Chapter 30 "Xie Qinglang, you've gone too far!..."

Like a bolt from the blue, Xue Xingtai was demoted.

He served as the Left General of the Jade Unicorn Guard, a mid-ranking, sinecure that was enough for him to maintain the Xue family's prestige. A single imperial edict demoted him to the seventh-rank Sige, a position almost every nobleman's son would receive upon entering the guard, meaning that his years of experience had been wasted.

The young duke in the ancestral home is not yet ten years old. The Xue family's direct line is now entirely supported by Xue Xingtai. As soon as the news came out, everyone in the Xue family was in a state of panic.

Xue Xingtai got himself completely drunk and fell into a deep sleep. Unable to find him, Xue Mingyao could only ask her sister-in-law what wrong her brother had committed.

“It’s called a mistake, but it’s really no different from anything else.” After crying for a while, tears still clung to her face as she spoke haltingly, “I heard from your brother that His Majesty has no opinion of the Jade Guard and intends to reorganize it. The new General is making a big splash in his new role, and it’s not just your brother who has been demoted. From the general to the chief clerk, and then to the lieutenant generals and lieutenant generals below him, more than half of them have been found guilty of wrongdoing and have suffered the consequences. Such is the Emperor’s grace, and we can’t say anything, but it’s really hard to bear. Such punishment is too severe.”

Xue Mingyao's heart sank as she recalled Zhao Yingchun's remarks during the hunt: the emperor was dissatisfied with the privileged sons who received salaries without working, and this was an attack on the Jade Unicorn Guard.

"Is the newly appointed general of the Jade Unicorn Guard Xie Zhuo?" She vaguely remembered Xie Zhuo's new official position.

Her sister-in-law nodded, sobbing, "It's General Xie. The first few days he made an example of you, using you as a scapegoat. Your brother wasn't worried, thinking that since he had at least asked for your hand in marriage before the Emperor, even if he wasn't biased, he would at least offer some protection. But he showed no mercy at all, suddenly issuing the heaviest punishment today, demoting you so many ranks. He's utterly humiliated. Yao Niang, how could things have turned out like this..."

Tears streamed down her face. The wet nurse held the baby girl beside her, and when the child saw her mother crying, she started to cry too, no matter how the wet nurse tried to soothe her. When the sister-in-law saw this, she cried and scolded the wet nurse for not taking good care of the child. The room became a mess, and everyone looked worried.

Xue Mingyao's face was not good, and her tone of comforting her sister-in-law was somewhat stiff. After speaking for a while, she stood up and said, "Sister-in-law, I will go to the Xie residence right away and demand an explanation from my brother."

"Oh, Yaoniang, how can we do this? It's almost dark. It's improper for you to go to their house so abruptly. Besides, we're not in the right regarding your brother's matter..."

Although her sister-in-law said that, her wet eyes were fixed on Xue Mingyao, and she didn't stop her from ordering someone to prepare a carriage.

Xue Mingyao knew that not only did she suspect that her brother's demotion was related to her, but her sister-in-law also thought so.

The short distance between the two residences seemed even shorter because of her distress. She arrived at the Xie residence in the blink of an eye.

Xue Mingyao calmed herself down and, with the same imposing manner she had displayed the previous two times, strode aggressively into the Xie residence.

She was greeted by Liu Quan, who had a smile on his face. "Princess, the general has been waiting for you for a long time."

To Xue Mingyao, that smile was also quite malicious.

She came to demand an explanation, but she had no one to rely on. Xue Mingyao was not good at fighting this kind of battle, and her usually strong confidence had become extremely weak. However, she held on to her last breath and followed the flowing spring to a courtyard.

Xie Zhuo was practicing archery.

The weather was already getting warm in late spring, and his thin clothes clearly outlined the strong muscles of his upper arms. Xue Mingyao couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, her brother's question echoing in her mind, "How did he train like that...?"

As for how they trained, Xue Mingyao seemed to have the answer when she saw the full quiver of arrows and the straw targets riddled with holes.

She stood beside him, and the servants all retreated to a distance. Only the two of them remained in the courtyard. A gentle breeze, neither warm nor cold, swept through, causing Xue Mingyao's apricot-red sleeves to billow like a butterfly.

She hadn't moved, yet the pale red butterfly's shadow drifted before Xie Zhuo's eyes, dominating his entire field of vision. Xie Zhuo narrowed his eyes, pierced it with an arrow, pinning it to the bullseye.

He ignored her arrival and continued firing arrow after arrow.

Xue Mingyao reached out and grabbed his bowstring, coldly saying, "Xie Qinglang, is this your way of settling personal scores over my brother's matter?"

Xie Zhuo then glanced at her.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at him stubbornly, even then she only reached his chin. Xie Zhuo had never realized how petite she was; accentuated by the wide sleeves of her robe, she appeared even thinner in the twilight, evoking a sense of pity in him.

He had originally intended to make things difficult for her by asking her to pick up the arrow, but now he couldn't bring himself to say it. He put down the bow and turned his head away.

"Xue Xingtai, while serving as a Langjiang (a military officer), has repeatedly failed to appear for duty since the beginning of the year, and has been absent without cause. He has allowed his subordinate guards to behave improperly in court, drink alcohol while on duty, and neglect their duties. When asked about his duties, he is vague and unclear; when asked about his subordinates, he is evasive. Such dereliction of duty and negligence are justified. I hereby demote him to a lower rank as a warning to others."

Xie Zhuo launched into a long speech, clearly handling the matter in a businesslike manner.

