Song of the Bright Moon Chapter 117

The next day, after court ended, Pei Xia was summoned again by Emperor Chunqing to Zichen Hall.

When Pei Xia entered the hall, palace attendants were respectfully escorting Xie Wuling and General Hu out.

As they brushed past each other, Xie Wuling’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Yet the smugness in his eyes vanished the moment it brushed against the faint red mark behind Pei Xia’s ear.

Pei Xia’s pale skin made even the slightest mark highly visible. That mark behind his ear…

What position could have caused it?

Xie Wuling knew he shouldn’t think about it, yet he couldn’t help it.

After all, he was a man.

When a man is jealous, it’s usually two things: outward defiance, inward possession.

The thought that Pei Xia had something he had longed for but could not have, yet Pei Xia had access to it day and night, made his heart feel like it was being repeatedly seared in hot oil. The pain made him want to draw his long sword and end the man before him in one strike.

Pei Xia only glanced at him coldly.

Seeing the sudden change in his expression, he was slightly surprised.

But he had no leisure to ponder it and withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened, entering the hall with the eunuch.

“Nephew, hey, nephew—”

General Hu waved his five rough fingers in front of Xie Wuling. “Everyone’s gone in. What are you still looking at?”

Xie Wuling’s eyes still held a sharp edge. His tone was cold: “I just can’t bear to look at him.”

General Hu frowned.

This Chancellor Pei looked rather pleasing to the eye.

But he didn’t ask further, leaning close to him in a low voice: “Earlier, when we spoke with the Emperor, did we go too far?”

“Too far?”

Xie Wuling’s tone was casual: “If your nephew asks for your help to collect debts outside, yet refuses to pay you, and when you go to demand it he leaves you outside all night, would you still speak politely to him?”

“How dare he! I’ll make sure he gets a good beating.”

“That’s enough,” Xie Wuling shrugged.

“But he’s not just any man; he’s the Emperor,” General Hu still felt uneasy.

He had served in the army for many years; loyalty to the emperor was ingrained in his bones.

Xie Wuling was different.

Though he had failed in the rebellion with the Third Prince three years ago, it made him realize that the Dragon Throne was not so sacred or untouchable.

The emperor sitting on it was not without fault, nor omnipotent.

That throne, Emperor Zhaoning, obsessed with elixirs and women, could sit on it; the ambitious, capricious Third Prince could snatch it; the indecisive, mediocre Emperor Chunqing could sit on it. Why shouldn’t the prudent, calm, and strategically brilliant Yan Wang Sima Yi be able to sit there?

If Xie Wuling weren’t illegitimate and without that military power, he might have been able to lie on that throne himself.

Princes and ministers—what are they really?

Xie Wuling thought this to himself but did not voice it to General Hu. Instead, he said: “He is the Emperor, Yan Wang is the Imperial Uncle—both are of the Sima bloodline. Who is nobler than the other?”

Technically, Emperor Zhaoning’s birth mother was a lowly palace maid, while Yan Wang’s mother was Consort Xian, the chief of the four concubines.

General Hu listened to Xie Wuling’s words, heart racing.

Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger, such reckless speech!

He quickly pulled him aside: “Enough, don’t mention it. Weren’t we supposed to drink and eat? Let’s go, hurry up.”

Xie Wuling was dragged away by General Hu.

In the heavy, dragon-amber scented Zichen Hall, Emperor Chunqing’s neck was flushed with rage, shouting at Xie Wuling’s arrogance: “That b*stard doesn’t respect the hierarchy at all! He doesn’t even take me, the Emperor, seriously!”

“I spoke to him with all courtesy, yet he was stubborn, taking the twenty percent profit and even setting a deadline, five days! If I cannot produce the silver in five days, he’ll take those five thousand troops back to Yanbei to seek another path! Hah, such audacity, seeking another path…”

The Emperor’s fists pressed against the purple sandalwood desk, knuckles white, teeth gritted: “What path could they seek? A bunch of rebellious traitors! And now they dare threaten me! Do they think I won’t dare to execute them?”

Pei Xia stood at the lower seat, silently listening to the Emperor’s towering rage.

Only when the man at the upper seat had calmed his breathing did Pei Xia step forward, lifting his sleeve: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”

“How can I calm my anger when I’ve been bullied by these ruffians?”

The Emperor sneered: “Back in the Taichi Hall, if the Dragon Shadow Guards had pierced his throat with an arrow, none of this would have happened.”

Pei Xia knew this was venting his anger.

He could not argue.

After all, it had been he who begged the Emperor to spare Xie Wuling’s life years ago.

