Chapter 67: Before the battle, meritorious deeds (2)
The master knew very well that Cai Xianqing was Ye Yongjia's confidant and could not be used for his own purposes, so he arranged an empty room for him and the guards, but called two foreign ministers to sit in the cubicle.
Cai Xianqing was in the public eye and couldn't go to the window to peep, so he had to eat lunch with everyone. After waiting for a while, he still didn't see the two superior officers coming back, so he became suspicious and bit his chopsticks in trance.
'The guy pushed me away, knowing that he wanted to do something shady; he must have wanted to use coercion and inducement to force our internal disunity so that Mr. Ye could return without success...' Cai Xianqing immediately guessed
The connection between the two things, 'In that case, time really doesn't wait for anyone, I have to find an opportunity to be one step ahead of them...'
"Master Cai, what are you thinking about?" the soldier beside him asked with concern.
"Nothing, just keep eating." He waved his hand and put the chopsticks on the bowl.
The master relied on his previous plan to succeed, so he followed his old wisdom and took out more than a hundred taels of silver, all of which were of perfect quality, and handed them over to the hands of the two adults. These two foreign ministers have been in the military department for a long time, and they have never seen anything like this.
They all received the amount of money cheerfully and said they were willing to serve the governor. The master then gave them a few instructions and left them to eat.
When Cai Xianqing saw them coming back, he didn't say much to ask. He just relaxed as usual, ate and drank with everyone, rested for a while, and then urged everyone to continue on their way.
Fortunately, the weather was good and the road was not bumpy. The group soon entered Xuanhua. The deputy governor took over and put their belongings in the warehouse. Most of them arranged to rest in the military camp.
"When will the following team arrive?" Cai Xianqing stood in the military tent and looked at the guards taking off their armor on the school field.
"Probably this afternoon, less than an hour later," the deputy governor replied.
"Alas, Governor Shi treats us so well, but he still wants to cause trouble for the people around you," several eunuchs sitting nearby said with a smile, "I'm really sorry for raising an army and mobilizing a large number of people."
"It is my general's good fortune that the imperial court can send important officials to inspect. Father-in-law, please don't say such things!" The deputy governor lowered his head and bowed silently.
Cai Xianqing paid no attention to their conversation. He kept frowning, crossing his fingers, gripping the ground with both feet, and his eyes became anxious. He looked at the things around him irritably. Everything that moved made him feel that time was passing by.
The ground is moving fast, and the sunlight is gradually getting dim, and it can no longer be endured.
His eyes suddenly looked forward again, and he inadvertently discovered a suspicious point in the military camp.
"Deputy Governor, aren't there any soldiers in this school field? There are no drills on weekdays?" Cai Xianqing couldn't help but turned around and asked.
The deputy governor's face suddenly turned pale, and he hastily replied: "Master Cai... you see... no, the troops and horses of the five battalions are all engaged in actual combat. Bandits and bandits have invaded frequently and they have no time to return to the city, so they skip this daily drill."
"
Cai Xianqing pouted: "The deputy governor's words are wrong. If the soldiers don't practice fighting, how can we defeat the enemy in actual combat? Now that the war has not started, what can we do if we order the soldiers to come down in turn to practice?"
"Master Cai...Shilang Cai, how can you, a weak man, know more about fighting than a border officer?" The five eunuchs helped the deputy governor cover up, "You always stick to the rules and don't even offer any flexibility.
"
Although the deputy governor had an excuse, he still showed embarrassment and moved his hands from time to time: "What Mr. Cai said is reasonable, but the subordinate was negligent. By the way, the two ministers are drinking tea at my official residence. You
I'm afraid I'm tired after walking for a long time, so I might as well go over there and rest for a while."
Of course, Cai Xianqing didn't want to waste time in the camp. When he saw that he wanted to drive people away, he was even happier than the latter: "Isn't this all forced by official duties? I just want to take a rest! The deputy governor gave it to me without labor.
, I'll go by myself, you can chat in peace!" He laughed a few times, walked a little faster, and left the military camp.
"Captain, this guy is an actor, he is too ignorant," the eunuchs pointed at the back, "We are here for you."
"He just used these words to test me and scare me," the deputy governor wiped his forehead - even though there was not a drop of sweat, "it is actually useless. However, you father-in-laws need to try your best to dissuade Lord Ye, so that we can ensure peace in our border areas."
"It's natural."
Cai Xianqing's bones were indeed aching. He was not lying. He just hid his whereabouts and actually went to the warehouse.
"Damn it, do you have any chairs here!" Cai Xianqing got into the warehouse and slapped the door panel, "I'm exhausted!"
The clerk in the warehouse saw him and hurriedly took a chair and placed it in front of him: "Your Excellency..."
"I am Cai Xianqing, the right minister of the Ministry of War!" Cai Xianqing thumped his waist and slowly sat down, "I heard that my box was sent here, bring it to me."
"The deputy governor said he would pay it back after you leave Xuanhua..."
"Have you ever heard that the first-level official can kill someone? He is only a fourth-rank official, while I hold the important position of a third-rank official. Do you know who you listen to?" Cai Xianqing shouted with raised eyebrows.
How did the clerk know this? He was so frightened that he crawled upstairs to get the box.
He saw that the box was made of ordinary firewood, so he didn't take it seriously at first. He put it on and tried to drag it, but he couldn't move it at all.
"What the hell are you pretending to be? It's so damn heavy..." The clerk was very curious. Before the official downstairs could look at it, he gently opened a crack and put his face up to it. After a closer look, he seemed to be surprised.
It shone with silver light; he sniffed it hard again, only to realize that it was silver, and his eyes shone brightly.
'Good stuff...' He felt itchy in his heart, rubbed his palms together excitedly, and slowly dragged the box downstairs.
"I, I found it for you." He looked at Cai Xianqing expectantly and asked in a low voice, "What is this item?"
Cai Xianqing glanced at him a few times, then stroked the box: "You want to know?"
"Little man... I really want to."
"Open it yourself and take a look."
The clerk nodded sharply to him, leaned over and opened the box. Inside was a pile of silver, estimated to be as much as two hundred taels.
"This money is just for you, all of it." Cai Xianqing smiled slyly, "But you need to do something for me."
"You are my reborn parents!" He knelt down and bowed tremblingly, "One hundred things are possible! One hundred things are possible!"
"Let me ask you a question first, why don't the troops of the fifth battalion come to the military camp for drills?" Cai Xianqing asked eagerly with his hand on the box.
"We usually come down to the city, but for some reason today, we were all called to the city gate."
Cai Xianqing was overjoyed and said "good" three times before ordering: "You said that on the order of Governor Shi, you asked the soldiers from the North Gate to come to the warehouse to lecture you."
"Fake news..."
"How do you know it's a fake report? Do you still want a box of silver?" Cai Xianqing didn't allow him any room to question.