After receiving news that the eight-ox crossbows had gone missing, Yun Ye abandoned the emperor and ran home to convene a family safety meeting. Grandmother, aunt, elder sister, younger sisters, wife, Wang Cai—during this period, not one person was permitted to leave the estate. This was the family head’s order, and it would remain in effect until the authorities found those things. The family was also forbidden from bringing in any prepared food from outside—everything must be cooked at home. They would raise two more dogs to test for poison.
“Ye’er, you mustn’t panic. If you panic, the whole family will be thrown into chaos. Besides, you should be with the emperor right now, not running home. This will make the emperor view you unfavorably.” Grandmother wiped the sweat from Yun Ye’s brow while trying to console him.
“I don’t care about that. As long as the family is safe, why should I care about the emperor or not? It’s because he wanted to eliminate everyone completely that he’s now being assassinated—what does that have to do with me? Remember, no one is allowed to go out, and no climbing the walls either. Xiao Ya, I’m talking to you! If you dare stand on that artificial mountain holding an umbrella and jump down again, I’ll beat your bottom raw. You never learn anything good.”
Yun Ye was completely flustered. Eight-ox crossbows! In the Great Tang, these weapons had deterrent power no less than missiles in later generations. With his small frame, one bolt could pierce through three or four people. The old veteran needed to be brought back to guard the house—he couldn’t keep wandering around in the woods. Home was what mattered most.
If Dou Yanshan captured Xiao Ya as a hostage, without a word, Yun Ye would surrender unconditionally and do whatever was demanded, no negotiating. Fortunately, Dou Yanshan hadn’t discovered this fatal weakness of Yun Ye’s. If he had, he would have done exactly that long ago. For the first time, Yun Ye felt that the code of propriety was actually a good thing—at least the young ladies of the household wouldn’t randomly run to the market to help people buy vegetables.
Xinyue very considerately supported Yun Ye. She had been quite dejected—this morning her monthly cycle had come, making her so angry she wanted to burn down the house. Now that such a major incident had occurred at home, pregnancy was the furthest thing from her mind.
“These days, this concubine will watch the younger sisters carefully and not allow them to go out. Wang Cai is also forbidden to leave. This concubine will also mobilize the tenant farmers to help search for the crossbow carts. After all, crossbow carts are very large—there will always be some traces.”
When matters don’t concern you, you can remain aloof, but when things fall on your own head, you can only grit your teeth and forge ahead. Dou Yanshan, this lingering ghost, must be eliminated as soon as possible. Without getting rid of him, even sleep wouldn’t come easy.
After settling affairs at home and withdrawing the old veterans back to the house, only then did Yun Ye breathe a sigh of relief. Terrorists were the hardest to eliminate—if you didn’t believe it, just look at America in later generations. The war on terror had lasted over eight years before they eliminated the ringleader.
All through the night, Yun Ye stood guard beneath Li Er’s small building. Now was not the time to slack off. If something happened, the consequences would be too terrible. Within a radius of three hundred meters, Yun Ye and the guards combed through like a fine-tooth comb. Even underground, Yun Ye ordered that it must be stabbed through once with long spears, worried that someone might dig tunnels.
Li Er didn’t care. He even had the mood to favor his consort. The damned sounds—Yun Ye standing below could vaguely hear them. However, this greatly eased the guards’ tension, and everything became orderly. Wu She’s eyes glowed in the night, greenish like a wolf’s. Now if anyone suddenly rushed into the building, he would probably be torn to shreds.
Hong Cheng wore a mournful expression. All day long, his clothes hadn’t been dry. When a night owl called out, he would jump up clutching his weapon. What a long night! Yun Ye now only hoped the emperor would set out to return to the palace tomorrow. As long as they safely delivered the old man back to the palace, everything would be fine.
“Marquis Yun, as brothers go, I’ve wronged you. The excellent situation you created has been completely ruined by me, leaving behind future troubles. After this matter is concluded, I’ll be too ashamed to remain in the Bai Qi Si any longer. Do you have any good positions where you could arrange something for your brother?”
This bastard’s first half-sentence was full of remorse, but the second half turned into the shameless request for benefits. Worthy of someone from the Bai Qi Si indeed—such thick skin. Yun Ye wanted to refuse outright, but suddenly he thought of that unfortunate woman. He still needed to find her a reliable assistant. Going all the way to Lingnan where the sky was high and the land distant, he had no connections whatsoever. Relying on Feng Ang—who knew what might happen? If Feng Ang also grew annoyed with her and found some deserted place to eliminate her, then reported she had died from failure to acclimatize, who could do anything about it? Yun Ye no longer dared trust those so-called heroes. What if she truly became pregnant? Wouldn’t even his own son suffer disaster?
“This incident, no matter how you spin it, is your dereliction of duty. That His Majesty didn’t execute you on the spot was already out of consideration for past loyalty. Eight-ox crossbows! You knew nothing about such dangers hidden in the capital—and four of them! Your only way out is to quickly beg His Majesty to banish you far away. Otherwise, the court officials will devour you alive.”
Hong Cheng said with a bitter face: “I’ve long since wanted to die. Always causing trouble—the Bai Qi Si is no job for a human being. Even if I escape this time, what about next time? This damned heaven won’t let anyone live in peace. I’d rather be back in the military camp leading my common soldiers—that was much more straightforward.”
“Old Hong, do you want to build new achievements and make His Majesty look at you with new eyes?” Yun Ye squinted at Hong Cheng before speaking.
