A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 47

Du Peixun presented the newly arrived Di Chao (court gazette).

Xie Wenjun scanned it quickly. It contained nothing more than the transfer of a few officials. The only truly important news was the military situation concerning the invasion of Zhudong by the amassed troops of Dongyin.

Dongyin had already captured Dongqiu City.

Zhudong’s border defense had originally been garrisoned by Prince Qi, Xie Xuan. After Xie Xuan was summoned back to Yongdu by Emperor Xuanyuan before the New Year, the military command in Zhudong had not yet been replaced. Now, Xie Xuan, intent on seizing the throne, had moved many troops away, causing Zhudong’s forces to be severely weakened.

Chen Linjun was forced to lead his troops from the Shuofang trade route to aid Zhudong.

Beiyong also amassed heavy troops on the border between the two countries, but only held a muster, refraining from attack. They watched from the sidelines.

They rested at the border post in Chong’an Commandery.

Xie Yuan’s letter arrived from Linxia, stating that he was waiting on the Linxia border for Chen Liangyu.

The oral decree ordering Chen Liangyu’s swift return to Yongdu arrived almost simultaneously with Xie Yuan’s letter.

The eunuch delivering the decree was Liang Shu, a Yellow Gate official serving Emperor Xuanyuan, whom Xie Wenjun recognized.

From this, it appeared that Xie Xuan had not yet forced Emperor Xuanyuan to abdicate.

The Imperial Seal was in Xie Wenjun’s possession; if Xie Xuan forced an ascension now, his claim would be illegitimate.

Chen Liangyu’s position was now difficult.

Although it was a common saying that generals outside the capital could disregard the sovereign’s commands, the rebellion in Nanzhou had already been quelled. Her delay in returning with a large army was bound to incite suspicion of disloyalty.

Yongdu was occupied by Xie Xuan. If she returned, the result would only be to lay down her arms; if she did not return, she would instantly be branded a rebel and traitor, subject to universal condemnation.

At that point, her desire to lead an army to serve the Emperor would lack a righteous cause.

There was still no response from the Feimang (Flying Moth) network.

The Feimang network only recognized the Tie’an (Iron Plated) communication cylinder.

The Tie’an cylinders were divided into “child cylinders” and “mother cylinders.” The child cylinders were the tokens for the various Feimang relay stations and had to be authenticated. There were only four mother cylinders. Those holding a mother cylinder could issue direct commands to the Feimang network.

The one Yan Baizhang gave to Chen Liangyu was a mother cylinder. The other three were currently with Chen Yuanqing, Chen Linjun, and Yan Nian, respectively.

Xie Wenjun asked the Yellow Gate official delivering the decree, “Where is the Imperial Edict?”

Liang Shu replied, “Reporting to Princess Jiangning, His Majesty did not issue an Imperial Edict, only an oral decree.”

Xie Wenjun said, “Deploying troops and dispatching generals is a major military and political affair. No Imperial Edict, only an oral decree? Liang Shu, you are falsely transmitting the Imperial Decree! Seize him!”

The Eastern Palace guards arrested Liang Shu and the accompanying Imperial Guard attendants. Liang Shu shouted his innocence as he was dragged away.

Xie Yu was dead.

Yet, both Yongdu and Xie Wenjun were keeping the matter a secret.

Xie Wenjun guarded this secret as if she were protecting a moon reflected in the water, liable to shatter at any moment.

She had never truly accepted the news of Xie Yu’s death. She had not personally seen her Imperial Brother’s body, and when she saw there was no mention of national mourning in the court gazette, she couldn’t help but feel a slight relief.

She still clung to a faint hope that her Imperial Brother might only be injured, not deceased.

She tried to persuade herself to accept the facts, yet desperately denied them.

She was self-deceivingly indulging in a temporary peace.

But Liang Shu’s appearance shattered her last glimmer of hope.

If her Imperial Brother were still alive, the oral decree from Yongdu should have been to summon her back to the palace.

Xie Yu’s death had become a pawn in the game between the two sides. When did he die? Was it by assassination or illness? Which party would announce it, and how? All of this would directly determine who held the high ground and who was trapped in a bind.

Xie Wenjun stood against the wind, which tugged at her clothes and hair. She gazed forward, seemingly searching for something in the endless atmosphere of fear and alarm.

It was Chen Liangyu who roused her.

“Your Highness.”

Xie Wenjun responded with a sound and said, “Let me think. Give me a little more time.”

The door was softly closed from the inside, but the bolt was not drawn.

