The room was silent, with several men standing under the dim light, their faces full of anger.
"I really didn't expect him to survive even this," one man said. "It's all thanks to that Qingshan Army."
"What's the deal with this Qingshan Army? Who funds and raises these soldiers?" Huang Cheng asked. "Has it been investigated?"
The men exchanged glances.
"It's said they're not soldiers," one man mused. "They are bandits from Qingyuan Prefecture."
"Are they really bandits?" Huang Cheng asked with a frown.
Regarding the Duke of Chengguo's heir's wife, originally, no one paid much attention. After all, with Duchess Cheng around, rescuing refugees was a different battle compared to fighting the Jurchen people, not to mention the support of the Shun'an Army.
Later, the news came that this heir's wife was affiliated with bandits.
Just like the officials of Hejian Prefecture, they all had a good laugh about it.
"Duchess Cheng, after all, came out of a den of mountain thieves. When faced with real matters, she's only capable of arranging marriages."
"Could it be that when she wanted to go to Daming Prefecture to meet Uncle Qinghe, it was for a marriage alliance? Uncle Qinghe has quite a few daughters, but would the Duke of Chengguo have enough money to marry one?"
Uncle Qinghe was known for his greed. His sons required high dowries to marry, while his daughters demanded extravagant bride prices but received minimal dowries upon marriage.
Because of this, most of his children were still unmarried into older age. Some people had discreetly advised Uncle Qinghe about this, but he countered that the benefits of marrying into his family far outweighed any bride price or dowry.
Yet now, having learned that it was this bandit-related heir's wife who led the Shun'an Army to Yizhou and rescued the Duke of Chengguo, the laughter quickly dissipated.
The capabilities of the Shun'an Army were moderately well known. Although the Northern Army under the Duke of Chengguo's rule was renowned for being battle-hardened, they were certainly not bold enough to pull off such a feat.
Seven to eight thousand men ventured into Jurchen territory, facing tens of thousands of Jurchen soldiers. That wasn't courage—it was madness.
And yet, they succeeded, bringing the Duke of Chengguo back.
This was clearly beyond the capabilities of the Shun'an Army. The key to the matter undeniably lay with this heir's wife.
For the first time, the Duke of Chengguo's heir's wife came under serious scrutiny. Yet the emergence of the Qingshan Army was far too sudden; their origins remained shrouded in mystery, and investigations yielded frustratingly little.
Finally, due to the bandit-related rumors, a tidbit was uncovered from Qingyuan Prefecture, saying that a particularly powerful bandit group had existed there. They eradicated all other bandits in the region before suddenly disappearing.
"It should be the bandit group mentioned by Qingyuan Prefecture," a staff member reasoned. "Our people first disappeared in Qingyuan Prefecture's territory."
Huang Cheng furrowed his brow thoughtfully.
"By this reasoning, those people likely lost their lives at the hands of this heir's wife," he remarked.
"A stroke of coincidence," another staff member mused. "Because our men operated under the guise of being road-robbing bandits, they were killed by these so-called bandit killers."
"That's how Duchess Cheng first became acquainted with them," another staff member added.
"So Duchess Cheng took a liking to these bandits and abandoned thoughts of marital alliance with Uncle Qinghe, deciding instead to ally with the bandits," a staff member speculated with a peculiar expression. "First, because these bandits are formidable; second, perhaps the bride price is cheaper?"
At his words, someone couldn't suppress a chuckle.
But this really wasn't the right occasion to laugh.
The man quickly lowered his head to compose himself.
Huang Cheng tapped on the tabletop.
"This sounds absurd, yet it's not impossible," he said. "But it surely isn't that simple."
He looked at the people present.
"What news do we have from Dingzhou?"
Previously, because they hadn't paid much attention, they had only kept an eye on Duchess Cheng, assuming everything was orchestrated by her without examining the heir's wife closely.
Now, a thorough investigation of her was imperative.
The men looked somewhat uneasy.
"After entering Dingzhou, the Duke of Chengguo's army imposed martial law. Local officials were barred from approach, and our people haven't been able to obtain any information," they admitted.
Huang Cheng nodded, not appearing angry.
"That's fine. He can't enforce martial law forever," he remarked. "The origins of this heir's wife are significant, but not urgent. For now, the key matter is that Zhu Shan is still alive."
