Chapter 91: It's all yours
The next moment, her wrist was grabbed by the boy.
"Why did you pinch yourself?" the boy gently scolded, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek, his face full of heartache.
"Look, they've all turned red."
Yu Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really you? You're back?"
He Jing laughed, "Of course it's me. Who else do you think it could be?"
Yu Wan asked, "Did you give me this box too?"
He Jing nodded, "Don't you like these? These were all bestowed by the Emperor, and they contain all my wealth. They're all yours now."
Yu Wan felt something was off about what he said, and quickly stuffed the box back into his hands.
"I don't want your things; I have plenty of them too. This is a reward for leading troops into battle; you can keep it for yourself."
He Jing stuffed it back into her hand, saying, "Just take it. You like these things the most, don't you? I'll give them back to you when I have more."
Yu Wan wanted to return it to him, but the boy immediately changed the subject.
"Your father and brother are coming back soon, and your brother is quite capable; I've already asked him for merit in battle. However, your father was injured and will probably need to recuperate for a while."
Yu Wan felt relieved to hear that they were alright. Injuries didn't matter, as long as they were alive.
"You won the battle, and the Liang Kingdom and their allies withdrew their troops. Does that mean Xue Xiujun has also succeeded?"
He Jing felt uneasy and reluctantly hummed in agreement.
"Breakfast is ready."
Yu Wan pressed on, "What happened to Xue Xiujun's uncle? Did you really kill him? If I want to go to Liang in the future, will I be in danger?"
He Jing, with a dark expression, didn't answer and carried the breakfast out of the kitchen.
Yu Wan felt that he seemed to have reverted to the way he was when they first met. All she wanted to do was inquire about the Liang Kingdom, as this was related to whether she could expand her business all over the world in the future.
In the following days, He Jing ignored everyone, and Yu Wan didn't bother to bother him either. If he didn't want to talk to her, so be it; she could ask someone else.
She noticed that the dozen or so new employees she had hired were doing better and better, and most importantly, they were very gossipy and knowledgeable about wars in various countries.
Sometimes she would sneak over to listen, but these people would shut up every time they found her there.
That day, Yu Wan had just heard them say that the new emperor of Liang had ascended the throne, personally sent a bunch of traitors to the execution ground, and in just one month purged the court, managed domestic affairs, and did many good things for the country and the people, such as reducing taxes, and also advocating for land reclamation and farming to allow the people to recuperate.
He's so young, yet he's quite adept at being an emperor.
"Do you really think there will be no more wars in the future?"
"How could that be? It's just that all countries have suffered heavy losses, so they've made peace temporarily. After all, if the fighting continues like this, no one will benefit. Even a powerful country like Liang has suffered heavy losses in the war against Jin, let alone other smaller countries."
"If you ask me, it has to be our young general from Jin Kingdom who is truly amazing. After fighting for so many years, General He has never yielded an inch of ground. He is simply my idol, my only idol!"
"Tch, your General He of Jin Kingdom is indeed capable, but he's not exactly honorable. He uses underhanded tactics on the battlefield, joining forces with the Crown Prince of Liang Kingdom—one fakes his death, the other disappears. What's going on with these two? Shouldn't they be enemies? How did they end up cooperating? Did he betray Jin Kingdom?"
"How could that be? Are you even from Jin? How could you speak of General He like that?"
Yu Wan also felt that the person's tone was not right. He didn't seem to be from Jin or Liang. Could he be from another country?
She originally intended to continue listening, in case she discovered any crucial clues, and immediately call He Jing to arrest him. The hard-won ceasefire couldn't be allowed to be reignited by some opportunists.
Unfortunately, they were discovered, and these people, in perfect unison, scattered with laughter and continued with their work.
Yu Wan squinted as she observed these people, sensing something was off.
But she had been observing them for a long time and hadn't been able to find any evidence against them.
Suddenly, everything went dark, and she realized that the boy was blocking her view.
He Jing said coldly, "What are you looking at?"
Yu Wan couldn't easily accuse someone, and without solid evidence, she didn't want to say it aloud, so she just made up a reason.
"To appreciate beauty."
Little did she know that He Jing's expression was about to freeze over.
“They are lazy and good-for-nothing, they don’t work hard at all, they are always thinking of ways to shirk their duties, and they have huge appetites. I suggest we fire them,” He Jing said.
Yu Wan was keeping a close eye on those people, how could she not know?
She just wanted to figure out why these people approached her.
She had previously thought that the people sent by the Imperial Concubine and the remnants of the Prime Minister were there to take revenge on her, so she deliberately revealed her weaknesses several times, waiting for them to make their move.
For example, he would pretend to be drunk, or go up the mountain alone, providing them with various opportunities to assassinate him. Later, he discovered that what they cared about most was actually rice.
"No, we can't fire him." She hadn't figured out the truth yet, so it was better to keep it under her nose.
If they fire you, they might secretly take action, which would be impossible to guard against.
Seeing that she was still sticking her head out and looking at those people over his body, He Jing took a step to block her view.
“I think there’s something wrong with them, they shouldn’t stay.”
Yu Wan finally looked at his face and exclaimed in surprise, "You noticed too? No wonder you're a young general!"
He Jing was suddenly praised, and a shy smile appeared on his originally cold face.
"So you felt something was off about them, which is why you've been monitoring them?"