Chen Liangyu guarded outside from noon until dusk, frequently looking back, but ultimately did not knock on that door.

Birds began to return to their nests.

A guard at the door of the post station ran in hastily, “General Chen, someone is requesting an audience and carrying this object.”

The guard presented a jade hair clasp with both hands.

Chen Liangyu took it and examined it. It was hers.

“Where is the person?”

“Waiting outside.”

Chen Liangyu walked out. Indeed, it was the one-armed beggar who had asked her for money for his burial during the Lantern Festival.

His hair was disheveled, and his sleeve was empty. He looked older compared to before.

Chen Liangyu said, “Didn’t you say you were going to die? Why are you still alive?”

The man felt her words were unpleasant and let out a cold snort, “Your father’s words are not as harsh as yours.”

Chen Liangyu said, “I gave you the hair clasp so you could pawn it for silver to arrange your funeral. Since you didn’t use it, it’s inappropriate for a young woman’s item to be on you. I should take it back.”

“That’s the old man’s coffin money!”

Chen Liangyu ignored his chest-beating distress and said, “What do you want?”

“I say, you are too impolite, young woman. I am your father’s equal in age, so by that logic, you should respectfully call me Martial Uncle!”

Chen Liangyu said, “You haven’t given your name, so I do not know you. May I ask your esteemed name?”

“Jiang Bojin.”

He didn’t elaborate, seemingly certain that Chen Liangyu would bow and treat him with utmost respect upon hearing his name.

Thinking this, his back straightened, and he puffed out his chest a little.

Chen Liangyu said, “Rong Jun, give him some silver and send him away.”

She walked two steps forward, then turned her head and said, “The world is not peaceful now. You had better behave yourself and stop trying to trick people everywhere. You are an old and lonely man; if you get hacked to death by a random knife, no one will collect your corpse.”

Jiang Bojin said, “You don’t want the news from the Feimang network?”

Chen Liangyu’s steps halted.

Jiang Bojin raised his chin slightly and let out an arrogant, condescending “hum” from his nose.

“I can tell by your look that Chen Chongming and Yan Baizhang haven’t said anything good about me.”

Chen Liangyu said, “You studied under my maternal grandfather and, upon entering the world, were full of insidious schemes, aided the wicked, and repeatedly tried to harm my father and Uncle Yan. Yet you dare demand I call you Martial Uncle! I am sparing your life because of your old age; if you were wise, you would leave quickly and never appear before me again.”

“Aided the wicked? Who is the wicked one? Since ancient times, the winner is king and the loser is outlaw. If Prince Fengde had ascended the throne, your father would be the one you call an aid to the wicked!”

Jiang Bojin’s voice was low, and his articulation was penetrating.

“In times of chaos, each serves their own master. How can they be so shameless, only claiming that I set traps for them when they, too, relentlessly hunted me down?”

“Further talk is useless,” Chen Liangyu said. “Give me the news from Feimang.”

Jiang Bojin stood still.

“How much money do you want?” Chen Liangyu asked.

Jiang Bojin said, “Why talk about money? So vulgar.”

“Then what do you want?”

Jiang Bojin said, “I was defeated more than twenty years ago. Now, in my old age, I can witness a struggle for the succession again. Naturally, I want to resume my old profession and establish a new sovereign. Don’t rush to refuse. I’m not picky; the person is your choice. Whoever you say will be the Emperor, I will make them the Emperor.”

“If you truly had such great power, why did you lose both your arms?” Chen Liangyu said. “A twisted mind cannot achieve great things. Giving you any number of opportunities would be futile.”

This man was someone who carried the concept of “all’s fair in war” to the extreme. Yan Baizhang had taught her to review Jiang Bojin’s tactics, which were utterly malicious. Bao Guiduo (Hundred Schemes Dao) was founded upon “strategy”, and its tactics were secret and subtle. Though based on the keynote of “secrecy,” He Niangong, when he founded the Bao Guiduo, still broadly spoke of righteousness.

But when it was passed down to this man, he completely deviated from its essence, interpreting its core as being utterly unscrupulous and stopping at nothing.

He would even resort to mass slaughter to clear the field.

“Do you think your own mind is righteous?” Jiang Bojin scoffed with disdain. “If your mind were righteous, why would you, with a massive army, be so slow to return to Yongdu?”

Jiang Bojin walked a couple of steps to the side and crouched by the wall.

“You can only contact people through Feimang now, can’t you? Feimang is mine. I can create it, and I can destroy it. You figure it out yourself.”

Chen Liangyu said, “That depends on the weight of the news you possess.”