Who could have known that exiling Xie Wuling to the north would lead to such a fortune, allowing him to return in full force?

“You’re usually quite talkative, yet today you say nothing. Or is it that for a woman, you still leave some face for Xie Wuling?”

The Emperor had wanted to say, “Few men are as weak as you,” but he restrained himself.

He pinched the bridge of his nose: “Since you were soft-hearted and left this troublemaker alive back then, now you deal with it yourself. In any case, the twenty percent profit, I will never give.”

Serving the emperor, sharing in his worries, this was a minister’s duty.

Pei Xia had studied the classics since childhood; these rules and principles had become an inescapable code in his life.

That afternoon, he had found Xie Wuling in the Hu Ji tavern in Pingkang Lane.

General Hu was already drunk, snoring like thunder, and was escorted by two delicate maidservants to the adjoining guest room.

Xie Wuling had drunk half a jug of Xiliang Spring and was slightly tipsy.

Seeing Pei Xia in his purple official robe, he did not rise, lazily leaning back on the pillow. His peach-blossom eyes carried a trace of cold amusement as he squinted at him: “Yesterday you were all aloof and indifferent, and today, what wind blew you here, Chancellor Pei?”

Pei Xia remained silent and dismissed the attendants.

Once the room was empty, he stepped forward: “The court withheld the Yanbei army funds; it is natural for Yan Wang to be displeased. However, this year Anxi suffered droughts and Ningzhou was in turmoil, which has drained the treasury. The court does not wish to make things difficult for Yan Wang; it is merely a temporary shortage. Even so, His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War to prepare the army funds, which will soon be sent to Yanbei.”

“And your unauthorized march to Chang’an, by Great Liang law, His Majesty could punish you for abandoning your post and defying imperial authority. But considering your reasons, it is understandable, and I will not hold it against you. Within five days, the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War will have the funds and supplies ready for your return to Yanbei. As for that twenty percent profit, please have your envoy return to renegotiate with Yan Wang.”

When Pei Xia finished speaking, Xie Wuling still lounged lazily: “So now you come, are you here as the Chancellor or as Jiaojiao’s husband?”

Pei Xia’s eyes darkened.

He knew that unless Xie Wuling’s mouth was literally shut, this lecher would never restrain himself in address.

He said: “Since we are discussing state affairs, I am here in my capacity as a court minister.”

“A court minister, huh.”

Xie Wuling nodded, lightly swirling his wine cup with long fingers: “Then that twenty percent profit, we can’t let go. My brothers have come all the way to Chang’an, braving the elements and sleeping under the stars; they deserve some benefit for their troubles. Otherwise, wouldn’t this entire trip be for nothing? Wouldn’t the humiliation of being left outside the gates be in vain?”

Pei Xia frowned: “The Yanbei army are also soldiers of Great Liang. Protecting the country is their duty. How can they act like bandits, greedy and extorting the court?”

Xie Wuling: “…”

Don’t think I can’t tell you’re insulting me in roundabout ways, pretty boy.

His thin lips twitched, and he straightened up: “So now you admit we are loyal soldiers? Yet the other day, when you left us outside the city gates in the cold, you called us rebel traitors. And when your Emperor withheld the Yanbei army funds, did you ever consider that if the Rong Di invaders attacked, we would have no money, no provisions, no weapons, how would we fight them? Starving, unarmed, facing armored cavalry head-on? Peaceful times feel costly to maintain an army. When war comes, suddenly you want us to spill our blood to fill the gap. Where in the world is there such fairness?”

Hypocrisy.

A hypocritical Emperor, a hypocritical court, a hypocritical Pei Xia.

Pei Xia could clearly see the disdain in Xie Wuling’s eyes.

There was truly no winning an argument with him.

Pei Xia exhaled deeply, forcing his tone calm: “The army funds were indeed the court’s oversight, but it is not too late to remedy it. The funds are now ready, and you may take them in full. As for Yan Wang, I will consult His Majesty, prepare a generous gift, and make amends to restore relations.”

“But the twenty percent profit is substantial. The treasury is funded by the people. To prepare the army funds this year, an extra thirty percent tax was collected from Jiangnan. Raising more money would only burden the people further.”

Pei Xia looked at Xie Wuling, eyes clear and firm: “You come from humble origins; you should understand the hardships of the common people. Every extra tax imposed adds weight to their burden. Xie Wuling, though we have past grievances and opposing positions, your character…”

He wanted to praise him, but the words would not come.

Pei Xia pressed his lips, pondering for a long moment before saying: “You are surely not the sort to ignore the people’s suffering.”

