My wife has a secret

Chapter 46 Second House’s Request

Xu Qing’s idea was very simple. Since this group of border soldiers was a thorny problem, it would be better to hand them over to Prefect Xu for handling.

After what happened yesterday, he also realized that Prefect Xu was actually a cunning old fox in the officialdom.

Although the flattery to him was true, it was more of a means for Prefect Xu to stabilize himself.

"There is an official from Suzhou, his surname is Xu. If you have any difficult problems, just go to him."

Xu Qing felt a little stinging in his eyes when he looked directly at the sun, so he looked away. Who would have thought that in the corner of the yard, there stood a dignified and elegant woman with black hair like a waterfall.

She was dressed in plain clothes, with the fox fur coat that Xu Qing had given her earlier draped over her shoulders, and was quietly watching the situation at the door.

Doesn't Lu from the Third Courtyard usually dislike meeting strangers? Why did he appear in the front yard today?

Before Xu Qing could figure this out, Uncle Li stepped forward and said with a wry smile, "Master Xu, if we were not desperate, we, the border troops of Huangling Pass, would not have traveled thousands of miles on foot to come south to Suzhou where we have no relatives or friends, and we would not have come to the Xu Mansion to trouble you without even taking a rest after entering the city gate."

Seeing that Xu Qing was not as repulsive to them as before, Uncle Li coughed twice and explained the purpose of the group.

"It is the winter month now, but the court has been delaying the delivery of supplies to Huangling Pass. People are almost dying in the northern part of the border."

Xu Qing saw that this troublesome matter could not be avoided, so he asked casually, "What supplies?"

"Medicines for treating colds and blood clotting, as well as food for the soldiers and civilians at the border to survive the winter. It would be even better if we could have some quilts and cotton-padded clothes... After winter and the New Year, spring will come. At that time, the Liao and Jin people will also threaten the safety of the border, and the weapons stored in the warehouse will be in urgent need."

When Uncle Li was young, he followed a Lithuanian named An to do business, and he was very familiar with the list of supplies that General Yang had given him.

He reported all the things that Huangling Pass urgently needed, and then looked at Xu Qing expectantly, hoping that this noble young man would help him solve the problem.

Xu Qing was overwhelmed after hearing this.

Does this second room think of himself as a wishing machine? Why does he want to get everything from him?
Medicines, food, cotton clothes, and military equipment, if the Xu family could gather all of these, they would probably be able to rise up and start a rebellion from the south of the Yangtze River.

"Don't even think about it. I can't help you with this."

"Master Xu, actually the imperial court approved these things a year ago, but every time we asked the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War in the capital, they said that these things were stored in the Suzhou treasury and we had to send people to get them. But when we sent people here, they were shirked by officials from all over the country, and each time they ended up with nothing... Counting the previous times we came to ask for military rations, this is already the seventh batch of our bannermen."

Uncle Li looked at Xu Qing earnestly and said, "General Yang said that you can call the wind and rain in Suzhou. You are the living devil here. There must be a way."

"Cough cough."

Xu Qing, who was swallowing his saliva, was almost choked by the strange title that Uncle Li said.

That guy wanted to say local tyrant, right? How did he become the living king of hell?

"Although I have some connections and abilities in Suzhou, this matter of yours is a bit troublesome."

The young soldiers who were accompanying him showed disdainful expressions, thinking that Xu Qing was exactly the same as the court officials in their impression, who only knew how to make money from these things all day long, but when it was their turn to go into battle and kill the enemy and defend their country, they would just hide under their beds.

Uncle Li smiled twice and took out a bag from the other side of his lapel.

"I understand this. Although we are of humble origins, we still know the rules of doing things... This contains the written promise made by our General Yang himself. I have been keeping it close to me and dare not let there be any wrinkles." Xu Qing took the letter handed to him by Uncle Li and opened it casually.

The handwriting above is quite standard, neither as gentle and decent as that of Mrs. Lu from the third house, nor as graceful and continuous as that of Mrs. Qin from the fourth house, nor as charming as that of Mrs. Shen from the first house.

“The handwriting is a bit ugly.”

When the young soldiers heard this, they all looked a little uncomfortable.

General Yang is the idol of the military and civilians at the Huangling border. In everyone's eyes, General Yang is the god who protects and shelters them. How could he be despised like this?
Anyone who could become General Yang's husband would probably be blessed by his ancestors for eight generations, and it would be such a great joy that he would wake up with a smile in the middle of the night.

Xu Qing spread out the letter and read the full text of the letter. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Because the content of the letter was so exaggerated, he almost thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

In the letter, Yang still addressed him coldly, using honorific titles throughout, and there was no sign of any affection between them as a couple.

However, in her letter, she detailed all the supplies that the court had agreed to transport to Huangling Pass, down to the exact amount of pounds, pieces of clothing, and weapons.

In addition, Yang also noted at the end of the letter that if Xu Qing could help her transport the goods, the Yang family would voluntarily give up 50% of the goods as a thank you gift to the Xu family.

All signs indicate that Yang's need for this batch of supplies has reached the point of being impatient.

"It's crazy."

Xu Qing closed the letter and felt his right eyelid twitching.

There were about 40,000 troops stationed at Huangling Pass, including heavily armored cavalry and heavy weapons such as bows and crossbows.

Excluding the residents at the border, the amount of rations consumed by these soldiers and horses in a day is jaw-dropping, not to mention what the court promised, which is the rations and military supplies for the Huangling Border Army for the next three years.

If he transported a year and a half's worth of supplies to Huangling Pass and then kept the rest for himself, he would probably become the richest man in Da Qi overnight.

"Master Xu, the north is not like the south. Some places are already snowing. If it drags on until a colder winter, with severe cold and heavy snow, the snow will usually pile up to our knees. So we can't survive without food... This batch of goods has been stuck in the Suzhou treasury for so long, and we can only stare anxiously. So if Master Xu can help us get this batch of military equipment, we can negotiate even more stringent conditions."

Uncle Li looked at Xu Qing eagerly and told him all the reasons for his trip to Suzhou.

Although he knew that doing so would put them in a passive position, they had run into obstacles everywhere and had no other way out. All they could do now was to ask the Xu family not to be too greedy.

"You should find someone else to handle this matter. Steward Hai, please show us around."

Xu Qing tore up the letter with a cold expression, and without waiting for the soldiers to complain, he ordered the servants to kick them out of the house.

"Master."

Seeing the servants in the front yard seal the door and leave one by one, Lu Wanhe also walked out slowly from the corner with Ji Xia.

(End of this chapter)