Chapter 30
The waiter immediately observed Wei Yan's expression carefully.
He said in a deep voice: "Bring it here."
The waiter then went to the door of the study and brought the brocade box to the desk.
Wei Yan looked carefully at the brocade box in front of him with his old but still sharp eyes. The box was obviously quite old, and the brocade cloth glued to the box had turned yellow.
He unlocked the box, opened it, and when he saw what was inside, his eyes suddenly darkened.
The waiter saw his expression change, and hurriedly took a look at the contents of the box. Then he was shocked and asked, "He... He Jingyuan, have you read this letter?"
Inside the jewel box was a letter and a black iron token.
Wei Yan raised his hand and picked up the letter. He saw that the envelope was old, but the seal was intact and there was no signature on it. It looked like someone had packed the contents in a new envelope a long time ago.
He said in a deep voice: "He didn't dare to open it."
He raised his hand and tore open the envelope. Inside was indeed another opened letter. The letter paper and cover had turned yellow, and were stained with blood that had dried and oxidized to a light yellow color.
On the cover were written the words "Written by Meng Shuyuan himself".
Wei Yan held the emperor's helm and ordered the princes for many years. Although he was criticized in the court, his calligraphy was ranked among the best among the contemporary calligraphers.
Anyone who has seen his handwriting can tell that the words on the envelope were written by him.
When Wei Yan saw the letter, his cold expression finally eased a little, but his eyes were still as sharp as a hawk: "Why did the things I asked the Xuanzi death squad to get fall into He Jingyuan's hands?"
The waiter lowered his head, sweat dripping from his face, "I'll order someone to check it out now."
Wei Yan waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary. He saw that there was also a letter from Jizhou sent along with the brocade box. After opening it and reading it, he threw the letter on the table and said, "He is begging me to spare the two daughters of the traitor."
The waiter had been able to serve Wei Yan for many years, so he was naturally good at understanding people's hearts. He glanced at the memorial from He Jingyuan, which said that bandits had attacked Qingping County and killed many innocent people. The bandits had now been executed, and he understood the meaning of Wei Yan's words.
He Jingyuan helped Wei Yan get back what he wanted, hoping that Wei Yan would stop and let the man's two daughters go.
The waiter's eyes moved slightly, and he said, "General He probably also thought of the friendship between us as former comrades. You asked him to kill those two people to test his loyalty, and he did it, didn't he? I think General He has always been loyal to you, but he is just too soft-hearted."
Wei Yan sneered, "Do you think he got this thing early, or is it true as he said in his memorial that he mistakenly thought there was a bandit problem in Qingping County and sent troops to suppress the bandits and mistakenly captured the Xuanzihao death squad, and then he learned that I was looking for this thing?"
The waiter pondered, "After you asked him to kill those two, didn't you send someone to keep an eye on them? He Jingyuan doesn't seem to know about this, so I think it's the latter."
He said in a stern voice, "It is better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one go. Although he has not opened the letter, he has thought of using this letter to ask me to spare the daughter of the traitor. He must have guessed what this is."
The waiter said carefully: "You mean, we should treat him like we did to the Marquis..."
He made a gesture of wiping his neck.
Wei Yan stared at the memorial on the table, pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head: "It has been more than 16 years since the Battle of Jinzhou. A few months ago, the deaths of Prince Chengde and Xie Linshan were suddenly brought up again among the people. Zheng'er will go to thoroughly investigate the files about this battle. I think he was guided by someone with ulterior motives. The person behind the scenes has not yet appeared, but he has forced me to break the best sword in my hand."
Wei Yan's tone suddenly became stern when he said this: "The battle situation in Chongzhou is at a stalemate right now. Maybe the person behind the scenes has made some moves secretly. If He Jingyuan's sword is broken, the southwest area will be handed over to others. The traitor knew what was going on and didn't tell the two daughters anything about what happened back then. The two young girls are nothing to be afraid of, so let's just leave them alive for now."
The waiter praised: "The Prime Minister is famous."
But he also knew in his heart that he compromised and spared He Jingyuan's life only because He Jingyuan could still be used by him after knowing the truth of the battle of Jinzhou. The man who betrayed him only had two daughters. How could the women take revenge? There was no need to worry about any hidden dangers.
