Pei Xia learned only at the next day’s court session that the Yanbei army had knocked on the gates outside the Mingde Gate the previous night.
In the past, no matter how big or small an issue arose, Emperor Chunqing would always summon him immediately to discuss it.
But this time, the emperor had called in the commander of the Imperial Guards and the Grand General of the Jinwu Guard in the middle of the night and hadn’t even thought to summon Pei Shouzhen.
The emperor’s trust… was no longer with him.
When Pei Xia and the other officials heard of it during court, they were all taken aback.
On the dragon throne, Emperor Chunqing spoke of the matter with visible irritation between his brows. He even wanted to send troops to seize those “rebellious generals” outside the gates to strike down Yan Wang’s arrogance and remind him what it meant to be sovereign and subject.
Once those words fell, Qinzheng Hall sank into an eerie silence.
The veteran ministers, those who had served through two or three reigns, looked at one another for a long moment, then bowed their heads, not one daring to make a sound.
For that was Yan Wang.
The very same Yan Wang hailed as the Star of the Great Liang’s Armies, the God of Slaughter of Yanbei, who had guarded the northern frontiers for over twenty years, with countless victories and enemies slain.
And yet His Majesty, instead of thinking how to comfort or win over such a pillar of the realm, wanted to “set him straight” and “cut him down to size”?
How dare he?
Only today did the ministers realize that their supposedly virtuous and benevolent emperor had probably ascended the throne far too smoothly, leaving him overly naive.
No one dared to advise him; they were all used to instinctively looking toward the purple-robed, golden-belted, bamboo-straight Chancellor Pei.
Pei Xia himself felt the expectant gazes around him and let a thin, coldly sarcastic smile tug at his lips.
A minister who has lost the emperor’s trust, no matter how clever or loyal, might as well be useless.
But having studied the sages since childhood, Pei Xia had been taught that one must “take the emperor’s salary and shoulder the emperor’s worries,” that a gentleman “looks to heaven with no shame, and bows to the earth with no guilt,” and that one “worries for the people when in the halls of power, and worries for the ruler when in distant lands.”
For the sake of the common people and the stability of the state, he could not remain silent now.
“Your Majesty, I have a word.”
Pei Xia raised his white jade tablet and stepped forward, facing the emperor seated above, whose anger at the “rebellious troops” was barely contained: “Yanbei is the throat of our Great Liang state. If a dispute arises with Yan Wang, it is like inviting a fire into one’s own home, destroying the Great Wall itself.”
“In my opinion, Your Majesty should promptly order the city gates opened and welcome Yan Wang’s envoys and the five thousand troops of Yanbei into the city. Prepare good wine and fine dishes, hold a banquet to soothe their fatigue. Also, hand over the imperial edict allocating funds from the Ministry of Revenue and the list of military supplies purchased by the Ministry of War to Yan Wang’s envoys, explaining the court’s difficulties, as a gesture of goodwill toward Yanbei. Yan Wang is your uncle, Your Majesty, a close relative of the same clan. Once misunderstandings are cleared and his anger soothed, I believe he will not oppose the court over such a trivial matter.”
In short: give them the money, and all will be at peace.
The emperor knew this, yet he still refused to submit.
A mighty emperor, brought to the point where someone comes to his own doorstep to demand repayment that alone was a humiliating spectacle.
And yet, he could not lose his temper. He had to smile and offer wine and fine dishes to those rebellious generals who had no regard for imperial authority?
Who, in the end, was the emperor and who was Yan Wang?
What foolish idea was Pei Shouzhen suggesting, wanting to embarrass his emperor to such an extent?
Just as Emperor Chunqing prepared to refute him, a small eunuch rushed in from outside the hall, kneeling to report:
“Your Majesty, outside Mingde Gate, the Yanbei troops are standing at the city walls shouting that… that…”
The emperor frowned. “Shouting what?”
The eunuch stumbled over his words, trying to imitate the cry:
“We have been far from our homeland, braving ice and snow for years to guard the emperor. Though we have no meritorious deeds, we have labored. Yet today we are rejected at the city gates, like dogs without a home—sad, tragic, woe is us!”
“They are all shouting this, standing at the gates, shouting it very loudly.” The eunuch dared not meet the emperor’s gaze, trembling: “Even the common people have gathered to watch, and they say… they say…”
“Say it!” the emperor snapped.
The eunuch flinched, knees on the ground: “The people say, Your Majesty, withholding the military funds was already wrong. And now treating the troops defending the state like this chills the heart; it is not the act of a wise and virtuous ruler…”
Before he could finish, a cold, teeth-gritted voice from above cut him off: “Enough.”
The small eunuch buried his head in the floor: “Y-Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”
All the court officials knelt in unison: “Your Majesty, calm your anger!”
Emperor Chunqing gripped the golden dragon head of the throne, his face flushed, breath coming in short gasps, chest heaving violently.
