Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 50
byChapter 50 Live and die
I asked Jue Gu and the response was his name.
Wen Boyan didn’t know how he got out of that desperate valley.
The hunting trail on the east ridge was as steep as a gate to hell. Of the ten dead men who went with him, only three of them followed him over the last ice cliff.Standing on the top of the cliff, looking back at the valley that swallowed up Zuo Yunci, there was only a blurry white depression left in the wind and snow.
He did not stay, and did not even follow Xiao Jue’s order to find out and return immediately.
He led three equally scarred survivors all the way south.They bypassed Hu Qi’s patrol lines and evaded hungry wolves in the mountains, surviving on melted snow and the occasional frozen hare they hunted.
Wen Boyan’s old wrist injury recurred in the severe cold. The pain kept him awake all night, but he just bit the cloth in silence and continued on his way.
Thirteen days later, when the gray-black walls of Guzang City came into view, the three surviving soldiers knelt in the snow and howled.Wen Boyan just stood there looking at the city gate with no expression on his face.
The original color of the tattered military uniform on his body could no longer be seen, his cheeks were deeply sunken, his eye sockets were black and blue, and his lips were cracked and bleeding from the cold.The soldiers guarding the city almost didn’t recognize the once elegant and steady Captain Wen.
He did not go home or go to the Five Soldiers Cao. He went directly to the palace. He knelt down outside the palace gate and asked for a face-to-face meeting.
The news was reported layer by layer, and finally alerted the emperor who was discussing matters with his cabinet ministers.When Wen Boyan was helped into the hall, everyone in the court was shocked by his appearance.He doesn’t look like a defeated general, like a man crawling back from hell.
“General… Wen Boyan…” His voice was so hoarse that he could hardly make a sound, and every word he said was like coughing up blood, “The Northern Expeditionary Army… was ambushed by an avalanche at the Yinshan Pass… five thousand elite… the entire army… was wiped out.”
He paused, and the hall was deathly silent.
“General Xiao…in order to cover the remnant troops’ breakout…he personally cut off the rear…” Wen Boyan raised his head, his once warm eyes were now empty and dull, “When the general saw him for the last time…he was hit by three arrows…and fell into the deep valley…”
His voice became lower and lower, and his body began to shake: “General Xiao… I’m afraid… something bad has happened…”
After the last word fell, Wen Boyan fell forward, fell heavily on the shiny gold bricks of the hall, and completely lost consciousness.
“Captain Wen——” Xie Heng’s exclamation sounded almost at the same time.
Xie Heng coughed suddenly, not a light cough, but a heartbreaking cough.He covered his mouth with his hands, but bright red blood seeped out from between his fingers, dripping on the front of the crimson official robe, spreading out the shocking dark color.
“Thank you Pushe!”
“Send it to the doctor quickly!”
The hall was in chaos. Xu Shuhuai rushed forward to support Xie Heng, who was on the verge of collapse, feeling that his body was shaking violently.
Xie Heng’s face was frighteningly white, but his lips were stained with blood, and his eyes were filled with some kind of almost crazy pain.He stared at Wen Boyan who was unconscious on the ground, and seemed to look through him at the snowfields in the north thousands of miles away.
“Xiao Jue…” He muttered the name silently, and another mouthful of blood welled up.
Xu Shuhuai held him tightly and whispered urgently: “Pushe! Hold on!”
However, Xie Heng pushed him away violently, staggered two steps forward, and bowed deeply to the emperor on the throne. This action made him cough more fiercely, and blood spattered on the gold bricks.
“Your Majesty…” His voice was broken due to coughing up blood, but it was extremely clear, “I… please order me to go north… to find General Xiao…”
“Nonsense!” the emperor shouted, “Xie Heng, you are an important minister of the central government, how can you leave without permission? The situation in the north is unknown, and you are going to die if you go!”
“Then let me die.” Xie Heng raised his head, with blood stains still hanging on the corners of his mouth, “Xiao Jue can’t die in an unknown way. He wants to see people when he is alive, and when he dies… I also want to take him home.”
“You!”
Xie Heng slowly stood up straight and said word by word, “If Your Majesty does not allow it, I will take off this official robe today and go north in civilian clothes.”
He said it too calmly. It was not a minister asking for orders, but a man making the final bet with his whole life.
The emperor was so angry that his face was livid. He pointed at Xie Heng and was speechless for a long time. Finally, he walked away with his sleeves: “Retreat from the court! Carry Wen Boyan down for treatment! Xie Heng… stay in the mansion and don’t go anywhere!”
