Chapter 952: Chapter 950: Concealment
The emperor’s demeanor and words finally eased Jinrong’s mind.
To be honest, the theft of the ledger books from the Crown Prince’s Mansion did cause quite a stir.
Moreover, many believe the reason it succeeded was that the Crown Prince had crippled several main guards during the day. When the incident occurred, the Crown Prince’s Mansion didn’t dare to make a big fuss, allowing someone to infiltrate a second time and steal the ledger books.
However, the theft of the ledger books from Hao Ruhai’s mansion was unsettling. The items that should have been hidden were not only stolen, but surprisingly, with so many people in the Hao Family, no one noticed a thing. The next day, Hao Ruhai could still go about his business at the Yamen as usual.
This was indeed frightening.
Everyone has secrets, and if there’s someone who can infiltrate your mansion and steal your hidden items whenever they wish, this persistent threat to the privacy of the noble families is enough to make people fear Jinrong and that Flying Thief.
The emperor may also harbor some apprehension.
With this incident, everyone felt somewhat relieved. It turned out that the Flying Thief was not so terrifying, as he was discovered while attempting to steal from the Xing Mansion and even got injured while escaping.
During his escape, he had help, with others diverting attention, allowing him to barely slip out of the capital. A thief with not-so-great combat abilities and many shortcomings was no longer frightening.
Consequently, Jinrong and Jiang Yifan could somewhat evade the suspicion and distrust of the court officials.
......
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather began to cool. During this period, Ye Xinyan was always busy with the affairs of the Construction Industry, inspecting different construction sites daily. In the evening, following work, she would summarize the project progress with the heads of various areas.
After that, she also had to oversee the training of apprentices, find time to visit Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion and Duke An’s Mansion to care for the children, and visit Madam Yin, making her days extremely busy.
Ye Xinyan frequently calculated the time of Qi Younian’s departure, hoping the old man could settle the affairs in Yuanzhou quickly and return soon.
On this day, Ye Xinyan returned early from the Construction Industry, went to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion to visit Madam Yin, chatted with her for a while, and had dinner together.
That’s when the announcement came from outside that the son-in-law had arrived to take the eldest daughter back to the mansion.
After separation, Madam Yin had only lived at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion for two months before planning to move to one of her own dowry residences. However, she was unanimously stopped by Marquis Zhongyong and his wife, alongside a few brothers- and sisters-in-law.
Lastly, both sides compromised. Madam Yin stayed in a side courtyard at the edge of Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, with a separate entrance to the outside, effectively living separately from the mansion.
Though it seemed like the family grew distant from the outside, there were numerous benefits.
As the saying goes: It’s hard for an upright official to judge family matters. In a large family like the marquisate, where many people live together, conflicts inevitably arise at times. As a Great Aunt who returned to her mother’s family after separation, Madam Yin would find her position awkward if conflicts arose with her brothers- and sisters-in-law.
Living separately reduced many intricate disputes, making the relationship appear closer. Each time Ye Xinyan visited Madam Yin, she didn’t have to pay respects to the elders and exchange courtesies, but only occasionally made appearances.
This was indeed convenient for the busy Ye Xinyan.
Jiang Yifan greeted his mother-in-law upon entering and chatted with her for a while before he and Ye Xinyan took their leave.
Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Yifan asked, "What did you and Mother-in-law discuss? Did she mention the coastal war situation?"
Ye Xinyan helplessly pursed her lips, saying, "It’s the same, I brought it up but Mother didn’t say anything."
Since Madam Yin’s separation was recent, Ye Xinyan, as a junior, couldn’t speak too candidly, so she subtly brought up Zhao Gang more often.
Her intentions should have been clear, and she could tell that Madam Yin was very worried about Zhao Gang’s safety. But up until now, Madam Yin still hadn’t spoken out.
Jiang Yifan agreed with Ye Xinyan on matchmaking Zhao Gang with his mother-in-law, but as a son-in-law, it was even more inappropriate for him to intervene. He could only advise Ye Xinyan not to rush and take it slow.
But now, what he wanted to talk about was something more urgent: "I received a message from His Highness that there was good news from the coastal battlefield."
Though the victory was supposed to be good news, Jiang Yifan’s tone was anything but cheerful, rather somber.
Ye Xinyan immediately thought of Zhao Gang upon hearing Jiang Yifan’s unenthusiastic tone.
She clutched Jiang Yifan’s arm and urgently asked, "What happened? Did Uncle Zhao meet with trouble?"
Jiang Yifan hurriedly gestured, placing his arm around Ye Xinyan’s shoulders, patting them to comfort her: "It’s okay, it’s okay. They said he’s injured, but reportedly his life is not in danger."
Ye Xinyan frowned, "Reportedly?" Reportedly safe? This meant Zhao Gang indeed got injured and seriously, yet no precise information was available.
"The war report came as an urgent message covering only general battle conditions." Jiang Yifan was also helpless.
He learned the news from Jinrong, indicating that Zhao Gang was neither a key figure nor a major war hero in the coastal battle. This information was discerned from the report based on Zhao Gang’s unit.
However, Jiang Yifan added, "If I could learn of this, the Marquis surely would have too, just not informing Mother-in-law."
Ye Xinyan’s face turned even more worried, "Could it be that Uncle Zhao met with an accident, and Grandfather is concealing it to spare Mother from grief?"
Jiang Yifan quickly said, "No, no. The war report mentioned a deputy general named Zhao in Zhao’s navy fought valiantly. During the siege on the sea bandit base, he was injured, yet battled to the final moment, fainting from excessive blood loss. Because this deputy general killed the bandit leader, the report mentioned it but didn’t specify his condition."
A chill ran through Ye Xinyan. If the report was accurate, nine times out of ten, this Zhao deputy general was Zhao Gang. Apparently injured but not life-threatening, Zhao Gang persisted for the honor.
But excessive blood loss can lead to death, especially in times when no blood transfusion facilities or techniques existed; if Zhao Gang’s body lacked enough blood to sustain life, he might never wake up...
Thinking back to Zhao Gang, who consistently cleaned up after the missteps of the Marquis’ Miss Cousin, his solitary life, the methodical approach he maintained until Madam Yin separated and returned to her family... then suddenly insisting on participating in unfamiliar sea battles...
Ye Xinyan, pale-faced, asked Jiang Yifan, "Could Grandfather already know of Uncle Zhao’s misfortune and hide it from Mother to prevent her sorrow?"
Feeling Ye Xinyan’s slightly trembling hand from unease, Jiang Yifan uttered comforting words, "Shall I find the Marquis tomorrow to ask if he knows the exact situation?"
Technically, it would be ideal to ask Yin Xiaocheng directly. However, he had been sent to Yuanzhou previously, under orders to guard against unrest amidst drought-affected areas, so Jiang Yifan could only consult Marquis Zhongyong.
Ye Xinyan bore a complex expression, pondering if the Yuanzhou insurgents initiated earlier, Zhao Gang would have followed Yin Xiaocheng to Yuanzhou, thus avoiding participation in the Southern Coastal battle.
The men of this era are too obstinate; don’t they understand that, to the women who cherish them, their lives matter the most? Isn’t living peacefully a good thing? Why risk it all for achievements and rank?