Chapter 123 Two Carp Swimming Together, Black and White Fading
"Reporting, General," a scout knelt before Yang Xiao's tent early in the morning, "His Highness requests your presence in the central command tent for a meeting."
Yang Xiao, who hadn't slept all night, rubbed her bloodshot eyes, waved her hand, and chased him out.
She stood up, looking at her sword, which was already drawn and covered in mud, and felt a headache coming on. She picked up the sword, wiped off all the dirt, sheathed it, changed her clothes which were stained with blood at the collar, and then got up to go to the central command tent.
Upon entering, the room was filled with the smell of medicine. There was no one else in the tent except Xiao Yan, who was sitting diagonally in the main seat, fiddling with some jade ornaments.
"What brings you here so early in the morning?" Yang Xiao lifted the curtain and stepped into the tent, her brows furrowing slightly at the smell of medicine, as she walked towards Xiao Yan.
"Why do you look so haggard?" Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao's reddened eyes, put down the jade ornament in her hand, and stepped forward to greet her. "I heard from the servants that you were so angry last night that you vomited blood and returned to your tent leaning on your sword." She sighed. "What, didn't Yang Song take you back?"
Yang Xiao shook her head slightly, her voice a little hoarse, "I just want to be alone, it has nothing to do with him."
Xiao Yan helplessly pulled her down to sit, pointed to the medicine on the table, and said, "Drink your medicine."
Yang Xiao picked up the bowl, smelled it, and then frowned. "Is it absolutely necessary to drink it?"
"You absolutely must drink it." Xiao Yan nodded. "I also know a little about medicine; this medicine is to treat you... You won't suspect I poisoned it, will you?"
Yang Xiao smiled upon hearing this, "That's something Xiao Yun could come up with." Then she picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
“Here,” Xiao Yan handed a plate of snacks to Yang Xiao, “have something sweet to calm your nerves.”
“That’s just for kids,” Yang Xiao waved her hand. “I don’t need it.”
As if afraid that the dessert after the medicine would stir up some past memories, Yang Xiao quickly changed the subject, "You hold a high position, how come you also know medicine?"
"I learned it from my childhood experiences in the streets and alleys," Xiao Yan said with a smile, shaking his head. "Let me ask you, why did you become a general?"
Yang Xiao was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Xiao Yan to ask such a question. She sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, "Why become a general..." She propped her head up and pondered for a moment, as if recalling the past.
“You naturally know about my background. Ever since I read the letter my father left me when I was a child, I have been determined to learn martial arts, hoping to stabilize this crumbling court and give my father justice.”
"And then?" Xiao Yan nodded and looked at Yang Xiao.
"You still ask?" Yang Xiao turned and glanced at Xiao Yan. "While I was still wandering around with nowhere to stay, you killed the emperor. What other path did I have but to find another wise ruler to punish you?"
Xiao Yan laughed upon hearing this, and waved her hand, "You're blaming me for this. Why didn't you think of coming to me for help?"
"You should know exactly how you got to your position, right?" Yang Xiao rolled her eyes at Xiao Yan. "Besides, my father and brothers are still in your hands. If I were to side with you, the only force in our family that could restrain you from the outside would be gone, and the lives of my whole family would be in your hands."
Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao approvingly and sighed with a smile, "As expected of you, I really didn't misjudge you."
"After saying all that, shouldn't I ask you now, Xiao Yan?" Yang Xiao sighed and glanced at Xiao Yan, "You know my background, so why do you still help me in every way?"
“I’ve said it before,” Xiao Yan placed the jade in Yang Xiao’s hand, “our positions are exactly the same.”
The warm, smooth texture landed on her cool palm, and she finally saw the jade piece clearly—two lifelike carp swimming tail to tail, with red dots in the white jade perfectly placed on their fins, making them even more lively.
“Xiao Yan, Xiao Yili.” Yang Xiao held the jade carp up to the sunlight, and the murky white jade instantly became clear, reflecting dappled red hues into Yang Xiao’s eyes.
“When viewed in stillness, it appears murky; when reflected in the sun, it becomes clear.” Xiao Yan rose and walked to Yang Xiao’s side, looking at the jade with her. “The state of the world cannot be clearly seen without a little sunlight.”
“So,” Yang Xiao put down the jade she had been holding up and looked at Xiao Yan, “where is the sunlight for you, you carp?”
