Chapter 311: Hearing of Official Sales

“What happened?”
Li Qing’an stepped out of the gate and demanded sharply. Dozens of bodyguards immediately rushed forward to surround him, watching warily at these uninvited guests.
“We demand to see General Li Qing’an!”
A man in his fifties, realizing Li Qing’an’s high status and not knowing much about him, spoke timidly.
“I am Li Qing’an. What do you want from me?”
Hearing that it was Li Qing’an, the men and women in mourning immediately erupted. They rushed forward, knelt down in a crowd, and cried out loudly, “General, we’re wronged! We’re wronged!”
“Everyone, quiet! Calm down!”
Jiang Xiaonian, the commander of the bodyguards, roared angrily, and the crowd finally quieted down. Seeing the words “Deceased Husband Zhao Xing” on the coffin, Li Qing’an suddenly found the name familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He asked, “Speak! What injustice has befallen you?”
One young woman kneeling there moved forward a few steps on her knees and knelt before Li Qing’an, crying bitterly, “General, my husband was the commander of the Hanhai Navy.”
This statement suddenly reminded Li Qing’an. This Zhao Xing was indeed from the Hanhai Navy—few people had the surname Xing, so he had a strong impression of him.
Li Qing’an’s tone immediately softened. “Tell me! What exactly happened?”
Zhao Xing had died. Li Qing’an knew that the Hanhai Navy was involved in the attack on the Uyghurs, so deaths in battle were normal. Yet he was puzzled—Cui Qianyou should not have returned yet. How did these family members know, and why had they come all the way from Beiting to Suiye? He was deeply confused.
Seeing the woman crying almost to the point of fainting, he comforted her, “There are always deaths in war. Don’t worry. Your husband will receive compensation, and we will arrange for your livelihood.”
The woman became even more sorrowful and couldn’t speak a word. A man with her rushed to shout, “Wen Niang, stop crying! Speak quickly!”
The woman had been coming here for three days to plead her case. Finally, she saw Li Qing’an today. Knowing it was a rare opportunity, she suppressed her tears and spoke intermittently, “General, my husband died by suicide, not in battle.”
“Suicide?” Li Qing’an was stunned. He immediately ordered his attendants, “Take them in for a detailed inquiry!”
After saying that, he turned and entered the office.
In the meeting room, the woman knelt before Li Qing’an and finally recounted her injustice.

“General, my husband and I are both immigrants who moved from Guanzhong. We live in Jinman County. My husband joined the army five years ago and has been serving in the Hanhai Army. Two months ago, he suddenly came home to visit us, saying that as long as we could raise 600 guan, he could be promoted to a colonel. To raise that amount, we sold our land, house, and all our valuables, but it was still not enough. We had to borrow another 400 guan. He took that money, and we waited for his promotion for a month, only to hear the news of his death. The army said he died in battle, but his close friend secretly told us that my husband didn’t die in battle—he committed suicide.”
Li Qing’an’s face turned ashen with anger. It was the first time he had heard of someone buying an official position in his army. Suppressing his fury, he asked, “Go on. Why did your husband commit suicide?”
“General, his friend said he gave 600 guan to the higher-ups, but his name wasn’t on the list of those being promoted to colonel. When he went to argue with them, they denied receiving any money and even beat him severely. Out of anger, he… ended his own life.”
At these words, the young woman collapsed to the ground, wailing, “My husband is dead, and we still owe a huge debt. How am I supposed to pay it off?”
Li Qing’an was filled with murderous intent. He said slowly, “Tell me—who exactly are those higher-ups?”
“I don’t know their names, but I heard it’s the highest commander of the Hanhai Army.”
The commander of the Hanhai Army was Nan Jiyun, but he had gone on an expedition with Cui Qianyou over a month ago. This matter shouldn’t involve him. Then who could it be? The highest-ranking officer left behind was the deputy commander, Puguh Huaien. Could it be him?
Li Qing’an gradually calmed down. He said to the young woman, “Don’t worry. The Anxi Army has strict discipline and would never allow such things to happen. I will immediately send a disciplinary inspection team to Beiting to investigate this matter. You will get an explanation.”
He then waved to one of his guards and pointed at the young woman, saying, “Arrange accommodation for her and those who came with her.”
The young woman thanked him repeatedly before leaving. Li Qing’an paced back and forth in the room, hands behind his back, filled with rage. Although buying and selling official positions was common in the army, it was the first time he had heard of it happening in the Anxi Army. Whatever it took, he would investigate this matter to the bottom!

