Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 86: Breaking the Obsession
Ye Youyu's return was quite unexpected to Zhou Yijin, but he saw that Ye Youyu's eyes were very bright. Zhou Yijin was not unfamiliar with her expression. He had the same feeling when they first met in Chenglu Garden.
Ye Youyu entered the small building, not even bringing Dongxue in, and said straight to the point: "Brother Yijin, let's talk about what's going on right now."
Zhou Yijin heard that even the way she addressed him had changed. Although she was still the same as before, her whole aura was completely different.
"You are pregnant," Zhou Yijin said, "It's not good for your health to work too hard."
"Before, I listened to him and tried not to think too much." Ye Youyu said, "But do you think I can still worry about this now?"
Zhou Yijin sighed softly and said, "Come with me. Be careful."
He protected Ye Youyu and went up to the attic. It was broad daylight and the attic was not dark, but the atmosphere was still very depressing.
Zhou Yijin took a soft cushion and helped Ye Youyu sit down, then asked, "What do you want to ask?"
Ye Youyu took out the crumpled divorce letter and said, "You are at the end of your rope, right? If not, he... based on his personality, he wouldn't do such a thing."
Zhou Yijin knew he couldn't lie to her, so he stopped hiding it: "Yes. And things are more sinister than we originally expected."
Ye Youyu asked: "What kind of sinister method is this?"
Zhou Yijin said: "The batch of red goods placed in the secret warehouse of Xingcheng Bank will involve a disaster. For the Wu family, it is a disaster. Although we have made preparations before, some things are unexpected. At present, there are several difficulties that cannot be solved. So Haoguan has to prepare for the worst."
Ye Youyu asked, "Is that batch of red goods really stolen goods from the palace?"
Zhou Yijin asked: "You must know?"
"Yes!" Ye Youyu said, "Otherwise I will tear up the divorce letter. If anything goes wrong, I will die in the Wu family."
Zhou Yijin frowned, but knew that the person in front of him was not an ordinary weak woman. She would definitely do what she said. She sighed softly and said, "Yes."
Ye Youyu asked, "And did this batch of stolen goods pass through Heshen's hands?"
Zhou Yijin nodded: "Yes."
Ye Youyu said, "Master Cai has known about this, and he wants to use it to drag Heshen into this matter. Haoguan is the piece of mud he is trying to link up with Heshen. The red goods are the evidence."
Zhou Yijin said: "Yes."
"Even so." Ye Youyu said, "It may not be a dead end! Before Hao Guan went in, he told me that he felt He Shen would not fall for the time being, so no matter how much Master Cai forced us, as long as we..."
"This was arranged by Heshen." Zhou Yijin interrupted her.
Ye Youyu was stunned: "Ah?"
Zhou Yijin said: "This is a game within a game. The current situation is caused by Heshen's indulgence."
Ye Youyu's mind raced in an instant - since the news came from Zhou Yijin, she didn't have to consider the authenticity of the source and could directly start thinking about the cause and effect - in about two or three seconds, she figured out the key point, her body swayed, she couldn't even sit still, and quickly supported herself with her hands.
Zhou Yijin knew that she had figured it out: "I've already told you, don't think too much about it."
Ye Youyu was unwilling to listen to this, so she shook her head and asked Zhou Yijin to stop talking for the time being. She lowered her head and thought for a long time before she digested the news. Then she raised her head and said, "So now... are both sides forcing us?"
"Yes." Zhou Yijin said: "We can't tell the truth to Master Zhu. We have to promise to He Zhongtang. So now we are under pressure from both sides."
Ye Youyu said: "If we expose the conspiracy between Master Cai and Zhongtang..."
"Hao Guan will die soon." Zhou Yijin's words were cold: "My master has been as steady as a rock until now. He obviously didn't know that Liu Quan had arrived in Guangzhou and met Hao Guan. This shows that at this stage, He Zhongtang's control over all parties is not comparable to Master Zhu Di. This is the case in Guangzhou. I'm afraid that the difference in strength between the two sides in the capital will be even greater."
"Then if we follow He Zhongtang's wishes..."
"Hao Guan was not optimistic about Zhu Dishi's conspiracy to overthrow He from the beginning, so he never planned to cooperate with him." Zhou Yijin said: "But Hao Guan was also not optimistic about He Zhongtang's attempt to change the situation. Hao Guan believed that even if we tried our best to follow He Zhongtang's plot, in the end, we might not be able to pass the test of the retired emperor."
Ye Youyu suddenly thought of Wu Chengjian's words: "I'm not betting on Heshen... I'm betting on the emperor."
At this time Zhou Yijin said: "This judgment was made by Hao Guan, and I think his judgment is correct."
Ye Youyu said: "If it is really as Hao Guan expected..."
