Chapter 506 : Word On The Street

News of the Imperial Commissioner’s murder spread rapidly throughout Yu City. The city’s leading generals, including General Zhao and Fu Tianlei, shared Yun Qing’s opinion that the bandits had become too bold. Only Du Wenshu felt that there was something unusual about this incident.

Du Wenshu sent his men to investigate Yun Qing’s attitude. When he heard that Yun Qing was furious after learning about the incident, Du Wenshu began to doubt his own suspicions. He reasoned that if Yun Qing were responsible for the murder, he wouldn’t be so enraged. However, if it wasn’t Yun Qing, then the audacity of the bandits was genuinely astonishing.

Du Wenshu’s trusted confidant wondered, “Daren1, do you think it could be Han Shi’s work? I heard that Han Shi’s guards departed from the city the same day the Imperial Envoys left Yucheng. Their whereabouts are unknown.” That woman, Han Shi, had courage greater than heaven itself. It was indeed possible that she was behind this incident!

Du Wenshu shook his head. “It’s impossible. Han Shi doesn’t have the courage for that.” A woman, where would she find the audacity to kill an Imperial Commissioner? Most importantly, it was evident that Yun Qing was unaware of this. Han Shi wouldn’t dare send someone to assassinate the Imperial Commissioner without Yun Qing’s knowledge.

The trusted confidant said, “Daren1, why not give it a try to find out? If it’s indeed Han Shi’s handiwork, it would be a perfect opportunity to let him see what kind of woman he has married.” If it turned out to be Han Shi’s work, it could cause a rift between the couple. Without Yun Qing’s support, Han Shi was nothing more than a poisonous snake without fangs, and it would be relatively easy to deal with them later.

Du Wenshu shook his head. “There is no need.” He believed that once the Crown Prince saw his secret letter, he would certainly not let Han Shi live. Since that was the case, why use such a common and devious tactic?

Yuan Ying watched as Yun Qing prepared to return home after handling his internal affairs. Yuan Ying hesitated momentarily before speaking to Yun Qing, “General, I heard that Madam’s personal guards, Master Yang and Yu Zhi, left Yucheng before the Imperial Envoys; I don’t know if it’s true?”

Yun Qing frowned and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. What’s with all this fidgeting?” It was unbecoming for a mature man to fidget all the time.

Yuan Ying replied, “General, I’ve heard a rumour that the Imperial Commissioner was killed by Master Yang and Yu Zhi. Apparently, they were acting on Madam’s orders.” To be honest, he didn’t put much stock in this rumour, but he felt it was his duty to inform Yun Qing nonetheless.

Yun Qing’s face was unpleasant as he instructed, “Go and find out who is spreading the rumours. When you find out, arrest them all for me.” These people were so brazen that they dared to fabricate and slander Yuxi.

Yuan Ying was startled and said, “General, if we arrest these people, things will get out of hand.” It felt like the General was making a big deal out of nothing.

At this moment, Yun Qing was unreasonable, instructing, “Do as I say.” He didn’t care if someone criticised him, but when it came to Yuxi, he wouldn’t allow anyone to slander her.

Yuan Ying felt that he shouldn’t have said anything unnecessarily in the first place. “Alright, I’ll go and investigate this right away,” he said. However, once Yuan Ying left, he didn’t immediately go and arrest the people involved. Instead, he sought out Yu Cong and discussed the matter with him.

Yuan Ying’s reluctance to arrest the individuals stemmed from his concerns. “Yu Cong, if we arrest those people now, it could turn a small matter into a big one.” Interestingly enough, Master Yang and Yu Zhi happened to have left Yu City then. Otherwise, rumours like this wouldn’t have started.

After giving it some thought, Yu Cong said, “Let’s take it easy on this matter. I’ll return to my residence and gather some information before making further statements.” It was not really an important matter, but the General’s approach was far too harsh.

