Chapter 110: Xiuniang's Worries

After Hong Chengchou instructed Yan Zibin to handle the aftermath, he returned to his residence. No sooner had he stepped inside than Hong Yuying hurried forward to greet him.

"Father, how is Li Yi?"

A trace of irritation flickered across Hong Chengchou’s face, but seeing his beloved daughter so anxious, he suppressed his displeasure and said, "The matter is resolved. Li Yi is unharmed."

Hong Yuying let out a sigh of relief, then added indignantly, "That Ai family is truly lawless, daring to assassinate Li Yi! Father, are you really going to do nothing about it?"

Hong Chengchou glanced at his daughter. *You are spoiled and willful enough to be lawless yourself on a daily basis; you have little room to criticize others.*

"The conflict between the Ai family and Li Yi is intensifying day by day. Ai Yingjia has repeatedly urged me to deal with Li Yi. It seems there will be much more bloodshed between them in the future."

Hong Yuying said with a worried expression, "Then Father must protect Li Yi."

Hong Chengchou scolded her, "What do you know? For me to secure the position of Yansui Governor, I must rely on the support of the Ai family. How can I act against them?"

"But didn't you help Li Yi today?" Hong Yuying retorted, unconvinced.

"That is a different matter entirely. I lack military achievements, while Li Yi is exceptionally brave, and his militia fights as one against ten. My own garrison troops are currently lacking in strength; I still need to use Li Yi to suppress the rebels. The Ai family understands this situation, so they will not say much."

Hong Yuying wanted to say more, but Hong Chengchou waved his hand impatiently. "I have already made my move. Do not try to persuade me to help Li Yi any further. Go now."

Hong Yuying knew her father loved her, but there were limits. She could only support him with a grievance, saying dutifully, "Let your daughter help you back to rest, Father."

Hong Chengchou shook his head with a helpless smile; he could do nothing about this precious daughter.

***

Elsewhere, Li Yi returned to Suijin Town. His men were shocked to see him covered in blood. Upon learning that the Ai family had conspired to assassinate their inspector—even hiring the frontier army commander He Renlong to do the deed—they immediately donned their armor and grabbed their weapons, intent on storming Mizhi County. Li Yi had to order them to stop, and only after he persuaded them with kind words did the angry militia youths return to their barracks.

When Yun Niang learned that Li Yi was injured, she rushed out in a panic. Seeing his chest soaked in blood, she was terrified, and she hurried to support him, her eyes brimming with tears.

Li Yi smiled and said, "It is just a superficial wound. I didn't have time to stop the bleeding, which is why it looks so gruesome."

With tears streaming down her face, Yun Niang helped Li Yi into their small courtyard. Li Guo arrived with Gao Xiaojia to treat him. When Li Yi took off his undergarment, a blood-filled hole the size of a finger appeared on his chest, still oozing dark red blood.

Seeing this, Li Guo hesitated and asked, "Master, was this caused by a firearm?"

Li Yi nodded. "He was holding a short-barreled firearm. I was caught off guard and hit."

Yun Niang stood to the side, asking with a worried face, "Guo'er, hurry and treat your master."

Li Guo stood up with a heavy expression and hesitated. "A gunshot wound must have lead pellets inside. While I have dug out arrowheads before, lead pellets are toxic. If the wound is not cleaned thoroughly, Master’s condition will only worsen. We need a physician who understands such injuries."

Yun Niang was thrown into a panic. She forced herself to stay calm and told Li Guo, "Send men to Yulin and Mizhi immediately. Find physicians who can treat gunshot wounds. Do not spare the silver; bring them here."

Li Guo nodded and turned to leave, but Xiuniang suddenly spoke up, "If the Madam trusts me, I can try."

Yun Niang was surprised. Xiuniang explained, "My father was once a military physician; he treated gunshot wounds and even wrote a handbook about it. My late husband was once shot by a firearm, and it was I who treated him according to that book, applying specialized herbs, which is why he recovered."

Yun Niang pondered this. It would take a full day to reach Yulin, which was too long. Xiuniang was a modest, discreet woman, and she likely would not have volunteered unless she was certain. She looked at Li Yi.

Li Yi had lost too much blood and was pale, but he managed to say, "Madam, you make the decision."

Yun Niang’s expression turned serious. She took Xiuniang’s hand and said, "Sister Xiuniang, I will have to trouble you with this."

Xiuniang smiled slightly. "The Inspector has been kind to me; this is my duty."

As Yun Niang went to boil water and Li Guo went to find herbs, Xiuniang walked over to Li Yi. Seeing him remove his shirt to reveal his robust muscles, she blushed slightly. With the improvement in his physique, Li Yi’s muscle definition was incredibly sharp; every muscle looked strong and coordinated, maintaining great power while keeping the body flexible and not overly bulky.

