Her guards

Chapter 66 The Marquis of Yichun's Arrangements
Sitting on the steps inside the gate of the Marquis of Yichun's mansion was not the same as the treatment he received at the Duke of Ding'an's mansion.

No one offered tea, and there was no lively chatter.

The third master of the Chai family didn't even bother to glance at him before going inside.

Only a group of tall servants were watching him intently.

Wei Jiao ignored him, leaning against the steps, playing with the sword hidden in his sleeve.

However, the Marquis of Yichun's residence handled matters faster than the Duke of Ding'an's residence; in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Duke of Ding'an emerged from inside.

Unlike before he went in, the anxiety on Ding'an Gong's face had been smoothed out, his tense shoulders and back had relaxed, and he even smiled when he saw Wei Jiao.

"Is the matter resolved?" Wei Jiao raised an eyebrow and asked, standing up and leaning close to Duke Ding'an. "So where do we go next? Are we sending all those young ladies from your family with their dubious backgrounds to the capital?"

Why is it just us? What does this have to do with him? Why does he even want to follow him? Duke Ding'an raised his hand to stop him: "Commander Wei, please wait. The Marquis wants to see you."

Wei Jiao gave an "oh" and turned around to see the servants who had escorted Duke Ding'an out still standing there.

"Commander, please," the servant said. "The Marquis is waiting to see you."

Wei Jiao turned his head again and saw that Duke Ding'an had already taken the opportunity to leave without stopping.

This not only involves asking Marquis Yichun to help resolve the issue of the imposter lady who inexplicably appeared in his household, but also to help Marquis Yichun get rid of the trouble he's being pestered by Wei Jiao.

Wei Jiao didn't pursue Duke Ding'an any further; if he wanted to keep an eye on someone, he didn't necessarily have to go in person.

The lights inside the Marquis of Yichun's residence remained dim.

Marquis Yichun raised his hand to rub his eyes: "My old eyes are failing, I can't stand bright light."

Wei Jiao said indignantly, "Duke Ding'an is really useless. He has to disturb the Marquis in the middle of the night with his own family affairs. He knows that I am not easy to deal with, so he asks the Marquis to deal with me."

The child's words were tricky, but Marquis Yichun didn't find them strange.

"It's alright. I'm getting old and need less sleep. Even if Lord Ding'an doesn't come to disturb me," he said. "I'm just sitting here doing nothing anyway."

After saying that, he looked at Wei Jiao.

"Although I don't know why you've set your sights on this young lady from the Duke of Ding'an's mansion, I can tell you her identity."

“Ding’an Gong did lie to you. This young lady is not his cousin’s daughter, but his own sister’s daughter.”

"This should answer your question about why you encountered them in Zhao County, which is near Lu County."

Wei Jiao suddenly realized, "I told you, this young lady couldn't have only impersonated someone twice. If she did it once, she would do it twice, and if she did it twice, she would do it three times." Then he pouted, "It's not like she's ashamed of anyone, so why is she hiding it?"

“This young lady is hiding her true feelings to protect herself,” said Yichunhou, his fingers gently stroking the table. “You’ve been to Baima Town, so you should know that the deaths there are quite bizarre.”

He smiled again as he said this.

"Ji Ying used death row inmates to impersonate mountain bandits, which made Commander Wei laugh."

He shook his head as he spoke.

"Although the original intention was to appease the people, the work was still too perfunctory, and it will inevitably be noted in the performance evaluation in the future."

Wei Jiao said nonchalantly, "With the Marquis as his backer, it won't affect his future even if he makes a mistake."

Marquis Yichun ignored his sarcasm and continued, "So this young lady suspected that someone wanted to wipe out her family. After escaping, she saw that the government was so perfunctory in handling the matter, so she believed that the government was colluding with the thieves. Therefore, she concealed her whereabouts and changed her name to ensure that she could safely reach the capital."

Wei Jiao gave an "oh" and did not press the matter further about the young lady's actions. Instead, she asked curiously, "Who wants to wipe out this young lady's entire family? Is it aimed at the Duke of Ding'an's mansion?"

Marquis Yichun glanced at him but did not answer this time: "This is a family matter of the Duke of Ding'an's mansion. Whether they report it to the authorities or send people to seek revenge in private, it has nothing to do with us." He then continued his previous words, "As for why the Duke of Ding'an concealed the fact that this niece was made up to be the daughter of his cousin, it was because of a family scandal."

Family scandal? Wei Jiao raised an eyebrow.

