Chapter 136
After washing up and having breakfast early in the morning, Yun Kai was surprised to find only a bowl of porridge and a few dishes of cold dishes on the table. He couldn't help but look at Yue Ming who was eating silently: "Are you not feeling well? Why are you eating such a simple meal?"
Yueming blew on the porridge in the spoon with a pout, and without even raising her eyelids, she said, "You eat whatever I give you. You're picky even though you're just a freeloader. Are you judging me for my good nature?"
Yun Kai laughed so hard when he heard that: "You have so many eyes and ears, how could you know so quickly?" No wonder she slept with her back to him last night and ignored him no matter how I hugged her.
Yue understood him at once and said angrily, "You're such a man to use me as a shield! ... What a joke! You're a chieftain, and you're known for being henpecked. Is that nice or what? If Mother heard this, she'd think I was making you cry every day!"
Yun Kai was extremely pleased with this reputation: "Although it was a joke, it is also the truth! Everyone in Quan Yunxiang knows that if you say one thing, I dare not say another, and if you ask me to walk, I dare not ride a horse."
"Bah!" Yueming spat in his face, "We're both considered famous with the Great Buddha. I'm ruthless and you're mean and ungrateful. I contradicted the Great Buddha for you, and not only did you not help me out, you even took the opportunity to extort a thousand dan of grain from him. What kind of sutras will he chant in the future? I'm afraid he'll be chanting every day to pray for our salvation."
"My dear wife, why are you afraid of him? If he could really curse someone to death, I would definitely not live past eighteen. No matter how high his reputation is in Yunxiang, it is a courtesy given to him by my Han family. I only want a thousand dan, which is not much! He has hundreds of acres of fertile land in the official Buddhist temple, and every cent was awarded to him by my Han family. If he doesn't even give me this little face, the Second Buddha will keep an eye on him! Without him in the official Buddhist temple, how can the Buddha strike me down with lightning?"
He is quite aware that he is annoying.
Yueming closed his eyes and held his forehead. "I know you're raising military rations for the good of us, but we can buy them with our own money. Why are you trying to embarrass them? These days are already unstable. What good will it do to make them resentful and go against you?"
Yunkai picked up a handful of cold-mixed chicken mushrooms and put them into her bowl of porridge. "I didn't want that much originally, but he kept pleading for that family, so I got angry and put the entire thousand-dollar load on him. He holds the belief that chieftains of all generations have always respected officials and Buddhist temples. He speaks of mercy but hides his karma. He wants to erase the hatred of his father and brother's murder with just a word of mercy. Does he think I'm a fool?"
Yueming looked at him with a half-smile: "Isn't it that you dare not say anything when I say one? Why do you still have so many things to say to me?"
Yun Kai said seriously, "I am opening my heart to you, Madam. I will not hide a single thought from you. I love you to death and will never give up."
This relentless love is truly exhausting. Yueming sighed deeply and said, "Forget it. Husband and wife are one. Since you insist on doing this, I can only put on some cloak and sing along with you."
Yun Kai laughed heartily, cupping her little face and kissing her vigorously, praising her, "That's right! Let's do it just like before. I fight and you stand by to help me carry my clothes. When we go to the cockfighting shed to gamble, I'll bet big and you'll bet small. No matter what, we can't let the dealer win all the money."
Yueming was held by his hand, unable to move her head. She could only blink and ask, "So, you will let me watch the execution on the day of the execution?"
Yun Kai's smile froze on his face. After a while, he said, "That was a beheading. What's so good about it? You've always been timid. You can even cry when you hear ghost stories. How dare you watch a murder?"
Yueming took his hand and held it in her palm: "I am no longer afraid. My father-in-law and uncle have been avenged. I cannot miss this kind of scene no matter what."
Yun Kai said bitterly, "Pu Jiang also escaped. How can this be considered revenge?"
"He's already lost. It's only a matter of time before we catch him. He'll pay for his blood debt with blood."
The day for the Tinglai family's execution soon arrived. Yun Kai broke the rule of not executing prisoners during the Closing Festival and personally supervised the execution.
The gentlemen below had some complaints about this, but Yun Kai stopped them with a reply, "Do I have to choose a day to avenge my father?"
Tinglai, his son and his two sons knelt in front of the execution platform with their hands tied. Yunkai poured a glass of wine and fed it to Tinglai himself.
"Uncle, drink your parting wine and hit the road! My father and eldest brother are waiting for you over there!"
Tinglai's two sons knelt beside him, their bodies paralyzed with fear, their mouths stuffed with walnuts, they cried without a sound, their faces covered with tears.
Tinglai felt a surge of regret as he watched his two children, still young, die with him. But what good was regret? He looked at Yunkai with a calm expression, "You're even more ruthless than your father. You know how to root out the weeds."
