The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 124 Pure Mind

After seeing Guo Wei with the yellow flag on him up close, Xiao Yi went back to his tent to sleep.

When he woke up, the sky was still hazy. Suddenly, he saw a Rakshasa demon squatting beside him. He thought he had arrived in the underworld, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was Tang Jin.

This person is ugly in a different way every time.

What are you doing here?

"I haven't even asked the general yet. How can you sleep on such a big matter?"

Xiao Yi thought to himself that it wasn't like he was the one being crowned emperor, so he might as well go to bed early and grow stronger.

Having answered in his mind, he asked, "Is there breakfast?"

"General, why are you always thinking about food? The commander-in-chief summons you."

"Now?"

I had to get to work as soon as I woke up; there was no difference between being a person in two lifetimes.

Xiao Yi got up, put on a thick cloak, ate a frozen, hard flatbread, and walked through the snow-covered camp to see Guo Wei.

Wang Chengxun, Li Rong, and others were still pacing and talking by the campfire outside the central command tent.

Upon seeing him arrive, the two turned around and asked him questions at the same time.

"His Majesty actually saw you first?"

"How can you sleep?"

Xiao Yi handed them the flatbreads and went into his tent.

The tent was filled with the smells of wine, charcoal, and the heavy, foul odor emanating from the old men. The candles were still burning, their wax dripping onto the candlesticks.

Guo Wei was still draped in a yellow flag, his eyes were dark-rimmed, and the blood vessels in his eyes were even thicker, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

Wang Yin, Guo Chongwei, Wei Renpu, and others were so tired that their faces turned dark, but their eyes were still full of excitement.

"That kid's here."

"I have met His Majesty."

"Stop yelling." Guo Wei waved his hand, looked at him, and suddenly said, "You're the one who sleeps so soundly, you're so pure of heart."

Xiao Yi thought to himself that these words made it sound like someone had impure intentions.

He had just anticipated this, so he wasn't that excited. In fact, he seemed to dream that Guo Wei covered him with a yellow felt blanket and asked him if he was cold.

"This humble general is simply tired, please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Guo Wei asked meaningfully, "Is there anything you regret?"

Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback, then realized what was happening and simply continued to stare blankly.

Guo Wei shook his head helplessly and got to the point, saying, "You should return to the capital first and report this matter to the Empress Dowager, and fulfill your duties as a palace guard."

"Here."

Xiao Yi understood that his task was to make the Empress Dowager be sensible and hand over the throne to Guo Wei, and to keep a close watch on the palace to prevent any trouble.

"During the twelfth lunar month, officials are not allowed to disturb the Empress Dowager."

"You will finally understand."

"Go and instruct everyone in my household to continue as usual and not to be arrogant."

Xiao Yi hesitated slightly before replying, "Yes."

Wei Renpu sat at a table to the side and wrote furiously. After finishing a memorial, he stamped it with his seal and handed it over.

"This is a memorial that Your Excellency is presenting to the Empress Dowager. Please deliver it."

Xiao Yi took it, glanced at it, and was taken aback when he saw the words "willing to be the Empress Dowager's adopted son" in the last column.

"What?" Guo Wei said, "Let me see."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi knew that these paperwork matters were usually handled by Wei Renpu, and Guo Wei didn't pay much attention to them, so it seemed that he was unaware of this matter.

Sure enough, Guo Wei looked helpless as soon as he handed it over.

"Daoji, the Empress Dowager is more than ten years younger than me, and I still have to acknowledge her as my mother?"

"My lord need not take it to heart. It is merely a matter of etiquette, to show that you are the successor to the great-grandfather's legacy."

"Shao Dao".

Guo Wei did not object, but cursed in the Xingzhou dialect and threw the document back to Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi accepted the invitation, then took his leave and left the tent.

Outside, Wang Chengxun put his arm around him and asked softly, "What reward does His Majesty bestow?"

"Don't rush, there's still plenty of time."

