Chapter 130 A Beauty Reunited at the Grand Banquet, the Gentleman is Unparalleled in the World.

Seeing Wei Yihua's expression, Yue Yining knew that she had the same thought as her.

"Your Highness also thinks it's him."

Yue Yining's tone was certain.

Wei Yihua nodded solemnly and exhaled a cold breath: "...No one but him could do it."

“Yes, that is indeed one of the reasons,” Yue Yining said. “But at present, his motive for participating in the cover-up is still unclear. I haven’t found out much yet, and I don’t know exactly how much he was involved, but I believe he must have known about it.”

Wei Yihua slowly recalled some details: "I remember that when this decree was first introduced, Zuo Yingfeng was in favor of it. There were many supporters of this decree from the poor families in the court."

“But what’s strange is that the person who proposed this decree was not from a poor family, but from a powerful family. He was a minor official surnamed Sun,” Wei Yihua said. “His surname was Sun, so he was probably from a branch of the Sun family in Yanjing.”

The Sun family was one of the most powerful clans, second only to the Xie, Wang, Gu, and Yuan families. At the time, no one in the court suspected that the minor official who proposed the border reforms was Zuo Yingfeng's man.

Looking at everything together now, Wei Yihua vaguely realized that this person was probably inextricably linked to Zuo Yingfeng.

Who would have thought that Zuo Yingfeng could actually win over the Sun family?

“This is also one of the reasons why I decided to continue going in circles with Zuo Xulin.” Yue Yining looked at the eldest princess. “He is a breakthrough point. If I start investigating the Zuo family from Zuo Xulin, it will be the easiest way to make Zuo Yingfeng lower his guard. We can attack or defend at will.”

If she were to advance, she could show goodwill towards Zuo Xulin and use the opportunity of contact with him to probe or find evidence and clues about Zuo Yingfeng's abuse of power; if she were to retreat, she could use her relationship with Zuo Xulin to dispel Zuo Yingfeng's suspicions and also conceal her true purpose so that Zuo Yingfeng would not discover it so quickly.

What Yue Yining didn't say was that the Zuo Xulin she knew actually gave her even more hope.

If Zuo Xulin is truly upright enough...

Yue Yining lowered her eyes.

Wei Yihua nodded, her expression softening slightly: "I understand."

"If you need anything, just let me know and I'll send someone to assist you."

Yue Yining said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Wei Yihua tapped the edge of the table, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly. "However, why did you conclude that the border is in crisis?"

"Based on this information alone, it can only be said that the true situation on the border has been concealed, but the person who concealed it could be either a local official on the border or an official in the imperial court in the capital. It is not enough to explain the danger on the border."

“Your Highness is right, but please take a look at this first.” Yue Yining’s voice remained calm as she raised her fingers and presented two more documents. “These are two documents that arrived at the Ministry of War almost simultaneously and were filed only three days apart.”

The first document was a report from Dingbei Military Town entitled "Summary of Military Situation in the Defense Zone This Month," dated one month ago.

The text reads: "...The defense zone was peaceful this month. Occasionally, Di Rong cavalry would spy on the area north of Black Tiger Gorge, but they were all driven away in time by scout teams, and no battles occurred. All passes were safe."

The second document, however, was an "Urgent Report from Dingbei Military Town Requesting Additional Arrow Shaft Repair Materials," dated only two days later than the first.

The document states: "Due to the frequent patrols this month, coupled with the colder weather, the arrow shafts are freezing and cracking, and wear and tear is increasing, especially in the area guarding the Black Tiger Gorge. We hereby request an urgent allocation of 300 pieces of mulberry wood shafts, 800 pieces of birch wood shafts, and 50 catties of tung oil."

Yue Yining pointed to the crucial point: "Your Highness, please look. The military intelligence report states that 'the defense zone is calm this month' and 'no battles have occurred.' However, just two days later, the same military town experienced increased wear and tear on the arrow shafts due to frequent patrols."

"If you look at the two documents side by side, you will find that they are contradictory."

If there were no concealment or false reporting, how could the contents of two border documents with similar dates contradict each other?

