Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 59 Xie Zhangyu's Compromise
Inside Zhang’s mansion.

Yang Jin, Yang Yuanbo, Yang Le of the Yang family and Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan, and Xie Shuyuan of the Xie family were all trying to figure out how to recruit some soldiers to rescue Qinghe County.

In the main hall, some members of the Zhang clan, officials from Ji County, and many prominent families were also talking.

At this moment, Xie Shudu suddenly walked in hurriedly and came directly in front of Xie Zhangyuan and Xie Zhangyu.

"Father, uncle! Just now, Shudu learned from Zhao Han that Fu Zihou said he came from Qinghe County. The rebels outside Qinghe County have already fled in all directions!"

Xie Shudu spoke up.

Hearing Xie Shudu's words, both the Xie family and the Yang family members were stunned and looked at each other in disbelief.

"What, escaped?"

"How could the thief escape?"

Yang Jin, Yang Yuanbo, Yang Le and others looked at each other and looked at Xie Shudu with some suspicion.

Even Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan, and Xie Shuyuan were the same. They never expected that while they were busy thinking about how to rescue Qinghe County, they heard that the rebel army outside Qinghe County had already fled in all directions.

How can this be?

"Has the siege of Qinghe County been lifted? Have the bandits fled in all directions?"

"Impossible! Apart from Ji County and Qinghe County, where else can we find troops to help Qinghe County?"

In the main hall, the men sitting behind the wooden tables, both old and middle-aged, all started talking about it, and none of them believed the news.

When Yang Jin was about to ask Xie Shudu, he suddenly thought of something and looked at Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan.

"Fu Zihou? He was the one who guessed that Lu Mingyue was going to take advantage of the banquet to launch a surprise attack on Wanqiu?"

Although two months have passed, Yang Jin still remembers this name.

After all, the bride at the wedding banquet hosted by Xie was from Yang, and Lu Mingyue's behavior was undoubtedly a disgrace to Yang. Therefore, Yang had heard about what happened in Wanqiu that day, and she had some impression of the name Fu Zihou.

"It's him!"

Xie Zhangyu raised his hand and replied to Yang Jin.

"Shouldn't such a person lie?"

"Could it be that the siege has really been resolved?"

"I don't know what happened..."

After hearing what Xie Zhangyu said, Yang Jin, Yang Yuanbo, and Yang Le were worried that it was fake, but they also felt that it was true. They began to get excited, but in the end they became a little uneasy, fearing that the news was wrong.

"Uncle Du, go and invite the people over!"

Finally, Yang Jin spoke up and asked Xie Shudu to invite the man to the main hall so that they could ask him in person.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Xie Shudu couldn't help but look at his father and uncle.

"Uncle, let Zhang Yu and my cousin go and ask. Please wait for a moment!"

Xie Zhangyu stood up and said to Yang Jin.

Xie Zhangyuan, who was standing aside, also knew that the young man from the Fu family had made an appointment with the Xie family to meet because of the Li family's affairs. Thinking of this, Xie Zhangyuan also stood up and saluted with his cousin. Then the two of them took Xie Shudu out of the main hall.

Inside the main hall, everyone couldn't help but feel puzzled, not knowing what was going on, but they all waited patiently.

Under the pavilion.

Fu Zihou looked at Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan and others coming over and slowly raised his hand.

"Zihou, meet the two uncles!"

Fu Zihou saluted.

"My dear nephew, please don't be polite. If you hadn't reminded me that day, I'm afraid the Xie family would still be in trouble now!"

"Nephew, sit down!"

Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan were both very polite and courteous.

The gap between prominent families and ordinary dignitaries is often revealed in the way they get along with others.

Looking at Fu Zihou, Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan were not in a hurry to ask about the affairs in Qinghe County. After all, there was not much time left. If they wanted to know whether what Fu Zihou said was true, they should first solve the problem of Fu Zihou's purpose.

"Thank you!"

Fu Zihou raised his hand to express his gratitude, but did not sit down in a hurry. Instead, he looked at Zhao Han.

"Brother Han, Zihou is being rude, please step aside!"

Fu Zihou raised his hand and said apologetically, it was not that Fu Zihou wanted to treat Zhao Han as an outsider, on the contrary, Fu Zihou did not want Zhao Han to be involved in this matter.

"it is good!"

Zhao Han was a little confused at first, but when he saw Fu Zihou's eyes, which were exactly the same as when he was in Wancheng, he suddenly realized something. He nodded quickly, saluted to the uncles of the Xie family, and turned to leave.

Under the pavilion.

