Why Does Mr. Xie Favor Me? Chapter 56
byChapter 56 The long night is coming to an end
The long night is coming to an end, and the morning light of the new sky has appeared
“Female Young Master, Master Xu.” A guard staggered over from the front yard, his voice trembling with excitement, “Outside…it’s chaos outside!”
Xie Nanqiao was re-bandaging a servant whose arm was injured. Hearing this, he stood up immediately: “Speak carefully!”
“Xie Pushe and the Beifu army have almost arrived outside the city. Wang…Wang Yuzong is dead!” The guard gasped, “The head was thrown into our yard. The Forbidden Army saw it, and people were in chaos! Deputy Commander He sent some people to check, and the number of troops surrounding the mansion was much smaller!”
Xu Shuhuai came back from inspecting the gatehouse and happened to hear this sentence, “Head? Who did it?”
“I don’t know…” the guard lowered his voice, “But there are rumors in the Forbidden Army that it is… Colonel Wen.”
This name made Xie Nanqiao and Xu Shuhuai silent at the same time.They looked at each other and saw complicated emotions in each other’s eyes.
“What’s going on outside now?” Xu Shuhuai asked quickly.
“Vice-Commander He wanted to suppress the news, but it has already spread. The remaining private soldiers of the Wang family are leaderless. Some want to run away, and some want to rob the palace’s property before running away. On the Forbidden Army, there were many people who were dissatisfied with the Wang family, and now they are even more unwilling to fight. The encirclement in front of our palace has been reduced by at least 30%!”
Xu Shuhuai immediately looked at Xie Nanqiao: “Nan Qiao, this is the time to break out. Once Wang Yuzong dies, the Wang family’s power will inevitably collapse. We can take advantage of the night…”
“No.” Xie Nanqiao shook his head, “Shuhuai, we can’t just think about breaking out on our own.”
She walked to the courtyard, looked at the exhausted but still insistent guards and said loudly: “Everyone! Wang Yuzong is dead! The king’s claws have been cut off! Outside the city, the Beifu army is approaching the city. Inside the city, the people have been resentful for a long time! Tonight we will not only break through the siege, but also set the city on fire!”
Her voice was not loud, but it carried a desperate aura: “Shu Huai, please lead a team of people to remove Wang Yuzong’s head, lift it high on a bamboo pole, and parade it through the main streets of the city! Let everyone see the fate of the traitor. At the same time, spread the news that the Beifu army will not kill the soldiers or disturb the people, but will only punish the culprits. Anyone who helps Zhou to commit cruelty, if he can change his side, will forget the past!”
Xu Shuhuai looked at her deeply, his eyes full of admiration and pride.This is the daughter of the Xie family, Xie Heng’s sister.
“Okay!” He nodded solemnly, “Shi Meng, pick twenty skilled brothers and follow me! The rest will protect the young master and listen to her orders!”
Xu Shuhuai’s operation was extremely smooth.
Wang Yuzong’s head was raised high, and under the light of the torch, his face was twisted and ferocious.Shi Meng led people along the street and shouted: “Wang Yuzong is dead! The traitor will be punished! The Beifu army is kind and virtuous. Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who help the emperor will suffer the same fate!”
At first, the people only dared to peek secretly through the cracks in the doors and windows, but when they really saw the head and heard those shouts, the anger and courage that had been suppressed for too long were finally ignited.
I don’t know who shouted first: “Old thief Wang is dead! God’s eyes are open!”
Then more and more people opened their doors and took to the streets.Armed with sticks, kitchen knives, and bricks, they spontaneously followed Xu Shuhuai’s team, gathering more and more like a snowball.
Seeing that the situation was over, some of the already wavering Imperial Guard soldiers simply threw away their weapons, took off their uniforms, and blended into the crowd.The private soldiers of the Wang family even felled trees and scattered hozens, scrambling to escape for their lives.
When Xu Shuhuai approached Xie Mansion again with a huge crowd, most of the imperial troops surrounding the mansion had already been defeated.The rest also retreated in embarrassment amid the glares and curses of the people.
The door of Xie Mansion finally opened, and Xie Nanqiao stood at the door, looking at Xu Shuhuai and the common people in ragged clothes but with bright eyes, his eyes burning.She took a deep breath, walked to the top of the steps, and saluted the crowd solemnly: “Xie Nanqiao, on behalf of my brother Xie Heng, and on behalf of the Beifu Army in the North, I would like to thank my aunt Zang for understanding the righteousness!”
