Chapter 199
In one night, Yao Chunnuan rushed back to Yichun from Houcheng. As she expected, the Intelligence Department reported the news of the general's disappearance in Jiaozhou, along with detailed information.
Yao Chunnuan read the information three times, then called in the intelligence department to ask for details, and finally came to a conclusion that the general was very likely to be alive!
This is great news. It's much better than the impact of him disappearing and being dead.
What they had to do now was to send out two teams, one visible and one hidden, to support or rescue the general. The visible team was to confuse the enemy, while the hidden team was the one with the most difficult mission.
During the time when the general was missing, what she had to do was to stabilize people's hearts.
She decided to go see Huo Wei, the wife of the city lord. During Xing Changfeng's disappearance, she had largely represented Xing Changfeng. As long as Huo Wei trusted her and stabilized the situation during this period, even if Wang Lang and others continued to make trouble, it would be useless.
In Youzhou, the city lord was like the king, and she was a subject. As long as the royal family recognized her, the attacks of other subjects would not easily succeed.
After careful consideration, Yao Chunnuan went to the Criminal Mansion without saying a word.
At this time, Huo Wei also received the news of Xing Changfeng's disappearance, and was feeling uneasy. The other party also reminded her to be careful of the top leaders of the Yichun City Lord's Mansion.
When Huo Wei heard about Yao Chunnuan's visit, he immediately thought of the reminder in the letter, and his heart subconsciously tightened.
When Huo Wei sent someone to greet her, she was already standing in the courtyard. The cool breeze in the early morning helped her calm down a little.
As soon as they met, Yao Chunnuan noticed that Huo Wei was in a bad mood. But she was so distracted that she pretended not to notice.
Yao Chunnuan first told her the news of the general's disappearance and her speculation that the general was very likely to be alive.
Hearing this, Huo Wei showed joy.
"Madam City Lord, to be honest, the general's disappearance will definitely make some people feel uneasy. This is a crisis, and if not handled properly, it may lead to disaster." Yao Chunnuan said seriously. At this time, she no longer called the other party Awei. When talking about business, she had to have a businesslike attitude.
Huo Wei also looked directly at Yao Chunnuan, "Are you included in this group?"
Yao Chunnuan also looked at her directly. "No, I would never betray the General. The General is like a mentor to me. Working under him, I can freely pursue my ambitions. I don't think I could ever be more comfortable working under anyone else than I am now."
"Why should I trust you?"
"First, I don't have military power. If I had wanted to rebel, I would have seized it long ago, but I don't have it, right? Second, I ruthlessly rejected the offers of my ex-husband Wang Lang and the new emperor last night, cutting off my own escape route. Third, you should be pregnant, right?"
Huo Wei looked at her in surprise. Yes, she was pregnant, but she hadn't told anyone about it until three months later, and her husband wasn't around. But how did Yao Chunnuan know? She was always smart. Xing's mother often visited their home, and combined with some trivial information, it wasn't surprising that she could guess.
Yao Chunnuan continued, "I already know that you are pregnant. If I really had any bad intentions, I could have used some means to make you have an abortion instead of making this matter public. In fact, I am very glad that you are pregnant at this time. To be honest, even if the general really had an accident, he would have a legitimate heir. We subordinates can also support the young master." The initial foundation of Youzhou was laid by General Xing Changfeng, and his contribution is indelible.
Huo Wei's expression finally relaxed a little, but she was still on guard and couldn't trust Yao Chunnuan completely.
Finally, Yao Chunnuan showed her something, which was given to her by the general when he saw her for the last time before leaving for Jiaozhou.
Huo Wei gasped. She hadn't expected her husband to trust Yao Chunnuan so much, to give her something like this?! For a moment, Huo Wei felt a mixture of emotions. Now, Huo Wei completely trusted her. With this item, the other party wouldn't have any major shortcomings in taking Youzhou. At most, it would only be a slight loss in reputation.
"Madam, the crisis caused by the general's disappearance is not just a crisis for him, but a crisis for you and me. General Huo risked his own reputation to marry you to him. This investment is enormous, and the responsibility you shoulder is immense. I hope we can work together to overcome this crisis." General Huo made this decision precisely because he saw the general's bright future. If Huo Wei chose the wrong side this time, it would very likely lead to the failure of General Huo's investment.
