Chapter 518: The Evil Wu Hides His Tracks

Count's Mansion, Jia Cong's courtyard.

It had snowed for several days before the New Year, and the air had become increasingly damp and cold.

Early this morning, the light shining through the glass window panes carried a golden halo, signaling the arrival of sunny weather.

As the Mao hour was about to end, Jia Cong got up. The sound of him lifting the bed curtain made a noise, and Qingwen, who was sleeping on the side couch, got up in one go.

She was alert, but she covered her mouth with her hand and yawned twice in a row.

Qingwen got out of bed nimbly, wearing a vermilion-colored small jacket and vermilion silk trousers, dragging a pair of red satin slippers on her beautiful and delicate feet. She moved nimbly and gracefully, like a jumping flame.

The morning chill made her shiver. She threw a crimson embroidered long coat over her body, bundled her hair nimbly, and came up to serve Jia Cong in washing.

Jia Cong smiled, "Knowing that you are greedy for sleep, and now that there is no shortage of manpower, there is no need to do things like night duty. You might as well sleep more."

Qingwen helped Jia Cong dress and tie his belt nimbly, and pressed him in front of the dressing mirror to comb his hair. Her small mouth said nimbly, "Yo, Cong Sanye, are you tired of seeing me? You just want Wu'er and Zhen Ying Lian to turn around in front of you."

"I am not worse than them. If Cong Sanye doesn't like it, I will turn around in front of you even more. Even if it is annoying, I will show my face, so that you don't forget that I am here."

Since Jia Cong was granted the Rongguo title, the connection between the two prefectures had become closer than before, and many things had become different, which also gave Qingwen a sense of inexplicable crisis.

She was a person who loved to compete, but in the years she followed Jia Cong, her life had been smooth, and everything was calm.

Zhi Shao and Wu'er were both broad-minded and could tolerate her urgent temper. Zhen Ying Lian was a soft-hearted girl who was silly and cute. Whoever met her was like crashing into cotton.

Therefore, Qingwen's explosive temper had been smoothed out a lot by subtle influence. The little girl had half of her fire cut off, her thoughts were more dense than before, and she often pondered alone.

Now that Cong Sanye had obtained the West Prefecture, the sisters around him seemed to be a bit different.

Zhi Shao had accompanied Cong Sanye since childhood and was most valued by Cong Sanye, so she didn't dare to compare.

Wu'er was more dense and cautious than her, and more considerate than her. She had always been favored by Cong Sanye, and now she was sent by Cong Sanye to manage the West Prefecture, and he valued her very much in his heart.

It's just that Qingwen had self-knowledge. With her urgent temper, even if Cong Sanye let her manage the house, she would surely make a mess of it.

It seemed that the most clever one was Zhen Ying Lian. Now Cong Sanye was busy with the spring examination, and the time he spent reading every day was the longest. Zhen Ying Lian, who managed the study, was the one who spent the longest time with Cong Sanye.

But Qingwen couldn't envy Zhen Ying Lian for managing the study.

Even if Cong Sanye read books in the study for a day, Zhen Ying Lian could accompany him like a fool for a day, sitting there writing or reading, tireless, not even coming out of the door, and not complaining that her butt hurt.

So, managing the study was something she couldn't do even if it were given to her. She wasn't a bookworm like Zhen Ying Lian.

Now she only managed Jia Cong's needlework. Besides having to rush to make new clothes for Jia Cong in summer and winter, she was somewhat idle at ordinary times.

Because needlework was not a great skill, although others didn't do it as well as her, almost everyone could do it.

Like Second Sister, who now had a lot of things to manage, she would also make a pair of shoes or a piece of clothing for Cong Sanye every once in a while.

When it came to festivals, even Third Sister would make some needlework for Cong Sanye as a festival gift. That is, Miss Lin was an outside relative and needed to avoid suspicion, so she didn't make much needlework for Cong Sanye.