Xiao Yi answered, thinking to himself that Wang Chengxun was both scholarly and martial, but unfortunately, he was not shrewd enough. This was probably what Guo Wei meant when he said that Wang Chengxun's intentions were not pure.

He then offered a reminder.

"Stay calm and do your own thing."

He summoned ten soldiers under his command, leaving Zhang Mei and Liu Yun behind, and set off immediately for the capital.

Having endured the hardships of the trip to Hedong, the snowstorm on the return journey was nothing to worry about. They only stayed overnight in Jixian County and returned to the palace the following evening before the Xuanwu Gate was locked.

Xiao Yi lifted his snow-covered cloak and wrapped a face towel, startling the guards.

"It's the general..."

"No need to make a fuss, let me see what they're doing."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi dismounted, brushed off the snow, and walked towards the guardhouses on both sides of the corridor.

From afar, we could hear Zhang Mantun cursing and swearing.

"If you ask me, I'd definitely go back and join Liu Da'er! Why? Because of the loyalty we shared back in Zhuojun, weaving straw sandals and eating together!"

"Cao Cao treated him exceptionally well, bestowing upon him gold, silver, jewels, high-ranking positions, and even the Red Hare horse."

"You know nothing..."

"Stop everything, listen to the old man."

"That's right, Old Hua's eyes are practically crystal clear now! Tell me, where did Guan Yu go?"

Xiao Yi walked to the corner and looked around. The soldiers had just finished their drills, and the snowflakes on their armor had not yet been wiped off. They sat cross-legged in neat rows in the two corridors.

Hua Nong stood on an overturned stool in the middle, now wearing brass-rimmed glasses. Perhaps the glasses were too heavy, as she had to reach out to adjust them every now and then. She coughed and spoke.

"Guan Yu then hung his official seal on the gate of Cao Cao's residence and went to find Liu Bei..."

"Are you really going to find Liu Da-er-duo?!" "Haha, I knew it!"

"Old Hua, you need to explain why."

Hua Nong said calmly, "Guan Yu was a renowned hero. He possessed not only loyalty but also a strong sense of righteousness. When Cao Cao slaughtered Xuzhou, leaving corpses strewn across the land and the Si River to dry up, Liu Bei governed Xuzhou with benevolence and righteousness..."

Xiao Yi could sense that Hua Nong's way of doing things had changed a lot. Unlike before, when she would only say "we should not burn, kill, loot, or plunder," she was now trying to subtly influence people.

A short while later, Hua Nong glanced in this direction, her eyes behind her glasses narrowed slightly as usual, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"That's all for today. We'll talk about how Guan Yu joined Liu Bei after the next training session."

"Wait a minute, it only lasted fifteen minutes today!"

Hua Nong smiled, took off her glasses, and ran towards Xiao Yi.

Behind him, the soldiers turned around and burst into joyful cheers.

"General?!"

Hua Nong ran up to Xiao Yi first, bowed deeply, and said, "General, you're back. Everything is fine at the lodgings, and the soldiers haven't caused any trouble."

"Next time we talk about riding alone for a thousand miles, we can add the phrase 'passing five passes and slaying six generals'."

"Please enlighten me, General."

"No rush, how are your glasses?"

“It’s amazing! If you bring things up close, this is the third pair of crystals, and it has been polished seven times… Oh, it was Mr. Mingyuan who insisted on polishing them again. Some were too blurry, some were unclear, and some were like water ripples. He said that it was because the mirror was curved and did not match his eyesight, so he had to weigh it and adjust it repeatedly.”

"That's right, it's called 'degree'."

“Mr. Mingyuan said, ‘When the eye and the mirror are aligned, it is like a key entering a lock.’ He devised a method for measuring eyesight. He held a book eight feet away and had all the servants of the Li family and I move closer one by one. When we could no longer see the small print on the book, we each stood still. This was called ‘fixing the eye distance.’ He was truly a genius.”

Xiao Yi took Hua Nong's glasses, looked at them from a distance, and shook his head, saying, "They have too many impurities and are heavy; they probably won't be easy to wear."

