Chapter 131
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Urgent military information from Sichuan-Guizhou region had once again reached the capital.
Several key checkpoints in Luozhou had been sealed and guarded for several months. The local chieftain, Zhang Mushan, had finally recognized the court’s determination to wage a prolonged war. He had begun secretly fortifying his positions, trying to expand his terrain advantage, and adopting a strategy of defending strongholds while devastating the countryside, thereby draining the government’s military resources.
Because of the previous proactive attack that caused a significant blow to Prince Yan’s faction, this time, in the face of urgent military matters, all the civil and military officials in the court dared not advise sending troops or step forward. Instead, they offered proposals to appease the Luozhou Chieftain.
Faced with these timid and war-avoiding proposals, Xie Duo remained non-committal. In several small court meetings, he repeatedly said, “We will consider this later.”
After the morning court session, Prince Yan waited in the Xiyuan Hall corridor, eagerly watching as his younger brother rushed toward him. He greeted him with a faint smile.
Xie Duo asked him what was the matter.
Prince Yan said he wanted to take him to the cuju field to relieve boredom.
Xie Duo declined, citing his busy official duties.
Prince Yan, however, was not willing to give up and sat in the study, waiting for him to finish.
Xie Duo felt uncomfortable under his gaze. After reviewing only a few documents, he put down his brush and said, “Let’s go.”
The two brothers hadn’t played cuju together for a long time.
In truth, Prince Yan wasn’t very good at cuju, but he rarely indulged in any leisure activities.
So today’s invitation seemed a bit strange, but Xie Duo didn’t ask anything. He simply faced his Sixth Brother with dedication.
As expected, in less than half an hour, Prince Yan lost five rounds.
After Xie Duo scored a goal, he stood in place, raised his chin, signaling the cuju players around the field to pass the ball back to him.
In the past, after scoring a goal, he would actively chase the ball, but now, he clearly had no interest in continuing the game.
Prince Yan quickly stepped forward with a smile. “Is my skill so poor that it’s no fun for you?”
Xie Duo turned with the ball, didn’t answer, and only asked quietly, “Do you still want to play?”
“Let’s play two more rounds.” Prince Yan adjusted his somewhat loose attire, rolled up his sleeves, wiped off some sweat, and assumed a focused defensive posture.
Xie Duo stopped the ball with his foot. “I don’t want to play anymore.”
Prince Yan straightened up with a disappointed expression. “Why don’t you want to?”
“Six Brother, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Prince Yan hesitated for a moment, looking at his brother with a dejected expression. “I just wanted to play cuju with you. You’ve always loved cuju since you were little, and I haven’t spent much time with you. I didn’t realize you’d grow up so fast, and now I’m worried I won’t have time to play with you. Is it too late?”
Xie Duo looked puzzled. “There are plenty of cuju players in the palace. I don’t lack your company.”
“Are you saying that in a moment of anger?”
Xie Duo furrowed his brow and asked, “Have you been drinking today?”
Prince Yan took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said softly, “Otherwise… I can’t think of any other reason. Is there something I haven’t done well enough for you?”
Xie Duo’s eyes flashed, seeming to understand his intention.
Prince Yan looked sincerely at his younger brother. “When we were young, I worried more about Old Seventh because he was immature and often got the short end of the stick. But you, you always brought me many surprises. I noticed a long time ago that there’s hardly anything you can’t do when you set your mind to it. A’Duo, I’m especially proud of you. I thought you were born to be strong, and I was afraid you’d become arrogant, so I’ve been tough on you, but I…”
Xie Duo interrupted his rambling, “You’re a responsible older brother. You have nothing to apologize for. Cutting ties with your associates has nothing to do with the kind of person you are. Just be straightforward, Big Brother. You know I don’t like beating around the bush with people close to me. If there are conditions, you can state them, but there’s no need to sit down and assign blame. Many things in this world don’t develop according to your sense of right and wrong. If you’re only happy when you can judge things in terms of right and wrong, you can consider me a troublemaker, and I won’t mind.”
Prince Yan gazed at his younger brother in bewilderment for a while, then sighed. “You always cut to the chase, unburdened by conventions, and achieve your goals faster with your own wit. I used to scold you for being stubborn, but now I respect you, truly.”
Xie Duo didn’t appreciate the sentiment. “Do I need to return the courtesy and flatter you?”
Prince Yan frowned. “Alright, I won’t beat around the bush either. Xie Duo, Old Seventh is confused in the head, unable to explain certain things properly. His actions toward me, I can forgive. But if you…if you, for no apparent reason, become my enemy, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Who told you I want to be your enemy?” Xie Duo cocked his head and looked at him. “Senior Minister Xu?”
Prince Yan sighed bitterly. “Do I need him to remind me? I’m not brainless. The things you’ve done…”
Xie Duo lifted the ball with his foot and suddenly kicked it toward his Sixth Brother.
The ball smacked Prince Yan’s forehead with a “thud.” He couldn’t react in time to block it, but the force wasn’t heavy, only momentarily startling him.