At Li Qing’an’s residence, Du Gu Mingyue passed through a bamboo grove and arrived at a quiet courtyard, where Wu Yi lived. Although Mingyue and Wu Yi had traveled west together, spending day and night in the same carriage during their long journey westward, it had actually narrowed the distance between them. Mingyue began to get to know Wu Yi better—she was a proud and aloof person, whose sense of self-respect had become extremely sensitive due to unfortunate experiences in her childhood. The slightest carelessness in speech could offend her. On the other hand, she had a kind and innocent nature, never resorting to underhanded tactics, nor did she seek to compete with Mingyue for the position of primary wife. This reassured Mingyue. Moreover, Wu Yi was deeply favored by Li Qing’an, which sometimes made Mingyue feel a bit jealous. A few days later, Fu Gu Huai’en and her daughter came to visit, bringing up the matter of learning skills. Although Mingyue no longer wanted to agree, failing to inform Wu Yi might cause trouble. Just as she passed through the bamboo grove, she heard the sound of a zither being played, along with what sounded like Ru Shi’s poetic laughter. This made Mingyue smile bitterly. The Ru Shi and Hua Shu sisters looked identical but had completely different temperaments—one gentle and quiet, the other enthusiastic and unrestrained. Hua Shu and her sister Mingzhu, on the other hand, were a match—always riding around together, rarely seen. Thinking of her sister, Mingyue felt even more worried. Her sister was already seventeen but still acted like a child, with repeated failures in arranged marriages. It seemed she had no interest in getting married, but Mingyue sensed that her sister might also have developed feelings for Qing’an, especially after falling into the water during their last trip to the estate—her gaze toward Qing’an had changed. Mingyue sighed helplessly; she knew her parents would never allow such a thing to happen, but what else could she do? Send her back sooner! As soon as Mingyue entered the courtyard, Wu Yi’s maid, Yu Nu, quickly said, “Madam has arrived!” The sound of the zither inside stopped abruptly, and Wu Yi’s voice was heard saying, “Is it Sister Mingyue? Come in quickly.” “It’s me, Sister Wu Yi. I’m sorry for interrupting you while you played the zither.” Mingyue smiled as she pushed the door open and entered. Ru Shi hurried forward to greet her, “Madam!” “Ru Shi’s zither playing gets better and better. I almost thought it was Wu Yi playing just now.” “Thank you for your praise, Madam.” “Come, sit down.” Mingyue pulled Ru Shi to sit down. Wu Yi smiled and said, “From the way you look, you seem to have something to ask me?” “There are guests visiting today, and it might be related to you.”

Moonlight recounted the matter of the Pugu mother and daughter wanting to learn the zither, saying, “I haven’t agreed to it nor refused it. After all, they came to learn the zither from you, so I wanted to seek your opinion first.”
Although Wuyi was proud and aloof, she wasn’t isolated from the world. On the contrary, her sensitivity far exceeded that of ordinary people, and she understood social conventions, though she disdained to follow them. As the head of the household, Moonlight could have made the decision to accept or reject them, but instead she sought her opinion, showing her caution in handling matters, which moved Wuyi slightly.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment before asking, “So what do you think?”
Moonlight smiled and said, “I think it’s best to ask Qing’an. I have a feeling their mother has ulterior motives. If Qing’an has no objections, then you can decide. What do you say?”
Wuyi nodded. “I’ll do as you suggest. If Qing’an has no objections, I want to see if that Pugu Yu meets my standards before taking her as a disciple.”
They chatted idly for a while longer. Then, Wuyi remembered something and pointed at the maid Yunu at the door, saying to Moonlight, “Yunu has been with me since childhood. We’ve relied on each other for ten years, like sisters. She’s nineteen now, and I want her to marry into a good family. Could you help me with this, Sister Moonlight?”
Moonlight glanced at Yunu, seeing that she was listening intently, and smiled, “Being a matchmaker is also one of my hobbies. I’ll take care of this.”
Moonlight checked the time and stood up. “Well, I think Qing’an is about to return. I’ll be going now.”
Moonlight left with Rushi. Yunu immediately knelt before Wuyi and cried, “Are you trying to send me away?”
“What are you talking about? I’m doing this for your own good. Don’t you understand?”
Yunu, with tears streaming down her face, shook her head. “I don’t want to get married. I just want to stay with you. Please don’t send me away.”
Wuyi also felt sad. She helped Yunu up and forced a smile. “It’s time for men to marry and women to get married. You’re not young anymore—nineteen this year. Women can get married at sixteen. Do you also want to wait until twenty-one, like me?”
Yunu became even more upset. With a choked voice, she said, “I’m willing to be the concubine of the master. As long as I can stay with you, I don’t ask for anything else.”

“Be a concubine?” Wu Yi sneered and said, “I’ve already been demoted. Do you expect me to let my sister become a concubine as well? Even if you want to be a concubine for the master, and even if he desires you, I won’t allow it. My decision is firm. I’ll find you a respectable family so you can marry honorably as a legitimate wife.”
“Miss, I don’t want to…”
“Stop talking. I’ve made up my mind.”
Wu Yi stood up and smiled, “Let’s go! I guess the master has returned. It’s time for the whole family to eat.”