Yun Qing returned to the residence without mentioning the rumours to Yuxi. He simply said, “I will ask them to move things to the front yard tomorrow, and I will take care of things in the front yard from now on.”

Yuxi handed Zaozao to Yun Qing and said with a smile, “In the future, Zaozao will also be able to see you at any time.” Whenever Yun Qing was busy, they sometimes couldn’t see him for a month and a half.

Yu Cong, who had returned with Yun Qing, was currently in the front courtyard discussing the rumours circulating outside with Huo Changqing. He asked, “Yifu2, what do you think we should do about this?”

Huo Changqing didn’t offer any suggestions to Yu Cong but instead asked, “Do you think these rumours circulating outside are true or false?” Whoever was spreading these rumours certainly had malicious intentions.

Yu Cong immediately responded without hesitation, “It’s definitely false. Even though Cao De is despicable, Madam wouldn’t resort to such drastic measures. Furthermore, it was horse thieves who killed Cao De, so what does this have to do with Madam?” This rumour was utterly unfounded.

After saying this, Yu Cong looked puzzled and asked, “Yifu2, why are you asking such a question? Could it be that Madam really ordered Cao De to be killed?”

Huo Changqing smiled and asked him instead, “What if it’s true? And what if it’s false?”

“Uh…” Yu Cong felt that his yifu2 had become a bit strange after his illness. However, he still answered truthfully, “Killing Cao De would indeed be satisfying to many people. However, the method used was quite ruthless.”

Huo Changqing said, “Take this as a lesson. From now on, when you face similar problems, encourage Yun Qing to use his brain more and think things through before taking action. Don’t just rely on brute force.”

Yu Cong’s jaw almost hit the floor as he exclaimed in disbelief, “It really was Madam who ordered the killing!” This was incredible. Even his own General didn’t have that kind of courage. Yet Madam was even braver than her husband.

Huo Changqing said, “The idea came from Han Shi, but it was my suggestion to kill Cao De. With the horse thieves’ help, we not only eliminated Cao De but also avoided suspicion, achieving two goals with just one action.” This was him taking the primary responsibility upon himself.

Yu Cong sincerely praised, “Madam’s skill in using a borrowed knife to kill is truly brilliant.” The way she changed the wind direction4 was swift!

Huo Changqing said, “The rumours circulating outside are definitely being spread by malicious people with bad intentions. If we arrest and interrogate all these people, we should be able to catch some fish5.”

Yu Cong expressed his concern: “I’m afraid things will get out of hand!”

Huo Changqing replied, “What do we have to fear in Yu City now?” This statement was quite domineering. However, it was also a fact that the most powerful figure in Yu City was Yun Qing, so there was nothing else for them to worry about.

Yu Cong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, “Yifu2 is right.”

The following day, after Yun Qing had left, Huo Changqing called Yuxi to come to the front courtyard. He told her what Yu Cong had told him the day before: “If Yun Qing asks you about it, just say that it was me who wanted to kill Cao De and that you just helped me to come up with the idea.” Huo Changqing did not take full responsibility because Yun Qing knew him well. Yun Qing would realise that he would not use such an indirect way to kill Cao De.

Yuxi was slightly surprised and exclaimed, “He Rui didn’t tell me about this yesterday!” The main point was that she didn’t feel anything strange with Yun Qing; otherwise, she would have noticed it long ago.

After hearing this answer, Huo Changqing said: “If he didn’t tell you, then he doesn’t believe the rumours outside. But if he asks, just say it was my idea.”

Yuxi’s current concern was not about how to deal with Yun Qing but rather a feeling that something was not right. She asked, “Who spread this information? Have you found out?”

Huo Changqing nodded. “We have already investigated and discovered that someone under Du Wenshu’s command spread it. They probably wanted to sow discord between you and Yun Qing!”

When Yuxi heard the name ‘Du Wenshu’, she shook her head. “Using such despicable tactics doesn’t seem like something Du Wenshu would do. There must be someone else behind this. Uncle Huo, we need to cultivate more informants to receive timely information. Our current news is too outdated.” Unfortunately, she didn’t have the necessary personnel in this area; otherwise, she would have started working on it long ago.

