Yi Yuan knew why his little Xi was angry. It turned out that Yun Qi really came to him on business.
Instantly softening his expression, Yi Yuan clasped his fists and bowed:
"I've offended you, my lord. Please take a seat, Young Master Yun. May I know the content of that message?"
He sure can change his face quickly.
Glancing at Ye Xi, who was gentle and soft-tempered beside him, Yun Qi suddenly had the feeling that it was Yi Yuan who was lucky to have her.
Shaking his head to drive away this sudden thought, Yun Qi didn't beat around the bush and said straightforwardly:
"I just received this news. When I wrote to my father before, he said there was nothing abnormal. But suddenly, a letter came two days ago. He said he suddenly remembered that before the battle, King Chi Xuan sent a strange letter to him. The exact words in the letter were roughly like this:"
"Many soldiers from Yanshan County in the army miss their hometowns more as the New Year approaches. About 80% of them hope to receive the local specialties of their hometowns, preferably those processed in the ancient way. If they arrive by the end of the month, it will ease their homesickness the most. All the soldiers in the army are eagerly looking forward to General Yun's kindness and hope that he can find a way to fulfill this small request."
"This letter is really strange,"
Ye Xi frowned and said:
"Not to mention that the soldiers in the army come from all over the country, why did King Chi Xuan ignore everyone else and only ask for things for the soldiers from Yanshan County? Also, as a general in charge of an army, why did King Chi Xuan ask General Yun to help find the specialties of Yanshan County for his own soldiers?"
"Miss Ye may not know,"
Yun Qi said:
"For a while, bandits were rampant in Yanshan County. The local government repeatedly failed to suppress them and even almost lost all the county yamen soldiers. At a loss, they learned that a capable general under my father was leading new recruits back to the border camp and would pass by Yanshan County. So they wrote a letter asking our Yun family soldiers to go and help.
"It was just a convenient thing to do, and of course my father agreed to rid the people of this scourge. After the bandits were suppressed, to prevent them from coming back for revenge after our Yun family soldiers left, we would occasionally go back for inspections in the name of training. We also trained the local government soldiers so that they could protect the local people in the future. King Chi Xuan probably wrote to my father for help because of this reason."
Tapping his long fingers lightly, Yi Yuan pondered:
"Even so, why did Brother only mention the soldiers from Yanshan County? If it was a reward for the soldiers from Yanshan County who had made great contributions, there couldn't be no outsiders in a team. If it was just because Brother liked them..."
Yi Yuan shook his head slightly:
"I know Brother too well. He would never reward or punish soldiers based on his own preferences and treat them unfairly."
"Then, there must be something wrong with Yanshan County."
Yun Qi also nodded in agreement:
"I think so too. At first, when my father received the letter from King Chi Xuan, he didn't think much of it and really sent someone to Yanshan County to find the specialties and send them to King Chi Xuan. But soon, the Ying army invaded, and King Chi Xuan sacrificed himself for the country. My father led the army to defend Hengfeng City, so he forgot about this matter.
"But after I talked to you last time and wrote to ask him about it, he suddenly remembered this matter these two days. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he wrote to me and told me about it, thinking of sending someone to investigate. But it will be the New Year in about three months, and he has to return to the capital to report on his duties. There are many things to do at the border, and he is afraid that the Ying army will suddenly invade again like last time. All the arrangements must be taken into account, so he really can't spare the time.
Straightening his clothes, Yun Qi said righteously:
"This matter involves the soldiers of the Great Yin Dynasty. I, Yun Qi, will do my duty. I am willing to do my best to find out the truth about the matter in Hengfeng City, rectify the military camp, and protect our Great Yin Dynasty forever."
Perhaps Yun Qi's words were so natural that Ye Xi's heart fluttered, and she unconsciously blushed her eyes.
Defending the country seemed to be engraved in the bones of the Yun family from birth.
They fought on the battlefield with long spears, using their flesh and blood to protect the mountains and rivers, not giving up an inch of land.
