Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 29
byChapter 29 Generals surround and hunt
How did the promise to play a political enemy turn into a life-or-death commitment?
On the hunting ground, the emperor sat high on the observation platform, and the canopy was dazzling under the autumn sun.Banners were flying under the stage, and three thousand forbidden troops stood in array with bright armor.Further away, the dense forest is like the sea, with morning mist lingering in the forest, and the occasional deer chirping, adding a bit of mountain atmosphere.
Xiao Jue reined up his horse and stood in front of the Forbidden Army formation, his black armor reflecting the cold light.The old injury on his left shoulder ached under the armor, but his back was straight and his eyes were scanning the surroundings like a hawk.
He is looking for Xie Heng.
The man was wearing a moon-white riding attire today, and he was riding a horse slowly by the edge of the forest alone.The morning breeze ruffled the broken hair on his temples, and his side face looked increasingly cold and distant in the mist, as if the hustle and bustle around him and this carefully arranged hunt had nothing to do with him.
Xiao Jue tightened his grip on the reins, sticky cold sweat oozing from his palms. He knew that today would not be peaceful.The secret reports from the Fifth Soldier and the various unusual movements secretly observed these days, as well as all clues point to today and this seemingly peaceful hunting ground.
But when the shrill roar of a deer pierced the morning sky, he was caught off guard and his heart tightened.
What rushed out was not a deer, but a bear.
A huge black bear, with red eyes and foam at the corner of its mouth, rushed out from the depths of the forest like a madman and rushed in the direction of Xie Heng. The guarding imperial army was caught off guard, and their formation was instantly dispersed, and all kinds of sounds were mixed together.
On the viewing platform, the emperor stood up suddenly.
Xiao Jue saw the black bear man standing up and slapping the moon-white figure with his huge palm. Xie Heng’s horse was frightened and neighed to throw its owner off. The shadows of the trees in the forest swayed and a few cold lights flashed past in the morning mist.
He heard his hoarse roar break through his throat: “Xie Heng!!!”
The mind is blank, but the body is moving faster than consciousness.He suddenly clamped the horse’s belly, and the horse rushed out of the array with a long neigh, like an arrow off the string, shooting straight into the chaos.
“General!!” Wen Boyan’s exclamation was left behind.
Xiao Jue couldn’t hear anything. He only saw that person, who looked extremely fragile under the bear’s paw.
The wound on his left shoulder cracked in the bumps, and the warm liquid penetrated the armor, but he was completely unaware of it. He just rushed forward like crazy, even throwing away the personal guard who was supposed to be protecting him, completely exposing his entire back to the flickering cold light in the forest.
Xie Heng did expect that there would be changes today.
When the black bear rushed out, he even calmly calculated the angle. The secret guard he arranged was nearby and could take action within three breaths. The emperor’s personal army had also received secret orders and would patrol here during the chaos.
Everything is as planned.
Until he heard the roar.
Xie Heng turned his head suddenly and saw Xiao Jue riding alone, his black armor drawing a decisive arc in the morning light.The man’s face was full of panic that he had never seen before, his eyes were split open, and he didn’t care, like a lone wolf rushing towards a shotgun.
Then the cold light in the forest suddenly brightened, and countless arrows shot through the air silently, aiming not at him, but at the idiot who was completely exposing his back.
For the first time, Xie Heng’s usually calm face showed an almost shattering look of panic.
“Xiao Jue!!!”
He hissed and made an action that surprised everyone.Instead of avoiding the oncoming black bear, he clamped the horse’s belly hard and rushed in the direction of Xiao Jue.
The moon-white horse is like a bolt of lightning, striking in at the critical moment.Xie Heng drew his bow and arrow while galloping, his movements were so smooth that he didn’t look like a civil servant.The bow is a hard bow, the string is as full as the moon, and when the arrow leaves the string, it makes a sharp whistling sound.
“Qiang!”
A cold arrow aimed at Xiao Jue’s heart was missed by the volley, grazing the black armor and splashing a stream of sparks.
At the same time, Xie Heng’s horse hit Xiao Jue’s horse hard
The huge impact caused the two horses to roll and fall to the ground while neighing miserably.Xiao Jue felt like the world was spinning. When his left shoulder hit the ground, there was a sharp pain like bone shattering. His vision went dark, and the smell of blood filled his throat.
The moment he fell to the ground, he saw Xie Heng rolling off his horse. The moon-white riding clothes were stained with dust and grass clippings, but he used his body to block the cold light in the forest between him and the forest.
