Chapter 78 A Favor
The hastily prepared lunch was rather simple. Sui Yu used a fork to pick up a dried chicken from the wall and soaked it in water. He said to Zhao Erge, "I'll cook early tonight. Brother, you should try my skill in stewing chicken."
Brother Zhao glanced at the wall and saw that half of it was covered with meat, big and small, with claws and without.
"This is..." he wondered.
"Two pheasants, three hares, and seven field mice. The rest is ten pounds of pork. The pork is the reward for killing bandits in Xiping. I've been catching these wild animals with my bow and arrows and traps for over a month. I'm just waiting to eat them when he comes back." Sui Yu wiped the water off her hands, walked out, closed the stove door, and said with a smile, "Second brother, it's rare for you to come here. Stay a few days this time."
Brother Zhao hesitated a few times, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Zhao Xiping came out and gave his second brother a look, telling him not to talk nonsense.
"I'm going to find Captain Qu, Sui Yu, you come with me," he said.
Sui Yu's smile froze for a moment. She glanced at Brother Zhao and said, "It was Mother's idea that the messenger lied about the death..."
Zhao Xiping didn't hide anything. He nodded and admitted, "That's what she meant. So I deserved to come back injured. But Wu Zu is a soldier in the army. He violated military discipline by falsely reporting my death. He deserves to be punished."
"Then I'll go with you." Sui Yu hesitated. She was a little scared, afraid that the man would hate Zhao Xiping after being punished.
After walking out of the door, Sui Yu stopped and said, "Let's forget it. You and I are fine anyway. It's better to have less trouble than more. You will have to fight side by side with him in the future. What if he hates you? I'm afraid he will do something bad to you behind your back."
Zhao Xiping didn't listen to her. He dragged Sui Yu away and said, "He's definitely not the only one who knows about this. If we admit our mistake, anyone can tease and manipulate us in the future."
People sitting in the alley basking in the sun looked towards them, their eyes fixed on the two of them. When Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping approached, someone asked, "Where are you two going?"
"Go find the captain." Zhao Xiping said.
"We should go and tell them that the man who reported the news is not a good person. He is so bold that he dares to joke about the lives of soldiers."
"I'll go and take a look." The man, who was also a soldier, stood up.
"I'll go take a look too."
"Don't go. We'll come back and tell you what happens. If a large group of people go there, the captain might think we're going to cause trouble." Sui Yu spoke out to stop them.
Those who want to watch the fun don't care about these things. Even if the captain is unhappy, it has nothing to do with them.
"Let's go give you two some courage."
"Yes, if there are too many people and the matter becomes serious, the captain will punish the person who reported the news severely."
"Let's go see what that idiot is thinking and whether he got kicked in the head by a donkey."
Sui Yu's eyes moved, and he said, "That's fine. If you don't worry about annoying the captain, you can follow me. Next time we go on a mission, all of you can go. We'll have more acquaintances and can look after each other."
As their own safety was involved, those who wanted to go and watch the excitement gave up. Zhao Xiping couldn't even stand up straight, and he had to lie down when he came back. You can imagine how serious his injuries were. They didn't want to go out and take risks like him.
"Forget it, forget it. I won't go. My mother is urging me to go to the river to fetch water for the vegetable patch."
"It's time to water my vegetable patch, let's do it together."
Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping left the alley. She muttered, "It's time to water our vegetable patch."
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything. He tilted his head and looked at Sui Yu. After a while, he said, "You've become timid."
"Well, I'm afraid of causing trouble." It's already very difficult to maintain the status quo, and Sui Yu is really afraid of any more trouble.
Zhao Xiping didn't say anything else. He quickened his pace and walked south out of the military settlement. After about half a cup of tea, the government office and the post station were right in front of him.
Sui Yu grabbed the man's hand and said, "We won't go to the government office. There are too many people there. Let's wait for the captain to get off duty and then tell him privately."
Zhao Xiping stared at the open gate of the government office. After some deliberation, he decided to follow Sui Yu's advice. He and she were both a lowly soldier, a convicted slave, and Wu Zu was a trusted confidant of the captain. If the incident became a big deal, the captain would lose face. If Wu Zu was punished, he would suffer as well.
The couple found a flat stone to sit on, with their backs to the slanting sun, their hair whipping their cheeks in the wind.
"Didn't I tell you that if I died you would live well? Why are you trying to commit suicide?" Zhao Xiping was a little unhappy.
"If you die, I'll just be living, what's the point?" Sui Yu pulled a piece of grass and wrapped it around his hands, whispering, "Unless I'm freed from slavery, I can't do anything. If you die out there, I won't be able to go out and look for you. If I live just to eat and drink, I'm no different from pigs and sheep. Every day I live is a day of suffering."
"How many people have a hard time even getting enough to eat." Zhao Xiping sneered.
"Yes, many times, people are not as important as livestock."
Zhao Xiping suddenly reached out and hit her on the head.
Sui Yu covered the back of her head and frowned, looking at him with dissatisfaction.
"I'm not dead, why are you so depressed?" He was not used to her depressed state of mind. Zhao Xiping put his arm around her shoulders in her defensive gaze and said, "Cheer up, isn't your man here to give you a fight?"
Sui Yu tilted her head, leaned on his shoulder, and whispered, "I'm a little tired."
"Then go back to bed early tonight."
"Mom..." Sui Yu didn't know what to say. Before, the two of them had tacitly decided to keep it a secret from Zhao Xiping's family. Now that it was exposed, the guilt that she had deliberately avoided thinking about surfaced in Sui Yu's heart.
"What did your parents say when you came back?" she asked, looking up.
