Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 47

The moment Xia Yun returned home, he went straight to Xia Jinguang’s study and reported everything he had seen.

“The spy inside the General’s Mansion was discovered, but judging by what I saw today, he must have gone mad early and never betrayed us.

“Heaven itself is protecting us brothers, Big Brother! Ha ha ha!”

Xia Jinguang was not so optimistic.

“You say the spy was caught, but Heng’er wasn’t exposed? How was her poison cured?”

The questions left Xia Yun dumbfounded. He frowned and thought for a long time.

“Probably not. If they’d discovered her, could she still have come to speak to me today in one piece?

“Would the General’s Mansion even have let me through its doors?

“But the girl did ask whether I knew she’d been poisoned…

“Big Brother, could Cang Chuli have found someone to cure her?”

Xia Jinguang felt that made sense. Given Cang Chuli’s temperament, if he knew the spy was connected to them, he would never remain silent.

After discussing it, the brothers concluded that Xia Heng could not possibly have cured the poison herself. Cang Chuli must have arranged it.

“The General of the Northern Pacification has never cared for any woman. If he truly had her poison cured, and Heng’er can still serve close to him, this plan may yet succeed,” Xia Jinguang said after a moment’s thought.

“What? Big Brother, do we really have to give it all to her?” Xia Yun asked unwillingly.

Lady Hao had managed the second branch’s shops well, and all of them were profitable. They did not need her dowry to cover expenses.

But who disliked having more money?

There were many treasures in Lady Hao’s dowry. The Purple-Gold Crown intended for Lang’er, for example, was a masterpiece from Diancui Pavilion.

The thought of surrendering wealth that had only just fallen into his hands—and giving it to that worthless daughter—made his heart ache.

Xia Jinguang knew what he was thinking with a single glance.

“Don’t cling to mere possessions. Think of that lord.

“The Xia Mansion stands on the same side as him now. If we complete the task he entrusted to us, we’ll gain far more than this.

“Many of the people sent there died. Heng’er survived and remained safely inside the General’s Mansion until now, which proves she has some ability.

“Was the General’s Mansion truly that poor today?”

Xia Jinguang sought final confirmation.

“How could that be false, Big Brother? I nearly shivered in the reception hall. I could only keep warm by drinking hot tea!”

This was a subject Xia Yun could speak enthusiastically about.

“They served tea without a single pastry. Even their privy was drafty.

“The General’s Mansion is probably worse off than ours. I suspect they’re barely preserving appearances!”

As he spoke, he reached for an orange.

Xia Yun peeled off a segment and ate it, then handed half the fruit to Xia Jinguang.

“They probably can’t even afford oranges.”

Xia Jinguang accepted the orange and slowly chewed. At last, he made his decision.

“Then give it to her! If Heng’er truly succeeds, Cang Chuli will no longer be a threat.

“If she finds the Zhenbei Army’s command seal and fulfills that lord’s wish, whatever we give away today will return a hundredfold.”

No matter how reluctant he was, Xia Yun could only obey his elder brother.

He comforted himself that it was all for their great plan. At worst, he could simply marry another merchant’s daughter.

The thoughts of the Xia family’s two lords were no longer Xia Heng’s concern.

Facing the man before her and his faint smile, she felt her scalp go numb.

“Looks strong on the outside but is hollow within?”

Xia Heng blushed and lowered her head.

Please, there was no need to repeat every word…

“Offer your dowry, and you’ll have a very good chance?”

Xia Heng turned slightly and retreated a step, afraid to hear more.

“And that Purple-Gold Crown—”

Before he could finish, the woman dropped to her knees.

“I was wrong!”

“Oh? What did you do wrong?”

“I cared only about taking revenge and recovering Mother’s property. I failed to consider the General’s Mansion’s reputation…”

At least she admitted fault faster than anyone.

She was not stupid. She even knew how to use the general’s authority to bluff others.

Cang Chuli watched Xia Heng press her forehead to the floor, the corners of his lips rising.

He did not dwell on her making him take the blame. Something else interested him more.

“Xia Yun asked you where the command seal was?”

“Yes… but this servant doesn’t know,” Xia Heng answered honestly.

Even Mo Bai silently shook his head.

“Meaning you would tell him if you knew?”

“Why would I tell him?” Xia Heng asked blankly. “If I knew, I would tell you.”

“Tell me?”

“Of course. It’s so valuable. If even I knew where it was, naturally I’d tell you to move it.”

Xia Heng did not understand why everyone thought she possessed heaven-defying abilities.

Why not ask her where the Emperor kept his imperial seal?

Did she know? Was she worthy of knowing?

Every historical drama had made one thing clear: the commander could die, but the seal must remain.

She was a maid whose main job was boiling water in the public kitchen and whose side job was farming.

Surely the General’s Command Seal was not buried in the stove or her vegetable plot.

Mo Qing and Mo Bai stared at her.

There was an answer like that?

And it was the perfect answer!

Since ancient times, a general’s command seal could only be guarded by the general himself. If a second person learned where it was hidden, whether that person was family or servant, the seal had to be moved.

Ordinarily, the person who discovered it would also be disposed of.

That old bastard Xia Yun had never intended for his daughter to return alive.

Xia Heng did not know that, which was why she could answer so fearlessly.

Cang Chuli was very satisfied. In a good mood, he decided to return the favor for once.

“Your mother was buried on Mount Qingcheng. No tomb was built.”

Xia Heng looked up in astonishment. He knew?

Of course he did. She had been planted here as a spy. How could an investigation into her background omit her birth parents?

Still, she had not expected him to tell her so directly.

The system had informed her that her mother had died and been buried in secret, but Xia Heng had assumed she lay in the Xia ancestral cemetery.

She had planned to move the grave after bringing down the Xia Mansion.

Now the information had fallen into her hands without effort.

To Cang Chuli, her expression looked like shock at learning of her mother’s death.

“Thank you, General!” Xia Heng kowtowed.

You’ve really outdone yourself, Xia Yun!

In ancient times, whether a person could enter the ancestral grave after death was of utmost importance.

If they wanted to hide it, they could have omitted a gravestone.

But he had buried her mother in the wilderness! Lady Hao had been his lawful wife!

“If you need anything, ask Uncle Zhao.”

Cang Chuli did not specify what she might need. Xia Heng somehow understood that he meant grave digging.

That made sense. Recovering corpses and digging graves—a complete service! They were experienced professionals…

“Thank you, General. Once this servant buys a burial plot, I’ll ask Uncle Zhao.”

Her gratitude was sincere.

Who could be more professional?

When Xia Heng returned to her small courtyard, Qiulin, Chuqing, and the Zhao sisters were gathered together.

At the sight of her, Chuqing guiltily announced her departure and fled. The Zhao sisters hurried back to their room too.

Their avoidance baffled Xia Heng.

Qiulin narrowed her eyes and approached.

“Went home to ask for money, did I?”

Xia Heng had been about to ask what was wrong with her eyes. Instead, she spun around and ran.

Qiulin chased her at once. Even an arm in a sling did not slow her down.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Xia Heng sat obediently on her knees atop her bed, reading the *Analects*.

“In his speech, the gentleman avoids careless words.”

Qiulin claimed she wanted Xia Heng to learn great principles so she would understand that loose lips brought disaster.

She had already made her repeat this line ten times.

Xia Heng suspected Qiulin merely wanted revenge for the three days she had spent reading account books in the main courtyard’s study…

Before long, the Zhao sisters opened their door and came over to listen in.

The Xia Heng reading machine was officially online.