Xie Wuling twisted the corner of his mouth: “The sun rises in the west! In my lifetime, I never thought I’d hear a kind word from your mouth, Pei Xia.”

Pei Xia: “…State affairs are no trivial matter.”

“But your Emperor treats them as such.”

Xie Wuling said: “When he made that foolish decision, you did not stop him. Now that the mistake has been made, you lecture us, the sufferers, on national duty. Pei Xia, don’t you find that laughable?”

He paused, unable to resist a jab: “And this was the master you once chose!”

Pei Xia felt a tightness in his chest.

Before he could respond, Xie Wuling continued: “And don’t cry poverty to me. At yesterday’s palace banquet, there was no sign of lacking money. Before, you plundered Duke Ying’s household, you must have gotten a fair sum. I am familiar with debt collection; I’ve seen many with pockets full of money who refuse to pay. Two punches, a knife to the throat, and they comply.”

“Don’t think I’m being difficult. We each serve our own masters. You, go back and advise your master to be reasonable while there’s still time. If it comes to swords and weapons, tsk, it won’t be pretty.”

Hearing this, Pei Xia’s expression grew colder: “If conflict arises, the hardest hit will be the common people! How can you speak of this so lightly?”

Xie Wuling’s eyes flickered, but his face remained neutral.

After a pause, he suddenly thought of something: “If the treasury cannot provide funds this year, it will next year. I am not the type to ignore the people’s suffering. I will return and discuss with my adoptive father, asking him to grant some extension. When next year’s spring taxes are collected, it will not be too late to give us the funds.”

He looked at Pei Xia: “What do you think?”

A flicker of surprise passed through Pei Xia’s eyes.

This rogue is actually willing to make concessions?

It seemed his character was not as lowly as imagined, nor was he the sort to take advantage of chaos, blinded by greed.

Pei Xia straightened slightly, raising his sleeve in a formal gesture toward Xie Wuling: “If your envoy can persuade Yan Wang to grant an extension until next year, I will do my utmost to convince His Majesty to present that twenty percent profit as compensation next spring.”

“Looks like Chancellor Pei thinks that’s a good plan.”

Xie Wuling laughed: “But why should I help you persuade my adoptive father?”

Pei Xia paused in his gesture.

“Following such a foolish master, you must face many difficulties, right? I’ve been in Chang’an only two days, and I’ve already heard of your conflicts with your ruler. Ah, Pei Xia, tell me, how did you end up with such a master? Riding a tiger now, probably regretting it deeply, eh?”

Xie Wuling feigned regret, sighing: “But it’s not impossible. As long as you promise me one thing, I can postpone the issue even to next autumn’s tax collection. Or, if you wish to abandon your master for another, I can make a recommendation for you. You could continue as the peaceful chancellor, fulfilling your ambitions for the people.”

Pei Xia didn’t even need to ask; he knew this man could never speak with honesty.

Sure enough, Xie Wuling smiled at him, genuinely and brightly: “My demand is simple. You give Jiaojiao a divorce document. From now on, you remain Chancellor Pei, and she…”

She becomes my beloved wife, Xie Wuling’s wife.

Pei Xia glanced at his smile, parted his thin lips, and coldly said three words: “In your dreams.”

Xie Wuling’s smile vanished.

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned tense and solemn.

“Am I, Pei Xia, the sort to sell my wife for personal gain?”

Pei Xia’s gaze froze coldly on the man by the bed: “Using private matters to threaten over military and state affairs is despicable.”

“Despicable? Not at all.”

Xie Wuling said: “If you prefer to handle this formally, fine. Then prepare the funds in full, principal and interest, within five days, so we may take them back to Yanbei.”

Pei Xia’s expression darkened: “Xie Wuling, do not overstep.”

“Tsk, unwilling to plead for you, and that’s overstepping? Three years have passed, and you, the great gentleman Pei, have not changed one bit. This must be yours, that must be yours, all benefits claimed by you alone?”

“In any case, my conditions are set. You can go back and consider them carefully.”

“You’re smart, but overly talented, overly sharp. And your master is such a person. I’ve seen people like him in gambling dens, in pleasure boats, useful when needed, acting humble, flattering endlessly. Once in power, with some money in hand, their tail rises, they turn their back, thinking you are foolish for speaking. If you always follow his whims, maybe he’ll grant a little favor, give you a scrap of face. But if you insist on being his master, over time, pearls become imitation, beams turn to rotten wood, better to burn it all and find peace.”

“I hope you can hear this, but if you can’t…”

Xie Wuling sneered coldly: “You die, then die; don’t drag my Jiaojiao into it.”

Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to read the REST OF THE BOOK in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)