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

Chapter 208 An official even higher than a county magistrate?

The original wife and daughter of the top scholar from last time, as well as the wife and children of the woman forcibly taken by the man Xia Yuan beat to death, were all arranged by their young mistress. The women could help with chores and cooking, and the children could go to school. At least they wouldn't go hungry while guarding the land.

Miss Gu would almost never casually place someone in her home. Even if the Gu family wasn't a prominent family, it was still the residence of an important official, and not just anyone with no background could enter. If someone was bribed or harbored disloyal intentions, they could suffer misfortune.

Miss used to be very cautious about this, but lately she seems to bring every single one she picks up home. Yu Die is like this, and so is Liu Caiyun.

Shen Li stayed in the next room. After eating, she went to sleep. Riding a horse all night had exhausted her, so she decided to rest for a day before continuing her journey.

That night, Ma Zheng bought two more carriages. The next day, Shen Li continued to rest in one of the carriages, with Lian Qiao following her, while Shao Yao and Liu Caiyun were in the carriage behind.

Shen Li did not ride a horse for the rest of the journey. Although she wanted to get back to see Gu Chang'an as soon as possible, the three-day journey was not very long, so she was not in a hurry.

Liu Caiyun changed her name on the separate household registration issued by the government, simply calling herself Caiyun and removing her surname. She also had no intention of returning to Liujia Town.

At first, she thought Shen Li was just a lady from a wealthy family, until she met up with the guards and saw the guards in bright armor and warhorses.

"My lord, it's a hundred li from here to Tanghuai Palace. If we hurry, we can arrive this afternoon. At our current pace, we can barely make it to the city gate," Li Dayong reported as he dismounted.

"Then let's go a little faster than we are now, and make it before the city gates close." Shen Li was sitting on the ground eating lunch at the time.

Although it was in the suburbs, lunch was still plentiful. Various kinds of wild game had been roasted for an hour, and the aroma filled the air as everyone ate with relish.

The reason for not traveling quickly was twofold: firstly, Caiyun was injured and could not withstand excessive jolting; secondly, it was better to arrive at night so that she could go home first instead of going to the palace to report for duty.

"Caiyun, eat this." Shen Li tore off a chicken wing and handed it to her.

She remembered that she loved to eat it.

Caiyun was stunned for a moment. She had never been able to eat chicken wings since she was a child, and this was the part she wanted to eat the most. She thought it was a coincidence when Shen Li handed it to her the first time, but this was the second time.

"Thank you... thank you, Madam." Caiyun accepted it and thanked her politely.

"No need for formalities, have another chicken leg." Shen Li placed the chicken leg on the plate in front of her and picked one up to eat herself.

Caiyun had never been taken care of like this before. In the past few days, she had received the best medicine, food, and clothing. She felt like it was all a dream.

It was as if a kind person had suddenly fallen from the sky and saved her from dire straits; it felt more like a dream than a dream itself.

"Are you a lady-in-waiting?" she asked.

"Yes, an inspector, a minor official of the sixth rank." Shen Li answered while eating, still very casual in front of her boss.

"A sixth-rank official... higher than a county magistrate?" Caiyun's eyes widened in surprise.

"If you calculate it that way, then it should be a bit bigger," Shen Li said conservatively.

Caiyun couldn't help but look at Shen Li again. She looked much younger than herself. How could someone so young hold such a high-ranking official position?

Shen Li couldn't help but laugh when she saw her expression, which reminded her of the time when they met in her previous life and she had the same expression when she heard that she was the wife of the prime minister.

Caiyun was captivated by her smile; such a high-ranking official was so approachable, and her cheerful laughter was no different from that of a little girl.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sir." Although Caiyun said this, she was clearly less reserved.

She felt that Shen Li was the most human-like of all the officials; the others were just officials.

"Miss, you've misunderstood. I just thought you were very cute." Shen Li laughed again.

"You flatter me, sir..." Caiyun didn't expect Shen Li to say such a thing, and lowered her head shyly.

Shen Li found it amusing to see the eldest sister being shy.

After lunch, they continued on their journey and arrived at the gate of Tanghuai City when it was getting dark. At this point, it was no longer convenient to meet the emperor, so they turned back home.

"My lord, I have learned that the Gu family mansion has been completed in the spring. Lord Gu is living in the Gu residence. Where would you like to go?" Ma Zheng rode his horse outside the carriage, bringing back the latest news.

Shen Li was somewhat surprised. She had thought that since Gu Chang'an was in the Shen family, everyone would be able to see him when she returned. This made her hesitate for a moment.

"Send someone to the Shen residence to inform the master and mistress that I will pay a visit tomorrow." Shen Li quickly made a decision: "Go to the Shen residence."

When the car arrived at the Gu family's villa, it was already completely dark, but the gates were still open. Shen Li looked around the villa; it seemed smaller than the main residence in the capital, but it was still quite impressive to have built such a scale in just over two years.

Unlike the summer retreat in Kyoto, this house, though far away, was surrounded by the homes of officials who had accompanied the emperor to the summer palace. She wanted to find out who her neighbors were.

I should still try to reconnect with them in a couple of days.

Before she could even inquire, the butler came out to greet her: "Madam, you're back. The kitchen has prepared the meal. Please rest for a moment and you'll be ready to eat."

"There's food?" Shen Li asked, puzzled. "I didn't tell you when I'd be back, so how did you know?"

She wanted to give Gu Chang'an a surprise.

"Oh, the master said that according to the schedule, it will be in the next few days. The manor has been preparing for this for three days. The manor gates are closed only after curfew every day," the steward said as he led the way.

“It’s something he’s capable of doing.” Shen Li asked with a smile, “No rush to eat, where is my husband? In his study?”

"In the main bedroom, the master has caught a cold in the past few days and still had a fever last night."

"A cold? Has the imperial physician been summoned?" Shen Li quickened her pace unconsciously, and her brows furrowed.

"I've examined him. He said that excessive worry over the past few days has caused evil spirits to enter his body. It's not serious, but it won't be easy to recover." The butler then advised, "Please take it easy."

Who is taking care of them?

"It's Chunsheng, Miss Biao will also help out."

"What kind of people are these? Some are careless, some are brainless. No wonder they can't get better," Shen Li said irritably.

Lianqiao and Shaoyao exchanged a glance, both knowing that their young lady was truly angry. Normally, even if she was dissatisfied, she would rarely express it, let alone speak ill of her.

Shen Li entered the main courtyard and saw Liu Yue walking out with her head down, and the maid behind her was carrying a food box.

"Cousin... Cousin-in-law? Why are you back?" Liu Yue was taken aback when she saw Shen Li.

Shen Li stepped forward with a sullen face and opened the food box, only to see a large bowl of chicken soup with oil floating on top. Her brows furrowed even more: "He has a fever and you're giving him this?"

Liu Yue had never seen Shen Li angry before. At this moment, she felt that Shen Li's aura was terrifyingly strong, so much so that she couldn't say a word.