Chapter 11 Another Disaster Strikes
They started arguing again. The emperor raised his hand and pressed his temples. Every day when he went to court, he would hear these old men bickering and even rolling up their sleeves to fight at the slightest disagreement.
Every now and then, he would utter a threat: "Your Majesty, this old minister will smash his head against the Golden Palace today to prove my innocence with my death!"
After one argument ends, another one begins.
Minister Lin cupped his hands in greeting and said, “Your Majesty, the Northern Rong delegation will be arriving in the capital soon. The selection of the person to receive the delegation has not yet been decided. I dare to recommend someone.”
Wang Mang, the Minister of Rites, jumped in, saying, "This is a matter for my Ministry of Rites. The Ministry of Revenue is overstepping its bounds!"
Minister Lin was not intimidated and said calmly, "The delegation's arrival in the capital is a major national event. All departments should be on high alert. This is to demonstrate the grandeur of our great nation and let the Northern barbarians see clearly that this is not a place where they can run wild!"
He cupped his hands in greeting and continued, "I believe that Xie Huaijin, the third son of the Xie family, is a young and talented man with excellent literary and military skills. He is suitable to serve as an envoy and let the villains see the future pillar of our country."
"Minister Lin is joking." Governor Xie stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This foolish son is unruly and lacks knowledge. He is merely a scholar, and his martial arts skills are nothing but fancy moves. He is not up to the task, Your Majesty!" After saying this, he knelt down on both knees.
"Governor Xie, please rise," the Emperor sighed.
"What are you doing? How can you be a father who doesn't want his child to improve?" Minister Lin said jokingly.
Governor Xie stood up and said, “I am but a lowly night patrolman of the Western City of the Imperial Guard. I am young and inexperienced and cannot afford to ruin such an important national affair.”
"I've heard that the western city is now very well managed, and no one dares to cause trouble after curfew. Your son is extremely capable, so don't underestimate him," Minister Lin pressed on.
Governor Xie gritted his teeth. He had just refused a small branch of the Ministry of Revenue's request to interfere in the canal transport, and now they were doing this again. The Lin family's desire to destroy my family is still alive and well!
The emperor still chose to balance the Xie and Lin families, with each side taking a step back: "Xie Huaijin will lead a contingent of the Imperial Guard to assist the Court of State Ceremonies in ensuring the security of the Northern Rong delegation in the capital."
Xie and Lin had nothing to say, so they bowed to the emperor.
That night, the Xie family gathered in Xie's father's study.
"They actually let my third brother participate in receiving the delegation." Xie Mingyi looked at Xie Huaijin with concern.
Xie Huaijin smiled and said easily, "I'm not made of dough. Don't worry, I will not let them succeed."
"The Lin family has come with great force this time; it seems they intend to break off all pretense of civility," Xie's father mused.
Xie Linyuan put down his teacup. "Your father and I will help you. Don't be afraid."
"What do I have to be afraid of? I'll deal with whatever comes my way." Xie Huaijin thought to himself, he didn't care as long as his family wasn't implicated.
Xie Mianmian, who should have been sleeping in her room, was instead eavesdropping behind the door with her bottom sticking out.
On the other side, in the Lin family study.
Lin Ruoxue, with her wide, moon-white sleeves draped over her shoulders, gracefully and unhurriedly arranged the tea set in front of her. "This is a rare opportunity. We need to make several arrangements to crush Xie Huaijin in one fell swoop."
As she spoke, she placed a cup of hot tea in front of Lin's father.
“Your father knows, one is in the light and the other in the dark.” He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and exclaimed, “Ruoxue’s tea ceremony is unmatched in the entire capital.”
“Find the arrows with the Northern Rong totem in his guards and see how he can deny it, provided he lives to see it.”
The father and daughter smiled at each other.
————
Xie Mianmian was worried that the Lin family would frame her third brother, so she had been clinging to Xie Huaijin these past few days, skipping school and becoming a real tagalong.
