Chapter 22 A Reformed Young Lady: What Does My Commander Think of Him?
In a small town, even the slightest disturbance can spread like wildfire.
They officially arrested He Renzhi last night, and the news leaked out today. It's clear that while everyone seems to be living their own lives, it doesn't stop them from keeping an ear out what others are doing.
It's not surprising that this news spread so quickly. As the magistrate of Huaiyuan County, He Renzhi wielded absolute power, committing countless evil deeds, and many secretly hated him. They probably live with their eyes open day and night, waiting for him to be thrown into prison and beheaded.
Hearing that she also knew about this, Zijing glanced at her and said, "The young Taoist priest is quite well-informed."
Yu Nie pursed her lips, not specifying who told her: "Hey, I wasn't eavesdropping, just saying whatever came to mind, how could I take it seriously? I was just asking casually."
The capture of He Renzhi was something Zijing never intended to keep secret. He didn't care if it became a city-wide scandal; he hoped it would spread even further.
It would be best if the prefect's office could be so anxious that he couldn't sit still or eat properly, and that he would be so worried that he would automatically jump into the water.
He tightened his grip on the reins, turned his gaze forward, and said, "The fact that He Renzhi was arrested is indeed true."
Upon hearing that the corrupt official had been imprisoned, she was overjoyed. If she weren't on horseback, she would surely have danced and sung a song at the top of her lungs.
"Oh God, finally, this corrupt official has been arrested, and the dawn has finally broken in Huaiyuan!" She recounted to him all the things He Renzhi had done in Huaiyuan over the years: "Young man, you have no idea how tyrannical He Renzhi was in Huaiyuan. A few years ago, the old owner of the porridge shop on East Street was forced to drive away those merchants so that he could occupy land for his own relatives to open shops."
"The old shopkeeper was furious and filed a complaint against him at the prefect's office, but it didn't even cause a ripple. In the end, the old shopkeeper died mysteriously in a fire, his body burned to ashes." Her tone became much lower when she talked about the porridge shop owner.
Zi Jing noticed her subtle change in mood, tapped his knuckles lightly on the reins twice, and said in an unchanging tone: "Heaven's sins may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins are unforgivable. He Renzhi will pay for all the sins he committed in the past."
In his view, the principle of atonement for crimes and retribution for murder was an inviolable rule.
Hearing him say that, she felt that he was truly a good official.
She thought to herself that He Renzhi's arrest seemed sudden to outsiders. But based on the many movies she had watched in her previous life, she secretly guessed that they must have been investigating in secret for a long time, otherwise they wouldn't have acted so quickly.
For a moment, she even forgot to eat the pear in her hand, holding it and looking at him, pondering as she asked, "If I may be so bold as to ask, has your Xuan Ce Army... been secretly investigating Magistrate He all along?"
He tilted his head to look at her and chuckled, "You're quite clever, young lady."
He didn't doubt the answer, which could be deduced with a little reasoning; the statement was at most a polite formality.
After praising her, he bent down and fed the half-eaten pear in his hand to his mount: "As the top military and political leader of Huaiyuan, we need sufficient evidence to arrest He Renzhi, and we must not alert him. A covert investigation is inevitable."
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her eyes lit up: "Did someone... ask your Xuan Ce Army to take charge? Or did you yourselves discover something fishy?"
The Xuan Ce Army couldn't possibly be investigating He Renzhi without a reason; there are no other possibilities besides these two.
If someone were to tell Xuan Ce's army, she would be very curious about who that person was; they were practically Huaiyuan's second parents.
Zijing glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and replied, "Someone has filed a complaint."
He answered this way not to keep it a secret, but simply because he didn't want to say more.
Besides, although her background was innocent, he still had many doubts about her, so he decided to say less and make things worse.
Seeing that he stopped there, she assumed he was keeping the matter a secret, and given the sensitivity of the government's case, she didn't press him further.
She simply asked, "Will He Renzhi be sentenced to death?" She figured it shouldn't be a problem.
"He is corrupt, lawless, and bribery-ridden; he embezzles tax money, betrays the country, and colludes with the enemy; he abuses the people and harms property, disregarding the law." He said leisurely, "Any one of these crimes is enough to make him lose his head."
"How could He Renzhi be guilty of colluding with foreign powers?" She was utterly shocked, never expecting that there was such a charge of treason.
"Otherwise, why do you think the Rouran made such a big show of force just seven miles from the city, instead of being slow to speak and quick to act?" When raiding the city walls at midnight, the key is to be quiet. If you make a big fuss and alert the garrison, the advantage of a night raid will be lost.
