Chapter 442 A Deal Worth 100,000 Taels
Madam Min glanced at Qiao Jingyuan in the coffin before quickly looking away.
She ultimately failed to bring him back alive, and she felt guilty.
However, she remembered this grudge. She would make Wang pay with her life sooner or later.
Now, all she can do is try to make Wang Shi suffer as well.
Suppressing her own thoughts, Madam Min Qiao asked Wei Jia, "When are you leaving?"
As soon as she spoke, seeing Wei Jia's pale face, dark circles under her eyes, and exhaustion between her brows, she couldn't help but change her mind and advise, "You must be exhausted from your journey. Why don't you rest here for a couple of days before setting off again?"
Thinking about the body, she added, "Don't worry about Jingyuan's body. Just buy more ice to keep it warm. You know we lack everything, but we don't lack money."
Wei Jia shook her head. "Madam, don't worry about me. I can still manage."
"Once I've put out the ice and eaten something, it'll be cooler in the evening, and then I'll get ready to leave."
"I was originally planning to say goodbye to the old lady later, but since she has come in person, I will say goodbye to her here."
Madam Min sighed and patted Wei Jia on the shoulder, "Alright. Be careful on the road. Also, take care of your health. Don't overwork yourself."
"Yes, I'll take good care of myself."
Wei Jia's answer was proper and formal, but Madam Min still noticed the perfunctory tone in her voice.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao said solemnly, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. After burying Jingyuan properly, come back quickly. We still have a tough battle to fight! I can't do without you by my side!"
Wei Jia paused for a moment before forcing herself to reply, "Don't worry, Madam, I will adjust myself as soon as possible and return to your side."
"Yes, I believe you're not the type to be easily swayed by romantic feelings!"
"Wei Jia will not let the old lady down," Wei Jia solemnly promised.
Hearing Wei Jia say this, Madam Min Qiao finally felt a little relieved.
Back at the inn, Madam Min wrote a letter informing Zhou and her daughter of Qiao Jingyuan's death. If they hurried on their journey, they might be able to see Qiao Jingyuan one last time before his burial.
Min Qiao also wrote in the letter about Wei Jia and Qiao Jingyuan's marriage in Da'an.
After writing the letter, she had someone deliver it to the garrison headquarters and give it to the Earl of Enping, asking him to use the imperial court's mail delivery channels to send it to the capital as soon as possible.
After doing all this, Madam Min Qiao lay exhausted on the bed.
Min Qiao slept until the next morning, thus missing the opportunity to see Wei Jia off.
Fortunately, before she could blame herself, Aqi told her some good news: the old woodcutter had woken up.
Min Qiao immediately forgot about not having seen Wei Jia and Qiao Jingyuan off, quickly got up, hurriedly ate breakfast, and went straight to Lao Qiao's room.
"Aunt!" Old Qiao, lying in bed, could no longer contain his grief when he saw Min Qiao enter the room. He said in a hoarse voice, "My elder brother is dead!"
Madam Min sat down on the edge of the bed, reached out to wipe away the old woodcutter's tears, and sighed, "It's my fault for being useless; I didn't keep my promise to you."
The old woodcutter asked with a chilling look in his eyes, "Aunt, whose men are those assassins?"
He managed to call out "Madam" while still clinging to life, before collapsing into unconsciousness.
I thought I was going to die, but I never expected to come back to life.
Now that I'm alive, my brother's revenge must be settled.
Madam Min Qiao said angrily, "Lady of the Marquis of Pingyan, Wang Yun!"
The old woodcutter's anger surged, and he said fiercely, "I remember that Ji Huailang, the heir of the Marquis of Pingyan, seems to be at the border right now?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Min Qiao suddenly laughed, "You've come to the same conclusion as me."
Old Woodcutter looked at Madam Min in astonishment, "Could it be that Aunt also wants to...?"
Madam Min Qiao nodded: "The Crown Prince Da Xi will not touch the Pingyan Marquis's mansion for the time being, so we have no way to do anything to the Wang family. However, the Wang family only has one son, Ji Huailang."
"She killed Jing Yuan, so it's not unreasonable for us to collect some interest from her son, is it?"
The old woodcutter smiled and said, "Of the brothers who went to Daxi with me, two of them were responsible for escorting the King of Chu back. They are currently in the border town."
Min Qiao nodded. "I'm planning to borrow a few men from the Earl of Enping. He has a group of men who used to be bandits. Asking them to help with some murder and robbery shouldn't be a problem."
"Is this feasible?" the old woodcutter asked with some concern. "Won't it implicate Earl Enping?"
Madam Min sighed, "We're at the border now, and I don't have any other options for the time being except to borrow people from the Earl of Enping."
"However, whether it will work or not depends on what the Earl of Enping and his men say."
After talking with the old woodcutter, Min Qiaoshi went to the garrison headquarters in person, met with the Earl of Enping, and told him about her request to borrow people, and even revealed her plans.
“I know that sending someone to assassinate Ji Huailang at this time could easily cause a conflict between the two countries. I also know that if it fails, it could implicate you. So, I will not force you.”
Madam Min paused for a moment, then stated her price: "I will offer 100,000 taels of silver for one of Ji Huailang's arms or one of his legs."
As for who to send and how many people to send, that's entirely up to the Earl of Enping.
"Does the old lady not intend to take Ji Huailang's life?" The Earl of Enping looked at Madam Min Qiao with surprise, showing a hint of disapproval. "The old lady should understand the principle of cutting weeds without removing the roots."
Madam Min shook her head. "Madam Wang only has one son. If we kill him directly, she will become desperate and lose her mind."
So how can Da'e use the mother and son to lure out Marquis Pingyan?
Of course, drawing out the Marquis of Pingyan couldn't really be expected from this mother and son. But it was still a bait, wasn't it?
Uncle Enping didn't try to dissuade him further, but simply agreed earnestly, "I'll take this deal."
One hundred thousand taels! That's a huge sum of money!
He was currently penniless and was worried about where to get some money to support his men.
In fact, he now has far more than just the group of brothers who followed him in Enping County.
And this time, Emperor Xiaozhao handed over 30,000 men to him!
He wants to turn these 30,000 men into his "private army" as well!
Issuing subsidies, improving meals, and winning people's hearts—all of these require money.
Changing uniforms, armor, and weapons requires money to do!
Of course, that's all in the future.
Right now, even getting enough to eat is a problem for the soldiers under his command.
He desperately needed money to supplement their food expenses, so that at least they wouldn't go hungry while they were with him.
Therefore, Min Qiao's deal was a timely boon.
More importantly, his chance to act quietly was just around the corner!
Min Qiaoshi did not expect that the Earl of Enping would agree so readily. She immediately took out a thick stack of silver notes from her bosom and placed them in front of the Earl of Enping.
"I'll trouble you with this matter, Lord Lord."
After saying that, Madam Min Qiao seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, by the way, I also have two skilled assassins here. Lord, would you like to take them with you on this mission?"
Earl Enping waved his hand and refused: "No need! If you come and don't follow orders, you'll only cause trouble."
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