Chapter 115 Gossip: The eldest son of the Xie family has someone he likes.
Fu Yao also got into the car. When she saw Ye Miheng, her eyebrows furrowed and she was about to tell him to leave, but Yue Yining stopped her. "It's alright, Yao Yao. Go sit in the front. We'll talk about something."
After coaxing Fu Yao away, Yue Yining looked at him and asked, "Speak, what is it?"
Ye Miheng spoke with a strong sense of resentment: "I could tell at the dinner table just now that you and Xie Qingyu have been seeing each other behind your backs. He even acted like you were very familiar with each other. Why do you associate with someone like that?"
Ye Miheng grew angrier as he spoke, and finally couldn't contain himself any longer. He angrily said, "Do you know his true colors? Do you think he's a good person? That Xie fellow is no good. He's a manipulator, two-faced, and a treacherous villain!"
Yue Yining: "......."
She thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be this.
Although Ye Miheng appeared very angry, Yue Yining couldn't help but defend Xie Qingyu, saying, "I think you've misunderstood. He's not that kind of person."
Ye Miheng gritted his teeth and said, "Yue Yining, you're the one who can't judge a person! You think he's good because he always pretends to be innocent in front of you! He's extremely mean to me, but he acts all sweet and gentle in front of you! You're so smart, I don't believe you didn't notice anything, or do you just like him like that?"
Feeling a little guilty for being caught out, Yue Yining changed the subject: "You may have some grudges, but I don't think you're bad people, so don't be angry."
Ye Miheng sneered: "Grievance? There is indeed a grudge! Do you know that the reason why the sachet you gave me was lost was because he was behind it all?"
Yue Yining was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Ye Miheng looked at her, his chest heaving, looking furious.
He said, word by word, "During the spring hunt, he arranged for someone to deliberately shoot my horse, causing me to be thrown off. It was during that time that the sachet you gave me was taken away in the chaos!"
"You mean Xie Qingyu hired someone to harm you?" Yue Yining looked surprised and subconsciously retorted, "How could that be? Why would he do such a thing—"
She paused for a moment, not finishing her sentence.
She remembered that kiss again.
Ye Miheng looked at the silent Yue Yining, scrutinizing her carefully, until finally the faint light in his eyes disappeared.
He let out a breath and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Looks like you already knew he liked you, huh?"
"Then why are you letting him get close to you? What do you mean by that?" Ye Miheng tightened his jaw and stared at her. "Are you planning to accept him, or do you also have feelings for him?"
Yue Yining pursed her lips, "I..."
She never gave a reason in the end. Ye Miheng angrily flung the carriage curtain, jumped off the carriage, and left.
Fu Yao lifted the curtain and looked in: "Miss? What did you talk about? Why is he so angry?"
"..." Yue Yining was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's nothing."
"Let's go, Yao Yao, we should head back too."
A few days later, the group finally returned to the capital.
Several months have passed since we last met, and the lush flowers and green forests of the princess's residence have long since transformed into a dazzling golden sea, with late autumn casting a bright and clear glow over everything.
After a day of rest, the fatigue from the long journey was relieved, and Yue Yining immediately began to handle official business. A group of female officials were summoned to the Hall of Heroes in the Princess's residence for a meeting.
Yue Yining recounted everything that happened during her disaster relief trip to Qinghuai to the Princess. After listening, Wei Yihua's expression turned serious: "I understand. Are all the witnesses and evidence complete?"
Shen Liude nodded: "The evidence we collected in Qinghuai has been handed over to the Dali Temple. He Chan and others can also serve as witnesses. If all goes well, the case can be closed by the end of the year. I just don't know if Che Zilong has any connections in the Ministry of Personnel. If he has any other connections..."
"I'll take care of any connections they may have," Wei Yihua said calmly. "Send down the order to thoroughly investigate and deal with this matter; there is absolutely no room for compromise."
"yes."
Zhou Congyi pondered, "Although Lord Yue means well, the examinations for military positions in the capital are much more rigorous than those for civil positions. These women were forced into becoming outlaws; they may not all be skilled in martial arts. If they cannot stay in the capital to serve as officials, then the fate of so many people will become a problem..."
Qiu Yuebai nodded: "Congyi is right, but I heard their leader, the woman named He Chan, say that all the women who come up the mountain to follow her will practice martial arts with her. As long as they are willing to learn, she will teach them everything she knows without exception."
