spoiled brat

Chapter 128, Section 127: The Sharp Arrow (Part 7)

Rebellion was a serious crime, and everyone at the inn was taken back to the capital. Since it was a baseless rumor, it was all bark and no bite; they were released after a brief interrogation.

After giving her statement, Zhao Zhao left the courtroom. The head guard asked when she would return to report, and she replied, "After I've settled those poor students down."

The head guard glanced at the scene inside the gate. The rich kids were eager to get registered first, while the poor students paid to get in line. "Shouldn't we do something about it? By the time these dozens of people are registered, it will be almost dawn."

Zhao Zhao shook her head: "Don't meddle in things that aren't your business. Why delay their money-making?" She added: "Go and ask the official who escorted us here. This is a big deal. Is Minister Jiang going to show his face?"

The head guard was taken aback. She was usually very perceptive, so why was she suddenly confused? "Miss, we all know this is a complete fabrication. What would he be doing here?"

Zhao Zhao glanced sideways, her eyes shining like cold stars: "Is Lord Li coming or not?"

Although no name was mentioned, there was no other Lord Li in the capital who was closely associated with Minister Jiang.

The head guard thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say."

Zhao Zhao didn't ask any more questions. She asked someone for some bandages, sat down on the veranda, and casually wrapped her bleeding hand.

Suddenly, a voice came from afar: "Miss?"

She looked over and saw a figure standing at the other end of the corridor. He was tall and thin, and his steps were hesitant, as if he was uncertain.

As he drew closer, the moonlight first illuminated his pale cloth clothes, then his young face, bruised but still handsome.

Zhao Zhao didn't recognize him at first, but after Xie Xiaoqing cupped his hands and said "Thank you for saving me," she vaguely remembered who he was.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Zhao Zhao withdrew her gaze, her expression indifferent, clearly showing no interest in engaging in conversation.

Seeing that she looked down thoughtfully, Xie Xiaoqing assumed she was worried about the rebellion and said, "Minister Jiang is strict and harsh by nature, but he is a good person and will not wrong anyone."

Good people? Birds of a feather flock together. What good people could be blinded by that beast?

"You've never held an official position, how can you know his true nature and character?"

Xie Xiaoqing blushed, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer out, "I once wrote a few poems, and was fortunate enough to be appreciated by Minister Jiang, who invited me to the capital to serve as an official. At the time, I was ignorant and offended him, but I was not mistreated. How could such an unassuming official be bad?"

"Then why did you refuse him?" Zhao Zhao said indifferently, "The second-place scholar in this year's imperial examination has won his favor. He entered officialdom right after passing the exam and is about to marry Miss Jiang. If you had accepted back then, you might have been the one who rose to prominence."

She seemed less distant now.

Xie Xiaoqing also sat down and spoke from a distance: "...There's a reason for this." Afraid that Zhaozhao wouldn't bother listening, he added: "I haven't told anyone."

Zhao Zhao saw right through him and said calmly, "I'd like to hear the details."

A night breeze swept through the corridor, swirling up a few fallen leaves. Xie Xiaoqing made sure no one was around before lowering his voice to ask, "Does the young lady know how Minister Jiang's first wife and eldest son passed away?"

When Zhao Zhao inquired about Li Qingwen, she heard about Minister Jiang's past. The former died of a serious illness, while the latter's cause of death was unknown and rarely mentioned. Could Xie Xiaoqing, a poor boy, possibly know the hidden details?
"I don't know."

Xie Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment: "You are a member of the Prince's Mansion, you should know the relationship between Minister Jiang and Prince Ning, right?"

“I know that.”

This dynasty was founded on military merit. Minister Jiang was formerly a scholar-general. He and Prince Ning were mutually supportive in the north, and the two had a life-or-death friendship.

Xie Xiaoqing sat closer and lowered his voice even further: "Ten years ago, 500,000 barbarians marched south, and the two of them joined forces to defend against them. Prince Ning was surrounded by a large army and urgently needed reinforcements. Minister Jiang rushed to the rescue and broke through the siege, risking his life to save his friend with less than 11% of the enemy's troops."

