Mo Sang – CH 165

Chapter 165. A Grain of Dust

Time flew by when you were eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing.

After seeing off the arm-in-arm Pan Dingbang and Eleventh Master Tian, and then the flushed and tipsy Princess Ninghe and Gu Fei, Li Sangrou sat by the river, slowly unpacking a large bundle of military reports delivered by Qing-Feng.

The top one was the recently concluded case of the Qian family of Yangzhou’s treason.

Qian Dongsheng’s family had only moved from Huzhou to Yangzhou during his grandfather’s generation, making their fortune there. Only Qian Dongsheng’s branch of the Qian family remained, far away in Yangzhou.

Many of Qian Dongsheng’s uncles and brothers were in Huzhou, as were two of his half-brothers.

As early as Qian Dongsheng’s father’s time, the Qian family had already acquired numerous properties in Huzhou and the vicinity of Hangzhou in Southern Liang, clearly harboring ambitions of double-dealing.

Qian Dongsheng’s connections with Southern Liang were twofold, one overt and one covert. The covert network was Southern Liang’s intelligence apparatus, a system that had existed for some time, even dating back to the time of Qian Dongsheng’s father.

The Qian family provided Southern Liang’s intelligence with numerous conveniences. Several spies planted within the Cao family, including the old woman serving the Cao matriarch, were sent in through the Qian family.

Many Southern Liang spies were also placed in warehouses and docks in Jiangning City by the Qian family.

The overt network was Zhang Zheng in Jiangdu City.

This connection was established after receiving the Sang flag. Qian Dongsheng then secretly sent someone into Jiangning City to find Zhang Zheng, offering to help Zhang Zheng kill Li Sangrou in exchange for a travel permit to Hangzhou.

Qian Dongsheng’s plan to escape back to Southern Liang was completely unknown to the Southern Liang covert network.

He had likely mentioned to the Southern Liang intelligence that he wanted to return to Southern Liang and went to Hangzhou, but the intelligence had not agreed.

The Qian family’s presence in Yangzhou was extremely beneficial to the Southern Liang intelligence network, and they would certainly be reluctant to let them return.

Qian Dongsheng kept his contact with Zhang Zheng a secret from both his own agents and Zhang Zheng, not even informing him of his prior communication with the Southern Liang intelligence.

Qian Dongsheng, with his family, fled to the outskirts of Jiangdu City overnight. Before their boat could even dock, Zhang Zheng had them all slaughtered.

The Yangzhou intelligence network discovered Qian Dongsheng’s escape plan in time and sent a message to Southern Liang, but before they could receive instructions, the situation had already been exposed.

Li Sangrou and her team had captured a great many prisoners. The garrison commander’s office in Jiangning City and the military command in Yangzhou City were extremely diligent in their investigations. Following the Qian family’s lead, they uncovered a significant portion of the Southern Liang intelligence network in Jiangning, Yangzhou, and even along the Grand Canal. The investigation was still ongoing.

This was a major achievement. The Privy Council allocated 60% of the great merit to Li Sangrou, based on the names she had submitted.

Li Sangrou read through the list, starting with Meng Yanqing’s name at the top, and then proceeded to the next name.

The Privy Council’s allocation of merit, along with Gu Jin’s reward, was quite generous.

After reviewing it once, Li Sangrou folded up the list and instructed Datou to deliver it to Meng Yanqing.

On the next page, a few words detailed the punishment for the Cao family.

The Cao family had committed several grave offenses. From the head of the Cao family, Cao Qixing, all members within five degrees of kinship were exiled to Guihua to serve on the frontier.

Li Sangrou stared at that short line for a long time, then sighed softly.

The Cao family’s rise to power largely stemmed from their marriage alliance with the Marquis of Yongping’s family, like oil on a hot fire. Now, their exile to the harsh north was also initially due to their marriage alliance with the Marquis of Yongping’s family.

Fortune and misfortune shared the same origin: fortune was bestowed by heaven, and misfortune was self-inflicted.

Li Sangrou placed the papers from this case into the furnace and continued reading the military reports.

Ahem. Wu Huaiguo had taken over as the commander-in-chief of Southern Liang, accompanied by a concubine surnamed Su, and had already arrived in Ezhou to garrison the city.

Li Sangrou’s gaze fell on the character “Su.”

General Wu had only one concubine surnamed Su by his side.

After throwing the military report into the furnace, Li Sangrou gazed at the corner tower, lost in thought for a while, before continuing to read the other military reports.

Gu Xi had already captured Pingjing Pass and reached the outskirts of Ezhou. Wen Yanchao’s army was approaching Suizhou.

The advance of the war was not rapid.

After reading all the military reports, Li Sangrou shook the empty bag, leaned back in her chair, and watched as sheets of black, butterfly-like ashes rose and fell in the glowing furnace.

Gu Xi had told her about the Emperor’s strategy: Southern Liang was a powerful nation, and its officials, from the Emperor down, were not corrupt; this war would be a protracted one.

The first step was to keep the battlefield within Southern Liang territory.

