FBC – Chapter 144 Collusion

Gu Wanru never imagined that Yaoyao, with whom she’d just formed an alliance, would stab her in the back.

Her hard-won reconciliation with Mu An crumbled in the blink of an eye.

Gu Hua, however, understood the situation perfectly.

At this point, the Pei family had already taken the bait and was fully engaged in rushing out the winter uniforms, preparing to submit them to the court.

To Mu An, Gu Wanru was now completely worthless. His feelings had turned to disgust, and with Yaoyao’s miscarriage reigniting his fury, Mu An’s loathing for Gu Wanru was final.

Dong Hua reported daily on Jinxiu Pavilion’s situation. She said Gu Wanru cried from morning to night for two days straight, then suddenly went silent.

At first, Gu Wanru even refused to eat a few meals, but once she realized no one from the Duke’s manor cared, she calmed down and resumed eating and sleeping as usual.

Gu Hua hadn’t expected Gu Wanru to be that resilient.

Still, she quickly put the matter out of her mind and didn’t concern herself with what was happening in Jinxiu Pavilion.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

All 300,000 sets of winter clothing from the Pei family were submitted on schedule and entered storage.

According to the trajectory from her previous life, once the Ministry of War, Ministry of Works, and Ministry of Revenue jointly inspected and approved the supplies, the Pei family would be formally granted the status of imperial merchants. Pei Yi’s father would be awarded the honorary position of Zuo Cao Langzhong.

This Zuo Cao Langzhong position, unlike Pei Yi’s current Eighth-Rank post in the Ministry of Revenue, was purely honorary and carried no real authority—but in Jiangling, having official status like this was incredibly useful.

Pei Yi had entered officialdom through the imperial examinations step by step, while his father’s court-bestowed title—even if symbolic—was still a great honor.

Not only would this allow future military supplies from the Pei family to skip triple inspections from the three ministries (only requiring occasional spot checks), but they’d also gain priority procurement rights for similar goods by the court.

After receiving the conferment, the Pei family in Jiangling held a grand banquet where anyone could attend.

The festivities lasted three days in the form of continuous feasts.

But on the third day, problems emerged with the winter uniforms submitted by the Pei family.

Not only was Pei Yi stripped of his title and thrown into prison, but even his father in Jiangling was jailed. Soon after, all Pei family assets were seized, the men were exiled to the southern frontier, and the women were made into government slaves.

The wealthiest family in Jiangling collapsed overnight.

And the one in charge of the raid on the Pei family—was none other than the heir of the Jiang family.

Gu Hua rested her chin on one hand as she gazed out at the ginkgo tree beyond the window, idly tapping the table with the other.

She wondered: although the richest family in Jiangling was wealthy, they still couldn’t compare to the mighty Jiang clan.

So why did the Prince Jiang go through so much effort—and risk—to destroy the Pei family?

If the forgery of military supplies was discovered, even the Jiang family could be implicated.

Why would they take that risk?

Recently, the price of winter clothing, cotton, and other materials in Bianjing and nearby regions had skyrocketed due to the Pei family’s high-volume purchases.

Those who hadn’t stocked up in time were now bitterly complaining.

Gu Hua knew that the amount of materials Pei Yi had collected far exceeded what was actually turned in for military use. She was the one who had instructed him to do so.

Thankfully, Pei Yi followed her words to the letter.

Guanshan Pavilion.

Gu Hua listened to Chiyan’s detailed report.

“Six warehouses in total—do we have enough manpower for that?”

Chiyan nodded. “Don’t worry, Madam. Lord Pei gathered all the guards and escort bureau men of the Pei family. Together with our people, it’s enough.”

Gu Hua had never personally visited the warehouses where the winter supplies were stored, but she remembered clearly that around this time in her past life, Mu An and Gu Wanru had been inseparable, plotting each step together.

She knew their methods and tactics inside and out.

Gu Hua strained to recall every detail from her previous life, afraid to miss anything, and suddenly blurted, “Keep an eye on Mu An—he’ll leave the estate tonight.”

