Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 52
byChapter 52 A Thousand Mountains Together
What is the crime of being lonely and loyal? The history is reduced to ashes
On the third day at the West Posthouse in Yunzhong City, Wang Xian finally got what he needed.
Late at night, the doors and windows of the study room in the innermost room of the posthouse were closed, and the charcoal fire was burning brightly, but it still could not dispel the chill of the winter night in the north.Wang Xian was wrapped in a thick mink fur and sat behind a desk with a blank piece of letterhead spread out in front of him.These letterheads are made of fine paper and have dark silver lines on the edges, which are the same as those commonly used in the Xie family.
This was the spy who had been placed in the Xie Mansion for many years by the Wang family. He secretly rubbed the pattern from Xie Heng’s study and tried his best to imitate it.
A middle-aged scribe with an ordinary face stood beside the case, writing slowly on the letterhead with a special fine pen.His handwriting is actually 70-80% similar to Xie Heng’s, but it lacks a bit of Xie Heng’s unique solemn character and has more craftsmanship that is deliberately imitated.
“Thirty carts of grain and fodder under the command of King Zuoxian of Beirong have been prepared at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain. Waiting for the snow to melt at the pass, we will act as agreed…” The scribe read out the content in a low voice while writing, and his voice was calm, “…suspiciousness has arisen in the court, and it needs to be resolved quickly…After the matter is completed, the three states of Youyun…”
Wang Xian squinted as he listened and tapped his fingers on the table: “That’s enough. There’s no need to write too detailedly. It’s best to leave some room for imagination.”
The scribe stopped writing and handed the three-page letter to Wang Xian.Wang Xian took it and read it carefully twice, then checked the paper texture and the ink shade by the candlelight, and finally nodded: “Okay. Seal it with fire paint, and use the imitation Xie Heng’s private seal as the seal.”
The scribe hesitated for a moment, “Although this plan is wonderful, your Majesty has always relied heavily on Xie Heng. I’m afraid…”
“The one your Majesty relies on is the obedient Xie Heng.” Wang Xian sneered, “Will your Majesty still rely on a man who has troops outside and tears up the imperial edict? What’s more…”
He paused, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes: “Uncle said in the letter that arrangements have been made with Concubine Zheng. Madam Zhou will whisper in His Majesty’s ear. The Xie family has prided itself on being clean and has offended many people over the years. You should understand the reason why everyone is pushing against the wall.”
The scribe stopped talking and skillfully sealed the letter and stamped it with an imitation seal.After the fire paint solidified, the collaborationist letter looked seamless.
“Early tomorrow morning, we will use our own post road to rush back to Guzang for 800 miles.” Wang Xian handed the letter to his confidant, “Remember, let the guards at several checkpoints along the way see the urgency of the messenger. When the letter reaches Guzang, before entering the palace, the commander of the imperial army guarding the palace gate will accidentally see the mark on the envelope.”
“My subordinate understands.”
Ten days later, the charcoal fire in the royal study was warm, but the emperor felt a chill in his heart.On the desk in front of him, there were two things spread out: one was a collaboration letter sent by Wang Xian.It is also a secret report from a secret investigation, about Xu Shuhuai’s unusual stay and assistance after the fire in Xie’s mansion, the recent unusual fund transfers of the Xu family firm, and the rumors that Xie Heng and Xiao Jue in Yunzhong City in the north ate and slept together and were inseparable.
The emperor’s fingers tapped on the letter of collaboration with the enemy, and then moved to the secret report, his brows frowning more and more.
“Your Majesty,” the middle-aged eunuch standing aside carefully spoke carefully, “this letter… Although the handwriting is very similar, Xie Pushe has always been loyal and sincere, maybe…”
The emperor suddenly interrupted him, with suppressed anger in his voice, “A loyal person would leave the center without permission and go to the north? Will he tear up my imperial edict? Would he eat and sleep with the border generals, so that the tens of thousands of Beifu troops only know Xiao Jue and Xie Heng, not me?!”
The eunuch was so frightened that he fell to his knees: “Your Majesty, please calm down! My servant… I just feel that relying on a letter alone is too…”
The emperor grabbed the secret report and threw it heavily in front of the eunuch, “A letter? Take a look! Look what we found! Why did Xu Shuhuai work so hard on the fire in the Xie Mansion? His Xu family is half a businessman, so why did he frequently come into contact with the old Xie family? And in the north, why did Xiao Jue only listen to Xie Heng when he was seriously injured? Why did those thousands of remnant soldiers obey Xie Heng’s words?!”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and his chest heaved: “I know that in order to balance the government over the years, I have relied heavily on the Wang family and suppressed Qingliu. Xie Heng has resentment in his heart, and I understand. But no matter how much resentment you have, you cannot cooperate with the enemy! Support your troops and respect yourself!”