All these things made Qingwen have a heavy doubt about her own importance. It seemed that good needlework was not useful.

Could it be that she looked good? But which one in this courtyard didn't look good...

So Qingwen's natural desire to be strong began to make trouble.

Daily night duty, washing, dressing, and other daily maid things, she never relaxed, just wanting to show her face and please in front of Jia Cong.

In order to do night duty well, she even changed her habit of being greedy for sleep in the morning, which could be considered as having progress...

But Cong Sanye didn't care about her progress, and even used her greed for sleep as a topic, wishing she wouldn't do night duty.

It didn't sound like good words at all. He wasn't caring for her; he was simply mocking her...

Thinking of these, Qingwen felt depressed and combed her hair with a comb.

Jia Cong didn't know her little thoughts. Seeing her in red like fire in the dressing mirror, she looked even more beautiful and agile, and her beautiful eyes had slight red threads, which must be because she didn't sleep enough.

He smiled, "Whoever said you are annoying must be blind. Do I like you? I never said that."

Qingwen had a straightforward temperament and didn't hide things in her heart, but her sadness was like a lit firecracker, coming fast and going fast.

She was a bit lost just now, but now hearing Jia Cong's words, joy welled up in her heart, and she helped Jia Cong tidy up his hair nimbly.

She smiled sweetly, "Cong Sanye's words are so smooth. You must have coaxed every maid like this."

At this time, the door was pushed open, and Wu'er brought in a large copper basin of hot water and smiled, "Cong Sanye is coaxing you with good words again. Tell me so I can listen to the rarity."

Qingwen wrinkled her nose and smiled, "Good words are only said once. If they are said too much, they won't work, and you can't listen to them."

While laughing, she helped Jia Cong tidy up his hair more carefully, pinned a hairpin, looked at it in the mirror, felt satisfied, and then tidied herself up.

After she finished washing, she tidied up the bedding on Jia Cong's bed, moved it to the veranda outside the room to hang, and waited for the sun to come out before placing it in the courtyard to dry and remove the dampness from the snow for several days.

Wu'er handed over the hot towel, and Jia Cong took it and asked, "Are things in the West Prefecture okay these few days?"

Wu'er replied, "Everything is smooth. The renovation of the East Courtyard will be done in these few days. Second Grandmother talked to the Old Lady and let some maids and old women of the second branch move in before the New Year."

"One is to organize the house and garden, and the other is to live in and accumulate popularity. After the New Year, the Bao Er Ye and Second Lady can move in."

"Logically, Third Sister and Bao Er Ye Bao should move to the East Courtyard."

"But Bao Er Ye Bao went to beg the Old Lady, and the Old Lady also spoke, leaving a courtyard for Bao Er Ye Bao in the East Courtyard, but he still lives in the West Prefecture daily, so the Old Lady can call him over to talk from time to time."

Jia Cong naturally knew why Baoyu wanted to stay in the West Prefecture. Of course, it wasn't for filial piety to the Old Lady, but just to be close to his sisters.

His parents had moved to the East Courtyard. Even out of filial piety, he shouldn't have brought up such a topic with Grandmother Jia.

He was reprimanded by the Imperial Clan Court and beaten to death by Jia Zheng. It seemed that all this was not enough to wake him up. Perhaps he wouldn't wake up in this life...

Wu'er said again, "At sunset yesterday, Xi Ren sent a little maid to pass a message to Second Grandmother, saying that Xiao Hong in Bao Er Ye Bao's room had made a mistake and angered the Second Lady."

"She was driven out by the Second Lady yesterday, saying that her monthly allowance would not need to be listed next month."

Jia Cong's heart jumped when he heard this, and he asked, "That Xiao Hong looks clever in her work, why was she suddenly driven out? Do you know the reason?"

Wu'er replied, "Second Grandmother also said that Xiao Hong is not bad, and she was also strange why she was driven out by the Second Lady, so she asked Sister Ping'er to inquire about the reason."

