Chapter 96 The Mastermind
Life went on peacefully and uneventfully. Zhu's morning sickness gradually subsided, her appetite improved, and she became picky about food, suddenly developing a craving for sweet and sour flavors.
Now that Bai Shu'an has finally been reinstated, he is using the construction of the city wall and the new palace to make a name for himself in front of the Ministry of Works. Zhu Shi did not want to distract her husband at this moment, so she sent a servant to buy whatever she wanted to eat.
As the weather warmed up, Bai Hua took Xiao You out to get new clothes made. Remembering that her sister-in-law's favorite food, Dongting rice cake and orange cake, was the signature dish of the restaurant next door, she went to the restaurant after taking the measurements for the clothes.
Unexpectedly, I ran into an acquaintance there.
She had just received the packaged pastries and was about to turn around when she heard a familiar voice calling out from behind her—"Brother Lin Yan, don't go! Let's have a few more drinks..."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed three or four men gathered together to the side behind me, all of them flushed and drunk.
Bai Hua pursed her lips, intentionally avoiding the pillar, and thus she noticed Rong Linyan, who was drowsy and did not see her clearly.
After seeing her cousin off, the group seemed to want to continue drinking, and on their way back, they brushed past Bai Hua. At such close range, their muffled conversation reached her ears clearly.
"A good drink can wash away a thousand sorrows. Speaking of which, Brother Lin Yan has really had a rough time. He was once the champion of the tournament set up by General Wang, but he was not given any important position. Now he is following the Left Prime Minister, but he is also a dispensable figure."
"I heard that a month ago, the Left Prime Minister gave him a task to train martial arts practitioners, but he didn't do a good job, so..."
"Logically speaking, even if one's career is not going well, a happy event at home can help turn things around. His wife is pregnant, isn't she? Such a good thing, but he doesn't show any joy on his face. Is this even his biological child?"
Of course, this is a joke. What else can you do if they're not your biological child?
Rong Linyan had no connections in the capital, and people spoke without restraint, unaware of any taboos. However, Madam Rong was a legitimate daughter of a general, someone not to be trifled with, and could not be easily suspected or gossiped about.
A cautious fellow traveler immediately cut the conversation short, trying to smooth things over by saying, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Brother Lin Yan has already paid for the wine, so we can't waste this fine brew. Let's go back to our room and drink quickly."
"Let's go, let's go!"
The group walked away, and their voices faded away.
Bai Hua was lost in thought when Xiao You gently called her name, bringing her back to reality.
It turns out that what my aunt said the other day about my cousin's current successful career was not true. I don't know if my aunt said that in front of others because she was concerned about her image, or if my cousin was hiding something from his family and only ever reported good news.
She thought of Yang again, the once domineering noblewoman of the capital, who inexplicably agreed to marry her cousin who did not yet hold any official position. Was it true love, or did she have a discerning eye and think that her cousin would definitely achieve great things in the future?
Or perhaps there's more to the story.
...
Eighty miles outside Beijing, at the foot of Longhu Mountain, soldiers stood in neat formation, shields and spears in hand, advancing in an orderly fashion into the deep forest ahead.
Qiu Shu, the leader of the bandits, fought Ning Jue and his group for the first time ten days ago. He suffered a crushing defeat and fled in panic.
Because of his familiarity with the surrounding terrain, he lingered for several days without showing any trace, which delayed Ning Jue's plan for a swift victory and prevented him from returning to the capital on time to reunite with Bai Hua.
Qin Li, the military supervisor appointed by the Grand General as Ning Jue's deputy, had long been dissatisfied with Ning Jue's appointment as commander. However, the Grand General's order had been issued, and he had no choice but to obey despite his resentment.
Ning Jue led the soldiers, darting through the forest, but they couldn't find Qiu Shu. After several fruitless searches, Qin Li gradually became impatient, and he gave perfunctory replies whenever he was given an order.
Ning Jue saw this but didn't bother to argue with him. He gradually transferred all the tasks he had assigned to Qin Li to Zang Fan and Chen Fu.
He had no intention of winning people's hearts in the military. As long as it did not affect the progress of the bandit suppression or the return to the capital, Ning Jue did not care about other people's attitudes towards him, nor did he bother to show any official arrogance.
Two days later, the soldiers finally made a discovery—deep in the dense forest, behind a thick elm tree, there were black marks on the ground where charcoal had burned out. Someone had covered it with soil and lightly stepped on it with a few footprints, as if trying to cover up the marks of the charcoal burning. However, they were too careless and only stepped on it twice as a formality before leaving with a fluke mentality.
Upon seeing this, Qin Li was overjoyed and, without a second thought, ordered his men to pursue and annihilate the bandits in one fell swoop.
Ning Jue stopped them, feeling that the charcoal marks were too obvious, as if someone had deliberately left them there to guide them there.
Qin Li was already dissatisfied with Ning Jue, and hearing him deny him in public made him lose face and feel resentful. He also judged Ning Jue with a petty mind, thinking that Ning Jue was afraid that he would steal the limelight from him as the commander-in-chief, which was why he did not allow him to press his advantage.
He then disobeyed military orders and unceremoniously transferred his own squad to continue the pursuit.
"If you beat a dog into a dead end, you're bound to get hurt in return." Ning Jue didn't want to say more, and simply said, "Whatever."
Qin Li left in a huff, looking quite smug.
However, a day later, Qiu Shu sent someone with an arrow to deliver a message, saying that Qin Li had been captured alive, and whether he should be killed or spared depended entirely on whether Ning Jue cooperated.
This band of bandits had first clashed with them several times, suffering heavy casualties, and then fled in danger one after another. Coupled with the fact that they had been without food and medicine for a long time, they were already exhausted.
