Xie Wanyun quickly changed the subject. "Queen Dowager, it's not normal for us women to get involved in important court affairs, but there's something I really don't understand."
The Queen Mother stopped smiling and said, "You can say whatever you want to say here. Just remember, keep your mouth shut once you leave the Cining Palace."
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Take the matter of sending troops to Mobei for example. Some people are against it, and some are in favor of it. However, some officials are in high positions and have great power. They should be thinking about the country and the people, but instead they seem to be thinking about themselves. And the emperor seems to be - condoning it. To be honest, I don't quite understand." Xie Wanyun said after choosing his words.
The Queen Mother half closed her eyes and said after a while, "The Emperor has his own difficulties."
"I'm afraid these people won't understand the emperor's painstaking efforts, and instead will become even more aggressive, endangering the country."
"It's not that time yet. If that day really comes, no matter who he is, he will not be tolerated." The Queen Mother said this in a firm tone.
Xie Wanyun felt relieved after knowing the attitudes of the emperor and the empress dowager. She chatted with the empress dowager for a while before saying goodbye and going home.
Soon after leaving the palace, he saw that the Ministry of War had set up a recruitment point on the street. It turned out that the war on the front was tense and there was a shortage of soldiers, so the court was recruiting new soldiers.
The people of Shangjing lived a good life, and few wanted to join the army. The people from the Ministry of War were anxious, and they would grab any adult men and ask if they were willing to join the army. If they couldn't escape, they would be dragged over.
Xie Wanyun couldn't help but shake his head.
When the carriage passed by the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, he saw that the once majestic mansion had become somewhat desolate and dilapidated due to being uninhabited for a long time, and he felt a mixture of emotions.
He ordered the carriage to stop and walked in slowly.
The few servants who stayed behind saw their mistress return and gathered around to pay their respects. Xie Wanyun walked around the mansion and felt the desolate atmosphere penetrate deep into her bones.
She went to the ancestral hall, burned incense in front of the spirit tablet of the deceased Xie family members, and wiped the dust off the tablet with her own hands.
Through the cold wooden plaques, she seemed to see vivid faces, and then she remembered that she had not burned paper for them for a long time.
This was during a time of war, and burning paper money privately was absolutely forbidden, because paper money was burned for the dead and would be considered a curse on the country's soldiers to fail and die.
Xie Wanyun didn't believe these claims at all. If burning paper money could curse someone, then there wouldn't be any need to go to the battlefield. They could just compete with each other in burning paper money.
It was already late, so she took out some paper money and burned it in the yard. The flames danced, and a cool breeze blew.
While she was burning, she was talking to her dead father and brother.
Suddenly, a figure jumped out from the darkness and shouted, "Xie Wanyun! How dare you burn paper money at this time? Are you cursing our dynasty's defeat?"
The man limped over as he spoke.
"Qin Su'an, it's you." Xie Wanyun stood up and said coldly.
Qin Su'an looked at Xie Wanyun's outfit, filled with jealousy.
She had just come out of the palace, wearing a bright red brocade robe, looking rich, elegant, and cool.
Looking at myself again, I was unkempt, my old cotton-padded jacket was frayed at the cuffs, and my cotton-padded shoes were torn. The whole person was just two words: shabby.
In the past two years, his madness had improved, and when he was sober, he wandered around. Today, he happened to visit the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and saw Xie Wanyun's carriage parked outside. Knowing she had returned, he wanted to ask her for some money. So, he slipped in while the gatekeeper wasn't paying attention and saw her burning paper.
Great, now I have something on her. Should I extort a large sum of money from her, or report her to the police?
Although Xie Wanyun has been supporting him and Liu Yuner over the years, Qin Su'an does not appreciate her kindness. These are what he deserves. The remaining assets of the Qin family are still in her hands. Shouldn't she support them?
"Xie Wanyun, I didn't expect that you would burn paper money at this time when the war is intense at the front? You are too vicious. Do you hope that the imperial court will be defeated?" Qin Su'an said sternly.
Xie Wanyun hadn't expected to meet him, but she was too lazy to pay attention to him. She said calmly, "What do you want?"
"I'm going to report it to the police. You can expect to go to jail!"
Xie Wanyun put the paper money in his hand into the fire one by one, and the flames that had already dimmed became brighter.
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