The chaos came to a head at that moment.
Seeing that the lurking assassin missed a single hit, several black shadows sprang out from the forest and pounced on the two men who fell to the ground.But as soon as they appeared, another group of people came out from the opposite direction.
It was the secret guard arranged by Xie Heng.
Almost at the same time, the sound of horse hooves thundered, and the flag of the emperor’s army appeared at the edge of the forest. The leading general shouted: “Escort! Capture the assassin!!”
The real fighting begins now.
Xiao Jue was dizzy from the fall, and his ears were buzzing. He struggled to get up, but his left shoulder couldn’t exert any strength, and the warm blood had already soaked half of the armor.But he still gritted his teeth, used his still mobile right hand to support the ground, and turned over to protect Xie Heng under him.
This action almost exhausted the last of his energy. He leaned on Xie Heng, panting violently. The sweat on his forehead mixed with blood dripped down and fell on Xie Heng’s pale face.
It was only at this moment, at such a close distance, that he could clearly see the fear that had not faded from Xie Heng’s eyes, the tremor of the aftermath of the disaster, and the concern that could no longer be concealed when he still looked at him.
“You…” Xiao Jue opened his mouth, his throat filled with the smell of blood.
However, Xie Heng suddenly grabbed the hem of his clothes, his voice was hoarse and broken, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: “Their target is you! Idiot!!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold arrow flew past Xiao Jue’s ear and penetrated the tree trunk beside them with a whoosh, and the tail of the arrow trembled.
Xiao Jue froze, he slowly turned his head, looked at the arrow that almost killed him, and suddenly understood everything.
“Haha” Xiao Jue laughed softly, hoarsely and with blood foam, “So that’s it…”
His vision gradually blurred, and his consciousness began to fade due to severe pain and blood loss.But he still held on, using his body to protect the person beneath him, until the last bit of his strength was exhausted and he fell softly.
When he fell, he heard Xie Heng’s voiceless cry: “Xiao Jue!”
When Xiao Jue woke up again, it was already late at night.
There was an oil lamp burning in the temporary medical tent, and the smell of herbs was strong. Xiao Jue’s left shoulder had been re-bandaged and wrapped thickly, but the pain still felt like fire.He tried to move, and cold sweat instantly wet his temples.
A muffled cough came from outside the tent.
He stood up and staggered down.The guard tried to stop him, but he glared back.The look in his eyes was so cold, with the evil spirit tempered by the battlefield, that the guard subconsciously took half a step back.
In the tent next door, Xie Heng was half leaning on the couch, his face as white as paper.Uncle Cheng was holding the medicine bowl. When he saw him barging in, his hand shook and a few drops of medicine spilled out.
“Stand back.” Xiao Jue said, but his eyes were only fixed on Xie Heng.
Uncle Cheng looked at his master, Xie Heng closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
The curtain falls.
Xiao Jue walked to the couch and looked down at Xie Heng.The dim light of the oil lamp danced on that face, clearly illuminating every bit of haggardness and fragility.The way this man stood with his bow and arrow ready was still in front of him today, so fierce and decisive, completely different from the gentle and cold Xie Pushe in his memory.
“Those assassins today,” Xiao Jue said, his voice hoarse, “are they targeting me, right?”
Xie Heng opened his eyes, and in those always calm eyes, there was a bottomless exhaustion at the moment, as well as some kind of relief after finally being relieved of the burden.
“Yes.” He said, one word, as soft as a sigh.
“You already knew?”
“I know.”
Xiao Jue closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there were complicated emotions in his eyes, but more importantly, there was a heavy fatigue that almost overwhelmed him.
“Those words at the birthday banquet,” each word seemed to be forced out of the throat, “were they also intentional?”
Xie Heng was silent for a long time, and when Xiao Jue thought he would not answer, he slowly spoke: “Show it to the emperor, show it to the Wang family.” The voice was very soft, but very clear, “Discord between generals and ministers is a situation that the emperor likes to see. The Wang family thought that they didn’t need to worry about me when dealing with you, so they relaxed their vigilance and showed their flaws so quickly.”
Xiao Jue stared at him: “So you humiliated me in public and stepped me into the mud, just for this?”
“Xiao Jue.” Xie Heng lowered his eyes and looked at his bone-thin hands, “Do you know what His Majesty is most afraid of? A high-achieving side general is closely associated with important officials in the court. You have both of these. If I continue to blatantly protect you, Your Majesty will not be able to tolerate you before the Wang family takes action.”