Zhou Congyi sighed: "That's hard to say. He may have practiced, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll become very skilled, and whether he can pass the assessment is another matter entirely. However, I believe that General He will definitely pass the military officer assessment."
Wei Yihua looked at Yue Yining: "Yining, what do you think?"
Yue Yining nodded: "I agree with everything Lord Zhou said, and this is also what I wanted to ask Your Highness."
Wei Yihua was taken aback: "Are you asking me for a favor?"
“Yes,” Yue Yining said. “I would like to request Your Highness to recruit those women who cannot pass the examination to become officials into Your Highness’s Embroidered Crimson Guard.”
“The women who followed He Chan away from Qinghuai are all resilient and unafraid of hardship. They just lack an opportunity, a chance to live a good life, and a place that can accept them. I hope Your Highness can help them.”
As soon as Yue Yining finished speaking, the other female officials present also looked at the Princess.
Wei Yihua pondered for a moment, then said softly, "Okay, I understand."
"I promise you."
When the person in front of her heard her reply, his dark eyes narrowed, and the light emanating from them was dazzling. He smiled like a child.
Wei Yihua felt a chill run down her spine when she saw her smile.
She didn't know what was wrong with her; she was clearly overjoyed, but she pretended to be angry and challenged Yue Yining: "Are you that happy? Did you think I wouldn't agree before you asked?"
Yue Yining honestly replied, "How could that be? Your Highness is benevolent and virtuous, I know that best."
“I am happy not because Your Highness granted my request, but because I am glad that I chose to follow Your Highness and become Your Highness’s advisor. Every day I am more grateful for my choice, and that is why I am happy.”
Wei Yihua's ears turned red and hot: "Yue Yining, are you being glib again?"
Yue Yining smiled lightly, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I had no such intention."
"There is another matter I would like to ask Your Highness," Yue Yining said. "There is a rather special person in He Chan's camp named Jiang Chiyin. She does not know martial arts and is not a native of Qinghuai, but her ancestral home is Suyang. I have had many conversations with her and have confirmed that she has extraordinary medical skills and is a rare talent."
"I hope Your Highness can personally recruit her and let her stay in the Princess's residence as a lady-in-waiting."
“Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll naturally agree.” Wei Yihua didn’t hesitate for long. “But the fact that you specifically asked me for her means she’s not just a doctor with exceptional medical skills, right?”
"Your Highness is perceptive," Yue Yining said with a smile. "Actually, during my negotiations with her, I learned that she had been researching some kind of special powder."
"She was an itinerant doctor. Besides her medical skills that saved lives, she also knew how to use poisons and how to make elixirs. She often developed her own folk remedies. She herself did not believe in elixirs, but she couldn't resist the powerful and wealthy people who often came to her door asking for them. She agreed to do so a few times when she was in dire straits."
"The materials used in alchemy are mostly sulfur, realgar, and saltpeter. Once, her alchemy furnace exploded unexpectedly, and she discovered that the powder made from these alchemical raw materials in a certain proportion could be ignited by fire, resulting in a powerful explosion."
This is why Jiang Chiyin kept urging He Chan to agree to Huang Zhuo's request to join the uprising.
Before joining He Chan's cause, she had already been secretly researching this powder. If they could utilize its flammable and explosive properties to create a weapon with immense destructive power, they would have a solid foundation and a trump card. Not to mention taking Qinghuai, it wouldn't be impossible for them to advance straight up and conquer all the cities in the northern border.
Yue Yining beckoned to Fu Yao to come forward with the box. She opened it, revealing a dark gray-black powder mixed with yellow sulfur particles and white saltpeter crystals. Fu Yao placed the box on the table for everyone to see.
"Is that all?" Zhou Congyi looked doubtful. "It looks very ordinary, like ash from burnt charcoal."
“Lord Zhou hasn’t seen it, but Liu De and I saw Lord Yue light it once when we were in Qinghuai,” Qiu Yuebai clicked her tongue, “The flame shot up in a flash, as tall as two people! Thick black smoke billowed out, it was really frightening!”
Yue Yining's eyes gleamed, and she smiled, saying, "Yes. I've given this powder a name: 'gunpowder'."
Wei Yihua nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining with a strange light. She now understood why Yue Yining valued Jiang Chiyin so much.
"This gunpowder is a good thing," Wei Yihua concluded. "I will let her enter the princess's residence and give her enough space and resources to continue her research."
Yue Yining had been away from Beijing for three months and missed several personnel changes. Fortunately, nothing major happened in Beijing. Zhou Congyi discussed some official business with her in detail, and they finally finished talking about the important matters.