Yu Wan rolled her eyes at him. "Of course, otherwise why would I be so bored?"
He Jing felt a little better and looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
“Awan, when your father and brother come back, I want to…”
Yu Wan suddenly tugged at his sleeve, gesturing for him to look in a certain direction. Seeing that he was about to speak, she quickly covered his mouth and whispered a reminder in his ear.
"Don't make a sound."
Two employees, a man and a woman, cautiously avoided the crowd and went to a secluded corner, whispering to each other, their conversation unreadable.
Yu Wan has built this empire over the course of a year, and she will not tolerate anyone sabotaging it!
She was too far away to hear anything clearly.
Soft, delicate fingers touched the boy's thin lips, causing his ears to turn red and his heart to race.
The girl's face was so close, it seemed as if the slightest movement of one would touch the other's cheek.
She seemed to be saying something, and the sound that reached his ears was like celestial music, lingering in his mind.
It wasn't until I felt a poke in my ribs that I finally came to my senses.
Yu Wan said angrily, "What are you doing? Are you stupid? Your hearing is better than mine, did you hear what they were saying?"
He Jing stared blankly at her, stammering for a long time without saying anything useful, which greatly annoyed Yu Wan.
Yu Wan noticed his unusual behavior and saw that his cheeks were flushed.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Since recovering from his serious injuries a year ago, he has hardly been sick. Now, having just returned from the battlefield, he immediately started making breakfast for everyone as soon as he arrived this morning, without taking a break for a moment.
She didn't understand the great hero and even blamed him, which was really wrong of her.
She felt a pang of guilt. "If you're tired, go and rest. You don't need to worry about anything else. By the way, Elder Rong is here these days. Ask him to take your pulse."
Yu Wan saw the two sneaking into the kitchen and worried that they might poison the food. Just as she was about to follow them, someone grabbed her wrist.
She looked bewildered. "What? Are you too sick to walk? I'll call someone to come and help you."
He felt a warm glow inside when he heard her concern for him. "I'll go with you to take a look."
"Are you alright?" Yu Wan asked.
He Jing shook his head and quietly followed her into the kitchen.
The chefs were busy with their work, focused on their tasks, oblivious to everyone and everything around them. It wasn't until someone saw Yu Wan and was about to call out to her that Yu Wan gestured for them to remain silent.
The two men crept up to a plate of steamed pork with rice flour, staring intently at the meat. Neither of them took a bite; instead, they pushed each other, seemingly unwilling to be the first.
Yu Wan sneered inwardly: If you poison me, I'll have He Jing beat you to a pulp and then hand you over to the authorities!
He Jing was ready to take action, as long as they dared to touch him.
After the two pushed each other, the boy finally gave in. Seeing that the chefs were all focused on cooking and no one was paying attention to him, he slowly reached out and touched the steamed pork with rice flour.
Yu Wan noticed that there was no powder on his hands. Could it be that the poison was colorless and odorless, and had already stuck to his hands, so that he could poison the food as soon as he touched it?
Before she could finish wondering, He Jing rushed over and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly. With a sharp squeeze, several cracking sounds of bones breaking were heard.
The boy looked terrified, his expression frozen in surprise. Before he could react, he was kicked away.
"ah--"
The boy's entire body flew and crashed into the wall, then slid down the wall and lay on the ground screaming in pain.
"Have mercy! I promise I won't do it again."
He Jing sneered, "You want a next time? Your accent doesn't sound like you're from Jin. Tell me, who sent you?"
The boy pursed his lips; he had been howling, but fell silent after being asked that question.
The girl tried to slip away, but Yu Wan blocked her way.
"Madam, is there some misunderstanding? We just wanted to come in and take a look; we had no other ill intentions."
Yu Wan, hands on hips, said, "He Suzhi, search him!"
We'll see what kind of poison they're trying to use to frame us.
Upon hearing the name He Suzhi, the two men looked at He Jing with disbelief and shock.
"What? You're General He?"
After Yu Wan returned from the capital, she did not reveal He Jing's true identity. Somehow, everyone knew about it in private.
He Jing squatted down, grabbed the boy by the collar, lifted him up like a chick, and then searched his entire body, but found nothing.
The commotion in the kitchen reached many of the workers, who crowded around the door to watch the spectacle.
The boy struggled and said, "What are you looking for? I have nothing on me!"
Yu Wan pointed at the girl, "Maybe it's on her."
He Jing threw the boy to the ground, then looked at the girl with a troubled expression.
“A-Wan, I’ve caught her, you search her.”
Yu Wan nodded. Today she was determined to make an example of someone, to show everyone who was planning to do something bad behind her back that no one who dared to do anything to offend her would be let off easily.
The girl didn't struggle at all, and even seemed quite at ease.
"Hmph! Search all you want!"
He Jing raised a thick eyebrow and looked back and forth between the two men, finding it all quite strange.
"And where are you from? You don't seem to be from the same country as him."
The girl suddenly lost her arrogance, as if her vital point had been seized, and lowered her head in silence.
Yu Wan noticed that the dozen or so people outside the door were looking at each other, looking very guilty.
The best course of action now is to deal with these two things as soon as possible, and we can take care of the rest later when we have the chance.
"Speak up, you sneaked into the kitchen and tried to touch these dishes, what are you trying to do?"
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