"This younger sister was married off to an unsuitable family, which caused a major falling out with the family. Old Duke Ding'an died of illness because of this," Marquis Yichun continued. "More than ten years have passed, and Duke Ding'an did not want people to bring up the past again, to gossip about it, or to affect the family. That's why he gave this young lady a different identity."

Wei Jiao looked at Marquis Yichun and chuckled: "He is quite open and honest with you, Marquis."

Marquis Yichun wiped the corner of his eye with a handkerchief: "His father and I are of the same generation, and we both followed His Majesty from the beginning, so our relationship is naturally special. I know about his family's affairs, so there's no need to hide anything from me." He then looked at Wei Jiao.

"I'll tell you the whole story, and I'll also tell Commandant Wei that you shouldn't be keeping an eye on the Ding'an Duke's family affairs anymore."

Wei Jiao nodded and stroked his chin: "Duke Ding'an relied on years of relationship to get the Marquis's help, so I'll listen to the Marquis and help him. What benefits will I get?"

He shook his head and clicked his tongue as he spoke.

"No matter what, the young lady of the Duke of Ding'an impersonated someone else to be selected as a princess's companion, which is a serious crime of deceiving the emperor. Even if the Duke of Ding'an can't be beheaded, this young lady's head will have to be cut off."

Marquis Yichun put down the brocade handkerchief, pulled out a booklet from the table and handed it over: "Ma Qing, the city guard of Qin'an, has been secretly harboring the family of Sun Shu, who previously plotted a rebellion in Yizhou. This is where the Sun Shu family is hiding."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jiao raised an eyebrow.

Even after the emperor established his dynasty, the country was not very stable. Five years ago, Sun Shu, the governor of Yizhou, claimed to have received a secret decree from Emperor Ai to serve as the Grand General of the Assisting Court and rebelled against the new dynasty. However, he was quickly defeated by Wu Jiang, the Grand Marshal sent by the emperor, and Sun Shu was also beheaded in his mansion. However, Sun Shu had a son who had escaped and had never been captured.

This is a great achievement.

"Moreover, Ma Qing is your father's man." Marquis Yichun looked at him with a half-smile. "You go and clean things up, preserving your father's reputation and preventing him from being implicated. This will also relieve His Majesty's worries and earn him more trust. The Commandant of the Guards is both loyal and filial. Is this a good deal?"

Wei Jiao smiled, his eyebrows curving, his white teeth gleaming in the dim room. He stretched out his long arm to take the document, turned and bowed to Marquis Yichun: "Thank you for your help, Your Excellency."

After saying that, he stood up straight and patted his chest.

"The Marquis has entrusted me with such a significant task. The affairs of the Duke of Ding'an are truly insignificant. I will not give them another glance."

Marquis Yichun smiled, picked up his tea, and said nothing more.

Wei Jiao wisely took his leave, but just as he turned around, the Marquis of Yichun's voice came again.

"I will go to the palace to see His Majesty now. Wei Jiao, you don't need to mention this matter to His Majesty."

Wei Jiao waved the document in his hand, then turned and gave Marquis Yichun a bright smile.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Lord Marquis."

.......
.......
As night deepened, the torches in the hands of the women in embroidered robes dimmed.

However, at the edge of the deep night, a faint blue light could be seen.

The night passed quickly and was quite lively.

Wei Jiao did not leave directly on horseback, but stood at the street corner staring at the gate of the Marquis of Yichun's residence until he saw the Marquis of Yichun's carriage and horses drive out.

“Ha, he actually went,” he said.

“The Marquis of Yichun has rarely gone out in recent years,” said a woman in embroidered robes, looking at the magnificent black and gold carriage with colorful patterns bestowed by the emperor. “He doesn’t attend court assemblies, nor does he appear at the emperor and empress’s birthday banquets. I never expected that he would knock on the palace gates at night for the sake of the Duke of Ding’an. I never expected that the Duke of Ding’an has such great influence.”

Wei Jiao watched as the Marquis of Yichun's carriage headed towards the imperial city, then looked past the carriage toward the Duke of Ding'an's residence, which was also in the direction of the imperial city.

It wasn't that the Duke of Ding'an had more influence; it was that Miss Yang had more influence.

He believed that what the Marquis of Yichun said was true, but he also believed that there was something strange about that Miss Yang.

This person is so strange.

She actually dared to flirt with him to his face!

It would be worth dying at his hands...

What? Is dying under a peony flower considered romantic even as a ghost?

The thought flashed through Wei Jiao's mind, and he couldn't help but spit out his drink.

Although the loyal dog was originally its owner, the owner is still very dog-like!
"Who exactly is this bastard?"

(End of this chapter)