Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 126

After pondering for half the day without reaching an answer, Xia Heng suddenly felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out from beneath her pillow.

“What are you doing?!”

Xiao Yaqing’s messages had barely stopped since she returned home.

She had badly frightened her mother this time. For the next two days, Madam Xiao refused to allow her to set a single foot outside.

She had even asked Mingxu to find several guards for her daughter. They would not arrive for another two days, so Xiao Huan and Madam Xiao had issued an ironclad order: until the guards were in place, Xiao Yaqing was going nowhere.

Fortunately, she had a phone and could contact Xia Heng. Otherwise, she truly might have suffocated from boredom.

Though she could not leave the mansion, the managers still came each day to settle accounts and report on their businesses.

They also kept her promptly informed of every new development in the capital, so she had not missed a single piece of gossip.

“Lying down.”

“Did you know the Wang Family is selling shops and land?”

Xia Heng had not seen Mo Qing collect the banknotes. Now that Xiao Yaqing mentioned it, she was puzzled as well. Did burning one residence truly require them to sell land to cover the cost?

“By the time I heard, there wasn’t much land left. I had my managers buy some to grow vegetables later.

“The shops they’re unloading are excellent, though. I bought them all. Do you want any?”

At this point, Xia Heng did not know that the General’s Mansion had purchased most of the land—and that some of it belonged to her.

She replied only, “No shops for now. I still have the shops my mother left me. But the Wang Family sold that much? Does repairing one residence cost so much?”

“They don’t only need to repair the residence. I heard the Wang Family owes someone a great deal of money. The creditors even came to their door!”

“Huh? They’ve only been back for a short while, and they’re already in debt…”

The two gossiped for some time. After confirming that Xiao Yaqing’s wound was fine, Xia Heng finally prepared to get out of bed.

She had slept through the day after returning yesterday and still slept soundly all night.

But when she woke today, her legs ached terribly—the aftereffects of climbing the mountain.

When Chuqing arrived with Wude, Xia Heng was grimacing as she stretched in the courtyard. Both visitors looked thoroughly disdainful.

“Sister Xia, you need to exercise more! Back when I was at Putuo Temple, I often climbed mountains with my senior brothers. If you climb in the morning, you can watch the sunrise from the top. It’s beautiful!”

Xia Heng tottered over on trembling legs.

“The view from a mountaintop can’t bring me to my knees, but sore muscles can.”

Only when she came closer did she notice that Wude wore a new hat today. It resembled a modern Lei Feng hat, with two little ear flaps on the sides, though they were not quite as long.

“A tiger-hide hat?”

Chuqing handed her all the hats she had collected from the Washing Workshop.

“When I went to pick up the clothes, Aunt Chen asked me to bring these over. She specially sewed ear flaps onto Wude’s.”

“Aunt Chen finished them already? That was fast! Let me see. This hat is beautifully made!”

The remaining hats belonged to the girls and were slightly different from Wude’s.

Aunt Chen had even selected scraps of fox fur and sewn a border around each one. They were both attractive and warm!

Little Wude had put his on the moment he received it. He had even less patience than Xia Heng.

He strutted proudly the entire way over and attracted countless eyes. Everyone in the General’s Mansion found him so adorable that they opened their purses, and his pockets were now stuffed with melon seeds and pastries.

Xia Heng and Chuqing each took a hat.

“Leave the rest here. We’ll hand them out when the others return!”

The two adults and one child, each wearing a tiger-hide hat, went to the General’s Mansion stables.

Xia Heng pulled out a carrot, broke off most of it for Zhuxiao, and chewed the tip herself.

“Chef Xiang bought these carrots fresh today! I bought a few. They’re really juicy. Try some!”

Zhuxiao crunched away happily. Stroking its mane, Xia Heng said, “Thank you, brother! You really made me look good yesterday! We definitely won’t mistreat you. See? I brought you food today.”

Wude wanted to pet the great horse too, but Zhuxiao turned its head and left his hand grasping empty air.

Only after Xia Heng and Chuqing tempted it with carrots did the horse finally lower its noble head.

Wude managed to touch the horse and giggled with delight.

The groom watched with an aching heart. That was Zhuxiao! The General’s warhorse! And it was actually cooperating?

Forget it. Let the horse do as it pleased…

—

The assembled court officials stared at the corpse laid out in the great hall, sighing repeatedly and worrying aloud.

“Your Majesty, Huyan Lie died in Huaxia. Tujue will never let the matter rest!”

Grand Secretary Liang was beside himself. Huyan Lie had already left, so how had he managed to double back?

Then their Emperor discovered him, and he simply killed himself?

Could his entire purpose have been to provoke a war between the two countries?

The border was about to suffer again…

“Your Majesty, this subject dares to ask what purpose Huyan Lie had in remaining behind. And why did Your Majesty appear on Mount Biwei, east of the city?” Cheng Zhesong asked after bowing.

Huyan Lie’s death could not possibly be so simple. But how had Dongfang Wei known that Huyan Lie was camped on a mountain outside the city?

Cang Chuli stepped forward as well.

“Is the Left Prime Minister questioning His Majesty?”

“This subject would not dare. We must know the cause before we can decide how to respond.”

Many officials added their voices, asking for an explanation.

Dongfang Wei regarded them coldly.

“Tujue had no sincere desire for peace. Their delegation came only to test the strength of Huaxia.

“We knew Huyan Lie had other designs and ordered General Cang to keep watch on him. Thus, the moment he conceived malicious intent, we were able to bring him under control.”

He pointed toward Huyan Lie’s corpse.

“After his capture, this man continued raving and loudly proclaimed Tujue’s grand ambitions. In the end, unable to bear confinement at Huaxia’s hands, he smashed himself against a mountain rock and died.

“Prime Minister, are you satisfied with this explanation?”

Cheng Zhesong dropped directly to his knees.

“Your Majesty, this old subject had absolutely no intention of questioning you! This old subject merely feels that with Huyan Lie dead, we must give Tujue some explanation!”

“What explanation?” Xiao Huan demanded angrily. “Tujue had no intention of making peace with Huaxia. His death has merely brought the matter into the open.”

Huyan Lie had dared kidnap his daughter. Death was too good for him.

“I heard that Minister Xiao’s household lost a valuable object yesterday and made a great show of searching for half the night. The General’s Mansion of Northern Pacification helped with the search as well. Is that connected to this affair?” Xia Jinguang jumped out to ask.

Cang Chuli had spent the first half of the night helping them search for something, then followed the Emperor to arrest a man during the second half?

The two matters had to be connected somehow.

“What Huyan Lie stole was the Xiao Family’s formula for alcohol. Every person here understands the importance of alcohol, do you not?

“With alcohol, Huaxia’s casualties in war can be reduced by at least thirty percent!

“Tujue must have thought the same. That is why Huyan Lie disregarded relations between our nations, returned to the city, and committed theft. It proves even more clearly that they never intended to make peace!”

Dongfang Wei’s gaze was icy as he neatly erased Xiao Yaqing’s name from the account.

“First they proposed a marriage alliance, then they committed theft. Do you still believe Huaxia owes Tujue an explanation? Have I raised nothing but spineless cowards?”

When the officials saw Dongfang Wei’s fury, they all knelt and begged His Majesty to calm his anger.

Cheng Zhesong withdrew his gaze as well. Huyan Lie must have done it deliberately, hoping to provoke war between Tujue and Huaxia. He could accomplish nothing and ruin everything!

“Tujue offered false friendship while secretly seeking to steal our formula for alcohol.

“If they truly dare invade, we shall flatten Tujue!”

“Your Majesty is wise!”

“Your Majesty is wise!”