UCTOOT CH129

Two rows of glass lanterns illuminated the figures striding forward, two leading ahead with the rest following close behind into the estate’s side courtyard.

The night was deep. A page boy knelt on the ground, tumbling in headfirst: “My Lord! The masters all insist on leaving, and no one can stop them!”

Xie Wuchi retained retainers and advisors, and many guests stayed in this courtyard. At this moment, a crowd of servants looked into empty windows and doorways. The rooms were packed tidy, bundles secured; the advisors from the Eastern Capital had caught wind of trouble and fled. A few men still lingered in the courtyard, glaring fiercely at the guards blocking their path.

“Let go! I come and go as I please, by what right do you bar my way?!”

“Get lost! Even if General Xie comes in person, I fear nothing!”

“Back then, hearing that General Xie was drilling a new army to resist foreign invaders, we followed him to this frontier wasteland, swallowing freezing winds and eating sand, enduring bitter hardship. Who would have guessed that General Xie now harbors treasonous ambitions?! Defying imperial decrees! Those who walk different paths cannot plan together; let me pass!”

“…”

Shi Shu stepped into the courtyard. Several men were hurling insults. When Xie Wuchi walked into the grounds, their vitriol did not cease; instead, it grew louder and more impassioned.

Xie Wuchi walked with slow, deliberate strides, pausing by a water vat sheltering lotus leaves. Raising calm eyes, he asked, “What is going on?”

A servant answered, “These gentlemen heard rumors from somewhere claiming Your Lordship plans to rebel. They all wish to return to the Eastern Capital to defend His Majesty.”

Xie Wuchi glanced at the scattered luggage and bedding. “Who is spreading word that this general harbors disloyal designs?”

Upon his arrival, some men shrank back, while others grew bolder: “The Xu clan of Changyang is a lineage of Confucian masters across a hundred generations. Young Masters Xu Hengmen and Xu Hengfeng fled Yanzhou long ago to head for the capital!”

Xu Hengfeng and Xu Hengmen? Hearing those two names, Shi Shu paused. Them? On second thought, it made sense. The Xu family’s forebears had served as high court ministers; they possessed prominent lineage and deep ties with numerous influential ministers at court. Having heard the winds turning, they naturally fled back to the Eastern Capital to demonstrate their loyalty.

Still, when Xie Wuchi had first risen in rank, they had flocked to Yanzhou to pad their resumes and gild their reputations. Now that Xie Wuchi seemed poised to rebel, they turned tail and bolted. One had to admire their sharp noses.

Xie Wuchi was in no hurry. Looking over the scholars before him, he said, “During these years in Yanzhou, I have treated you all with generosity. Yet today, you heed slanderous rumors, skipping asking me directly to take your leave instead.”

Supporting one another, huddled together, they found their nerve: “Our devotion to loyalty was urgent, hence our departure without formal farewell. Do not try to hold us back by invoking past sentiments. Now that you have intercepted us, if you wish to kill us, do it quickly!”

“Precisely! To stretch one’s neck before the blade is a swift release; kill me if you dare!”

Someone even cursed openly: “You treasonous, flattering rebel!”

Xie Wuchi replied, “This general has dedicated himself to the people and fortified the borders, only to be smeared by the court with the charge of rebellion, leaving me defenceless against slander. If you gentlemen wish to pursue loyalty and filial piety, how could I stop you? Anyone who wishes to leave may depart right now. Each man will receive ten pieces of gold for travel expenses, along with an escort outside the city gates.”

“What?”

“…You, spare us your hypocrisy!”

Not only were the advisors stunned, but Shi Shu was caught off guard as well.

The advisors looked at one another, bewildered. A moment later, visibly awkward, they gathered their bundles and stepped outside. A few refused the gold, marching off with heads held high, spitting on the ground as they left.

Xie Wuchi said, “They wish to be fearless martyrs and leave their names in history, but I will not grant them their wish. Before rebellion even begins, incurring the crime of slaughtering the innocent and inciting condemnation from all scholars under heaven would be foolish.”

Shi Shu remarked, “You people truly have your own logic when governing a state.”

Xie Wuchi added, “Moreover, the human heart shifts in gradual stages. Unless people are thoroughly disillusioned with the imperial court, few will betray a dynasty that has stood for over a century just to gamble their lives on an ambiguous rebel.”

Shi Shu asked, “So the reason you have held off raising an army all this time is for this exact reason?”

“Correct,” Xie Wuchi said. “Raising an army relying purely on raw military might leads only to short-lived mutinies like the An Lushan Rebellion or Wang Mang usurping the Han. To build a unified dynasty requires winning the hearts of the people.”

