Chapter 497 : Betrayal (2)

Walking from the storeroom entrance to Yun Qing’s office took less than a quarter of an hour. After passing through the secret passage, no one could see even a silver coin.

Everything in Yun Qing’s room had already been packed away, so there was no risk of any information leaking. However, it was time to settle accounts. Yun Qing asked coldly, “Cao De, shouldn’t you explain yourself now?” Fortunately, he had listened to Yuxi and moved everything away; otherwise, he would have been in real trouble today.

Cao De’s face turned ashen. He glanced at Mr Xia and questioned, “Didn’t you say that you put the gold and silver in here with Yun Qing? Where are they?”

How could Mr Xia not know about the unexpected accident a few days ago? At that time, Yun Qing had said that the things hadn’t been moved, but that was just to mislead people. He had been lied to. Mr Xia looked up at Yun Qing, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and helplessness. “The things were originally placed in the secret passage. They were placed there by General Yun himself.”

Xu Chen pointed at Yun Qing and shouted, “He must have taken everything away. Cao Daren1, you must investigate thoroughly…” As soon as these words left his mouth, Yun Qing kicked him to the ground. Xu Chen immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.

This behaviour horrified everyone else.

Yun Qing looked at Cao De and coldly asked, “Do you still want to continue the search?” At that moment, Yun Qing was genuinely filled with murderous intent, which was terrifying to watch.

Cao De naturally wanted to continue the search, but looking at Yun Qing’s murderous expression, he couldn’t help but feel a little afraid.

Just then, Cui Mo came in and reported, “General, Feng Dajun and Second Master Han have brought troops to our rescue. They have brought a total of 20,000 soldiers.” Han Jianye had brought troops as soon as he heard the news.

Seeing that Cao De and his men remained motionless, Yun Qing said, “Will you leave on your own, or shall I have my men drag you out?” A tiger would be mistaken for a sick cat if it didn’t show its claws. He had tolerated them before because he didn’t want to create internal conflict and also because he didn’t have many men on his side, which would be a disadvantage to him if they got into a fight. Therefore, these civil officials liked to whine and complain. If it were him, he would have detained them long ago and dealt with them later.

Cao De was now filled with regret. If he hadn’t trusted Mr. Xia’s words so much, he wouldn’t have acted so rashly. It was too late for regrets now.

Geng Jichen said, “You deliberately made such a big fuss about changing the guards a few days ago so that you could easily move things, right!” Geng Jichen was no fool. If he couldn’t drag Yun Qing down this time, it would be him and Kang Donglin who would die.

Yun Qing had no desire to engage in a war of words. There was no point in arguing with a dead man.

Kang Donglin was no fool, either. Seeing Yun Qing’s expression, how could he not know what he was planning? He decided to smash the cracked pot2 by saying, “Cao Daren1, not only has there been a change in the military headquarters a few days ago, there has also been a change in the Yun Residence. Cao Daren1, people have been coming and going from the Yun Residence every night for the past few days. I suspect all the gold and silver has been moved to the Yun residence.”

Cao De felt like he was going to vomit blood3. Earlier, Mr Xia had insisted that the gold and silver were hidden in the secret passage, but hadn’t they ended up with nothing? Now, he was asked to search the Yun Residence. It would be fine if they found something, but if they didn’t, he really suspected that Yun Qing would kill them on the spot.

Yuan Ying was furious. “What? You’ve searched the military headquarters, and now you want to search our General’s residence?” He felt like these people were treating them like dough, ready to be kneaded and flattened at will4.

Just then, a man walked in and whispered something into Du Wenshu’s ear. Du Wenshu looked at Yun Qing with a complicated expression. After a long while, he sighed and said, “General Yun, hand over the money! As long as you hand over the money, I can guarantee that the Crown Prince will show leniency.” He had originally thought that Yun Qing had hidden the gold and silver and that the money would eventually be used to defend Yu City, but he had never expected Yun Qing to move the gold and silver back to his own home.

Yun Qing sneered. “Cut the crap and get out of here.”

Du Wenshu said, “General Yun, I’ve already given you a chance. Since you don’t cherish it, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” He was simply repeating Yun Qing’s earlier words.

Cao De was so pleased to hear this that he asked, “Du Daren1, do you know where the silver is hidden?” He could tell from Du Wenshu’s tone that he did.

Du Wenshu replied with a pained expression, “According to reliable sources, the silver was transported to the Yun Residence a few days ago. It is currently buried in the vegetable patch there.”

Yun Qing’s face changed, and his hand instinctively reached for the long sword at his waist. However, he quickly let go of it, but his eyes still shone with a fierce, cold light.

Cao De was a master at reading people’s expressions. From Yun Qing’s reaction, he knew that the gold and silver were actually hiding in the vegetable garden at the Yun Residence. With newfound courage, Cao De said, “General Geng, please keep an eye on Yun Qing. General Kang, come with me to the Yun Residence.” Recovering over four million taels of silver would be an outstanding achievement! He would definitely be promoted and rewarded upon his return.

Han Jianye and Feng Dajun noticed Yun Qing’s unusual behaviour. Naturally, they wouldn’t stand by and watch him suffer. They immediately blocked Cao De’s path.

Cao De shouted at the soldiers led by Feng Dashun and Han Jianye, “Do you know who I am? I am an Imperial Commissioner sent by the Emperor and the Crown Prince. If you dare to block my path, it is tantamount to rebellion.” No one dared to bear the guilt of such an accusation.

Feng Dajun looked at the silent Yun Qing and called out, “General…” If Yun Qing had given the order, he would have stamped these scoundrels flat.

Yun Qing narrowed his eyes and said, “Let them go.”