After his explanation, Yu Nie suddenly realized, her smiling face filled with disbelief: "So the whole siege was just a show?"
Zi Jing tacitly agreed. He Renzhi's matter was already settled, so there was no point in hiding it or not.
Seeing his reaction, she gradually came to a clear conclusion.
This siege was originally a feint, but Xuan Ce's army arrived "just in time" without any mishaps. Judging from the current situation, it is clearly not what they initially said: that they noticed the unusual activity while patrolling the border and then sent troops to Huaiyuan.
The only plausible explanation is that if Fei had planned this all along, how could it be such a coincidence? They already knew about He Renzhi's secret agreement with the Rouran. Therefore, they took the opportunity to use the pretext of suppressing the rebellion to station troops in Huaiyuan, so as to secretly investigate He Renzhi's crimes of embezzlement and collusion with the enemy.
Now she felt that even Xie Cheng's claim of being robbed and injured was most likely a lie.
If that's the case, there's only one person who can devise the entire plan and mobilize Xuan Ce's army.
Those two familiar words suddenly popped into her mind.
She thought and thought, pondered and pondered, and it couldn't be. How could that treacherous minister Huan Xun, who brought disaster to the country and its people, suddenly repent and become a good person?
Something feels off. The historical records clearly state that a villain was doing something righteous, which doesn't make any sense.
She pondered, there must be some misunderstanding, and perhaps there was someone else behind Huan Xun's scheme.
Thinking of this, she coughed lightly and tentatively asked, "Was He Renzhi's case personally handled and directed by your commander?"
He already knew her opinion of him and guessed why she asked that question.
He suddenly became interested and replied, "That's an interesting question, young lady. In the entire Xuan Ce Army, besides Commander Huan, who else can mobilize a single soldier?"
"I knew it! Your commander is truly a man of great talent. He has accomplished what others have failed to do." Yu Nie chuckled awkwardly and took a bite of the pear in his hand.
Knowing she was lying, he deliberately leaned closer and asked, "After this incident, what do you think of my commander's character, young lady?"
As the official history, "The Record of the Fall of Beiye" suggests that even if Huan Xun did the right thing, it doesn't mean he was without fault.
Historical evaluation of a person has always been comprehensive, not based on a single event.
She still believed in the historical records' evaluation of him, but in front of Zijing, she would never tell the truth: "Very good...very good. Lord Huan Xun is truly a parent to the people and a pillar of the country, upright and honest, and discerning to the smallest detail."
"Having him as the commander of the Dingbei Border Army is truly a blessing for us ordinary people." She did not forget to explain: "I always said that what is being said in the streets is completely unfounded."
As she spoke eloquently, Zijing's smile deepened, but she remained silent.
Chatting along the way, they soon arrived at the gate of Lingbao Temple.
The three men reined in their horses and stopped, each securing the reins.
Yu Nie planned to remove the bundle from the horse's back.
She lifted it up with both hands, but it was so heavy that she put it back down.
Zi Jing noticed the heavy weight of her bundle and strode closer, asking, "Young lady, is there some stone in your bag?"
She smiled at him sweetly, feigning a coquettish tone: "Isn't that right? I even shared a piece with you, young man, on the way."
Zijing pretended to rub his jaw: "No wonder I found your pear quite hard to chew."
They were bickering, before Yu Nie could unleash his silver tongue once more.
Hearing the noise, Langxi came out and called to her from outside the gate, "Junior sister is back. Why aren't you coming in yet? Aunt Liu has warmed the rice on the stove and is just waiting for you to eat."
She made a face at him, then turned around and replied, "I'll be right in, Junior Sister."
When faced with a heavy burden, she always knew when to ask for help and never act recklessly.
As for who to ask, she set her sights on the people around her. She suddenly blinked, completely disregarding the fact that she had just been about to argue with someone, her voice instantly softening eight octaves, her eyes gentle as she blinked: "Help me, young man, for the sake of the pear I gave you?"
Zi Jing lowered his eyes to look at her feigned fragility, and clicked his tongue softly, as if regretting it: "If my wife were more sincere, perhaps I would have given in. But since my wife is not sincerely asking me, I should be sensible and leave."
He always left without looking back, and in the blink of an eye, he really did enter the temple alone with a carefree air.
Enraged, Yu Nie performed a set of Tai Chi moves in the air.
Seeing this, Xie Cheng walked up to her and said, "I, Xie, will help the Taoist priest with this."
Just as they were falling to the bottom of the valley, they suddenly saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Yu Nie didn't refuse and thanked Xie Cheng repeatedly, helping him hold the knife.
