Chapter 734 May she never be reincarnated
The news of the treasure map caused quite a stir in the capital, and naturally it reached the He family as well.
He Ling's face was ashen: "Why did the matter of the Xie family's treasure map have to come up at this time? And these unruly people actually believed it?"
"Believe it or not, many ordinary people have gone to Linxi together," the staff officer said. "The caves in the western mountains hold all the privately manufactured weapons. If they are discovered, I'm afraid..."
“The cave has secret mechanisms and chambers, so no one will discover it,” He Ling said coldly. “However, the Crown Prince has decided to make his move on the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Before that, all the weapons must be transported down the mountain and distributed to everyone… If there are still civilians on the mountain, it will greatly affect our important mission.”
The staff officer raised his head, made a throat-slitting gesture, and his eyes were full of ruthlessness.
Just then, someone knocked on the door and came in to report: "Old Liu from Sui Shuren's courtyard has sent a message asking the young master to check it out."
He presented a small note with both hands.
He Ling unfolded the note, his face immediately darkening: "This woman is the worst at ruining my plans. I wish I could tear her bones out, drink her blood, and make sure she never gets reincarnated!"
The staff officer quickly took the note and glanced at it: "Sui Shu-ren will lead people to the cave to find the secret room today, and she will bring people who know about mechanisms and equipment. If that's the case, the weapons in the secret room will not be able to be guarded."
"We must bring out all the weapons tonight," He Ling gritted his teeth. "Also, inform His Highness the Crown Prince that we may not be able to wait until the first month of the lunar calendar to take action; we must do it as soon as possible."
Because of the treasure map, there will definitely be many greedy people in Linxi Xishan. If we want to move the weapons, we must kill these people who are in our way.
With so many people dying without cause in Linxi, the government will definitely send people to investigate, and it will be easy to trace it back to the He family.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, we must launch an uprising as soon as possible before the court can react, in order to accomplish this great undertaking.
The staff officer nodded and said he would do it immediately.
No sooner had he left than a woman walked into the study; it was Luo Qi, the eldest daughter-in-law of the He family.
She held a bowl of soup in her hand and said softly, "Husband, you've been in the study for most of the day. You must be hungry. Have some soup to tide you over."
He Ling's gaze fell on her, and he said calmly, "The New Year is almost here, and you've been handling all the welcoming and sending-off ceremonies for the He family. Thank you for your hard work."
Luo Qi handed him the soup, saying, "This is my duty; it's nothing to complain about."
He Ling sipped her soup, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Will He Xiao come back for the New Year?"
"I'm not going back." Luo Qi lowered her eyes. "I heard from my mother that He Xiao is going to Jizhou in a couple of days. It seems that the Emperor ordered him to do some kind of business. He won't be back until after the New Year."
A smile appeared on He Ling's lips.
Leaving the capital at this time was practically a stroke of luck for him.
The top commander of the garrison territory was the General of the Cavalry, and the second-in-command was He Xiao. With He Xiao gone, only the General of the Cavalry remained, an old general who was not to be feared.
He finished the last sip of soup, then got up to leave.
He Hanhai walked in, frowning, and asked, "You've been away from home lately. What have you been busy with?"
"A few friends have been taking turns treating me to drinks, so I haven't been busy," He Ling said casually. "I'm celebrating a friend's birthday tonight, so I won't be back. Don't wait for me."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
Luo Qi's expression was extremely complicated. She didn't know what her husband was busy with, but she was certain that he wasn't going out for drinks.
Two years ago, after her mother-in-law nearly died from a shrimp allergy, she and her husband gradually drifted apart. She was afraid of her husband, and he was equally impatient with her. Slowly, they became more and more distant, their relationship like a dried-up lake, devoid of any ripples.
She sighed, cleared away the soup bowls, and left.
By this time, it was already dark.
Cheng Wanwan and Zhao Sidan did not go to Linxi because someone who went to Linxi came back saying that there was a big tiger on the mountain.
This threat caused those who went to Linxi to turn back, no longer daring to explore for treasure.
After all, it's uncertain whether there are any treasures, but there are definitely tigers. If we end up as tiger food during the Lunar New Year, it would be a huge loss.
Cheng Wanwan continued to keep an eye on He Ling's situation.
On the night of the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, He Ling led his men to move all the weapons away without disturbing any civilians.
On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, He Ling met with the former crown prince to discuss important matters.
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the two sides secretly plotted and set the time for the uprising, which was New Year's Eve, half a month earlier than originally planned.
After setting the date for the rebellion, He Ling's side quieted down, and no more news came out.
Cheng Wanwan listened to He Ling and his advisors' conversations every day, and not only learned about the signals and specific time of the rebellion, but also which ministers were involved.
She wrote down the information she had received as a guess on a piece of paper and asked Cheng Zhao to take it to the emperor when he went to court.
Whether the emperor believes it or not, it's good to give him a heads-up beforehand.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Cheng Wanwan and the soldiers at the garrison had agreed to spend the New Year together.
Zhao Sanniu had a thousand men under his command. Six or seven hundred of them were children from the vicinity of the capital. Naturally, they went back home for the New Year. The remaining four hundred were unable to go home, so he invited them all to spend the New Year here. However, only a dozen or so people came that day.
“Didn’t a big tiger appear on Linxi Mountain? It’s said there’s more than one. Fearing that the tiger might run down the mountain and hurt people, the general led a group of people up the mountain to catch the tiger,” Zhao Sanniu explained. “Also, Master is going to Jizhou on business and is taking over a thousand people with him. Everyone has been really busy this year.”
Cheng Wanwan nodded.
This is the emperor's scheme, designed to lull the former crown prince into a false sense of security so that he can wipe out that group of people in one fell swoop.
I hope everything goes smoothly at the palace banquet tomorrow night.
She put the matter aside for the time being and greeted the dozen or so children who had come to celebrate the New Year with a smile: "Don't call me Sui Shuren anymore. Just call me Auntie, like Jinbao does. Sit down, sit down, you can start eating now."
"Thank you, Auntie!" Zhang Jinbao sat down. "This must be the most sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner I've ever had!"
The round table was covered with all kinds of food. Apart from a few refreshing side dishes, the rest were all big fish and meat dishes. The children present kept swallowing their saliva. After Zhao Sanniu ate the first dish, they began to pick up their chopsticks. They were like wild wolves that hadn't eaten for three or four days. In no time, they had devoured more than half of the dishes on the table.
"Delicious, so delicious!"
"Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie. I will definitely repay this meal when I go to the battlefield."
"The way you're talking makes it sound like you have a chance to go to war."
"What if there's a chance..."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and shook her head.
With the capital city in crisis, these greenhorns might actually get a taste of the dangers and crises on the front lines.
She didn't know exactly how the General of the Cavalry arranged these soldiers, but as a woman, she wouldn't interfere in the affairs of the military camp.
All she could do was remind the children to be careful and never to panic.
Soon it was the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, which was New Year's Eve. Officials of the third rank and above were allowed to bring their families to the palace to attend the banquet.
Cheng Wanwan, being a third-rank lady, naturally had to go. Zhao Sidan also wanted to see the world, but she refused. She took Granny Qi and Cheng Yi with her and rode in a carriage to the palace.
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