"You're a gem in the rough," Xiao Yan said with a smile, patting Yang Xiao's shoulder and sitting down beside her.
What word do you think best describes me?
"You?" Yang Xiao couldn't help but smile. "A cunning old fox."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan burst out laughing, then sighed softly, suppressed his laughter, and looked at the sunlight outside the window, "It is a state of having neither father nor ruler."
Yang Xiao turned her head to look at her, but said nothing.
"Everyone in the world knows that I killed the tyrannical emperor, but no one knows that the person I killed was my own father."
Xiao Yan turned to look at Yang Xiao, who was frowning and looking shocked, and smiled, "Do you remember when you first came here, you scolded me for getting this world too easily?"
Yang Xiao looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.
Xiao Yan smiled, "I was speechless at the time and could only let you continue to scold me. You once criticized Xue Chang and Bai Ming for only believing what they saw in front of them. I think that conclusions drawn after seeing and hearing are more convincing."
She leaned back in her chair, draping her arm over Yang Xiao's shoulder. "That tyrannical emperor was greedy and lustful, levying exorbitant taxes and indulging in debauchery. A hundred or so women in his harem weren't enough; he even took advantage of the palace maids around him." Xiao Yan sighed softly and began to recount, "After that palace maid became pregnant, she was ostracized by the other beauties and had nowhere to go. The emperor disliked her lack of family background and refused to give her any official status. In the end, the palace maid had no choice but to escape the palace and beg for a living."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao clenched her fists, then sighed weakly, "That's why you made an exception and took Song Lan in, and even taught her poetry and literature."
Xiao Yan smiled and looked at Yang Xiao, "She told you everything?"
Yang Xiao nodded. "You can continue."
“My mother struggled to raise me and finally managed to settle down. When she encountered people who were even more miserable than her, she couldn’t help but lend a helping hand. So after that, a little rascal who was hated by the people became my so-called younger brother. My mother named him Xiao Yun.”
Yang Xiao frowned upon hearing this. "You mean, Xiao Yun is not your mother's biological daughter?"
“Yes,” Xiao Yan nodded. “After following my mother, he has become more restrained, but his nature is hard to change. He spends his days chatting about cats and dogs and doing shady things, saying that he will make those who looked down on him pay the price.” Xiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh again. “My mother and I can’t control him, so we have to let him do as he pleases.”
“A forsaken woman with two children was naturally in great difficulty. At that time, treacherous officials were in power and loyal people were betrayed. An old minister named Ji Hanzhi saw our mother and children and couldn’t bear to see us suffer, so he took us into his mansion.”
Yang Xiao turned to look at her upon hearing this, "So that's why you used the influence of this old minister to enter the harem?"
“Yes,” Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile, “Back then, I followed him to learn all the mysteries of the universe, the Four Books and Five Classics. I even met Lu Qi on the street. After discussing it with him, we decided to go to the palace to assassinate the emperor and completely overturn this outdated situation.”
"So you and Lu Qi met back then," Yang Xiao frowned and pondered for a moment, "The world is in chaos, the people are suffering, heroes are rising up all over the world, and the court exists in name only. Xiao Yan, do you want to completely overthrow this government and then let talented people pacify the world?"
"Naturally, it's also to avenge my mother." Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this. "Having the ambition alone won't get you anywhere in this palace for even a day."
"So you've gone down every path of treachery and wickedness, haven't you?"
“That’s why I’ve always admired you so much,” Xiao Yan sighed, looking at Yang Xiao. “You can lead a righteous army without any scruples, fight for the common people with a heart full of passion, and then meet an enlightened ruler to establish great achievements and become famous far and wide. Although I am labeled as a fatherless, rulerless, and rebellious traitor, how could I not want to fight like you, sword and spear, for my ideals in a righteous and honorable way?”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Xiao Yan sighed, "Fate is cruel, Lingyu. I'm used to roaming through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so I can't compare to you upright and honorable people. I have no intention of clearing my name of all the crimes I've committed. I only wish to die by your hand to settle my lifelong hatred."
“Xiao Yan, you…” Yang Xiao frowned, her eyes flickering slightly, “I’ve only ever acted on my whims, I never expected you…” She sighed, “They say that times create heroes, but what about someone like you who overturns the times?”
Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head. "That tyrannical ruler levied exorbitant taxes and demoted the loyal and virtuous people around him to the lowest possible level. The powerful and wealthy rose up everywhere. People like Zhong Li'an, who were wholeheartedly devoted to the country, were extremely rare."