But Xie Zheng was different. He could not forgive the murder of his father.
Therefore, the talented people in front of them took the initiative and set a trap in the battle of Chongzhou, causing Dayin, the god of war who was awarded the title of marquis at a young age for his military achievements, to die there.
Wei Yan ignored the waiter's flattery. He took a final glance at the yellowed letter paper after sixteen years, then threw it into the charcoal basin beside the table.
The red-hot silver bone charcoal instantly burned a big hole in the letter paper. As the dark brown hole on the letter paper grew larger, the entire piece of letter paper was gradually swallowed by the flames. The war and blood from sixteen years ago seemed to have turned into smoke and dust in the flames, and no one knew the truth of that year anymore.
With the firelight reflected in his eyes, Wei Yan said in a deep voice: "Let's hand over the battle of Chongzhou to He Jingyuan for now. Those who want to bring the battle of Jinzhou sixteen years ago to the stage will not stop. Let the death squads of the ground level keep a close eye on it. If there is any unusual movement, I will definitely catch the rat hiding in the dark and stirring up trouble!"
The waiter asked: "Could it be Master Li's party..."
Wei Yan shook his head, his old face showing a calmness as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff: "If that old guy had noticed the clues of the battle in Jinzhou that year, he would not have waited for sixteen years to bring up the past."
He said slowly, "After the death of Crown Prince Chengde in battle, the Eastern Palace caught fire and both the Crown Princess and the Emperor's grandson died in the fire. The Crown Princess's face was still half recognizable, but the Emperor's grandson was burned into a mummy. I hope the one who died that year was really the Emperor's grandson."
The waiter heard the implication of his words and broke out in a cold sweat. He said, "The one who could die with the Crown Princess must be the Emperor's grandson. Apart from the Emperor's grandson, where else could there be such a young boy in the East Palace?"
Wei Yan just said, "I hope so."
-
Jizhou.
It was New Year's Eve, but the imperial army was defeated in Chongzhou. Jizhou was adjacent to Chongzhou, and all officials above the seventh rank in Jizhou Prefecture were unable to spend a peaceful new year, and were called to the Jizhou government office to discuss countermeasures.
A letter was delivered to He Jingyuan's desk. After He Jingyuan unfolded it and read it, he sighed: "The Prime Minister's eldest son thinks the fire on the Chongzhou battlefield is not big enough!"
Zheng Wenchang, who was standing below, asked, "Why do you say that, sir?"
He Jingyuan handed the official document with the seal of the Northwest Jiedushi to his subordinates. After the officials in the study passed it around, they discussed it a lot.
Zheng Wenchang said angrily: "There are 17 prefectures in the entire Dayin Dynasty, and the northwest occupies 4 prefectures. Chongzhou has rebelled, leaving only Huizhou, Jizhou, and Taizhou. Huizhou is where troops are stationed. In order to weaken the military power of the Jiedushi, the court has always strictly prohibited the storage of grain and cultivation of crops in places where troops are stationed. Now, only Jizhou and Taizhou are left in the entire northwest to provide grain. Wei Xuan wants our two prefectures to collect 100,000 shi of grain each within three days. Isn't this asking too much!"
Another official said, "I heard that Taizhou couldn't collect grain, so the Jiedushi sent troops to forcibly collect grain yesterday. The soldiers took away the seeds left by the farmers! The people can't even think about planting next spring. It would be lucky if they don't starve to death in this severe winter!"
"Those soldiers under Wei Xuan don't treat the people as human beings. I heard that they killed many farmers who refused to hand over grain. This matter has not been spread yet. Once it is spread, the Wei family will have another bad reputation!"
He Jingyuan listened to the officials below arguing, but he did not say anything. When they were arguing more and more, he asked, "Why can't we collect grain from the northwest this year?"
The food and fodder for the 100,000 soldiers in the Huizhou camp had always been allocated by the imperial court, but the war in Chongzhou blocked the food supply and the food and fodder arrived late.