Xie Nanqiao’s voice was clear and firm, “My brother and General Xiao are already outside the city. What they are doing is not the personal gain of one family, but the justice of all people in the world! Please help me today -”
She pulled out the short sword from her waist and pointed it in the direction of the palace:
“Open the city gate! Welcome the rebel army! Qingjun side! Open the peace!”
“Open the city gate! Welcome the rebel army!”
“Qingjun side! Open the peace!”
The roar of mountains and tsunami-like shouts resounded through the night sky of Guzang City.
During the busy time of organizing manpower, contacting internal responders, and preparing to respond outside the city, Xie Nanqiao was always a little uneasy.
Where is the man who cut off Wang Yuzong’s head now?Is he really just out for revenge, or does he have another agenda?
“Female young master,” an old member of the Xie family who was out looking for information quietly reported back, “someone found Wen Boyan… and the skeleton of a girl in Taolin in the west of the city. He… is already dead. It seems that he committed suicide.”
Xie Nanqiao was stunned. Xu Shuhuai walked up to her and shook her hand: “Want to take a look?”
She was silent for a moment and nodded.
The peach forest in the west of the city was eerily silent, and a few torches illuminated the small tomb.The bluestone tombstone stood crookedly, with crooked characters engraved on it.In front of the grave, Wen Boyan was lying on his side in a pool of blood. A deep cut on his left wrist had long since solidified.His face was facing the tombstone, his eyes were half-opened, staring blankly into the void, but there seemed to be a faint hint of relief at the corner of his mouth.
Xie Nanqiao stood in front of the grave, looking at the man who had set fire to her family’s library, but who eventually killed his enemy to atone for his sins with complicated emotions.
Looking at this desolate tomb and this cold corpse, my hatred was mixed with a hint of sadness.
Xu Shuhuai knelt down and inspected Wen Boyan’s belongings.Apart from a curled machete and a few pieces of dry food, there was only an old blood-stained booklet in his arms, with Zuo Yunci’s name written on it.
The booklet was carefully tied with a faded red rope. The cover was so worn that the words could not be read clearly, but the edge was extremely smooth, as if it had been touched countless times.
Xu Shuhuai gently untied the knot and opened the inner pages.The handwriting is beautiful and neat, and it records ordinary things: “It’s windy and cold today, and Ayan forgot to put on more clothes.”
“He said he wanted to eat cakes from the south of the city. I’ll go there early tomorrow.”
“If he comes home late, remember to warm a pot of wine.”
Until one page in the middle, the handwriting suddenly became hurried and scrawled, as if interrupted by something, but he wrote with force: “He came back today, and there were unwashed blood stains on the corners of his clothes. I didn’t ask anything, I just warmed the wine for him as usual. You didn’t say it, so you have difficulties that you can’t say. What I believe in is never the world, but you.”
On the last few pages, there is Wen Boyan’s own handwriting, which reads messily and repeatedly: “I would rather it was me who died.”
“I’d rather it was me who died.”
“I would rather…”
The ink stained a blurry gray-brown color by blood and tears. Xu Shuhuai remained silent for a long time. He gently closed the album and placed it back in Wen Boyan’s cold hand. His fingertips accidentally touched a thin piece of paper in the middle of the album. It turned out to be half an unfinished portrait. Only Wen Boyan’s eyebrows and eyes were carefully outlined, with a gentle smile.
There is a line of small words on the back: “You always frown in your dreams. It would be great if I could smooth it out for you once.”
Xu Shuhuai looked up at the desolate trail in the distance and whispered: “The book…if he could open it earlier, maybe…”
But there are some words that are too late to say.Some people never wait for the day they are forgiven.
Unfortunately, it’s too late.
Xie Nanqiao closed his eyes, took a deep breath of the cold air mixed with blood and the faint fragrance of peach blossoms, and then turned around, “Find a place to bury him and his sister…there is no need to erect a monument, and there is no need to record their names. Just let ashes return to ashes, and soil return to soil.”
The wind before dawn passed through the peach forest, picking up a few early withered peach petals and falling on the newly erected small tomb.
The color of blood mixed with the fragrance of flowers, at this moment of dawn, brought a hasty end to a twisted and painful grudge that was finally washed away with blood.
In the palace, the emperor was like a trapped beast, pacing crazily in the empty and cold hall, smashing everything within reach to the ground.
