Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

131. To Set up Depots

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Xiao Yugui stared at Xiao Yi, “What’s your plan then?”

“To report Lu Jianzhong’s doing to His Majesty, to impeach Prince Ning for failing in relieving the people in disaster!” Xiao Yi gritted his teeth.

Xiao Yugui looked torn, “Do we have to go this far? We are in-laws with the Lus for generations!”

“Do you have to wait till the Lus has dragged our whole family down?” Xiao Yi countered, “Have you forgotten what Auntie Lu, my Second Aunt has done, she almost killed Mo and Qian, yeah, she is our in-law. The Imperial Concubine Fair almost sent Mo to the temple and become a monk, she is our in-law, too!” with that Xiao Yi sprang to his feet, “Father, I will impeach them if you can’t make up your mind!”

“Wait! I will write the report, you go study for the Spring Imperial Examinations!” Xiao Yugui showed the two the way out.

Cao Mo grabbed Xiao Yi’s trembling hands, “Yi, please take care of yourself, there’s no need too get this riled up.”

Xiao Yi hugged Cao Mo tightly, “No, Mo, this is all my fault, I should have impeached them a long time ago! I kept thinking I would deal with them after my exam and they took advantage of it, they just kept hurting you! And you know what, no more waiting, I’m settling scores with them now!”

“Yi, I’m not worth it.”

“You are! You are my life! Do you have any idea how devastated I was when I heard you were summoned by the emperor?” Xiao Yi hugged Cao Mo tighter, he whispered at Cao Mo’s ear, “I’m not going to let that happen to you again, I don’t want to lose you!”

Cao Mo’s heart melted, he even wanted to say a thanks to Imperial Concubine Fair, otherwise he wouldn’t hear such sweet talk from Xiao Yi, he closed his eyes and savored the moment.

“Yi, I love you! You are all I have in my heart forever and ever! You will never lose me!” Cao Mo put Xiao Yi’s hand on his chest.

The two kissed feverishly.

Xiao Yugui now walked out of his study, he cleared his throat to interrupt the love birds.

Cao Mo chuckled and dragged Xiao Yi away from the yard.

They could still hear “Watch your manners” after they ran out.

… …

Xiao Yugui submitted his report to the emperor before he left for Dingzhou with Cao Mo, that heralded the Lus’ doom.

In a towering rage, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Punishments to investigate thoroughly and found what Xiao Yugui said was all true. The emperor ordered Prince Xing to confiscate Lu Jianzhong’s property and put all Lus in jail.

Old Madam Lu sent her maid to Dowager Xiao, asking for help.

Dowager Xiao promised Old Madam Lu that she would see what she could do to help for old time’s sake. Dowager Xiao blamed Xiao Yugui for leaving no room for maneuver for their in-laws.

Xiao Yugui fumed, “Mother, leaving the Lus room for maneuver means leaving them room to framing us up even more! Do you know what Lu Jianzhong said in prison? He said he did embezzled the grains allocated for Dingzhou and it was my wife, Lady Lu who bought the grains from him! There was even our stamps on the receipts! Lady Lu and her brother has made up their mind they will make us the scapegoat! We are lucky that I submit the report in time. Do you still want to save them?”

Hearing that, Dowager Xiao suffered an acute heartache and fainted.

Lady Lu was also put in prison because she was implicated in the case.

Auntie Lu escaped because she claimed that she was married and she was no longer a Lu by law, but she couldn’t go back to Xiao Manor because Xiao Yugui had made it clear that no Lu was welcome in their manor. Auntie Lu had to pawn her jewelry and stayed in a tavern.

Auntie Lu wrote to Xiao Yuqi, she threatened him that she would disclose the fact that the Xiaos had been maintaining private troops unless he could save the Lus.

… …

Xiao Yugui and Cao Mo left the capital city shortly after he submitted the report.

One thousand people and two hundred carriages led by Xiao Yugui and Cao Mo arrived at Pinglin Town, Anding County this day.

Cao Mo checked the surrounding environment, he pointed to a lush plain ringed by a river, “That’s a good spot, let’s set a depot there.”

The officer of Anding County nodded and started to arrange people to set up tents and tables.

Cao Mo dared not to boss Xiao Yugui around, so he asked for the passing token and advanced with a small team to set up depots along the way where they could took victims in and dissuade them from becoming rebels and marching towards the capital city.

Fire beacon was the most efficient way to convey information in ancient times, but fire beacon wasn’t applicable in the mainland. Cao Mo wished there were some useful way to convey messages.

Soon more than a hundred of tents were set up along the way, Cao Mo finally showed a smile, he was confident the tents would slow the victims down from marching towards the capital city, and he could reason with the victims and persuade them into going back to their hometown.

What the victims wanted was a full belly and a peaceful life instead of becoming rebels. So Cao Mo was sure he could appease the victims once he told the victims that the grains was on the way and the government had already sent people to help them dig wells to fight the drought.

A scout soon reported, “Shizi Madam, about three victims is walking this way from the east.”

Cao Mo nodded, he put a map on the table and circled the depots, he told the officer, “Go arrange our people at the depots to educate the victims, and paste our statement at the depots.”

“Consider it done, madam.” replied the officer.

Xiao Yugui and the main force now had reunited with Cao Mo, Xiao Yugui asked Cao Mo who was waiting for him, “Where are the victims now?”

“Our scout just reported there were about three thousand victims marching towards us from the the east, I’ve set up three depots where they can have food and water on different directions except on the way to the capital city, I’m sure we can separate the victims in small groups and dissuade them from making disturbances.”

Xiao Yugui nodded, “Sounds good, but a bit too troublesome.”