Chapter 209

As they entered the study, Grand Secretary Yu's face darkened.

He berated his son in a low voice: "What is it? You can't even keep your composure?"

Yu Jingxiu was unperturbed, flashing a smile at his father with a hint of mystery: "Father, you'll be pleased to hear this too..."

Grand Secretary Yu raised an eyebrow.

Yu Jingxiu continued: "The Marquis of Xiping sent word that this Zhao Ling once trafficked private salt..." Before he could finish, his face was already alight with excitement.

"Oh?" Grand Secretary Yu's spirits lifted as well.

Trafficking private salt was already a grave crime, let alone for a military officer guarding the frontier...

"Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"

"Isn't the Marquis of Xiping the hereditary commander of Liangzhou?" Yu Jingxiu laughed. "The merchant caravans trading with Arabia all pass through there. Some desperadoes, seeing profit to be made, banded together and set up strongholds to rob those caravans. The Marquis of Xiping selected skilled warriors from his garrison to form a mounted troop, responsible for protecting the merchant caravans passing through. Occasionally, they'd also take on escort jobs for clients willing to pay well. Over a year, it brought in a considerable income."

"When He Fu arrived in Zhangye, he grew envious. He gathered all the caravans passing through Jiayuguan and established a rule of one-twentieth levy, with the General's Office providing troops to protect these caravans."

"He Fu was the commanding officer after all, and he held the moral high ground. With that, the Marquis of Xiping's mounted troop lost their profitable business."

"Just then, there was this fellow surnamed Feng, whose ancestors had trafficked private salt. But over the years, the business had flourished, and by his generation, it had gradually been laundered clean."

"Because this Feng fellow shared the same surname as the Marquis of Xiping, somehow he managed to ingratiate himself with the Marquis and claim kinship."

"The Marquis of Xiping has a large household and estate. With times growing difficult, he couldn't help but look for other means. His thoughts turned to this Feng fellow."

"That Feng fellow didn't hesitate. He said that as long as the Marquis would send a capable man to help keep things in order, he'd cover the capital and the manpower, and guaranteed twenty thousand taels of silver annually to the Marquis." He chuckled derisively. "Otherwise, where would the Marquis of Xiping find the money to curry favor in the capital?"

Grand Secretary Yu nodded, somewhat surprised, and mused: "No wonder some risk breaking the law—so the profits from private salt trafficking are that substantial..."

Yu Jingxiu smiled: "Father, don't worry. Zhao Ling doesn't have that much money—he only trafficked private salt for about three years in total. At the start, he had little capital, relying purely on his ruthlessness and his wide connections. By the third year, he'd opened up the market, then suddenly stopped and quit. That Feng Laosan was puzzled, but later learned that Zhao Ling had voluntarily joined the military..."

Grand Secretary Yu gave a faint, nonchalant "Mm."

But Yu Jingxiu could sense his father's mood lightening.

He continued with a smile: "Ever since I introduced Grand Secretary Shen's eldest son to the Marquis of Xiping's second son, although He Fu hasn't let go, he's become much more courteous to the Marquis. This time when I asked the Marquis's second son about Zhao Ling, he was very enthusiastic. He even asked if I needed help, saying that the Feng family and Zhao Ling were enemies—Feng Laosan's elder brother died at Zhao Ling's hands. Later, when Zhao Ling joined the military and rose through the ranks, the Feng family grew increasingly uneasy. He said he could come forward to encourage the Feng family to testify..." At this point, his expression turned serious. "Father, I've heard that private salt traffickers are ruthless people who would draw their blades over a few taels of silver. Since the Feng family and Zhao Ling are enemies, it can't be an ordinary grudge. Perhaps the reason the Feng family sought kinship with the Marquis of Xiping was precisely to guard against Zhao Ling seeking revenge once he achieved high position..."

"Your reasoning is sound." Grand Secretary Yu nodded. "Send a capable man to meet this Feng Laosan—hearing is not believing; seeing is believing. If we truly need to use him, relying solely on the Marquis of Xiping's second son..." He paused. "I'm afraid the leverage wouldn't be sufficient!"

"That's what I was thinking too." Yu Jingxiu said, then showed a hesitant expression. "However, Zhao Ling currently enjoys great imperial favor. Merely trafficking private salt, and from years past at that, probably wouldn't be enough to topple him—at most, he'd receive a reprimand. After some time passes and the Emperor's anger cools, he might even be reinstated... That would only alert the enemy... Perhaps we should work on this Feng Laosan instead..."

Seeing his son's insight, Grand Secretary Yu's eyes lit up: "Tell me then, how would you go about working on him?"

Yu Jingxiu said in a low voice, "Isn't Zhao Ling currently at Xuanfu? From what the second son of the Marquis of Xiping said, Zhao Ling doesn't have much silver on hand, but you know the official salaries of civil servants... Once you've grown accustomed to eating fine fish and meat, who can bear to go back to plain vegetables? Why not have someone come forward to guarantee for Feng Laosan, so that he and Zhao Ling can turn hostility into friendship? First, this will let Feng Laosan see our methods and make him wary. Second, we can take this opportunity to drag Zhao Ling into the mire... If it succeeds, we can then find a way to impeach Zhao Ling on charges of 'falsely claiming military merit.' With both cases brought at once—he was originally saved by the Emperor, and in the Emperor's eyes, he is the Emperor's man—if such a matter comes to light, not for the crime itself but for the sake of face, the Emperor will certainly punish him..."

A smile slowly spread across Grand Secretary Yu's somewhat stern face: "During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Marquis of Xiping will surely send someone to deliver festival gifts. You should entertain the second son of the Marquis of Xiping well when the time comes!"

