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nChapter 408 : Dispute (1)

nQin Zhong returned to his residence and brought the words of Du Wenshu to Qin Zhao. “Imperial Secretary Du said he would visit the General soon. If the General has any questions, he will personally answer them tomorrow. General, Imperial Secretary Du’s attitude towards me is not bad.”

nQin Zhao said coldly, “I would like to see what he will say to me tomorrow?” Qin Zhao had expected that Yun Qing would be promoted, but he had not expected that Yun Qing would be elevated twice a row. Now that Yun Qing was on the same level as him, how could he control Yun Qing? Thinking of this, a ball of fire burned in Qin Zhao’s heart.

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nAnother Qin Zhao staff member said, “General, I think this incident may not be the Crown Prince’s intention. I am afraid that there is another reason for this.” As to what the reason was, he had not yet figured it out.

nMr Xia offered his opinion. “I believe Imperial Secretary Du will give us an answer tomorrow.” In fact, Mr Xia felt that the Yu family had something to do with Yun Qing being promoted twice in a row. It was just that this matter had not yet been confirmed, so he would not say anything more.

nInside the Yun Mansion, Yuxi called Xu Wu and instructed, “Spread the news that there is an assassin posing as a messenger from Jing Wangfu1 tried to assassinate me, and make sure that Du Wenshu and his party hear the news. Remember to say that the assassin has the wangfu1’s identity signage on him.”

nXu Wu didn’t quite understand, but he didn’t ask any questions and went out.

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nZijin was a little surprised and asked, “Madam, do you have any deeper meaning in deliberately letting Imperial Secretary Du know about your assassination?”

nYuxi smiled a little. “You don’t need to ask much about this.” It would have been better if Du Wenshu knew that Yuchen had written to her. Even if he didn’t, bringing the news back to the capital would also be good.

nThe next day, Er Nainai2 Zhao came to see Yuxi. When she saw that Yuxi was still in good condition, she said while pressing her chest, “I heard early in the morning that someone was trying to kill you. Meimei3, what’s going on?” She had come as soon as she got the news.

nYuxi sighed. “I’m not sure either!” She told Er Nainai2 Zhao what had happened yesterday and said, “If it were important, my San Jie4 would have sent her trusted old woman servant. So how could she ask a stranger to deliver the letter.” If it weren’t an urgent matter, there was no need to personally hand it over.

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nEr Nainai2 Zhao was no fool; when she heard this, she felt something was wrong. “Did you just say that the signage was really from the Wangfu1? It’s not a mistake?”

nYuxi smiled as she explained, “Every residence has different signage patterns, so there’s no way we can make a mistake in identifying them.” Yuxi felt her life undoubtedly clashed with Jing Wangfu1. She had almost been killed in Jing Wangfu1 before, and this time an assassin was using Jing Wangfu1’s name to kill her. If it weren’t a clash, then what was it?

nEr Nainai2 Zhao was a bit puzzled. “That’s strange. Jing Wangfu1 is a hundred thousand miles away from here. How could this assassin have signage from Jing Wangfu1?”

nYuxi said, “I think the letter was genuinely sent by a group of people appointed by my San Jie4, only for them to be finished off by someone who was planning to do something bad, and this person used Jing Wangfu1’s signage to harm me. If this person knew the rules of the capital and had sent an old woman servant or a trusted maid from the group to come over, he would have gotten away with it.”

nHearing these words, Er Nainai2 Zhao’s eyelids twitched. “Yet it was nerve-wracking enough. It’s a good thing you didn’t see him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a joke if you were frightened.” A pregnant woman couldn’t afford to be frightened!

nYuxi rubbed her belly and commented, “I feel lucky too! But after this incident, I’ll have to be extra careful when going out in the future.”

