"This?" The Prefect of Xining Prefecture shook his head, "Having the ladies come for a visit is feasible, but we still need to deliberate afterwards. After all, he is the Lord Marquis, and if anything happens in our Xining Prefecture, the court will definitely launch a thorough investigation. By then, Iām afraid none of us will escape. In my opinion, if he doesnāt investigate us, we should serve him well until he leaves Xining. But if he does start probing, weāll first try to bribe him. If that fails, then weāll resort to harsher measures."
"Hmm, not bad, letās proceed as you suggested, brother."
"..."
Having made the decision, the group set off from Liao City.
Upon hearing the news, Ye Ziāan chuckled, "Didnāt expect them to be quite perceptive."
But he ultimately misjudged these people; sometimes a momentās perceptiveness is just a precursor to even bolder actions later on.
"Madam, several ladies, including Madam Liu from Ning City and Madam Song, have sent visiting cards."
Yang Chuxia glanced at the cards in confusion, "Visiting me? Who are they? We donāt know anyone here in Liao City. Why are they visiting me?"
A hint of irritation flashed in Ye Ziāanās eyes; these people are truly pervasive. "Madam Liu is the wife of the Prefect of Xining Prefecture, and Madam Song is the wife of the Prefectural Magistrate. Previously, the Prefect of Xining Prefecture sent me a card. I have no interest in meeting these people, but they are relentless, even sending their wives and delivering the card to you."
"In that case, I wonāt meet them," Yang Chuxia tossed the cards aside, uninterested in these ladies.
"With nothing pressing at the moment, my lady, you might as well meet them," said Ye Ziāan, "and also discern their purpose in visiting."
"What else could it be?" Yang Chuxia picked up the cards again, "Either theyāre here to build relations or to probe us. By the way, how is the investigation into Xining Prefecture going?"
"Xining Prefectureās accounts appear clean, no signs of embezzlement or bribery on the surface," Ye Ziāan said with a hint of worry, "Iāve conducted secret visits to the residents of Xining these past few days, and their evaluations of the officials are quite favorable. Xiningās tax revenue is considered normal compared with other prefectures, and given Xining Prefecture isnāt inherently affluent, there wonāt be major issues with the accounts here."
"As for potential defections, thereās no evidence, and those few individuals are quite united, making it difficult to investigate."
"United?" Yang Chuxia laughed, "Even the strongest alliance will crumble eventually. Besides, itās difficult to investigate externally, so itās better to start from the inside, by placing a few people in their residences. Each of these residences has several masters, surely there are one or two who know something crucial, and I refuse to believe they wonāt mention it at all. Statistically speaking, across these residences, there will always be one or two who are blabbermouths."
Ye Ziāan smiled, "Weāve reached the same conclusion; Iāve already sent people to their residences, but no news has arrived yet."
"Is that so?" Yang Chuxia said, "Looks like I do need to meet these ladies. Ming Lan, reply with the message that weāll host them at Qingfeng Pavilion tomorrow."
"Why choose Qingfeng Pavilion?" Ye Ziāan asked, somewhat puzzled.
"This courtyard of ours is rented; we canāt host guests here," Yang Chuxia replied.
Ye Ziāan nodded, thinking that indeed his lady had thought things through.
The next day, at Qingfeng Pavilion, Yang Chuxia departed early, bringing her people to Qingfeng Pavilion.
Their ears and eyes were quite sharp; they must have been waiting around Yang Chuxiaās courtyard for some time.
Because almost immediately after she arrived at Qingfeng Pavilion, these ladies showed up as well.