Shi Shu could not help admiring him: “With a brain like yours, you could succeed at anything.”

“My Lord! My Lord!”

While Shi Shu watched the courtyard, an official came stumbling forward, breathless: “My Lord, the… the ones who fled…”

Xie Wuchi’s brow sharpened: “Speak.”

“This subordinate just went to the magistrate’s yamen. The administrative records have been ransacked, and numerous registers were stolen!”

Shi Shu blurted out, “They stole the yamen’s official documents?!”

“Indeed, indeed! What they stole were all documents on statecraft and regional administration: household registries, land rosters, public security records, and policy essays. While backups exist… still…”

Xie Wuchi said, “Let us go inspect.”

Stealing documents? Did the most sophisticated political schemes always rely on the most primitive methods? Burning account books, stealing administrative ledgers, forging imperial seals?

Following along, Shi Shu thought it over. Xie Wuchi’s youthful, aggressive administration had vastly reinforced Xingu and Changping Prefectures in just a few years, his disciplined military rule setting an exemplary standard. Those scholars had clearly noted this, stealing his advanced administrative blueprints to curry favor in the Eastern Capital.

Xie Wuchi instructed, “First, take inventory at the barracks.”

Moments later, soldiers from the garrison arrived, having caught one of the thieves. The military camp was tightly guarded after all, so nothing had been lost there, yet many texts in the civil offices had been taken.

At midnight, in the deep of the night, clad in simple white robes, Xie Wuchi stood in the yamen’s document chamber. A group of scribes crouched on the floor frantically taking stock of the stolen texts, books scattered in disarray, sweat drenching their brows.

“This is gone as well, and this…”

“Stolen, this was taken too…”

Xin Bin asked, “My Lord, should we pursue them? They haven’t gone far. If we dispatch cavalry, we can overtake their carriages in no time.”

Xie Wuchi said nothing, casting his eyes down at the documents on the desk. A moment later, he spoke: “Why is this entire stack missing?”

“What?” An official hurried to verify, then said, “This section contained the copied correspondence between Your Lordship and King Zhouchi, along with duplicate registers on governing Bufuzhou and Yong’an Prefecture. Indeed, why were all of these taken?”

Moonlight shone through the window lattices into the room.

Shi Shu was still nursing his bruised body, getting breathless after walking only a few steps. Sitting in a chair to the side drinking warm water, he did not look up.

Xin Bin pressed, “My Lord, do we pursue?”

Xie Wuchi said nothing, a crimson flame seeming to flicker in his eyes.

After a pause, Shi Shu was helped to his feet. Xie Wuchi set down the documents, supporting him over the threshold before finally saying, “No need to pursue.”

In the bitter depths of the twelfth lunar month, snow fluttered continuously. The sky hung in shades of dark slate blue. Vast white snow blanketed the withered plains. Two figures, followed by guards trailing behind, walked along the wide mountain road.

The one in front wore fresh green robes, agile and swift, jogging ahead while glancing around. The one behind wore a fox-fur cloak over his crane coat, carrying an aura of cool authority through the ice and snow, walking with slow, steady strides dusted with flakes of frost.

Shi Shu jogged ahead. Ever since he had been kicked twice by Yinkun, Xie Wuchi worried for his safety; coupled with the seasonal lull in winter, he often came to the agricultural colony to escort him home. Having worked all day, Shi Shu still had plenty of energy, jogging and running, his cheeks flushed red from the cold.

“Ah!” A sudden yelp broke the silence.

Xie Wuchi halted his steps. Amid the swirling snow, Shi Shu was near a hillside slope. Losing his footing, he slid all the way down, scrambled back up, and slid down again.

“…”

Shi Shu loved running, and his constitution was robust. Xie Wuchi followed him at a leisurely pace. Shi Shu could run even in winter, chilly gusts buffeting his face, before scampering back to Xie Wuchi’s side, staring up at him with eager eyes on a red, frozen face.

Xie Wuchi drew a warm canteen from his chest: “Drink slowly.”

Shi Shu took several large gulps, then spun around and ran off again. Xie Wuchi watched him idly; whenever he ran too far, he would always circle back on his own. Holding hands was essentially out of the question.

Yet running too fast, Shi Shu suddenly slipped and slammed onto the ground with a loud thud, sprawled out in the shape of a cross. When a fall truly hurt, he went quiet instead, lapsing into silence. Approaching to lift him up, Xie Wuchi saw Shi Shu was still in a daze, his eyes rimmed with red: “I…”

Xie Wuchi: “It doesn’t hurt. Brother will hold you.”