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nEr Nainai2 Zhao said with some pity, “Don’t overthink it. Just take care of your child; that’s the most important thing right now.”

nYuxi smiled as she expressed her agreement, “That’s right! Now, I’m just thinking about giving birth to her peacefully and calmly. By the way, didn’t you say you were going to the provincial capital? When will you depart?”

nEr Nainai2 Zhao smilingly replied, “We will set off after Longtaitou5 is over, and my mother-in-law even agreed that I should take Ziyao with me. I don’t think I’ll be back until the fifth or sixth lunar month. I’m sure Meimei3 will have given birth by then, so I may not be able to make it to xisan6, but I will definitely be here for the full moon ceremony.”

nYuxi was still thinking about Madam Zhao telling Er Nainai2 Zhao to take the child with her. In probability, it was in case of an emergency. “It’s good to take the child with you.” A mother would be anxious when her child was not around. And she would have one less thing to think about when she took her child along.

nEr Nainai2 Zhao smiled a little. “I almost forgot to congratulate you. General Yun is now an upper second-ranked vice general daren7.” His father-in-law was only a third-ranking assistant general, but Yun Qing had risen through the ranks too quickly.

nEr Nainai2 Zhao didn’t know that General Zhao had discussed this with Madam Zhao yesterday. He said that if she hadn’t disagreed back then, causing their marriage to be delayed for a while, Yun Qing would have been his son-in-law. Madam Zhao didn’t regret it just because Yun Qing had been promoted to a higher rank. No matter how good Yun Qing was, he wasn’t the right man for her daughter, so there was nothing she should regret.

nYuxi shook her head. “What is there to be happy about? The Commander-in-chief has the same rank as the deputy general. Although my General doesn’t have many opinions about it, and he’s only thinking about going to battle and killing more enemies, how will the other soldiers look and think about this situation?” Yuxi also felt very strange at that time. Not only was Yun Qing not happy when he was promoted, but he looked annoyed, and it was only when Yuxi asked that she found out why.

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nEr Nainai2 Zhao agreed honestly with this statement. “That’s true.” Being the same rank was not really a big deal. The point was that Qin Zhao’s upper second rank was earned through an untrue factor, while Yun Qing gained his rank through real swords and spears8. People would naturally think more about it since they now share the same rank.

nAs they were talking, Shiliu came over and reported, “Madam, Da Nainai9 Fu has come over to see you.”

nFollowed by the arrival of many more ladies, paying Yuxi a visit. The Yun Residence was suddenly bustling with activity. Luckily, Mama Qu had arranged everyone in an orderly manner, so the situation didn’t turn chaotic.

nAs they were talking, a young maid came from outside and reported, “Madam, Madam Qin has also come to visit Madam.”

nThe ladies who had come earlier all glanced at each other and then looked at Yuxi in unison. In fact, when Yuxi was assassinated, many people suspected that it was either Xu Shi or the Xu family who had done it. However, Madam Qin’s visit this time had left them confused.

nYuxi smiled as she stood up. “Please invite Madam Qin in.”

nXu Shi walked in. She was draped in a snowy blue cloak, with her hair combed into a very intricate flying bun, attached with a silver plum blossom made with glittering jewels buyao10. She took off her cloak to reveal her lilac-coloured dress underneath. Her attire was very plain as if she had turned into a different person.

nYuxi walked forward and greeted her with a smile, “Please sit down, Saozi11!”

nXu Shi looked at Yuxi’s belly and said with a smile, “It was only recently that I heard the news of your assassination, and I was so anxious that I came to visit Dimei12 without even placing a visitation post. Dimei12, you are not frightened, are you?” Yuxi didn’t look like she was scared, either.

nYuxi smiled. “Mama Qu felt something was wrong, so she didn’t let me see the assassin and had the guards arrest him directly. It’s strange to say I’ve just been married in the northwest for over half a year, and I don’t know many people here. How come someone deliberately wants to assassinate me?” Most of the people present were those with extensive experience. When they heard Yuxi’s words, their brains started to think deeply.

nXu Shi responded with an unchanged expression, “Just because Dimei12 hasn’t offended anyone doesn’t mean that the other person close to Dimei12 hasn’t. Perhaps the person behind the scene is angry with that person?” This was close to saying that Yuxi’s assassination was linked to Yun Qing.

nHearing this, Yuxi looked like she had come to a sudden realisation as she countered, “Oh, I’m still a bit puzzled. I’m a woman, and I’ve never offended anyone, though. So that’s how it is. However, since they can’t defeat my General, they’re taking it out on me, a woman.” This was the first time Yuxi used this tactic of pointing at the mulberry tree but cursing the locust tree13.