Yao Chunnuan felt that everything was just right for the moment. Huo Wei had only recently married, and the Huo family's influence in the Yichun City Lord's Mansion and the Yichun Army was not deep. Even though Huo Wei was pregnant and the general was missing, she wouldn't consider killing the father and keeping the son. In a few years, if she encountered such a situation again, it might not be the same.
"What do you need me to do?" Huo Wei's words meant that she was completely on Yao Chunnuan's side.
"I hope you'll keep your pregnancy a secret for a while. During this time, I'll uncover the traitors in our Yichun team. As for the rest, you don't have to do anything. Protecting yourself and the baby in your belly will be your greatest help."
After gaining Huo Wei's complete trust, Huo Wei handed the letter he received in the morning to Yao Chunnuan.
When Yao Chunnuan read the letter, her suspicions were further confirmed.
The other party certainly didn't expect Huo Wei to give this letter to Yao Chunnuan. Because everyone is suspicious and selfish, especially at this juncture when Xing Changfeng is missing and Yao Chunnuan is a real threat to Huo Wei's interests, it's difficult for them to fully trust each other. But sometimes, some people can make the impossible possible.
Yichun City Lord's Mansion
Yao Chunnuan's appearance in Yichun early in the morning was beyond everyone's expectations.
But she rushed back to Yichun from Houcheng overnight, so the matter must be serious, everyone present felt.
Then, everyone was still shocked by the news she revealed, because Yao Chunnuan directly announced the news that General Xing Changfeng was missing in Jiaozhou, without giving them any preparation or mental preparation.
Upon hearing this news, everyone panicked. Without a leader, what could they do? Some even looked at Yao Chunnuan at the top and secretly worried.
Yao Chunnuan pretended not to see any of this.
"This is the situation. Let's adjourn for half an hour. Everyone should think of a way and brainstorm to see if there is any good way to rescue the general."
During this hour, the news of the disappearance of General Xing Changfeng spread, and Yichun was in turmoil for a while.
Upon hearing the news that her brother was missing and his life or death was unknown, Xing Xingyue grabbed her husband and son and immediately went back to her parents' home.
At first, Jiang Ming thought she wanted to go back and comfort her father-in-law and mother-in-law, but the more he looked at her, the more he felt that something was wrong with her. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed. How could she look sad? For a moment, his heart went cold and he asked his doubts tremblingly.
"I want to adopt my son to my brother. What do you think?"
What? Jiang Ming was stunned.
"My brother got married too late and has no children. If we adopt our son, it would be a perfect opportunity for him to break the pot!"
Looking at his wife's calculating face, Jiang Ming, who had always been patient, couldn't help but sarcastically said, "I think there's more to it than that, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what you're planning. Your brother is missing, and we don't know if he's alive or dead yet, and now you rush over and say you want to adopt your son. Who wouldn't know what you're planning?" Jiang Ming couldn't accept his wife's callousness. After all, they depended on each other for their livelihood. Yes, Jiang Ming was lazy, but he wasn't the kind of person who didn't know what was good for him.
Xing Xingyue was speechless for a moment, then she said confidently, "Even if I had plans, so what? Youzhou was conquered by my brother, and it should have been inherited by our Xing family. Do you think it should be given to an outsider like Yao Chunnuan?"
Jiang Ming tutted his words. "I never realized, Xing Xingyue, you're quite ambitious." Did Xing Xingyue really treat conquering the world as a family business? Erasing the contributions of so many people?
Do you think that adoption is the end of the matter? Your son is just a baby. What virtue do you have? He is not the direct blood of your brother-in-law. Why should he help you conquer the world?
Besides, her brother-in-law is missing now, and it's still unclear whether he's dead or alive. If he's really gone, her son will sooner or later become a puppet of the real power in Youzhou. If he can come back, wouldn't her son's identity as a stepson be awkward?
Finally, did her sister-in-law agree to the identity of her stepson?
