Chapter 634 Zhao Xiuyuan's Grand Gift?
“Madam, his only son is currently serving in the Li family army. Although he is shrewd, he is a smart man and knows our identities. The general has used him before, so he is considered one of our own and trustworthy.”
As Dongzang spoke, he turned to Jiang Nuanzhi and said, "Madam, should I go and retrieve what Zhao Xiuyuan mentioned now? I'm getting impatient. Do you think he really has evidence against Xiao Yuanshan?"
"That's good." Jiang Nuanzhi suddenly frowned: "Dongzang, do you know Mr. You'an?"
Dongzang was taken aback. Weren't they just talking about the things Zhao Xiuyuan gave them? Why are they suddenly talking about Mr. You'an?
Even though she was confused, she still honestly replied, "Who doesn't know Mr. You'an?"
Even a roughneck like me has heard a bit about it; supposedly, one of his paintings or calligraphy is worth a thousand gold pieces—no, no, it should be ten thousand.
Jiang Nuanzhi: "Do you know what your general's nickname is?"
"General's nickname, tsk, what's it called, An something? Hehe, um, Madam, we don't know what that intimate nickname means." Dongzang scratched his forehead: "I only heard General Xin mention it once, but I didn't hear it clearly."
"His name is You'an."
As she spoke, Jiang Nuanzhi looked at Dongzang with a look of utter despair.
Dongzang was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh after a while: "Madam, you don't mean to let our general impersonate Mr. You'an to write calligraphy, do you? Even if the small characters are the same, your idea is still not acceptable. How embarrassing would it be if someone caught us? We might not sell the calligraphy for money, but instead ruin the reputation of our manor."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "."
"Is it possible that he is You'an?"
Dongzang froze, then almost burst into laughter the next second.
"Hahaha, Madam, you're so funny. Our general is a roughneck, he's definitely not one of those pedantic scholars! You should give up on that idea. If you're short of money, Dongzang will take on a few jobs killing and selling goods for you to earn."
Jiang Nuanzhi: "."
He glanced at Dongzang's sincere face, and although he had the words on the tip of his tongue several times, he ultimately held them back.
"Never mind, let's get down to business."
There was no need for her to say this to Dongzang!
The two of them made a trip to the south of the city, and even though they walked very fast, it took them an hour to return.
The moon overhead was big and round, and its light illuminated the stone path in the courtyard clearly. The two stepped into the room under the moonlight and went straight into the bedroom.
Lin Chun had been waiting for a long time, and after closing the door tightly, she turned around to look at Jiang Nuanzhi and the other person.
"Master, why have you been gone for so long? Did something happen?"
"Yes, something has happened, but it's good news!"
Jiang Nuanzhi took a sip of tea: "I never expected Zhao Xiuyuan to give me such a big gift!"
It has to be said that Zhao Xiuyuan is a living devil. Whoever takes him under their wing is destined to meet their maker.
He betrayed A Rong in the past, and now he's exposed Xiao Yuanshan's true colors in front of him.
As she spoke, Jiang Nuanzhi took a booklet from a box and gave it to Lin Chun.
Lin Chun took it, flipped through a couple of pages and examined it closely. The next second, her pupils suddenly contracted: "This is... Xiao Yuanshan's ledger of embezzlement, illegal tax collection, and illegal mining over the years! My God, he remembers everything so clearly, down to the smallest detail! With this, even if Xiao Yuanshan had ten heads, it wouldn't be enough to cut them off!"
Lin Chun was shocked: "How dare he? With so much money and troops, is he planning a rebellion?"
Jiang Nuanzhi took the booklet: "This is also what I'm worried about. If what's recorded in this booklet is true, it means that the Emperor has a reason for not taking action against Xiao Yuanshan. He's recuperating, mining, collecting taxes privately, and even wants military power in Wudu. What exactly is he trying to do?"
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned and pondered for a long time before opening another cloth bag.
"This thing was hard to come by. We searched several places before finding it. It was hidden even deeper than the account book. I wonder what it is." Dongzang said, looking curiously at the cloth bag in Jiang Nuanzhi's hand.
The cloth bag was opened, revealing a small box inside. It took some effort to open the box, and inside were two yellowed letters.
The handwriting on the envelope was delicate and elegant, clearly from the same hand.
One of the letters read: "To my husband, Yuanshan."
Another letter reads: "To my younger sister, Mingyu."
"This is a letter from Li Sheng back then!!"
Clearly, the letter had already been opened and read. Jiang Nuanzhi carefully opened it to examine it closely.
The words were filled with reluctance and longing; upon reading the latter part, Jiang Nuanzhi's pupils suddenly contracted. A sudden lump formed in her throat, and her nose stung with tears.
Jiang Nuanzhi clenched her fists and put the letter away.
If she had the chance, she really wanted to throw this letter in Xiao Yuanshan's face.
She took out another letter addressed to Li Mingyu, which made Jiang Nuanzhi's stomach ache.
"Heh, what a good sister Li Sheng is. So, the Black Feather Guards were entrusted to Li Mingyu by Li Sheng back then. So, she had the Black Feather Guards put on a show with her, pretending to kill Xiao Yuanshan? What a good show."
Although it is unknown why the letter ended up in Zhao Xiuyuan's hands, it seems that it has likely been intercepted by Li Mingyu.
There might be some unknown dealings between Li Mingyu and Zhao Xiuyuan.
No wonder Zhao Xiuyuan wanted Zhao Xiyue to marry into the Prince's mansion. He had such a huge handle on Li Mingyu; once he revealed it, Li Mingyu would surely die. At that time, Zhao Xiyue would be the only one left in Xiao Yuanshan's backyard.
But now you've given this to me so easily?
Does he want both Li Mingyu and Xiao Yuanshan to die?
Jiang Nuanzhi tidied up the letters and booklets, then squinted at herself: "Dongzang, send someone to keep a close eye on Zhao Xiuyuan, and make sure he doesn't die!"
"Yes!" Dongzang responded and went out to make the arrangements.
Jiang Nuanzhi then looked at Lin Chun: "How are the things I asked you to prepare during the day?"
"Everything is ready."
While helping Jiang Nuanzhi change her clothes, Lin Chun said gently, "The people you brought back from the palace today are very useful. They are already doing their jobs in the mansion. It has saved a lot of effort. In addition, I have also asked the steward to repair the General's Mansion. The things there are quite dilapidated. It will take at least a month before we can move in."
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded: "That's good. How is Uncle Zhong? If there are no problems, we'll prepare for the surgery now."
"I'm doing well," Lin Chun replied with a smile. "Except for the excruciating pain I experience every evening when I have an attack, I eat and sleep well the rest of the time. I even played chess with Xin Bo this morning."
Lin Chun said, bringing over some food: "Have something to eat first, I'll go call Lü Shizhu and the others. I know you'll probably have surgery when you get back tonight, so I'll arrange for them to get some rest so they won't be too tired and delay your business tonight."
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded and told Lin Chun to get ready.
With only tomorrow remaining until our three-day appointment with Xiao Yuanshan, the surgery is imperative to prevent any further mishaps from him.
Furthermore, Zhongbo and his men were Arong's trusted confidants who had shared life and death with her. She didn't send them to the front lines, but she wanted to put his mind at ease before going to war.
Not just for A-Rong, but also for this land that countless people shed their blood to protect.
(End of this chapter)
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