Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 476 - 175 Xiang Wei

Chapter 476: Chapter 175 Xiang Wei

The moonlight, gentle as water, slanted across the courtyard, stretching Yueyao’s silhouette beneath the orange glow of a lantern hanging on the gate. The night was tender, and immersed in the moonlight, Yueyao appeared exceptionally gentle and elegant.

Yueyao had stood for a while and began to feel a bit chilly. Night at the Summer Mountain Villa was much colder than in the Capital City, and Yueyao started to worry that she had not brought enough clothes.

Bai Yi, holding a white coat in his hand, draped it over Yueyao: "Miss Lian, this is our lady’s coat. Please make do with it for now!"

Yueyao did not refuse it. "Tomorrow, send someone to the Lian Mansion, and have my steward mother pack a few thicker clothes to bring over. She had only brought Xi Yu with her, so she couldn’t possibly send her away.

Bai Yi knew Yueyao would not want clothes from the Marquis’ household. Yueyao was prideful and would not accept things from others so readily. He did not refuse this either and brought up the matter of her bodyguard: "Miss, the candidates have already been selected. They are currently at the Summer Mountain Villa. Would you like to meet them now or tomorrow?"

Looking at the gentle moon, Yueyao replied, "Since they are at the Summer Mountain Villa, let’s meet them now." Seeing them a day earlier would put her mind at ease sooner. These days had been terrifying for her, always fearing that the Mo family might harbor one evil thought and take her life. The taste of living in constant fear was unbearable, although, compared to that, staying with Luo Mingzhu wasn’t so bad.

Bai Yi instructed Zhi Qin to bring the person over.

The girl who entered was dressed in lotus root pink color. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old and was quite delicate-looking with an aura of a genteel beauty.

Yueyao inspected her up and down, back and forth, and didn’t sense that this girl was a superbly hidden expert. Instead, the more she looked, the more she felt that the girl was pitiable and loveable. Yueyao turned to Bai Yi, wondering if there had been some mistake—was this person really capable of protecting her?

Bai Yi spoke to Yueyao, "Her name is Bai Meng, and she is sixteen years old. If Miss finds the name unappealing, you could choose to change it."

Yueyao, straightforward as ever, asked anxiously, "How skilled is this girl in martial arts? Can she protect me?" It was no wonder Yueyao was doubtful; after all, the girl’s appearance did not resemble that of a martial arts expert!

Bai Yi did not ask Bai Meng to demonstrate her martial skills but instead nodded at her to leave. When just the two of them were left in the room, Bai Yi finally said, "Miss, you can rest assured. Bai Meng comes from a respectable background; her father was once an escort master at the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. After her father met with misfortune, she was entrusted to her uncle, who is one of our household’s guards. Bai Meng has been learning martial arts from her uncle since she was young; she can most certainly protect you."

Yueyao’s expression turned curious. "Such a fine candidate seems better suited for espionage. Why would you assign her to me?" Yueyao had heard of espionage during her time in the Coastal area.

Seeing how blunt Yueyao was, Bai Yi cautioned, "Miss, you must not speak carelessly of such matters." Indeed, Marquis Jingning’s Household maintained spies, but that was not something to be openly discussed. If he didn’t know that Yueyao was naive to the ways of the world, he would certainly have started to keep an eye on her.

Yueyao observed Bai Meng’s delicate appearance, and she truly believed the girl possessed martial arts skills, possibly even being a spy. Yueyao was not worried that Bai Meng might pry into her affairs – she had nothing worth spying on – but she feared that if Bai Meng was a spy, she might not stay long, or worse, she might attract trouble. Either scenario would be disadvantageous for her.

Yueyao feigned surprise: "Doesn’t the Marquis’ household also maintain spies? I’ve read in books that large families, especially those of the nobility, secretly train spies to gather intelligence on various matters."

Bai Yi couldn’t help but laugh helplessly and said in resignation, "That’s not true, Miss. Don’t believe everything you read; those books are full of nonsense." Actually, Marquis Jingning’s Residence did have spies and hidden guards. They rarely raised their own spies, mostly relying on buying loyalty. As for hidden guards, they certainly had them, but their numbers were strictly limited, so the selection was very stringent. All successive Emperors knew about the hidden guards in such a significant family. It was impossible for such a family to lack hidden forces, and as long as they didn’t cross the line, the Emperor turned a blind eye.

Yueyao asked again: "Can she really protect me? Will she always be by my side?"

Bai Yi reassured Yueyao, "You can rest assured, Bai Meng’s abilities are more than sufficient to protect you. Moreover, as long as you don’t dismiss her, she won’t leave. By the way, Miss Yueyao, don’t you enjoy reading medical books? Bai Meng also knows medical skills."

Yueyao’s eyes shone brightly, "She’s skilled in pharmacology?" Having a girl by her side who was skilled in both martial arts and medical skills was indeed a rare find.

Bai Yi remembered seeing Yueyao reading medical books at the Ma’s Mansion and knew of her interest in pharmacology, which is why he deliberately mentioned that Bai Meng knew medical skills. In truth, Bai Meng only understood some basic pharmacology and the rudiments of medical knowledge; she was not highly skilled in medical practice. Of course, to Yueyao, that was certainly sufficient.