Chapter 1016 The night before!

Xingzhou, a luxurious mansion

Cai Shaojie of the Zhennan Army was leaning comfortably on the armchair, and behind him there was a maidservant massaging his shoulders, and there were also two other maidservants massaging his legs...

Ever since he led his troops to capture Xingzhou two days ago, Cai Shaojie had been very considerate of the morale of the troops and had the Zhennan Army soldiers start a carnival in Xingzhou city. He even set an example himself by occupying the mansion of the wealthy Li family in the city and began a life of debauchery!
However, Cai Shaojie's enjoyment did not last long, as a messenger brought him a letter.

"General! General Zhu Kangyuan sent you a letter!"

Cai Shaojie, whose interest was disturbed by the news, could not help but frown slightly. He and Zhu Kangyuan were colleagues in the Pain Relief Army.
In this attack on Anqing, he was responsible for the Xingzhou direction, while Zhu Kangyuan led his troops to be responsible for the Xingshui direction. The distance between the two sides was about two hundred miles!
Originally, in the plan of Zhennan Army General Xu Hu, Cai Shaojie and Zhu Kangyuan would take care of each other, but Cai Shaojie didn't want to pay any attention to Zhu Kangyuan at all!

The reason is very simple. Cai Shaojie and Zhu Kangyuan did not have a good relationship. Zhu Kangyuan recognized Xu Zhaojie's wife as his godsister. After having this relationship, Zhu Kangyuan also rose rapidly in the Zhennan Army...

Moreover, this guy is also quite lucky. He has had some good luck and won several military exploits, so he has become more and more arrogant in the Zhennan Army, and he is outspoken and doesn't care about anyone!

He teased Cai Shaojie several times, making Cai Shaojie very embarrassed. This undoubtedly made Cai Shaojie very angry, but due to Zhu Kangyuan's strong background, he never dared to lose his temper!
Therefore, when Cai Shaojie heard the letter from Zhu Kangyuan, he instinctively had a bad premonition, but after hesitating for a moment, he still took the letter!

Cai Shaojie opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter. In the letter, Zhu Kangyuan warmly congratulated Cai Shaojie on his capture of Xingzhou City, which was a major victory and won a valuable start for the Zhennan Army!

After congratulating, Zhu Kangyuan also revealed his true colors, saying that they had fought very hard in Xingshui, encountered stubborn resistance from the Fengwu Army, and were also short of food and medicine in logistics. Not to mention the seriously injured, even the lightly injured could only wait to die!

And now that you, Cai Shaojie, have captured Xingzhou and made a fortune, you must not forget your brothers. Quickly send us a batch of food, fodder and medicines because we need them urgently. If you are late, I will show you how I will deal with you!
To be honest, although Cai Shaojie dislikes Zhu Kangyuan, they are all colleagues of the Zhennan Army after all. If the Zhennan Army collapses, it will be hard for everyone. So if Cai Shaojie is easy to talk and negotiate, Cai Shaojie will definitely help him...

But looking at the tone of Zhu Kangyuan's letter, Cai Shaojie really didn't want to help him at all. However, when he thought that Zhu Kangyuan was the sworn brother of the Marquis's wife, he was a little hesitant!
Although it would be nice not to give Zhu Kangyuan food and medicine, it would be very difficult for Cai to deal with it if Zhu Kangyuan had an attack!

After all, Zhu Kangyuan has connections above him, and he is not as strong as Zhu Kangyuan in this respect. Moreover, before they set out, Lord Xu Hu also instructed him and Zhu Kangyuan's troops to take care of each other. So if this matter is really brought to court and Lord Xu Hu is involved, he will not be able to stand his ground!
Thinking of this, Cai Shaojie thought of another possibility. Zhu Kangyuan's harsh tone in the letter might be intentional!

You see, he also said in the letter that they had a very difficult time fighting at Xingshui and encountered stubborn resistance from the Fengwu Army. Not only did they suffer heavy casualties, but they also ran short of food and medicine.

According to this situation, Cai Shaojie felt that it would be difficult for Zhu Kangyuan to take over Xingshui according to the established plan. When Lord Xu Hu gave the order, this man named Zhu patted his chest and guaranteed to Lord Xu Hu that he would definitely be able to take over Xingshui. Lord Xu Hu even praised him for this!
And now that this Zhu guy has fallen into disgrace, the higher-ups will certainly not let him off easily, so this Zhu guy must be trying to find an excuse to exonerate himself!