"The Northern Rong delegation will be arriving in the capital tomorrow, so stop making a fuss." Xie Huaijin was exasperated by their persistent pestering.
Xie Mianmian expressed her innocence, saying that she just stayed quietly by her third brother's side, did nothing, and didn't say anything.
Xie Mianmian did nothing at all. She remained silent, only staring intently at Xie Huaijin.
Xie Huaijin was working diligently, but he kept feeling a chill down his spine. After a few times, he realized it was his younger sister. This feeling of being watched all the time was terrifying and creepy. He said he didn't need this kind of ghostly concern.
Xie Mianmian followed her third brother to the palace to check on the Sifang Pavilion where the delegation was staying. As they passed a small lake, a large golden carp suddenly jumped out of the water, its tail splashing water all over Xie Mianmian's face.
Before she could even get angry, she heard the big carp say, "Mianmian, be careful when you cross the red bridge tomorrow, it might explode!"
"Okay, thank you, Little Fish!" Xie Mianmian took out the last piece of pastry from her pocket, broke it into pieces, and threw it into the lake to feed the fish.
Xie Mianmian pondered for a moment, then asked Xie Huaijin, who was standing beside her, with a puzzled look, "Third Brother, are there any red bridges in the capital?"
“Bridges are all built with bluestone bricks, and people in the capital don’t like to paint bridges. How could there be a red bridge?” Xie Huaijin laughed at the child’s whimsical idea.
Xie Mianmian scratched her head. Oh well, she'll find out tomorrow.
She patted Xie Huaijin's hand, "Third Brother, don't worry, Mianmian won't let you die."
"That poor kid," Xie Huaijin couldn't help but lightly tap Xie Mianmian on the back of the head, causing the child to stumble.
Soon the day arrived to welcome the Northern Rong delegation. That morning, Xie Huaijin arrived at the stables, ready to ride a horse, only to find Xie Mianmian sitting on its back.
Xie Huaijin: ?
There was no one around. How did this five-year-old child get on the horse? And his steed, Flame, is a wild horse. How did it become so obedient? How strange.
"What's wrong with you, kid? Get down here right now, or you'll be late." Xie Huaijin reached out to pick up the child.
Xie Mianmian clung tightly to Lieyan's neck, refusing to let go, "No, Mianmian wants to go too."
The child's hands were amazing; they seemed weak and small, yet they were inexplicably strong. The same was true for his feet; he accidentally kicked Xie Huaijin's chest and it hurt.
Ah, the ancients were right, a spoiled child sleeping badly can tear the lining.
Helpless, Xie Huaijin mounted his horse, gritting his teeth, "Fine, I'll take you there, you're my ancestor!"
Little Xie Mianmian nestled against Xie Huaijin's chest, like a lucky doll, which didn't seem out of place at all.
The flames ran extremely fast, and Xie Huaijin led the horse to take a shortcut, arriving at the city gate in no time.
The Minister of Rites, along with a large entourage, waited in the cold wind for the arrival of the Northern Rong delegation.
After a cup of tea, a dark mass of people approached from afar outside the city.
Approaching were eight tall, strong horses used to pull the cart. The horses were robust, muscular, and had glossy black coats. They were snorting heavily and were undoubtedly excellent warhorses.
Everyone fell silent. If our country could also have such a good horse on the battlefield, we wouldn't have lost several cities to the Northern Rong.
The people from the Northern Rong were all burly, eight feet tall, with menacing faces, and looked extremely intimidating.
As the procession approached, the Minister of Rites led his men to greet them, exchanging pleasantries while maintaining a facade of harmony.
Upon receiving the delegation, Xie Huaijin rode at the forefront, leading the way, while Xie Mianmian in his arms remained oblivious to the tense atmosphere, focusing solely on the road ahead.
Soon, they walked onto a bridge.
Xie Mianmian's eyes narrowed sharply. The bridge was covered with red ribbons that people used to pray for blessings, so this was the red bridge that the big carp had mentioned.
That bridge that's going to explode!
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