Chapter 1197 Letter of Apology!
May 10, Huainan, Kangyin
In a huge and elegant mansion in the city, Song Haibo, deputy director of the Attendant Department, was pacing back and forth in the room. He was like an ant on a hot pot, showing anxiety and uneasiness from the inside out...

After waiting for about a cup of tea, a tall general walked into the yard. Seeing this man, Song Haibo's eyes suddenly lit up and he immediately stepped forward and asked:

"General Ye, is the Marshal back?"

Ye Kui shook his head when he heard this. Seeing this, Song Haibo immediately said anxiously:

"Is there any news from the Marshal?"

"No! The last news from the Marshal was five days ago!"

After hearing Ye Kui's story, Song Haibo felt a buzzing in his head and then closed his eyes in pain. His feet went soft and his body swayed. Fortunately, Ye Kui was quick and did not fall to the ground.

After calming down, Song Haibo said to Ye Kui with a wry smile;
"General Ye, you and I shouldn't have allowed the Marshal to go on a private visit. Now we really regret it!"

After saying that, Song Haibo let out a long sigh, his expression full of regret, and Ye Kui on the side couldn't help but smile bitterly.

More than ten days ago, when Ye Mingsheng proposed the idea of ​​an incognito visit, two close ministers, Song Haibo and Ye Kui, both expressed their opposition. They believed that the risk of an incognito visit was too high. Although the Coordination Office had put down several attempts to assassinate Ye Mingsheng, there were bound to be some who slipped through the net.

Therefore, once the news of Ye Mingsheng's incognito visit leaks out, the security risk will greatly increase. Not only the security risk, Ye Mingsheng's itinerary has already been arranged, so Ye Mingsheng's incognito visit will disrupt the previously planned itinerary···················
Although Song Haibo and Ye Kui tried their best to dissuade him, Ye Mingsheng had made up his mind and insisted on going on a secret visit. Seeing that they could not stop Ye Mingsheng, Song Haibo and Ye Kui had to take a step back and asked Ye Mingsheng to keep in touch with the main force during the secret visit and reunite with the main force when he arrived in Kangyin on May 9th.

When Ye Mingsheng left, Song Haibo and Ye Kui were also worried. They could only give Zhang Renwu many warnings and instructions, asking the deputy commander of the Royal Guard Battalion to protect Ye Mingsheng's safety and not to be too far away from the main force. In case of any emergency, he should contact the main force in time.

The communication was good at the beginning, but later on, the communication became later and later. Up to now, there has been no contact with the main force for five days!
After sorting out his thoughts, Song Haibo said to Ye Kui beside him in a deep voice;

"Just now, Kangyin prefect Gao Zhenji led a group of officials to visit the Marshal. I had no choice but to use the excuse that the Marshal was exhausted from the long journey to the capital to reject them. But I don't think this excuse will last much longer!"

Ye Kui nodded silently upon hearing this. Ever since Ye Mingsheng went on a secret visit, he has not appeared in public again. Some officials along the way who wanted to pay him a visit were turned away by Song Haibo because these officials were minor officials such as county magistrates, so they did not dare to say anything even if they were turned away.

But this Gao Zhenji is different. Kangyin, as the second largest city in Huainan, is a third-rank official in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Gao Zhenji himself is from the native Youyan faction. He was sent out from the Youyan Provincial Administration for training. He is a direct descendant of the Fengwu Army with a solid foundation in the court and is highly regarded by Ye Mingsheng...

Therefore, Song Haibo could scare other county magistrates, but it was difficult to scare Gao Zhenji!
Seeing Ye Kui nod, Song Haibo continued:
"General Ye, this is what I think. According to the agreement, the Marshal should have returned to meet us yesterday, but now a day has passed since the agreed time, and the Marshal has not contacted us for five days. Although there is a possibility that the Marshal was delayed due to some things, the possibility of something going wrong cannot be ruled out. General Ye, am I right?"