"It's comfortable to wear! But it breaks so easily..."

"Old Hua, are you done rambling?" Zhang Mantun squeezed Hua Nong's lips and said, "You talk too much. The general just got back and hasn't even had a chance to rest yet."

Hua Nong rubbed her hands together sheepishly and said with a smile, "Yes, General, you should rest and relax."

All the soldiers gathered around, their faces beaming with joy.

When Xiao Yi was in Hedong, he didn't realize it while he was with Li Rong's army, but now he felt that leading his own troops was a different story.

"General, you're finally back!" Little Monkey laughed. "Iron Fang always bullies me."

"How did I bully you, you donkey?"

"You're using your stinky feet to smoke me."

"By the way," Xiao Yi asked Zhang Mantun, "what does 'shaodao' mean in Xingzhou dialect?"

"It's just that little monkeys are annoying and not exactly respectable."

"You're the one who's being a jerk."

"Hahaha……"

Everyone laughed.

Xiao Yi noticed that Lü Chou and Wang Jiu had returned and waved to them.

Lü Chou stepped forward and said, "General, Wang Yan has brought the emperor's ceremonial regalia back to the palace. He said that you brought the phoenix crown and put it in the duty room. He also returned the generous gift that you 'privately paid' to Liu Yun."

Xiao Yi did not give any other gifts; those were the treasures that Liu Yun planned to bring to the capital.

He didn't rush to check, but instead looked at Wang Jiu.

Wang Jiu was the only one present who wasn't wearing armor. His severed arm was bare, and although he had a smile on his face, his eyes held a sense of bewilderment and unease.

"Can I collect my pension?"

“I’ve received it. It’s more than the other Imperial Guards. I never expected to receive so much. Thank you for your great kindness, General.”

Wang Jiu got so excited that he knelt down and kowtowed, but lost his balance and swayed violently.

After he finished kowtowing, he cried.

"I was thinking... I'll bid farewell to the general before removing my armor and leaving..."

Xiao Yi helped him up and asked, "I'm planning to acquire some properties and I'm short-handed. Would you be willing to come and help?"

"real?!"

"Would I lie to you? The brothers are fighting bravely against the enemy; there must be a way out."

"General, sob sob..."

Wang Jiu couldn't stop wiping away his tears with one hand, and he wanted to kowtow again.

Xiao Yi grabbed him and said, "Old Pan is handling this. You should follow him and learn from him."

"Here!"

The atmosphere was lively, and after a while, Xiao Yi led Zhang Mantun, Hua Nong, and Lao Pan back to the duty room.

Upon entering, one could see several boxes piled up there, which were Liu Yun's "luggage".

Upon opening it, one finds a dazzling array of gold, silver, and jewelry.

“This… General, with these treasures, we won’t have to worry about not being able to set up our business, and we can even pay off the debts of the Guo family’s daughter.”

Xiao Yi sighed slightly. All the officials and attendants who accompanied him knew that he could not keep this wealth.

"Hand it over."

"Oh? Now that you mention it, General, I understand. We must hand it over. I'll have it sealed and delivered to the Guo residence tomorrow morning."

Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "Leave one thousand strings of cash."

Hua Nong asked worriedly, "General, is this not a good idea?"

"It doesn't matter."

Xiao Yi prided himself on his pure heart, so what did it matter if he kept the reward money he deserved?

"Where can we open the door if we find Li Ye's key?"

"No." Old Pan handed over the key and said, "General, this is really hard to find."

Xiao Yi took it and said, "It's alright, take your time."

Since there was a large sum of money hidden inside, he took it very seriously this time and carefully put it away.

Finally, I took a nice, relaxing hot shower and changed into some comfortable clothes.

Nothing happened during the night, and I was planning to go to bed early, but then I heard light footsteps outside the duty room. Someone came with a lantern, followed by Wang Yan's high-pitched voice.

"General Xiao, the Empress Dowager summons you..."

(End of this chapter)