Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 16
byChapter 16: Jade Sinking in the Winding Stream
What on earth was going on!?
By the winding stream in the back garden of the Xie residence, a crowd of renowned scholars had gathered, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Everyone was discussing the earth-shattering imperial decree from this morning, which appointed Xiao Jue, a man of commoner origin, as the General of Beiping, a rank of the fourth grade.
This was no different from shattering the century-old iron rule that no commoner shall hold a high rank.
Xie Heng felt a sense of gratification. He had specifically arranged these ten-odd tables, disregarding formal etiquette by allowing men and women to sit together, letting the guests enjoy themselves to their hearts’ content.
Xie Heng’s intention was both to see Xiao Jue off before his departure for war and to establish his own authority.
From the Wang clan of Langya came Wang Chun, Wang Yu, and Wang Zhaoruo. There were also several junior members from the branch families of the Xie clan of Lantai, as well as youths from the Xu clan of Wu Commandery and the Kong clan of Kuaiji. All were of the younger generation.
Among the military officers, besides Xiao Jue, there were two mid-level colonels from the Beifu Army, both of whom came from humble backgrounds.
Xu Shuhuai arrived last, dressed in azure casual robes with his hair loosely tied. He entered with a smile, saying, “Apologies, apologies. I was held up on the road by a lotus root starch seller who insisted I paid two copper coins less last time. Heaven be my witness, I, Xu, always overpay when buying things. How could I possibly pay less?”
The crowd smiled. Xie Nanqiao, sitting below her elder brother, quietly curled her lip upon hearing this and lowered her head to fiddle with the round fan in her hand.
The banquet featured the game of floating wine cups along the winding stream. A feathered cup would drift along the water, and whoever it stopped in front of had to drink and compose a poem. After several rounds, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
When the cup stopped before Xu Shuhuai, he raised it but did not drink. Tapping the rim of the cup with his fingertip, he smiled and said, “I am no good at composing poetry, but I am quick at calculations. How about I pose a mathematical riddle? Whoever solves it, I shall drink three cups on their behalf. What do you say?”
Wang Chun fanned himself and laughed, “Is Grand Minister Xu going to show off his arithmetic again?”
“Not at all, not at all.” Xu Shuhuai’s eyes darted around, a smile playing on his lips. “Listen closely. Suppose a general leads an army of thirty thousand to war, consuming six hundred dan of grain daily. It takes fifteen days to march to Pengcheng, but the troops must be split into two paths: one for a feint and one for the main attack. The feint unit consumes half the daily grain but must march for five additional days. The question is: if the provisions are only enough for thirty days, how should the troops be divided so that neither path runs out of food?”
The question seemed like simple arithmetic, but it contained military strategy. The seating area fell silent as people either frowned in deep thought or spoke in low whispers.
Xiao Jue pondered for a moment and was about to speak when he heard Xie Nanqiao say softly, “The feint unit should have fewer people to take advantage of high mobility and low consumption. If five thousand men are used for the feint and twenty-five thousand for the main attack…”
She paused, her long lashes drooping slightly as if she were calculating mentally. Xu Shuhuai raised an eyebrow at her, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Xie Nanqiao continued, “Five thousand men consume one hundred dan a day. For twenty days, that is two thousand dan. Twenty-five thousand men consume five hundred dan a day. For fifteen days, that is seven thousand five hundred dan. The total is nine thousand five hundred dan. Based on a daily consumption of six hundred dan, it can last… fifteen days and five double-hours.”
She looked up, her eyes clear. “No, that is not right. This way, the main attack unit will have just enough grain, but the feint unit will run out after twenty days.”
Xu Shuhuai clapped his hands. “The young lady’s logic is correct; you are only one step away. The feint unit does not need to carry twenty days’ worth of grain. I can have them carry fifteen days’ worth, and for the remaining five days, they can forage locally or settle the battle quickly.” He looked at Xie Nanqiao with a playful glint in his eyes. “Well? Is this solution acceptable to you?”
Xie Nanqiao pursed her lips and turned her face away. “It is merely a trick.”
“The art of war is inherently about using tricks.” Xu Shuhuai raised his cup and drained three in a row without changing expression. “The young lady is proficient in arithmetic and understands military affairs. I am impressed.”
Wang Zhaoruo covered her lips with her sleeve and teased from the side, “Grand Minister Xu and Sister Nanqiao seem to get along quite well.”
Xu Shuhuai waved his hand. “I wouldn’t dare. From the look the young lady just gave me, she wanted to tear me apart like an account book.”
The crowd burst into laughter. Xie Nanqiao’s cheeks flushed slightly as she glared at him, but she did not argue further.
After three rounds of wine, Xie Heng left his seat to rest, walking alone toward a small pavilion by the water.