"It's just that it was late yesterday, and Sister Ping'er didn't have time to inquire, and I returned to the East Prefecture before dark, so I don't know the reason."

Wu'er saw Jia Cong frowning and thinking, as if this Xiao Hong made Cong Sanye care a little.

But Wu'er could also feel that Cong Sanye's care for her was not that kind of care...

Wu'er thought of Jia Cong often touching her hand and finding excuses to be close to her, and her small face turned red for no reason.

She calmed down and said, "Rongxi Hall is vacant. I have already asked Lin Zhixiao's wife to fill in furniture and decorations. Everything is organized inside. Cong Sanye, have time to take a look and see if it is to your liking."

Jia Cong smiled, "If you think it is to your liking, that's fine. Why do you still want me to see it? I won't live there daily."

Wu'er said coquettishly, "Cong Sanye, this can only be said behind closed doors. You can't let people hear it. Otherwise, they will think that I, a maid, am acting big and making decisions about Rongxi Hall's affairs."

Jia Cong smiled, "You have only been in the West Prefecture for a few days, and you have become so cautious. Is there anyone who restricts you?"

Wu'er smiled slightly, "Originally, when we were in the East Prefecture, it was just you and Second Sister in charge, so it was convenient."

"Now the West Prefecture is different. After all, there are elders like the Old Lady and Bao Er Ye, so there must be some etiquette and scruples."

"I privately heard Second Grandmother and Sister Ping'er talk about it. Second Lady is extremely unwilling for Cong Sanye to inherit the Rongguo title and family business. There is always an extra layer of worry here."

"Cong Sanye does big things daily, so it's really hard to worry about small family matters. Since Cong Sanye let me go to the West Prefecture to do things, I must look after things more in the delicate places, let Cong Sanye avoid some topics, and save people from grabbing handles to edit you."

Seeing her bright eyes and beautiful eyebrows, delicate and beautiful, and her expression serious, thinking about everything for him, Jia Cong couldn't help but feel moved.

He reached out and smoothed the hair on Wu'er's temple, smiling, "You are so careful and appropriate now, more and more like a housekeeper."

Wu'er's face turned red, she bit her thin lip, and said, "Cong Sanye is talking nonsense again. What housekeeper? I am just a slave maid. I don't have this life, and I don't dare to hope for this blessing."

Jia Cong smiled slightly, "In this world, where is there anyone born with a life, and should be a life for a lifetime? If it were all like this, I would still be suffering in the East Courtyard now."

"In those years, Zhi Shao and I couldn't get the monthly allowance, and it was a problem to heal wounds and eat. It was all thanks to your relief in the kitchen that I still remember your goodness."

Wu'er heard this, thought of the old things, and trembled in her heart, blurted out, "Even if Cong Sanye is still suffering in the East Courtyard, Wu'er is willing to serve Cong Sanye!"

Jia Cong smiled and held Wu'er's hand, saying, "I have remembered this. Let's go and see the Rongxi Hall you arranged."

The two walked to the door, and Jia Cong suddenly thought, "Bao Er Ye Xue came to visit the Old Lady and sent some gifts. The Old Lady asked to return some etiquette. Later, you ask Second Sister-in-law how to arrange it..."

The two just walked out of the main room, and Qingwen, who was drying the bedding on the veranda, immediately turned her eyes back.

Looking at the backs of the two, she stomped her foot and said unconvinced, "I said it, you must coax every maid, and it is true!"

Great Zhou Palace, Ganyang Palace, East Warm Pavilion.

The ground dragon fire wall in the pavilion emitted warm heat. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao only wore a round-collared single-shirt long robe, his movements were flexible, and he looked very relaxed and free.

But the middle-aged man kneeling in front of the imperial desk, who had come from outside the palace, was still wearing a bear fur short jacket. Hit by the heat in the warm pavilion, his whole body was already covered in a layer of hot sweat.