The eunuch fell to the ground, sweating.He knew that the emperor was furious at the moment, and any persuasion might add fuel to the fire.But he also knew that the Wang family and Concubine Zheng needed this fire to burn brighter.
His heart skipped a beat, and he raised his head with a look of worry on his face: “Your Majesty is wise and discerning. I am stupid, but I am just worried that Xie Pushe has been in charge of the Ministry of War after all, and has been in the north for some time. If he really has a disobedient heart and joins forces with General Xiao, the old troops of the Beifu Army will be spread all over the border…”
He deliberately stopped here, leaving endless room for imagination.
The emperor’s pupils suddenly contracted.
The Beifu Army was established by Xie Heng, who saved the entire Southern Dynasty and knew military affairs well.Xiao Jue is the God of War in the North and is highly respected among the border troops.If these two people join forces… plus the financial resources of the Xu family, the clear hopes of the Xie family, and those forces that are dissatisfied with the Wang family and the government…
A chill ran down my spine.
The eunuch’s voice was even lower, with a bewitching tone, “Your Majesty, although Xie Pushe refused the order outside the palace, he did not make the situation public. If he presses the case in a big way at this time, it is tantamount to forcing him to tear his face, which may lead to changes. It is better to issue a secret order first to test his heart. If he is still willing to come back, it means that the matter has changed, and his mind may be redeemed.”
He paused and said softly: “If he disobeys orders or shows signs of mischief, for the sake of the country and the country, he should be cut off.”
The emperor’s expression changed in the flickering candlelight. He recalled Xie Heng’s talent and reputation as a boy, his passion when he advocated the reform of the military system, and his stubbornness when he repeatedly advised to suppress the aristocratic family.In the end, all the pictures were fixed on the torn imperial edict.
The emperor slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was only a coldness in his eyes, “The decree.”
The secret edict was drawn up late at night, using special silk and stamped with the secret edict seal that the emperor rarely used.The content is concise: “The left servant of Shangshu shot Xie Heng, and his behavior was suspicious, which made me feel uneasy. The Lord of Yunzhong City will monitor secretly. If there is any sign of disobedience, or if he resists the order and fails to return, he can be killed on the spot to avoid future troubles.”
There was no mention of treason, or even a clear charge.If someone behaves suspiciously, I will feel uneasy, and I can kill him on the spot with just one sentence.
This is more terrifying than any solid accusation. It means that the emperor’s trust in Xie Heng has completely collapsed.Life and death only depend on the emperor’s thoughts.
The person who conveyed the order was an inconspicuous little eunuch beside the emperor, who quietly left the city with two master secret guards, pretending to be an ordinary caravan.The route was carefully planned, avoiding all post roads that might be noticed by the Xie family or their spies.
But after all their calculations, they failed to count one person—Xu Shuhuai.
After the fire in the Xie Mansion, Xu Shuhuai publicly reduced his contacts with the Xie family, but secretly maximized the intelligence network that the Xu family had run for many years.He knows better than anyone else that this fire came out of nowhere, and the actions of the Wang family and the palace will never stop here.
In the secret room of the Xu Mansion, a travel-worn messenger knelt on one knee and lowered his voice, “There is news from the north that Wang Xian is making frequent moves in Yunzhong City. Our people stationed on the post road discovered that a group of suspicious business travelers secretly left the city tonight, heading towards the north. The leader is an unfamiliar chamberlain, but he has excellent riding skills and is not like an ordinary eunuch.”
Xu Shuhuai was checking the account books sent by Jiangnan. When he heard this, he raised his head and a sharp light flashed in his eyes: “How many people?”
“Three. But the other two have strong breaths and strong steps. They should be masters.”
Xu Shuhuai put down his account book and walked to the map of the North hanging on the wall. His fingers slowly moved along the routes from Guzang to Yunzhong City.
“Wang Xian just sent an urgent letter back to Beijing a few days ago, and now there are secret envoys heading north…” He muttered to himself, suddenly turned around, “Stop them, and intercept what they brought with them at any cost.”