Huo Changqing pondered momentarily before responding, “I’ll discuss this matter with Yun Qing first.” Such an important matter couldn’t be kept from Yun Qing, and besides, it would be impossible to hide it as well.

Yuxi secretly sighed. Yun Qing was not very enthusiastic about this matter. Now, she could only hope that Huo Changqing would be able to convince him.

Huo Changqing asked, “With Cao De’s death, the Crown Prince will definitely issue an order to suppress the bandits. But how can we ensure that Yun Qing will be assigned this task?” Usually, this task should fall to Ji Xuan.

Yuxi said, “If Ji Xuan were dedicated to his work, there wouldn’t be so many bandits and horse thieves in the Shaanxi-Gansu region.” Ji Xuan’s ability to hold the position of Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu was not due to his exceptional talent but because he married Old Madam Song’s niece. Of course, the Song family didn’t need him to be exceptionally talented; they only needed him to be obedient. If he had too much ability, it could easily breed ambition.

Huo Changqing actually had many more questions. For example, even if Ji Xuan failed to suppress the bandits, this task wouldn’t necessarily be assigned to Yun Qing. The Imperial Court would probably send someone else to deal with the bandits. It was just that Huo Changqing noticed that Yuxi was not inclined to provide any more details, so he didn’t ask any more questions.

After three days’ journey, Tan Ming finally returned to the prefect’s yamen3. When he saw Tan Tuo, he asked: “Master, I heard on the road that the Imperial Commissioner was killed by a horse thief. Master, is this true?” Tan Ming didn’t suspect any foul play; instead, he was worried about the increasing boldness of the bandits. He realised it was now too dangerous to return to his hometown to fetch his Madam, Young Master and the others.

Tan Tuo nodded. “It’s true. The Imperial Commissioner was killed in the territory under the jurisdiction of Lanzhou.” The court would undoubtedly be furious about this, and when the time came for them to dispatch troops, it would be a bad situation for these bandits. Even the most unintelligent bandits wouldn’t be ignorant of such a simple concept. And yet they had chosen to do so, knowing full well the grave consequences that would follow. This was something worth pondering.

Tan Ming suggested, “Master, why don’t we hold off for a while and wait for the road to be more peaceful before we pick up Madam and Young Master?”

Tan Tuo shook his head. “There is no time to lose. Now that Cao De is dead, the Crown Prince will surely issue an order to send troops. They will definitely start suppressing the bandits by next spring. The roads might be safer by then.” Of course, it was also possible that things would get worse.

Tan Ming wondered, “Master, many people in this prefecture have connections with bandits. Will the bandit suppression campaign be effective?” Those people had been talking about suppressing the bandits daily, but the number of bandits was only increasing. He feared that if these people were tasked with suppressing the bandits, it would just be a mere formality.

Tan Tuo declined to comment on this matter. Xinping City remained relatively peaceful due to its proximity to Yu City. It was enough that there were no bandits or horse thieves in the territory under his own jurisdiction; he couldn’t do anything about the rest of the world: “You should rest and leave tomorrow. When spring comes next year, you’ll bring Madam and the others here.” Tan Tuo’s hometown was near the capital, probably only a four- or five-day journey away.

Tan Ming hurriedly said, “Daren1, the guards haven’t arrived ye…” Before he could finish his sentence, he heard Tan Tuo say that those people had arrived. He immediately showed surprise on his face and asked, “They have arrived?”

Tan Tuo nodded. “Yes, they arrived yesterday afternoon. Madam Yun sent a total of four men and one woman this time. They are all skilled in martial arts. They should be able to keep your Madam and the children safe with them around.”

When Tan Tuo heard that there was also a female guard, he smiled and praised, “Madam Yun is truly considerate.” Having a female guard personally protecting Madam and Young Miss would make things much easier on the road.