Soon, only four people were left: Fu Zihou, Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan and Xie Shudu.

"Zihou, I won't hide it from you two uncles. I'm here today because of the Li family's affairs! In the past, Xie Yan killed Li Shuyun, the third son of the Li family. You two uncles should know about this!"

After Fu Zihou sat down, he was the first to speak and frankly stated his purpose.

Xie Zhangyu and the others looked at each other, none of them were surprised, and they just looked at Fu Zihou.

"My dear nephew, you should know that Xie Yan is from the Xie family!"

When Xie Zhangyu said this, he looked at Fu Zihou, implying that even if the person was related to Cui, Xie would not hand him over.

"Zihou, may I ask, Xie Siqin is just an illegitimate child. Now Xie Siqin's son Xie Yan has killed Li Jia Sanlang. Why does the Xie family want to protect a person who has brought discredit to the Xie family? What benefit will this bring to the Xie family? It will only increase the Xie family's bad reputation of deceiving others and be despised by others. Zihou has always believed that the Xie family, which has been famous all over the world for hundreds of years, should understand morality and justice better than the rest of the world!"

Fu Zihou raised his hand, looked at Xie Zhangyu and said, he could see that the person who really made the decision was Xie Zhangyu.

When Xie Zhangyu heard what Fu Zihou said, he still shook his head. He was not angry, nor did he say anything.

This also shows an attitude.

That is, no matter what, the Xie family will not hand over Xie Yan.

Under the pavilion.

The atmosphere gradually quieted down. Fu Zihou looked at the silent Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan, and then looked elsewhere.

"Two years ago, Yang Xuangan started a rebellion in Liyang! Two years ago, Li Shuyun, the third son of the Li family, was killed by Xie Yan!"

Fu Zihou spoke to himself.

When Xie Zhangyuan and Xie Zhangyu, who were originally silent, heard Fu Zihou's words, their eyes suddenly moved and they looked at Fu Zihou instinctively.

It was not until this time that the two men realized why Fu Zihou had been able to guess that there were rebels entering the city in Wanqiu in the past based on some observations, and even deduced that it might be Lu Mingyue.

But fortunately, this was an old grudge from two years ago, not something that was about to happen. Two years have passed since the incident, and no matter how we speculate, it is just speculation.

Xie Shudu also frowned and looked at Fu Zihou, and just as Xie Shudu was looking at him, Fu Zihou turned his head.

"Everyone in the world knows that Su Wei and Yang Su wanted to kill Old Li. Everyone in the world also knows that Yang Su's sons have always had a grudge against Old Li's sons. Li Shuyun did not die at the hands of Yang Xuangan, but at the hands of Xie Yan! Uncles, Zihou has no real evidence. I came here today to get a word from you! I want to invite you to have a drink!"

Fu Zihou raised his hand and said, then picked up the bamboo tube beside him, and under the puzzled gazes of Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan, and Xie Shudu, he stood up and poured the wine in the bamboo tube into the teacup.

"please!"

After Fu Zihou poured the wine, he gestured, then returned to the wooden table, poured himself a glass, picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

See this.

Xie Zhangyu, Xie Zhangyuan and Xie Shudu, who smelled the alcohol at the beginning, also picked up the teacup and took a sip out of curiosity.

In an instant, Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan's faces changed.

Even Xie Shudu was curious about the taste of the wine. He held the teacup, looked at it again and again, and was a little amazed.

"Uncles, may I ask how this wine tastes?"

Fu Zihou looked at Xie Zhangyu and asked.

“A treasure!”

Xie Zhangyuan had drunk a lot of wine in his life, including wine from the Western Regions during the heyday of the Sui Dynasty.

I wouldn’t say the wine in front of me is the best, but it’s definitely a treasure, and I’ve never tasted it before.

"My dear nephew, please feel free to say what you want to say!" Xie Zhangyu put down the teacup, looked at Fu Zihou and said.

After hearing what Xie Zhangyu said, under the gazes of the three members of the Xie family, Fu Zihou looked at the teacup in front of him, raised his hand, and gently placed his palm on the side of the teacup.

"My two uncles should understand the current emperor! Zihou wants to know whether Xie is willing to personally present the wine to His Majesty, or whether Cui's people are willing to present it to His Majesty!"

Fu Zihou looked at Xie Zhangyu and asked softly.

Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan looked at each other and took a deep breath. They could understand what Fu Zihou meant.

From mentioning Yang Xuangan at the beginning, to later saying that there was no real evidence, and then taking out the wine and talking about the character of the current emperor Yang Guang, this was a threat from Fu Zihou and also Fu Zihou's condition of exchange.

