Chapter 494 : Imperial Envoys (8)

Feng Dajun returned to Yucheng and immediately went to see Yun Qing. He relayed what Cao De had asked him to Yun Qing and said, “This Cao De is obviously coming for you, General.” These literati loved to shade people behind their backs the most.

Yun Qing replied expressionlessly, “I know. I’ll take care of this. You can go back to the barracks.” As Yuxi expected, the investigation into the Xu family case was just an excuse. This Imperial Envoys had come entirely for him.

When Feng Dajun saw that Yun Qing was not frightened and angry, he knew that Yun Qing had already made up a plan in his mind, which made him feel relieved at the same time. As long as they were prepared, they would not fear Cao De’s mischief. The soldiers in the border towns were highly disgusted with the officials coming from the capital. These people either wanted this or that in Yu City for free, or they were looking for trouble. Sometimes, Feng Dajun wished he could cut these people to pieces.

Mr Xia lifted the curtain and walked into the room, asking Yun Qing, “General, are the Imperial Envoys coming soon?” The gold and silver were in Yu City now, and if the Imperial Envoys wanted to recover them, they would come to Yu City.

Yun Qing answered, “They should arrive in three or four days.”

Mr Xia gently nodded before asking Yun Qing another question, “General, was it the General’s intention to make the recent unusual change in the military headquarters?” With Yuxi’s words in mind, Yun Qing avoided Mr Xia this time. The one in charge today was Yun Qing, and if he wanted to hide it, Mr Xia would not be able to pry for information.

Yun Qing nodded. “When those dozens of boxes of things were transported to the storeroom before, they passed by peacefully without anyone asking questions. Now that the Imperial Envoys are coming to investigate, those things must be well covered. But Mr Xia, don’t worry, the things are still in the secret passage.”

Mr Xia’s heart slightly stirred as he asked, “General, is this Madam’s idea?” Falsehoods could keep people in the dark, but Mr Xia wasn’t sure of Han Shi’s reasons for doing so.🦊

Instead of answering Mr Xia’s question, Yun Qing changed the topic by saying, “I have received a letter from Wu Kuo. The provisions, quilts and other things will arrive in Yu City in three days. You’ll follow up on this matter later.” The grain that would arrive in three days was only the first batch. The subsequent batches would come one after the other for the winter.

In response, Mr Xia asked no more questions and nodded, “Okay.” Mr Xia knew in his heart that Yun Qing didn’t trust him one hundred per cent, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable either. He didn’t have much contact with Yun Qing and didn’t feel any gratitude or loyalty towards him. If Yun Qing trusted him completely, he would be worried instead.

When Yun Qing returned home that night, he saw Yuxi’s smiling face and immediately asked strangely, “So happy? Did something good happen?”

Yuxi replied: “It is a good thing. Tu Jiejie2 is pregnant. It’s been over a month. You know, Tu Jiejie2 has been looking forward to this child for many years.” Yuxi only received the good news that afternoon. When she found out, she was thrilled.

Yun Qing was very familiar with General Zhao and Zhao Zhuo, as they often discussed matters together. Still, Zhao Hao, the second master of the Zhao family, was unknown to him.

Yuxi shook her head and said, “I’ll visit Tu Jiejie2 tomorrow.” In Yu City, she got along well with Tu Qingmei and had average relationships with others. It was rare to find a like-minded friend!

Yun Qing said, “The children from the Charity Home will be moving into their new home in the next two days. Don’t you want to go over and take a look?” Yuxi had originally planned to start construction on the new Charity Home building in the ninth month but then worried Qingming Hall wouldn’t be able to start classes properly if it wasn’t finished by the tenth month. Yuxi then changed the time to the beginning of the eighth month.

Yuxi smiled and said: “I should go to the Zhao family to see Tu Jiejie2 before going to the Charity Home. My plan for tomorrow is to visit Tu Jiejie2 first and then go to the Charity Home. Oh, by the way, do you have time? Would you like to come to the Charity Home with us?”

Yun Qing looked confused and asked, “Us?”

Yuxi burst out laughing and said, “Can’t Zaozao and I be considered as ‘us’? You don’t take your daughter’s feelings seriously!”

It wasn’t that Yun Qing didn’t take his daughter seriously; he just didn’t treat her like an *adult yet. “Now that the weather is good, there is no harm in taking her for a walk. When the weather turns cold, you can’t do that.”

Yuxi nodded and got down to the point, “He Rui, I want to tell you that no matter how busy you are with military affairs, it’s not bad for you to rest for half a day. It would be terrific if you could accompany the child and me to see the new building tomorrow.” At this challenging time, it was more important to act more relaxed.🦊

Yun Qing nodded. “Okay, tomorrow I’ll go to the military headquarters and hand over some things first. Then I’ll go to the Zhao family to pick you up, and we’ll go and take a look at the new building together.”

Yuxi pondered for a moment before suggesting, “He Rui, I have an idea. After the children from the Charity Home move into their new home, you can ask the middle and senior military leaders to go there in batches to see those children. I think they will be very touched.” These people would undeniably be pleased to see the children living well.

Without giving it much thought, Yun Qing nodded and said, “Let’s wait until this matter ends.”🦊

The next day, Yuxi took Zaozao to the Zhao family. Da Nainai5 Zhao, Ping Shi, greeted Yuxi at the entrance and said with a smile: “Despite your busy schedule, Madam Yun still has time to see my Dimei6. It’s really thoughtful of you.” She didn’t expect Yuxi to give Tu Shi such a face.