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nXu Shi secretly felt annoyed with this statement, but on the surface, she smilingly said, “Dimei12 is being too modest for saying that. Everyone knows that Dimei12 has the ability and courage of a man. Not only has Dimei12 run the restaurant with great success that makes money every day, but also, no one has ever stopped praising Dimei12 for establishing Qingming Hall. Even my General told me I should learn more from Dimei12!” There was nothing wrong with what she said, but they sounded odd.

nYuxi leaned back in her chair and gently rubbed her stomach as she said softly, “It’s very kind of General Qin. The restaurant and Qingming Hall are both run by my subordinates. My only job is to ask a few questions about the operation without any care for anything else. Right now, I’m just spending my days resting in peace while raising my child.”

nA sneer flashed in Xu Shi’s eyes. Resting in peace with her pregnancy? What a lie! How can you still have time to do anything else if you’re really doing that? She only thought of this without openly showing it. She smiled and said, “That’s right. No matter how capable a woman is, she still needs to give birth to a son. Only when she has a son can she stand on her feet. If a woman can’t give birth to a son, it’s useless even if she is capable. Ultimately, she can only marry off her daughter just to gain benefit from other people.” Han Shi’s belly was round. Therefore, she was going to have a daughter.

nAmong the other ladies present, only Da Nainai9 Fu and Er Nainai2 Zhao gave birth to daughters, no sons. Hence, as soon as Xu Shi uttered her words, both expressions looked unsightly.

nYuxi smiled at these words. “You can’t say that. If all women had sons, where would those children get a wife? Moreover, I’m not afraid of being laughed at by you. My General said a son is usually too naughty and a daughter will be adorable, so he prefers to have a daughter. If this child is going to be a daughter, she will help me to take care of her younger siblings in the future, which can also save my breath!” This was like saying that even if I’m going to have a daughter, I can still have a son in the future, so why do you have to be anxious for me?

nXu Shi almost gritted her teeth when she saw the way Yuxi looked.

nDa Nainai9 Fu stood up and said, “I have some things to do at home, so I’ll go back first and pay a visit to Dimei12 next time.” She didn’t want to get involved in the dispute between Xu Shi and Han Shi, so it was better to leave quickly.

nYuxi glanced at Da Nainai9 Fu. How could she not know Da Nainai9 Fu’s act of avoiding being dragged into the conflict? She just found this amusing. Fu Tianlei and Yun Qing were standing together on the same side, so what was the point of Da Nainai9 Fu wanting to shun herself from it? Should she call Da Nainai9 Fu’s actions naive or timid? Yuxi didn’t want anything to do with how Da Nainai9 Fu acted. She just smiled and asked Mama Qu to see her off.

nOnce someone took the lead, the others stood up and found excuses to go home. Xu Shi came over this time because she did not want people to think that she had a guilty conscience and planted the idea of Han Shi’s assassination on her and the Xu family in other people’s minds. “Since Dimei12 looks fine, I will no longer want to disturb Dimei12’s rest.”

nWhen Xu Shi had left, Er Nainai2 Zhao complained bitterly, “Do you think you’re that great for giving birth to a son?” It was as if Xu Shi was the only one who could give birth to a son, and thinking about it made Er Nainai2 Zhao’s heart stuffy again. Since she did not have a son, she had been pressured tenaciously by her Dasao14 and was ridiculed by others when she went out.

nYuxi laughed. “There’s no need to be angry with her. It will only ruin your health. I’ve recently made some small clothes for the child, so I need your help to advise and see if there’s anything wrong with them that I need to improve.” It was just a diversion to get Er Nainai2 Zhao to stop thinking about what had just happened.

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