The three of them chatted for a while before dispersing. If the young lady saw them gossiping about her, they’d be in trouble, especially Xiao Yuling. She was most afraid Gu Qingli wouldn’t let her dote on her precious grandchild.

「That day,」 Xiao Yunjing returned from Qiyang County. He mysteriously took a note out of his sleeve and handed it to Gu Qingli with a servile attitude.

Gu Qingli glanced at him, wondering what bad news it was this time. She didn’t even want to take it.

“Li’er, just take a look.” Xiao Yunjing motioned with his mouth.

“You want to swindle me again?” Gu Qingli asked with a straight face. This guy! If he goes three days without swindling me, he just doesn’t feel right.

“No, never! Just look, Li’er.” Xiao Yunjing thought to himself, Damn it, in my wife’s eyes, I’m probably nothing but a swindler. I did swindle her out of a lot of silver, but haven’t I just swindled—no, earned—it back from somewhere else?

Seeing that his wife still wouldn’t take it, he held the note in front of Gu Qingli’s eyes, pointing to the words. “Look, Li’er, look. Your husband has earned back the silver. Be good and give it a look.”

Gu Qingli looked at the note. It stated that besides earning back the over 4 million taels of silver lost last time, he had also made another over 3 million. The silver, converted to gold, would be sent to Qiyang County by the end of the month.

“Is it true?”

Xiao Yunjing nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, it’s true. And those pills, I told them to sell them at cost if the buyers had no money, but for the wealthy, one thousand taels of silver per pill. TSK TSK TSK, rich people in the south really have money; some even buy them for ten thousand taels of silver, stocking up…”

As it turned out, from the very first batch, Xiao Yunjing had ordered that poor families who couldn’t afford them should first go to Gu Clinic to receive the pills for free. Because the wealthy had other means to prolong their lives, the pills would only be sold to them after the poor had received their share.

Later, when medicinal materials became scarce, the pills became limited for sale, and the price was increased.

For life-saving pills like these, no one would accuse Gu Clinic of being unscrupulous. Instead, wealthy people paid high prices to buy amounts exceeding the usual limit from Gu Clinic.

Many patients, after taking the pill, were not only cured of their ailment but also healed of other underlying health problems.

Especially among poor families, who didn’t suffer from some chronic illness or other?

Everyone realized that the efficacy of this medicine was comparable to an elixir.

That’s why rich people would buy and hoard these pills, and Xiao Yunjing would have been a fool not to take the silver they eagerly offered.

“So, the epidemic should be under control over there?” Gu Qingli asked, her heart somewhat heavy.

“Of course, it’s under control. Otherwise, how could we make money in peace? That Qingchen isn’t managing it at all; all the submitted memorials have been suppressed. In the end, they just pushed the responsibility onto Chu Xiong. Chu Xiong claimed the national treasury was empty. He argued he couldn’t very well starve himself just to throw money at a lost cause, could he? Ultimately, they only sent a few Imperial Physicians down there.”

“The common people of Daqian really have it hard, with a ruler like this,” Gu Qingli sighed.

Xiao Yunjing patted her. “These days will end soon.”

Thinking for a while, he added, “Li’er, in a few days, I need to go to Huayang and escort Xu Yi there too.”

Gu Qingli raised her eyes at him. “There won’t be any danger this time, will there?”

“No, things are almost settled there. I just need to deal with a few troublemakers. I’ll be back in ten days at most.”

If it weren’t for escorting Xu Yi, traveling with his lightness skill alone, it would take just a few days. Besides, the two counties were adjacent and not far apart.

“Take more people with you this time. Don’t let it be like last time.”

“Yes, yes, that was my mistake.” Xiao Yunjing was filled with remorse as he recalled the last incident. If it weren’t for that, Li’er wouldn’t have suffered so much.

He resolved to be more cautious in the future when facing uncertain situations.

For example, they had just received news from the Secret Sect about Red Leaf Villa. He didn’t dare tell Li’er yet; he would wait until he saw it for himself before deciding what to do.

Huayang County might have been conquered, but the biggest problem remained: Red Leaf Villa. It wasn’t just Qingchen’s lair; it was also strategically located between Yanshan Pass and Huayang County City. If it wasn’t dealt with, it would inevitably cause even greater trouble in the future.

“You’re going to check out Red Leaf Villa, aren’t you?”

Troublemakers? With the Secret Sect’s strength, what kind of troublemakers would require Xiao Yunjing to go personally? Other than Red Leaf Villa, there’s no other possibility.

Xiao Yunjing looked embarrassed. Didn’t they say pregnancy makes a woman dumber for three years? Li’er is still so intelligent.

He nodded. “There’s a formation outside Red Leaf Villa, and I want to find a way to break in.”

Gu Qingli raised her eyebrows. “Do you really think all formations are like that ring of trees outside the Baiyue Clan’s territory? Qingchen’s methods are far more advanced than the Baiyue Clan’s. Why are you so fixated on tackling it from the surface? We have so many people in the Secret Sect. Why not just dig a tunnel underground? It would be completely secret, and no one would even notice.”

“You’re right! Li’er, you’re so smart!” Gu Qingli’s words were like a revelation to Xiao Yunjing. He gave her a big kiss, then ran out of the room like the wind, heading directly to the base through the tunnel.

Gu Qingli scoffed at his retreating figure.

「At the base,」 Xiao Yunjing found Yun No. 4, who was now in charge. He informed Yun No. 4 of his plan, asking him to take one hundred men to rendezvous with Yun No. 5 outside Red Leaf Villa and find a place to dig a tunnel.

Digging tunnels was their specialty. Inspired, Xiao Yunjing then sent orders to other Secret Sect members, instructing them to dig tunnels under the imperial palaces of various nations and to use the same method for important figures who were difficult to capture.

This was what they called “capturing by strategy.”

In the future, when he wanted to reclaim those countries, there would be no need for war—just direct capture of their kings.

「That night,」 Yun No. 4 mustered one hundred men and set off for Red Leaf Villa. Of course, Xiao Yunjing’s orders had already been sent ahead.

After making the arrangements, Xiao Yunjing happily returned.

That night, Xiao Yunjing finally got to sleep on the bed.

「The next day,」 Xiao Yunjing put everything in order at home, preparing to leave tomorrow.

「That evening,」 he went to Xiao Yuling’s room. He was most worried about his mother. Without him there, who knew what trouble she’d cook up?

“Eh? My son, how did you find the time to come see your old mother?” Xiao Yuling was surprised. This unfilial son of hers hadn’t spoken a word to her since that one night, so long ago. There was no sun today, and it was even snowing. What on earth was going on?

Xiao Yunjing ignored her and went to check her heated bed, touching it to confirm its warmth. Only then did he walk over to the stunned Xiao Yuling and gesture for her to sit down.

Xiao Yuling looked bewildered at him and slowly sat.

“I’m leaving for a few days tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t cause any trouble at home. If you need anything, just ask Li’er.”

“Just for that?”

“What else?”

“You stinking brat! What do you take your old mother for? I’m not some three-year-old troublemaker!” Xiao Yuling was furious. What was she even thinking? She’d actually believed this unfilial son had come to his senses! When he checked her heated bed just now, she had even felt a flicker of warmth in her heart.

“You’re not a three-year-old, but what’s the difference between the things you do and those of a toddler?” Xiao Yunjing replied bluntly.

“Alright, alright, get out! Your old mother doesn’t need you to lecture her!” Xiao Yuling grabbed his collar and pushed him out of the room.