Yue Yining slowly revealed the key point: "What's even stranger is that if, as the military intelligence report says, there was no fighting at the border, how could there be such a sharp increase in the wear and tear of weapons? Ordinary patrols wouldn't cause such a huge shortage of materials within two days."

"Furthermore, the application materials list also includes 300 pieces of mulberry wood poles."

At this point, Yue Yining looked at Wei Yihua.

The eldest princess seemed stunned, her eyes filled with astonishment.

Without Yue Yining needing to elaborate, Wei Yihua herself maintained an elite force, personally overseeing the selection, materials, and proportions of weapons. Of course, she understood the characteristics of these woods better than anyone else when used as weapons.

The wood of the mulberry tree is hard and tough, making it a superior material for crafting the shafts of powerful bows and crossbows. Due to its high cost, it was traditionally used by generals or elite scouts. Ordinary crossbows for defense were mostly made of birch.

Yue Yining slowly said, "The Dingbei Military Garrison requested three hundred mulberry poles at once, far exceeding the total quota for its generals and scouts. Such an unusual request can only be explained by one thing."

Yue Yining didn't continue, because she was certain that Wei Yihua had understood her meaning.

At this moment, the eldest princess was utterly shocked and indignant.

Wei Yihua murmured, "...Unless, a large number of high-quality crossbows were recently destroyed, and most of the destroyed weapons were used by generals or elite troops."

This could absolutely not be an accidental loss!

Seeing that Wei Yihua had realized the seriousness of the problem, Yue Yining slowly sat up straight, and withdrew her fingers from the edge of the table and placed them on her knees.

"Based on the records of a sharp decrease in the number of encounters with Di Rong reported by various towns in the northern border after the reform, and these two contradictory documents, I have reason to infer that the northern border military towns must have recently experienced a large-scale and fierce battle, resulting in a huge consumption of military equipment. The true scale and impact of this battle may have been deliberately downplayed or even erased during the Ministry of War's filing process."

Yue Yining continued, her speech gradually quickening: "Moreover, the loss of a large number of elite weapons is something that I am very concerned about."

"After I finished summarizing, I reviewed the contents of the documents again and immediately examined all the archived documents and general lists of the Northern Garrison in recent months."

“I discovered that Sun Cheng, the commander of Black Tiger Gorge Garrison, has not signed or mentioned anything since the military intelligence summary a month ago. But strangely, his two servant captains said in their routine reports that everything was normal and there was nothing unusual.”

Yue Yining slowly said, "...To be honest, Your Highness, I have already found Sun Cheng's file in the list of court officials and calculated his fate immediately."

"The divination indicates that Sun Cheng of the Sun family in Yanjing has died. He died on the fifteenth of November, exactly one month ago."

Sun Cheng was a general guarding a pass. Although Black Tiger Gorge was certainly guarded by more than one general, his death did not mean that the pass had been breached. However... it had been almost a month since the commander-in-chief had died, and there had been no news of it in Yanjing.

Sun Cheng was from the Sun family of Yanjing. Although he was not as noble as Sun Qiong of the main branch, even as a branch, he was undoubtedly a member of a prominent family. If his death could be covered up so thoroughly, and even delayed until now without being reported back to the capital, what about the other border soldiers who came from humble backgrounds, had no connections, and had no one to rely on?

How many of them have already died silently?

Wei Yihua felt a chill run down her spine.

All of these points indicate that the channels for military intelligence to reach higher levels have been obstructed since the reforms were implemented.

If the border is in peril, the central government will still be dreaming.

Wei Yihua's teeth chattered slightly, "Were all these things... instructed by Zuo Yingfeng?"

"Has he gone mad? If the border collapses and war breaks out, sooner or later the news will be impossible to keep and will reach the capital. When the investigation is thorough, he will have no choice but to atone with his death!"

"And why would he do that? What benefit could he gain from Dongxi being breached by foreign enemies?" A sudden flash of inspiration struck Wei Yihua, and her eyes widened abruptly. "Unless...!"

