"This dowry money shouldn’t be spent so recklessly, right? The Song Family’s third branch shouldn’t be that rich either, and she seems to have been married off almost like she was kicked out of the house; the dowry prepared in a hurry shouldn’t amount to much. Splurging like this, what will they do once it runs out in a few days?" Shulan couldn’t help but say.
Xin He chuckled softly, "You don’t have to worry about that. People like Song Ya Lan won’t give up until they ruin themselves."
"True." Shulan pursed her lips.
Xin He reviewed the account book again, making sure there were no issues, and handed it to Manager Jin: "Alright, you’ve been really busy lately. Take a good rest for now, and I’ll give you a little extra bonus this month as a reward."
Xin He knew that in the month she hadn’t shown up, Manager Jin had tried to find her several times but to no avail, so she assumed he must have been too busy. He deserved his due reward.
Upon hearing this, Manager Jin was ecstatic and hurriedly said, "Oh! Thank you so much, boss!"
Xin He smiled, "It’s getting late, you can go ahead, Manager Jin."
"Alright, alright, I’ll take my leave then." Manager Jin cheerfully left.
Shulan laughed, "Manager Jin came just to take credit for his work this time."
"It’s okay as long as he indeed has some achievements to show off. It means he’s useful." Xin He said with a light smile.
Shulan nodded in agreement. She had to admit that her lady’s ability to handle her subordinates and use her means was far beyond compare to her own.
Mu Houchu returned in the afternoon. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Just when Xin He had made another bellyband for Ah Guai and was excited to show it to him to see if it looked good.
"When did my lady become so skillful with her hands?" Mu Houchu laughed.
Xin He snorted lightly, "Of course, didn’t you see what a great lady you married?"
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she asked, "Why did you go out suddenly today? Is there any trouble in the capital?"
Mu Houchu smiled helplessly, "How do you manage to guess everything?"
Xin He snorted lightly, "That’s why you better not hide anything from me."
Mu Houchu smiled and then said, "The Great Prince has returned to the capital and the Emperor has received the report on the bandit suppression. He was furious."
Xin He blinked, "Is it because of the failure to suppress the bandits, or because they couldn’t kill you?"
"What do you think?" Mu Houchu snorted.
"Will the Emperor lash out at you again in his anger? After all, these bandits are ultimately in Yu State’s territory. Since they were not eliminated this time, the Emperor might hold you responsible for their actions." Xin He was not worrying needlessly, but rather, she had deep concerns about the Emperor’s character.
"Don’t worry, for this bandit suppression, I was severely injured and almost died. The Emperor didn’t give me a single soldier, so it was already difficult for me to achieve this much. What more does he expect? The Great Prince came with ten thousand soldiers to suppress bandits and couldn’t succeed either, so the blame can’t fall on me."
Xin He giggled, "True!"
It had to be said that the false information Mu Houchu had spread earlier had indeed come in handy now.
Mu Houchu’s eyes turned a shade colder, "Besides, I’m not a soft persimmon they can easily squeeze. They can’t do whatever they want just because the Emperor isn’t satisfied. He should know that I’m not that easy to deal with."
"So, what you mean is..."
"The Emperor is currently giving me trouble because he’s too idle. If there’s a little chaos in the Imperial Court, he won’t have time to bother me."
"What kind of chaos have you prepared for him?" Xin He asked, curious.
"It’s too easy to find trouble in the capital city. The current Imperial Court is only smooth on the surface, but it’s actually corrupt inside. It’s not difficult to find trouble. I have people working in the court who can fan the flames and make small matters into big ones. I’ll make sure the Emperor will be busy and have headaches."
Ji Xinhe said, "Since the bandits issue just ended, and now there is chaos in the court, the Emperor might suspect you are involved."
"Let him suspect me. He’s already suspicious enough of me. Xin He, you must know that the situation now is no longer solvable by me stepping back. To ensure your safety for the rest of your life, I must have at least a force to balance the power. Gaining power in the capital might be too conspicuous, that’s actually one of the reasons why I chose to retire to Yu State in the first place." Mu Houchu said with resolve.
Xin He was stunned. She had thought that he had retired to Yu State only because he had no other choice, but it seemed that he had planned far too much.
"Yu State can’t avoid the Emperor’s spies either. It’s still appropriate to develop underground connections here, and you’ve done it quite well over the past year. Are there any other forces that can be cultivated?"
"I’ve been thinking about this issue too. What I need now is military power, but the Emperor will never give me a single soldier. Even during this bandit suppression, he didn’t grant me the authority over ten thousand soldiers. His guard against me is too deep, but I must confront him eventually, and military power is indispensable."
Xin He frowned, "Raising an army is a big-scale matter, and it will be difficult to avoid being discovered once you do it. Even a ten thousand men-strong force would be noticeable. Yu State may be far away from the capital city, but the Emperor’s spies are not idiots."
Mu Houchu curved his lips into a smile, "We don’t have to be stealthy."
"Hmm?" Xin He looked at him, puzzled.
"This recent bandit suppression has given me an idea. Think about it. There are thousands of bandits in this lair. Of course, it’s a very large stronghold, and Yu State is considered a remote and backward area. In such an undeveloped and remote place, what’s the big deal about having a few more bandit strongholds?"
Xin He’s eyes lit up, "That’s a good idea!"
Mu Houchu smiled and pulled her into his arms, "Right now, I’ve already added some chaos for the Emperor, which is actually a temporary diversion of his attention. I’ll take the opportunity to deploy and plan. Give me five years, and I will raise a powerful army to guarantee our lifetime safety."
Xin He also smiled, "I’ll wait for you for fifty years, not just five, and so will Ah Guai."
Mu Houchu suddenly said, "By the way, news came from the capital city that the marriage between the Great Prince and the Third Miss of the Song Family is settled. The Empress arranged it personally."
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