noffsinger Chapter 102 Private Soldiers
Chapter 102 Private Soldiers
Lord Gouchen – Sun Heng.
It's been five or six years since I last saw you. Last time, when we were suppressing bandits in Xin'an City, you managed to slip away.
Now, I finally have time to see you again.
Yun Yuke never imagined she would see someone from back then in this place. Back in Xin'an City, Gouchen Jun Sun Heng broke into the Yun residence late at night, recognized Yuan Chen's identity, and left a bag of silver as a commission for maintaining those special jewelry pieces.
At the time, Magistrate Sun of Xin'an City did not submit these special pieces of jewelry as evidence to his superiors, but instead chose to keep them for himself. Even when Magistrate Sun was transferred to another post, he did not take these items with him, but entrusted them to Yun Yuke for safekeeping.
Although Yun Yuke felt this matter was somewhat troublesome, after all, this set of jewelry was too far-reaching, especially since it involved Yuan Chen and Tong Yuxing's wrongful conviction back then. If this set of jewelry could really be used as evidence, there was no problem with her family helping to keep it safe.
Therefore, this set of jewelry is currently stored in the underground vault beneath Yanchun Pavilion in Xin'an City.
Returning to the story of Lord Gouchen, he was indeed a very capable man.
Since receiving the first maintenance payment, the Yun family has indeed arranged for people to take care of it. In fact, every year on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Yanchun Pavilion in Xin'an City would receive a sum of money, which was specially sent by Lord Gouchen as the annual maintenance fee.
Every year, different people send him money. They are quite good at making money and they trust that our Yun family can take good care of him.
I never expected this person to also come to Changgan, and even become an advisor to Marquis Ankang. He is indeed not to be underestimated.
But something about what they were discussing always seemed off.
Yun Yuke couldn't help but think, feeling that something was amiss.
Judging solely from their positions, the strategist Gouchen Jun seemed to always speak with hidden meanings. For instance, when analyzing the internal situation of Wuluo, he himself didn't mention that Wuluo's Prime Minister Long wanted to attack Changhong; almost all the matters concerning sending troops were proposed by Ankang Hou himself…
No, something doesn't feel right.
Yun Yuke was restless and only calmed down a little after adjusting her breathing.
calm.
Do not worry.
Don't think too much about it now.
Yun Yuke adjusted her breathing, focused her mind, and put aside her doubts. Only when the east began to lighten did her breathing become smooth.
Upon opening the door, they found Yun Qingjin and Aunt Hua and her daughter already waiting at the entrance.
"Mother! You've rested enough." Yun Qingjin saw the door open and hurried over.
Yun Qingjin and Aunt Hua took turns keeping watch that night, and nothing happened.
However, when the three of them saw Yun Yuke's appearance, they felt that something seemed to be wrong.
“There were some issues last night, but it’s hard to say for sure right now. I need to confirm. Don’t be afraid, I’m here, everything will be fine.”
These things are still hard to say. Without evidence, we shouldn't tell them yet.
"We still have things to deal with right now."
Judging from the schedule, today is the main event of this so-called flower viewing banquet.
The invitation to the flower-viewing banquet stated that guests could stay at the villa for a few more days, and it would be open for a week. The Marquis of Ankang's residence would cover the food and accommodation expenses for the first three days of the banquet.
Any extra time afterwards will need to be paid for by the attendees themselves.
In other words, the first three days are crucial, after which you can leave. Of course, you can leave on the third day.
Today, the Marquis of Ankang will arrange a grand banquet for flower viewing, with special seating.
So Yun Yuke's plan was to stay there for the third day and then leave immediately.
Because of the previous nighttime raid, the business owners living in the vicinity are somewhat nervous, and everyone is discussing what happened yesterday.
The person in charge of this area had to give a long explanation before the matter was finally covered up.
Today's banquet was very well arranged, with dances and opera performances. Everyone participated happily.
Those old-fashioned folks also organized some poetry recitation activities, which could be considered as a way of showing off their refined tastes.
The four people from Yunfu weren't very good at it; they just listened from the sidelines and occasionally offered their support.
What was expected to happen that day turned out to be remarkably peaceful, almost uneventful. The four people from the Yun family simply participated like ordinary tourists.
Of course, it wasn't entirely fruitless. Some of the merchants who came were there to discuss business.
Many people approached Yun Yuke to talk.
Hiding the trees in the forest is a good method. The four people from the Yun family stayed together.
During this time, people kept staring at Liu Zhou'er, but the people from the Yun family cleverly avoided them.
"Zhou'er, you're here? Perfect timing, come and give me a head massage." Zhu Ling found a few people from the Yun family in the crowd, and then used the excuse that he was not feeling well to shake off the Changgan City merchants who had been pestering him.
The Yun family members also used the excuse of giving the prefect a massage to sneak back into the room where Zhu Ling and the others were staying.
"I've finally found an opportunity. You don't know how proactive the merchants in Changgan are. I've gone back and dealt with those who were causing trouble behind my back. Let's work together to develop Changgan properly."
Once inside the house, Zhu Ling, with a smile, explained to the people from the Yun family what she had seen and heard over the past two days.
"I'm so sorry, I wouldn't have sneaked out of their party if I hadn't needed to rest for a bit. When I get back, I'll pull out these nails..."
"Wait a minute, do you mean that Marquis Ankang hasn't contacted you during the day?" Yun Yuke asked.
"Yes, why does that Marquis of Ankang insist on finding me?"
Yun Yuke told Yun Qingjin and the other two to leave first, leaving only Zhu Xing and the other two behind.
I'll briefly recount what I overheard last night. Of course, it includes details about Gouchen-jun's true identity. After all, I heard that advisor speak, and the voice sounded similar. For now, I'll keep this uncertain matter a secret.
After hearing Yun Yuke's news, Zhu and Xing's expressions turned somewhat gloomy and uncertain.
"Internal strife in Uro? Marquis Ankang might have a private army? Is it possible that the bandits who were not captured back then have now become the Marquis's advisors? Wait a minute, let's take it slow."
It was impossible to analyze the situation in detail from outside. The three of them had no choice but to proceed step by step.
"The internal strife in Uru is the primary concern. External enemies remain the most critical factor."
"Do you have other channels to learn about the local situation?" Yun Yuke asked.
Zhu and Xing both shook their heads. "We haven't paid much attention to this situation. If His Majesty and Empress have made any arrangements, we won't know for the time being."
"Sister Yun, do you mean that if Marquis Ankang contacts us, he might ask us to inform the Emperor and the others?"
Yun Yuke nodded. "They'll probably be here soon. Be careful."
"Alright, let's leave that aside for now. We only had some speculation about Marquis Ankang having a private army before." Zhu Ling thought for a moment and changed the subject.
“I don’t think they ever intended to hide this. Look at the people serving in this manor; they are very likely these private soldiers. If I’m not mistaken, then the bribes that Marquis Ankang received were probably all used to support his army.”
"The Empress Dowager's family has a private army... What is she planning? Does the Empress Dowager know? Is she condoning it?"