself with this. It's just palace politics and some mountain bandits. Nothing for you to worry about."

The Grandmaster, sensing his end was near, raised his head defiantly. "Go ahead, kill me," he challenged Li Yuanle.

Li Yuanle looked at Gu Xinglang, who nodded. Gu Sanshao hadn't known about the Grandmaster's accusations, but if word got out, it could spell disaster for Li Yuanle's sister in the palace. Gu Xinglang realized that Li Yuanle probably hadn't planned to let any of these former pirates live from the start.

"Kill him," General Li ordered.

"Wait," Yu Xiaoxiao interrupted.

Li Yuanle was surprised. "Princess, they're pirates. They've done terrible things on the East China Sea. They deserve to die."

The Grandmaster's deputy, angry and defiant, shouted back, "Who's done terrible things? Li Yuanle, stop slandering us! Your family doesn't take care of the people, and we're not allowed to defend ourselves?"

"Yeah!"

"We're fighting for the poor!"

"The Li family are the real bastards!"

"Bloodsuckers!"

The former pirates shouted in unison.

"Silence!" Gu Xinglang suddenly commanded.

"The officials are the real villains!" one of the former pirates yelled, charging toward Gu Xinglang.

Gu Xinglang replied calmly, "The Li family was stationed in the East China Sea to defend it. They had no role in politics. Are you really blaming them for the region's problems?"

The Grandmaster muttered, "Officials forced the people to rebel."

"Alright," Yu Xiaoxiao said, removing her foot from the Grandmaster's shoulder and pulling him out of the dirt. She knew that leaving him buried too long could be fatal, and she was careful about it.

The Grandmaster lay on the ground, gasping for air.

"Get him a cloak!" Gu Xinglang ordered urgently. Only now did he realize that the man's exposure had been quite humiliating.

A guard quickly threw a cloak over the Grandmaster.

Ignoring the awkward situation, Yu Xiaoxiao crouched beside the Grandmaster and said, "Why do you sound like you're talking about love troubles?"

The Grandmaster looked at Yu Xiaoxiao, wondering if she was actually clueless. Was she really asking him about his love life during a standoff?

"Actually," Yu Xiaoxiao continued, "I'm not that interested in love stories. Just tell me—are you making this up, or is it real?"

Both Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei lowered their heads, their legs trembling. They couldn't help but think, We really can't expect much from our princess. She's still thinking about fat rabbits!

But just then, they both realized something. "Princess," Xiao Zhuang said, "we have rabbits here!"

"Where?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked eagerly.

The deputy quickly offered, "I'll show you, Princess."

Gu Xinglang, growing impatient, said, "Princess, these men are thieves. They can't be allowed to live."

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to the deputy and asked, "Is it true? Did you really kill and rob people?"

The deputy, usually more cautious, knew that his boss was in trouble. The brothers were hurt, and he had no choice but to try and resolve the situation. He steeled himself, remembering that he'd managed to fool the princess into giving him half a pig yesterday—maybe he could talk his way out of this too!

Gu Xinglang quietly spoke to Li Yuanle, "Maybe we should send them to Dali Temple?"

Li Yuanle sighed, "Eternal Life Temple? If Zhao Qiuming finds out about my sister, the Li family could be finished."

"What the Grandmaster said..."

"It's true," Li Yuanle admitted. He had hoped they could deal with the pirates quickly without letting Xiong Xiong speak, but things hadn't gone as planned.

Gu Xinglang frowned.

"So what do we do?" Li Yuanle asked.

Meanwhile, the deputy was spinning a tale of hardship for Yu Xiaoxiao, detailing the suffering of the East China Sea's people under poor governance. Yu Xiaoxiao, who knew the people suffered under her father's rule, listened sympathetically. The idea that people had to sell their children and women just to survive didn't sit right with her.

With tears in his eyes, the deputy asked, "Princess, what can we do?"

Yu Xiaoxiao, after a moment of thought, replied, "Rebel."

The deputy, who had been hoping for a reprieve, was shocked into silence. He hadn't expected the princess to suggest something so drastic.

Xiao Wei, realizing things were getting out of hand, kicked the deputy and said, "Princess, if you want a meal, let's go back to the city and eat."

The former pirates looked at Xiao Wei in disbelief. Did he just kick their deputy after the princess talked about rebellion? What kind of situation was this?