He said, coughing again.This time the coughing was more severe, and the whole person curled up, and his shoulders and back were shaking violently.Xiao Jue subconsciously stretched out his hand to help him, but when he reached halfway, he froze in the air again.
Xie Heng coughed for a long time before he stopped. There was cold sweat on his forehead. He panted and continued: “Those medicines are for old illnesses and too much worry. After my father left, the burden of the Xie family fell on my shoulders. Later, I got you, and it became an added burden.”
Xiao Jue stood there, looking stiffly at Xie Heng’s pale and fragile appearance. He opened his mouth but didn’t say a word.
“The person who cut down the tree,” Xie Heng raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Jue, with a kind of tenderness that was almost desperate, “How could he destroy his own axe?”
He stopped, his Adam’s apple rolled, and he swallowed back the next words.
“If you fall,” Xie Heng closed his eyes and his voice was as soft as talking in his sleep, “everything I have done will be meaningless.”
There was dead silence in the tent.
The oil lamp crackled, exploded with a spark, and went out instantly.Darkness enveloped them, and only the light from the bonfire outside the tent leaked in through the gaps in the cloth, casting the shadows of the two people on the tent wall, entangled.
Xiao Jue stood in the darkness for a long time. After the wound was numb from pain, he slowly bent down and touched Xie Heng’s cold hand very lightly.
“Idiots,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “Two idiots.”
In the main tent, the emperor’s face was so gloomy that he could drip water. Beneath him knelt Li Chong, the Minister of the Five Soldiers, and three assassins who were tied up with five flowers.
“Say!” The emperor threw an arrowhead hard on the ground, “Who ordered it?!”
The arrowheads are of the Northern Dynasties standard, but the wood of the arrow shafts and the binding method of the arrow feathers are all the techniques of the Southern Dynasty’s weapons supervisors.Li Chong, the Minister of the Five Arms, should not be unable to see such details.
Li Chong was trembling all over: “Your Majesty, I don’t know…”
“I don’t know?” the emperor sneered, “What about these?”
The chamberlain presented a stack of secret letters, sent by Zuo Yunci from the north, which recorded in detail Cai Qi’s interactions with the Wang family’s housekeeper.The handwriting found on the assassin’s body was 70% similar to Li Chong’s memorial.There are a few more letters that Xie Heng had obtained from Wang Yu early and were ready to be presented today.
The evidence is intertwined, like a big net, tightly covering the Wang family.
The emperor looked at Xiao Jue and Xie Heng who were standing at the bottom. Both of them were wearing court clothes, one had a bandage on his shoulder, and the other was pale. They stood side by side, but they no longer felt alienated from each other.
“Xiao Qing,” the emperor said slowly, “what do you think about this matter?”
Xiao Jue lifted his robe and knelt down: “Your Majesty, I think there are three suspicions about this matter.”
“Say.”
“First, although the arrows used by the assassins are of the Northern Dynasty standard, the arrow shafts are made of Jiangnan fir, which is not produced in the Northern Dynasties. Second, although the assassin’s skills are that of a dead soldier, there are shadows of the Southern Dynasty’s frontier troops forming up in their coordination.”
Xiao Jue paused, then raised his eyes to look at the emperor, “The third thing is the most puzzling point. If the Northern Dynasty is really seeking revenge, why not choose it in the north, but choose to hunt, when I am with Xie Pushe?”
Every sentence makes sense, every word is heart-breaking.
The emperor’s eyes turned to Xie Heng: “Where is Xie Qing?”
Xie Heng also knelt down: “Your Majesty, I am guilty.”
“What crime?”
“I had long known that the Wang family was dissatisfied with General Xiao, and that there might be loopholes in the defense of the northern border. However, because I was concerned about the situation of the court, I did not report it in time, which led to today’s disaster.” Xie Heng’s forehead touched the ground, “I am willing to take the blame.”
It seemed like he was pleading guilty, but in reality, the Wang family had been framed by border generals and the defense loopholes in the northern border were clearly laid out in front of the emperor.
The emperor stared at them for a long time, so long that everyone in the imperial tent held their breath.
“Okay, what a good general and prime minister.” He stood up and walked to Xiao Jue and Xie Heng, “One of you is a good person, and the other is a bad person. You work together perfectly. Do you think I, the emperor, am easy to fool?”
Xiao Jue suddenly raised his head: “Your Majesty, I and Xie Pushe…”
“No need to say anything.” The emperor waved his hand to interrupt, “Xie Heng, get up.”