Yuxi smiled and replied, “Da Nainai5 is too polite to say that. It’s a happy occasion for Tu Jiejie2. No matter how busy one is, one should pay a visit.” Ping Shi had given birth to two sons, so her status in the Zhao family was well-established. As a result, Tu Qingmei was unaware of the resentment she felt towards her eldest sister-in-law.

Yuxi first greeted Madam Zhao before going to Tu Qingmei’s courtyard. Tu Qingmei had been looking forward to having this child for six years, and since she found out about her pregnancy, she had been so cautious that she would not even leave her compound.

Tu Qingmei was also extremely happy to see Yuxi. “When I knew you would be coming yesterday, I was worried that if something happened today, you would not be able to escape.” Everyone knew that Yuxi was such a busy person.

Seeing the two of them chatting happily, Ping Shi stood up and said, “Madam Yun, Dimei6, you two can chat slowly. I’ll take care of some things first.” As the young mistress of the family who ran the household, she had much to do.

After Ping Shi left, Tu Qingmei touched her belly and stated, “I hope this baby is a son.” She had been so overwhelmed by her Dasao7 in recent years that she could hardly breathe. Therefore, she desperately hoped that she would have a son this time.

No one knew whether the child would be a boy or a girl until birth. But deep down, Yuxi still hoped that Tu Qingmei’s baby would be a son. She comforted her, “Don’t think so much. You will get what you want. But for now, you must be at peace and nourish the foetus.”

Mama Lan shook her head helplessly when she heard this. Yuxi knew how to advise Er Nainai8 Zhao to take care of her child peacefully while pregnant, yet she was very busy when she was pregnant.

After talking for a while, they heard a young maid say that Yun Qing had come to pick someone up. Yuxi stood up and explained, “I need to check out the new building. If it’s okay, the children will move in a couple of days. When we have time next time, we’ll have a good chat.”

Tu Qingmei had a stomach full of words to say to Yuxi, but she also knew that Yuxi was doing the right thing and could not be delayed, so she smiled and said, “When I have stabilised the foetus, I will visit you and Zaozao.” After saying this, she looked at Yuxi’s stomach and asked, “Zaozao is also over seven months old. Yuxi, shouldn’t you be preparing as well?” The so-called preparations meant having a second child.

Yuxi smiled as she replied, “There’s no rush. We’ll wait until Zaozao is ten months old.” If they were going to have another child, they should at least wait until Zaozao was weaned.

After Tu Qingmei sent Yuxi out the door, she turned her head and said to Xiao Cao, the maid by her side, “General Yun is really considerate.” It had been eight years since she had married Zhao Hao, but he had never picked her up, not even once!

Xiao Cao responded, “It must be about a serious matter. Otherwise, where would General Yun have the time to pick up Madam Yun?” If Xiao Cao had anything to say about it, the Second Master was also very good to Nainai. At least he hadn’t taken a concubine during their eight years of marriage, and he didn’t even have a shuzi9.

Ping Shi knew that Yun Qing had come to pick up Yuxi, but her thoughts were completely different. She said to Madam Zhao, “Mom, rumours are flying around these days, but the husband and wife looked as if nothing had happened. They have a very strong willpower.” Right now, the people of Yu City were talking about Yun Qing’s embezzlement, but the couple acted as if they didn’t know anything about it.🦊

Madam Zhao couldn’t help but sigh and said, “I will be reassured when you can do what Madam Yun has done.” They would rely on their eldest son and daughter-in-law in the future. Because of this idea, Madam Zhao was very strict with Ping Shi and lenient with Tu Shi.

Ping Shi felt that it would be difficult to do.

Madam Zhao reminded her: “Restrain the servants in the residence, and don’t let them talk nonsense. The Imperial Envoys will be here soon, so be cautious in everything.”

Ping Shi’s eyes shone brightly as she asked, “Mom, if the Imperial Envoys found evidence of Yun Qing’s crime in embezzling the Xu family’s wealth, will he be brought to the capital for questioning?” If Yun Qing were gone, the most qualified person in Yu City would be his father-in-law. If her father-in-law rose to the top and became the chief general of Yu City, the Zhao family could rise even higher.🦊

How could Madam Zhao not know Ping Shi’s thoughts? She said coldly, “I’ve already told you that I want you to learn from Madam Yun’s composure, but you treat what I say as wind blowing past your ear12.”

Ping Shi’s face stiffened as she stated, “Yun Qing is surely corrupt, and this is very easy to investigate.” Even those with little brains could tell Yun Qing was not clean after understanding the whole thing. The Xu family was extremely wealthy; how could they only have over twenty boxes of gold, silver, and jewellery? If one thought about it, one would know it couldn’t be just that much.

Madam Zhao explained, “Anyone can guess that Yun Qing did something suspicious when he raided the Yu family. But what’s the point of guessing? The key is to have proof. There must be a complete set of witnesses and physical evidence; otherwise, even the Imperial Envoys won’t be able to move Yun Qing.” In Yu City, Yun Qing was an upper second-rank great general with ultimate authority. Without irrefutable evidence, even the Imperial Envoys could not move him.

Ping Shi argued, “If you intend to track down that much money, there’s no way you won’t be able to find it.” It wasn’t one or two thousand taels but millions of silver! It was not easy to hide that huge money.

Madam Zhao countered, “It is not that difficult to hide a few million taels of silver from being found.” Of course, if someone were to provide the information, things would be different. So, who would lose and win in this tussle was still unknown.