Jiaohua

Chapter 1650 Xia Zhaoyi's Hatred

Liu Yue and Zuo You chased after them, but did not find a suitable opportunity to attack Zhi Li.

The two returned empty-handed, and upon their return, they heard that someone had been killed and a woman had been captured. They disdained to pay any attention to it; as long as more Han people died, it was a good thing.

As it turned out, the teahouse where the incident occurred was right across from the small inn, and when they arrived, they found the body sitting on the ground.

The two were shocked and rushed over.

Liu Yue squatted down to examine Ri Yu Fangcao's injuries and cause of death, and asked around to find out what had happened.

After hearing the description of the perpetrator's appearance, the two were shocked again and quickly ran back to the inn, only to find that Chen Yongming had packed his things and run away, having robbed them and Liuyue of all their belongings.

"Damn Chen Yongming!" the attendants roared in fury. "One is Chongmen Heng, the other is Chen Yongming, these damned Han Chinese!"

Liu Yue had no way to properly dispose of Ri Yu Fang Cao's body for the time being, so she could only leave it there and wait for the soldiers to come and deal with it.

Chen Yongming is a cunning and vicious person. Liu Yue and Zuo You are worried that Chen Yongming will betray them in order to survive.

Time waits for no one; they must leave immediately, or things will change.

Before leaving, they swept the drawers of the small inn clean, then went to rob the surrounding area, causing a great commotion.

When he returned from the ordeal, he was stunned.

He San told him what had happened, and concluded, "My men kept an eye on that bowl of noodles, preventing anyone greedy from touching it. The total loss to those robbed was about thirty taels, not including the inn. I see they are all pitiful people, so I'll use our lady's name to help them first. We'll settle accounts with those two beasts when we catch them later, or we can just ask those Northern Yuan bastards for it."

Zhili said with relief, "You did a good job. Your actions saved many people's lives and fortunes."

"Young master, you flatter me. By the way, would you like to see the female assassin's body?"

"Was anything useful found on the body?"

"She had nothing. She only carried a dagger, a hidden weapon, and a bottle of poison. Other than that, she didn't have a single copper coin on her."

He said haltingly, "Then I won't go see it."

After a night of commotion, Zhili was exhausted. He raised his hands and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother He, please help me send someone to ask Xu Fei if that woman has said anything."

"it is good!"

We returned to the inn we had stayed at before, and didn't stay at the small inn again.

He San's men found Xu Fei, but Xu Fei shook her head: "She still hasn't said anything."

However, she was willing to tell Xu Fei her name, claiming that she was called Li Xinya.

The chaotic night has finally come to an end.

Chen Yongming and Chen Yunqi went one way, Zuo You and Liu Yue went the other way, and the remaining Wu You and male companions waited in the village inn all night. The next day, they asked an old woman who was selling vegetables at the post station entrance. After that, the two of them closed the door and discussed it. After confirming that the dead woman must be Riyu Fangcao, they left quickly despite their injuries.

Three groups of people, from three directions, but what they didn't know was that they had already been spotted by Yu Zhenyao's right-hand scouts.

Scouts and trackers don't need to bite their heels; they maintain a very good distance, neither too close nor too far.

Meanwhile, the fifty men disguised as the Heyang Escort Agency were also identified by the Right Fu Army as the Fang Family Army who had defected with Xie Zhong during the same period.

Their objective was clear: they were heading towards Guzhou. However, they were cunning. After realizing they had been discovered by the Right Ambush Army, they quietly hid and launched a surprise attack from behind.

If it weren't for one person's quick reaction and rapid escape on horseback to report back, this scout team might have been completely wiped out.

This incident made Zhili feel guilty and angry. He decided to stay in Guzhou for the time being, waiting for his master's letter while trying to find Xie Zhong.

For the next two weeks, Xia Zhaoyi remained in Yushuiyuan Town.

Yun Bozhong and Jin Hongkang engaged in numerous small-scale battles. Messengers from various military units under Yun Bozhong's command traveled back and forth here dozens of times a day, and letters from Hejing were also relayed here.