“That’s from the palace…”
“I know.” Xu Shuhuai’s voice was cold, “That’s why I intercepted it. If it was really an ordinary will, why should he be so sneaky? Xie Heng is already walking on thin ice in the north, and there can’t be any more surprises.”
He paused and added: “Be clean, don’t leave any survivors alive, and don’t leave any traces pointing to the Xu family. Once you get the things, make a copy immediately, and use our fastest channel to send the original to Yunzhong City. The copy… I will use it.”
“Yes!”
Five days later, Xu Shuhuai got the secret order. He stared at the cold words on the silk, his fingers trembling slightly.
“If you behave suspiciously, I feel uneasy… but I can kill you on the spot…”
He knew Xie Heng very well. He might be stubborn, strong-willed, or unwilling to compromise on certain things, but his loyalty to the court and the country had never been half false.But now, in exchange for this loyalty, he could be killed on the spot with a light word.
Xu Shuhuai took a deep breath. He carefully folded the copied copy, stuffed it into an ordinary envelope, and called his confidants: “Send this to Xie’s Mansion and give it to Madam Xie. There is no need to say anything. She will understand after reading it.”
He picked up the original document, put it into another special waterproof tarpaulin bag, and handed it to another courier who was already waiting: “Take a secret route, use the fastest horse, and send it to Yunzhong City day and night. Hand it over to the Xie Pu Archer in person, and it must not pass through the hands of a second person.”
“Don’t worry, Da Sinong, you will definitely live up to your mission.”
The messenger disappeared into the night, and Xu Shuhuai stood alone in the secret room, looking at the flickering candlelight without moving for a long time.
He knew that once this secret decree was delivered to Xie Heng’s hands, some things would never be undone.But if he doesn’t send it, will Xie Heng be stabbed in the back without knowing it?
Outside the window, the night in Guzang City was silent and deep, but Xu Shuhuai knew that under this silence, the undercurrent had surged into huge waves.
And he, and everyone involved, has stood at a fork in the road of fate.
When the secret decree was delivered to Yunzhong City, it was already ten days later.
Xie Heng was discussing with Xiao Jue, Chen Yu and others in the main hall of the military camp about resettling the refugees and resuming spring farming after the beginning of spring.The winter in the north is long, but the cold winter will eventually pass. If we don’t plan early, when the snow melts, thousands of homeless people will become a greater hidden danger.
“The wasteland east of the city can be reclaimed, but it needs a water diversion canal…”
As Xie Heng was talking, the soldiers hurried in, whispered a few words, and handed over an oilcloth bag stained with dust.
Xie Heng took it and knew it was not an ordinary object with his tentacles. He nodded to Xiao Jue and others: “You guys discuss it first, I’ll be back soon.”
He returned to his temporary room, closed the door and opened the oilcloth bag.There was only a page of silk inside, and the familiar secret edict seal came into view.
Xie Heng’s eyes slowly swept over the silk fabric, without any expression on his face.There was only a bottomless calm, and he stood like that and looked at it for a long time.
Outside the window came the sound of soldiers practicing chants, in the distance there was the sound of people repairing houses, and even further away was the sound of the vast wind in the north.
These are the things he wants to protect.
But now those who guard these things will be killed on the spot by the king they are loyal to.
Xie Heng suddenly smiled. The smile was as light as the frost that condensed and melted quickly on the window in winter.
He walked to the charcoal basin and put a corner of the silk fabric close to the flame.The bright yellow silk ignites when exposed to fire and quickly turns to ashes.The firelight reflected his calm face and the gray on his temples that could never be recovered.
After doing all this, he opened the study door and walked back to the main hall.
Xiao Jue noticed his abnormality immediately. Although Xie Heng’s face still had the usual gentleness, something in those eyes completely sank and could no longer float up.
“Aheng?” Xiao Jue stood up.
Xie Heng walked up to him, looked into his eyes, and his voice was as calm as if he was stating a fact that had nothing to do with him: “We can’t go back.”
Xiao Jue’s pupils shrank suddenly, and he didn’t ask why, because he could read everything from Xie Heng’s eyes.He just held Xie Heng’s hand firmly.The cold hands trembled slightly, but they were held tightly.
Chen Yu and others looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what was going on, but they all felt the weight of an impending rain.
Xie Heng turned to them, his tone still calm: “Everyone, please continue the discussion just now. There is no time to delay the beginning of spring.”
That afternoon, the discussions in the main hall of the military camp went on as usual.Xie Heng was clear and logical, while Xiao Jue was still decisive.But everyone felt that something was different.
