Chapter 89: Relief
Soon, Liu Zhu’s guards were all stabbed to death. Tang Jin dragged the limp Liu Zhu and signaled the Guo siblings to go around to the back of the main hall. After a while, chilling screams could be heard.
Xiao Yi looked around. The firelight illuminated the ground littered with corpses, the blood already congealed into a dark brown.
The Imperial Guards were all uneasy and had their own thoughts, but their gazes towards him were full of admiration.
The world’s reverence for martial arts at this time was far from comparable to when he was playing a double.
“You’re quite skilled with that whip,” Wang Chengxun said to Xiao Yi with a complicated expression. He cupped his hands, took a deep breath, and sighed, “You nearly took my life.”
“Where is Master Li?”
“I’ll go look.”
Wang Chengxun tidied his disheveled robes and went around to the back of the main hall, dragging Li Hongjian out.
“Master Li, you protected the families of the Wang and Cao families. I regard you as a benefactor, and I came here to bring you merit, but you… alas!”
Li Hongjian covered his face with his sleeve, weeping incessantly.
“I was foolish! I reacted too slowly just now. A single thought led me astray, and I almost endangered my life and fortune…”
“What use is crying now? If you had surrendered when I first arrived, you would already have the greatest merit.”
Upon hearing this, Li Hongjian cried even louder.
Xiao Yi, impatient with the old man’s sniveling, cleared his throat.
“Ah, who is this? My dear nephew, quickly introduce this young general.”
Li Hongjian looked over with the terror of someone who had narrowly escaped death. His hands trembled uncontrollably as he cupped them.
Wang Chengxun said, “Xiao Yi, Marshal Guo’s trusted and beloved general.”
“General Xiao! Please accept this old man’s bow. Thank you for saving my life.”
“Master Li, you are too kind.”
Xiao Yi casually handed the whip back.
Li Hongjian did not take it, waving his hands repeatedly. He said with a smile, “You shame this old man. I don’t know how to use a whip, so keeping it would be a waste of a treasure. General Xiao, your whip skills are divine. This whip belongs to you, for a fine horse is given to a hero.”
“You are too kind. If Master Li doesn’t know how to use a whip, why did you carry it?”
“I never fight with others; it was merely for decoration. Among all weapons, this nine-section whip is the most costly to produce. It is cast from fine iron with eight-sided facets, forged with seasoned copper for the double rings, and has a lotus hoop at the tip and an iron tenon at the head. It is not something that can be made by any craftsman.”
“I understand. It’s expensive.”
“General, you are an expert. Precisely so.”
Xiao Yi’s face suddenly darkened. “Master Li, your downfall is entirely due to this one word: ‘expensive’.”
Li Hongjian shivered in fear. Realizing what was meant, he quickly said, “To tell the General, the Imperial Treasury Gold is right here, and I am willing to present it all to Duke Guo.”
“Too late!”
Xiao Yi’s tone became even colder.
“You knew to protect the families of Wang and Cao, but you didn’t know to protect the Guo family? A grave mistake has been made, and you show no remorse, still coveting treasures. When the opportunity presented itself just now, why didn’t you order Liu Zhu’s execution?!”
*Thump.*
Li Hongjian fell to his knees in terror, weeping profusely.
“I… I was slow… When I get anxious, my mind races, and I can’t make any decisions… In my heart, I wanted to surrender to Duke Guo, but I didn’t have time to react. You acted too quickly…”
Wang Chengxun glanced at Li Hongjian’s state and suddenly burst into laughter out of anger.
Xiao Yi guessed he might be thinking that the Imperial Court was so incompetent that Wang Yin’s rebellion could still be won.
Nevertheless, Wang Chengxun stepped forward to help him up, saying to Xiao Yi, “Look at you, you’ve frightened Master Li. He is the Imperial Uncle.”
“So what if he’s the Imperial Uncle? If he wants the Marshal to spare him, he must first earn merit.”
“Merit, I will earn merit, I will strive for merit with my life.”
“Where are Li Ye and Su Fengji?!”