When Wen Boyan woke up, he smelled the elegant fragrance of plum blossoms.
What he saw when he opened his eyes was the top of the brocade tent embroidered with the lotus pattern, and he was covered with a soft and warm brocade quilt.The wound on his wrist was carefully bandaged, the dirt on his body was cleaned, and he was put on a clean middle coat.
This is an exquisite dormitory, elegantly furnished, and the charcoal pot is burning brightly, dispelling the severe cold in winter.But Wen Boyan only felt cold, the cold seeping from the cracks in his bones.
“Are you awake?”
A gentle female voice came from behind the screen, and a woman in her thirties dressed in palace clothes walked out slowly. She had a delicate appearance, and there was a gentleness that had accumulated over the years between her eyebrows, but upon closer inspection, there was a hint of calculation hidden deep in her eyes.
She is Lady Zhou, the most trusted palace eunuch around Concubine Zheng, and her master who has been hidden in the dark for so many years.
Wen Boyan struggled to sit up, but Mrs. Zhou gently pushed him back to the bed: “You are seriously injured, and you have been running all the way, so you are lying down.”
She sat down on the embroidered pillar beside the bed and reached out to touch his forehead. “The fever is gone. The imperial doctor said that you are cold to the bone and you need to take good care of yourself.”
Her movements were gentle and her tone was caring, like a sister who truly cared about her younger brother, but Wen Boyan was stiff all over.
He asked hoarsely, “General Xiao, is he really dead?”
Mrs. Zhou smiled slightly, her smile was still gentle, but it made Wen Boyan feel cold in her heart: “Avalanche, ambush, desperate valley, severe cold… Even a tough man can’t survive it. Boyan, you did a good job.”
“Those five thousand soldiers…” Wen Boyan closed his eyes, “And Zuo Yunci…”
“Those who achieve great things don’t stick to trivial matters.” Madam Zhou’s voice was still soft. “Xiao Jue has great achievements and military power. He has joined forces with Xie Heng and has become a serious problem for the imperial concubine and the Wang family. He must die.”
Wen Boyan did not open his eyes, but murmured: “My sister…”
Lady Zhou’s hand gently stroked the broken hair on his forehead, her movements as gentle as a mother’s, “In Jiangnan Zhuangzi, you have no worries about food and clothing. Master praised your sister for studying hard, and the female beauty has also grown. When you take good care of yourself and make greater achievements, maybe… you can take them to Guzang for reunion.”
Wen Boyan’s eyelashes trembled. As soon as he closed his eyes, he could see that winter night ten years ago.
When he was thirteen years old, his father was imprisoned for being involved in a corruption case, and his family property was confiscated.My mother fell ill and passed away not long after.He and his four-year-old sister were left behind, and the two children were living on the streets.
Winter in the north can freeze people to death, so they huddled in a ruined temple. Their sister had a high fever and was crying from hunger.He went to beg for food, but was beaten to the ground and came back bleeding. He only got half a sour bun.
Just when he thought his family was going to freeze to death and starve to death that winter, Mrs. Zhou appeared.
She was sitting in an inconspicuous green cloth car and wearing a simple and elegant coat and skirt, looking like an ordinary woman.She gave them hot porridge and cotton-padded clothes, asked a doctor to cure her sister’s illness, and arranged for them to live in a clean yard.
“I know what happened to your father was unjust.” Madam Zhou touched his head and sighed, “But the matters in the court are very complicated. You are still young. If you want to avenge your father and protect your younger brothers and sisters, you must survive first, and you must… have strength.”
She sent him to learn martial arts and her sister to study. She taught him how to read and understand, and also taught him how to observe emotions.She never explicitly said what she wanted him to do, but he knew that none of it was for free.
When he was sixteen years old, Mrs. Zhou gave him a task for the first time, to approach an official and get some information.When he finished, Mrs. Zhou was very satisfied and gave him a piece of silver and said, “Buy some winter clothes for my sister.”
That night, he looked at his sleeping sister and sat in the yard until dawn holding the piece of silver.
From then on, there were more and more small tasks like this, and he gradually understood that the person standing behind Madam Zhou was a noble person in the palace.When he asked why he was chosen, Mrs. Zhou just smiled softly: “Because you are smart, tolerant, and you have a weakness.”
His sister was his weak point. They were placed in a village somewhere in the south of the Yangtze River, with no worries about food and clothing, but he could only see them once or twice a year, and they were always accompanied by someone from Madam Zhou.