Outside the pavilion.

A servant hurriedly walked into the yard from the gate, and then ran hurriedly towards the main hall.

But at this time, neither Xie Zhangyu nor Xie Zhangyuan had the mind to care about other things. Looking at Fu Zihou in front of them, they both fell silent.

"The Xie family never owed Xie Siqin anything. It was Xie Siqin who didn't teach his son well. The Li family just wanted justice. Why did the Xie family insist on doing this for Xie Yan, who brought shame to the Xie family? Zihou was thinking that if Mr. Xie were alive and knew all this, he would not allow an illegitimate child to ruin the name of the Xie family! The Xie family is not just Mr. Xie. Mr. Xie left the family for many years and still hoped to return to the family. Zihou admires this feeling!"

Fu Zihou said softly, then looked at the three people from the Xie family.

"When the wine is sold in the future, Xie's family will take 50% of it. In the future, it will all belong to Xie's family. It has nothing to do with Cui's family and Zihou's family! Apart from Xie and Li's family, no one else will know about it!"

Fu Zihou sighed. The threat had been made clear and the benefits had been stated. It all depended on what Xie decided.

The cold wind blew by, and in the quiet atmosphere, no one spoke under the pavilion.

Suddenly, Xie Shuyuan, who was not far away, hurriedly walked out of the main hall and walked towards the pavilion.

"Father! Father!!"

Xie Shuyuan came to the pavilion and hurried to his father's side.

"What's the matter?"

Seeing Xie Shuyuan's panic-stricken look, Xie Zhangyu couldn't help but frown. Something big must have happened to make his son Shuyuan look like that.

"Father, yes, there is news from Qinghe County!"

As Xie Shuyuan spoke, he couldn't help but look at the young man beside him.

"Qinghe County! Speak!"

When Xie Zhangyu heard his eldest son's words, a bad premonition came to his mind.

Qinghe County!
Xie Zhangyu couldn't help but look at Fu Zihou.

Fu Zihou had clearly said before that the thieves outside Qinghe County had already fled in all directions. Since Fu Zihou came to talk to Xie, he should not lie.

Could it be that the thieves' scattered escape was just a plot by the thief Zhang Jincheng?
Inside the pavilion.

Xie Zhangyuan and his son Xie Shudu couldn't help but look worried at this moment.

Under the gaze of the three members of the Xie family, Xie Shuyuan finally revealed the news.

"Father, four days ago, at noon, the rebel Zhang Jincheng led an army of more than 10,000 rebels to attack Qinghe County. When Qinghe was lost, they met reinforcements and attacked from the rear of the rebel army. The leader of the reinforcements killed the rebel general Xu Jinpeng and defeated the rebel army. The rebels fled and later led their confidants to hunt down the rebel leader Zhang Jincheng, and his whereabouts are unknown..."

Xie Shuyuan said to his father, and seeing his father and uncle's expressions gradually becoming surprised, Xie Shuyuan could not smile.

"The commander of the reinforcements is named... Fu Zihou!"

As Xie Shuyuan was speaking, he clearly saw that the surprise on his father, uncle, and Shudu's faces instantly disappeared, and they looked at the young man beside them in shock.

"Father! Elder Yang and the others want to meet Zihou right now!"

Xie Shuyuan said softly, thinking of what had happened in the main hall just now, when the old men from the Yang family learned about the news from Qinghe County and knew that Fu Zihou was now in the mansion, and they all spoke up, saying that they wanted to meet Fu Zihou.

"The commander of the reinforcements..."

Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan both looked at Fu Zihou in shock.

Before either of them could speak, there was a sudden tiny snapping sound, and then Xie Shudu stood up.

"Zi...Zihou, who is that person?"

Xie Shudu raised his hand and pointed at the injured man who was being supported by two men in the yard not far away.

Xie Zhangyu and Xie Zhangyuan couldn't help but turn their heads to look. When they saw where Xie Shudu was pointing, they suddenly realized something.

"He is Zhang Jincheng!"

Fu Zihou did not hide anything. He glanced at the yard and then turned back to look at the four people in front of him.

"It is also a gift that Zihou prepared for Xie!"

After Fu Zihou finished speaking, he looked at Xie Zhangyu.

Seeing Fu Zihou's gaze, Xie Zhangyu fell silent. Xie Zhangyuan beside him had actually made a decision.

The conditions offered by Fu Zihou were really too good. There were benefits on one side and troubles on the other. Anyone would know how to choose.