Xie Heng stood up after hearing this and stood with his eyes lowered.
The emperor looked at him and then at Xiao Jue, his eyes complicated and difficult to distinguish: “Do you really think I can’t see what you two are thinking? One is pushing away with all his strength, and the other is pushing forward with all his strength. Who are you showing it to?”
The tent was quiet for a long time before Xiao Jue spoke in a calm voice: “Your Majesty clearly knows that I and Xie Pushe do have an old friendship, and Xie Pushe does have a kindness and support for me. Because of this, Xie Pushe knows that I have a strong and easy temper, so I treat him with a cold face and instructs me to put national affairs first in everything. In this assassination, I know how many open and secret arrows Xie Pushe secretly blocked for me.”
He paused and looked directly at the emperor: “The relationship between the minister and the gentleman is clear and clear. Everything I do is to serve your majesty and the court. If your majesty is suspicious of this, I am willing to take off my armor and return to the field to prove my innocence.”
His words were sonorous and his expression was sincere.
The emperor stared at him and then looked at Xie Heng: “Xie Qing, what about you?”
Xie Heng slowly knelt down and said, “My improper method has caused misunderstanding. I am willing to accept the punishment.”
He raised his eyes, with magnanimous determination in his eyes, “It’s just that General Xiao is the stronghold of the country, and the safety of the northern border depends on him. I can’t bear to see Zhongliang being framed and the country losing its pillars. This heart and ambition can be learned from heaven and earth.”
One is willing to take off his armor and return to the fields, and the other is willing to accept his crime and be punished.
The emperor was silent for a long time, and finally sighed: “That’s it. Everyone, get up.”
He walked back to the throne, sat down again, glanced at Li Chong who was kneeling on the ground, and there was a trace of sternness in his eyes: “Declaration: Li Chong, the Minister of the Fifth Army, colluded with foreign enemies to trap the border generals. The crime cannot be punished, and he will be immediately sent to imperial prison. Wang Yu, the king of Langya, was still restless while he was behind closed doors. He cut off all false titles, and the whole palace was under strict supervision. Cai Qi, the grain superintendent of the northern border, was dismissed from his post and escorted back to Beijing.”
The decrees fell one after another, hitting everyone’s heart like a heavy hammer.
At this moment, a huge hole was torn open in the Wang family’s power.
The emperor finally looked at Xiao Jue and Xie Heng, and softened his tone: “As for you two, since you two say that gentlemen are friends, then show me what true harmony between generals and ministers means. The north needs Xiao Qing, and the court also needs Xie Qing. Don’t let me down.”
“I obey the decree!”
The carriage returning to the city drove slowly in the dusk.
The carriage was very quiet, with only the rumble of wheels running over the official road.Xiao Jue and Xie Heng sat side by side, with a palm-wide distance between them, neither of them speaking.
Spring is blooming outside the window, and the sycamore trees on the roadside are already a patch of new green.As soon as the wind passed by, the young leaves of the trees rustled, glowing softly in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Xiao Jue turned his head and looked at Xie Heng.
The man was still pale and rested against the car wall with his eyes closed.The lip color is so light that it almost blends into the complexion of her face.
He stared for a long time until Xie Heng opened his eyes and looked at him.
“What are you looking at?” Xie Heng asked.
Xiao Jue didn’t answer. He just stretched out his hand, gently touched Xie Heng’s cold fingertips, and then held them.
Xie Heng’s hand trembled slightly, but he did not pull away.
“From now on,” Xiao Jue said, his voice low and hoarse, but with some unquestionable determination, “can I not have to shoulder everything by myself?”
Xie Heng lowered his eyes and looked at the hands held by the two of them.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” Xiao Jue continued, every word like a vow, “I will accompany you through mountains of swords and seas of blood.”
The car became quiet again, and the dusk fell completely. The lanterns on the street gradually lit up, and the warm yellow light leaked in through the gaps in the car curtains, and flickered on the faces of the two people.
After a long time, Xie Heng responded very softly: “Yes.”
Then he turned his other cold hand and quietly placed it on the back of Xiao Jue’s bandaged hand.
The movements were very gentle, as if they were afraid of hurting him, but what Xiao Jue felt was the trembling hand and the subtle but firm temperature.
He tightened his fingers and held the hand firmly.
[The author has something to say]
Did you guys notice that I changed the cover to a new one [bad laugh]
Isn’t it beautiful? [shy]