After joining the army, he worked hard on the battlefield, gradually climbed to Xiao Jue’s side, and became General Xiao’s trusted confidant.All this was arranged and assisted by Mrs. Zhou.
She gave him a future, the ability to support his sister, and the shackles he could never break free from.
“Bo Yan,” Mrs. Zhou’s voice brought him back from his memories, “you have made great achievements this time, and the concubine is very satisfied. When you take good care of yourself, there will be a better future waiting for you.”
Wen Boyan opened his eyes, looked at Mrs. Zhou’s gentle face, and suddenly asked: “What if I didn’t follow the secret order?”
Madam Zhou’s smile faded a little, but she was still gentle: “Silly boy, how could you do this? You are a good brother, you have always been.”
The light words were like the heaviest chains, binding him so hard that he couldn’t breathe.
If he wanted to protect his sister, he could only listen to Madam Zhou and watch Zuo Yunci die and watch five thousand of his colleagues buried in the snow valley.
The sound of more drums was heard outside the hall.
Madam Zhou stood up and said, “You should rest well. You must drink the medicine prescribed by the imperial doctor on time.” She paused, and there was a hint of coldness in her smile. “As for Xie Heng… If he really wants to go to the north to die, it will save his worries.”
She left, leaving behind a room full of plum fragrance and a lifeless desolation in Wen Boyan’s eyes.
After Xie Heng returned home, he coughed up blood for half the night. Xu Shuhuai force-fed him a soothing decoction before he fell into a drowsy sleep.But before dawn the next day, Xie Heng woke up.
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the brightening sky outside the window, with no expression on his face.Get up as usual, change clothes, tie your hair, and dress neatly.
“Xie Heng, what are you going to do?” When Xu Shuhuai rushed into his room, Xie Heng was wiping a long sword that had not been used for a long time.
“Go north.” Xie Heng’s voice was very calm, terrifyingly calm.
“You are crazy! His Majesty has issued an order to reprimand you. If you leave without permission, you are disobeying the order!”
Xie Heng raised his eyes and said in a cold voice: “Then resist the decree.”
Xu Shuhuai gasped, “Xie Heng, you can’t do this. What will happen to Nan Qiao if you leave? Xiao Jue may have…”
“Then bring his bones back. You want to see people alive, and you want to see his corpse when he’s dead. He can’t be left alone in that snow.” Xie Heng interrupted him, “Nan Qiao will ask you to take care of her. I knew you two were in love.”
“Even if you want to go, you should send troops to search and rescue. You, a civil servant…”
Xie Heng said word by word, “I am the person he trusts most. Only I know where he may be. Only I know…even if he dies, he will leave some mark waiting for me.”
Xu Shuhuai was stunned. Looking at Xie Heng’s pale face and the almost paranoid determination in his eyes, he suddenly understood that it was useless to say anything.
Xie Heng gathered three thousand personal guards of the Xie family. Most of these personal guards were descendants of the old Xie family, and their loyalty was unquestionable.
Just as they were preparing to leave the city, the eunuch from the palace came with the imperial edict.
“Your Majesty has a decree! Xie Heng accepts the decree——”
The eunuch’s high-pitched voice was particularly harsh in the cold morning wind. The edict was very long. He rebuked Xie Heng for disregarding the overall situation, making arbitrary decisions, and betraying the grace of God. He was ordered to go back to his residence immediately to think about his mistakes behind closed doors. No edict would be issued.
Xie Heng sat on the horse and listened quietly.Then he galloped forward, and under the horrified eyes of the eunuch, he reached out and took the imperial edict.
The next second, there was a “stab” sound.
The bright yellow silk was torn in half in his hands, and then torn again, and the pieces were scattered on the ground.
Tearing up the imperial edict is a capital crime.
Xie Heng didn’t even look at the fragments. He just said to Xie Wu, the commander of the personal guards, “Get out of the city.”
“Xie Pushe! You…you are treasonous!” the eunuch screamed.
Xie Heng looked back at him, his eyes so cruel that the eunuch swallowed back his words.
“I bear all the blame alone.” Xie Heng’s voice could be heard clearly in the cold wind, “But today, I must go north.”
He paused and glanced at the frightened eunuchs and silent guards, word by word, as if they were carved into an inscription: “The pen of history is like iron. You can remember that I, Xie Heng, are disloyal in resisting the decree today, and you can also remember that you are here to hinder my general who will save the country. It is unjust.”
“If you are willing to share the burden of this eternal infamy, please step forward and stop me.”