And what excuse can be used to escape punishment?
Thinking of this, Cai Shaojie read the letter written to him by Zhu Kangyuan again. Feeling the arrogant tone in Zhu Kangjie's words, Cai Shaojie's expression gradually became angry and he preached resentfully:

"You're so damn sinister, Zhu Kangyuan! You actually plotted against me..."

In Cai Shaojie's opinion, Zhu Kangyuan wrote to him asking for food and medicine, but he didn't really want these things. It was very likely that he wanted to deliberately provoke him!
Then, once I'm so angry that I really don't give him these things, he will have a reason to tell his superiors that he couldn't take down Xingshui because Cai Shaojie didn't support me. He will simply turn the tables and put the blame on himself!
The more Cai Shaojie thought about it, the more he felt that Zhu Kangyuan must have the same idea, and he hated Zhu Kangyuan so much that his teeth were itching!

Because of the relationship behind you, I usually tolerate you more. Now you still want to cheat me. Zhu Kangyuan, you are really going too far!

Although he wanted to chop Zhu Kangyuan to pieces in his heart, Cai Shaojie, who had calmed down, helplessly realized that although he now knew Zhu Kangyuan's idea, he had no good way to deal with Zhu Kangyuan's dirty trick!

In the letter, what Zhu Kangyuan asked for was obviously too much. Not to mention that his own soldiers also needed food and medicine. Even if he didn't leave any of his own soldiers, it would be difficult to get what he needed in Xingzhou City!

Secondly, Zhu Kangyuan needed it urgently and asked me to deliver it to him within three days. However, the distance along the way was two hundred miles, and it was not an easy task even if I traveled lightly in three days, not to mention carrying so many things·································

Therefore, Cai Shaojie was afraid that it would be difficult for him to fulfill Zhu Kangyuan's request. Cai Shaojie was very frustrated when he realized this. He knew that as long as he failed to complete it, Zhu Kangyuan would definitely take the opportunity to put the blame on him!
Just when Cai Shaojie was in a dilemma and didn't know what to do, another messenger came in and said:

"Lord Xu Hu sent someone to deliver an order!"

Upon hearing this, Cai Shaojie's eyes suddenly lit up and he quickly asked the guards to welcome the person in. The person was a lieutenant general of the Zhennan Army named Cao Dan, who was also an old acquaintance of Cai Shaojie.

Therefore, Cao Dan was not polite when he saw Cai Shaojie. He directly handed Xu Hu's order to Cai Shaojie, and then said anxiously:

"General Cai, Lord Xu Hu's army is already marching towards Anqing City, but is currently being blocked by the Fengwu Army near Sanfeng Mountain!"

"Since Lord Xu Hu knows that your army has captured Xingcheng, he will immediately order your army to continue advancing and attack Sanfeng Mountain from the enemy's flank and rear!"

As soon as Cai Shaojie heard this, he immediately came up with a plan, but on the surface he still pretended to be very embarrassed and said:
"General Cao, General Zhu just wrote to me saying that the battle is very difficult over there and he wants me to send troops to support him. What do you think I should do?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Dan thought that Cai Shaojie wanted to refuse, and immediately said anxiously:

"Master Cai, this is an order from Master Xu Hu himself. You can put General Zhu's request aside for now. Master Xu Hu has said that your troops must reach the rear of Sanfeng Mountain within three days. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain and cannot be compromised in any way!"

Cai Shaojie was waiting for Cao Dan to say this, and he made a prompt decision, “General Cao, don’t worry. I, Cai, am willing to sign a military order and guarantee to arrive at the battlefield on time to cooperate with the main force…”

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Yijing, Ye Mansion

Although there is war in the south now, there is still a peaceful atmosphere in the Ye Mansion. At this time, in the back garden of the Ye Mansion.

The Li Family Troupe, one of the most famous opera troupes in Yijing, was performing on stage in the back garden of the Ye residence. The piece they were singing was Yu Tang Chun, one of the famous opera pieces!

"My life was so miserable when I was young, I spent my time in a brothel selling smiles. I met Sanlang and we became a couple. I hated the brothel owner for his greed and his evil scheme to marry me to a rich businessman!"

The actress who played the role of the famous prostitute Su San on the stage was Xiao Binghan, a famous actress in Yijing opera. It was said that this girl was an orphan adopted by Li Tao, the owner of the Li Family Troupe. She had an extraordinary talent for opera, and with the careful training of Li Tao since she was young, she was already a famous actress in Yijing at the age of only a teenager!

