AWB Chapter 115 Coincidence
Chapter 115 Coincidence
“Qingqing, do you remember when you first came here, one night you couldn’t sleep and went to the garden, but suddenly you heard a stranger breaking in. And that person broke into our house to find me and your sister Yuanchen.”
Yun Qingjin nodded. It was that time that reminded her of some details from her past life.
"Qingqing remembers. Sister Yuanchen was in a bad mood for those few days. I didn't know what was wrong with her. I remember that it didn't take long for Sister Yuanchen to recover on her own. She was much more energetic and had the strength to supervise me copying books every day. And after that, Sister Yuanchen started having me organize the account books as well."
Yun Qingjin always kept the events of that year in her heart.
"Yes, around that time."
Yun Yuke spoke concisely, slightly omitting some key information, only mentioning some crimes committed back then. For example, Wu Jinggong, whose family was raided back then, and Tong Yuxing, who was implicated in the case.
Yun Yuke naturally did not hide Gou Chenjun's background here.
At that time, the biggest threat to Xin'an City was the mountain stronghold Fenglang Village next to the city.
At that time, the mountain strongholds occupied the main roads leading out of the city, and all the caravans that came and went had to pay a large protection fee. Yunji's trading team was also greatly affected.
That is why Magistrate Sun later collaborated with Yun Yuke to jointly plan the annihilation of Fenglang Village.
The plan was successful. Although Yun Yuke was injured, her injuries were quite serious if not controlled in time, which slightly delayed her return to the city.
“Qingqing, although your mother has never said it, it was actually my good fortune to find you on the mountain.”
“You always feel that you were saved by your mother, and you always think about doing a lot for your mother, but only I know that if it weren’t for you, your mother would not have died, but she would have been delayed for a long time, and her body would have been damaged. I don’t know what would have happened afterward.”
Yun Qingjin blushed slightly.
"Huh? Was it really that dangerous back then?"
Aunt Hua still remembered clearly the time when Yun Yuke came back carrying a child, but she really didn't know it was in such a serious situation.
"Yes. The Wind Wolf Stronghold wasn't completely wiped out at the time; some escaped. The biggest one among them was Gou Chenjun of the Wind Wolf Stronghold. Moreover, the person who broke into our house that night was one of those escaped Wind Wolf Stronghold members. He was also the person I was just talking to."
This series of events was somewhat complicated, and all four of them were a little shocked.
"Boss Yun, is there something really that complicated behind this?"
Liu Zhou'er couldn't believe it.
"It was really too much of a coincidence."
Then, Yun Yuke explained all the related matters behind the scenes.
There's only one thing that hasn't been revealed: Yuan Chen's background and her true identity.
This was agreed upon beforehand, and whether or not to bring it up is entirely up to each person's own decision.
Yun Yuke's reason was that she had dealt with the manager of Tong Yuxing before, and they were considered former business partners.
"Tong Yuxing, it's such a pity. It was a renowned business back then. From money to influence, it took me so many years to reach that level. Of course, we're hiding our identities now, deliberately concealing ourselves, just in case we're resented and end up like Tong Yuxing."
"No wonder Mother has done a lot over the years, but she never lets us use the name of Yun Mansion. Even when we buy property or make investments, she doesn't openly use the name of Yun Mansion."
Yun Yuke nodded.
"Tong Yuxing... is really in a terrible state. With just one imperial decree, the entire business was shut down, and almost everyone in the business, especially the manager's family, was arrested."
Yun Yuke's tone was full of sorrow.
"Back then, I never understood why Tong Yuxing's business was always conducted in a law-abiding manner, without any violations or illegalities. The goods they sold were also carefully selected, and there were very few quality problems. So how could their business be raided without any warning? Even if the imperial court did not encourage the business of merchants back then, it was impossible for them to go so far as to arrest everyone in the entire business. The emperor couldn't possibly not even tolerate one merchant."
"The announcement said he colluded with foreign enemies, how could that be? We're in business, making money is our top priority. Colluding with foreign enemies? How can we make money when there's a war going on?"
The three of them found Yun Yuke's words somewhat unbelievable.
"Five years ago, Lord Gou Chen broke in at night. He told me that he was investigating the wrongful conviction of Duke Wu Jing back then and had also come across Tong Yuxing. As it turned out, it was quite obvious that Tong Yuxing had no evidence of colluding with foreign enemies."
"Just now... that Lord Gouchen said that the mastermind behind this might be the current Empress Dowager..."
"what?"
"Why?"
Inside and outside the carriage, apart from Yun Qingjin, the others were full of doubts.
"I don't know why either," Yun Yuke said helplessly, spreading her hands.
Yun Qingjin, on the contrary, connected many things.
Why did the Empress Dowager target Tong Yuxing? Yun Qingjin couldn't remember the details of that edict of self-reproach.
But why target Duke Wu Jing? Yun Qingjin still remembered the storyteller's investigation back then.
It's entirely possible that the Empress Dowager was actually jealous of Wu Jinggong's wife, so she orchestrated this whole affair to frame Wu Jinggong. She even went so far as to eliminate Tong Yuxing.
If it weren't for such an absurd reason, what reason would the emperor have to exterminate a Duke who was far from the capital and had retired from official life?
Duke Wujing was both talented and of noble birth. Even if he was jealous of the Duke who once held great power, the Duke had already retired before the incident.
Perhaps that's why they had to frame someone; otherwise, how could they have searched for over a decade and not found even a single piece of evidence of collusion?
Perhaps... this is the power of imperial authority. Ordinary people are truly unable to escape the traps they are set up, and can only let out a long, sorrowful sigh.
"Then Mother, how come this Lord Gouchen you mentioned is now by Marquis Ankang's side?"
I haven't seen this Lord Gouchen for so many years. He suddenly appeared and even made my mother go and talk to him.
"Let me share my speculation. I believe that Cheng Jun's presence by Ankang Hou's side might be an attempt to use Ankang Hou's influence to get closer to the Empress Dowager."
Yun Yuke thought about it carefully and felt that her guess was probably correct.
“We have no connection with Marquis Ankang, but even so, we must keep Lord Gouchen’s identity a secret. Although he was the leader of the mountain stronghold back then, his goals are now basically aligned with ours. We can’t just push him onto our enemy.”
All three nodded, and Liu Zhou'er asked, "Won't Prefect Zhu tell them either?"
Yun Yuke shook her head. "They have too many things to consider, let's not talk about it for now. There are too many interests involved, and we don't know what this Lord Gou Chen is up to. It wouldn't be good for us to leak the secret so easily. It's enough for just a few of us to know."
"How could the Cangnan Army be in internal strife? It just so happens that the Wuluo Kingdom is also experiencing internal turmoil? Is it really such a coincidence?"