Listening to Song Haibo's words, Ye Kui thought for a moment and said directly:
"Director Song, just tell me what you want to do."

Song Haibo also said upon hearing this:

"General Ye, since you are so quick to speak, I will speak frankly!"

"I think at this moment, we should be prepared for the worst. If something happens to the Marshal, then neither you nor I will be able to save our heads!"

"So my idea is very simple. Now it's less than two hours before the sun sets. If the Marshal comes back, then everyone will be happy. But if the Marshal hasn't come back yet, I want to talk to the governor and be frank with him!"

Ye Kui was a little hesitant when he heard this. Before Ye Mingsheng left, he warned the two of them not to tell anyone else about his incognito visit.

Therefore, according to Song Haibo's idea, although it was well-intentioned for Ye Mingsheng's safety, it also violated Ye Mingsheng's orders···················
Seeing that Ye Kui was still hesitant, Song Haibo spoke anxiously:

"General Ye, you know Prefect Gao. He is one of our own from the Fengwu Army. He is absolutely loyal to the Marshal. I think he is a reliable candidate at such a critical moment!"

"General Ye, you are the commander of the personal guard battalion. You are directly responsible for the safety of the Marshal. At a time like this, you have no choice but to take responsibility. You must show an attitude!"

Ye Kui, who was defeated by Song Haibo, gradually became more determined. He nodded heavily to Song Haibo and said:
"Just do as you say, Director Song!"

"If the Marshal doesn't come back before the sun sets today, Director Song and I will go to find Prefect Gao!"

Song Haibo couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this. Although he was Ye Kui's army, he actually felt a little uneasy about disobeying Ye Mingsheng's orders, so he wanted to drag Ye Kui along.

After the two men made up their minds and prepared for the worst, they began a long wait in the house. Time passed by minute by minute, but for Song Haibo and Ye Kui at this time, it seemed like a year.

After a rather long hour, the sun had completely set. Song Haibo and Ye Kui were both frustrated, helpless, and hesitant. Just as they were about to send someone to invite Gao Zhenji over to speak frankly, a guard quickly walked over and bowed to Ye Kui and reported:

"General, the Marshal and General Zhang are back!"

When these words came out, Ye Kui and Song Haibo were shocked at first, and then both of them burst into ecstasy. After sorting out their emotions, they prepared to welcome Ye Mingsheng’s return...

At this time, Ye Mingsheng didn't know that his two close ministers had already made the worst plan. He was very tired after a day's journey. When he and Zhang Renwu came to Kangyin from Yingzhou, they encountered a rainstorm on the road and had no choice but to find a place to temporarily take shelter from the rain, which delayed them for a while. After the rain, the road was very muddy again, which delayed them for a while. Therefore, although they had accelerated their journey, they still arrived in Kangyin one day later than the agreed time.

Ye Kui and Song Haibo, who came in a hurry, secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Ye Mingsheng sitting safely on the armchair in the room. The two of them, at the same time, tacitly concealed their plans and only expressed their worries and longings to Ye Mingsheng!

Ye Mingsheng also tried to comfort her, and then asked:

"Is there anything I can do while I'm gone?"

Song Haibo introduced without hesitation:

"General He from Jiangnan sent another letter. In the letter, he admitted his crimes in Jiangnan. While apologizing to you, he also asked you to transfer him back to Yijing!"

Ye Mingsheng was also a little surprised when he heard this, and immediately asked:
"Where are his letters?"

"Marshal, I'll have someone get it right away!"

After reading He Jingyun's handwritten letter half an incense stick later, Ye Mingsheng was also somewhat moved. If he did not recognize He Jingyun's handwriting, he really would not believe that He Jingyun could write such a sincere attitude and true feelings of the letter of apology...

Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng also suspected that there was a master behind He Jingyun. But no matter what, He Jingyun's attitude was in place. In view of his contributions to the Fengwu Army and the Yijing court, he could also consider being appropriately tolerant of him.