But with the Emperor in front, he didn't dare to show any discomfort.

At this time, the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the warm pavilion had all been dismissed. Except for Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and Guo Lin serving on the side, there was only the middle-aged man kneeling in front of the Emperor.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao looked at the middle-aged man with sweat on his forehead and said, "Guo Lin, give Xue Yuan a seat and take off his clothes."

Guo Lin hurriedly moved an embroidered stool. Xue Yuan, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly thanked Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, took off his bear fur short jacket, and waited until he sat on the embroidered stool before he felt much more relaxed.

At this time, Jia Cong, who was asking Wu'er to prepare return gifts for Xue Yuan, probably wouldn't dream that a frontier merchant who only held a nominal position in the Imperial Household Department would have the qualification to enter the Emperor's Winter Warm Pavilion to play.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said lightly, "Xue Yuan, counting it, I haven't seen you for many years."

Xue Yuan bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to the Holy One, the last time I had the honor to see the Emperor was in the seventh year of Emperor Jia Zhao."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked, "In those years, you followed my secret edict, led the secret guards in the palace, and went to the wild frontier to pursue and suppress the remnants of the Wu King. You can be considered to have worked hard and made great contributions."

"In those years, you took away thirty secret guards from the palace. How many are left now?"

Xue Yuan stood up from the embroidered stool, bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Holy One, eleven people have died in battle over the years, and two have died of illness. Their families are all supported by the income from my business."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sighed, "They are all heroic scholars of the country. Later, you report the names to Guo Lin, and I will issue a secret edict to give heavy compensation to their families."

"Although you send back reports every year, it is not as clear as asking in person. I learned that you came north to the Love Shenjing this year to report on duties and audit accounts in the Imperial Household Department, so I specially summoned you to the palace to play."

"I ask you, in the last four or five years, the reports you sent back have no more records of Wu King's remnants. What is the reason?"

Xue Yuan felt a slight chill in his heart and replied in a deep voice, "Reporting to the Holy One, fifteen years ago, the chaos in the Love Shenjing, the Wu King led two thousand elite rebels, broke through the nine gates, and went to support the Luofeng Slope Palace."

"But the rebels entered the territory of Dezhou. Hearing that the palace on Luofeng Slope was destroyed and people died, the rebels were trapped in the siege of the imperial army and scattered and fled..."

"These people are all elite soldiers and generals under the Wu King. Although they are all brave and overbearing, they don't understand the method of hiding in the rivers and lakes."

"But they also know that the inland is full of checkpoints and heavy troops, so they all fled to the coastal areas where trade is prosperous."

"Therefore, for the first ten years, I took my children and family to travel everywhere, covering my tracks, starting from Dezhou, and searching along the coast to the south."

"Whenever I found traces, I relied on the Holy One's secret edict to mobilize local guards and yamen soldiers to assist in the suppression, and often had gains. The palace secret guards who died in battle in those years were all martyred in those years."

"Four years ago, the last time I traced the traces of the Wu remnants was in Annam. After that, the whereabouts of the Wu remnants suddenly became strange and difficult to find."

"I thought they must have fled for many years and started to explore more hidden ways of hiding, and it is also possible that they got help from outside forces, which made them silent."

"But I didn't give up searching in the frontier, and I still found nothing after several years."

"At the end of this spring, I took my children to travel to the West Sea coast, and unexpectedly learned news in the local area that traces of Wu remnants appeared in Jinling."

"I returned quickly and arrived in Jinling in the autumn of this year. At that time, the Jinling City broke out in a major case of the guard army, and there was a lot of chaos in the city. Although I investigated in many ways, I didn't find the traces of the Wu remnants."

"According to my inference, probably four or five years ago, the remaining forces of the Wu remnants may have changed, prompting them to gradually hide and gather strength from the frontier, and it is very likely that they are flowing into the inland."

