UCTOOT CH122

Shi Shu got up and looked at the rain and wind blowing under the eaves.

Xie Wuchi went to receive the decree. Shi Shu, feeling bored and reluctant to be apart from him, followed him to the Pacification Commission under an umbrella. His shoes were filled with muddy water. On the damp street, people were coming out of the Pacification Commission, clutching bundles and walking out the door.

Shi Shu: “Dragging their whole families along, what are they doing? Where are they going?”

A guard said, “The wine Lord Xie drank last night was a farewell toast. The Pacification Commissioner of Yanzhou and the Military Supervisor of the Mobile Corps have both been replaced. The Imperial Edict arrived today.”

Pacification Commissioner? Shi Shu raised an eyebrow: Pacification Commissioner, a bureaucrat sent by the central government to oversee local civil administration; Military Supervisor of the Mobile Corps, one of the highest-ranking military officials sent by the central government to the local region.

Both had been replaced with new people to coordinate things. The meaning was self-evident.

At the entrance of the Pacification Commission, a eunuch from the Eastern Capital, his hair sleek and face powdered, was reading the decree with rising and falling intonations. As a military general, Xie Wuchi knelt on one knee upon an embroidered cushion, a ferocious stone lion beside him, listening to the decree with his head bowed in silence.

After the eunuch finished reading the edict regarding official appointments, he continued, “Lord Xie, His Majesty also has a verbal message—Minister Xie, how has your health been recently? It has been nearly two years since we parted in the Eastern Capital. At that time, you and Zhao Shirui recovered the Dasheng Prefecture, the land where the dynasty originated, achieving a remarkable merit. Now, you have persuaded the King of Zhouchi of Northern Min to offer up his prefecture, a feat comparable to the unparalleled achievements of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han. I approve of your proposal. Thinking of your hard work in the Northern Army, I have also sent my uncle and nephew to assist you.”

“I have ordered them to form a box army from the Upper Four Armies of the Palace Command to proceed immediately to Yanzhou. You have the talent of a general and great capability; you must work together with my own uncle and nephew on this grand plan and let them contribute as well. As for the matter of seizing the prefecture, discuss it after they arrive in Yanzhou, then make a decision.”

“By the way, I have always remembered your birthday some time ago. To congratulate you this time, in addition to the rewards for the army, the kasaya you left behind when I took in you and your brother at Xiangnan Temple is still here. Thinking of you deeply, I send it back to you. I hope you do not forget old kindnesses. End of message—”

The eunuch lifted a monk’s robe from the sandalwood table and said, “Lord Xie, please take this.”

A monk’s robe? Shi Shu looked closely; it was indeed the one Xie Wuchi had worn at Xiangnan Temple. Green lamps and yellow scrolls, gray robes and patched clothes. During his days and nights in the temple, Xie Wuchi had worn this kasaya, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures under the ancient Buddha by the light of an oil lamp, reading against the light.

This kasaya marked the beginning of Xie Wuchi’s rise. In the temple, he met the Heir Apparent, pushed him toward the throne, and finally, leveraging the new Emperor’s heavy reliance on him, evolved from the Emperor’s personal butcher knife to someone who could settle down and establish himself in Yanzhou.

“What does this mean? Sending a monk’s robe from thousands of miles away.”

The eunuch delivering the decree had long discerned the clues within this edict. In the palace, discussions about the Northern Army were boiling over. The pro-war faction praised him, while the conservatives cursed him. And His Majesty had ultimately issued a decree to undermine the Northern Army. The military situation had changed suddenly. Seeing Xie Wuchi kneeling to receive the decree, the eunuch looked somewhat triumphant: “Lord Xie, please rise. Are there arrangements for where I will rest?”

How could a superior envoy from the Eastern Capital be slighted? However, Xie Wuchi’s expression was very placid as he slowly stood up. Just then, Shi Shu heard the clop-clop-clop of hooves.

Dark clouds gathered densely, and a torrential rainstorm raged.

Many heavy cavalrymen, clad in grim black armor, galloped from the end of the street. Each held a sharp spear, and the horses’ headstalls emitted a cold metallic sheen. In Changping and Xingu Prefectures, seeing soldiers was like seeing Xie Wuchi. From officials, merchants, and gentry down to the common people, anyone who saw the army was terrified, their legs trembling.

These were the heavy cavalry Xie Wuchi had most effectively cultivated. On ancient battlefields, cavalry was the only true god. In the face of absolute power, any formation was destined to be smashed to pieces.

Ping Yichun tightened the reins. With his robust physique and lightning speed, he actually rode the imposing cavalry all the way to the entrance of the Pacification Commission!

“Ah? This… this…”

Looking at the pitch-black, cold iron cavalry, the eunuch’s legs trembled: “Xie… Commander Xie… I… this… what is this… this cavalry, surely they aren’t coming for me…?”

“Startling the superior envoy, I am extremely fearful.”