"The tide of war turned from offense to defense, and our dynasty won a great victory. Minister Jiang made great contributions, but he refused to lead troops again and returned to court to serve as a civil official."

Zhao Zhao sensed a hidden meaning in the words: "Is there a reason behind this?"

Xie Xiaoqing remained silent for a moment, then said with a tone of reluctance, "At that time, the army was divided into three routes. Prince Ning was in the west, he was in the middle, and the eastern route was near the sea, where the barbarians had difficulty attacking. So he sent his son to train with his deputy on the eastern route."

"Unexpectedly, a spy leaked military intelligence. The enemy has deployed a large force to besiege Prince Ning, while simultaneously sending troops eastward. Both fronts are in dire need of Minister Jiang's assistance."

"The western front is dangerous, and the officers under my command are afraid of going there to their deaths. So they advised Minister Jiang that breaking through the enemy's encirclement with such a small force would be like throwing an egg against a rock. It would be much safer to abandon Prince Ning and go to the eastern front to rescue the young general."

"Although this method is somewhat cowardly, even if we went to the western front, it would most likely be too late to turn the tide. Besides, what parent would just watch their son die? The officers never expected it, and neither did the enemy. Minister Jiang sacrificed his son to save his friend, charging alone into the heavily fortified defenses, thus destabilizing the seemingly hopeless situation and actually turning the tide of battle!"

"Seeing the situation was not good, the enemy quickly broke through the eastern front, captured General Xiao Jiang, and used him to persuade Minister Jiang to surrender."

"The envoy who came to persuade us to surrender was quite fluent in Chinese culture. First, he quoted classical texts to argue that our dynasty was on the verge of collapse and that good ministers should follow a wise ruler. Then, he took out a wooden box containing a severed finger and said with a smile: 'General, please make a decision soon, otherwise when I come again, I don't know what will be inside.'"

Minister Jiang said, "It's nothing more than dismemberment, mutilation, and decapitation." The envoy didn't believe he could be so heartless, saying, "Our dynasty's executioners are highly skilled, possessing many methods far more agonizing than your country's slow slicing. Your son is in the prime of his life; perhaps it's better not to subject him to all of them." Minister Jiang remained silent for a long time, then asked, "You are familiar with our dynasty's history. Do you know what the Tang dynasty general Yan Zhenqing said before he died?"

The messenger replied: "He vehemently denounced the traitorous general and sought fame and fortune by disrupting the world."

Minister Jiang sneered: "He asked the traitor, 'Have you ever heard of Yan Gaoqing? He was my brother. Even with an axe in his hand, he remained righteous. Now I am going to follow in his footsteps. It will be a worthy death.'"

"He added: 'People are not afraid of death, so why threaten them with death? What if you have the most vicious punishments in the world? Decades ago, on this very land, my father and brothers refused to surrender until death, and you tore them to pieces and scattered their ashes. With such ancestors before us, even if we are torn to pieces a thousand times, my child will not be afraid!'"

"From then on, Minister Jiang received General Jiang's severed limbs, eyes, tongue, head... bones that were too broken to be pieced together."

Xie Xiaoqing's voice grew softer and softer. Seeing that Zhaozhao seemed moved, he gently revealed the little-known mystery:
"In fact, General Jiang was not as brave and fearless as Minister Jiang thought. He surrendered not long after being captured... This cannot be blamed on his disloyalty and injustice. What could help him alleviate the pain of torture? Along with his severed limbs came many handwritten letters in blood, pleading with Minister Jiang to surrender. Minister Jiang burned the letters and watched him die in agony."

What happened next is obvious to Zhao Zhao—Minister Jiang felt ashamed of his son and never recovered, eventually returning to court as prime minister.

"Madam Jiang's chronic illness..."

"It wasn't from illness, but suicide," Xie Xiaoqing sighed. "What mother in the world could bear such a thing?"

Having recounted the past, Xie Xiaoqing then mentioned himself: "Back then, Minister Jiang appreciated me and wrote to me saying that my writing style was quite similar to his son's. He asked if I would be willing to come to the capital to take a sinecure so that I could stay by his side and find some comfort."

