In front of the large tent of the First Division of the Divine Armament Left Sentry Camp, six red lanterns hung down from the poles and illuminated the place.
General Bao and Bureau Head Liu stood in front of the tent with their helmets and armor on. Behind them were several guards and captains of the First Division. When they saw a group of people galloping over from the direction of the camp, General Bao and Bureau Head Liu immediately went forward with respectful smiles on their faces. The officers behind them looked at them with disdain. If you knew this would happen, why did you act arrogantly and then respectfully?
General Bao was beaming and didn't care about the gazes of others. This person was brave and skilled in battle, and had been promoted through hard work. However, he was narrow-minded and vengeful. How could he tolerate others offending him? However, when he thought of Yang Ling's tearless expression after tonight, he felt happy and didn't feel humiliated anymore.
Yang Ling led Yang Yiqing and Man Cang 'er, a total of twenty personal guards. He jumped off his horse in front of the tent. General Bao was startled when he saw Yang Ling's attire. For the past two days, Yang Ling had been wandering around the camp, wearing heavy armor wherever he went. In order to cater to Yang Ling, the officers in the camp were also wearing helmets and armor as if they were about to charge into battle.
However, at this time, Yang Ling was wearing a scholarly robe and didn't even have a sword. He walked forward lightly, his feet not touching the dust, and the two ribbons behind his scholarly crown fluttered. He looked indescribably handsome. At this moment, Bao Jinchen and a dozen or so heavily armored and robed generals bowed to welcome him. It was as if a noble was inspecting the army on a military field. Their aura instantly became lower. General Bao thought that Yang Ling was purely making fun of him and was furious.
Yang Ling saw that the officers were wearing armor and felt it was a bit strange. Were all banquets and feasts in the army this grand? Why wasn't anyone wearing casual clothes? Before he had time to think, General Bao and Bureau Head Liu had already stepped forward with their arms crossed. Yang Ling hurriedly stepped forward to help them up. "My comrades, please rise. We are all brothers, and we see each other every day. Why do you have to pay your respects?"
General Bao put on a smile and said, "Milord, since you took office, I and the officers have not prepared a banquet for you. The moon is bright and the wind is clear. It is rare for Bureau Head Liu to hold a banquet for you. We must drink until we are drunk."
Yang Ling replied with a smile. He glanced at Bureau Head Liu and saw that the latter had a nervous expression. Yang Ling saw that the latter was forcing a smile but kept glancing at General Bao. He couldn't help but be more cautious.
In the short two days of interaction, he already knew that General Bao was obstinate and arrogant. Even though Bureau Head Liu's expression was unnatural, it was in line with his current state of mind. Why was General Bao so enthusiastic and calm? Why was he not embarrassed at all?
It seemed that tonight's banquet would not be as simple as it seemed. Yang Ling turned around and looked meaningfully at Yang Yiqing. Yang Yiqing nodded slightly and waved his hand. Twenty bodyguards stood under the tent and held the reins, not moving an inch. Only then did Yang Ling and General Bao enter the tent with a face full of smiles.
* * *
In the General's residence, Young-niang, Yutang Chun, and Mengmeng had already cleared out half a bag of accounts. Sheridan looked at the account books and put down her brush. She rubbed her wrist and said with a smile, "Sister Young-niang, let's rest for a while. It looks like it will take two or three days to clear out. There is no hurry."
Han Youniang, who was sorting through the account books, straightened up when she heard this. She gently massaged her waist with her small hand and said, "But, I've just finished eating, and I've troubled the three younger sisters to clean up again. My husband is careless and didn't come to see you. Instead, he went to attend General Bao's banquet. I am so sorry. "
Yu TangChun deftly placed four teacups on the table. The tea swirled around, not a single drop spilling out. Filling the teacups, he picked up a cup and handed it to YunNiang. Half-jokingly, he said: "I think Official Yang is very afraid of being with us. He is a great general, how can he be afraid of us women?"
Han Youniang saw that her eyebrows were slightly furrowed. That kind of expression clearly showed some hidden bitterness. She could not help but sigh in her heart, "I am afraid that these three ladies have misunderstood. They usually treat me like a mistress and a concubine. How can I not notice it?
It is all the Crown Prince's fault for making a stupid order. Now, these three ladies are in my house. I do not know when the Crown Prince will take Miss Yixian into the palace. When that time comes, how will he settle these two ladies? "
She took the cup and looked at Yu Tangchun's slender fingers. Under the light, her skin was warm and translucent, just like a beautiful jade. Not only was her skin as white as jade, her scholarly and elegant aura made her look even more elegant and refined, like a fairy that had descended to the mortal world. Young-niang found it strange. Among these three ladies, in terms of appearance, this Sister Yu is obviously better than Sheridan and Tang Yixian. Moreover, she is quiet and has the demeanor of a noble. Why does the Crown Prince have a special liking for Miss Tang?