Hearing that, Shi Shu sprang to his feet, rubbing his head: “Stop with the ‘brother will hold you’ stuff. The guards are right behind us; what if they overhear?”

Xie Wuchi: “Now you refuse hugs, refuse to hold hands, and at night you won’t hold me and say you love me. What, is the honeymoon phase over?”

Shi Shu glanced at him and began to laugh.

Xie Wuchi: “What are you laughing at?”

Shi Shu: “I was wondering how I managed to trigger your combo attack out of nowhere.”

Shi Shu got to his feet, calling Xie Wuchi “brother, brother” in appeasing tones. The road they walked was an essential artery of Yanzhou. Shoulder-pole peddlers passed by from time to time, coated in frost with frozen brows, braving the heavy snow to hawk their wares as if business was remarkably bustling.

Shi Shu finally asked, “The Emperor sent you ten decrees in a single month ordering you back to the Eastern Capital to plead guilty. Have any new decrees arrived?”

Xie Wuchi: “None. The newly appointed military commanders dare not come to Yanzhou to take office either. Right now, an open standoff with the court has begun.”

The standoff with the court had officially started.

Shi Shu said, “I see. With this standoff, the other commanderies immediately isolated us and severed communication. No wonder the commoners are living in such a rush.”

The biting wind scraped against their faces like knives. Spotting a tea stall with closed bamboo blinds ahead, where traveling merchants stepped in to escape the freezing gale and drink hot tea, Shi Shu grabbed Xie Wuchi’s hand: “Come on, my legs are done for. Let’s warm up by the fire in that tea stall!”

Inside, it was wonderfully warm. Drinking hot tea, Shi Shu leaned against Xie Wuchi: “Ah, bliss! Pure bliss! Let’s get some snacks to fill our stomachs.”

Shi Shu slipped his cold hand into Xie Wuchi’s fox-fur sleeve. It was toasty warm, if slightly improper. Xie Wuchi drew his hand out, clasping it within his own palm to warm it. Caressing Xie Wuchi’s hot hand, Shi Shu glanced around. Many merchants were stranded by the storm, resting lazily and chatting idly.

“Just how long is this snow going to fall?” A man took two sips of wine, grumbling, “And when will Pingtang Pass reopen? If the pass remains shut, when will those of us stranded in Yanzhou ever get home?”

“Exactly! I hail from Shukang Prefecture. Word back home says General Xie is rebelling and has sealed the borders tight, barring commoners from crossing. Yet those of us staying in Yanzhou haven’t seen any sign of rebellion at all. General Xie is defending the country!”

“True enough! When the immortals clash, mortal men suffer. I wanted to head home after New Year’s, but now I’m trapped in Yanzhou with heavy snow every day and no fixed roof over my head. Truly miserable!”

Shi Shu glanced back, finding the man rather familiar. Suddenly recognizing him, he tapped the table and pointed: “Hey, aren’t you that merchant who bought General Xie’s spirit tablet and offered him incense?”

The merchant looked up, meeting the handsome youth’s grin. He laughed too: “Aiyo, you actually recognized me!”

“Offering incense to a living man is truly unforgettable!”

Shi Shu exchanged a smile with Xie Wuchi, then asked, “What happened to you folks? Why can’t you go home?”

“The court sealed the passes, the roads, the commanderies, and the prefectures, forbidding commoners from traveling. That is why we can’t return.”

So that was it. In ancient times, people were separated for decades whenever war broke out, unable to return to their ancestral homes for this very reason.

Shi Shu asked, “What about that living tablet? Are you still worshipping it?”

The merchant looked distressed, pouring out his grievances: “Alas, who dares worship it now? It turns out venerating a living person’s tablet truly invites retribution. Don’t you know? The skies have changed! The court discovered people in the Eastern Capital were building living shrines for General Xie, and smashed them all to bits! They threw General Xie’s statues into the fire to burn, and summoned thousands of monks to conduct grand rituals to place curses upon him! They are searching house to house; anyone caught worshipping General Xie’s tablet is dragged off to prison. Panic reigns everywhere, and many were reported by neighbors and beaten to death!”

Shi Shu’s head buzzed: “Wasn’t everything fine just a short while ago? People were killed?”

“Of course! The court declared them all treasonous accomplices of General Xie, executing countless people before the New Year. Xiangnan Temple was surrounded, and the abbot and head monks were all arrested. Every sutra and talisman linked to General Xie was destroyed, and massive dragon-slaying iron spikes were driven into the grounds. One commoner from Yong’an Prefecture questioned the soldiers when arrested, asking what crime there was in venerating General Xie when he had reclaimed their lost lands. He was beaten to death on the spot!”

Shi Shu gasped, “That is monstrous! What did the common people do wrong?”