However, Ye Mingsheng has not yet decided on the final punishment. He wants to wait until Jiangnan and He Jingyun meet before making the final decision.

Honestly speaking, Ye Mingsheng still had some doubts as to whether He Jingyun's attitude was as sincere and emotional as what he showed in this letter of apology. Based on Ye Mingsheng's understanding of He Jingyun, for He Jingyun, who has always been arrogant, writing such a letter of apology is not only more difficult than killing him, but also not much different!
After making up his mind, Ye Mingsheng put down the letter and asked Song Haibo:

"Anything else besides that?"

"Also, Governor Murong intends to come to Kangyin to meet with you, Marshal. Since you are not here, we dare not make a decision on our own!"

Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:
"Tell Murong Yuliang to stop making trouble and stay in Shouchun. I will go to Shouchun after I finish inspecting Kangyin!"

"I obey your command!"

After saying this, Ye Mingsheng pondered for a moment and asked:
"Which army is there in Huainan?"

"Your Majesty, there is a battalion of 3,000 soldiers from the Fourth Army stationed in Kangyin, a battalion of 5,000 soldiers from the First Division stationed in Shouchun, and the remaining number is about 5,000 soldiers from the militia!"

"Who are the generals in charge?"

Hearing this question, although Song Haibo was a little curious about why Ye Mingsheng asked this, he still answered truthfully:
"They are Commander Xie Pengfei and Commander Wang Zhenhao. They are both from Liaoyang. The local militia in Huainan is led by Deng Hanwen from Huainan!"

After hearing this, Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment and instructed Ye Kui who was standing beside him:
"Take my token and take your men to the bases of Xie Pengfei and Wang Zhenhao's troops. Tell them not to slack off and be ready at any time!"

"Yes!"

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Thirty miles north of Yijing City there is a village called Wangjiatun. The village was originally not big with only about a hundred households. Because most of the residents were surnamed Wang, it was named Wangjiatun.

Although Wangjiatun is not big, the road is very important. To the north is the grassland, and to the east is connected to the outside of the Great Wall. Therefore, after Ye Mingsheng eliminated bandits, improved public security, and encouraged economic and commercial development, more and more peddlers appeared in Wangjiatun, and some people simply built houses in Wangjiatun and settled down.

In the planning of Yijing a year ago, because of the important geographical location of Wangjiatun, Yijing prefect Liu Ning also planned a large freight station and warehouse in Wangjiatun for use by merchants coming and going.

At this time, in a farmhouse in Wangjiatun, a middle-aged man wearing a tattered cotton jacket, with some dirt and soot on his face, sat down by the stove to keep warm.

This sloppy-looking country man is Feng Yuning, the former scholar of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the head manager of Yudefeng. However, he has completely lost his former handsomeness and elegance. Even his closest friends would not dare to recognize him after seeing his current state of dignity!
In order to keep the flames in the stove burning and provide himself with heat on this somewhat cold night, Feng Yuning mechanically added firewood into the stove.

Although he was adding firewood, Feng Yuning was always thinking about a question that he had been thinking about for almost a month but still could not figure out the answer.

The question is, who is actually harming you behind the scenes?

In the past year, Feng Yuning could be said to have been going smoothly. With his connections with the United Coordination Office and the military, he successfully expanded his business to Yijing. He also acquired several high-quality properties under An Miaoyi's name through the An family, and opened a Fushenglou on a commercial street like Houde Street, where every inch of land is worth a lot of money. Finally, he even got in touch with An Miaoyi, his former dream goddess!

Originally everything was going smoothly. Feng Yuning had planned how to use Fushenglou to establish relationships with those noble ladies, Mrs. G, and eventually gain the help of QL in the hands of their husbands. However, everything changed overnight!

The Censor raided his shop, arrested his men, and seized his goods. Even he himself would probably have been caught by the Censor in the end if someone had not tipped him off!
Faced with this sudden change, Feng Yuning could be said to have been caught off guard. He was not prepared at all...
(End of this chapter)