Xue Mingyao bit her lip, "Are you punishing other members of the Jade Unicorn Guard who, like my brother, have neglected their duties in the same way?"

"good."

“My elder brother is a descendant of the Prince of Kaiping, my father has made outstanding contributions, and my elder brother is also a loyal and righteous man. Can’t we treat him leniently and show him some leniency?”

"cannot."

Xie Zhuo looked down at her. "Xue Xingtai has been neglecting his duties for many years but has still been promoted to Langjiang. He has already received great favors from his father and brothers. If the court officials rely on the glory of their ancestors, hold their positions without doing anything, and enrich themselves at the expense of the public, how can the country continue and how can the people be governed?"

Xue Mingyao was speechless, then said angrily, "Fine, fine, you are a loyal minister and general of the Great Zhou, upright and incorruptible, and impartial. Aren't you afraid that your iron fist will incur the wrath of the masses?"

"Public anger?" Xie Zhuo chuckled. "What kind of anger would make someone like you come here to berate me? I have indeed received quite a few petitions these past few days, but they are not as lucky as you to be able to see me in person."

It's as if he's doing her a favor.

Xue Mingyao grew even angrier, "It was my ignorance that led me to make malicious assumptions and wasted the rare opportunity to meet the Jade Unicorn Guard General."

Xie Zhuo turned his head back, picked up the bow again and stroked it. After a while, he said lightly, "Actually, it wasn't malicious."

Xue Mingyao frowned, unsure of his meaning.

"You say I'm settling personal scores? Not yet, but soon I will. Your brother has only been demoted for now; a seventh-rank Sige sounds lowly, but there's still room for further demotion, such as an eighth-rank Zhiji, or—"

He paused, deliberately lowering his voice, "To reform to the end, to become a commoner."

A fire ignited from head to toe, and Xue Mingyao was so angry she almost lost her balance. "Xie Qinglang, you've gone too far!"

"Giving you advance notice and a chance to keep your brother's position in the guard is hardly considered going too far." Xie Zhuo's face clearly showed his coercion. "Besides, Xue Mingyao, don't you think about who bullied whom first?"

Xue Mingyao wasn't ashamed at all. "A real man like you, arguing with a weak woman like me, don't you feel ashamed?"

“It’s not shameful,” Xie Zhuo said calmly, looking at her cheeks which were as red as peaches. “I’m going to settle this with you to the end and get to the bottom of it.”

That's utterly despicable and shameless; it's the behavior of a petty person.

Xue Mingyao felt that all the words he had said to her back then should be returned to him verbatim.

"What do you want me to do to let my brother go?" she said through gritted teeth.

“Go see His Majesty and tell him that you admire me and desire to marry me, just as you said to His Majesty last winter.”

Xue Mingyao's face flushed again, and she squeezed out three words through gritted teeth, "Don't even think about it."

"Then let's wait seven days for your brother to be demoted again," Xie Zhuo said casually.

Xue Mingyao stared at him for a long time, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Brother, you are mediocre and lazy. There is no future for you in the Imperial Guard. You might even make a bigger mistake. It’s a good thing to take this opportunity to be demoted and sent home to learn a lesson and reflect on your actions.”

Xie Zhuo smiled in response, "Your Highness is wise and righteous, and does not show favoritism. I admire you and will certainly grant your wish."

Xue Mingyao turned and left.

Xie Zhuo gazed intently at her retreating figure. Even after the jade butterfly had flown far away, her waist still swayed gently, her inherent charm undeniable. For a moment, he wished he could lock her in a cage, so she could never flaunt her allure to anyone again.

Thinking this, the butterfly suddenly fluttered back before his eyes.

"Give me back my undergarments." The beauty feigned a fierce expression.

"What little clothes?" Xie Zhuo feigned ignorance.

"It was last time I came over in the middle of the night, and you stole it while I was asleep..." Xue Mingyao's explanation was cut short as she realized her momentum had diminished, and she quickly shut her mouth.

"I stole it? You're wrong. You took it off and gave it to me willingly."

Xue Mingyao was surprised that he would deny it, and she shouted, "I was asleep, how can I take my clothes off for you!"

"Who knows. You're used to it, aren't you? Didn't you used to love doing this the most? As soon as you were next to me, as soon as you were on the couch, you couldn't wait to take off your clothes."

Then she rubbed against him, clung to him, and teased him, giggling incessantly even when he became angry and embarrassed. She covered his eyes with her undergarments and tied his hands with her skirt ribbon...

Xie Zhuo thought to himself that Xue Mingyao had two sets of standards for herself and others. She had no scruples when she molested him before, but now that he had used the same methods she used on him, she pretended to be an untouchable virtuous woman, disliking and hating him. She didn't even think about what kind of person she was.

Xue Mingyao instinctively felt that Xie Zhuo was humiliating her again, and cruelly using her undeniable past to insult her. She thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a powerful way to fight back; it seemed that whatever she said would sound like flirting with him.

Perhaps from the moment she came to ask for the small garment, they had already entered the realm of flirting. But she couldn't remain silent; wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that he could do whatever he wanted to her?

She could no longer let him treat her with contempt.

Finally, Xue Mingyao said in a nonchalant tone, "The past is the past, and the present is the present. Don't confuse the two. Fine, since you cherish my undergarments so much, keep them. Anyway, since you've touched them, I won't wear them again."

"You're overthinking it," Xie Zhuo said coldly. "Why would I keep it? I'd just give it to a servant."

Xue Mingyao's expression immediately changed. "You dare!"