“They… they fled two hours ago,” Li Hongjian said with a distressed expression, weeping. “At noon today, Li Ye summoned me and said that Murong Yanchao had died in battle, and Generals Hou Yi, Yuan Xi, and Jiao Jixun had fled overnight to surrender. Duke… Duke Guo was about to enter the city. He planned to go to Shaan Prefecture first and ordered me to escort the gold with the Imperial Guard.”
“Damn it,” Li Chongjin said, “I’ll go chase them!”
“No, first appease the Imperial Guard.”
Dragging Li Hongjian out of the main hall, they saw Zhang Mantun, Lu You, Fan Si, Wei Liang, and Li Chongju, each with many men, standing in the courtyard, their faces filled with excitement.
Li Chongju was indeed capable. In the short time Wang Chengxun took to persuade Li Hongjian and Xiao Yi to capture Liu Zhu, he had already gathered half of the Imperial Guard Headquarters and rushed over. If Liu Zhu had been slightly slower, he might not have been able to get close to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi said, “Liu Zhu has brought ruin to the country and has already been executed. Duke Guo is benevolent and only punishes the evil leaders. Tonight, all who obeyed Deputy Marshal Li’s orders and acted to correct the chaos are pardoned!”
Saying that Li Hongjian ordered the restoration of order was already a great kindness, and more importantly, it gave the Imperial Guards a legitimate reason.
As expected, the soldiers’ tense expressions relaxed.
“We are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and follow Duke Guo to remove corrupt officials!”
“All generals, listen to my orders.”
“Yes!”
“Take Master Li to inform the city gate guards that the Imperial Court has redressed the Marshal’s grievances and purged the traitors. Order them to restrain their troops and not act rashly. You will lead the Imperial Guards to take over the city gates in turn. First, at Cao Gate, Wei Liang, you will remain with fifty Imperial Guards. Select fifty men from the original garrison to cooperate. The rest will hand over their weapons and await orders in the armory. If there is any resistance, kill them without mercy.”
“Understood!”
“Fan Si, you will remain at Song Gate.”
“Understood!”
“At Weishi Gate, order Liu Tingrang to guard East Water Gate. Order Cui Yanjin and Hai Jin to guard West Water Gate. Order Guo Shouwen to remain at his post. Lu You, you will guard Zheng Gate.”
“Understood!”
“Li Chongju, Liang Gate.”
“Understood!”
“Zhang Mantun, Suanzao Gate.”
“Understood!”
“Chong Jin, I ask you to guard Fengqiu Gate. The Marshal is very likely to enter through this gate, and you will cooperate in welcoming him.”
“Alright.”
Xiao Yi left the city gates with the greatest potential for merit to Li Chongjin.
Li Chongjin also appreciated this favor. He cupped his fists solemnly, glanced back at the main hall, and said, “Take care of Wu Niang and San Lang.”
“Don’t worry… Chengxun, please take your troops to the Kaifeng Prefecture office. With Liu Zhu’s official seal, draft a notice to appease the public and seal all documents and records within the office.”
Towards the end, Xiao Yi felt a bit uneasy, but he truly couldn’t spare anyone else. He instructed, “Make sure to seal everything.”
Wang Chengxun smiled faintly and said, “Rest assured.”
“Anyone who disturbs the populace, plunders during the chaos, or spreads rumors will be executed without mercy!”
Everyone responded with a resounding “Understood!” and strode off.
The Imperial Guard Headquarters became much quieter.
Xiao Yi looked behind him and saw only a few soldiers remaining.
“General, I am Shou Tao. I was formerly a comrade of Hua Nong. Just now, I saw the General wielding that whip… like a god, I was greatly impressed!”
“I know you. Go and pull those carriages back to Yi Ting, unload the boxes, and keep a close eye on them.”
“Understood!”
After giving these instructions, Xiao Yi felt extremely thirsty. He walked to a nearby stone railing and was about to scoop up some snow to eat.
“Drink this.”
He turned his head and saw Guo Xin standing there.
She still held a sword in one hand, blood dripping from its tip, and offered a water skin with the other.
“Thank you.”