She saw Yutang Chun's pair of resentful eyes staring at her. Beside her, Sheridan also quietly pricked up her ears to listen. Young-niang could only vaguely say, "These sisters are as beautiful as fairies. Any man would feel uneasy if he were to approach you. Let's talk about my husband. Didn't you see that my two older brothers came with you today? They did not even dare to look at you."
Sheridan could not help but blush as she said, "We are all women with lives as thin as paper. How can we compare to Sister's good fortune? Sir Yang is already a third-ranked official in the imperial court. In the future, he will set up his own government and be bestowed the title of Marquis. At that time, Sister will be a first-ranked official.
Daren has redeemed us sisters and freed us from the pit of hell. We are truly grateful and are willing to be maids and maids. But now Daren has not said a word. If we don't settle this master-servant relationship as soon as possible, we won't know how to address you when we see you. "
Listening to her tone, it was clear that she could not wait for Young-niang to clarify their identities. Han Youniang was angry and amused at the same time. She glanced at the little girl and coquettishly said, "Go to hell. You make it sound so nice. If it wasn't for Feng … seeing you being bullied, why would I invite the three of you back? To be a maid? My family has a lot of money to burn. Spending ten thousand taels to buy a maid? "
If spending a lot of money was not to buy a maid, then what was it to buy? Hearing Han Youniang's words, Yutang Chun and Sheridan were delighted. The two girls quietly looked at each other, their faces beaming with joy. Today they finally got Young-niang's confirmation. They no longer had to lie on their beds in the middle of the night and guess what Daren was thinking. Young-niang Jiejie's words were more effective than an imperial edict in Sir Yang's heart.
Sheridan picked up her tea and hurriedly took a sip. She immediately rolled up her sleeves, revealing her well-proportioned and fair wrists. She vigorously rubbed the inkstone and said, "Jiejie, let's work harder and try to clear a bag tonight. The sooner we find the evidence, the sooner our master can punish that blind old Bao."
Yutang Chun drank her tea and ran over like a butterfly. She squatted on the ground and began to sort out the account books. Han Youniang did not understand. Seeing that only Tang Yixian did not move, she turned to look at her. She saw that Tang Yixian was sitting in front of the table. Her two delicate eyebrows were knitted together. She stared at the account book in her hand and was deep in thought. It was as if she did not hear them at all.
She held the pen and poked at her cheeks. She suddenly shook her head and said to herself, "No, there must be something wrong with this account book."
Young-niang quickly walked over and said, "Xian 'er, did you find something?"
Tang Yixian pointed to the account book and said, "Jiejie, can you see if there is anything wrong with this account book?"
Han Youniang looked at it seriously and said strangely, "Isn't it just an account book that records the purchase of charcoal … Oh! Something is wrong. This military camp is built on the mountain. There is plenty of firewood available. What is the use of buying charcoal? "
Tang YiXian laughed sinisterly twice, proudly said: "This is not a problem, the camp is a high ranking officer, in order to keep warm in the tent, drink wine and eat shabu must use charcoal, Jiejie guess again."
She slightly poked and Young-niang also found the problem. She could not help but said excitedly, "Something is wrong. There must be something wrong with this account book."
Yutang Chun and Sheridan quickly came over and asked, "What did you find? Let me see! "
Han Youniang pointed to the page and said, "Look, this account book records that in May of last year, he bought five hundred catties of charcoal. Below it is the usage. Look here, on the fourteenth of August, he bought another seven hundred catties … Why is there so much charcoal used in spring and summer when it should be used only in winter?"
Yutang Chun looked and said, "It is a little strange. All the miscellaneous items are recorded in one big account book. Why is there a separate account book for this charcoal? But … the amount of money recorded in the account book is not big. What are these few copper coins? "
Tang Yixian sat on the chair and shook her head, "Don't you know the smell of white and yellow rice?"
Yutang Chun and Sheridan heard and said together, "That's right. This is not impossible."
The case of white and yellow rice was only a few years ago. At that time, it was well-known in the capital. Young-niang did not know about it but Yutang Chun and Sheridan knew about it.
At that time, the Hongzhi Emperor's favorite eunuch Li Guang died of illness. The Hongzhi Emperor believed that he had the art of immortality. He sent the Imperial Bodyguards to search his residence. They found an account book that recorded the amount of white and yellow rice in the house. At that time, the Hongzhi Emperor did not understand and was curious why Li Guang's family was so small. After the minister explained, he found out that it was referring to the amount of gold and silver. In a rage, he ordered his men to search his house.
Sheridan said excitedly, "That's right. The price is not accurate. One tael can refer to one hundred taels or one thousand taels. But what does this charcoal refer to?"
Tang Yixian snatched the account book as if it was a treasure and tucked it into her bosom. She was so excited that her face was red, "This, wait until I tell Yang Daren, he will naturally be able to investigate clearly." Yu Tangchun and Xue Limei saw that she seemed to be afraid that someone else would steal her credit, they could not help but look at each other and smiled.
At this moment, a sinister voice laughed, "I'm afraid Mr Yang will not be able to find out about this."
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