The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

Xia Mianwan told Pei Yanxu about the Cui family when she returned. Naturally... the Cui family's position was not obvious, but Cui Wanru's position was already very clear.

"I don't know why Cui Wanru told me so much." Xia Mianwan still had some doubts in her heart.

Pei Yanxu put down the pen in his hand and said, "Cui Wanru probably knows what kind of suicidal things the Jinyang Marquis's Mansion did. She wants to befriend you, most likely to cut off her tail and save her life. She has a legitimate son and daughter, to be honest, it doesn't matter whether she has a prince or not."

"We just want to cooperate. There is no sincerity in just showing goodwill like this." Xia Mianwan couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Maybe... there is something that is not convenient to say at that time, and she also needs to see whether our Pei family is worthy of association." This is the most likely guess.

Xia Mianwan nodded. In that case, she could only take it one step at a time.

……

Fortunately, after the beginning of spring, the weather in the capital has improved a bit. Farmers in the capital have started spring ploughing on time and are busy mending their crops. Spring has finally arrived.

Xia Mianwan took advantage of the relatively peaceful times and hired beggars to go to the farm to do the spring ploughing.

On this day, Xia Mianwan had just finished dealing with some trivial matters when she received a secret letter from Cui Wanru. The letter was sent by Cui Wanru's personal maid. When Xia Mianwan opened it, her face changed.

In his hand was a letter from the prince of Jinyang Marquis and the prince of the Dacheng tribe of Zhai Qiang, Ahanzab. This letter was not the original, but a copy by Cui Wanru.

The letter was just some small talk and there was nothing unreasonable about it.

Xia Mianwan suppressed the uneasiness in her heart. Since the letter was copied by Cui Wanru, there must be something strange about it. If there was nothing strange about it, then there would be no meaning for this letter to exist.

After Pei Yanxu returned home from the morning, Xia Mianwan handed the letter to Pei Yanxu. Pei Yanxu read the letter with a serious face and said, "This letter should have been encrypted. It will take time to decipher it. I have a capable person who is good at this. I'll let him take a look."

Xia Mianwan said: "Now I understand why Lord Zhao is not very powerful, but seems to be able to stir up trouble. The Jinyang Marquis Mansion is only one layer of relationship, I am afraid the other layer involves collusion with the enemy."

"If the Third Prince wants to fight for the throne, he must have promised him great benefits. When the time comes, wars will break out on the border and the Crown Prince's power will be dispersed. As the snipe and the clam will fight each other, they, as the masterminds behind the scenes, seem to want to reap the benefits." Pei Yanxu's face was as gloomy as water. What he could not have imagined was that the Third Prince's lineage would dare to collude with the enemy. Even if they succeeded in seizing power, they would be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Xia Mianwan suddenly said: "Husband, if we advance on three fronts simultaneously, it will be difficult for us."

Pei Yanxu obviously thought of this question. Was the delay in reporting the embezzlement case due to the failure of Pei Yanqi? He didn't think so. He thought it was more like waiting for Zhai Qiang to attack. Indeed, as Xia Mianwan said, if the three fronts were advancing simultaneously, it would be hard to say who would win.

"I'm afraid that's what's going to happen."

"Cui Wanru gave me this letter at this time. If the letter is true, and the embezzlement case has not been reported, it is very likely because Zhai Qiang is not ready yet. It takes a long time from the start of the war to the preparation for war. Since you mentioned it to me that day, I have asked Yan Niang to keep an eye on it secretly. As far as I know, Zhai Qiang should not have completed the unification of the tribe, and the Dacheng tribe is a hard nut to crack. Husband, why don't we strike first, so that we can turn the situation from passive to active." Xia Mianwan said.

Pei Yanxu hugged Xia Mianwan and lay down on the couch together, "Madam means... we should send troops to Tongyu Pass first to prepare?"

Xia Mianwan touched Pei Yanxu's beard and said, "Husband, do you think it's a good idea for us to take the initiative to bring up the corruption case?"

Pei Yanxu fell into deep thought after hearing this. If he took the initiative to provoke a corruption case, then all the blame would be directed at him. Without full preparation, his opponents would not be able to cooperate with him from inside and outside, which would disrupt his plan and it would certainly not be foolproof.

"If that's the case, the emperor will definitely send me to Tongyu Pass." Pei Yanxu couldn't let go of Xia Mianwan, nor could he let go of the Pei family.

Xia Mianwan smiled, held Pei Yanxu's hand and said, "If that's the case, I'll go with you this time."

Pei Yanxu looked at Xia Mianwan in astonishment, "Madam...how can this be possible?"

Xia Mianwan smiled and said, "Why not? The emperor is in his prime now. As long as you and the Duke of Zhenguo don't leave the capital at the same time, and the Cui family's attitude is clear about supporting the emperor, then the prince will be fine. Let's go to the border first. Atuye hasn't completed the integration of the tribe yet. As long as it's not completed, we have a chance. It will be easier for us to deal with it than Atuye's growing strength. The plans of the Third Prince's faction have been disrupted, so naturally they can't do what they want. What's more, there are many people from our Great Chen Kingdom on the border. When the integration of the Zhai Qiang is completed, the people and soldiers on the border of our Great Chen will have a hard time."

"It's late to sleep, and the border is bitterly cold... this..." Pei Yanxu was still a little hesitant.

Xia Mianwan smiled and said, "My husband, the border is a little bit difficult, but the people at the border are not born to live a hard life, nor are they born to bear more burdens than others. It's all because of poverty, and the Zhai Qiang are the same. There are no eternal enemies between countries. No one wants to live on the edge of a knife if there is a way to survive. Ending war with war is for peace, and peace is for development. In the end, it's just for a good life."

Pei Yanxu knew that Xia Mianwan understood him very well, but he didn't know that Xia Mianwan understood him so well. He had lived in the border for a while, and the people there were harassed by Zhai Qiang all year round, and lived in fear. A tree that is moved away dies, and a person who moves away lives. Gradually, people with some ability left, and the people in the border became fewer and fewer. How can the country develop with fewer people? After seeing those simple faces and pairs of eyes full of frost, Pei Yanxu couldn't sit still and be indifferent to these things. He wanted to reach the pinnacle of power just to realize his ideals and ambitions.

Now his wife told him with a smile that she was willing to go with him, which was simply the most beautiful love words in the world.

"Mianwan..." Pei Yanxu held Xia Mianwan's hand tightly. Suddenly, he remembered that since the beginning of the year, Xia Mianwan had been dealing with the disposal of the workshop's assets. He couldn't help but look at Xia Mianwan again: "Could it be that you have already..."

Xia Mianwan smiled and nodded, "Before, I was just afraid that if I wasn't careful, I would be implicated if something happened, so I wanted to make plans early, but now is a better opportunity. Since I know your feelings, I will accompany you all the way to the end."