Even Xie Cheng, a skilled martial artist, felt the bundle was heavy as soon as he picked it up; it felt like it was filled with stones.
Yu Nie followed behind him. When the two entered the temple, the candles in the alchemy room were already lit, and Zi Jing's shadow was reflected in the window. It was unclear what he was busy with.
After placing the bundle on the table in her room, Xie Cheng quickly returned to his own room.
She was starving and planned to finish her meal before sharing the food the Rong family had given her with everyone.
As she left the room, she originally intended to call Zijing and the other person to come along.
But seeing that their door was closed, and not wanting to push it open herself as a woman, she decided to go to the kitchen to wait.
Langxi and Aunt Liu had just put the food on the table. Usually, it was four vegetarian dishes and a soup, but today there was an extra fragrant braised fish.
Yu Nie, drawn by the aroma, came over and plopped down in his seat, his eyes fixed on the fish: "What's the occasion tonight that warrants such a sudden improvement in our meals?"
Aunt Liu, serving the last bowl of rice, said, "Chen said you went to the Rong family to deliver that peacock blue, and we all think you're sure to succeed. So, Ah Hui specially went to the pond behind the mountain to catch a carp, just waiting to celebrate for you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie felt a surge of warmth in her heart: "You trust me that much? What if we fail and the fish goes to waste?"
"What does it matter if you fail?" Langxi laughed. "If you fail, you can eat more meat so you'll have the energy to keep working on it."
Sitting next to her, Ah Hui echoed her sentiments repeatedly.
These past few days, while she's been busy preparing the peacock blue dye, everyone around her feels sorry for her, staying up late and getting up early. They help her with everything else whenever they can. They also make sure she eats well, always buying the best food, afraid she won't eat well.
She rarely felt this kind of warmth of home, even in another world.
From childhood, she moved around with her mother, constantly making new friends and classmates and adapting to new lives.
Everything kept changing until my sophomore year when things finally settled down.
But her peaceful days didn't last long before she unexpectedly found herself here.
I have to start adapting to everything new again.
Fortunately, her home remained unchanged for the past sixteen years. The warmth of home often surrounded her.
Isn't this also a case of "turning misfortune into blessing"?
"Eat it while it's hot. It's already this late, you must be starving." Langxi said, picking up a piece of fish and putting it into her bowl.
Yu Nie peeked into the courtyard but couldn't see Zi Jing and the others. Without touching her chopsticks, she said, "That's strange. Why haven't Zi Jing and Guard Xie arrived yet?"
Her question puzzled Langxi as well, since the two of them should have arrived long ago, according to their usual routine.
"Could something have held you up? I'll go check on the front yard. You all eat first." With that, Langxi put down her chopsticks and prepared to get up.
Ah Hui pressed down on her shoulder, indicating that she would go herself.
Langxi nodded and did not insist: "Then we'll wait first, Junior Brother, go and come back quickly."
Ah Huiren walked outside, and Yu Nie ate two mouthfuls of rice from his bowl and began to talk about what had happened at the Rong family that day.
She said she planned to share the pastries and fruits she brought back with them later.
Before long, Ah Hui, along with Zi Jing and Xie Cheng, walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing that the two had arrived late, she rested her chin on her hand and said, "If you two had been any later, the fish would probably have swum back into the lake."
Zi Jing and Xie Cheng lifted their robes and sat down one after the other, facing her directly.
Zijing picked up his chopsticks and chuckled softly, "If we can really see dead fish come back to life, that would be quite a strange thing. To witness such a spectacle would make this life worthwhile."
"It's nice to see the spectacle, but I can't do without fish to eat."
"No fish to eat? No problem, it's not because of me. I may not be skilled in martial arts, but catching a few fish to eat is no problem." He fiddled with the jade thumb ring under the table with his fingertip, a faint smile on his face.
She picked at the rice in her bowl, completely unaware of how intimate the words were: "It seems the young master is quite skilled at catching fish. I'll have to see him sometime."
Lang Xi and the others wore enigmatic smiles, but Xie Cheng glanced at his master with a calm expression, then silently picked up his bowl and began to eat.
Halfway through the meal, Aunt Liu mentioned that she planned to steam some locust flowers for lunch the next day, and asked Zijing and his wife if they had any dietary restrictions, or if they didn't like steamed locust flower rice, she could make something else.
Upon hearing this, Zijing put down his chopsticks and replied gently, "Thank you for your kindness, Aunt Liu, but Guard Xie and I have finished packing and will be leaving the temple tomorrow at noon."
A note from the author:
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