“Exactly! How could regular folk know right from wrong? They only knew General Xie reclaimed our ancestral lands. Then overnight they became criminals, and no one is even permitted to mention his name…”

“Utterly outrageous!”

“Intolerable tyranny!”

Indignation and sighs filled the tea stall. Shi Shu found himself struck speechless, turning to look at Xie Wuchi. After sitting until they were warm, they donned their snow cloaks and stepped outside. Shi Shu said, “To think that getting kicked twice by Yinkun actually counts as good luck. This Emperor is every bit as unhinged as Yinkun.”

Xie Wuchi remarked, “He seeks to consolidate his rule lest he lose the people’s devotion, but his actions are clearly reckless and clumsy.”

Commoners in the Eastern Capital venerating Xie Wuchi were slaughtered. The advisors fleeing Yanzhou were released with travel silver.

Shi Shu’s impression of this world, ever since the day he transmigrated, had been peasant uprisings crushed by force, extortionate taxes squeezing the people dry, bloated bureaucracies driven by petty greed, exhausted and brittle armies, and packs of predatory rulers baring fangs over power, draining the realm’s blood from city walls not for the common people, but solely for their own clans’ survival.

“Since it is an era in decline, of course one must rebel. Tigers and wolves vie for supremacy, and everyone is mustering soldiers and expanding armies.”

Shi Shu tugged at Xie Wuchi’s sleeve: “The Min Grand Sovereign is a tiger, and the Dajing Emperor is a wolf, both living off the people’s marrow. As hunters, they turn their weapons against ordinary peasants.”

Xie Wuchi: “I am a beast as well. I devour men.”

Shi Shu: “You are a predator far fiercer than them.” Before the fangs of the Min Sovereign and the Jing Emperor, the people could only be eaten; Xie Wuchi was the only one capable of slaying both beasts.

“Combating evil with evil, checking violence with violence. Those who bully the weak will only submit before someone far stronger.”

Hearing this, Shi Shu glanced at him: “Back to your old profession?”

“They worshipped me and lost their lives for my sake, so I must avenge them,” Xie Wuchi said evenly. “Otherwise, wouldn’t I be accepting their incense for nothing?”

Shi Shu raised his brows in genuine admiration: “Xie Wuchi, you have an unshakeable destiny. You fear neither curses nor incense offered to the living. If you don’t become emperor, who else could?”

How many horoscopes under heaven could withstand such trials?

Xie Wuchi: “In the future, perhaps one day a wooden effigy of you will be placed beside mine to receive incense as well.”

“Not me. I told you, I want to be a hunter too, but I won’t be a hunter who preys on commoners.” Shi Shu gave a huff, shouting playfully as he sprinted forward, only to tumble into a snowdrift with a soft thud.

“…”

Xie Wuchi brought a horse over, and Shi Shu sprawled across the saddle, letting Xie Wuchi lead the reins as they walked slowly through the snow-laden forest.

Looking down at the snowy plains from above, quiet enveloped them on all sides. Glancing back, only he and Xie Wuchi were together. Shi Shu pressed his calves against the horse’s warm flank: “Xie Wuchi, if this were a book, having the finale right now would be wonderful.”

Xie Wuchi brushed aside a dry branch for him: “Why?”

Shi Shu: “Endless mountains and snow, with only the two of us on the road. Isn’t this clearly the scene where the heroes brush off their sleeves and vanish into the mist, hiding their glory?”

Xie Wuchi said nothing.

Shi Shu let Xie Wuchi lead the mount, his fair fingers flicking snow from the branches, sending powdery flakes rustling down. Gradually, the snow melted away, revealing swollen buds. Green leaves burst from the treetops, swelling into an emerald ocean. When the wind blew, the forest sang in response.

With another rustle, green branches parted, and a crisp green plum was plucked.

Under the brilliant sun, Shi Shu sat on the swaying saddle, wiped it clean, and took a bite: “Xie Wuchi, a plum! It’s sweet.”

Xie Wuchi: “I don’t eat those.”

Shi Shu: “Sorry, I forgot again that you don’t eat snacks.”

Xie Wuchi: “It is fine. I will keep answering until you remember.”

“…”

That damn tenderness.

Warm sunlight bathed the winding mountain path. Shi Shu stretched lazily, shifting on the horse: “I mean, how long has it been since Yinkun kicked me? You still come to pick me up and drop me off every few days. Is there really any need? How old am I?”

Xie Wuchi: “Today is an inspection of the Qiu Army agricultural colony.”

“…………Holy crap, why didn’t you say so earlier!” Shi Shu snatched the reins, flicked the whip, and rode off in a cloud of dust.