"Unless he has already betrayed his country and defected to the enemy."

Yue Yining continued her unfinished sentence, her tone calm and composed, "But these are all just our speculations. Whether Zuo Yingfeng orchestrated all of this, whether he has colluded with the enemy or has other reasons, we cannot draw conclusions yet and need to continue our investigation."

Wei Yihua's chest heaved as she realized with a start that her forehead was covered in cold sweat.

“But we have no idea what the situation is at the border right now,” Wei Yihua said urgently. “If the border is really on the verge of collapse, even if we find out the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice, won’t it be too late?”

"Yes." Yue Yining replied, her tone still calm. "But Your Highness, please don't panic. I have already thought of a solution. We can send a group of soldiers to the border to provide support. If they are people we trust, the news they send back will be reliable. This way, we won't delay in finding out the real culprit, and we can also send people to support the border camp. Then we can make further decisions based on the actual situation."

Wei Yihua was comforted by her and regained her composure, meeting the eyes of the person in front of her.

She vaguely understood something, and her brow relaxed. "You mean..."

“I already have someone in mind.” Yue Yining smiled faintly. “If it’s either of them, they would definitely prefer to go to the North and wipe out those corrupt officials rather than stay in the capital and listen to the decadent music of the rich and powerful.”

...

A few days later, the winter month arrived.

Inside the hall, the incense burner emitted clouds of smoke, and the walls glowed warmly with pepper. The flickering candlelight illuminated the hall's gilded and brocade-like decorations. Guests attending the Sun family's cold banquet warmed their hands until they were frosty, then took their seats amidst laughter and conversation, their breath steaming in the air.

Yue Yining was one of them.

At this moment, she was wearing a heavy silver-woven snow fox fur coat, with a jade-colored jacket and skirt underneath. Holding Fu Yao's hand, she was stepping over the threshold of the Sun residence.

Every winter month in the capital, wealthy and powerful families would hold a "Nine Cold-Dispelling Banquet." Sometimes, if the snow came early, it was to celebrate the first snowfall; other times, if the snow came late, it was to pray for snow.

In short, we must hold events, and we must hold them in a grand and spectacular manner to showcase our prosperity and prestige.

However, Yue Yining did not come on behalf of the Eldest Princess or the Third Prince; she came because Sun Qiong invited her.

When she was in Qinghuai, she asked Sun Qiong for help with a case. In return, she promised Sun Qiong that she would have a meal with her after returning to Beijing.

However, after returning to Beijing, Yue Yining quickly threw himself into busy government affairs and was unable to fulfill his promise.

When Sun Qiong first came to her door, Yue Yining was a little guilty.

"I am truly sorry, Lord Sun." She looked guilty and uneasy. "Since my promotion, I have been overwhelmed with paperwork every day and rarely have any free time. I had no intention of deceiving or avoiding you, Lord Sun."

Fortunately, Sun Qiong didn't say anything to her, but just teased her with a half-smile, "So that's how it is. I thought the Yue people had forgotten about me."

Yue Yining felt even more guilty. "How could this be? How could this be?"

"In the eleventh month, Lord Yue should be on leave for a day or two, right? Would you like to attend the winter feast at the Sun residence then?"

Yue Yining was taken aback, somewhat surprised. "Is Lord Sun inviting me?"

Sun Qiong smiled at her; what a bright, generous, and spirited young woman she was, it was hard to look away.

She said, "Who else could it be? If you're coming, I'll write you a separate invitation."

...I always felt that Sun Qiong's tone when she spoke to her was ambiguous.

Yue Yining silently told herself, "I must be overthinking it," trying to hypnotize herself.

As she stepped into the outer courtyard of the Sun residence and turned past the screen wall with the passing guests, a brightly dressed maidservant followed her, curtsied, and greeted her, "Your Excellency."

Yue Yining gestured to Fu Yao and stopped as well. The three of them happened to be standing under a white plum tree; elsewhere it was noisy and bustling, but here it was quiet.

Yue Yining sized up her clothes and had a general idea of ​​who she was, but she still asked, "Who are you?"