Xiao Yi took it and drank a large gulp. The water was slightly warm, which was very comforting, so he drank it all.
Guo Xin said, “Slow down, don’t choke.”
“I’m so thirsty.”
“Are you finished?”
“Not yet, I haven’t checked the gold.”
“You’ve been thinking about gold all day, with your nose buried in money.”
“Who doesn’t love money?”
Xiao Yi smiled and replied casually, without explaining that the gold was for Guo Wei to reward his troops.
In fact, Guo Xin understood without explanation. She said softly, “Are you at ease now? You protected the people of Kaifeng from plunder. You, yourself… you do have a bit of chivalry.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m not familiar with the people of Kaifeng, but I did something incidentally.”
“Hmph,” Guo Xin muttered softly, “You clearly think you’re quite something.”
Xiao Yi felt she had something to say. He glanced towards the main hall and asked, “Why aren’t you going to vent your anger?”
“I already stabbed him once, and I’m a bit tired.”
Guo Xin looked bewildered, lowered her head dejectedly, and murmured, “What’s the point of torturing an enemy again? My mother won’t come back to life… Compared to hatred, I should blame myself more, for being so ignorant…”
Xiao Yi said nothing.
He felt a little tired and leaned against the stone railing to rest, watching the snowflakes gradually cover the bodies and bloodstains on the ground, as if concealing the cruelty of these chaotic times.
Guo Xin sniffled and stood beside him, gradually calming down.
“Mmm… I want to tell you… I don’t actually blame you for deceiving me. I blame myself for constantly deceiving myself… The reason I hit you that day was just… I was too heartbroken…”
“I know, it’s okay.”
Xiao Yi turned to look at Guo Xin, offering comfort with his gaze.
He thought her eyes were very bright, no longer obscured by hatred and pain.
“You know everything all day long.” Guo Xin “hmphed” again, looked up at him, and subconsciously said, “Why are you making your eyes shine so brightly… It’s so annoying.”
As she spoke, she deliberately met his gaze. After a moment, she turned her head away.
Xiao Yi also withdrew his gaze and looked up at the sky.
On this snowy night, even the moon was not as bright as the stars in her eyes.
After a while, Guo Xin suddenly exclaimed.
“Ah, you’re injured?”
Xiao Yi looked down. Through the split in his armor, cleaved by Liu Zhu’s blade, a shallow scar could be seen on his well-defined body, extending from his left chest to his abdomen. Fortunately, it wasn’t bleeding much.
“It’s nothing, just a flesh wound from the wind of the blade. I’ll go take care of it.”
“Oh, you…”
Xiao Yi attached great importance to wound treatment. He ordered the Imperial Guards to boil salt water and bring him healing ointment. He then went to Nie Wenjin’s office to clean and dress his wound.
The door creaked open. Guo Xin peeked in, covered her eyes, and slipped out.
“What are you doing here?” Guo Xin said casually as he entered. “Are you injured?”
“It’s nothing,” Xiao Yi asked, “Are you finished?”
“Tang Jin is still dismembering him, feeding the dogs as he goes. That dog thief is still alive, but his spirit is gone. He’s weak and smells foul, making me dizzy… I’ll help you apply the medicine.”
“Don’t touch me. I’m fine. What if I get infected because of you?”
“I’ve washed my hands.”
“Still, don’t touch me. Go away.”
“Okay,” Guo Xin scratched his head and said earnestly, “My enemy should have been captured by my own hands, but instead, I ended up causing you to get injured.”
“You couldn’t capture him. Your martial arts are not good enough.”
“Seriously, you’re skilled with every weapon.”
Xiao Yi’s wound stung sharply when the salt water touched it. He gritted his teeth and endured it, making a joke, “I’m not wielding weapons, I’m wielding handsomeness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind if you don’t understand.”
“I understand, you’re just bragging, you shameless person.”
“Heh.”
Looking up, Xiao Yi saw that Guo Xin’s face finally broke into his usual smile.
Xiao Yi also smiled, and then felt a light punch on his chest.
Some matters were thus resolved…