As the sun slanted downwards, light and shadow spilled into the palace through the window lattices like waves. The autumn incense in the corner slowly burned out, and a piece of ash was shaken off by the sound of the maid opening the door.
A maid dressed in a short skirt and thin jacket respectfully served some fruit and pastries, then quietly withdrew.
When the topic of gossip in the capital came up, Qiu Yuebai was always very excited. She was well-informed and had a wide network of connections, so she often knew secrets that no one else knew. As she recounted the stories with great enthusiasm, the female officials present would occasionally exclaim in amazement and laugh.
“That young master Mo is really shameless. He goes to the Xie family to propose marriage every day with a matchmaker in his face,” Qiu Yuebai said with a look of disgust. “Xie Yueshuang has rejected him countless times, openly and secretly, but he just won’t give up.”
Shen Liude: "I've heard about it too. Xie Yueshuang is just trying to save face for the Mo family and doesn't want to make things too embarrassing. But that young master of the Mo family doesn't see it at all. He thinks that the fact that she's being nice to him means that she's in love with him."
Zhou Congyi: "He's just asking for trouble. Although Xie Yueshuang is a concubine's daughter, she is still a daughter of the Xie family. Besides, her talent and virtue are among the best of the noble ladies in the capital. How could she possibly be interested in a playboy like him? He's just a delusional, wishful-thinking scoundrel."
"Yes, that's the Xie family. But there are very few families in the capital that can be matched with the Xie family. After the Wang family fell, there are even fewer. I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to marry well. No matter what she chooses, they will all be inferior to the Xie family."
"That's why it's always easier for men than women. Her elder brother, the eldest son of the Xie family, doesn't have to worry about marrying a woman from a low social class. As long as she's from a prominent family, she's a perfect match for him, and no one will gossip."
Qiu Yuebai, with her carefree and outspoken manner, uttered a startling statement: "But Lord Xie must already have someone he loves, right?"
Yue Yining, who was leisurely listening to the gossip, suddenly stopped, a mouthful of tea stuck in her throat, and she almost choked.
She quickly put down her cup, but the others at the table had already been drawn to Qiu Yuebai's words.
Wei Yihua raised an eyebrow: "He actually has a lover? How come I've never heard of that?"
Shen Liude: "How do you know?"
Yue Yining couldn't help but chime in, "Yeah, there must be some mistake somewhere."
Qiu Yuebai exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you all notice? He always carries the same sachet with him! The sachet is decorated with the most popular acacia bird pattern in the capital at the time. Young ladies love to embroider this pattern when giving it to their sweethearts."
Yue Yining was stunned, completely petrified. But the people present were filled with exclamations of surprise because of these words, all looking as if they had just heard a shocking piece of gossip.
Shen Liude pondered, "Now that you mention it, I remember now. It's true, he almost never leaves that sachet with him."
"My God!" Zhou Congyi exclaimed in shock. "That Xie Qingyu? I always thought he was either indifferent to women or had homosexual tendencies. So it turns out he's secretly in love with someone he already has feelings for?"
"Then why doesn't he propose marriage? He's not young anymore; if he keeps dragging this on, he'll become an old man."
Qiu Yuebai smiled mysteriously: "You don't understand, do you? His behavior clearly shows that he has a crush on someone, but he can't have her, so he can only watch from afar and wait for her to notice and respond."
"But since that woman gave him a sachet, it means she already knows his feelings and has responded to him. Xie Qingyu's secret love has turned into an open love, and perhaps good things are coming soon."
Yue Yining: "......."
Wei Yihua chimed in, somewhat disagreeing: "Not necessarily. Perhaps that woman only considered him a friend, and the sachet was just a gift between friends?"
Yue Yining quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes!"
Qiu Yuebai looked incredulous: "How could that be! That's a lovebird pattern! Giving a man a sachet of that design means you understand his feelings and are of one heart with him. What woman wouldn't know the meaning behind that? That person would be too stupid!"
Yue Yining: ""
Zhou Congyi chuckled and said, "That's hard to say. Maybe there really are some people who are that simple-minded?"
Yue Yining: ""
Yue Yining, pierced by a thousand arrows, clutched her chest in utter despair.
Yes, there really are people that stupid.
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Author's note: Ningning coughed up blood and fainted.
Update tomorrow too!
Why don't my readers like leaving comments? [pity] Even just patting the flowers is fine, I'd love to see everyone's comments! [pity]
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