Chapter 87

Fan Changyu had never expected Xie Zheng to say such things.

To say she wasn’t moved would be a lie.

Yet she also understood clearly that if she nodded her head now, her future life might no longer belong entirely to her own choosing.

Just as Xie Zheng, as Marquis Wu’an, had responsibilities to bear and duties to shoulder, a Marquis’s wife also had obligations that came with her rank.

What he needed was a wife who could stand beside him and walk alongside him, not someone he would have to constantly accommodate and carry forward.

A sparrow draped in phoenix feathers would never become a phoenix.

Only by undergoing her own rebirth could she grow true phoenix plumes of her own.

The rain outside seemed to be easing.

Water that had accumulated atop the tent dripped from the edges into puddles below with soft plopping sounds.

In the silence, each drop sounded especially clear.

Fan Changyu clenched the hands resting on her knees.

In the end, she raised her head and looked at Xie Zheng.

With just a single glance, Xie Zheng already knew her answer.

Whether it was his pride refusing to yield, or simply because he didn’t want to hear her rejection spoken aloud, he suddenly said,

“You don’t need to answer.”

At that moment, Xie Qi’s voice came from outside the tent.

“Marquis, Mr. Gongsun is urging you to come over.”

Xie Zheng merely said,

“Farewell.”

Then he rose, lifted the tent flap, and left.

After he was gone, Fan Changyu sat staring at the gently swaying tent curtain for a long time.

—

After Xie Zheng entered the tent, Xie Qi had deliberately stayed far away.

When he came to deliver the message just now and noticed that the candle inside had been extinguished, his heart had skipped a beat.

He was afraid he might have interrupted something important.

Yet Xie Zheng emerged almost immediately.

His expression didn’t look very pleasant.

It seemed things were not quite what Xie Qi had imagined.

Naturally, he didn’t dare ask any questions and simply followed silently behind him.

Unexpectedly, Xie Zheng suddenly stopped and asked,

“I remember you have a younger sister?”

Xie Qi had no idea why his lord was suddenly asking about this.

A shadow crossed his face.

“Yes.”

Both of his parents had died when he was young.

He and his sister had been sold to a human trafficker.

To fetch higher prices, traffickers usually sold pretty girls to brothels while boys were sent to the imperial palace.

Some great clans that trained death soldiers also bought children from traffickers.

He had been purchased by Wei Yan.

Among ten children of the same age, only one would eventually become a death soldier.

The unlucky ones died.

The fortunate survivors became household servants.

During the final brutal selection, he had been stabbed several times.

His injuries were beyond saving.

Ordinarily, he should have been wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into the wilderness for wolves to eat.

But he wanted to live.

With untreated wounds covering his body, he somehow survived through the night.

By the next morning, he still hadn’t died.

At the time, the Marquis had only been a teenager.

He had already begun working for Wei Yan, but everything he received—from possessions to servants—were things Wei Xuan had rejected first.

Wei Xuan chose the victorious death soldier as his personal attendant.

The young Marquis walked through the dark dungeon, examining everyone one by one.

Instead of selecting the lightly wounded survivors who could still serve as household servants, he chose Xie Qi.

The steward warned that he might not survive.

Living through the night with such severe injuries was already a miracle.

But the Marquis had said,

“He’s trying so hard to stay alive. Wouldn’t it be a waste if he died?”

Thus he was taken away.

A physician treated his wounds.

After he recovered, he became the Marquis’s personal guard and was given the name Xie Qi.

From that day onward, he served only Xie Zheng.

Later, he even killed the death-soldier attendant who served Wei Xuan.

As for his sister…

By the time he finally found her, she had already become a renowned courtesan in a small town.

Given his current identity, he dared not openly acknowledge her.

One careless mistake could place her in danger.

After all, using family members as hostages was a tactic he had seen countless times.

Secretly, he gave her money.

He also pressured the brothel owner and helped her buy her freedom.

She now ran an embroidery shop.

Xie Zheng asked,

“When your sister got married, there was a wealthy young master who admired her. Why did she still choose a blacksmith?”

This happened after Xie Qi’s sister had redeemed herself.

When he learned of her wedding, he didn’t dare attend openly.

Instead, he requested leave from Xie Zheng and secretly watched from afar.

The wealthy young master had attended the wedding too.

Xie Qi and several close brothers, including Xie Wu, secretly kept an eye on him.

If the man caused trouble, they planned to drag him into an alley and beat him senseless.