Shameless—truly shameless!
Those Yanbei troops were despicably insolent. Clearly they had violated protocol, left their posts, and come to court without permission, yet now they were turning it back on him, sullying his reputation!
He wanted to arrest those disobedient “rebellious” troops, cut out their tongues, and send them back to Yanbei.
The eunuch cautiously added: “Your Majesty, Yan Wang’s envoy also said that if the court does not respond before noon, it will be considered that Your Majesty has abandoned Yanbei and its three hundred thousand troops in the north. They will immediately return and report this to Yan Wang.”
At these words, the officials’ faces changed.
How could Great Liang abandon Yanbei?
How could the court forsake the Yanbei troops?
“Your Majesty, absolutely not!”
“Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger. Do not let pride cause discord with Yan Wang.”
“Your Majesty, we beg you to consider carefully, thrice over!”
The ministers could no longer remain seated. This was a minor matter, how could it justify tearing apart relations with Yan Wang?
No one wanted war, especially not an unnecessary civil conflict that would waste lives and wealth.
Seeing the unified opposition of the court, Emperor Chunqing’s long fingers gripped the dragon head tighter and tighter, his heart growing more irritable.
Were they implying he was some petty, shortsighted ruler?
Was he not allowed to consider the emperor’s dignity?
With noon approaching, Emperor Chunqing, unable to resist the pleas of the officials, reluctantly looked at Pei Shouzhen and said, “Since all of you ministers are in agreement, this matter will be entrusted to Minister Pei. You must soothe the northern troops and explain the misunderstanding to Yan Wang’s envoy, so that no ill will arises with the court.”
Pei Xia bowed, holding his tablet: “I take the order, Your Majesty.”
—
Accompanying Pei Xia to Mingde Gate was the emperor’s trusted eunuch, Rong Qing, the emperor’s eyes and ears.
On the carriage out of the palace, Rong Qing explained what the Jinwu Guard had reported the previous night: “Leading them are two of Yan Wang’s generals: one named Xie Guian, said to be Yan Wang’s adopted son from six months ago; the other is Cavalry General Hu Hongyu, a trusted veteran. Apart from them, there are five thousand elite troops, all cavalry, disciplined, and highly efficient, no small force to reckon with.”
Pei Xia listened to this, and his mind roughly knew what he was dealing with.
Yet when he heard that the adopted son’s surname was “Xie,” and recalled the way the Yanbei troops had shouted at the city gates, he couldn’t help but be reminded of someone.
He had previously asked a caravan heading to the northern lands, and had learned that person, upon arriving in Yanzhou, had been assigned to hard labor in the quarries.
There were countless people surnamed Xie in the world, his own suspicion was probably a needless overreaction, even laughable.
He smirked inwardly, then cleared his mind, thinking carefully about how he would address Yan Wang’s envoy when they met.
Half an hour later, however, when he saw the tall man on a chestnut steed, clad in a flowing red robe, all his polite words caught in his throat.
For a fleeting moment, Pei Xia thought he must be imagining things.
Otherwise, how could that utterly shameless Xie Wuling return to Chang’an and appear before him, all swagger and menace?
It wasn’t only Pei Xia who was shocked, even Chief Eunuch Rong Qing was rendered speechless: “Th-this…”
Isn’t this the same Xie Wuling who had brazenly conspired with Chang Wang, then was exiled to the northern lands?
How could he be here? And mingling with the Yanbei army?
Countless questions swirled in both their minds.
Then the impeccably handsome man in red dismounted and strode boldly to their side, a lazy smile in his eyes and a languid tone: “Honored envoys, long time no see. I hope all has been well.”
Unexpected, wasn’t it? Xie Wuling had returned!
And this time, he held command over elite troops, standing on equal footing with them.
No, perhaps even higher.
At the thought, Xie Wuling’s gaze toward Pei Xia sharpened, his pride and ambition completely unabashed: “Chancellor Pei, old friend, how do you feel at this reunion? Surprised? Shocked? Delighted?”
Before Pei Xia could answer, he tilted his lips and answered himself: “As for me, I am delighted, extremely delighted.”
“This day we have long awaited,” he continued, counting nearly six years, from the late autumn of Yuanshou’s nineteenth year to the winter of Chunqing’s third year.
Finally, he possessed the power and confidence to confront Pei Xia.
Pei Xia could clearly read the provocation etched into Xie Wuling’s expression.
This unrepentant scoundrel clung to him like a festering wound.
His long fingers, hidden under the sleeves of his deep purple robe, unconsciously clenched. His eyes, dark and cold, bore a lethal intent.
Yes.
He regretted it.
Perhaps three years ago, in that prison, he should have killed him.
Instead, he had honored his promise and spared him, only to face today’s unbearable scenario, like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
The two men, one in red, one in purple, faced each other, a silent undercurrent of tension rippling between them.