Three thousand personal guards agreed in unison, their horses’ hooves crushed the fragments of the imperial edict on the ground, rushed out of the city gate, and headed north.
Xu Shuhuai stood on the tower, watching the group disappear into the northern wind and snow, and sighed deeply.He turned around and whispered to the entourage beside him: “Immediately send a message to all our men in the north to find General Xiao at all costs and protect Xie Pushe.”
The wind and snow in the north were more cruel than Xie Heng imagined.On the third day after they left the customs, they encountered a snowstorm.Although Xie Heng is a civil servant, he has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. His only shortcoming is his weak physique.The severe cold in the north still made him suffer a lot.
Based on Wen Boyan’s vague description and military maps, they struggled to find the desperate valley.Encountering a small group of Hu Qi on the way, the guards fought tooth and nail to protect him from the siege, but at the cost of more than 300 guards staying in the snowy field forever.
On the fifteenth day, they finally found the valley.
The sight in front of them made everyone take a breath. The valley was almost completely filled with snow, and only a few protruding rocks could still reveal the original terrain.Broken flags and broken weapons were scattered on the snow, as well as bones that had been chewed by wild beasts.
“Separately search!” Xie Heng’s voice was hoarse, “I want to see him alive, and I want to find him even if he dies…”
Thousands of people spread out, looking for possible survivors in the vast snowfields.But there is little hope.More than a month has passed. In such a severe cold, even if he didn’t die at the time, there would be no chance of survival.
Xie Heng personally climbed down a steep slope and rummaged through the snow inch by inch.His hands were red from the cold and his fingertips were cracked and bleeding, but he felt no pain.He just kept digging, calling the name.
“Xiao Jue…Xiao Jue!”
The only answer he received was the roar of the wind.
When it was getting dark, Xie Wu found him with red eyes: “Master Lang… found several corpses of our own people, but… none of the general’s.”
Xie Heng knelt in the snow, motionless.He didn’t believe that Xiao Jue had disappeared like this. He was the God of War in the North and someone who could single-handedly establish a defense line on this land.Even if he dies, he will leave traces.
Xie Heng suddenly remembered something and stood up suddenly: “Go to the east ridge! Wen Boyan said that he finally sent troops to explore the east ridge!”
They climbed up the east ridge overnight. The terrain here was even more steep, and some people almost slipped off the cliff several times.Xie Heng’s hand was cut to pieces by the ice rock, but he simply bandaged it and continued to move upward.
In the darkest moment before dawn, they found several frozen bodies under a rock crevice in the lee of the mountain ridge.Judging from the attire, he is a soldier of the Beifu Army.The corpses were rigor mortis, but strangely, they were gathered in a circle, with a small pile of long-extinguished ashes in the middle.
Xie Heng squatted down and inspected carefully.He touched a hard object under a corpse.
It was half a piece of jade pendant. The jade pendant was stained with blackened blood and had cracks on the edges.It was frozen in the snow, but when you hold it in your hand, you can still feel a trace of warmth that seems to come from its owner.
“He’s still alive…” Xie Heng murmured, then raised his head suddenly, “He must be still alive!”
Xie Heng forced himself to calm down. If Xiao Jue was injured, he would not be able to go far.He left the jade pendant here to leave clues for those who came after him.
Xie Heng looked around carefully. The crevice in the rock was not deep, but it was barely sheltered from the wind.There were drag marks on the ground, and some blood stains that had frozen into ice beads, extending deep into the rock crevices.
He followed the traces and walked in. The crevice became narrower and narrower, and in the end only one person could pass sideways.Xie Wu followed behind holding a torch. The flickering light of the fire reflected the mottled blood stains on the rock wall.
They saw a person huddled in an extremely hidden depression in the deepest part of the rock crevice.
The man was covered with thick snow, almost blending in with his surroundings.He was wearing a tattered military uniform, and his left arm was hastily bandaged with a torn off piece of clothing. The blood had frozen into dark brown.His face was pale, his lips were chapped and bleeding, his eyes were closed tightly, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
Xie Heng’s breathing stagnated, and he almost rushed towards him. He used trembling hands to explore Xiao Jue’s breath. Although it was as weak as a candle in the wind, he still had breath.
“Xiao Jue…Xiao Jue!” Xie Heng gently patted his face, and his tentacles were cold.
Xie Heng quickly checked his injuries. The wound on his left arm was deep and had festered and suppurated. It was obvious that it had not been treated in time.There were many frostbites on his body, the most serious ones being his legs, which were almost unconscious.