Seeing this, Xiao Jue silently followed him.
In the pavilion, Xie Heng took a small jade box from his robe. Opening it revealed several red pills. Just as he was about to take one, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
“Hanshi Powder?” Xiao Jue’s voice was tight.
Xie Heng said indifferently, “It is just to refresh my spirit.”
“This substance harms the body.” Xiao Jue snatched the jade box away, his knuckles straining. “The Secretariat has been exhausted by paperwork lately, and your complexion is already poor. If you take this, will it not make matters worse?”
Xie Heng reached out. “Give it to me.”
Xiao Jue did not retreat but took a step forward, lowering his voice. “Refresh your spirit? After taking it, the heat becomes unbearable, and you must walk briskly to dissipate it. Have you forgotten the last time you walked off the powder until you vomited blood?”
Xie Heng fell silent for a moment, his hand inside his sleeve curling slightly.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice somewhat raspy. “Xiao Jue, do you know why I must use you?”
“Because I can fight.”
“More than that.” Xie Heng looked toward the flowing water in the distance, his gaze far-reaching. “There are many in the court who can fight, but few who dare to withstand the pressure of the great clans as a commoner, and even fewer who truly care for the soldiers and the common people.”
He paused, his profile appearing weary in the twilight. “I need you to win. I need the commoner soldiers to have a role model. But behind this, countless eyes are watching, and countless memorials are waiting to impeach us. Therefore, I cannot fall.”
Xiao Jue gripped the jade box until his knuckles turned white. “So you rely on this thing to keep going?”
“Occasionally,” Xie Heng said with a bitter smile. “Today’s gathering seems elegant, but it is filled with hidden barbs. Wang Yu is here, and behind him is the Wang clan of Langya. Although Xu Shuhuai helps us, he is ultimately a member of the Xu clan of Wu Commandery.”
Xiao Jue was in no mood to listen. He suddenly hurled the jade box into the water.
“You!” Xie Heng’s expression changed.
“If you fall, what use is it even if I win ten battles?” Xiao Jue looked him straight in the eye, his gaze burning like a torch.
Xie Heng was momentarily stunned.
“I will solve the matter of grain. I will break through the tactical difficulties. As for the court struggles…” Xiao Jue knelt on one knee and cupped his fists, saying word for word, “Please trust me this once. I will win this battle cleanly, leaving those who wish to impeach us with nowhere to put their brushes.”
He looked up, the reflection of the water in his eyes. “So please, take care of yourself. When I return, I want to see a healthy and unharmed Secretariat Xie.”
The ripples spread as the jade box sank. Looking at the young general before him, a long-lost warmth welled up in Xie Heng’s chest.
“Get up,” he said softly, reaching out to help Xiao Jue to his feet. “I promise you.”
Xiao Jue stood up but was still uneasy. “That powder… is there any more hidden away?”
Xie Heng shook his head helplessly and took another small porcelain bottle from his sleeve. “There really is no more. This is a calming pill prepared by the imperial physician, made from herbs. Is this acceptable?”
Xiao Jue took it and sniffed it before returning it. “Take it on time every day. I will ask the young lady to check.”
Xie Heng laughed in spite of himself. “You certainly have a long reach.”
“Since I have entrusted my life to you, naturally I must look after you,” Xiao Jue said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The two stood side by side for a while. Laughter drifted from the garden; Xu Shuhuai had said something that caused another stir.
By the time the banquet dispersed, it was near dusk.
Xu Shuhuai was the last to leave and ran into Xie Nanqiao under the corridor. She was instructing the maidservants to clear the remains of the feast. Seeing him, she stepped aside to make way, her eyes downcast.
“The young lady was quick with the riddle today. I am impressed,” Xu Shuhuai said with a smile, pausing his steps.
Xie Nanqiao replied indifferently, “Not as quick as Grand Minister Xu’s silver tongue.”
“Regarding the calculation for the grain turnover earlier, I noticed something I wanted to ask…” Before Xu Shuhuai could finish, he was interrupted by a haughty female voice. “I wondered who it was. So it is Grand Minister Xu.”
Xie Nanqiao turned around to see Wang Zhaoruo walking toward them. She had changed into a rouge-red gown woven with gold thread, her face showing signs of intoxication and blatant contempt.
Xu Shuhuai raised an eyebrow. “Lady Wang, you have returned. Do you have some instructions for us?”
“I left behind a handkerchief personally embroidered by my mother and came back to find it.” Wang Zhaoruo sneered, her gaze cutting across Xie Nanqiao like a blade. “I didn’t expect to stumble upon Sister Nanqiao and Grand Minister Xu having a private conversation. It seems I am the one intruding.”