“Waste! They are all waste! Wang Yuzong is dead! Xie Nanqiao and Xu Shuhuai have run away! The city gate… the city gate will no longer be able to be defended! What’s the use of raising you?! What’s the use!”
His Highness’s eunuchs and guards were kneeling on the ground, all with earth-colored faces and trembling.
“Your Majesty, calm down…” an old eunuch advised in a trembling voice, “Vice Commander He is mobilizing the last manpower. He will definitely be able to hold on…”
“Guard? Guard with what?!” The emperor kicked over a bronze incense burner, causing ashes to fly. “The imperial army collapsed! The royal family’s private soldiers fled! Those untouchables! How dare they follow in the rebellion! I will kill them all.”
His eyes were bloodshot, and he suddenly rushed outside the palace and shouted: “Listen to me! No matter what the cost! Seize Xie Nanqiao and Xu Shuhuai! Live or die! I will take their heads and hang them on the tower! Let’s see if Xie Heng and Xiao Jue dare to attack the city!”
After roaring, he gasped, turned around and said sternly to the kneeling guard commander: “Go! Bring all the family members of those traitors to the tower! I want to see if Xie Heng wants the world or their lives!”
The next day, on the southern tower of Guzang City, a row of people tied with ropes were escorted to the crenel, along with the captured Xie Nanqiao and Xu Shuhuai, as well as a dozen other officials and their families.Most of them were injured and looked either angry or frightened.
The emperor climbed up the city tower under the heavy protection of his guards. Looking at the dark Beifu Army formation below the city, the last bit of reason burned out in his eyes.
He grabbed Xie Nanqiao, pushed her to the front, and shouted to the city: “Xie Heng! Look who this is! If you don’t want them to die without their whole bodies, retreat thirty miles immediately! Put down your weapons, tie yourself up and plead guilty! I… I may be a little lenient!”
Under the city, Xie Heng’s eyes suddenly solidified.He saw his sister being roughly pushed to the crenel, looked at the bruises on the corners of her mouth, the blood on her forehead, and her pale but straight face.
Xie Heng’s hands were slowly clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms.
Xiao Jue tensed up and almost urged him forward, but Xie Heng held his shoulders down.
Xiao Jue’s voice was hoarse, “Nan Qiao, she…”
“I know.” Xie Heng’s voice was so calm that only those who knew him best could hear the turbulence beneath the calm, “Gong.”
Xiao Jue gritted his teeth, took off the special three-stone bow from his back and handed it to him.He drew out another white-feathered arrow.
Xie Heng took it and slowly opened it.His bow-drawing posture was standard and stable, and his eyes were fixed on the crowned figure at the top of the tower.
When the emperor on the city wall saw this scene, he was so frightened that he stepped back and screamed: “Shoot the arrow! Shoot him to death!”
The crossbowmen on the city wall looked at the figure drawing the bow at the bottom of the city and the strict military formation behind him, but no one moved.
In this deadly confrontation, Xie Nanqiao suddenly used all his strength and shouted loudly: “Brother——”
“There is no one in the Xie family who is greedy for life and afraid of death! The world has been suffering and treacherous for a long time! Brother! General Xiao! Don’t worry about us! Let’s change the sky for this filthy world!”
“Shut up, you bitch!” a general beside the emperor shouted angrily, raising his hand to hit him.
Xu Shuhuai’s hands were tied, but he slammed away the general and stood in front of Xie Nanqiao: “Who dares to touch her!”
During the chaotic pushing and shoving, an overly nervous soldier subconsciously waved the handle of the knife in his hand and hit Xie Nanqiao hard on the abdomen.
“Uh!” Xie Nanqiao groaned, his face instantly turned pale, and his body fell softly.
“Nan Qiao!” Xu Shuhuai’s eyes were about to burst.
Under the city, Xiao Jue galloped his horse and was about to charge forward, but Xie Heng still held his shoulder and stared at the tower.
He let go of Xiao Jue’s hand.The bow string has been drawn to the full moon, and the arrow tip is slightly raised.
The target is no longer the emperor himself, but the twelve-pointed crown on his head that symbolizes supreme imperial power as well as corruption and injustice.
“Wha—” a crisp cracking sound.
The tassel of the crown was accurately shot, and the heavy crown rolled off the emperor’s head, clanging down the city wall. It rolled a few times and was covered in dust and mud, and never regained its former golden glory.