Xie Wuchi raised his hand nonchalantly. Ping Yichun, the vanguard general who looked like a living King of Hell, instantly jumped off his horse, mud splashing, and knelt in the rain: “My Lord! This subordinate admits his guilt!”

Xie Wuchi said calmly, “What is it, so urgent?”

Ping Yichun: “Urgent military matters. Please, my Lord, go to the main camp immediately for discussion.”

“Mn,” Xie Wuchi didn’t even turn his head. “Envoy, please forgive me. I can no longer keep you company.”

After speaking, ignoring this group of precious eunuchs from the Eastern Capital, Ping Yichun stepped forward to hold his horse and stirrup. Xie Wuchi mounted and galloped out of the city into the rain, leaving the dumbfounded eunuch and his entourage behind.

“…”

You managed to show off again.

Shi Shu sat under the awning of a tofu stall drinking spicy tofu pudding. Seeing Xie Wuchi leave, the eunuch instantly became well-behaved, at a loss for words, realizing he had to behave himself. After breakfast, Shi Shu hurried to meet Du Zihan, and then they went together to the camp outside the city.

The rain poured down in torrents. After this rain, the days would get colder one by one.

Shi Shu arrived at the military camp, responsible for helping Lin Yangchun promote advanced medical techniques throughout the camp, and occasionally asking about the military agricultural colonies.

The identity of Xie Wuchi’s younger brother brought him many benefits as well as troubles. There were many smiling faces around him, yet they felt strange to Shi Shu, and there were more people asking for favors and pulling strings. So, after wandering around with Lin Yangchun, Shi Shu got smarter and hid his identity, to the point that every time he went to Xie Wuchi’s central tent, he did it sneakily, like having an affair.

“Xiao Shu, it’s pouring rain. several carts of Sanguisorba are being delivered today, and they’re getting soaked on the road right now. Don’t let them get soaked and rot,” Lin Baihe shouted.

Shi Shu: “Let’s go then, move all the medicinal herbs back.”

Shi Shu and the group walked outside the camp. Sure enough, it was a heavy rainy day, the road was a muddy pit. The wheels of the carriage were deeply stuck in the mire, and the horse had also taken a tumble, lying in the mud panting, looking very miserable.

Shi Shu said, “Hurry, quick, quick, quick, lift the carriage out!”

A group of people surrounded the carriage in the rain. It took a long time to lift the wheels out of the mud, and the horse finally managed to stand up. Shi Shu was sweating profusely from exhaustion, wiping the mud off its back with a handkerchief: “Tired, aren’t you, Brother Horse? Wait until you pull this cart of herbs back, I’ll feed you beans, okay?”

But before he could wipe it playfully for long, he heard Lin Yangchun’s howl: “What are you doing? Hurry up and move the herbs! This cart is all money! Do you know how many people it needs to save? Do you know how much will be lost as soon as it rains? You—”

Shi Shu hurriedly climbed onto the wooden board to drive the cart. Du Zihan said, “Little Schoolbag, what’s the difference between you and my senior brother who drives a Maybach to lab meetings? What you earn isn’t even enough for gas money, is it?”

Shi Shu: “If I don’t work, what do I do?”

Du Zihan: “True enough. There is no distinction between high and low work; our joint efforts make up this world.”

Shi Shu: “Zihan, you can’t take the civil service exam anymore. Forget it.”

“……” Du Zihan: “Shi Shu, I hate you.”

After moving the medicinal herbs to the warehouse to dry, Shi Shu specially went to see Lai Cai. previously, while traveling with Du Zihan, he was afraid Lai Cai would be robbed, so he fostered him at a tile factory in Senzhou. Unexpectedly, after returning to Yanzhou, he asked someone to redeem him and brought him back.

Shi Shu finished his work and waited until evening. Du Zihan went to find Song Sinan, and he went to Xie Wuchi’s central tent.

Recently, there had been many changes, and the military camp seemed much more hurried. Xie Wuchi was holding a meeting in the central tent, gathered with generals, the air filled with tension.

Shi Shu had seen Xie Wuchi leave at the tofu stall in the morning. It wasn’t until evening that Xie Wuchi returned to the main camp in the heavy rain. On a tall horse outside the camp gate, Xie Wuchi wore a raincoat. Ink-black water droplets slid down his pitch-black nose bridge to his sharp jawline, his eyelashes also stained with the cold mist of water.

Shi Shu had just finished tidying up and ran over holding an umbrella: “Brother Xie, you’re back!”

Shi Shu grinned, then realized a moment later, Isn’t that smile too sweet, bro? Are you still a man? This face…

Standing in the rain, Xie Wuchi was talking to his subordinates. Ping Yichun said, “The King of Zhouchi has sent letters several times. He is currently suppressing news of Yinkun and the Min Emperor. If we don’t decide quickly, I fear trouble will arise from delay.”