Chiyan looked at her in surprise. “How do you know that, Madam?”

Gu Hua cursed herself inwardly for being too quick-tongued.

She quickly added, “Isn’t the inspection happening the day after tomorrow? If he’s going to make a move, it won’t be on the very last day. So I’m guessing it has to be tonight.”

Chiyan nodded, unbothered by her reasoning. “Rest assured, Madam.”

Sure enough, after nightfall, not only did Mu An leave the estate, but even Yaoyao, who had just given birth prematurely half a month ago, left under the pretense of returning to Yichun Courtyard for personal matters.

That entire night, Gu Hua was so tense she didn’t sleep a wink.

Just before dawn, when she saw Chiyan return and nod to her, her heart finally relaxed.

“Quick, bring me breakfast. Then I’m going to bed,” Gu Hua said, stretching.

Dong Hua and Dong Qing didn’t know what their lady had been secretly up to, but seeing that she hadn’t slept all night, they never stopped preparing warm soups and snacks for her. Breakfast was naturally already ready.

Soon, a table full of nutritious dishes was brought in.

Maybe because she was in a good mood, Gu Hua had a hearty appetite. She ate three meat buns in a row, followed by a bowl of bird’s nest porridge. Just as she reached for some snow-skin shrimp dumplings, Dong Hua held her back.

“Oh, my dear lady, you really shouldn’t eat anymore! You need to catch up on sleep—eat more after you’ve rested.”

“But I’m still hungry,” Gu Hua widened her eyes.

Dong Qing laughed and helped Dong Hua hold Gu Hua from either side. “Madam, if you eat too much before sleeping, you’ll get indigestion and feel awful. Be good—sleep first.”

The two maids carried Gu Hua off to bed. Left with no choice, she obediently complied.

Yichun Courtyard.

Ji Xuanyu, wearing a silver mask, sat calmly across from the Prince Jiang.

The Prince Jiang was sprawled lazily on a large embroidered cushion, looking unbothered.

“You sure have it in for the Pei family. They’re just merchants, and they’re all the way in Jiangling. What did they ever do to offend you, the young master of Yifeng Hall? You made me spend all this effort and take on so much risk to wipe them out. Was it really worth it?”

Right now, Ji Xuanyu was acting in his identity as the young master of Yifeng Hall, not some plaything under their control.

So he had no reason to show deference to Prince Jiang.

Ji Xuanyu took a sip of tea and said, “They did offend me. As for why, there’s no need for you to ask—I’m not telling. All that matters is that you get what you want.”

Prince Jiang raised an eyebrow.

This guy never gave him any face when he spoke.

“That’s true. But when will you deliver your end of the deal?”

“The neighboring minor kingdoms around Dali Prefecture have already united to attack the southern border. Isn’t that the best return gift? The Mu family’s army only numbers 300,000—give it a year or so, and they’ll be worn out.”

“Trying to fool me? The Mu army has defended the southern frontier for fifty years. You think you can take them out that easily? Give me something bolder!”

Ji Xuanyu smiled faintly. “It’s coming. After the winter uniforms, the next thing is the winter rations, right? The southern border is dry and prone to fire. Once the grain stores burn down, Mu Junyan will definitely plead with the court for emergency rations. I trust you’ll know what to do then, Prince Jiang?”

Prince Jiang’s eyes lit up. “If you can pull that off, that’s good. The Mu army is always well-guarded. Last time, when the old Duke and Mu Junyan’s older brother were ambushed, it was only thanks to your people leaking their marching orders. I hope this time goes just as smoothly.”

Originally, Ji Xuanyu had no strong desire to destroy the Mu army.

He had defected to Yifeng Hall from Great Liang only to take revenge on the Pei family and rescue Hua’er.

But now, Mu Junyan had stolen the woman he loved.

So the Mu army—he would destroy it too!

Ji Xuanyu’s voice turned chilling. “Just make sure you’re ready for the ‘inspection’ two days from now.”