Xiuniang reached out a finger, wanting to examine the wound. But as his firm muscles came closer, her face grew redder. Hearing Li Yi’s breathing and smelling that scent filled with masculine hormones, she felt dizzy. Images flashed through her mind, and she unconsciously pressed her legs together.

"Sister-in-law?"

The call made Xiuniang shudder and snap out of it.

"Sister-in-law, please do your best. Don't be too nervous," Li Yi comforted her.

Xiuniang nodded, her face flushed, and she banished the shameful thoughts from her mind. She grabbed the blade Li Guo used for digging out arrowheads, boiled it in hot water for a moment, and wiped it with clean linen. Following the records in her father’s manual, she opened the wound to search for the lead pellets. Fortunately, while the pellets were deformed, they were not shattered. After removing three fragments and cleaning the wound, she avoided the effects of lead poisoning.

By the time she finished, Xiuniang was covered in sweat. Feeling a strange reluctance but also relief, she bandaged Li Yi’s wound and hurried out, carrying the basin of bloody water.

Once she returned to her own room, she clutched her chest, her mind filled with Li Yi’s robust body and his alluring scent. Thinking of the power contained within that frame and how blissful it would be to enjoy it, she couldn't help but feel her heart race. She felt an itch in her heart that caused her body to react as well. But the pressure of social decorum forced her to calm down; she looked at her own curvaceous figure, repeatedly forcing herself to suppress the stirrings in her heart.

The next morning, Xiuniang rose early to prepare breakfast for her children and the couple. Her eldest daughter walked out rubbing her eyes, sleepily offering to help with the fire.

Xiuniang said with a pang of pity, "If you're sleepy, sleep a little longer."

The little girl said while tending the fire, "Mother, you were talking in your sleep last night; you woke me up."

Xiuniang was startled. "What did I say in my sleep?"

The little girl thought for a moment and said, "It sounded like... 'No, no, no... don't stop.'"

When she looked up at her mother after saying this, she found her face bright red.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, focus on the fire."

***

By morning, Li Yi had risen, feeling refreshed. Yun Niang, already dressed, complained to Li Yi, who was still on the bed, "Your wound hasn't healed yet. What if it tears open? You absolutely cannot be so indulgent as you were last night for a while."

Li Yi laughed and sat up, saying playfully, "I was just lying there last night without moving; how would the wound tear? Madam, you are capable and hardworking—you will have to continue toiling for the next few nights."

These words made Yun Niang flush crimson. She glared at Li Yi indignantly but did not reply.

Li Yi stood up, unable to lift his arm due to the injury. Yun Niang helped him put on his inner garment and a blue long robe with lingzhi patterns, placing a net cap on his head. Compared to an inspector, he looked more like a scholar. Seeing how handsome her husband was, the displeasure in Yun Niang’s heart vanished instantly. She was only worried about his health; as for the intimacy, she enjoyed it immensely.

After dressing him, Yun Niang brought him water. Li Yi washed up, changed his dressing, and walked out of the room.

"Sister-in-law, is breakfast ready?" Li Yi asked with a smile upon seeing Xiuniang.

"Ah!" Xiuniang was startled. Seeing Li Yi, she blushed deeply, lowered her head, and turned to run away.

Li Yi was full of confusion. *What is wrong with her?*

He left the courtyard to check on the town. The disaster victims were at work. Following the policy of "relief through labor," Li Yi only provided relief to the elderly, the weak, and women and children; the able-bodied had to work to support themselves or find their own way. These refugees were hardworking, and with their help, the houses along the main road of Suijin Town were being repaired quickly.

Next to the checkpoint, Gao Xiaojia had already converted a two-story building into a restaurant. If merchants from caravans were tired, they could drink tea and rest there. If they wished to spend the night in Suijin Town, the restaurant also had several courtyards for lodging. It had to be said that Gao Xiaojia’s efficiency was quite high.

Early in the morning, two caravans had already eaten at the restaurant. The hired clerks were busy receiving guests, serving meat broth, and offering flatbreads to the merchants.

Seeing Li Yi enter, Gao Xiaojia hurried over. "Master, why are you here?"

Li Yi looked around. "You’re doing a good business here, aren't you?"

Gao Xiaojia laughed proudly. "The restaurant was already built; it’s not hard to operate if you put your heart into it."

"In a few days, your mistress will reopen the school in Suijin Town. There will be arithmetic classes then. All of you in the youth squad must attend."

Hearing the word "arithmetic," Gao Xiaojia’s eyes lit up. "That's great. During this time, I finally understood what you meant, Master, about regretting not knowing enough when the time comes to use it. If I didn't know arithmetic, these inn account books would be too hard to understand."