Currently, Huang Yanming and Qiao An, with most of their light cavalry, remained to guard the Yangtze River region. Gu Xi’s main force was to drive back all of Southern Liang’s reach north of the river.

Defending a city was easy, but attacking one was difficult; if the city also had a large rear area, it would be even more difficult.

Li Sangrou sighed again, stood up, and walked out.

Before she even left the courtyard, Meng Yanqing, his face dark, entered from outside.

“Is the Boss going back?” Meng Yanqing greeted her with a bow.

“What happened?” Li Sangrou asked, looking at Meng Yanqing’s face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot.

“It’s a small matter. I came to see the Boss about this,” Meng Yanqing replied, glancing around before hesitating whether to go in or leave.

The Boss was about to leave.

“Come in and talk,” Li Sangrou gestured to Meng Yanqing.

The two went inside and sat under a tree by the river.

“What happened?” Li Sangrou scrutinized Meng Yanqing again.

“Wei Fu, does the Boss remember him?” Meng Yanqing’s speech was somewhat slurred.

“Yes, among these old men, there are not many younger than you. He was one of them. He had two very handsome tiger teeth when he smiled. What happened to him?” Li Sangrou remembered every Yunmeng Guard.

“A month before we returned, everything went smoothly, so I told them that those who wanted to go home could go back, but not many did. Wei Fu was one of them.

When Wei Fu was selected for the Yunmeng Guard, he was only nineteen years old and had just gotten married.

After we were selected for the Yunmeng Guard, we all sent news of our impending death home, received a commendation for meritorious service, and a stipend for supporting our families.

Wei Fu was young and had not performed any meritorious service before, so he did not receive a commendation, only a stipend for supporting his family—a considerable sum of five hundred taels.

Wei Fu’s family was not poor; they owned seventy or eighty mu of fertile land, and his two older brothers were both strong laborers. Originally…”

Meng Yanqing paused, stunned for a moment, before smiling bitterly, “I’ve rambled on.

When Wei Fu first entered the Yunmeng Guard, he followed Old Dong, constantly telling him how much he missed his wife.

He said he and his wife lived in the same village, and they grew up together. When he was six or seven, he made up his mind that he would marry Yan-niang when he grew up. He said Yan-niang, like him, had wanted to marry him since she was six or seven.

When Wei Fu was nineteen, he sent word home that he was dead, and Yan-niang vowed to stay by his side for life.

But later, neither the Wei family nor Yan-niang’s family wanted her to stay; they both wanted to remarry her off.

When Wei Fu found Yan-niang, she was in a dilapidated temple in town, blind in one eye, and mentally unstable. Wei Fu brought her back.”

“Hmm?” Li Sangrou looked at Meng Yanqing. “Did Wei Fu kill someone?”

“No.” Meng Yanqing was puzzled by Li Sangrou’s question.

“Then what happened?” Li Sangrou asked, frowning.

“Wei Fu brought Yan-niang back. He had no choice; he could not bear it, and he had no one else to entrust her to…” Meng Yanqing hurriedly tried to explain.

“Should he not have brought her back? Is this what you mean by ‘trouble’? How can this be called trouble?” Li Sangrou realized that her heart was filled with pity and sorrow.

Humans were so easily tamed.

Meng Yanqing was stunned.

“Has Wei Fu returned to Jianle City? Where is he?” Li Sangrou asked.

“At the inn. He did not dare take her directly back. He’s settled her at the inn, right next to Xinsong Gate. He found me first, and when he saw me, he knelt. I…” Meng Yanqing was extremely intelligent and understood that things were different now. After understanding, however, he felt inexplicably flustered and helpless.

“Let’s go see him.” Li Sangrou stood up.

“Yes,” Meng Yanqing hurriedly followed.

The two walked along South Gate Street, not far from Shunfeng Shop, to Xinsong Gate.

Meng Yanqing led the way, guiding Li Sangrou into a bustling, chaotic foot inn.

The innkeeper led the two to the door of a secluded upper room. The innkeeper bowed slightly to indicate this was the room and then ran off.

“Wei Fu!” Meng Yanqing called out from the doorway.

“Boss Meng!” Wei Fu pushed open the door, and seeing Li Sangrou beside Meng Yanqing, his face turned pale.

“How is Yan-niang? Can her eyes be cured?” Li Sangrou asked with a gentle smile.

“She’s alright, her eyes…” Wei Fu’s eyes welled up with tears. He stepped aside, letting Li Sangrou and Meng Yanqing into the room.

Li Sangrou stood at the doorway, looking at Yan-niang, who was curled up in the corner of the bed, her face filled with terror. She was so old that her age was unrecognizable, and it was even impossible to tell if she was male or female.

“You go in first. Tell her not to be afraid, that no one will dare to bully her anymore.” Li Sangrou took a step back, gesturing for Wei Fu.

Wei Fu went inside, approached Yan-niang, and spoke softly.

Li Sangrou stood at the doorway, watching Yan-niang gradually relax, and sighed softly. She looked at Meng Yanqing and asked, “What’s the best arrangement? Should we buy them a small courtyard of their own, or should we fence off a separate area within your compound?”