“Feeling more awake now?” Xie Duo took a couple of steps forward, gazing at his brother. “If I wanted to directly oppose you, I could easily make you the scapegoat for all of this. Right now, I’m cleaning out Senior Minister Xu’s supporters in a way that preserves your honor and position. Six Brother, think it through carefully. If you were in my position and had already gained the allegiance of the Crown Prince’s faction, would you leave Senior Minister Xu’s loyalists untouched?”
Prince Yan frowned, lowered his eyes, and asked quietly, “Are you trying to reform the administration?”
“No,” Xie Duo replied, “I’m trying to make Senior Minister Xu see which way the wind is blowing and retire gracefully. He’s in his seventies. It’s time for him to step down voluntarily.”
Prince Yan looked up at him. “I didn’t expect you to hold such a deep bias against Senior Minister Xu. So, may I ask you, is there no corrupt person under Senior Minister Li?”
Xie Duo furrowed his brow and responded in a low voice, “Six Brother, the key to managing people is understanding their ambitions. When you hold what they seek in your hands, you can control them, rather than expecting them to respect your ambitions. Senior Minister Xu’s willingness to compromise with your policies isn’t because he cares more about the people’s suffering than Senior Minister Li. It’s because he’s more willing to sacrifice principles for power. You can dangle power in front of such a person, let him bear the blame for you, but you can’t truly expect him to be impartial and support your aspirations.”
Prince Yan fell silent for a while and then sighed. “You make a valid point. But what exactly do you plan to do?”
“What do you think I should do?”
Prince Yan shook his head. “I dare not suggest. I came here originally to take responsibility for all the wrongdoings and ask you to spare the others. But now, if you plan to deal with Senior Minister Xu, I can’t be of any help.”
Anger suddenly flashed across Xie Duo’s face, then turned to disappointment. “Is there nothing else? Thank you for wasting half an hour of my time. I’m taking my leave.”
As Xie Duo passed by, Prince Yan roared in a deep voice, “Why have you suddenly grown so prickly?”
Xie Duo paused but didn’t turn around.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Prince Yan turned, and reprimanded, “As your older brother, where have I wronged you? If you don’t like beating around the bush, then speak plainly!”
Xie Duo turned around, lifted his chin slightly, and looked down at him. “Six Brother, when I was young, I greatly admired your integrity and magnanimity. I admired your ability to treat everyone with fairness. I don’t understand how you can care about so many people at once. In my case, just avoiding angering Father Emperor and Mother Empress has exhausted most of my patience. I have no spare time to concern myself with unrelated people. I’ve given all the feelings I have to those who matter to me, and I can’t divide them. So, I thought that only someone as benevolent as you deserves to ascend the throne. But now, I fear I may have been wrong.”
Prince Yan furrowed his brow and asked, “How do you see me now?”
Xie Duo replied coldly, “I think you may not actually care that much about those unrelated people, but you care about how they treat you. So, you keep giving to others, hoping for equal treatment, but it often doesn’t work out. You keep complaining of being let down, getting hurt, and lamenting that people nowadays are not like in the past. Six Brother, you desire much more than I do. Isn’t it exhausting to live this way? Are Senior Minister Xu’s worthless underlings really worth you shouldering their blame? Do you truly think it’s worth it? Or is it that as long as they acknowledge their mistake, and someone like you doesn’t go unnoticed, you can rest in peace?”
Prince Yan’s angry expression suddenly turned into confusion. After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice, “Perhaps you’re right. I was truly concerned about myself.”
“No, you can’t see yourself at all, which is why you care so much about how others see you.”
Prince Yan, at a loss, looked at his brother and whispered, “So, what should I do?”
“Don’t ask others, ask yourself.” Xie Duo looked at him. “What do you want to do? Are you willing to confront me for Senior Minister Xu’s sake?”
Prince Yan lowered his head in thought for a long time and then raised it, looking at Xie Duo. “No, I want to lead a campaign to quell the rebels in Luozhou. I want to reclaim the honor left behind on that mountain peak. I want to avenge the souls of the thousands of soldiers!”
Under the scorching midday sun, the golden rays painted both brothers’ features with a fiery glow. A strong and intense fighting spirit filled the vast green fields.
Xie Duo’s tightly pursed lips suddenly curved into a smile, and the resistance in his eyes turned into approval. It was as if he had reverted to the young boy who once admired his older brother. He said, “If you can’t conquer those wild rebels in Luozhou, then don’t come back. Find someone who can, and be my Sixth Brother. I, the Great Chu’s War God, can’t afford to lose that person.”
Prince Yan chuckled and, for a rare moment, revealed a challenging expression. “Don’t worry about that. By the time your Sixth Brother returns, you won’t be the Great Chu’s War God anymore.”
“Is that so?” Xie Duo bantered with him as in the past. “I wonder what my new Sixth Brother will be like.”
“There’s no ‘new’ Sixth Brother, only the War God Sixth Brother, and the former War God Ninth Brother.”
The author has something to say: P.S.: Xie Duo’s inner conflict is yet to be resolved.
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