Yang Xiao clenched her fists slightly involuntarily, silently staring at Xiao Yan.
"With the emperor dead, Xiao Yun and I, as the two who led the treacherous officials to rise to power, can naturally stabilize the situation. Putting aside everything else, Xiao Yun's martial arts skills are quite decent, and everyone in the court dares not speak out against him. Those who have benefited from this situation can't say anything more either."
"On the night you usurped the throne, you summoned my father and brothers to the palace and directly raised Lu Qi, attempting to build a force of loyal and virtuous officials that could rival the treacherous officials in the court."
“That’s right,” Xiao Yan nodded. “Just as you said, people only believe what they see in front of them. I could only come up with the idea of placing the old general under house arrest and bringing Yang Song under house arrest. Fortunately, as time went by and we talked to each other, they both came to understand me to some extent.”
Yang Xiao frowned and sighed, "Won't doing this just make your image in the eyes of the people even worse?"
“Who says otherwise?” Xiao Yan smiled helplessly. “It’s something I can’t help. I have no intention of conquering the world and achieving any hegemony. My goal is to kill the tyrannical emperor, avenge my mother, and quell the grievances of the world.”
“You killed the tyrant, but the resentment of the people is still not appeased.” Yang Xiao looked at her solemnly. “The people of the world are just intensifying the resentment that originally belonged to the tyrant and projecting it onto you.”
"So what? I have a clear conscience." Xiao Yan looked at Yang Xiao with a sense of relief. "The great hatred has been avenged, and I have never wronged the people. After the truth comes out, what reason do they have to continue to hate me? Over the years, I have only done my best to suppress the wicked and wait for people of insight to completely quell this chaos."
Yang Xiao frowned as she looked at Xiao Yan, "The 'wise man' you speak of, could it be Zhong Li'an?"
“That’s not necessarily true,” Xiao Yan said with a smile and shook his head. “I only know that this world must not be handed over to Xiao Yun. As for who is the wise one, we’ll just have to see who is left in this mess.”
"What if the world situation were reduced to just two factions: you and the so-called 'enlightened individuals'? What would you do then?"
Xiao Yan looked up at Yang Xiao, who had stood up, and said, "Naturally, we are prepared to let him flatten this corner of my land."
"So in the end it will still end in war," Yang Xiao said, unable to hide his indignation. "Then what does all your so-called waiting of so many years count for? You clearly care about the people, so why don't you try to avoid war instead of instigating it? There hasn't been any fighting here in recent years. Have you ever seen the people in those battlefields?"
"First secure the realm, then secure the people," Xiao Yan also stood up, looking directly at Yang Xiao, "If the realm is not at peace, how can you guarantee that the people you protect will no longer suffer from the ravages of war?"
"You're resisting Xiao Yun on one hand, and waiting for other forces to join you on the other. Why not join forces with them to take down Xiao Yun and seek stability?"
"You want me to surrender, don't you?" Xiao Yan sighed. "If I surrender directly, how can I entrust this world to others with peace of mind? Not to mention the people, even I myself will not submit willingly."
"So you're using the safety of ordinary people to test whether someone else is truly capable!" Yang Xiao clenched her fist. "Do you really think human life is as worthless as grass?"
“Yang Xiao,” Xiao Yan called out coldly, trying to suppress her anger, “This world has never belonged to those in power, but to the people. The people have never been the ones you protect. They have the right to decide who should rule the world. Water always has the power to carry or capsize a boat. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. If the other party is truly a so-called enlightened ruler, how could he do such a thing as harming the people?”
Yang Xiao rubbed her forehead and let out a long sigh. "Then why did you set up so many formations?"
Xiao Yan also sighed and pulled Yang Xiao to sit down. "If one cannot understand the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, how can one comprehend the rules governing the world's cycles?"
"You also tacitly approved of Xiao Yun repeatedly sending people to sow discord?"
“I can’t control him, but,” Xiao Yan turned to look at Yang Xiao, “if internal strife arises within the faction, and it can’t withstand even the slightest provocation, how can we stabilize the world and ensure the long-term peace and stability of this land?”
Yang Xiao buried her head in her hands and sighed deeply, "Then why did you help me break the formation?"
"You are the one who breaks the formation, and the one who breaks the deadlock."
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