The maid was exceptionally respectful. "I am Furong, a maid in Miss Sun's courtyard. Miss Sun specifically instructed me to lead you to the west side, through the side door, and to your seat of honor."

The Sun family invited many prominent families and high-ranking officials from Yanjing to their banquet, but only a dozen or so of them were able to sit in the honored seats. These were either high-ranking officials with great power or relatives who were on good terms with the Sun family. Moreover, the honored seats were closer to the host's seats and were separated from the ordinary seats by screens.

Yue Yining nodded: "I see."

"Alright, lead the way."

The maid named Furong bowed and led them along a small path with light, quick steps.

As Yue Yining gazed at the wintersweet and snow pagoda flowers that drifted overhead like fragrant clouds, her thoughts had already wandered far away.

Since she laid out her discovery to Wei Yihua last time, the two of them had spent some time planning and finally found a pretext to send He Chan and Jiang Feiyan away from Yanjing under the guise of escorting important military equipment and supplies.

At this moment, they are leading their people towards the northern border.

On the surface, they were merely escorting equipment transported by the imperial court to the border; but in reality, the escort team had been completely bribed by Yue Yining and Wei Yihua. They were all trusted subordinates of He Chan after she took office as the city gate guard, and the list of these people was provided to them by He Chan and Jiang Feiyan.

If all goes well, they will be able to reach the border by the end of December; after the Lantern Festival the following year, real information about the border will be sent back to Yanjing.

...I hope everything goes well.

Yue Yining slowly exhaled a breath of hot air, which turned into white mist in front of her.

Her visit to the Sun residence was not merely to repay a favor to Sun Qiong.

Sun Cheng, the deceased general of Black Tiger Gorge, was a member of the Sun family.

Yue Yining harbored the intention of probing.

Sun Qiong is the most outstanding talent of the Sun family in this generation. She has received great favor from the emperor. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be the future head of the main branch of the Sun family. She must know what the Sun family is doing.

She wanted to find an opportunity to speak with Sun Qiong alone and try to get some clues out of her.

She needed to know how much the Sun family knew about Sun Cheng's death, whether they were kept in the dark, or whether they had known and tacitly approved of it all along.

If Sun Qiong also didn't know that Sun Cheng was dead, then she could probably figure out why Zuo Yingfeng had kept these things a secret.

Lost in thought, she had already followed the maid Furong to the west gate of the main hall of the Sun residence.

The first thing that catches the eye are two rows of long tables made of black rhinoceros horn, adorned with scarlet brocade, gold goblets, jade chopsticks, agate dishes, and ivory spoons—a dazzling array of items, with candlelight streaming down, almost blinding.

The warmth, accompanied by the bustling sounds of people, rushed in, colliding abruptly with the chill outside the door.

Yue Yining took her seat with the help of Furong.

She subtly raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the people seated in the honored seats, scrutinizing each one, and then she made up her mind.

Vice Minister of War Jiang, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Li, and Attendant Censor Fan...

Yue Yining's eyes flickered slightly, and just then, the east door opposite was pushed open by a servant.

The figure that entered gracefully was tall and slender. She subconsciously looked over, but couldn't look away.

The newcomer was dressed in a dark brocade sable fur coat, exuding an air of refined elegance. The light-colored long fur at the collar brushed lightly against his cold, fair chin with each step. Perhaps because he was attending a grand banquet, he had clearly applied makeup to his eyes and brows, making him dazzlingly handsome. While dignified young masters of noble families often possessed an air of nobility, he surpassed even ordinary people, appearing as if a celestial being had descended to earth, untouched by worldly affairs.

Truly, there is a fine young man, leaning against a jade tree, bathed in the warm sun and radiant glow.

Yue Yining was stunned until a servant untied Xie Qingyu's fur coat and led him to a seat.

Xie Qingyu sat down at the table, raised her lowered eyelids, and looked across the brightly lit Golden Hall to meet her gaze from afar.

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Author's note: This is how I seduce my wife with my face...

Xie Qingyu: How about it? (^^)