If the battle of Chongzhou had ended earlier, the situation would not have ended like this. However, the war god of Dayin, Marquis Wu'an, had been killed there, and the impact on the morale of the three armies was not small.
The new governor, Wei Xuan, was also an ambitious man. In order to quickly seize control of Huizhou's 100,000 troops, he demoted or transferred important generals under the Marquis of Wu'an to distant places.
The group of troops he brought with him were completely unfamiliar with the war situation in the northwest. They suffered several defeats in succession, their morale was repeatedly damaged, and they forcibly stretched the battle line, using up all the existing food and fodder in the Huizhou camp.
Huizhou is in a state of emergency. Logically speaking, the other three prefectures in Xizhou should be able to provide supplies first. Even if there are only two prefectures left now, it is not impossible to collect any food and fodder.
Zheng Wenchang, who had been like a firecracker, clasped his fists and said, "I have ordered people to check. Not long ago, a businessman named Zhao bought a lot of grain in Ji and Tai states at high prices. The people only kept the seeds for spring planting and the coarse grains for their own consumption. The rest of the grain was sold and exchanged for silver for the New Year."
He Jingyuan said: "Check the merchant named Zhao."
Zheng Wenchang should agree.
He Jingyuan said: "Today is New Year's Eve, so there is no need to discuss matters anymore. Let's all go back early."
The officials below, who were originally filled with hatred and resentment, were delighted to hear his words, but they suppressed their joy and bowed politely before leaving one after another.
Only Zheng Wenchang kept frowning.
Everyone in the room had left, leaving him alone standing there.
He Jingyuan stood up from behind his desk and saw him still standing there, so he couldn't help asking, "Why don't you go home?"
Zheng Wenchang was worried and said, "Sir, since Wei Xuan has specifically asked us in Jizhou Prefecture to gather 100,000 dan of rice within three days, what should we do if we can't do it after three days?"
He Jingyuan said, "Didn't I ask you to check the business of that merchant named Zhao?"
Zheng Wenchang said nothing. The merchant had been buying grain since early morning. Even if they found out, if the grain was sold somewhere else, it would be like a drop in the ocean.
He Jingyuan suddenly stopped and looked at the young man in front of him, his eyes gentle and powerful: "Do you want me to do the same as Wei Xuan and let my subordinates snatch food from the people?"
Zheng Wenchang hurriedly said he didn't dare, but he still looked a little hesitant: "Then...how are you going to explain to the Wei family?"
He Jingyuan said, "There is always a way, but this way is not to put a knife on the necks of the people. Wen Chang, it doesn't matter what party the court officials scold us for. What's important is that we know in our hearts that this official is for the people of Dayin."
Zheng Wenchang nodded in shame and said, "I appreciate your advice."
He Jingyuan said no more.
It was snowing heavily outside. He walked out of the study, thinking about the things he had sent to the capital after learning of the defeat in the Chongzhou battle, which Wei Yan must have seen.
If the transfer order from the capital had been delivered before Wei Xuan launched the rebellion, then Wei Xuan had nothing to fear.
Wei Xuan is now in a hurry to collect grain, probably because he is afraid of being severely punished by Wei, so he wants to achieve some success quickly.
There was no one else in the northwest, and Wei Yan was the only one left. He took the risk and used that method to save the lives of the two sisters, which might work.
There was only so much he could do.
Hearing the sound of firecrackers from the streets in the distance, He Jingyuan's eyes revealed some complicated and sad emotions: "During festivals, we must burn some offerings to the people over there. There is an old friend, and no one will remember to burn money and paper for him anymore. I am ashamed to see him. Wen Chang, you come with me to the outskirts of the city and burn some money and paper for me for the old friend."
Zheng Wenchang should agree.
A horse-drawn carriage drove out of the main city of Jizhou and stopped on a hillside.
The mountain wind was howling. He Jingyuan lit the incense himself, bowed three times towards the north, and then stuck it into the ground. He then stepped away and let Zheng Wenchang burn all the paper money there.
The wind whipped up tongues of flame, and the pile of paper money that had not yet been burned was blown everywhere. The white paper money was mixed in the white falling snow, making the scene seem a bit desolate and miserable for no reason.