Xia Zhaoyi had a lot of things to deal with. On one hand, she helped Yun Bozhong keep an eye on the battle plan, and on the other hand, she dispatched troops from Guizhou, Xizhou, and Junzhou to harass Jin Hongkang in Changyang and Huguang.

During this period, Nie Huimo also launched several attacks on Songzhou and Xiongchi.

Jin Hongkang is embroiled in a multi-front war, but he has a strong foundation. The entire military strength and wealth of Daping are concentrated in his hands, and with the fertile land of Anjiang ensuring ample supplies, he now commands a large army and abundant resources. As long as Tian Dayao's main force remains bogged down in Mouye, he has nothing to fear. Meanwhile, the three-way power struggle in Mouye is fully established, and it's impossible for Tian Dayao and Yun Bozhong to make peace; all three are indispensable.

Jin Hongkang's biggest worry right now is Shen Lie's Yan Jun.

He hoped that Shen Lie's elite Yan army would be trapped in the Northeast, but that was clearly impossible.

Once Shen Lie has wiped out Li Qian's remaining forces, he will definitely march south, and that will be the real battle.

In late July, Zhili suddenly received a letter. After reading it, he hesitated and rode his horse to town to find Xia Zhaoyi.

There was a guest in Xia Zhaoyi's study, and the atmosphere was unusually serious, almost eerily so.

Zhili asked Yan Ziyan who the visitor was, and Yan Ziyan whispered, "Someone from the An family."

"Who from the An family?"

Yan Ziyan said, "They were originally the sons of Grand Tutor Li Qian and An Qiuwan."

Zhi Li's eyes widened in shock: "Them?!"

Yes, Zhi Li remembered. Before Li Ju abandoned the capital, the entire An family retreated from the capital. The army that escorted them all the way was Yun Bozhong's Hengping Army and Yannan Army.

It must be said that An Qiuwan, that old scoundrel, had a truly sharp eye and foresight. Before the world collapsed, he withdrew his entire clan from the vortex of chaos, ensuring the safety of the An family.

Zhili said, "Then I'll wait until Junior Sister is finished before going in."

His words were almost lawful; the conversation in the study ended the moment he finished speaking.

The An brothers bid farewell to Xia Zhaoyi and came out to see Zhili. They almost immediately recognized him and greeted him.

Zhi Li felt he had become hypocritical. He clearly disliked these people, but when they showed him goodwill, he politely raised his hands and clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings."

Watching them leave, Zikui went into the study: "Junior Sister, what brings them here?"

Xia Zhaoyi had been very tired these past few days, but she rarely showed her fatigue on her face. She smiled faintly and said, "Firstly, they apologized to me for what happened to the Xia family back then. Secondly, they want to donate money; they want to donate two-thirds of the An family's assets to the Xia family army."

Zhili said, "They seem generous, but in reality, given what happened back then, they absolutely deserve to have their entire family wiped out."

Xia Zhaoyi shook her head: "The new laws and regulations in Hejing do not include the concept of collective punishment."

She pursed her lips and said, "...That's true."

He glanced at Xia Zhaoyi and suddenly felt sad for his junior sister, feeling very uncomfortable.

The wealth and status of the An family all came from An Qiuwan.

Without An Qiuwan, how could the An family members have a good life?
The prerequisite for not being implicated is not to benefit from it.

Even though An Qiuwan was acting on Li Ju's orders, all the tortures inflicted on the Xia family were arranged by An Qiuwan herself.

Zhili knew that her junior sister understood all of this.

Zhili was indignant, but dared not voice her grievances. Her junior sister was carrying too much on her shoulders, and she could not afford to provoke her hatred any further.

Hatred also requires energy.

Fine, since the An family has come to us willingly to donate money, then let them donate.

Judging from the amount of money they've spent this time, it's a huge investment that will inevitably damage the very foundation of their clan; it shows they have some sincerity.

"Junior Sister," Zhili handed over the letter, "could you please check if this letter is trustworthy?"

Xia Zhaoyi received it.

She skimmed through the text and said, "Fang Yiping is one of Shen Lie's men."

Zhili was shocked: "What?!"