Yun Kai threw away the wine glass and wiped the wine off his hands with a handkerchief. "Second Uncle, are you still blaming others at this point?" He smiled indifferently. "Actually, being a little cruel isn't such a bad thing. If my father had been a little more cruel back then, willing to let you suffer and send you to Mengquan, there wouldn't have been so many problems later. So, it's better to be a little cruel in life to avoid trouble."
Master Tinglai sneered, "Actually, you should thank me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be sitting on the chieftain's seat today. If Li Yang were still alive, you would have the same fate as me..." Before he could finish his words, Yunkai slapped him on the face, knocking his head off.
Yun Kai took out his handkerchief again and wiped the hand that had just hit him, as if it was stained with something dirty. He said coldly: "Don't put your dirty thoughts on others. You cherish this position very much, but I don't think much of it. You people have surrounded yourselves to death around Yun Xiang, and all you care about is power. But you don't think about the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the decline of imperial power. How long can we, the lords who occupy a certain area, enjoy our glory?"
Tinglai sneered disdainfully: "You speak in a far-sighted and high-sounding manner, but you still occupy this position..." The rest of his words were interrupted by a slap from Yunkai.
Yun Kai grabbed his collar and said sternly, "You guys forced me into this. Do you think I want this position?"
Tinglai's face was thick with sarcasm. "Rare or not, haven't you already got on? You've always been cunning since you were a child, saying one thing and thinking another. No matter how big a disaster you get into or how ridiculous your actions are, you always find a way to turn things around. I really thought you had given up on the little girl from the Lan family, but you actually had the ability to trick her back. You let others really think you were deeply in love with her, but in fact you just couldn't bear to part with the Lan family's wealth, right?"
Yun Kai loosened his collar, slowly stood up, and looked at him with his arms behind his back. "You, the culprits, have no right to judge what happened between Yue Ming and me. Second Uncle, you should think carefully about how you're going to face my father and brother in the future! I feel a little sorry for you now. You'll have to hide your face even if you become a ghost."
He looked up at the sun in the sky and ordered expressionlessly: "The time has come, execute the sentence!"
He turned his back to the father and his two sons until he heard the sound of a knife hitting bones and the screams of the people in the audience.
He closed his eyes and said silently in his heart: "Dad, big brother, don't worry, Pujiang will go to the underworld to atone for his sins soon."
Tinglai's family was executed, but Pujiang disappeared. Yun Kai offered a reward of 10,000 yuan and distributed it to all places, vowing to bring him to justice.
No matter what, the matter between Li Yang and the old chieftain finally came to an end.
With the Opening Festival approaching, Yueming selected some fabrics and asked Aiye to deliver them to the Eighth Madam, the Third Miss, and the two cousins. She would personally deliver the fabrics to the old lady later.
Ai Ye curled her lips in dissatisfaction and said, "It's easy to deal with Miss Gan Ying, but I'm afraid it's not necessary to deal with Miss Se Manli. I gave her a gift with good intentions, but I still have to look at her face and listen to her ridicule."
Yueming glared at her and said, "If the old lady hears you, I'll skin you alive."
Ai Ye stuck out his tongue and said with a grin, "Just don't peel my skin off."
Yueming told her to stop studying Feng Xiaosai and said, "Remember, this is a relative. You can't hit her or scold her. You can ignore her, but you can't ignore her."
Hearing this, Ai Ye sighed: "I'm afraid only the old lady can control the things she does."
Yueming's face turned fierce when he heard this and he raised his arm as if to hit her: "You are really itching for trouble."
Ai Ye hurriedly ran out with the material in his arms: "I'll work, go to work."
Ai Ye had not returned yet, but Miss Gan Ying from Xincheng brought a gift to express her gratitude.
Gan Ying presented the gift and said politely, "Thank you for your concern, cousin. I have a few little things here. It would be fun for you to enjoy them when you have time."
Yueming took it with a smile and said with concern, "There were so many things going on in the mansion recently that I didn't have time to ask my sister if the servants were doing a good job. If the servants are lazy or if there's anything missing, don't be embarrassed, just tell me directly."
If it were Se Manli, she would definitely roll her eyes and say, "The old lady is my aunt, how dare that reckless person take me with him?"
Although Gan Ying was only 16 years old and still had a childish look on her face, she was very decent in her dealings with others.
"My cousin is so polite. The servants serve me very attentively. With my cousin and aunt taking care of me every day, I feel no different from being at home."
"You're too polite, sister. Even if we weren't related, my father still had great respect for your grandfather. Before he returned to Tengchong, he repeatedly told me to treat you like my own sister and not let you suffer any injustice in the mansion."