"Then this palace coup may end in nothing." Zhou Yijin said, "But when the gods fight, the little ghosts suffer. The gods can always turn around and make peace with each other, but the Wu family, who are involved in this matter, will not be spared. A mere merchant is the best target for all parties to vent their anger. At that time, the emperor wants the Wu family to die, the new emperor wants the Wu family to die, and the prime minister will also sacrifice his pawns to save the chariot in order to protect himself."
Ye Youyu remained silent.
Zhou Yijin said, "Now you understand, right? Things have developed to this point, and Hao Guan and I are powerless to save the situation. Xingchenghang's secret warehouse is now heavily guarded, and we can't do anything about that batch of red goods. Unless we are lucky enough to let the heavens send down thunder and burn Xingchenghang with a fire from the sky, otherwise, we can only wait to die here."
Ye Youyu raised her head and looked through the glass skylight. Above her was the sky, but she never believed that the sky would be kind to her.
Zhou Yijin said: "You already understand the cause and effect, right?"
Ye Youyu nodded.
Zhou Yijin said: "Now that you know everything, go back. You are a smart person, and if you know the situation, you may be able to find a way to protect yourself. We cannot be spared, but I still hope you have a chance to live a good life."
Ye Youyu asked: "You guys? You're not leaving?"
Zhou Yijin sighed, "I don't want to leave. If it weren't for Hao Guan, I would have lost all desire to live after the incident in Beijing. It's the same again this time, it's pointless for me to run away alone. And Hao Guan treats me like a brother, so I treat him like my confidant. Is there anyone in the world who can live without his heart and liver?"
Ye Youyu said: "You are brothers... and confidants... then what about me? What am I?"
Zhou Yijin was stunned.
"I'm his wife!" Ye Youyu raised his voice and said, "If I were a concubine, it would be easy to deal with, but, Brother Yijin, I'm his wife. I'm Wu Chengjian's principal wife, the third young lady of the Wu family, and I'm pregnant! You and he are as close as brothers, but he and I are already connected by blood - if there is anyone in the world who is qualified to share life and death with him, shouldn't it be me?"
Zhou Yijin looked at Ye Youyu for a long time before saying, "You... you really like him."
Ye Youyu was stunned, as if someone had seen through her heart. She was a little flustered for a moment, and unconsciously covered up, "I don't want to like him or not. But...but I can't just leave like this. Besides, this mess has really reached a point where the bottom is exposed. Brother Yijin, do you think you can really save me with a divorce letter?"
Zhou Yijin was silent.
"Brother Yijin, please arrange it." Ye Youyu said, "I want to see him again."
"Why bother?" Zhou Yijin said, "Even if you still like him in your heart, or have liked him in the past, what's the point of seeing him again given the current situation?"
"It has nothing to do with the situation!" Ye Youyu said, "What does matter is the matter between us as husband and wife!"
Zhou Yijin's eyes flashed: "Hmm?"
This time, Ye Youyu no longer dodged, and her eyes became firm: "I am his wife, and he is my husband. No matter whether he lives or dies in the end, the two of us must talk it out face to face!"
"Master, Master Zhou said that the Third Young Mistress of the Wu family wants to see Wu Chengjian again."
Cai Qinghua frowned: "I've seen this before?"
"Master Zhou said that the third young lady of the Wu family failed to persuade Wu Chengjian just now. On the way, she thought of something and decided to persuade him again."
Cai Qinghua hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Okay."
Guangzhou Flag City.
This is a city within a city, and is the "Manchurian banner city of the Qing Dynasty garrison in Guangdong."
Although it is called a city, the original idea of setting up this city is not a city, but a military camp. Because it is a long-term garrison, it is impossible to have men without women, so family members are also accommodated, but in many aspects, it still cannot get rid of the traces of a military camp.
The bannermen in the city were soldiers from birth, and their daughters were not allowed to marry outside the city. Life in the banner city was monotonous, because it was an enlarged and mutated military camp. No brothels or businesses were allowed in the city, so the bannermen in the city did not farm, do business, or work, and relied entirely on imperial grain to survive.
The Banner City had its own independent legal system, and the highest judicial official in Guangdong had no jurisdiction over it. Even if Zhu Gui was furious that day and wanted to intimidate those Bannermen who were obstructing his investigation, he could only arrest them and hand them over to the Guangzhou general for disposal.
According to the law, Han people are not allowed to enter the flag city, so even though Cai Qinghua was granted special permission today, he still felt a little weak under his feet when he walked into this self-enclosed flag city.
This is a small courtyard in Xianghuang Banner, Qicheng, Guangzhou. A man is sitting there with his shirt half-opened to cool off - it is obvious that he is not used to the heat in Lingnan region.
When Cai Qinghua approached, the man turned around, revealing a long face with a sinister look.