Yi Yuan also solemnly clasped his fists and bowed:
"General Yun is truly righteous."
The few of them talked about the battle in Hengfeng City at that time and discussed the arrangement to investigate in Yanshan County. But Yi Yuan temporarily concealed the information he had found before.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Yun Qi. It's just that although Yun Qi was upright, the military camp might not be clean. And since Yun Qi had been following Yun Weisheng since he was a child, he regarded the soldiers in the military camp as his relatives and trusted them very much. He might not even know when someone had tricked him into talking.
Secrets lead to failure. Sometimes, it's better for fewer people to know some things.
Time was of the essence. After the discussion, the few of them took action separately.
Yi Yuan arranged for Mian Xiao to follow Yun Qi's people to Yanshan County to investigate the situation. Lin An was still in charge of the matter in Tanzhou. The deaths of Pan Li and Huang Liu were clearly to silence them. Although the military pay had been recovered, only a bunch of small fry at the bottom had been caught for the embezzlement case. Especially the Shen family, after Shen Bianhuai's mysterious death, they were out of the matter and got away scot-free without being implicated at all.
Finally getting a useful new clue, Yi Yuan wished he could go there himself.
But he was also concerned about Ye Xi's safety. After all, Yi Zhen had openly attacked at the Qionglin Banquet, and the person who had placed the mysterious gu on her still hadn't been found.
Yi Yuan was really worried.
But Ye Xi thought it was okay. After all, the gu had been quiet for so many years, and she already had the pills to seal the gu. Moreover, the Shen family was now out in the open. As long as they were on guard against the Shen family and Yi Zhen, there shouldn't be any major problems.
The two of them insisted on their own opinions for a long time.
Ye Xi didn't want to delay Yi Yuan from finding out the cause of his brother's death because of herself, while Yi Yuan didn't want to ignore Ye Xi's safety just for his own obsession.
After a stalemate for many days, finally both sides made concessions.
They unanimously decided that after Ye Xi confirmed her family background, if she was really the daughter of the censor, and had her family to protect her, Yi Yuan would go to Yanshan County; if it was still not right, then they would go to Yanshan County together. They would disguise themselves as a merchant couple, which would also be convenient to avoid attracting attention.
After making the decision, Ye Xi immediately sent someone to find out about the censor's wife and planned a "chance encounter".
A few days later, the servant came back to report:
The censor's wife, Lou Zhangshi, didn't go out often on weekdays. She liked poetry and was most fond of elegant things. But recently, she often went to the Jianbai Tower to talk about poetry and appreciate paintings. She was very leisurely.
After getting the news, Ye Xi asked someone to keep an eye on when Mrs. Lou would go out so that she could go there at the right time. She also specially went to find some famous calligraphy and paintings so that she would have an excuse to talk to her.
After arranging everything, Ye Xi waited patiently.
But who would have thought that it wasn't until the first snow in winter that she got the news that Mrs. Lou was going out.
"Snapping" shut the book in her hand, Ye Xi's eyes sparkled:
"Sai Xing, get the things ready. We're leaving."
"Yes, Miss."
Sai Xing was even happier than Ye Xi. She quickly ran to get the calligraphy and paintings and prepare the carriage.
Smiling, Yi Yuan helped Ye Xi straighten her clothes and put a thick fox fur cloak on her. Then he asked:
"Do you want me to go with you?"
After a moment's thought, Ye Xi shook her head:
"No, it's better not. After all, when Mrs. Lou goes to the Jianbai Tower to talk about poetry and paintings, she probably won't be in the main hall but on the second floor where there are more female guests. Although there may be some young masters brought by the ladies, it's still inconvenient for you to go.
"Moreover, with your status, if you go, Mrs. Lou may even avoid you further."
"Do you dislike me?"
Hugging her tightly, Yi Yuan gently bit her lips:
"I'll let you off today because you have something important to do. I'll collect the interest when you come back."
Then he stuffed a new hot water bottle into Ye Xi's hand and reluctantly sent her out of the door.