Unexpectedly, the young master simply drank himself unconscious at the banquet.

They had discussed the matter afterward.

Xie Zheng had probably heard about it then.

Now that he suddenly brought it up again, Xie Qi was puzzled.

As her brother, though, he answered honestly.

“I don’t think there was anything wrong with my sister marrying a blacksmith.”

Xie Zheng paused and glanced sideways at him.

“Why?”

Xie Qi replied,

“My sister doesn’t know I’m alive.”

“She doesn’t know I found her.”

“If she marries a blacksmith and he treats her badly someday, she can support herself with her embroidery shop.”

“She can decide to divorce him at any time.”

“And if trouble arises, the neighbors can help her.”

“But if she’d married that wealthy young master, she’d have faced his entire family alone.”

“If something happened, his family was so powerful that getting justice would be difficult.”

This was another story like the tofu vendor’s.

Only this time, the tofu vendor hadn’t chosen the wealthy young master.

Thoughtfulness appeared on Xie Zheng’s face.

He said nothing more and continued toward the command tent.

The guards at the entrance immediately greeted him.

“Marquis.”

As he approached, they lifted the curtain.

The tent was brightly illuminated.

At a glance, Xie Zheng saw the elderly man seated below the place of honor.

His expression softened slightly in surprise.

“Teacher.”

Grand Tutor Tao stroked his beard.

“I heard you went after the enemy. How did it go?”

The bruise around Xie Zheng’s eye caught his attention.

He assumed it was a battlefield injury.

The angle of the strike was certainly peculiar.

A fist had gotten close enough to hit his face.

Had it been a blade instead, he might have lost the eye entirely.

Viewed that way, it was fortunate.

Gongsun Yin noticed it too.

This was the first time he had ever seen Xie Zheng return from battle with a black eye.

For some reason, he immediately remembered the bruise he’d seen on Xie Zheng’s face in Lucheng before.

The more he looked, the more similar they seemed.

His expression became increasingly strange.

Could Fan Changyu have hit him again?

But he had just come off the battlefield.

That shouldn’t be possible…

Xie Zheng acted as though he hadn’t noticed either man’s scrutiny.

Lifting his robes, he sat in the seat of honor and calmly said,

“Shi Yue’s head has been taken.”

Grand Tutor Tao nodded in satisfaction.

Then he asked approvingly,

“I heard Shi Yue had a formidable brother named Shi Hu.”

“A giant of a man with tremendous strength.”

“When I was below the mountain, I saw him fighting the Jizhou troops.”

“He was troublesome.”

“Did you kill both brothers by yourself?”

Xie Zheng frowned immediately.

“I brought five hundred cavalry and took a shortcut down the mountain.”

“I intercepted and killed Shi Yue.”

“I never encountered his brother.”

Gongsun Yin looked surprised.

“General Ge Daqing, one of your strongest commanders, was severely wounded by Shi Hu.”

“If you never fought him, who else in the army could possibly defeat such a man?”

The vanguard and Left Guard Battalion had suffered heavy casualties during the battle.

Most of the officers were so badly injured they couldn’t even leave their beds.

Military physicians had spent the day treating them one by one.

Xie Zheng asked,

“The battle report didn’t mention how many enemies the Left Guard Battalion killed? Or which enemy generals they slew?”

Gongsun Yin picked up a report and handed it over.

“Neither the vanguard nor the Left Guard Battalion reported killing Shi Hu.”

“But Shi Hu is definitely dead.”

“The Grand Tutor and I assumed you killed him.”

Xie Zheng replied,

“Shi Hu did not die by my hand.”

At that moment, Xie Wu entered carrying tea.

After listening for a while, he hesitated before finally speaking.

“Shi Hu was killed by Madam.”

The moment those words left his mouth, all three men turned toward him.

Gongsun Yin still didn’t know that Fan Changyu had secretly gone to the battlefield.

Both shocked and confused, he asked,

“She was on the mountain. How could she have killed Shi Hu?”

Xie Wu secretly glanced at Xie Zheng before carefully answering.

“Madam didn’t know the Marquis’s true identity.”

“She feared something might happen to him during the campaign.”

“So she drugged the Marquis unconscious and joined the Left Guard Battalion in disguise.”

“I couldn’t stop her.”

“And I was worried something might happen to her, so I followed.”

“The generals of the Left Guard Battalion all fought Shi Hu and were defeated.”