The emperor stood there blankly, with only a crooked bun on his head and a few strands of hair hanging loosely.He reached out and touched the empty top of his head, then looked down at the dirty crown on the ground, and then looked up at the figure holding the bow at the bottom of the city. His face changed from pale to ashen, and then from ashen to ashen.
Xie Heng put down his bow, and his voice passed through the cold morning wind and reached the ears of everyone in the city clearly: “Li Yanzuo, you are not worthy of being king.”
Nine words shattered the last majesty of the imperial power and the last shackles in the hearts of many people on the city wall.
After a short period of silence, shouts rang out: “Kill the faint king! Stand beside the clear king!”
Under the city, the Beifu army roared like a mountain and a tsunami.
And on the city, almost at the same time, there were loud shouts of killing and the roar of the people in the city like a tide: “Open the city gate! Welcome the rebels!”
“Kill you unconscious! Execute the traitor!”
They were the righteous people organized by Xie Nanqiao and Xu Shuhuai in advance, and they were the common people of Guzang who could not bear it anymore. They poured out from the streets and alleys and rushed towards the imperial army guarding the city and towards the palace.
Attacked from both inside and outside, the situation is over.
“The city gate is open——”
The heavy south gate of Guzang City was completely pushed open from the inside by the people in the city and the defecting defenders with a loud noise.
“Charge!” Xiao Jue unsheathed his long sword and swung it forward.
“Kill——”
The torrent that had been building up for a long time surged into the city.The palace’s resistance was laughably weak.
When Xie Heng and Xiao Jue led their troops into the palace gate, most of the eunuchs and maids had already fled, and Concubine Zheng had already committed suicide.The remaining guards also abandoned their weapons and knelt down.This palace, which once symbolized supremacy and imprisoned countless human natures and ideals, showed a decadent and illusory silence under the rising sun.
In front of the Tai Chi Hall, on the square paved with white marble, there was a crowd of people kneeling in the dark.There were officials who had no time to escape or chose to stay, guards who surrendered, and palace residents who were terrified.On the jade steps, the gilded dragon chair with a coiled dragon stood empty in the morning light.
Xie Heng and Xiao Jue dismounted in front of the palace.
Xie Heng’s eyes slowly swept across the kneeling crowd and the majestic but empty palace, and finally fell on Xiao Jue beside him.
Their eyes met, and a thousand words were lost in silence.
Xiao Jue suddenly took a step forward, took off the sword from his waist, and handed it to the soldier beside him.Then he adjusted his blood-stained armor, and slowly knelt down on one knee under everyone’s gaze.
The armor collided with the jade ground, making a crisp and heavy sound.
He clasped his fists and looked at Xie Heng clearly and firmly, his eyes as bright as the morning sun.
He took out a square box wrapped in bright yellow silk from his arms, and inside was the imperial seal.When he entered the palace just now, he snatched it from the hands of the shivering emperor who was hiding under the dragon chair.
Xiao Jue raised the jade seal high above his head with both hands, and his voice was as loud as a bell. It instantly overwhelmed all the noise in the square and echoed in the palace: “Your Majesty, Xiao Jue——”
He paused and glanced at the kneeling officials and the tens of thousands of standing soldiers, and spoke loudly and resoundingly, “On behalf of the soldiers who fought bloody battles in the north, and on behalf of the suffering people all over the world——”
“Ask your servants to shoot, obey the heavens and respond to people, and be the master of the world!”
After the words fell, he bowed his head deeply and raised the jade seal higher.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”
Chen Yu, Yang Lie and other generals all knelt down on one knee, their armors clanging, and their eyes firm: “Please shoot, for the master of the world!”
Immediately afterwards, the voices of the Beifu Army officers and soldiers could be heard in the square, outside the palace gate, and even in the entire Guzang City. The sound was like a roaring mountain and a tsunami: “Please shoot me, for the lord of the world!”
The sound shook the sky, startling countless birds, and even this ancient palace seemed to be trembling slightly.
Among the kneeling officials, some raised their heads in shock, some exchanged glances, and some had complicated expressions.In the end, an old minister who had always had a good reputation in the scholarly community tremblingly took the lead in touching his forehead to the ground: “Old minister… I respectfully ask you to thank the Duke, inherit the destiny of the sky, and be the great treasure, save all people from water and fire, and create peace for all ages!”