Ning Jue wasn't in a hurry because he thought that surrounding and trapping them would be a good plan. However, Qin Li insisted on being clever and sent people to their deaths for nothing, becoming hostages of the bandits, which gave them the upper hand.
Upon learning the situation, Zang Fan coldly and irritably said that he wouldn't save a fool.
Even Chen Fu, who has a good temper, couldn't hold back and muttered a curse under his breath.
Ning Jue lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.
He didn't have any personal grudges against Qin Li, and if he could save him, he wouldn't be so cold-hearted as to stand by and do nothing. After thinking it over, he didn't act impulsively and become the villain, but instead agreed that Qiu Shu could make a request.
In fact, if it were before, it would have been hard to say whether Ning Jue would have saved her or not. But now, the more time he spends with Bai Hua, the more he has subtly picked up her habits of being forgiving and kind to others.
He has indeed changed a lot.
Zang Fan realized this even earlier than he did.
They've been friends for so many years, they know each other inside and out.
The carefree swordsman of yesteryear, who was as unrestrained as the wind, never cared about the suffering of the world. He was detached from the world and aloof like an immortal. Now, after experiencing countless things, he has finally willingly fallen into the mortal world.
After all, there are beautiful women in the mortal world waiting to stay with him.
Soon, Qiu Shu made his first request: send one or two people to deliver food, bandages, and water pouches, but do not allow them to bring any weapons for self-defense.
As expected, Ning Jue did as instructed and ordered preparations to be made.
An hour later, Qiu Shu made a second request. This time, he did not send anyone to deliver the message, but instead sent another arrow with a message on it, inviting Ning Jue to meet and talk.
With the enemy outnumbering us and Ning Jue possessing superior martial arts skills, we had no reason to fear him.
Ning Jue readily agreed, but to be on the safe side, the two met alone, and neither was allowed to bring any attendants.
After reaching a consensus, the meeting place was set on the edge of the cliff at the top of the mountain, which was the most suitable place to prevent anyone from sneaking up on them or using trickery.
Seeing how thoughtful the other party was, Ning Jue couldn't help but think that this person was skilled in scheming and was definitely not a simple-minded, physically strong ordinary bandit.
The two met on the edge of the cliff. One was dressed in a simple white robe, while the other was dressed in a strong black robe. Their eyes met, and both were calm. There was no tense atmosphere, nor did they target each other.
Ning Jue spoke first: "I dislike it when people keep me in suspense. If you have something to say, just say it all at once, and then you won't have a chance to bargain with me anymore."
Qiu Shu was probably injured; his handsome face was slightly pale, but his shoulders were straight, his eyes were stern, and his aura was just as imposing.
He cut to the chase, saying, "I can stay away from Jingqi from now on and stop disturbing the capital, but on the condition that... you must spare my brothers and me. The court has repeatedly suppressed us, claiming it's for the sake of the people's peace. But if it weren't for the fact that my brothers and I recently discovered a gold mine in the mountains, would the court even remember us ants? Why would they go to such lengths to recruit or eliminate us? I want my brothers' lives, the money is yours, and please, sir, please pass on a message to the second daughter of the Yang family and ask her if my son is doing well in her womb."
When he spoke the first few sentences, Qiu Shu's tone was deep and his face was serious, but when he said the last sentence, a cunning look suddenly flashed in his eyes and a frivolous smile appeared on his lips.
Ning Jue listened, but didn't understand.
As for the gold mine that Qiu Shu mentioned, Ning Jue knew nothing about it. He only followed the orders of the Grand General Wang, and once he repaid the favor, he considered the matter settled and did not concern himself with other people's business.
Ning Jue asked casually, "The Yang family...which Yang family are you referring to?"
Qiu Shu raised his eyebrows, making no attempt to hide his feelings, and replied loudly, "Which other Yang family is there? The General's Mansion in the north of the city, Yang Ben's youngest daughter, Yang Yun, is a famous beauty in the capital."
Qiu Shu seemed to feel a sense of vengeful pleasure from uttering such flippant words, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily.
But clearly, he was still in a bad mood, his eyes were even colder, and he seemed to have suffered a loss of 1,000 against himself.
Yang Yun...
Rong Linyan's wife.
Upon realizing what was happening, Ning Jue's eyes suddenly narrowed.
He asked again, unsure, "You said... Yang Yun is carrying your child? Do you know that she is now Rong Linyan's wife, a married woman?"
"I heard she married a young gigolo while pregnant with my child. I can't remember his name, something like Yan? Like the wild goose?"
"..."
Qiu Shu deliberately changed the subject, his tone half joking and half serious.
Ning Jue observed Qiu Shu calmly, and from his silent and smiling attitude, he guessed that what Qiu Shu had just said was at least 70% true.
Therefore, Yang Yun's bold pursuit of love, even when both parties had not yet prepared their betrothal gifts and dowries, was not for the sake of love, but rather a long-planned move to secure a respectable status for the child in her womb.
The more you analyze this hypothesis, the more reasonable it seems.
Given Yang Yun's noble status, it would be far better for her to make a fool of herself by actively pursuing a handsome young man with a promising future in officialdom than to expose the truth that she was pregnant out of wedlock with the child of a bandit leader and thus be disgraced.
Once Ning Jue understood this, he felt that the fog that had troubled him for so long was finally about to dissipate, and the truth lay behind it.
General Yang's indulgence of his daughter's misbehavior had absolutely nothing to do with getting close to Rong Linyan or exploring the Lone Goose Sword Technique. He was simply deeply in love with his daughter and trying his best to protect her reputation.
If Yang Ben is cleared of suspicion, then only one person remains who had previously taken the initiative to curry favor with Rong Linyan—the current Left Chancellor, Ji Fukun.
That seemingly unassuming and selfless official, who appears to be a model of integrity in the bureaucracy, may very well be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
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