“Morale was collapsing.”

“When Madam confronted him, she had no suitable weapon.”

“After several fierce exchanges, she finally seized Shi Hu’s spiked hammer.”

“Then she killed him with three strikes.”

Xie Wu had wanted to tell Xie Zheng about this achievement ever since they left the battlefield.

He feared Xie Zheng would only focus on her unauthorized participation in the battle.

Unfortunately, he had never found the right opportunity.

Gongsun Yin was so stunned by Fan Changyu’s accomplishment that he remained speechless for a long time.

He completely forgot to laugh at the embarrassing fact that Xie Zheng had been drugged unconscious.

Finally, he muttered,

“If someone kills a black bear, you can say the bear was strong but not intelligent.”

“But Shi Hu…”

“He wasn’t merely strong.”

“Ge Daqing possesses the courage to hunt tigers and bears.”

“He’s also a veteran of countless battles.”

“Yet even he couldn’t defeat Shi Hu.”

“And Miss Fan not only defeated him but took his weapon and killed him with three hammer blows?”

Gongsun Yin sucked in a sharp breath.

Looking at Xie Zheng, he said,

“In the entire realm, I thought only the Marquis possessed such courage.”

Leaning back in his chair, Xie Zheng merely frowned and remained silent, lost in thought.

When Xie Wu mentioned that Madam had killed Shi Hu, Grand Tutor Tao immediately felt something was odd.

This ungrateful brat had clearly forgotten his teacher.

Getting married was such a major event, yet he hadn’t even informed him.

Then he heard that the woman hadn’t known Xie Zheng’s identity and had gone to the battlefield in his place.

The entire matter left him bewildered.

Now hearing Gongsun Yin mention that the woman was surnamed Fan, he thought:

Surely it couldn’t be such a coincidence?

Could it really be Fan Changyu?

He raised his old eyes toward Xie Zheng.

“When did you get married?”

“And why didn’t you write to tell this old man?”

Earlier, Gongsun Yin had intentionally kept Fan Changyu’s relationship with Xie Zheng secret.

Now, despite his surprise, he smiled and waited for Xie Zheng to explain everything himself.

Instead, Xie Zheng said,

“It’s a long story.”

“When I met misfortune, the wedding was held under rather humble circumstances.”

“When we hold another ceremony in the future, I will certainly ask Teacher to serve as the witness.”

Grand Tutor Tao knew full well that Xie Zheng’s marriage could affect the balance of power throughout the court.

Thinking about Xie Wu’s description of the woman who had killed Shi Hu, he narrowed his eyes.

“Is she from a military family?”

After a brief silence, Xie Zheng answered,

“No.”

Grand Tutor Tao said,

“Regardless, she sounds like a fine girl.”

“Treat her well.”

Thinking of Fan Changyu’s rejection, Xie Zheng felt a heaviness settle in his chest.

He merely answered,

“Yes.”

Grand Tutor Tao then shifted the topic to the current political situation.

“With Shi Yue dead, Prince Changxin has effectively lost an arm.”

“The Chongzhou forces at the mountain’s base have either died, fled, or been captured.”

“After reorganizing the surrendered troops, you can march directly south and besiege Chongzhou.”

“Join forces with He Jingyuan and attack the city together.”

“But will the court really allow you to finish this war so quickly?”

The prolonged stalemate at Chongzhou had always been influenced by political struggles in the capital.

At first, Wei Yan had tried to arrange for Xie Zheng to die on the battlefield.

Now, military pay and supplies from the court had been delayed for months.

Someone clearly did not want this war ending too quickly.

Weapons.

Supplies.

Military wages.

All of it meant money.

As long as fighting continued at the front, officials in the capital had the perfect excuse to request additional funds from the Ministry of Revenue.

As for how much of that money actually reached the front lines…

That depended entirely on the conscience of the officials skimming funds at every level.

Both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue were controlled by Wei Yan’s faction.

Even if the Emperor ordered an audit, the records would show that all supplies had been delivered.

The army had supposedly received everything it needed.

If the rebels still weren’t defeated, then the blame would fall on Xie Zheng’s incompetence.

Xie Zheng sneered.

“Wei Yan wants to cover up the mess Wei Xuan created in the northwest.”

“Now he probably wants me to hand over the military merits from destroying the Chongzhou rebels.”

Grand Tutor Tao lowered his eyelids.

“In my opinion, that may not be a bad thing.”

Gongsun Yin frowned.