It is said that some time ago, Wang Heng, the son of the wealthy Wang family in Yijing, offered three thousand taels of silver to spend a night with him, but Li Tao politely declined in the end.

Wang Heng was unwilling to give in at first, but when he found out that the Li family was preparing to perform at Ye's house, he immediately stopped and dared not make any more trouble.

At this time, a group of female members of the Ye family, led by Ye Cui, were listening to the opera in the audience. However, compared to Ye Cui who was concentrating on listening to the opera, the others seemed to have their own thoughts...

An Miaoyi, who was sitting next to Ye Cui, seemed to be watching the play on the stage, but she gave people a feeling that she was worried.

Jinyu, who was born as a maid beside Ye Cui, stood beside Ye Cui very considerately, fanning her, handing her a piece of cake and a cup of tea.

Bai Yuanyuan, who was sitting in the back row, was relatively plump to begin with, and she became even fuller after giving birth. It was midsummer at the time, and the women in the family were all very conservative, so Bai Yuanyuan seemed very afraid of the heat.

Although the maidservant beside her was fanning Bai Yuanyuan, she was in a dilemma and looked very tired because she was afraid that the wind would be too loud and would disturb Ye Cui's interest in watching the show.

Taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, Bai Yuanyuan glanced around her and then chuckled, saying:

"Sister Shen has gone back. Otherwise, I would have asked her to judge how Xiao Binghan sings. She is an expert in opera!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the female relatives varied. On the surface, these words seemed to be nothing, but in fact, everyone could hear that Bai Yuanyuan was mocking Shen Yutong for being an opera actor of humble origin...
Everyone knew about the conflict between Bai Yuanyuan and Shen Yutong, so they were not surprised by Bai Yuanyuan's sarcastic remarks. When she saw that no one said anything, Bai Yuanyuan seemed even more proud!

At this moment, Ye Cui, who was sitting in the front row, coughed lightly. Although the cough was not loud, it was as loud as a bell in everyone's ears.

Bai Yuanyuan, who was very proud of herself the last second, immediately became like a mouse seeing a cat. She didn't dare to make any mistakes anymore. Even the maid who was fanning her didn't dare to let her fan her anymore, for fear of disturbing Ye Cui from watching the show.

Although Ye Cuishi is usually quite Buddhist and doesn't care much about the affairs in the mansion, no one dares to look down on this old man!
After finally holding on until Xiao Binghan finished singing a song, Bai Yuanyuan mustered up the courage to excuse herself from Ye Cui and return to her own courtyard, saying that she had to go back to look after Jingheng.

Ye Cui herself looked down on Bai Yuanyuan. If Ye Mingsheng had not been interested in her, she would not have wanted Bai Yuanyuan to enter the house. Even though the Bai family had provided both manpower and money for her 60th birthday party, Ye Cui did not like Bai Yuanyuan from the bottom of her heart.

Therefore, since Bai Yuanyuan wanted to leave, Ye Cui didn't even have the intention to keep her. She just nodded slightly as if to agree. Then, she took a piece of cake from Jinyu's hand and chewed it slowly...
Although she had long been accustomed to the old lady's disdain for her, Bai Yuanyuan still felt a little sad and aggrieved when she saw this, but she ultimately had no choice but to leave.

Compared to Bai Yuanyuan who left, An Miaoyi's attention was on another thing at this time. She saw Qiqige standing in the distance and nodded to her.

Although she was mentally prepared, An Miaoyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly when she saw this, knowing that what was coming had finally come. She smiled and said to Ye Cuishi beside her:
"Mom! Mr. Gu is about to finish teaching Jingren, and I want to go back and discuss Jingren's studies with Mr. Gu!"

After hearing this, Ye Cui smiled and nodded and said:

"Then Miaoyi, you should go back soon! Jingren was as naughty as Mingsheng when he was a child. When I asked Mingsheng to study before, he didn't listen at all. Now Jingren's studies all depend on you, Miaoyi!"

An Miaoyi smiled and said:

"Mother, my husband has great ambitions, and they can't be restrained by books!"

Ye Cui was in a good mood after hearing this and said with a smile:

"Miaoyi, you only know how to speak well of Mingsheng!"

“But what you said is true. Back then, I sent him to Zhaowu Camp only because I thought that Zhaowu Camp would be able to discipline him well and find a good future for him. Who would have thought that he would have such great abilities and create such a career…”

(End of this chapter)