While Yuxi was enjoying a cantaloupe melon, she saw Zijin rush in. Zijin immediately said, “Madam, Kang Donglin has surrounded our residence with his men.”

As soon as Zijin finished speaking, everyone else in the courtyard was stunned into silence.

Yuxi put down the half-eaten melon in her hand and stood up, asking, “Kang Donglin? Who gave him the audacity to do this? Where is the General?”

Zijin shook her head. “I don’t know. Xu Wu is holding them off at the gate, but he won’t be able to hold them off for long.” Indeed, it wouldn’t be long before Du Wenshu and Cao De entered the inner courtyard with their men, followed by Kang Donglin and Han Jianye.

Yuxi asked Han Jianye, “Er Ge5, what crime has He Rui committed? How could they go so far as to raid our house?” These people were truly lawless, daring to raid their house without any evidence. They really thought that they, as a couple, were easy to bully.

Looking at Yuxi’s smiling face, Cao De had a bad feeling for some reason. “Yun Qing has embezzled a huge amount of money, and now there is enough evidence to prove that this money is hidden in your mansion.” Cao De was clever this time, saying that the money was hidden in the Yun’s mansion, not in the vegetable garden.”

Yuxi stifled her smile and deliberately raised her voice, saying, “Embezzled a huge sum of money? Not to mention that the meagre funds allocated by the Imperial Court each year are not even enough to pay the soldiers’ salaries. Even the General’s memorial, requesting the Imperial Court to allocate some silver to settle the Children Charity Home, was not granted. Where would he have embezzled such a large sum of money?”

Cao De’s face changed when he heard this. What was this Han woman thinking, saying such a thing in front of the soldiers present?

Du Wenshu was well aware that Yuxi was more difficult to deal with than Yun Qing. They were the ones at a disadvantage when it came to arguing with her; after all, they were not on the side of reason. Du Wenshu said, “Madam Yun, we have received reliable information that the four million taels of silver belonging to the Xu family have been embezzled by General Yun and that this money is hidden in the Yun Residence. If Madam can hand over the money, this matter will not implicate you.” Wasn’t there a proverb that said, ‘A husband and wife are like birds from the same forest that will fly off in different directions when disaster strikes’? This meant that Yuxi should turn against Yun Qing. Then, she would not be implicated.

Yuxi did not react to Du Wenshu’s words but instead smiled and said, “Speaking of which, my husband, the Chief General of Yu City, is really quite pathetic. Otherwise, how else would others be able to throw dirty water and raid his house at will?”

Han Jianye was relieved to hear this. Yuxi’s righteous and confident tone indicated that she must have already come up with a countermeasure.

Kang Donglin was well aware of Yuxi’s formidable nature. He was afraid that things would get out of hand if she continued speaking. So he immediately shouted, “Search the house!”

Yuxi smiled at Kang Donglin and said, “If you want to search, go ahead. But if you damage any of my things and don’t compensate me tenfold, I will take your life.”

Yuxi did not get nervous or panic but uttered these words calmly and collectedly. However, her demeanour made Du Wenshu feel uneasy.

Han Jianye stood beside Yu Xi and glared at Kang Donglin and his soldiers, saying, “That’s right, ten times the compensation for any damage caused. If you dare not compensate, I will flay you alive.”

No amount of threats could stop these people. Cao De took Kang Donglin to the vegetable garden next door while Du Wenshu stayed behind.

Yuxi was well aware of these people’s corrupt nature. Once the jewellery had passed through their hands, it would be impossible to get it back intact. “Go inside, and don’t let them touch my jewellery. If anyone touches it, cut off their hands.”

Zijin was reluctant to leave Yuxi’s side. Yuxi looked at Han Jianye and said, “Don’t worry, with Er Ge5 here, my safety is not a concern.”

Seeing Han Jianye nod, Zijin then entered the bedroom. Soon, the sound of rummaging through drawers and cupboards could be heard, followed by screams.

All those who served Yuxi personally had seen blood before. That was why no one cried in the face of such a large-scale raid.

Despite the situation, Yuxi still had the presence of mind to ask Han Jianye, “Where is the General?” It was strange that the master of the house was absent when his residence was raided.

Han Jianye replied, “He is being held at the military headquarters by Geng Jichen. Yuxi, He Rui doesn’t want to cause internal conflict, so he’s swallowing his anger.” To be honest, even he found this excuse hard to believe. However, knowing Yun Qing’s personality, he wasn’t the type to simply accept such treatment. So, what had gotten into him this time to allow these people to raid his house?

Yuxi chuckled and rambled, “He has fought in so many battles and almost lost his life several times. That’s fine; I can accept that. But then he becomes the chief general of Yu City, responsible for defending against external enemies, managing supplies for an army of 100,000, training new recruits, and even caring for the hundreds of children in the Charity Home. He has his hands full from dawn to dusk, and even my dowry has been used up. And now, on the mere accusation of embezzlement, with no evidence whatsoever, they bring in soldiers to raid our house. Er Ge5, tell me, is it even worth being a general? I’ve made up my mind. Once this matter is settled, I’ll have him remove his armour and return to the farm6, since he’s such a pathetic general. If he doesn’t want to, I’ll return to the capital with Zaozao.”

Han Jianye listened to Yuxi’s ramblings with a wry smile. He didn’t know whether to say that his sister had an incredibly strong mind or was simply too thick-headed.

Du Wenshu’s eyelids twitched, not because of Yuxi’s words but because of her attitude. If it had been any other woman, he might have simply assumed that she was unaware of the situation and, therefore, angry and worried. However, Du Wenshu knew Yuxi’s background well enough to understand that her composure could only mean one thing: she was confident. Considering Yun Qing’s unusual behaviour and Yuxi’s calmness, Du Wenshu began to have a bad feeling.