"I was hesitating whether to agree when an uncle who was an official in the capital sent me a letter, mentioning this past event and advising me to seize this regret and use the dead man's influence to rise to prominence. This was clearly taking advantage of someone in distress, so how could I agree? I refused outright."

Zhao Zhao sighed inwardly, "The opportunity you gave up has been seized by that beast in human form."

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he hurriedly asked, "This matter is from a long time ago, and certainly not something everyone can know in detail. How do your uncles know so much about it?"

Xie Xiaoqing, caught off guard, answered truthfully: "My uncle was a halberd-bearer under Minister Jiang in his early years, and he happened to witness this incident."

A thought popped into her mind, and Zhao Zhao was lost in thought for a moment before asking blankly, "What's your name?"

"Thank you, Xiaoqing."

thank.

His surname is Xie, his uncles' surnames are Xie, and the previous magistrate of Qingyang County was also surnamed Xie.

Zhao Zhao seemed to hear the booming sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses, and fragmented clues, like broken strings of pearls, were strung together in the bloody past.

She quickly searched her memory, recalling the official document she had stolen from the Qingyang County archives. It contained records of the officials who had stayed with her and their servants. The official accompanying the servant, Li Qingwen, was…

"Xie Cheng," Zhao Zhao tried to keep her tone calm, "Is your uncle named Xie Cheng?"

Xie Xiaoqing was stunned: "How did you know?"

Instead of answering, Zhao Zhao asked, "Is he still alive?"

“He’s dead.” Xie Xiaoqing sighed sadly when mentioning this uncle whom he both loved and hated: “Perhaps he had committed too many sins in his life. Not long after he retired and returned to his hometown, he forgot to close the window at night to cool off and was bitten by a poisonous snake that crawled into the house.”

So Xie Cheng also died in late summer or early autumn. What a coincidence! It must have been that beast's doing.

Zhao Zhao looked calmly at Xie Xiaoqing, trying to catch a trace of hatred in his expression. Xie Xiaoqing looked completely bewildered, seemingly unaware of the cause of his loved one's death, and had no intention of investigating further.

Considering his previous actions and his shabby appearance, he probably doesn't know about the past relationship between Xie Cheng and Li Qingwen.

Everything gradually became clear in Zhao Zhao's mind—a few years ago, Xie Xiaoqing was appreciated by Minister Jiang. When Xie Cheng learned of this, he wrote a letter explaining the temperament and characteristics of the late Young Master Jiang, hoping that his nephew would learn from him and climb the social ladder. Xie Xiaoqing refused, but Li Qingwen, Xie Cheng's advisor, remembered the key point.

After two years of lying low, Li Qingwen stayed in Qingyang County with his master's family. He tricked Yao Niang into elopeing with him and used his life savings to support her journey to the capital for the imperial examination. Once the examination was over, he abandoned her, and Yao Niang barely escaped with her life and only managed to return to her hometown with great difficulty.

He should have been able to save his life, but Li Qingwen, though a beast, was indeed quite talented. He won second place in the palace examination and, thanks to the key points he had memorized, gained the favor of Minister Jiang and became his betrothed son-in-law. He was incredibly successful for a time.

The carp that leaps over the dragon gate is showered with flattery and gifts.

Although Li Qingwen was a low-ranking official, he had secretly accepted countless gifts and bribes. Money talks, and he could easily erase his shameful past.

Really good fortune.

Zhao Zhao pressed down on Xie Xiaoqing's shoulder and said, word by word, "I advise you to be careful with your words and actions from now on, and live with your life in suspense, otherwise you won't even know how you died."

Xie Xiaoqing didn't understand what he meant, but then he saw a person walking towards him from the other end of the corridor.

As they drew nearer, the head guard glanced curiously at the two sitting next to him and reported to Zhao Zhao, "Miss, the statements have been taken and the guards are waiting outside. Lord Li has sent word that he will arrive shortly and requests that you discuss with him how to settle the students."