Moreover, Fu Zihou also promised that this matter would not be known to anyone else.

Now, Xie no longer has much ability to cultivate children. His nephew Xie Shuyuan married Yang, and Xie has already spent all his family fortune.

Xie Zhangyuan knew that in the future, most of the Xie family members would place their only connections on Xie Shuyuan.

But Xie Zhangyuan also has a son. Looking at Xie Shudu, who is not much younger than Xie Shuyuan, he knows that this is Xie Zhangyuan's flesh and blood, and also a member of the Xie family.

Could it be that he really had the heart to watch, when he had a choice, other brothers taking up official positions and adding glory to the family tree, while Shudu only had a name?

In the slightly quiet atmosphere, it was only broken by a voice after a long time.

"When does my nephew need someone?"

Xie Zhangyu's voice sounded slowly.

In the end, Xie Zhangyu chose to hand the person over to Fu Zihou.

If Xie Zhangyu was still hesitant when faced with Fu Zihou's various advantages just now, then after learning about Fu Zihou's abilities, Xie Zhangyu weighed the pros and cons and made a decision in his heart.

Without hurting the reputation of the Xie family, Xie Zhangyu did not want to offend too many people for the sake of one more Xie family member and leave hidden dangers for the Xie family.

Having just heard the threat in Fu Zihou's words, Xie Zhangyu was still speculating in his mind about the relationship between Fu Zihou and the Cui family of Qinghe, and whether Xie family had the opportunity to make some move.

After all, now that the Xie and Yang families are married, as long as the relationship between the Qinghe Cui family and Fu Zihou is not close, and the Xie and Yang families take a tougher stance and are willing to compensate the Cui family, there is hope that the Cui family will sit idly by.

But for now.

Xie Zhangyu knew clearly that nowadays, let alone the Xie family of Chenjun and the Yang family of Hongnong, even if the Lu family of Fanyang, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and many other aristocratic families were added in, there would be no such thing as a noble family.

The Cui family of Qinghe will definitely stand by Fu Zihou.

Fu Zihou risked his life to fight against the bandit army and rescue Qinghe County.

The people of Qinghe County, the officials, scholars, famous families and aristocratic families of Qinghe County will all remember this incident.

For the sake of face, the Xie family was willing to offend the Li family of Xin County in order to protect Xie Yan. The Cui family of Qinghe would also protect Fu Zihou for the sake of face.

Since he couldn't take action against Fu Zihou, thinking of the abilities Fu Zihou had displayed in Wanqiu and Qinghe, Xie Zhangyu absolutely didn't want to see the Xie family and Fu Zihou become enemies.

Moreover, considering the character of the current Emperor Yang Guang, his anger over the Yang Xuangan incident, and the wine and the favors he had with the Cui family, Xie Zhangyu knew clearly that Fu Zihou might really use Xie Yan to affect the entire Xie family.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhangyu also realized that Xie Yan had become the biggest hidden danger to the Xie family.

Therefore, if it does not hurt the reputation of Xie family, it would be better to let Fu Zihou kill the scourge of Xie family, which can also be regarded as eliminating the hidden danger of Xie family and let Xie family do Fu Zihou a huge favor.

"If possible, please come as soon as possible, uncle! The New Year is coming soon, and Zihou also wants to go back to Qian County earlier!"

When Fu Zihou heard that Xie Zhangyu was willing to hand over the person, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Li's revenge for killing her son! Aunt Bao's revenge for killing her husband! Li Le and Li Zhaotian's revenge for killing their father!
Thinking of how Mrs. Li had taken care of the Fu family in the past without asking for anything in return.

This is also a way for me to repay Madam Li's favor on behalf of the Fu family and my grandfather.

"it is good!"

Xie Zhangyu nodded, slowly stood up, and personally sent someone to make arrangements.

Xie Zhangyuan also breathed a sigh of relief, and watched his son and Xie Shuyuan look at Fu Zihou with complicated expressions.

Xie Zhangyuan didn't care about Xie Yan. He even dared to guarantee that other members of the Xie family would not object if they knew the whole story.

"My dear nephew, please move to the main hall and sit down!"

Xie Zhangyuan stood up and signaled to Fu Zihou that the elders of Hongnong Yang family wanted to meet Fu Zihou.

　Note: Xie Zhangyu had a high status in the Xie family, which led to his son Xie Shuyuan marrying into the Hongnong Yang family. This made the Xie family spend a lot of resources on their son Xie Shuyuan. Xie Shuyuan's marriage to the Yang family also boosted Xie Zhangyu's status in the Xie family.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)