Jiang Bojin glanced at her and said, “Prince Qi has placed the Emperor under house arrest and sealed off all messages. Your father and mother have already died in the Marquis’s Mansion.”

Chen Liangyu: “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“If you don’t believe me, just wait. Someone will make you believe it.”

Chen Liangyu ignored him, turned, and entered the post station. She didn’t believe Jiang Bojin’s words; the man was too unreliable. Yet, she was still restless, pacing back and forth anxiously in the open space of the courtyard.

“…General Chen.”

Someone called, but she didn’t hear it.

“General Chen!”

Rong Jun had come up behind her at some point and seemed to have been waiting for a while, yet she hadn’t noticed him at all.

He had called her a few times without response, so Rong Jun raised his voice. Chen Liangyu was startled.

“What happened to my parents?”

Rong Jun scratched his head and said, “Marquis Chen and his wife are both in Yongdu. This subordinate is unaware of their recent situation.”

“Oh,” Chen Liangyu finally pulled herself out of her collapsed thoughts and asked, “What is it?”

Rong Jun said, “The person the Princess asked this subordinate to find, named Zhao Minqin, has been brought here. The Princess asks you to go over.”

Post stations were set up every thirty li, and they were divided into an upper hall, middle hall, and lower hall, providing accommodation and meals according to the rank of the visiting officials. Even the feed for the horses was divided into different grades.

Xie Wenjun naturally stayed in the upper hall, which had a main hall and side rooms.

In the main hall, a man was about to kneel for a prostration, but Xie Wenjun quickly walked forward a few steps and helped him up.

“Dispense with the formalities, rise quickly.”

The man was dressed in plain, worn clothes, his face full of the marks of time, looking haggard and dull. He was overwhelmed to be helped up by Princess Jiangning.

Xie Wenjun granted him a seat.

A mist seemed to cover his face, as if he hadn’t expected such courtesy. He slowly raised a hand, tidied his messy hair and wrinkled robe slightly, and then sat down tentatively.

Chen Liangyu walked into the main hall and bowed to him, “General Zhao, I have long admired your name.”

Zhao Mingqin had previously served as a Captain of Illustrious Martial Prowess in the army.

Zhao Mingqin had just sat down but immediately propped himself up to stand and returned the bow to her.

“I have long admired your great name, General Chen.”

Chen Liangyu said, “Old General Zhao once commanded the Black Armored Iron Cavalry in Nanjin, enjoying high prestige. It has long been heard that General Zhao follows the style of his father.”

Now that she saw him, she didn’t feel he was particularly outstanding.

Only in his eyebrows and eyes could one vaguely find a trace of that transcendent demeanor.

Xie Wenjun said, “Effective immediately, Zhao Mingqin is appointed as the Commandant of Pacifying Martial Prowess, to command the Chong’an Defense Force. Rong Jun, proclaim the edict.”

Rong Jun accepted the order at the door and announced it below.

Zhao Mingqin quickly knelt to receive the decree. After expressing his gratitude, he couldn’t help but ask, “Princess, may this subject ask why?”

Why was she suddenly promoting a convicted person like him?

Xie Wenjun didn’t hide anything. She said, “I need you to contact the former subordinates of Old General Zhao’s Black Armored Iron Cavalry in Nanzhou to follow me. The crimes of your living family members are also pardoned by me, and I have already sent people to settle them.”

Zhao Mingqin’s lips trembled, and he tightly gripped his robe with both hands, making the already wrinkled fabric even more creased.

His words caught in his throat, and after a long while, he finally knelt down, “This subject is willing to serve Your Highness with the utmost devotion! Thank Your Highness for your great kindness!”

“Go now. Bathe and change your clothes, wash away that smell of the stables, and return to being the spirited General Zhao.”

Zhao Mingqin moved his lips, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Xie Wenjun said, “Is there anything else? Speak.”

Zhao Mingqin said, “There is one more person. She is the descendant of a former subordinate of my father. That subordinate was executed according to military law for delaying the transport of military supplies by one day. My father secretly took his descendant back to the mansion and raised her as an adopted daughter. However, she was never entered into the family register or household records, so when the family was implicated in the crime, she was sent away. I do not know where she is now.”

“You wish to find her?”

Zhao Mingqin said, “Yes.”

“Where was she sent?”

Zhao Mingqin said, “My father arranged it. Perhaps she is still in Cangnan Commandery.”

Chen Liangyu asked, “What is her name?”

“Pin’er.”

Zhao Mingqin said, “Her surname is Pu, Pu Pin’er.”