Chapter 1558 – Attacking Nie Liang and Yang Tao, Aiming for the World (Ninety-Six)
“Look at Shaoyang’s reply; his relationship with the Qiu Clan is pretty terrible, huh?” Yang Tao curiously flipped the letter over and over, reflecting aloud to his wife, “By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention your maternal grandfather’s family. Is there some hidden backstory here?”
Yan Shuyao was busy entertaining her increasingly chubby and lively son. Upon hearing this, she raised her head and retorted, “My dear husband must be mistaken. I have no prestigious maternal family to speak of, so how could I bring it up?” With one arm cradling her heavy son and the other shaking a rattle, the little guy was completely fixated on the sound, revealing the few milk teeth he had sprouted. Seeing this, Yan Shuyao smiled warmly, “It’s all about the generations before us anyway.”
Yang Tao looked surprised; by her words, it seemed that the relationship between the Qiu Clan and the Yan Clan ran deeper than mere “terrible.”
“Could you share a little bit? Shaoyang mentioned a few things, but the details were rather unclear…”
Yang Tao felt a bit embarrassed, almost shy about his own curiosity and gossiping nature.
Yan Shuyao said, “As husband and wife, we are one family; there’s no harm in talking about it.”
She briefly recounted the grievances of the past generations, her tone laden with unspeakable melancholy.
“I heard that my maternal grandmother was once a renowned beauty, but unfortunately, her life was tumultuous, and she ended up in a tragic fate.” Yan Shuyao sighed, “Whether in prosperous or chaotic times, life is always tougher for women than for others.”
Old Master Qiu kept a courtesan as his mistress outside. Besides her face and body, what more could he want?
The best years of a woman’s life are fleeting, just like a peony that will eventually wilt.
As time passes and beauty fades, don’t even talk about keeping a man’s heart; it’s likely even their body will slip away—her maternal grandmother was a classic example.
Her maternal grandmother had been a mistress for a few years; at first, she was cherished due to her youth, but after giving birth, her figure changed, and her face lost its youthful vibrance. That fickle-hearted man quickly grew tired of her and stopped visiting. With a heart that was both delicate and melancholic, she gradually fell into depression as she felt the distance from her lover, ultimately leaving this world.
Yan Shuyao’s mother inherited her mother’s great beauty and garnered a stunning reputation before even reaching marriageable age.
Because she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and not of noble stature, many ambitious men had their eyes on her.
If it weren’t for Yan Lin’s father falling head over heels for her and working hard to marry her as his rightful wife, her fate might have been equally grim.
Let’s not forget, in this era, a concubine could be treated as a gift to entertain guests.
As someone’s mistress, if she didn’t enjoy her husband’s affection, she would inevitably face these hardships.
Yang Tao listened seriously, one fist thumping against the palm of his other hand as if he had discovered some grand secret, “No wonder! I was puzzled why Uncle Yan wasn’t remarkable-looking yet his children are so stunning; the roots come from here!”
Indeed, a parent’s appearance is crucial; it guarantees the child’s good looks!
Yang Tao scrutinized his son closely, as if trying to envision his future handsomeness, then confidently declared, “Wife, I’m good-looking, you’re an unmatched beauty; our son will surely become a heartthrob when he grows up!”
Yan Shuyao: “…”
Is that what matters?
As long as you’re happy.
Yang Tao continued, “So, the Qiu Clan isn’t anything good, huh?”
Yan Shuyao said, “I can’t interfere with the affairs outside; let my Young Master make the decisions.”
Yang Tao replied, “There’s a guy in the Qiu Clan named Qiu Meng, who claims to be taking refuge with Liu Xi to secretly acquire their secrets, and now there’s progress; he plans to work with me from the inside. I didn’t intend to trust him initially, but since there’s a connection with Shaoyang, I could give him some degree of trust.”
Yan Shuyao asked curiously, “Why? Is it because of Big Brother?”
Yang Tao explained, “I sent Qian Su out to investigate, but no one knows the relationship between the Qiu Clan and Shaoyang. No one on Liu Xi’s side could possibly know either. Thus, it can be deduced that Qiu Clan’s allegiance to Liu Xi is genuine, but seeing things turning sour, they’re planning to withdraw and assist us behind the scenes.”
Knowing about this old grudge was rare, and Yang Tao had made many inquiries with no results; Feng Zhen certainly wouldn’t know.
Little did he know, the legend of that courtesan was still occasionally talked about by the older generation in the Qin Lou and Chu Guan, with newcomers aiming to replicate her success.
Who would have thought Feng Zhen knew?
Yang Tao further stated, “However, since Shaoyang informed me that we can only trust the Qiu Clan fifty percent, let’s observe the situation before jumping to conclusions.”
Yan Shuyao curiously asked, “I heard from Big Brother that most from the Qiu Clan are useless, hardly anyone of note. They allied with Liu Xi—what good position can they even secure with their credentials? Thus, their help to you would be quite limited, right?”
Yang Tao answered, “Qiu Meng indeed isn’t fit for much; after aligning with Liu Xi, his status is low, but that doesn’t mean he’s useless.”
Yan Shuyao questioned, “Is there such a possibility?”
Yang Tao confirmed, “Of course, even though Qiu Meng is just a minor logistical officer, isn’t winning battles all about resources?”
Right now, he was severely lacking in supplies. If it weren’t for Qiu Meng’s letter, Yang Tao would have planned to borrow supplies from the vile An Huan.
An Huan was a wolf, Jiang Pengji was a tiger; both were not to be trifled with. But there’s a saying that goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my ally,” and Jiang Pengji’s formidable power made both An Huan and Yang Tao thorns in her side. With a common external threat, they naturally shared a mutual alliance.
Yan Shuyao evidently recognized her husband’s current predicament and smiled, “If that’s the case, then the crisis in our military supplies might just be resolved.”
Yang Tao stated, “It’s still too early to say that. As for the Qiu Clan… let’s lay low for now; if they’re trustworthy, we’ll go big!”
Yan Shuyao reminded, “Better safe than sorry; it’s wise for my Young Master to be cautious.”
At that moment, their chubby son suddenly began to squirm, his little face scrunching up, fists flailing about, looking quite fierce.
Yang Tao immediately picked up his son.
“I’ll hold him, lest you have your dress soaked again…”
Before he finished speaking, a stream of yellow liquid leaked from the diaper, and the baby’s fierce little face relaxed.
“Never have I seen such a strong temper!”
What a timely bladder! If it weren’t for Yang Tao still having some family fortune, he’d probably not even be able to afford his son’s diapers!
Yan Shuyao couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Her outfit remained unsullied while her husband’s was unfortunate.
Yang Tao handed the baby to the Wet Nurse for a diaper change and went to the inner room to change into a clean outfit himself.
“My Lord, urgent news has arrived.”
After changing, Yang Tao emerged, and the Steward handed him a sealed letter.
He opened it and found that it was news from Qiu Meng.
Qian Su asked, “My Lord, do you want to…”
Yang Tao replied, “No rush. Patience is key; we’ll reel in the big fish. This batch of supplies is just ten thousand stones; let’s first see if it’s genuine.”