But the most deadly thing was the body temperature. Xiao Jue’s body was as cold as ice, and his pulse was so weak that he could hardly feel it.It was a miracle that he lasted for more than a month in this severe cold.
“Xie Wu! Bring me my mink fur! Make a fire! Hot water!” Xie Heng gave a series of orders, his voice trembling.
He took off his mink fur and wrapped it tightly around Xiao Jue. Then he untied his robe and put Xiao Jue’s cold body into his arms, using his body temperature to warm him.Xiao Jue’s body was so cold that Xie Heng himself shivered, but he hugged her tighter.
The guards quickly raised a fire at the entrance of the rock crevice to burn the snow and water.Xie Heng carefully fed Xiao Jue warm water, soaked a cloth with hot water, and wiped his frostbitten hands and feet.
This process was long and difficult, and Xiao Jue never woke up. He only occasionally let out weak moans and moved his lips as if he was saying something.
Xie Heng put her ear close to his lips and heard the broken syllables: “…go…go quickly…”
At this time, I still want to let others go.
Xie Heng’s eyes heated up, and he lowered his head and kissed Xiao Jue’s cold forehead. His voice was soft but firm: “This time, I will guard you.”
He warmed Xiao Jue’s hands and feet over and over again, called his name over and over again, and told him over and over again: “I’m here, I found you, it’s okay…”
The sky is bright and dark, and it is dark and bright again.
Xie Heng kept watch and changed Xiao Jue’s dressing himself. When Xiao Jue’s wound began to ooze pus and blood, Xie Heng sucked out the pus from the rotten flesh with his mouth and applied the wound medicine he brought.Xie Wu wanted to replace him, but he refused.
“I’ll come.” Xie Heng just said that.
On the night of the third day, Xiao Jue developed a high fever.
He was hot all over, confused and began to talk nonsense.Sometimes he calls for formation, sometimes he calls Boyan, and sometimes he murmurs: “Yunci… I can’t help you…”
Xie Heng held his hand tightly and responded over and over again: “I’m here, I’m here, I’m here…”
At the most dangerous moment, Xiao Jue suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were unfocused, but he accurately met Xie Heng’s eyes.He looked at him for a long time, and then said very softly: “Aheng… it’s really you… I’m not dreaming…”
Xie Heng’s voice was choked with sobs, “It’s not a dream, I’m here.”
The corners of Xiao Jue’s mouth seemed to want to curve upward, but failed.He closed his eyes again and fell into a deeper coma, but his breathing became calmer.
On the seventh day, Xiao Jue’s high fever finally subsided.
When he woke up, Xie Heng was wiping his cheeks with warm water.Xiao Jue stared blankly at Xie Heng’s bloodshot eyes and haggard face, and after a long time he said hoarsely: “Why…are you here?”
Xie Heng paused for a moment and continued wiping, “Come and collect the body.”
Xiao Jue wanted to laugh, but he pulled his chapped lips and frowned in pain.Xie Heng immediately moistened his lips with a cloth soaked in water.
“Others…” Xiao Jue asked.
Xie Heng was silent for a moment: “Wen Boyan fled back with three people. He said you fell off a cliff.”
Xiao Jue closed his eyes and his Adam’s apple moved. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with pain: “There are only four of the five thousand people left. Yun Ci…”
“I know everything.” Xie Heng held his hand, “Recover from the injury first, and let’s settle the score slowly.”
Xiao Jue looked at him and suddenly asked: “How did you find this place?”
Xie Heng took out the half piece of jade pendant from his arms and placed it in Xiao Jue’s hand: “Because of it.”
Xiao Jue held the jade pendant tightly, rubbed the lines on it with his fingers, and whispered: “I’m afraid that if I die, I won’t even leave you a thought.”
Xie Heng said word for word, “I will not let you die.”
Xiao Jue looked at him and suddenly smiled, “Aheng, you must be very majestic in resisting the decree.”
Xie Heng raised his eyebrows: “How do you know?”
“I guessed it.” Xiao Jue closed his eyes, “Because that’s how you are.”
Outside the rock crevice, the wind and snow were still howling.But in this shelter dug and reinforced by Xie Heng himself, the fire burned quietly, warming the two scarred people who finally reunited.
Xie Heng looked at Xiao Jue’s sleeping profile and reached out to gently brush away the messy hair from his forehead.
This time, no matter how many conspiracies and difficulties there are ahead, he will never give in.
Never.
[The author has something to say]
Blowing the horn of rebellion [bad laugh]