That night, midnight.Outside the south gate of Yunzhong City, a team quietly gathered.
There were only a few people, about a thousand, all wearing old-style Beifu military uniforms. Although they had been worn by the years, they were clean.Most of them are no longer young, their temples are stained with frost, and their faces are engraved with traces of wind and frost, but their postures are still upright and their eyes are like eagles.
The leader is a veteran who is over fifty years old. His surname is Yang, and his last name is the character “lie”.He is the old subordinate of General Han. After General Han died in the battle, he returned to his fields and lived in seclusion in a villa somewhere in the north.Tonight, he quietly arrived here with all the old Beifu Army troops he could contact.
The city gate slowly opened, and Xie Heng and Xiao Jue walked out side by side.Xiao Jue’s injury has not healed and his face is still pale, but he can walk on his own.Xie Heng supported him, and the two of them walked step by step in front of the more than a thousand people.
Yang Lie looked at them, his eyes moving from Xiao Jue’s face to Xie Heng’s face, and then from Xie Heng’s Ranshuang temples to their tightly held hands.
He suddenly knelt down on one knee and said in an old but loud voice: “Yang Lie, an old member of the Beifu Army, led 1,327 brothers to pay homage to Pu She! Pay homage to the general!”
More than a thousand people behind him knelt down in unison, and the sound of armor scraping was particularly clear in the silent night wind: “I am willing to shoot with my servants! I am willing to follow the general!”
Xiao Jue’s eyes suddenly turned red. He broke away from Xie Heng’s hand and took a step forward to help Han Lie up: “Uncle Yang, you… why are you doing this…”
Yang Lie refused to get up and raised his head with tears in his eyes: “General, when General Han died in battle, the brothers swore to guard the northern border for him. But the court…the court is unfair!”
He burst into tears: “Five thousand brothers were buried in the snowy field, but the court didn’t ask! The general was seriously injured and dying, but the court didn’t save him! Xie Pushe went north with sincerity, but he was followed by suspicion and pursuit! Such a court, such a king… is it still worthy of loyalty?!”
“Uncle Yang…” Xiao Jue’s voice was choked.
Xie Heng stepped forward and stood side by side with Xiao Jue.He bent down and helped Yang Lie up with both hands, and his eyes slowly glanced at the former members of the Beifu Army who were kneeling on the ground.
Some of these faces he recognized, some he didn’t.But they all have the same thing in their eyes, which is a kind of loyalty that has settled down after many vicissitudes of life, and a kind of determination that will last forever.
He knew that by kneeling here tonight, these people were betting their lives and family’s future on him and Xiao Jue.
Once you set foot on this road, it will be an abyss.
Xie Heng raised his head and looked south.That was the direction of Guzang City, the direction of the palace he once swore allegiance to.
There were stars in the night sky, and the cold wind howled by, rolling up the broken battle flag at the top of the city.
After a while, Xie Heng spoke slowly, in a low voice, “Since I can’t go back…”
He paused, held Xiao Jue’s hand, clasped their fingers together, and said, word by word, loudly, “Then I will be the villain who steals the country and will bear the infamy for thousands of years.”
“Xiao Jue, are you willing to share this eternal infamy with me?”
He used his strength to stand up straight, ignoring his crumbling injured body, and placed his other hand heavily on Xie Heng’s shoulder, as if to suppress all his weight and belief:
“If you choose this path, there will be mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead of you, and I will cut the thorns and level the ravines for you. If there is an abyss behind you…”
He paused, and the corners of his mouth curved in an almost ferocious arc: “I am the first withered bone that lies under your feet.”
Xie Heng smiled and turned to the silent Northern Army behind him. His voice spread clearly: “Everyone can see that it is not me, Xie Heng, who is disloyal. It is the imperial court that has cut itself off from the Northern Territory. From now on, the lives of General Xiao and I are tied to the progress of all of you and the safety of the Northern Territory.”
As soon as the words fell, the night wind became stronger.Three hundred old members of the Beifu Army roared in unison, their voices suppressed and powerful.
Xiao Jue turned his head and looked at Xie Heng’s calm and firm profile under the starlight. He suddenly felt that all the pain and struggle he had ever had had found the answer at this moment.
He held Xie Heng’s hand instead, harder, and harder.
He turned around, facing the south, facing the old mountains and rivers that they were about to destroy and rebuild with their own hands, and slowly raised the sword in his hand.
Where the sword pointed, the stars and the moon were without light.