Chapter 17 Nobody Can Bully You
"General Xiao!" Zhao Bing couldn't help but step forward, looking at General Xiao with pleading eyes.
He thought to himself, "This kid is too strange. He didn't find the stolen goods from the Northern Rong that he had arranged to find. Instead, he was beaten up in front of his men by this greenhorn."
"Now you know fear? Where were you before?"
General Xiao looked at Zhao Bing with disappointment. In his opinion, Zhao Bing was capable, but he was too reckless and impulsive. Let him suffer a setback and learn a lesson.
Xie Huaijin respectfully bowed to General Xiao, then led the man towards Zhao Bing's guard post.
The group swaggered into the courtyard, and the guards looked closely and realized that their boss was being dragged in by a young boy.
Seeing their once arrogant and conceited leader now looking like a little chick, and then looking at General Xiao beside him, the guards silently stepped aside.
Xie Huaijin waved his right hand behind him, and his men began to search high and low in the guard quarters.
In a side room, a guard casually lifted the lid of a box and was startled by what was inside. He quickly walked towards Xie Huaijin and said, "Reporting to my lord, I've found something!"
Xie Huaijin merely raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unsurprised, and gestured for General Xiao to proceed.
General Xiao's eyelids twitched involuntarily. His tiger eyes widened, and his gaze fell on Zhao Bing as if Mount Tai were pressing down on him. He snorted coldly and strode towards the side room.
Xie Huaijin followed closely behind, and as he passed Zhao Bing, a playful smirk appeared on his lips as he gave Zhao Bing a half-smile.
Zhao Bing's heart skipped a beat. No way, that kid was just bluffing him. How could he possibly be hiding something? Wait! Zhao Bing remembered the vanished arrow and had a premonition of impending doom. Could it be…
He staggered after him.
General Xiao looked at the box that the Golden Guard had pointed to and saw that it contained arrows. He picked one up and examined it closely, discovering a wolf head totem on the arrow's tail—an arrow from the Northern Rong!
He was furious. General Xiao looked at his capable subordinate with disappointment, threw the arrow at Zhao Bing's feet, and said sternly, "Caught red-handed, what explanation do you have?"
In a flash, General Xiao understood everything. He pointed at Zhao Bing's nose and cursed, "The thief cries 'stop thief!' How dare you set up a scheme to slander your own people!"
Not only is the person bad, but they are also so stupid that they don't even know where the stolen goods are, yet they dare to swagger around and harm people.
Where has the cheerful and upright Zhao Bing gone? "How did you become like this?" General Xiao clutched his chest and took a deep breath.
Money, power, and greed clouded his judgment. Zhao Bing stared blankly at the arrows in the box, then suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. Gone, all gone.
Zhao Bing stared hysterically at General Xiao with bloodshot eyes. "You old bastard, you only care about your own enjoyment! What have I gotten working under you? I can't even afford my mother's life-saving medicine! You owe my family a life!"
General Xiao shook his head and waved his hand weakly, ordering his men to take Zhao Bing away.
He asked himself if he had ever mistreated his subordinates or embezzled money, and he had a clear conscience. Zhao Bing spent his nights indulging in pleasure, but did he ever think of his bedridden mother?
General Xiao sighed deeply and patted Xie Huaijin on the shoulder, "I will give you an explanation for this matter."
Xie Huaijin pursed his lips, bowed and said, "Thank you, General. I hope you take care of yourself."
The matter was thus concluded. Xie Huaijin, holding Xie Mianmian's hand, was about to escort the Seventh Prince and Eunuch Li back.
Not far away, a sedan chair came rushing over.
Before he even got out of the sedan chair, he shouted loudly, "Let's see who dares to bully my study companion!"
The Sixth Princess jumped to the ground, wincing. She had practiced horseback riding for an extra half hour today, and both sides of her thighs were chafed and burning with pain. When she heard that Xie Mianmian had been bullied, she rushed over to save Xie Mianmian's life without even having time to apply medicine.
The sixth princess slightly spread her legs and limped towards Xie Mianmian. Her little face was fierce, and although her posture was strange, she could not lose her momentum.
Xie Mianmian grinned and happily went to greet them, "We're fine, everything's been resolved."
As the Sixth Princess listened to Xie Mianmian's rambling, she gave the Seventh Prince a satisfied look. Not bad, he had protected her little follower very well.
Seventh Prince: Tsk.
Xie Huaijin watched the two of them with amusement. Seeing that the Sixth Princess was walking like a crab, she still rushed to save Xie Mianmian. It seemed that they got along well, and Xie Huaijin was relieved.
He cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your help, Sixth Princess and Seventh Prince. It's getting late, so I'll escort you back."
The Sixth Princess didn't need anyone's help; she limped back into the sedan chair, her face contorted in pain where no one could see. She wouldn't be a female general for the next few days; she'd wait until she recovered.
After seeing off the Sixth Princess and her two companions, Xie Huaijin took his younger sister's hand and slowly walked out of the palace.
Xie Huaijin pondered with a solemn expression; he could no longer sit idly by and wait for his doom.
No matter how much the Xie family backs down or tries to keep a low profile, the Emperor will still be wary of them, and the Lin family will certainly not let the Xie family off the hook.
Then Xie Huaijin needs to grow up. He needs to be able to protect himself and his family. He should stop relying on his father and elder brother and stop letting Xie Mianmian protect him.
He patted Xie Mianmian's head. The child didn't understand, but she still looked up and smiled sweetly at her brother.
The two, one big and one small, walked slowly, their shadows stretched long by the orange-red sunset.
On the other side, at the Lin residence.
Upon learning that Zhao Bing had been arrested, Lin's father slammed his teacup to the ground, panting heavily with anger, "Useless!"
Such a big piece has been wasted!
Lin Ruoxue's face was grim, her brows furrowed. "The most urgent thing is to push all the blame onto him, sacrifice the pawn to save the king, and get the Lin family out of the picture first."
Lin's father nodded expressionlessly; this was the only option.
It's a pity about Zhao Bing. Previously, all the contraband confiscated by the Jinwu Guard was handed over to the Ministry of Revenue by Zhao Bing. Seventy percent of it was turned over to the national treasury, and the rest was split 50/50 among them.
If Zhao Bing is gone, one of their biggest sources of income will be cut off.
"Ah!" Lin's father swept everything on the desk to the floor in a fit of rage. "Why are the Xie family members so hard to kill!"
Lin Ruoxue narrowed her vicious eyes and tugged hard at the handkerchief in her hand. "Father, rest assured, it's my turn to take action."
That night, some people drooled in their sleep, while others were so angry they couldn't sleep all night.
The next day, Xie Huaijin escorted Xie Mianmian into the Wenhua Hall. He bent down and instructed her, "Today, His Majesty is hosting a banquet to entertain the envoys from the Northern Rong. Our family will also be going. Do not go with anyone. Wait for your brother to come and pick you up, understand?"
Xie Huaijin casually flicked Xie Mianmian's forehead.
The child nodded sadly. She wouldn't wander off; she was already a five-year-old big girl.
Xie Mianmian sat on the custom-made cushion that Eunuch Li had made for her. The height was just right, and now the child could finally practice her calligraphy properly.
This time, Xie Mianmian's struggle against the black group is 789.
Outside the window, the spring sunshine was bright and the sun was shining. Many children were pretending to listen attentively to the tutor's lesson, but in reality, their minds were wandering to the scenery outside the window.
A chubby little blue bird perched on a branch not far away, chirping, "Mianmian, there's a little bird crying in the palace, can you save it?"
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