Chapter 081
Chapter 81: The Huo Family’s Ambition
Ever since the Ping An Marquis was arrested, Xia Ping Yuan’s house arrest was lifted. The first thing he did was enter the palace and kneel to thank Emperor Xuan Ming. After that, he acted like nothing had happened. He went to court, ate his meals, and never asked a single question about the case, as if no false accusation had ever touched him.
When Xia Meng Yan arrived, Xia Ping Yuan was sorting a long list of those who had impeached him days ago. He was not so forgiving. Now that he had caught his breath, he meant to get even. Xia Meng Yan looked at the page crowded with names and chuckled: “Father, did you offend this many people?”
Xia Ping Yuan shrugged: “More than half the Court are my political enemies. These are just the loudest ones.” The bird that sticks its head out gets shot first. He did not care who stood behind them. He would dig until they were done.
Not wanting his daughter to worry, he closed the list and asked: “I can handle this. Why are you here? Is something wrong?”
In the past few days, Xia Meng Yan had pieced together what she saw at Northern Fortress Pass with what Lin Ye Lan told her. Now she understood why the Huo Family held His Majesty’s trust. She said in a low voice: “Father, the Huo Family cannot be allowed to remain.”
Xia Ping Yuan stiffened. A bad thought flashed through his mind. Something had happened.
Xia Meng Yan told him, one by one, the current state of Northern Fortress Pass: “If I am right, the Huo Family has already bled the pass dry. Now they are moving against rich merchants nearby. The Lin Family lives not far from the pass. According to Lin Ye Lan, Huo Family people have already slipped into the Lin Family and are waiting for a chance.”
“These bastards,” Xia Ping Yuan burst out, his beard practically quivering. “No wonder every time it came to stipends for Northern Fortress Pass, His Majesty said there was no hurry. So they already had a deal.” Hearing that the pay for the pass came from squeezing the people, he burned with anger. He did not want to believe it, but his daughter would not lie.
Xia Meng Yan watched her father pace and did not stop him. When she first heard it, she was even more shocked than he was. The Huo Family was the main pillar holding Northern Fortress Pass. Yet in secret they burned, killed, and looted worse than bandits. Even more frightening, Emperor Xuan Ming allowed it.
Xia Ping Yuan frowned and asked sharply: “Why did Lin Ye Lan tell you this? To drag you and your child down with him?” Countless guesses flashed through his mind. Things were not that simple.
Xia Meng Yan’s feelings were mixed. [People near death speak true and kind words.] Based on what she knew of Lin Ye Lan, other than telling her to protect the child, he mostly hoped she would save him. Too bad for him. Not poisoning him already counted as mercy.
She said evenly: “Lin Ye Lan’s goal is not the key. I am worried the Huo Family already started on the Lin Family.”
Xia Ping Yuan’s eyes narrowed, cold light flashing there: “You mean His Majesty’s recent check on the Huo Family had another purpose.”
Xia Meng Yan nodded: “His Majesty is very suspicious by nature. At first, he may have allowed the Huo Family to act only as a stopgap. Now the realm is stable, but the Huo Army occupies Northern Fortress Pass like their own fief. Isn’t that another Marquis Xuan Ping?”
In her past life, Marquis Xuan Ping held more than half the military power of the Xuan Ming Empire. The common people knew Marquis Xuan Ping but not Emperor Xuan Ming. So, the Eldest Princess’s marriage was used to weaken Marquis Xuan Ping’s power. Now that the Huo Family had risen, weren’t they becoming a second Marquis Xuan Ping?
Xia Ping Yuan’s brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly. “A second Marquis Xuan Ping? What is Emperor Xuan Ming planning?” The more he looked, the less he understood.
A knock sounded, and a serving lad showed in Wang Mang. “Eldest Miss, Master,” Wang Mang said with a bow.
Xia Meng Yan signaled him to sit. After more than two months away from the Capital, the rough air around Wang Mang had faded. His clothes were proper, his face clean, and he looked like someone’s young master. She said with a small nod: “Thank you for coming back. Some things must be said face to face.”
Xia Ping Yuan knew of Wang Mang because of Wang Yue’er in the back courtyard. The steward had said Wang Yue’er hurt her head and had been simple-minded ever since. Later, Wang Mang met Yan’er and agreed to work for her in exchange for healing his sister.