When Zheng Wenchang finished burning the offerings and walked down the short slope, he saw He Jingyuan standing with his back to the slope, looking a little sad.
On the way back, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency has always been kind and generous, why do you say you are ashamed to see an old friend?"
He Jingyuan sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, as if taking a nap. Hearing this, he only replied: "Under the current situation, there are things that we have to do."
-
Lin'an Town.
The trampled snow was covered with water-soaked paper money.
When the wind was strong, a lot of paper money was blown away.
The road was muddy and difficult to walk on after the snow melted. Fan Changyu carried Changning on the ridge of the field, while Xie Zheng followed behind with an expressionless face, carrying her bamboo basket filled with incense, wax paper and candles.
It is a tradition in the town to burn incense, candles and paper money at the graves of deceased relatives on New Year's Eve.
Fan Changyu's parents were buried on a mountain outside the town with excellent feng shui.
Because it was a new grave, there was almost no weeds in front of the grave, so Fan Changyu put Changning down when they arrived at the place.
It has been nearly two months since her parents passed away. When Chang Ning saw the two grave mounds, tears welled up in her eyes: "Daddy, Mommy..."
Fan Changyu touched his sister's head and coaxed her, "Don't cry. It's New Year's Day. You should be happy. Only when our parents see us can they feel relieved in heaven."
Little Changning sniffed hard and held back his tears.
After lighting incense and candles, Fan Changyu asked Changning to kowtow in front of the grave, while he took out the ghost papers from the bamboo basket and burned them in an iron basin specially used for paper ashes.
After Chang Ning finished bowing, he also squatted over to burn paper money with Fan Changyu. Seeing Xie Zheng standing beside him, he took a large portion of the paper money in his hand and gave it to Xie Zheng: "Brother-in-law, burn paper money!"
Xie Zheng hesitated for a moment, then picked up some paper money and started burning it. The smell of the ashes was a bit pungent, and the rising smoke made Chang Ning unable to see, so he had to hide away for the time being.
Only Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng were left by the brazier.
Xie Zheng noticed that she divided the paper money in the basket into four parts and asked, "Who are the remaining two parts for?"
Fan Changyu said: "My grandparents were burned for them by my parents in the past. Now that my parents are gone, I just burn them for them together."
Xie Zheng frowned silently. How could her mother know her parents' birth dates when she didn't even know her original surname?
He increasingly felt that her mother's surname was deliberately concealed on the tablet.
As for why her father did not hide his surname, either Fan was not her father's original surname, or... her father used another surname before.
Although he had some doubts in his mind, he had no intention of asking her grandfather's surname.
He could already guess the result, and when he asked her, she still knew nothing.
Seeing that he was silent, Fan Changyu thought that he was thinking about his deceased parents, so he said generously: "We still have a lot of paper money at home, you can burn some for your parents later."
Xie Zheng's slender fingertips were twisting a piece of Ming coin that was caught in the flames. His eyebrows showed a bit of indifference in the firelight and smoke: "Is it really useful to burn these things?"
Fan Changyu really couldn't answer this question. She thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it will be useful. The old people all said that when people are there, they have to pay money to bribe the ghost messengers, otherwise they will suffer. Even if it's useless, it's still a thought."
People burn paper money during festivals to show that there are still people in this world who remember the dead.
Xie Zheng said nothing more, but occasionally threw some paper money into the basin. His eyelashes were half-closed, making it impossible to discern the meaning in his eyes.
He threw too much paper money, and the unburned paper piled up and produced thick smoke. Fan Changyu was almost in tears because of the smoke. He closed his eyes and turned his face away and said, "Don't put too much at a time."
She reached out to touch the paper money in the bamboo basket, but instead of touching any paper money, she felt a large, slightly cool hand.
Fan Changyu quickly let go as if he had received an electric shock, and opened his almond-shaped eyes that were filled with tears from the smoke, and said in an embarrassed and wolfish tone: "Sorry."
The back of his hand still retained the warm touch. Xie Zheng pursed his lips lightly and was about to say "it's okay". When he raised his eyes and saw her tears in the corners of her eyes and the redness at the corners of her eyes, he was slightly startled.
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