Xing Xingyue widened her eyes, "Why doesn't she agree? I gave her half of the son I gave birth to." She felt aggrieved when her husband said this to her. She thought that the main reason her husband was so opposed was that the son was not his blood. But she couldn't be blamed for this. They had a daughter, and she wanted to adopt her but she didn't want her.
Jiang Ming couldn't convince her, nor could he stop her from being overwhelmed by desire, so he simply returned home. If he had to embarrass herself, it would be hers. He wasn't involved in this mess anyway. He wasn't that greedy, he just wanted to live a leisurely life, to lean back under a big tree and enjoy the shade.
The Xing family also received the news of Xing Changfeng's disappearance as soon as possible. Xing's mother first went to Yao Chunnuan to verify it. When she learned that the news was true, she immediately burst into tears.
The Yao family also sighed. Although they didn't fully grasp the impact of Xing Changfeng's disappearance on them, they still knew the saying that a new emperor appoints new ministers. With Xing Changfeng gone, things were definitely not as good as when he was around.
Their son went missing on the battlefield, and his parents were extremely sad and worried.
Huo Wei waited until the two elders calmed down a little before sending the servants away and quietly telling them about Yao Chunnuan's visit in the morning.
After hearing Yao Chunnuan's speculation that their son was very likely to return safely, the two elders finally felt better.
"Why didn't that child Ah Nuan tell us just now?"
Huo Wei told the two elders about the possible crisis that Youzhou might encounter after her husband disappeared, and also mentioned the person who sent the letter.
Father Xing snorted coldly, "When something happens to Changfeng, all kinds of monsters and demons really emerge."
Huo Wei: "Yes, the person who wrote the letter indicated that he was an old subordinate of my husband. At that time, I didn't know who to believe."
"Of course we have to trust A Nuan." Xing's mother said as a matter of course.
"Why?" The other party was still the old general who followed her husband.
"Because she's pretty."
Huo Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Her mother-in-law had fallen into her old habit again. As long as someone was good-looking, she seemed to think everything she did was right. To put it bluntly, she judged people by their appearance.
Her mother-in-law argued confidently, "What's wrong with judging people by appearance? There is a certain logic to judging people by appearance, right? Otherwise, why is there the saying that people have kind eyes and benevolent features? There's also a saying that appearance reflects the heart. Most people with good looks have good hearts..."
Does being ugly mean having an ugly mind? Huo Wei didn't agree with her mother-in-law's twisted logic.
Just then, Xing Xingyue came back.
"Mom and Dad, have you heard that something happened to my eldest brother?" Xing Xingyue returned to the Xing Mansion breathlessly, carrying her son on her back.
Faced with the shining eyes of her sister-in-law, Huo Wei turned her head away unhappily. She was so excited when she heard that her brother was in trouble. What was she trying to do?
When this was mentioned, Xing's father frowned, and he was extremely worried. Xing's mother also had a sad face.
"Mom and Dad, now that things have come to this, we have to be more open-minded. No matter what, we still have to live our lives."
Faced with her daughter's comfort, Xing's mother just wiped her tears, and Xing's father nodded, indicating that he appreciated her kindness.
Later, when the mother and daughter were alone, Xing Xingyue tentatively suggested to her mother that she give her son to her brother for adoption.
Huo Wei, who had just returned, happened to hear this and immediately became furious. He pushed the door open and went in, "Who gave you this idea?"
Xing Xingyue was dreaming. Did she contribute anything to the conquest of Youzhou? She was quite good at holding back, but now she thought she could reap the fruits of Youzhou with just one son? How audacious!
Xing Xingyue played dumb, "I only brought this up because I felt bad for my brother who died in a foreign land without even a son to bury. If you don't like it, I won't say it."
"Your elder brother is only missing, not dead yet, and you come here to curse him! You are such a good sister."
Xing's mother also felt that her daughter's words were unpleasant, but when she thought that her son might be gone, and there might not even be anyone to help him, she burst into tears.
The quarrel between Xing Xingyue and her sister-in-law attracted Xing's father, who immediately kicked Xing Xingyue out of the house, "Get out! Get out!"
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