He stood and slowly paced, leaning on the table as he moved.
"Also, don't underestimate Duchess Cheng's abilities," he said. "Back when Military Doctor Zhang Chang defected to the Jurchen people, Chen Jiang died in battle, Zhu Shan was encircled and near death—he escaped thanks to the Yu family and Zhu Shan, defeating Wanyan Shu and earning his fame in one decisive battle."
He glanced at the men in the room.
"If it were you, and you had an opportunity to achieve fame and military accolades in one battle, would you care about the origins of the wife you married?"
The men offered polite smiles and shook their heads.
Some even looked mildly regretful.
"It would've been better to let Duchess Cheng meet Uncle Qinghe back then," one of them muttered.
Even if they had managed to persuade Uncle Qinghe into a marriage alliance, it wouldn't have yielded results like today's.
"Choosing the right wife is indeed crucial," Huang Cheng continued. "Duchess Cheng is clearly strategizing for her son's future."
He chuckled as he spoke.
"It's just unfortunate that times have changed. Without Zhu Shan, forget a bandit wife—even a den of them won't suffice."
"But Zhu Shan is still here, and his reputation has soared after returning from Yizhou," a staff member remarked, furrowing his brow.
"A great reputation is both a blessing and a curse," Huang Cheng replied. "Don't rush, don't rush."
Don't rush?
The staff exchanged uneasy glances.
"Master, now that Zhu Shan is stationed in the northern lands, won't the northern lands once again become his domain?" one man asked hastily. "We worked hard to break apart the setup in the northern lands."
Huang Cheng picked up his tea cup, seeming poised to respond, when a servant boy in green entered the room.
"Master," he said with a bow. "Uncle Qinghe has arrived."
Uncle Qinghe?
The men in the room froze, their expressions shifting to shock and disbelief.
"Uncle Qinghe has entered the capital?" they couldn't help but ask.
Huang Cheng slowly turned the tea cup in his hand, a smile spreading across his face.
"Such haste," he remarked, then gestured. "Let him in."
At that signal, several staff members hurried to open the door and stepped quickly outside to wait in greeting. Soon, their line of sight revealed a burly man approaching.
He looked to be in his fifties, his hair streaked with white, but his posture was upright and vigorous, betraying no sign of aging.
He was a seasoned general who once oversaw half of Jun Mountain, under whose command Zhu Shan served. To this day, he remained a vital force stabilizing Jiangnan.
Seeing the staff members stepping forward to greet him, he laughed heartily and clasped his hands from afar.
"Zou Jiang greets the Grand Master!" he said, his voice resonating like a bell, brimming with the aura of warfare.
...............…..
As Uncle Qinghe introduced himself outside, Lu Yunqi overheard from inside the residence.
"Entering the capital without orders," murmured Jiang Baihu—or rather, Jiang Qianhu now, his voice lowered.
Lu Yunqi offered a quiet acknowledgment.
"Execute him," he ordered.
Jiang Qianhu jumped in surprise.
"You mean it?" he asked.
After all, this was a noble lord with close ties to the emperor.
Lu Yunqi suddenly smiled.
"Of course not," he replied.
Jiang Qianhu's expression grew more bewildered.
So this was a joke?
Lu Yunqi joking? Was this really a joke?
Lu Yunqi's brief smile faded as quickly as it came, and his usual stone-faced demeanor resurfaced.
"We're never in a position to decide anything," he said flatly. "We merely obey orders."
So how Uncle Qinghe's unauthorized arrival would be handled was up to the emperor, while they had only to follow imperial commands.
Jiang Qianhu naturally understood this logic. His real concern at the moment wasn't Uncle Qinghe—it was Lu Yunqi.
This fleeting smile had been genuine, revealing deep delight, joy, and satisfaction.
Could it mean something? Jiang Qianhu glanced at Lu Yunqi.
"The Duke of Chengguo's heir's wife," Lu Yunqi suddenly said.
Jiang Qianhu snapped back to attention and replied swiftly, "Yes."
"The Duke of Chengguo has already reached Dingzhou. The Jinyiwei stationed there will soon send word. As for the origins of this heir's wife..." he began.
Lu Yunqi interrupted him with another smile.
"Do we need to investigate her origins?" Lu Yunqi said. "A bandit from Qingyuan Prefecture—who else could it be?"