Xia Meng Yan glanced toward the door, and her attendant took the hint and closed it.
Without waiting for her to ask, Wang Mang began to report the situation at Northern Fortress Pass: “As Eldest Miss ordered, I first met Old Master Lin. He gave me two shopkeepers and one hundred thousand taels of silver. The three of us called ourselves sworn brothers and went to Northern Fortress Pass to do business. At the start we only resold cloth and tea across the border. Later we opened a general store. The people inside were sent by Old Master Lin.” He took a ledger from his chest and held it with both hands. “I am a rough man and only fronted the shop by name. The two shopkeepers handled the work. Still, we did not lose money. Please look, Eldest Miss.”
Xia Meng Yan did not take the book. She had not sent Wang Mang there to make money. Even if the store lost silver, it did not matter, as long as he found out how the pass stayed “self-sufficient.” She said calmly: “Tell us the investigation.”
Wang Mang’s face hardened: “As Eldest Miss guessed, every town within ten li of Northern Fortress Pass has Huo Family people. Some run businesses. Some serve in the yamen. In Qian Feng Town, there is a brothel. Its shopkeeper leaves for a few days on the fifteenth of every month. I checked again and again. That brothel belongs to the Huo Family. There are two other shops that seem unrelated, but I am sure they are also Huo Family property.”
“Property?” Xia Meng Yan tasted the word. Not a secret post, but real property. [So that is why the Huo Family has its eyes on the Lin Family?]
Wang Mang nodded: “Lately the area near the pass is not peaceful. The border towns of the two countries often clash. Many have died. The Huo Army keeps taking losses. When I left, the pass had started to recruit soldiers.”
Xia Meng Yan fell silent and slid a finger along her teacup lid. The Huo Family was recruiting. They needed grain and weapons. The Court held back stipends. After slicing fat from the people, they began to do business. A bunch of military men did not know real trade. It seemed they wanted not only silver, but also men.
She asked: “Do you know the brothel shopkeeper’s name?”
“Liu Qi,” Wang Mang said.
Xia Meng Yan’s fingers trembled. It was the same man Lin Ye Lan had named. According to Lin Ye Lan, Liu Qi was not born a Huo Family man. He had boarded their ship halfway through. He was suspicious and careful, and he kept two sets of ledgers.
After listening this long, Xia Ping Yuan finally understood that his daughter had already laid a net at Northern Fortress Pass. He stared and said in a low voice: “Yan’er, you mean to move against the Huo Family.”
The Huo Family held more than half of the Xuan Ming Empire’s military strength. They had guarded Northern Fortress Pass for years and had deep roots. If it was not open rebellion, His Majesty would usually spare the Huo Family.
Xia Meng Yan shook her head: “It is not that I want to move against them. It is that they have set their eyes on my maternal grandfather and on us. The Huo Family is raising troops and needs silver. They have already scraped Northern Fortress Pass clean. They want to be ‘self?sufficient,’ but they do not understand business. Now the Lin Family and the rich merchants nearby are the fat sheep they want to shear.”
Xia Ping Yuan knew it was true, yet it still felt like a bad dream. He drew a deep breath and asked: “What do you plan to do?”
“After I finish dealing with the matters of the Ping An Marquis Manor, I will go to the Lin Family myself,” Xia Meng Yan said.
“No,” Xia Ping Yuan refused at once, pain flashing in his eyes. “You are with child. Write a letter. There is no need to go yourself.”
Xia Meng Yan’s gaze was steady: “Maternal Grandfather is old. Uncle handles daily affairs. Do not forget, Father, the Lin Family has two adopted sons.”
Xia Ping Yuan paused. He had forgotten about them. “You suspect that one of the two has thrown in with the Huo Family?”
“I am not sure,” Xia Meng Yan answered. “I must see for myself. I will not wrong a good person, and I will not spare a bad one.” The Xia Family and the Lin Family were her foundation. Nothing could happen to them.
She called toward the door: “Song Mo.”
Song Mo pushed the door open and bowed: “Eldest Miss.”
Xia Meng Yan gave her order without a blink: “Release the people we rescued from the mass grave, and make the matter as big as possible.”
Her eyes narrowed. [Huo Ying Zi, I am here to collect interest.]