"This is also the reason why I have had no gains in the frontier in these years."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao listened to Xue Yuan's report, his brows locked. Because of the chaos of the Wu King, he ascended to the position of the Nine-Five Supreme, which was strange and dangerous, and there were many things that could not be said.

In these years, the biggest taboo in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's heart was the remnants of those years, which were not extinguished, hiding in the abyss, and burning again.

Therefore, since he ascended the throne, he had recruited many people like Xue Yuan outside the orthodox government offices, equipped with secret guards and dead soldiers, and pursued and suppressed the remnants of the Wu King in many ways.

From Xue Yuan's report, he perceived two main pieces of information: the forces that Xue Yuan pursued and suppressed four or five years ago had undergone important changes; and there were traces of gathering tentacles from the frontier and returning to the inland.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said in a deep voice, "Xue Yuan, from today on, you don't need to travel to the frontier. Just travel in the inland provinces to investigate the traces of the remnants."

"I know you have worked very hard for more than ten years and have made great contributions. As long as this matter is settled, I will grant you a proper official title, so that you can restore the glory of the Xue family ancestors!"

Xue Yuan heard Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's words, his expression was excited, and he said, "The minister will surely do his best and not live up to the Holy One's expectations."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao suddenly asked, "Xue Yuan, you are also from Jinling. Have you ever heard of a Mr. Master Xi Liu who was quite famous in Jinling more than ten years ago?"

Xue Yuan heard this, his face moved slightly, and he said, "The minister heard the name of this person when he was young, but he has never seen this person. It is said that this person's learning is heavenly, and he is a learned scholar."

"But more than ten years ago, this person disappeared, and no one knows his whereabouts anymore."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked again, "I heard that fifteen years ago, this person suddenly set sail to sea and disappeared. In these years, you have traveled in the frontier and overseas. Have you heard rumors about him?"

Xue Yuan replied, "Reporting to the Holy One, the minister has never heard news of this person overseas."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao thought for a moment, then his face was warm, "Retire. Go to the Imperial Household Department to report on duties and audit accounts. After that, return to the south as soon as possible to investigate the traces of the Wu remnants!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao looked at Xue Yuan's retreating back and said to Guo Lin, "Among the several groups of people I sent out in those years, Xue Yuan has the most means and has made repeated gains over the years."

"But in these years, there has been no achievement. I hope it is because these remnants have eliminated their bandit hearts, or have all died of old age and illness. That would be the best."

"If they are just dormant for the time being, once they make a comeback, they will surely be troublesome."

"Does Xue Yuan have any actions in the Love Shenjing these few days?"

Guo Lin replied, "Reporting to the Holy One, after Xue Yuan arrived in the capital, he had close contact with Mei Jinlin of the Hanlin Academy."

"The two of them are fellow countrymen and old friends from Jinling. Xue Yuan's daughter and Mei Jinlin's son are of similar age, and the two families have the intention of marriage."

"Xue Yuan also visited his elder sister-in-law who was living in the Rongguo Prefecture, took the opportunity to visit the Rongguo Old Lady, and chatted happily with the Earl of Weiyuan Jia Cong, and there was nothing unusual."

Xue Yuan walked on the wide palace road and couldn't help but look back at the tall Ganyang Palace behind him. In the eyes of others, the majestic palace was like a man-eating beast in his eyes.

Fifteen years ago, he followed his elder brother to the Imperial Household Department to handle official business. Because he was quick-witted and sharp, he was appreciated by the then Superintendent of the Imperial Household Department and was recommended to the Holy One who had just ascended the throne.

Later, he naturally knew what kind of role that Superintendent of the Imperial Household Department was.

He originally wanted to rely on this to restore the glory of his ancestors, but now he was unable to get off the tiger's back, walking on the edge of life and death. Perhaps when he took on this shocking matter that day, there was no way back... (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 519 =====