Rong Qing, standing nearby, almost felt as if he had returned to that little courtyard in Jinling, where these two had also faced off, tense and ready to strike.
It was truly a grievous fate.
“Chancellor Pei,” Rong Qing awkwardly reminded him, then raised his sleeve in a bow toward Xie Wuling: “May I ask if you are Yan Wang’s envoy, General Xie Guian?”
Xie Wuling remembered this eunuch, once a pale gray-clad minor court official, now a chief of the inner court in red robes.
“Yes, I am Xie Guian,” he said, lips curling, glancing at Pei Xia: “May I ask what instructions the emperor sent the chancellor and eunuch with? If there are none, it is about time I lead my men back to Yanzhou.”
Pei Xia could see through his petty posturing.
He knew the purpose of their journey, yet still put on this pretentious act.
It was… irritating.
Though he was tempted to reply: “Go, you’re dismissed.”
Rationality prevailed. Pei Xia exhaled slowly, lifting his gaze with his usual calm expression: “The emperor is pleased at your visit, and has specially ordered me and Chief Eunuch Rong Qing to receive you and the Yanbei troops into the city for rest.
“Hot water and food have been prepared in the official residence, to welcome you and the soldiers. Please proceed inside with your men.”
Official and impersonal, with no emotion attached.
Yet Xie Wuling felt a thrill of satisfaction, the smirk on his lips growing wider: “Since Chancellor Pei personally extends the invitation, I naturally must grant him face. Yet my horse… seems unaccustomed, perhaps intimidated by the splendor of Chang’an, hesitant to enter…”
Pei Xia’s brow twitched; instinct told him trouble was coming. Sure enough, Xie Wuling continued: “I’ve heard, Chancellor Pei, that your horsemanship is excellent. Perhaps you could lead my horse and guide us ahead?”
Pei Xia’s gaze froze cold.
Rong Qing drew a sharp breath.
Even General Hu noticed something was off. Could it be that his nephew harbored old grievances with Chancellor Pei? Otherwise, why insult him upon first meeting?
General Hu nudged Xie Wuling with his elbow.
But Xie Wuling remained locked on Pei Xia, smiling and repeating: “Chancellor Pei, would you care to lead my horse?”
Pei Xia’s eyes turned icy: “Xie Wuling, you’ve gone too far.”
“Leading a horse is too much?”
Xie Wuling clicked his tongue, his gaze sharpening: “In the past, you bullied me with power, far beyond anything as trivial as this.”
The man before him had barged into his wedding ceremony with Jiaojiao, scattered his guests in terror, thrown the entire hall into chaos, and forcibly taken his bride from his side.
The lackeys he brought had knives at his neck, forcing him to watch helplessly as Jiaojiao was led onto that cold, ornate carriage like a coward.
Time and again, he saw this man leave hand in hand with Jiaojiao, while he was repeatedly left behind.
Human hearts are made of flesh, how could he not hate it?
He hated it, with every fiber of his being.
Hated it so deeply that he wished Pei Shouzhen would vanish from the world entirely, so that no one could ever stand between him and Shen Yujiao again.
And now, all he asked was for Pei Xia to lead a horse…
Xie Wuling fixed his gaze on Pei Xia, the corners of his eyes curving in a smile, though the amusement did not reach his eyes: “If Chancellor Pei refuses to lead the horse, I fear my steed cannot carry me into the city. Alas, this is troublesome.”
He lifted his gaze to the blazing sun on the horizon, face showing difficulty: “Noon approaches. Our five thousand brothers spent the night in the cold outside; they are truly frozen. Rather than continue being turned away, it is better to return home.”
He turned to General Hu: “Uncle Hu, let’s go.”
General Hu uttered a soft “Ah,” meeting Xie Wuling’s eyes, so much like Yan Wang’s, and instinctively obeyed: “Oh… okay.”
“General Xie, wait! Wait!”
Rong Qing, seeing them about to leave, clutched his duster and hurried forward: “Perhaps I can lead the horse for you.”
Xie Wuling paused slightly, casting a faint, indifferent glance at Rong Qing, his sharply defined profile even colder: “You left us out in the cold all night, and now you cannot even bring your chancellor to lead a horse. It seems the court’s sincerity is only this much.”
Rong Qing’s smile stiffened, and he replied awkwardly: “How could it be, General Xie? Please do not misunderstand.”
Pei Xia calmly studied the tall man in the striking red robe, sensing a difference.
He was still shameless, but no longer the ineffectual man he had been under the Third Prince. The man before him had truly become a general.
A general with strategy and vision.
He was not asked to lead the horse simply because he was Pei Shouzhen.
He was asked because he was the Emperor Chunqing’s chancellor, the head of the officials of Chang’an, and he had to bear the cost of the emperor’s neglect of Yan Wang.
Under the midday sun, Pei Xia stepped forward, voice low and calm: “I am willing to lead your horse, honored envoy, and respectfully welcome the Yanbei army into the city.”
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