Xie Wuchi: “Without His Majesty’s decree, sending troops unauthorized, even if it achieves unparalleled merit, will mean my achievements outshine the master. I won’t live long.”

Another general, Xi Xin, who guarded the pass, impatiently said, “Damn his grandfather, how long have we waited for this opportunity? Our Lord personally went to the Min region to negotiate it, and the higher-ups say no just like that? If we drag this on any longer, we might as well drag it until Great Jing perishes! Speed is precious in war? What do those golden branches and jade leaves in the Imperial City know about fighting wars? Huh!?”

Lin Yan comforted him: “General Xi, don’t be anxious. His Majesty has arranged for a Pacification Commissioner and an Army Supervisor. Once the Imperial Father-in-Law arrives, we can discuss and dispatch troops.”

“Then how long do we have to wait? Besides, in Yunzhou,” Ping Yichun said, “the Imperial Father-in-Law’s eldest son died at the hands of a dancing girl. Isn’t he sent here just to cause trouble?”

“…”

They were still arguing after dismounting. Xie Wuchi raised a hand, looking gloomy, annoyed by the noise: “All of you go back, eat first, we’ll discuss later.”

Several generals left while talking. Xie Wuchi entered the tent in the rain. Shi Shu handed him a dry towel, smiling brightly: “Wipe off the water, you’re soaked through.”

Tsk, such familiar words, who said that? Shi Shu thought for a second. Xie Wuchi took the towel and wiped the water off his body. He was freezing and losing body heat. Fortunately, someone outside was bringing in buckets of hot water.

After Xie Wuchi got into the water, the bathtub steamed with heat. Shi Shu brought a small stool and sat outside the rim of the tub, watching the water mist gradually condense on his shoulders and neck: “You were in the rain for a long time. Hurry and take a hot bath, or you might catch a cold.”

Xie Wuchi still seemed deep in thought, but one hand grabbed Shi Shu’s wrist, saying, “Although Emperor Chu Wei wouldn’t go so far as to suspect me, he is also whipping me. Sending this monk’s robe means exactly that. Being ungrateful to favors and betraying the master is intolerable in this world, ha.”

Xie Wuchi laughed softly. If he hadn’t transmigrated to ancient times, why would he need to borrow the Emperor’s power?

Shi Shu: “You’re taking a bath and still thinking about this matter? Is work not over yet?”

Xie Wuchi: “If I can unify Jing and Min, the significance contained in this merit will make the civil and military officials of the court terrified, and win the hearts of the people under heaven. How could he allow me to establish this unparalleled merit after becoming powerful in the Northern Army?”

Just imagine, when all the common people under heaven are singing praises that the formidable enemy who harassed them endlessly with curved sabers has now been conquered by Commander Xie of the Northern Army and become a subject under our rule—what kind of popular support is that?

To put it more simply, expanding the territory and unifying two lands is a merit similar to that of Qin Shi Huang. In the glorious annals of history, it would be written endlessly. This is enough to make any emperor’s resume shine brilliantly!

Shi Shu wiped him with a hot towel, saw a wound in the hollow of Xie Wuchi’s shoulder, reached out and touched it: “How… is he stopping you?”

“The Emperor will definitely do this, but he doesn’t want me to take the credit, so he sent the Imperial Uncle to snatch this merit. These worldly-wise bureaucrats are most adept at effortlessly taking credit for others’ achievements and distorting the truth, relying solely on their thick skin,” Xie Wuchi said. “His Majesty ordered me to hold my troops and not cross the border, only dispatching troops to recover the land after they arrive. This gives them precisely this opportunity. Taking over the King of Zhouchi’s territory—if they win, it’s their merit; if they lose, it’s my fault.”

Shi Shu truly admired this: “There’s my merit in this too. What does it have to do with that group of people in the Eastern Capital?”

Xie Wuchi: “Right now, His Majesty won’t let me dispatch troops, but the King of Zhouchi is urging urgently—”

The verbal message was friendly, but the Imperial Decree was stricter. If he didn’t wait for the new army to arrive and Xie Wuchi dispatched troops unauthorized to meet the King of Zhouchi, he would be dealt with according to military law, perhaps even labeled with the crime of colluding with the enemy and treason.

Xie Wuchi grabbed Shi Shu’s hand and kissed it gently: “The front line changes in an instant. If he says don’t send troops, I won’t send them? If I want to start a war, finding an excuse is too easy.”

Xie Wuchi lowered his voice: “This merit that is owed to you, no one can snatch away.”

Xie Wuchi soaked until the chill was driven from his body and stood up from the water. Shi Shu took the dry towel hanging on the screen and wiped the wet water off him inch by inch.

It wasn’t that Shi Shu loved wiping him, but that Xie Wuchi liked Shi Shu treating him well.

Their gazes met, and Shi Shu was pulled into his arms, lifted horizontally, and carried to the bed.

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