When You Sanping had left the capital with Qi He, he was well-groomed, but now, he was thinner, with his left arm in a sling.
“Did you get injured?” Mingxi furrowed her brow and asked. “Is it serious? I can have a doctor come to check on you.”
“It’s not serious, just a broken bone. Don’t worry, Miss,” You Sanping replied.
A broken bone isn’t serious?
Mingxi instructed Li Quan to bring a doctor. While waiting, You Sanping handed over the letter. “Wangye sent me with this letter for you.”
Mingxi took the letter but didn’t open it right away. Instead, she scrutinized You Sanping once more. “Did you come back as a refugee? Why do you look so disheveled?”
You Sanping, who always prided himself on his appearance, looked nothing like his usual self. His clothes were soiled, and his robe had several tears.
You Sanping took a step back. “I was in a rush to deliver the message to you. My clothes got disheveled. Please forgive me, Miss.”
Mingxi studied him. “What exactly happened?”
“I was attacked on my way back,” You Sanping began, his expression turning serious. “Wangye sent guards to protect me, leading the assassins away.”
“Why were they after you? Was it just because of this letter?” Mingxi pointed at the letter from Xiao Muchen that You Sanping had brought.
“It wasn’t just that,” You Sanping said slowly, a conflicted expression on his face.
Mingxi didn’t say anything, just watching him silently.
You Sanping: ….
You Sanping sighed and then spoke quietly, “I went to Yuxiang City to help Wangye buy grain. Along the way, I offended many local gentry.”
“How did you offend them?” Mingxi thought, they dared to chase you all the way here to kill you. You must have really angered them.
You Sanping’s face darkened with anger. “These people had grain, but they raised the prices to sell it to the court, trying to make a profit off the soldiers’ suffering. How could I stand by and watch?”
Merchants hoarding grain and raising prices to profit is a common occurrence during peaceful times. But given the situation in Yuxiang City, these people still dared to do so. Mingxi, too, felt anger rise in her chest.
“So, what did you do?”
You Sanping looked around nervously, not meeting her gaze, muttering, “I didn’t do much. I just made sure they were willing to sell the grain.”
‘Willing’? That’s up for debate.
Mingxi replied with a sharp tone. “Tell me what you did that made them want to kill you.”
You Sanping hesitated.
“I persuaded Wangye to help me create the illusion that we wouldn’t buy from the local gentry and grain merchants. Then, I bribed some locals to pretend to be merchants from Qinan, buying up the grain from these people.”
Mingxi was stunned. She had always known that You Sanping was clever, but she hadn’t expected him to come up with such a plan.
Not only did he think of it, but he also made it happen.
“How did you convince the Qinan people to help you?” Mingxi asked, genuinely curious.
You Sanping hesitated before answering, “Not all Qinan people like war.”
Mingxi understood then. He must have used unconventional methods, but no matter the means, he had succeeded.
“Even so, how did those people dare to sell the grain after they’d stocked it up? They spent money hoarding it, so they must have wanted to make a profit.”
“I told them that if they didn’t sell their grain to the court, Wangye and the Marquis would refuse to buy it. They were afraid of the court’s pressure and thought they could sell it to the soldiers. So, I staged a fake grain purchase with straw and dirt in the bags, making it seem like the army had bought the grain.”
Mingxi quickly pieced it together. The local gentry and merchants, seeing the staged shipment, must have been anxious, and once they argued with the Marquis and Wangye, they had no choice but to sell their grain.
You Sanping made sure the Qinan people secretly bought up the grain, and then it passed to him. By the time the truth came out, it was too late. No wonder they were willing to go as far as hiring an assassin to kill him.
Mingxi realized that Xiao Muchen had probably sent You Sanping back to the capital because staying in Yuxiang City could cost him his life.
You Sanping met the gaze of the young lady, whose expression was one of difficult understanding. He cleared his throat and fell silent.
In that situation, had the young lady been there in person, she likely would have taken a knife and led a group to raid those scoundrels’ granaries in the middle of the night.
It was infuriating.
In times of national crisis, they still wanted to profit—letting them off without taking their lives was already showing mercy.
Moreover, he had already made them recover their capital, which was very considerate of him.
At this point, the doctor arrived, and Mingxi quickly had Li Quan take You Sanping to be treated. She also instructed someone to prepare food for him and sent her people to his small residence to inform them to prepare hot water and clothes for him in advance.
It looked like he had been fleeing like a beggar. After returning, he would definitely need a good clean-up.
The doctor set You Sanping’s broken arm, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Mingxi observed him through the window, tilting her head slightly.
She didn’t go inside; she knew You Sanping wouldn’t want her to see him in such a state. He always cared about his dignity.
Once his arm was set, You Sanping regained his composure, and after his expression returned to normal, he came to bid farewell to Mingxi.
Mingxi had Li Quan bring him food before sending him off. Before he left, she looked at him and said, “Take good care of your injury.”
You Sanping responded with a full mouth, glancing at the food box that Li Quan was holding, his eyes filled with warmth.
Li Quan was escorting him, but he also had to ask how the young lady’s business was going in the capital.
Before leaving, You Sanping glanced at the letter that the young lady hadn’t opened yet. After a brief hesitation, he didn’t say anything and walked out.
Mingxi noticed his glance and, once he was gone, picked up the letter and opened it.
After reading it, Mingxi was stunned.
Well, it turned out that You Sanping had been leaving her some room for interpretation. Not only did he buy the grain that the local gentry merchants had hoarded at a low price, but he also managed to open up the trade routes through Qinan.
The military in Qinan found out about it and, after a fierce battle with Great Chu, ordered Xiao Muchen to hand over You Sanping, demanding his head to be displayed in front of the army.
Mingxi’s eyes immediately turned red. When You Sanping had left the capital, she had told him to find a way to gather grain.
He had truly gathered the grain, but almost lost his life in the process.
This man…
He was just as trustworthy and reassuring as he had been in the previous life.