"You're just scolding me. It's not like I haven't been to the battlefield before. When you were not around, I also spent four years on the battlefield." Zhao Xiping didn't care. He thought his mother was making a fuss. Who could guarantee that the Northwest would be peaceful for a hundred years? As a soldier, he would still have to go to the battlefield if there was a war in the Northwest.
The captain came out of the government office. Zhao Xiping was sharp-eyed and saw him. He pulled Sui Yu up and they walked over together.
"Looking for me?" Captain Qu was surprised. He looked at Zhao Xiping and said, "Aren't you injured? How come you came back from Jiuquan in just a few days?"
Apparently, after Wu Zu returned to report the casualties, he secretly went to Sui Yu and falsely reported his death. Zhao Xiping pulled open his shirt, revealing his hideous wounds, and said, "I rushed back wounded. My mother sent Wu Zu back to falsely claim I was dead, so my wife could remarry. I woke up after two days of coma and learned the truth. I was so frightened that I rushed back the next day."
Captain Qu thought it was ridiculous, but when he saw Zhao Xiping and his wife looking like they were asking for an explanation, he felt something was wrong.
"Did Wu Zu really lie and say you were dead?" he asked.
Zhao Xiping nodded. "Everyone living in our alley knows that my wife really thought I was dead and almost committed suicide."
"Ridiculous!" Captain Qu sneered. He couldn't believe his trusted aide would do such a ridiculous thing. "Does he have any regard for military discipline? Come with me. I want to see what's so bold about this guy."
Wu Zu had been resting at home because of an injured arm. When the servant from the Captain's Mansion came to call him, he was still lying in bed sleeping.
"What does the captain want to see me about?" Wu Zu was worried.
The servant didn't know. He glanced at the soldier and said, "The captain doesn't look well."
"Is there anyone else here?" Wu Zu guessed.
The servant nodded, "They are a couple."
Wu Zu's heart skipped a beat. He stopped and said to the servant, "I'll go over there myself. Please go find my father to save me."
After saying this, he took out some copper and silver coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the servant's pocket, urging him to run faster.
Wu Zu was both anxious and afraid. He knew the captain's temper well and did not dare to delay on the road. He ran all the way. When he entered the captain's mansion, he was glad that the matter had not been reported to the government, otherwise he would have lost half his life if not died.
As soon as he entered the main hall, a teacup was thrown at him. The captain shouted, "You bastard!"
The teacup hit his chest and rolled to the ground, breaking into pieces. The soldier knelt hurriedly. He climbed over the broken pieces and knelt down to admit his mistake: "I know I am wrong."
Seeing that he didn't say a word in rebuttal, Captain Qu knew that Zhao Xiping had not wrongly accused him. He strode over and kicked the man backward. "Who gave you the courage to disregard military discipline and falsely report life and death?"
Wu Zu felt a chill in his heart. Disregarding military discipline was too severe a sentence, serious enough to cost him his life. He knelt and begged for mercy, saying, "Mother Zhao asked me to..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Captain Qu kicked him again, "You're so stupid that it scares me. Are you a dog of the Zhao family or my soldier? Military discipline means nothing to you."
"I dare not."
"Don't dare?" Captain Qu sneered. He shouted outside, "Come here, take He Qing to the martial arts arena and ask for the military stick."
The guards outside the gate came in and dragged the soldiers out. Captain Qu adjusted his coat and headdress and said to Zhao Xiping, "If this gets out, I'll be ashamed. I'll have him beaten with a military stick in private, and then we'll let it go. I'll do you a favor."
"My mother is also at fault." Zhao Xiping pleaded guilty.
Captain Qu waved his hand. He didn't believe that He Qing would listen to an ignorant old woman. It was just that he had the same idea.
Zhao Xiping took Sui Yu and Captain Qu to the martial arts field. As soon as Captain Qu arrived, the guards holding military sticks began to execute the person. The sticks, as thick as wrists, made a dull sound when they hit the person.
After five blows, the soldier's clothes were soaked with blood. At this time, a gentle old man wearing a turban on his head hurried in from the porch. He knelt on the ground and said, "I beg you, Captain, to spare my son's life."
"If it weren't for you, an old man, I would have beaten him to death long ago." Captain Qu waved his hand and said, "Twenty military sticks, not a single one less."
After twenty blows of military sticks, the man would be crippled if not killed.
Zhao Xiping moved and opened his mouth to speak.
Three more sticks fell, and the smell of blood in the air became even thicker. Seeing his miserable state, Sui Yu's anger disappeared. She said aloud, "Since this involves the two of us, why not let Zhao Xiping do the beating?"
Zhao Xiping was injured and it was difficult for him to lift the military stick. If he was asked to fight with the military stick, the next twelve sticks would just be a face-saving exercise.
Captain Qu didn't say anything, which meant he agreed. Sui Yu pushed Zhao Xiping and warned him, "Be careful, don't let the wound open."
The powerless military stick was raised and lowered in a disorderly manner. After twelfth blows, Zhao Xiping was sweating profusely.
"Thank you very much, young lady." Accountant He came over to thank Sui Yu, then bowed deeply to Zhao Xiping, and then kowtowed to Captain Qu several times, then walked over to help He Qing up.
"Tell me, what is your purpose?" asked Captain Qu.
Wu Zu was embarrassed. He glanced at Sui Yu and said sheepishly, "I thought Brother Zhao was bewitched and would risk his life for a woman. I thought his wife must be a vixen who was plotting against him, so I wanted to show Brother Zhao her true face."
Accountant He slapped him on the head.
"Idiot." Captain Qu said with disgust.
Wu Zu didn't think he was stupid. He was a man of loyalty and couldn't bear to see Zhao Xiping being toyed around by a woman who was born a slave. It would be stupid to risk his life for a woman.
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