If there is one, then there are two. More and more people bowed their heads. Their voices were chaotic at first, but gradually merged into one: “I would like to express my sincere thanks to you. You are now the great treasure!”
The sound was like a tidal wave, beating on the jade steps and everyone’s heart.
Xie Heng stood under the jade steps, holding in his hand the jade seal that had just been handed over by Xiao Jue.
The hand is cold and heavy, as if it holds the hopes of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers and hundreds of millions of living beings, as well as the heroic souls of countless war dead.
He raised his head and looked at the majestic palace gate at the end of the square, as well as the land beyond that was in urgent need of reconstruction.
The breeze blew by, blowing his frost-stained temples and his dust-stained robes.
He recalled the seven days of chewing snow and turning it into water in the crevices of the northern border. He recalled the bloody and tearful accusation that the Lord treated the people like trash. The road to the top of power was paved with bones and soaked in blood.
But if we don’t set foot on this road, this land may never see dawn.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Heng slowly turned around and faced the soldiers, the officials, history and the future.
He raised the jade seal in his hand, and his voice spread clearly to every corner: “You have high hopes, and the world expects you. Heng, I dare not say goodbye, and I cannot say goodbye.”
He paused and glanced at the whole audience: “However, I do not admire the throne, and I do not seek power. I hold this seal today not to be called a loner and enjoy the ninety-five honors.”
“It’s really about bringing order out of chaos and reorganizing the world. Eradicating long-standing abuses and reforming officialdom. We should lighten the corvee and pay less taxes, and rest with the people. Clarify the world and create peace for all ages!”
“From today on, Li Yanzuo will be deposed as a commoner, and his crimes will be judged according to the law. All the bad governance of the old dynasty will be eradicated! Anyone who helps Zhou to commit abuses will be punished according to the severity of the case. Anyone who returns from the lost path and has done meritorious service will be allowed to make a new start!”
“The entrustment of this seal is not to rule the world by one person, but by everyone in the world! I, Xie Heng, swear an oath here: I will devote my whole life to death. If I violate this oath, heaven and earth will be punished together!”
After the words fell and there was a brief silence, a sound that was more intense and turbulent than before suddenly burst out: “Long live!”
“Long live!”
The cheers swept through the palace city like a tsunami and soared into the sky, as if they were going to completely cleanse away all the gloom and decay of the old era.
Xiao Jue was still kneeling on the ground, looking up at the figure bathed in the golden light of the morning sun. He slowly and solemnly touched his forehead to the ground.
This worship is not for the status of king and minister, nor for the merit of following the dragon.
Just for faith and commitment, for the light of the new sky that finally breaks through the dark night in this troubled land.
In the side hall of the palace, which was temporarily converted into a medical room, the aroma of medicine filled the air.
In the midst of severe pain and confusion, Xie Nanqiao felt a warm hand holding him tightly.She opened her eyes with difficulty, and her blurred vision gradually became clearer. What came into view was Xu Shuhuai’s bloodshot but worried eyes.
“Nan Qiao!” Xu Shuhuai’s voice was hoarse and excited, “You’re awake! Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician!”
“Shu Huai…” Xie Nanqiao wanted to speak, but the wound on his abdomen was affected, causing him to gasp in pain.
“Don’t move!” Xu Shuhuai hurriedly held her down, his voice trembling with fear.
“Outside…” Xie Nanqiao asked eagerly, “Brother…General Xiao…”
“The city is broken.” Xu Shuhuai held her hand and said word by word, “The emperor has been captured and the faint king has been brought to justice. Your brother… and General Xiao have entered the palace.”
He paused, looked into her eyes, and said with indescribable excitement in his voice: “Nan Qiao, did you hear it? They are shouting long live outside. This world… is going to be different.”
Xie Nanqiao listened blankly, tears welling up in his eyes without warning and streaking down his pale cheeks.
Xu Shuhuai gently wiped away her tears, leaned over and pressed a solemn and gentle kiss on her forehead.
“It’s all over, Nan Qiao.” He whispered, “Have a good sleep. When you wake up, it will be a new dynasty.”
Outside the window, the morning sun completely jumped out of the horizon, its golden light shining unreservedly on this capital city that had just experienced nirvana, and on this land that had been traumatized but still resilient.
The long night is over, and a new sky has opened.
[The author has something to say]
It will be over in about two or three chapters [Star Eyes]