The horse galloped through the spring fields. Shi Shu hopped down from the saddle. Before him lay lush, verdant agricultural settlements. Egret birds skimmed over vast flooded paddies; reclaimed farmland stretched in uninterrupted tracts, mounds tilled neat and straight, planted with wheat and rice, their green shoots swaying in the breeze.

Baskets were set along the field ridges containing water, flatbreads, and dry rations. Several waterwheels steadily scooped water from ditches into the paddies. Commoners were planting rice and melon shoots, while others dug out crabs and loaches, preparing to stew soup for lunch.

“Time to farm, time to farm! Keep quiet though; General Xie is coming to inspect today, don’t let him catch anyone slacking.”

Song Sinan said, “Let him come! Tell me, which military colony is tended better than our Qiu Army camp? Whatever needed planting is planted, we fear nothing.”

In a new plot being cleared of weeds, Shi Shu stepped into the water, setting fishnets at all four corners.

Accompanied by an escort, Xie Wuchi approached along the path. Clasping a bundle of green reeds, standing ankle-deep in yellow mud, Shi Shu was clearly having a wonderful time.

The moment Shi Shu spotted Xie Wuchi, he waved a hand in greeting.

Illuminated by the warm spring sun, Xie Wuchi averted his gaze, inspecting the surroundings. Shi Shu piled the harvested reeds onto the bank and sat down to take a drink of water, only to spot a swift steed galloping across the green fields.

“Hya, hya, hya!”

The smile vanished from Shi Shu’s face the moment he saw the horse. The dispatch rider clutched a feathered missive, shouting, “Military urgent! Clear the road! Clear the road!” It was unmistakably an urgent dispatch of war.

Whenever such horses appeared, Shi Shu knew battle had erupted somewhere.

Shi Shu stood up. The rider tumbled off his mount, kneeling to present the missive before Xie Wuchi: “General!”

Xie Wuchi paused briefly before taking the letter. Unfolding it for a glance, his hand dropped naturally to his side.

Shi Shu stepped closer, anxiety tightening his chest: “What happened?”

Xie Wuchi turned, walking toward his mount: “The Emperor of Jing and the Grand Sovereign of Min have joined forces. They signed an alliance and mobilized troops at once, marching from Yunzhou and Pingtang Pass in a two-pronged offensive to bring Yanzhou to heel.”

Shi Shu lost his voice in disbelief: “What?!”

Following behind Xie Wuchi, Shi Shu pressed, “They joined forces? How could they possibly ally with each other?”

“The Jing Emperor hates me to the marrow, and the Min Sovereign hates me just as deeply. Ever since I absorbed King Zhouchi’s commanderies, peasant uprisings have flared across Dajing, reducing it to a bedridden tiger, while Beimin is a wolf chopped in half. Only by joining hands can they hope to contend with me.”

Shi Shu’s heart hammered wildly. Suddenly, he remembered the documents stolen months ago by the advisors who fled south. The relations between Jing and Min were tangled and complex; if Xie Wuchi could divide the nomadic clans and command Min wolf-soldiers, why couldn’t the Jing Emperor ally with foreign invaders to carve up Yanzhou’s power?

Shi Shu could almost picture the scene in the Eastern Capital, within mist-shrouded palaces, where court ministers spoke in righteous chorus, addressing the man on the dragon throne:

‘Your Majesty! Use barbarians to control barbarians! If northern rebels can divide the Min, why can’t the court do the same?’

‘The Min Sovereign loathes the rebel Xie to the core; he will surely strike to form a pincer with our forces. Caught between two fronts, Xie’s rebel host will have nowhere to hide!’

‘Your Majesty, this official witnessed the rebel Xie’s methods of governing nomadic tribes in Yanzhou and stole these records upon fleeing for the court’s review!’

Shi Shu snapped back to reality: “This is completely shameless! Copying your homework? Outright plagiarism?!”

Xie Wuchi walked forward as Xin Bin hurried up with the warhorses. Needless to say, Yanzhou was about to enter wartime state immediately: “Make several copies of this dispatch and deliver them to the council hall for the generals and advisors to read. Summon them to the central command tent at once to convene military council!”

“Understood!”

Shi Shu looked nervously at Xie Wuchi, yet remarkably, he could detect no trace of panic or fluster across Xie Wuchi’s unshakeable face.

Terrified Xie Wuchi was holding in his panic, Shi Shu blurted, “Xie Wuchi, don’t panic! It might not be as bad as you think!”

Xie Wuchi turned his head to look at him, speaking in an even voice: “The situation is exceptionally dire, but the one who needs to panic is not me.”