Chapter 709 He Xiao Chooses a Side
Zhao Sanniu is now a centurion, and he has taken his men to practice combat in the mountains and forests near the military camp. They are nowhere to be found.
Cheng Wanwan had no choice but to decide to meet with He Xiao first.
Before Zhang Jinbao could deliver the message, He Xiao hurriedly walked to the western tent. He stood at the tent entrance, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Lady Sui."
"Why have you become so distant with me since returning to the He family?" Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "You are San Niu's master and also my cousin whom I have taken in. You shouldn't be so distant."
He Xiao lowered his head: "Yes, I'm sorry to my cousin. I returned to the He family, but I couldn't stop them from harming her..."
“If you can’t even stop the He family from taking action against you, the eldest son of the He family, then don’t make things difficult for yourself.” Cheng Wanwan looked at him and said, “San Niu is able to live peacefully in the capital because you secretly sent people to protect him. If you can protect San Niu, you have nothing to be ashamed of towards me. I should be the one thanking you.”
She curtsied slightly in thanks.
He Xiao dared not accept such a courtesy and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Cousin, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so distant with you. Let's sit down and talk."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "It should have been done a long time ago."
The two sat down in the tent and talked about the He family's affairs over the past two years.
After He Xiao was cleared of treason, the emperor reinstated him to his original position. However, he did not return to the He family home but chose to live in the military camp. Even during holidays, he never went back to have a meal with his family.
It wasn't until this summer, when news of the Yangzhou crayfish poisoning incident reached the capital, that he began to visit the He family more frequently.
"The crayfish poisoning incident was orchestrated by He Ling." He Xiao's expression was grim. "After learning about it, I investigated the matter thoroughly, but he handled it meticulously, leaving no suspicious clues. In the end, I had no choice but to eliminate his right-hand men, depriving him of two trusted confidants..."
Cheng Wanwan asked, "Did your father, Lord He, know about this?"
“Whether my father knew or not, he would choose to side with He Ling.” He Xiao’s face showed a mocking smile. “Afterwards, I warned my father and He Ling that if I found out they were going to do anything to my cousin, her family, or the villagers of Dahe Town again, I wouldn’t hesitate to stand against the He family. I am the second son of the He family. If I openly challenge the He family, it will make the He family the biggest laughing stock in the whole capital. Therefore, my father promised me that he would restrain He Ling and not allow him to do anything again. He Ling also said that he would not do anything underhanded again.”
Cheng Wanwan smiled gently.
He Ling is truly two-faced.
They clearly promised not to resort to underhanded tactics, yet the Tang family has made their moves time and time again…
Even if the Tang family is gone, there will be other Li or Zhang families.
Only by bringing He Ling down will these endless petty actions truly end.
She looked up at He Xiao: "What if I were to take the initiative to attack He Ling? No, I should say, what if I were to take the initiative to attack the He family?"
If she were to target He Ling, He Xiao would definitely help her.
However, if it comes to dealing with the entire He family, He Xiao's situation becomes rather awkward.
Therefore, she had to ask He Xiao's opinion before taking any action.
He Xiao's expression turned serious.
He had lived in Dahe Village for two years and knew his cousin quite well. She was a very kind person who would never antagonize anyone, even if someone touched her interests or crossed her bottom line. Her methods were always gentle, and she would never put anyone to death.
But now, a cold and ruthless look appeared on my cousin's face... It was clear that she could no longer tolerate the He family.
Does this mean that the He family must have done many other evil things that he is unaware of?
He pursed his thin lips and said, word by word, "Back then, He Ling accused me of treason. I was abandoned by the entire He family—my father, my mother, my elder brother, my clan… they all abandoned me… Even now that I'm back, I've never considered myself a member of the He family again. If my cousin wants to deal with my father and He Ling, I will definitely help her with all my might… But I must tell you the truth, there are many innocent people in the He family too…"
"What kind of person do you take me for?" A smile appeared on Cheng Wanwan's lips. "Of course I won't lay a hand on innocent members of the He family, but I have to tell you the truth: once the He family collapses, all the branches of the He family that depend on it will also crumble. Can you accept that outcome?"
“Since they have enjoyed the glory of the He family, they should also bear the consequences,” He Xiao said. “If there is anything my cousin needs my help with, just let me know.”
Cheng Wanwan paused and asked, "What happened to those assassins that your He family used to keep?"
He Xiao replied, "The He family kept a total of one hundred assassins. After the court learned of this, my father handed all one hundred assassins over to the court for punishment. The court sent them to the frontier to build city walls."
Cheng Wanwan raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure there are only one hundred?"
Her question made He Xiao uncertain.
This is a big secret of the He family, known only to the head of the family and the future head. The mention of one hundred was something his father had said, but whether that was actually the case, he really didn't know...
“You don’t need to investigate anymore.” Cheng Wanwan took out an exquisite pen holder from her sleeve. “Could you find a way to give this to your older brother?”
There was a listening device installed inside the pen holder.
The Tang family was able to collapse so quickly because of this thing. If it's useful, she certainly wouldn't mind using it a second time.
He Xiao took the pen holder: "I will do my best to complete the task my cousin asked me to do as soon as possible."
As the two were talking, Zhao Sidan's voice came from the tent entrance: "Mother, Third Brother is back!"
Immediately afterward, a dark-skinned man walked in through the door, shouting excitedly, "Mother, why didn't you tell me you were coming to the capital? Everyone else knows you're here, but I was just taking my time and not in a hurry at all! Waaah, Mother, I missed you so much..."
He started crying as he spoke and rushed towards Cheng Wanwan.
Cheng Wanwan sighed, placed the child's head on her shoulder, and patted it gently.
It's been more than two years since they last saw each other. It's not just the son who misses his mother; she, as the mother, misses her son very much too.
This kid has grown taller, stronger, and darker. To be honest, if she ran into him outside, she wouldn't even recognize him.
"Okay, stop crying," Cheng Wanwan said gently. "You're such a grown-up, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you for crying like this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, loud laughter came from outside the tent.
"Hahaha, Brother Sanniu is crying."
"Like a child."
“If Brother Sanniu makes fun of us again, we’ll make fun of him about this.”
Zhao Sanniu quickly wiped away his tears and turned around to glare angrily at his comrades.
Zhao Sidan added, "I don't cry as much as I did when I was a kid. Third Brother, you can really cry. Your tears have soaked Mother's shoulder."
"You little rascal, you've grown so tall!" Zhao Sanniu grabbed him by the collar and threw him outside the tent. "Come on, let's have a little competition. I'll see if you've been slacking off these past two years."
He acted as soon as he finished speaking.
Zhao Sidan only lasted three moves before Zhao Sanniu knocked him to the ground. Enraged, he grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him, yelling, "Third Brother is bullying me!"
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting!" Zhang Jinbao ran over. "The food in the kitchen is ready! Sui Shuren, hurry up and eat! Old Yang specially made braised pork knuckle for you, it smells delicious!"
He Xiao smiled and said, "Old Yang's cooking is very good. Cousin, you must try it later."
Cheng Wanwan didn't refuse anymore and followed the others towards the place where they were going to eat.
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