“What do you mean, Grand Tutor?”

The old man countered with a question.

“How many men in Great Yin have been granted a marquisate before reaching twenty?”

“When the moon is full, it begins to wane. When water is full, it overflows.”

“Given your Marquis’s achievements, what reward can the Emperor possibly grant him after he returns to the capital?”

“Right now, Wei Yan’s faction is at the height of its power.”

“The Emperor naturally wants him and Wei Yan to destroy each other.”

“And after Wei Yan falls, who do you think will be next?”

Gongsun Yin nodded.

“I understand that.”

“But even if the Marquis wants to step back now, the political currents of the capital won’t allow it.”

Grand Tutor Tao chuckled.

“Youth…”

Gongsun Yin sensed deeper meaning in those words.

“I’d appreciate your guidance.”

Grand Tutor Tao replied,

“How far must he step back?”

“Simply far enough that when Wei Yan falls, the Emperor’s next target isn’t your Marquis.”

Gongsun Yin immediately understood.

“You mean… let the Li faction fight Wei Yan first?”

He thought of Li Huai’an, grandson of Grand Tutor Li, who was currently managing Jizhou in He Jingyuan’s absence.

Shock filled his heart.

He looked toward Grand Tutor Tao.

The old man understood exactly what he was thinking.

“Even without your Marquis, Wei Yan still controls the Ministry of War and He Jingyuan.”

“Grand Tutor Li has no military power.”

“That’s why he’s never dared confront Wei Yan directly.”

If the Li family had come to the northwest, it was clearly because they wanted military authority.

All Xie Zheng needed to do was throw out the enormous prize of military merit from crushing the rebellion.

Both the Li faction and Wei Yan’s faction would pounce on it like hyenas fighting over meat.

Wei Yan had no choice but to compete.

If he didn’t seize that power, it would eventually be used against him.

Xie Zheng could certainly keep all the military merit for himself.

But winning the war while Wei Yan cut off all supplies would severely weaken his forces.

In exchange, he would receive little more than a meaningless imperial reward while placing himself at the center of every political storm.

No matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t worthwhile.

Meanwhile, the Li family had come to the northwest and then done nothing.

It was almost as if they knew Xie Zheng would eventually throw the military merit into the open.

If Wei Yan wanted that merit, he could only rely on He Jingyuan.

Yet Li Huai’an currently managed all affairs in Jizhou.

Every account book and document passed through his hands.

The moment he uncovered any wrongdoing, it would be easy to strip He Jingyuan of power given how heavily the young Emperor relied on the Li family.

At that moment, Xie Zheng suddenly spoke.

“If that’s the case, then Prince Changxin’s rebellion almost seems as though it was designed specifically to hand military authority to the Li family.”

Both Gongsun Yin and Grand Tutor Tao were startled.

Grand Tutor Tao shook his head.

“The Li family isn’t capable of manipulating Prince Changxin to that extent.”

Gongsun Yin agreed.

“I’ve heard Prince Changxin’s wife died in the Eastern Palace fire.”

“His eldest son was burned so badly he was left unrecognizable.”

“He endured patiently for years.”

“His hatred toward the court is certainly genuine.”

Yet Xie Zheng’s eyes shifted slightly.

The Imperial Grandson’s people had connections with Prince Changxin’s household.

Yu Qianqian’s son resembled the late Emperor somewhat.

And Crown Prince Chengde had looked even more like the late Emperor in his youth.

When Changning had been kidnapped, she had also seen Yu Bao’er within Prince Changxin’s estate.

Pieces were beginning to fit together.

Looking at Gongsun Yin, Xie Zheng said,

“After returning from the mountain, send word to the capital.”

“Secretly investigate the Eastern Palace fire.”

Gongsun Yin looked puzzled.

“Why suddenly investigate that case again?”

The corner of Xie Zheng’s mouth lifted slightly.

“I suspect the Imperial Grandson is in Prince Changxin’s estate.”

That statement shocked both men even more.

Still, it remained only a theory.

Evidence was needed.

Outside, the night watch announced the passing of midnight.

Xie Zheng instructed both Grand Tutor Tao and Gongsun Yin to return and rest.

Yet Grand Tutor Tao remained seated.

Assuming the teacher and student wished to speak privately, Gongsun Yin yawned and returned to his quarters.

After years together, Xie Zheng could understand Grand Tutor Tao’s intentions with a single glance.

“You have something you want to ask me, Teacher?”