When it comes to Lan Yingde, the atmosphere becomes a little subtle.
The old chieftain of Xincheng, along with his younger brother and sister-in-law, had studied in Japan. Upon returning, they established a Western medicine hospital and a match factory in Xincheng. Western medicine and matches were crucial strategic supplies. To secure these supplies, Lan Yingde, despite the fact that the Pa and Han families were related by marriage, personally traveled to Xincheng to seek a meeting, hoping that the chieftain would put aside his old grudges with the military and support the Tengchong garrison. However, he was met with a rebuff every time.
Now that she has married into the Tusi Mansion, Yueming feels that Gan Ying may be the key to breaking the ice.
Seeing Gan Ying didn't respond, Yueming continued, "My sister's grandfather died unjustly in Peking. Your family resented the Nationalist government for their treason, and also resented the man in Kunming for standing idly by. It's human nature, and my father and I understand."
Hearing Yueming's words, Gan Yingcai said, "I was indeed neglectful to my father-in-law earlier. I hope my cousin-in-law won't blame me."
"It happened for a reason. My father won't mind." Yueming said, "But sister, I don't need to tell you what the current situation is. No matter how capable my uncle is, he can't do anything alone. It's time to put aside personal grudges, seek cooperation, and jointly resist foreign enemies."
Gan Ying said innocently, "I'm just a child. I don't understand adult matters. It's not my turn as a girl to speak at home."
Yueming smiled. "Sister, you're being modest. Half of the people from your grandfather's family who went to study in Japan were women. Some studied medicine, some studied textiles, and some studied farming. Your hospital, match factory, and silver shop—which one of them didn't have women? My father often uses your women as an example to criticize me for being uneducated."
"My dear father-in-law, you are too kind. My cousin's wife is so kind and elegant. How can we country girls compare to her?"
This child is really stubborn!
Fortunately, my goal wasn't really to make them and their enemies laugh and forget their grudges. I'd better make the line wider so that we can bargain!
"Since we're relatives now, could you please talk to your father and let us do some business? You don't trust the government, and you don't want to deal with the military. But I'm sure you've heard of our family's reputation for business, and we won't take advantage of our relationship."
Gan Ying hesitated for a few breaths but still didn't agree outright. She just said, "Can I write a letter and ask my father-in-law to send it to my home?" Then she said to Yueming with a wry smile, "Cousin, don't think I'm shirking my responsibility. Family matters are decided by the elders. Writing a letter is really the only thing I can do."
Yueming smiled and said, "That's enough! When it comes to business, negotiation is the most important thing. My father and I are deeply grateful for your kindness."
Yunkai returned to the room and saw Yueming holding the cat, biting his lip and shaking his head at a letter on the table. He asked curiously, "Whose letter is it? What's it about that makes you shake your head and wag your tail like that?"
Yueming put the cat down, picked up the letter with two fingers and said to Yunkai, "This is not a letter, it's a stepping stone to your uncle's family."
Yun Kaiming understood and said with a smile, "Do you want to buy medicine from my uncle's family?"
Yueming shook his head and said, "They bought a road! The Japanese blocked all the roads, but your uncle's hospital is still operating normally. That means he must have a way to transport supplies. Their house is closest to Tengchong, so purchasing supplies is the most convenient and safest."
Yun Kai nodded: "Of course there is. My caravan can't leave, but my uncle's match factory can still find raw materials for production. There must be a way." He looked at Yue Ming approvingly and said: "You are smart. You know how to work hard on Gan Ying."
Yueming shrugged: "Your cousin is not easy to deal with!"
Yun Kai laughed and said, "I thought you would let me help my father-in-law with his worries and let me discuss it with my uncle. But you silently set your sights on Gan Ying."
Yueming complained, half-seriously, "You have so much to do, I don't feel comfortable bothering you. Just do what you can do yourself!"
Yun Kai raised an eyebrow. "Gan Ying, that little girl, may be young, but she's not easy to deal with. How did you convince her to help you?"
Yueming brushed her hair back and said calmly, "Besides interests, the most important thing in negotiations is responsibility. I've already thrown out the interests, so who in their family is going to take on this responsibility? Obviously it's not Gan Ying, and she doesn't want to take responsibility. So I can just point her to someone who can take responsibility."
Yun Kai gave her a thumbs-up: "You've really made a lot of progress in the past few years! You've even learned such powerful negotiation skills."
Yueming covered her mouth and laughed, "I actually learned this from the Third Old Lady. When it comes to negotiation, the key is not to let the other party disrupt your rhythm or lead you by the nose. That's how the Third Old Lady argues."
Yun Kai laughed heartily after hearing this: "Then I'll release the Third Old Lady from the temple and let her teach you a lesson again?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