She paused and continued, “Oh, I suppose it makes sense. Now that even commoners and low-born people can attend the Xie residence’s gatherings, I suppose reputation no longer matters.”
Xie Nanqiao’s face turned pale. “Lady Wang, watch your words!”
“Watch my words?” Wang Zhaoruo took a step closer, the smell of wine mixed with the scent of cosmetics wafting over. “Your Xie family promotes commoners and wallows in self-degradation, and you won’t even let people speak of it?”
She turned to Xu Shuhuai. “And you, a man from Wu Commandery who rose to power using merchant tricks, do you think you are worthy of discussing military and political affairs here? Those provisions you transferred to the Northern Frontier within three days—who knows how much filthy business was involved?”
“Lady Wang.” Xie Nanqiao was trembling with rage as she stepped in front of Xu Shuhuai. “Do not make such baseless accusations. Grand Minister Xu transferred the grain for the Northern Expedition, for the sake of the state.”
“The state? Haha.” Wang Zhaoruo acted as if she had heard the world’s greatest joke, pointing her finger directly at Xie Nanqiao. “What does a girl confined to her quarters know about the state? I suspect you simply saw how handsome he is and your heart began to flutter.”
These words were extremely malicious. Xie Nanqiao’s head buzzed with shame and indignation. Subconsciously, she raised her hand to brush away the finger in front of her. “You are talking nonsense.”
Wang Zhaoruo was already unsteady on her feet. Being brushed aside like that made her stumble, and her anger flared into a frenzy. She shrieked and lunged forward, reaching out to tear at Xie Nanqiao’s collar. “You wench, you dare hit me!”
“Let go!” Xie Nanqiao struggled in alarm. The two were instantly locked in a scuffle, hairpins falling and clothes becoming disarrayed.
The maidservants screamed in terror but did not dare to step forward.
Xu Shuhuai’s face turned grim. Just as he was about to pull them apart, a dark shadow swept in like a gust of wind.
“Stop!” Xiao Jue barked. In his urgency, he disregarded formalities and pulled Xie Nanqiao behind him, while simultaneously reaching out to ward off the frantic Wang Zhaoruo.
He was a military man. Even if he held back his strength, his touch was like a heavy blow to the pampered Wang Zhaoruo.
“Ah—” Wang Zhaoruo cried out in pain as her wrist was deflected. Her feet tripped over the scattered cups and plates, and she fell backward violently. her lower back slammed hard against the stone railing, and she flipped sideways onto the ground, her forehead striking the sharp edge of a protruding rock in the decorative garden.
After a dull thud, blood instantly gushed from her temple, staining her rouge-colored dress. Wang Zhaoruo groaned and lost consciousness.
In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.
The others stood frozen until a sharp cry brought them back to their senses.
“Zhaoruo—” A piercing shout came from the garden gate. Wang Yu and Wang Chun, who had returned to look for their sister, happened to witness the final moment of her falling to the ground covered in blood.
Wang Yu rushed over and scooped up his sister. His hands felt warm and sticky; it was all blood. He snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot. His gaze first fixed fiercely on Xiao Jue, who was protecting Xie Nanqiao, then on the pale-faced Xie Nanqiao, and finally on the stiffened Xu Shuhuai.
“Good, very good.” Wang Yu’s voice sounded as if it were squeezed through his teeth, cold and piercing. “If anything happens to my sister today, my Wang clan of Langya will never let any of you go.”
Xie Heng arrived in haste upon hearing the news. Seeing the mess and Wang Zhaoruo’s tragic state, his heart sank heavily.
“Go fetch a physician,” he ordered, forcing himself to remain calm. He turned to Wang Yu. “Attendant Wang, I will provide an explanation for this.”
Wang Yu picked up his unconscious sister and stared deathly at Xie Heng. “Xie Heng, you allowed a commoner general to harm a noble lady of the gentry, and you allowed your sister to consort with men, leading to this conflict. We shall settle each of these matters one by one before His Majesty.”
The Wang family party left with the unconscious Wang Zhaoruo, carrying a wave of towering rage. The festive atmosphere in the garden vanished, leaving only a mess on the ground and a heavy, suffocating silence.
Xie Nanqiao looked at her dust-stained hands, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Xiao Jue pressed his lips thin. He knew he had caused a great disaster, but though he wanted to explain, he did not dare speak. Xu Shuhuai’s brow was furrowed, realizing that the Wang family would never let go of such a perfect opportunity.
For a time, no one dared to speak, and the atmosphere became eerie.
Xie Heng sighed and closed his eyes. Weariness washed over him like a tide as he said flatly, “Go back to your respective places. I will find a way.”
Half an hour later, another piece of bad news arrived…