Grand Tutor Tao nodded.

“With Young Friend Gongsun present, I couldn’t ask about private matters.”

“You got married this time.”

“Was it a marriage?”

“Or a concubine?”

Xie Zheng answered simply.

“A marriage.”

Grand Tutor Tao paused in surprise before smiling.

“You’re already twenty-one.”

“Most men your age have children running around.”

“Yet you’ve remained alone.”

“Being able to marry according to your own wishes is a good thing.”

“But your expression seems troubled.”

“Why?”

The reason Xie Zheng had never married was simple.

He belonged to the Xie family, yet had been raised by Wei Yan.

The Xie clan had once been a great family.

But the larger a clan became, the more idle relatives it accumulated.

By his father’s generation, the family had already begun declining.

Only his father had supported the clan’s reputation.

None of the collateral branches had produced worthy successors.

For a great family, nothing was more dangerous than a lack of heirs.

Thus when his father died in battle and his mother followed him in death, Wei Yan took Xie Zheng away.

Not one relative dared protest.

In some ways, being taken by Wei Yan had benefited him.

Had he remained with the Xie family, he likely would have been spoiled into uselessness.

Though Wei Yan was harsh, he spared no effort in cultivating him because of his father’s reputation and former military influence.

He forged Xie Zheng into the sharpest blade in the entire empire.

Ordinary men had female elders who helped arrange marriages.

Xie Zheng grew up in the Wei household.

Wei Yan never arranged a marriage for him.

The Xie clan didn’t dare act without Wei Yan’s approval.

Some relatives had tried foolish schemes, attempting to push distant cousins and obscure relations toward him.

Their shameless behavior drew ridicule from Wei Xuan.

Even Wei Yan looked down on the Xie family because of it.

Later, Xie Zheng entered the military, and marriage discussions were delayed further.

After establishing his reputation, his marriage ceased being a personal matter.

It became a matter of political alliances.

The reformist faction dared not marry daughters to him.

Wei Yan’s faction was impossible as well, since Wei Yan feared giving him powerful in-laws.

Neutral officials wanted no part in the struggle.

The higher his status rose, the harder marriage became.

Xie Zheng then told Grand Tutor Tao about Fan Changyu.

“She saved me when I was at my lowest.”

“I had no choice but to conceal my identity.”

“Now she knows everything.”

“She minds my status and has no desire to marry into a noble household.”

After listening, Grand Tutor Tao nodded approvingly.

“A remarkably clear-headed woman.”

Suddenly, Xie Zheng knelt before him.

“Student wishes to ask a favor.”

Grand Tutor Tao narrowed his eyes.

“Does it concern that girl?”

“Yes.”

The old man sighed.

“If she doesn’t want to marry you, what can an old man like me possibly do?”

Xie Zheng lifted his head.

“I ask that Teacher accept her as your adopted daughter.”

Instantly, Grand Tutor Tao understood.

“You want to give her a prestigious family background.”

“And silence public criticism?”

Xie Zheng remained silent.

The old man changed the subject.

“And if she still refuses?”

“What if she only wants an ordinary life?”

The young man knelt quietly.

His lips tightened.

After a long silence, he answered,

“I’ll smooth every road before her.”

“If she’s willing to walk beside me, I won’t let her stumble.”

“If she still refuses…”

“Then our fate ends there.”

Grand Tutor Tao sighed.

“Get up.”

“It just so happens that this old man has no children.”

“Having an adopted daughter would give meaning to my later years.”

“But you must do something for me as well.”

Xie Zheng replied,

“Anything, Teacher.”

Grand Tutor Tao was still thinking about Fan Changyu.

“Do you have any capable young officers under your command?”

“While traveling, I met a divorced young woman.”

“I promised one of her elders that I’d find her a good husband.”

He paused before adding,

“The man must be honest and broad-minded.”

“The girl was previously married.”

“He must not mind that.”

“She’s straightforward and sincere.”

“If she ends up with someone too calculating, she’ll be completely taken advantage of.”

“He doesn’t need a high military rank either.”

“She doesn’t understand all the social customs noblewomen deal with.”

As Xie Zheng listened, the description sounded oddly familiar.

But then he remembered that Grand Tutor Tao had said the woman was divorced and that he was helping fulfill a promise to her elder.

Fan Changyu couldn’t possibly know any elder connected to Grand Tutor Tao.

So he dismissed the thought entirely and agreed to help.