“There’s a side courtyard, three main rooms, two side rooms, and a small courtyard with an osmanthus tree. It’s empty now, so let’s move to the side courtyard for now.

We will see what they say when Yan-niang gets better.”

Meng Yanqing had been thinking about this all the way here.

“Alright. Help them move over there. It’s too messy here; it’s not good for the patient,” Li Sangrou said, taking a step back and continuing, “Do you know which imperial physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau specializes in treating eye problems and this kind of amnesia?”

Meng Yanqing shook his head.

“I will go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to ask. I will accompany the physician directly to your place in a bit,” Li Sangrou instructed, then turned and walked out.

Meng Yanqing responded from behind Li Sangrou, called out Wei Fu, and discussed how to move over.

Li Sangrou left the inn, scratching her head somewhat. She did not even know where the Imperial Medical Bureau was.

It must be in the capital. She’d head to the capital first.

Li Sangrou hailed a carriage, sat sideways by the door, and headed towards Donghua Gate.

She had never been to the Imperial Medical Bureau before, and the people there certainly would not recognize her. Besides, it was already dinnertime; going directly to the Imperial Medical Bureau would not work—she would not be able to find anyone.

Who could she ask for help?

After thinking for a while, Li Sangrou decided to just ask Qing-Feng; he was the most reliable.

Qing-Feng was serving Gu Jin dinner when he heard from the eunuch that the boss was looking for him. He looked at Gu Jin, who waved him over.

A moment later, Qing-Feng returned, bowing and reporting, “The boss said she needs to invite several imperial physicians. There’s a patient who’s seriously ill, and since the boss does not know where the Imperial Medical Bureau is, she came here. I’ve already sent someone to take the boss to see Physician Shi.”

“A patient?” Gu Jin raised an eyebrow, then smiled and shook his head.

This boss always had too many idle people and too much trouble around her.

……………………

The physician knew Shunfeng and the leader of the Yunmeng Guards. The young eunuch who accompanied Li Sangrou relayed Qing-Feng’s words, implying, though not explicitly, that the Emperor was aware of the matter.

The physician quickly summoned two or three imperial physicians skilled in ophthalmology and treating amnesia and personally accompanied her to the two large courtyards where the Yunmeng Guards resided.

Yan-niang was carried to the courtyard by Wei Fu.

Meng Yanqing and seven or eight Yunmeng Guards were busy moving furniture and bedding, while Wei Fu sat with Yan-niang in the side room.

Li Sangrou gestured for the physician and the others to wait, then went into the side room first.

“She knows everything. She’s not crazy or stupid; she’s just scared,” Wei Fu explained to Li Sangrou, holding Yan-niang’s hand.

“Alright. My surname is Li, Li Sangrou.” Li Sangrou smiled gently. “I brought some very good physicians with me. Let them examine your eyes and take your pulse. Is that alright?”

Pus slowly oozed from one of Yan-niang’s eyes, while her other, cloudy eye looked at Li Sangrou. After a moment, she nodded.

She was indeed neither stupid nor insane.

Several imperial physicians entered, carefully examined her eyes, and took her pulse. They then gestured for Li Sangrou to come forward and speak.

Li Sangrou looked at Yan-niang and asked with a smile, “Would you like to hear what the physicians have to say?”

The imperial physician and the other physicians stared at Li Sangrou, but Yan-niang nodded.

“Speak,” Li Sangrou said, bowing and gesturing to the physicians.

“You go first,” the imperial physician gestured to the physician examining her eyes.

“Your eye… was it stabbed?” the physician asked first.

“She herself…” Wei Fu choked up before he could finish his sentence.

“It has not healed properly. We need to clean out the rotten parts and apply medicine. It should have healed in half a month to a month, but you are too thin and weak; it will take one or two months,” the imperial physician said gently.

“She’s not exactly losing her mind, but I am afraid she will go mad,” the imperial physician who was taking her pulse said, sighing.

“She has many ailments. Look at her complexion and eyes; she has intestinal parasites, blood deficiency, weakness, numbness in her feet—many problems. She needs slow and careful treatment,” said Physician Shi, looking at Li Sangrou.

“Then I will trouble Physician Shi.” Li Sangrou bowed to Physician Shi.

“Not at all, not at all, it’s my duty.” Physician Shi quickly returned the bow. “I need to discuss this with the others to see where we should start.”

Li Sangrou thanked him again, stepped aside to let Physician Shi and the others pass, and saw them out.

After seeing the imperial physicians off, Wei Fu stood at the door of the side room. Seeing Li Sangrou, he knelt immediately.

“Get up. For now, focus on taking care of Yan-niang. We will talk again when she’s feeling better.” Li Sangrou stood at the door of the side room, smiling at Yan-niang. “I am leaving now. I will come see you again tomorrow.”

After leaving the courtyard and walking halfway down the street, Li Sangrou stopped abruptly. It took her a while to catch her breath. Instead of returning to Chaomi Alley, she went straight to Zhang Mao, asking her to buy some clothes and women’s items to be delivered to Shunfeng Shop.