Hong Cheng grabbed Yun Ye’s hand and said: “My good brother, you’re a clever man. Even if your brother had eight heads, he couldn’t match your little toe. Just tell me—where can I find such an opportunity? The grasslands have no place for us to stand. If I went there, I’d be treated as an oddity. I can’t handle it.”
“If the north won’t work, can’t the south work? Rigid thinking.”
“It won’t work. His Majesty forbids us from provoking the Feng family. Besides, that’s their territory. If I went, I might never come back.”
“Go there legitimately. Isn’t Shouyang going to Liao territory to take over power? You’re also the emperor’s man—what’s improper about going along? If you do things well, not only can you get promoted, you can also get rich. Most importantly, you can leave an estate for your descendants. If it weren’t you, Old Hong, would I tell anyone else? If I weren’t the only son in my family, I’d be the first to go.”
Hong Cheng stared wide-eyed at Yun Ye as if he didn’t recognize him, finally saying with difficulty: “Brother, don’t toy with me. Liao territory is so poor they’re bare-assed beggars. Where’s the opportunity for promotion and wealth there?”
“Do you know why it’s always easier for me to make money than others? Do you know the reason?”
Hong Cheng swallowed with difficulty and shook his head. Truth be told, he admired Yun Ye’s money-making abilities to the point of prostration. In just a few short years, the Yun Family had become one of the great wealthy households of Chang’an that everyone counted. Though he himself had contributed some, he did so willingly. When it came to warfare, he might not be convinced, but when it came to making money, if Yun Ye said the stone under his bottom was gold, he would believe it.
Yun Ye continued: “I’m not as clever as you all think. It’s that over these years, traveling with my teacher to many places, my knowledge has broadened. The Liao people are stupid as pigs, clearly sitting on a treasure mountain yet starving. Do you know, just across that small bay, there’s a grain that can yield three harvests a year? Do you know the mountains there are covered with spices everywhere? Do you know there’s an island there that produces emeralds? Do you know ivory there is only worth a rusty iron knife? With a five-cash ceramic jar, you can exchange for a hundred jin of spices?”
“A hundred jin?” Hong Cheng’s eyes nearly popped out. He still knew what spices cost in Chang’an’s markets. Imagining himself using a ceramic jar to exchange for a hundred jin of spices with ragged natives, then imagining taking a broken knife and exchanging it for an ivory tusk over three chi long—his eyes stared fixedly while drool dripped.
Yun Ye quietly backed away a bit. Human greed could overcome all difficulties and hardships. After learning this secret, even if it were a tall mountain, Hong Cheng would trample it to powder.
“Count me in on this business!” A clear voice called out. Yun Ye turned to see it was Li Chengqian. Hadn’t he gone to Yongzhou these past days? How had he returned?
Seeing Li Chengqian approach, though Hong Cheng was anxious enough to scratch his ears and cheeks, he had no choice but to leave. When Yun Ye spoke with the Crown Prince, it wasn’t his place to participate.
“How did you return so quickly? Have all the disaster victims there been properly settled?”
Seeing Li Chengqian covered in dust, Yun Ye knew he had rushed back day and night. Some days ago, Yongzhou had nearly erupted in civil unrest. The reason was that after spring arrived, not a single drop of rain had fallen there. The fields had cracked open so badly there was no way to survive. A fellow who called himself Flying Sky Fork had gathered refugees to storm government offices, even opened granaries to distribute grain, and killed two county magistrates. This was outrageous! The emperor ordered the Yongzhou governor to suppress the rebellion and sent the Crown Prince with grain to pacify the poor people. In just one month’s time, this fellow had completed the task and returned? That was too fast.
“What’s so difficult about it? By the time I arrived, the governor had already captured Flying Sky Fork, and the rebels were obediently confined in the camp awaiting punishment. You’d never guess—Flying Sky Fork was actually a woman, in her thirties, built large and rough, completely illiterate, no martial skills, just great strength. One or two men couldn’t get close to her. After being surrounded by over a dozen soldiers and stabbed seven or eight times, only then was she captured. The county magistrates weren’t dead either—they had been captured and used as labor. When the governor found them, they were unrecognizable. They were all just robbing grain because they were starving. I reported to Father Emperor, and he said I could handle it as I saw fit. I don’t like killing people, so I released all the others, gave them grain, dispatched officials to help repair waterworks, and dismissed several officials. With that, the matter was settled. When I returned, the people sent me off for miles. I believe they won’t rebel again. I brought Flying Sky Fork back to the capital to await Father Emperor’s judgment.”
“That’s good, very good. The population of the Great Tang is already small. If we can avoid killing, we shouldn’t use weapons. Pacification is the best policy. The people of the Great Tang are the best people under heaven—hardworking and steadfast. As long as they have a mouthful to eat, who would do something that could cost them their head? Just try inciting the people near the Yun Family estate to rebel—you wouldn’t need the authorities to act. The people would capture him themselves and happily deliver him to the authorities for a reward. So you see, the most important thing for the Great Tang right now is to let the people prosper. Once they’re prosperous, His Majesty can destroy whoever he wants with no worries about internal troubles.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’ve discovered I’m very poor, and Father Emperor is also very poor. If you have an opportunity to get rich, you absolutely cannot leave me out. Once I’m wealthy, I can help Father Emperor somewhat, and the common people will suffer less. Speaking of which, you really do worry a lot about my elder sister.”