In other words, his father approved of his plan.

This was an affirmation of his abilities, and Yu Jingxiu could not help but let a hint of joy show between his brows.

He clasped his hands and bowed deeply to his father: "Father, rest assured, I will never let anyone suspect me."

Grand Secretary Yu said nothing, only patted his son's shoulder with satisfaction before turning and leaving the inner chamber.

Yu Jingxiu returned to his room with a smile.

Lady Fan was lazily reclining against a large bolster, watching Mozhuan and two young maids doing needlework for her unborn child.

Seeing her husband return, she quickly sat up: "You're back!"

"Don't get up!" Yu Jingxiu smiled as he sat down beside her and took her hand. "How are you today? Are you well?"

Lady Fan smiled and nodded.

But Mozhuan spoke up: "It's that Concubine Wu again. Seeing that the young mistress is pregnant, she's afraid the young mistress will shortchange her, so she kept asking the seamstress in charge of the needlework room about how her summer clothes should be made. She confused the seamstress so thoroughly that the woman thought the young mistress had given other instructions and came to ask her about it. The young mistress was perfectly fine, looking at the night pearl you gave her with this servant, but then she had to make another trip to Concubine Wu's place and also gave a thorough scolding to all the maids, married women, and old servants in the courtyard..."

"Enough!" Lady Fan finally spoke up to silence Mozhuan. "Why do you have so much to say? Managing the inner quarters is originally my business. The young master is busy running around outside, and when he finally manages to come home, you still bring up these trivial matters to bother him... Do you want to be reassigned elsewhere?" By the end of her words, her tone had turned harsh.

Mozhuan quickly knelt down, but her gaze darted toward Yu Jingxiu: "Young mistress, this servant will never speak out of turn again..."

When Yu Jingxiu saw his wife's personal maid seeking help from him, he felt it was because Lady Fan was being considerate of him, and his mood lifted considerably. He laughed and said, "Alright, alright, it's just a small matter... Your husband and I talked for a long time, and my throat is about to smoke..." The last sentence was directed at Lady Fan.

Lady Fan exclaimed "Oh!" and quickly instructed Mozhuan: "Hurry and pour some tea!"

Mozhuan responded with a smile and rose to her feet.

Yu Jingxiu then said, "So Wu came to ask you for her clothes? I've noticed she's usually quiet... Could it be that the maids and old servants around her are egging her on..."

Lady Fan was taken aback, then felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Are you saying I'm wronging her then..." Before she could finish, tears had already fallen.

"No, no." Yu Jingxiu quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "I was just asking! Don't misunderstand!"

Lady Fan let him wipe her tears as she choked out, "I know Concubine Wu is an honest person—otherwise Mother wouldn't have chosen her to be placed in our household. It's just that people always change..."

Yu Jingxiu's brows furrowed slightly at this, and with some displeasure he said, "Forget it, don't talk about this anymore..."

That Wu was indeed a beauty, but precisely because she had been sent by Madam Yu, Yu Jingxiu particularly disliked her... Lady Fan knew this well. Her goal had been achieved, and seeing that Yu Jingxiu was unhappy, she immediately changed the subject: "What were you and Father talking about that you talked until your throat went dry?"

"It's about Zhao Ling..." Yu Jingxiu naturally had no guard against Lady Fan. He was still feeling smug that his plan had been accepted by his father, and the words slipped out before he could stop them. Feeling it was somewhat inappropriate, he immediately cut himself off and laughed, saying, "They're just messy matters from outside—even if I told you, you wouldn't understand!"

Lady Fan was just feeling bored, so she laughed and said, "If you tell me, Husband, then I'll understand!" She added, "Who is this Zhao Ling anyway?"

"A mere soldier." Yu Jingxiu curled his lips, a hint of disdain showing on his face. Looking up, he saw Mozhuan bringing in the tea. He took the teacup and said, "Has there been any word from your mother's side yet?"

Since Lady Fan was pregnant, Madam Yu had personally written a letter and sent someone to deliver it to Lady Fan's mother.

"Counting the days, we should receive a reply within the next couple of days..." Lady Fan responded, then suddenly recalling that she had heard someone mention fighting in Xuanfu recently, she couldn't help but ask, "That Zhao Ling, is he the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu?"

"Him? Worthy of being commander-in-chief of Xuanfu?" Yu Jingxiu sneered. "He's nothing but a lackey cleaning up after Mo Yi!"

Lady Fan grew even more curious upon hearing this: "Who is Mo Yi? And why do you say Zhao Ling is cleaning up after him?"

"Don't concern yourself with these matters." Yu Jingxiu didn't want to discuss it further. Smiling, he picked up a piece of candied winter melon with a toothpick and offered it to Lady Fan's lips. "Your duty right now is to take good care of the baby. Don't trouble your mind with other things!"

Lady Fan smiled and ate the candied fruit, but her curiosity remained undiminished.

The next day, she sent Mozhuan to make inquiries.

When Mozhuan returned, her face was somewhat pale.

"Madam," she whispered into Lady Fan's ear, "that man named Zhao Ling is the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanfu. Thanks to his merit of following the dragon, he's only twenty-four or twenty-five years old and already a third-rank general." She paused in her speech, "I've heard his wife... her surname is Fu."

"Fu?" Lady Fan was greatly startled. "Did you hear clearly? Who said this?"

"Everyone outside is talking about it," Mozhuan said. "They say that since Zhao Ling has rendered great service this time, that Fu woman will likely be granted an imperial title!"