Li Yi laughed. "If that’s how you feel, you will definitely learn arithmetic well."

"By the way, Master, I heard from a caravan yesterday that Wang Zuogua is causing trouble south of Yan'an Prefecture and the government is about to suppress them. Is that true?"

Li Yi was slightly taken aback. He had only heard about this from Hong Chengchou yesterday; he hadn't expected Gao Xiaojia to know.

"The Viceroy of the Three Borders, Yang He, has issued an order for the Grain Intendant Hong Chengchou to lead troops to suppress Wang Zuogua. I will likely be participating in the campaign as well."

Gao Xiaojia said happily, "I knew Shopkeeper Han wouldn't lie to me."

"Shopkeeper Han?"

"He's a cloth merchant from Yaozhou. He wants to engage in the private salt trade secretly and has talked to Brother Fan several times." Gao Xiaojia explained, then continued, "Master, if you go to Yaozhou, you can look for him. He has some influence there, and I believe he can be of help."

Li Yi nodded and asked, "How is Fan Yongnian’s business going?"

"Brother Fan said our method of selling salt to every village in Mizhi County is a case of losing the big for the small. He has used the checkpoints to get to know some caravans and has pulled some people in to split the private salt quota. After reporting it to them, he lets them sell it in various places. As a result, the profit is five times higher than before."

Because the volume of private salt was low before, Li Yi had used Li Zicheng’s connections to sell to various villages. Considering the people were mostly poor, the profit wasn't high. Fan Yongnian, however, immediately sought cooperation with various caravans, effectively turning them into distributors. This way, not only could more salt be sold, but profits were also increased. It had to be said that Fan Yongnian was indeed a good businessman.

As the two were talking, Li Guo suddenly approached, gasping for breath. "Master, Shi Kefa is here to see you."

When the Viceroy of the Three Borders, Yang He, had left last time, he had taken Shi Kefa with him. Having not seen him for a while, Li Yi missed him. He followed Li Guo out of the restaurant and walked down the street for a few steps, seeing Shi Kefa in his official robes chatting with some refugees.

Seeing Li Yi, Shi Kefa smiled slightly and bowed. "Li Yi, how have you been?"

Li Yi stepped forward and said with a smile, "Through wind and rain, many things have happened. Have you been promoted, sir?"

"Thanks to the Viceroy’s promotion, I am temporarily serving as the Grain Intendant, responsible for the relief efforts in Yansui."

"Relief? That is not an easy post," Li Yi remarked.

Shi Kefa sighed. "Starving people are everywhere, crying out for food, yet the government has neither grain nor silver. Relief is an incredibly difficult task."

"The money and grain are all in the hands of the officials and wealthy families. If you want to provide relief, there are only two ways."

Shi Kefa quickly asked, "What ways?"

"First, ask the officials and wealthy families for money and grain, and make them understand the situation so they might contribute."

Shi Kefa laughed bitterly. "How difficult that is. I won't hide it from you—I have visited dozens of wealthy merchant families, and none of them are willing to give anything."

Li Yi sneered, "In that case, there is only the second way: force them to give up their money and grain."

Shi Kefa was startled. "How can I force them?"

"Concealing land, hiding reports, keeping slaves, and harming the people—these are their weak points. Once you grasp them, they will surely provide the money and grain."

Shi Kefa looked down the street, lost in thought. After a long while, he turned to Li Yi and said, "We shall discuss this later. I came today because I have good news."

Li Yi was confused. Shi Kefa beckoned to his attendant, who produced a document. "Because of the battle at Suijin Town, where you drove back the Tatars and saved the people, the Viceroy and Commissioner Hong have requested a reward for you. The imperial court has made an exception and promoted you to a Hundred-Household Officer, appointing you as the Defense Officer of Suijin Town."

In the Ming dynasty garrison system, camp officers had no formal rank. To distinguish grades and salary, they were paired with official ranks. The Defense Officer was Li Yi's functional post, while Vice-Thousand-Household was his official rank. Rising from a ninth-rank "sesame official" to a sixth-rank Hundred-Household Officer was a promotion of six levels—an incredibly rapid ascent. As a Defense Officer, he was equivalent to a battalion commander, responsible for guarding the territory and protecting the people.

Having been promoted to an official responsible for the defense of an area, a smile appeared on Li Yi’s face. From now on, he could openly fly his own banner, have his own trumpeters and drummers, and build a complete military force.

Those who participated in the battle of Suijin Town, including Gao Jie, were also rewarded. Li Zicheng, Gao Jie, Gao Laoshi, Liu Dayong, and Liu Zongmin were promoted to Flag Commanders, serving as squad leaders in Suijin Town. Hearing they had been promoted, everyone beamed with joy.