The pavilion built by the water welcomed breezes from all directions. Lush bamboo shadows filtered through the half-rolled fine reed blinds, casting patterns on the floor tiles inside, while scattered sunlight danced upon the draping robes of the man engaged in a game of Go. The hidden patterns on the brocade shimmered with flowing light.
The cicadas' chirping grew restless. Across the lotus-covered lake, a brilliantly colored koi occasionally leaped up, catching a blooming petal before plunging back into the water, stirring ripples across the surface.
Xie Zheng's long fingers, marked with dark scabs, lifted a black Go piece and placed it on the board, instantly surrounding and cutting off his opponent's white pieces.
Xie Zhong held a white piece, scanning the board for a long while but finding no viable move left. He finally chuckled in defeat. "The Marquis's skills have improved again. This subordinate is no match."
The man seated across from him had left his hair unbound. Due to unhealed whip marks and reopened sword wounds, he wore only a thin inner garment beneath a loosely draped outer robe. His strikingly handsome face still bore traces of illness-induced pallor. A tickle rose in his throat, and he covered his mouth with a light cough before speaking: "Practice makes perfect."
With his repeatedly reopened sword wounds and the one hundred and eight lashes, Xie Zheng had been confined to bed for three full days before he could rise.
When the physician came to treat his injuries, he shook his head repeatedly, exclaiming that there wasn't a single patch of unblemished flesh left on Xie Zheng's back. An ordinary man would have died from the pain alone.
But Xie Zheng, perhaps tempered by years of warfare, possessed a battlefield-forged willpower. Though weakened, no amount of pain could render him unconscious.
Even as the physician used tweezers to painstakingly extract shreds of cloth embedded deep in his wounds, he remained fully awake—not uttering a single sound throughout. By the time the wounds were cleaned, the cold sweat from enduring the pain had soaked through the bedding beneath him.
Before leaving, the physician said these injuries would likely require ten to fifteen days of bed rest before he could rise. Yet Xie Zheng had managed to stand on his own after just three days of recovery.
Xie Zhong assumed his urgency to return stemmed from the message Gongsun Yin had sent on the first day of his recuperation—that palace eunuchs bearing official rewards and an imperial decree had arrived in Kangcheng. Gongsun Yin had claimed Xie Zheng was inspecting the borders, so the eunuchs waited in Kangcheng.
He said, "Border inspections take at least a month, sometimes several. With Gongsun temporarily managing the palace envoys, the Marquis need not hurry back before fully recovering."
Xie Zheng tossed the black piece back into its container, his phoenix eyes half-lidded with disinterest. "This Marquis hardly cares for the little emperor's decrees."
Xie Zhong pondered before asking, "Is it due to the changing situation in Chongzhou?"
"With Changxin Wang dead, breaching Chongzhou is only a matter of time. But He Jingyuan's sudden severe injury led the court to replace the commander mid-campaign. The morale in Jizhou's army has collapsed—likely no better than the rebels inside Chongzhou's walls." Xie Zheng's tone turned contemplative. "Who knows whether this was truly the little emperor's doing or Wei Yan's scheme."
He then countered, "Uncle Zhong, after He Jingyuan steps down, who among Wei Yan's faction could take over Jizhou's military power?"
Xie Zhong considered carefully before shaking his head. "Likely no one. His son Wei Xuan has courage but no strategy. Currently, the military authority over Jizhou and Chongzhou is prime territory for the Li and Wei factions to fight over. Wei Yan wouldn't be reckless enough to send the impulsive, easily provoked Wei Xuan to the Chongzhou front. The emperor promoted Tang Peiyi as commander. Though Tang Peiyi was promoted by He Jingyuan, he's a true loyalist. With Jizhou's forces in Tang Peiyi's hands, the emperor must feel assured."Xie Zheng said, "If Chongzhou falls, the military power of both Jizhou and Chongzhou will either fall into the hands of the Li faction or return to the young emperor. If Wei Yan wants to keep this piece of fat from being snatched away by others, he can only let the battle in Chongzhou remain deadlocked, slowly wearing down both sides. The Li family still has Li Huaian serving as the Army Supervisor in Chongzhou—sooner or later, they’ll find a way to pin the blame on the Li faction."
Xie Zhong was startled. "Does the Marquis mean that Wei Yan might repeat what he did to you and He Jingyuan—deliberately creating flaws on the battlefield to frame the Li faction or Tang Peiyi, gradually reclaiming control over Jizhou’s military power?"
Xie Zheng shook his head. "Wei Yan won’t use the same trick a third time. Besides, if we can deduce Wei Yan’s strategy, the strategists nurtured by the Li family aren’t fools either—they wouldn’t fail to see through it. Sui Yuanhuai is the imperial grandson who survived the fire in the Eastern Palace, and now he’s allied with Grand Tutor Li’s faction. Chongzhou is already in the Li family’s grasp. To eliminate any future threats, they might even set a trap, deliberately luring Wei Yan into it."
At this point, Xie Zheng paused, his gaze turning colder by the second. "To ensure Wei Yan is thoroughly condemned, we must provoke the fury of both the officials and the common people. Tell me, Uncle Zhong—what could enrage the entire nation?"
After a moment of contemplation, Xie Zhong gasped in horror. "It could only be Wei Yan colluding with rebels and slaughtering loyal subjects. For this to escalate, the death toll must be high enough..."
He dared not continue, only muttering, "Grand Tutor Li surely wouldn’t be so reckless..."
Xie Zheng said, "If they were merely fighting to the death in court, I wouldn’t mind surrendering Jizhou and Chongzhou to them. But if they intend to sacrifice the lives of thousands of soldiers to fabricate a historic case for seizing power, I’d rather take the military authority into my own hands."
"After all... sooner or later, we’ll have to tear into each other anyway."
Hearing this, Xie Zhong showed a faint trace of relief. "The Marquis upholds righteousness and does not disgrace the Xie family’s integrity. If the General knew of this in the afterlife, he would be proud of you."
Xie Zheng did not respond. He leaned back slightly, his dark hair spilling over his shoulders as he gazed at the scenery beyond the pavilion amidst the dense shade of bamboo. "If only you had left the capital later back then, Uncle Zhong, and taken me back to Huizhou after my mother’s passing."
Had he not spent over a decade recognizing a thief as his father, perhaps his heart would have suffered less.
Xie Zhong sighed at the memory. "After the General’s death, the Madam was overwhelmed with grief, and her temperament changed drastically. We had originally intended to guard the Xie family’s legacy in the capital after the General’s passing. But the Madam, in her sorrow, often blamed us for failing to protect the General. Every time she saw us, she would weep so bitterly it nearly made her ill. The maidservants by her side eventually advised us to leave the capital."
He lowered his head, bitterness in his voice. "For the sake of the Madam’s health, we returned to Huizhou. Yet not long after, we heard she had taken her own life to follow the General, and the Marquis was taken in by Wei Yan to be raised. As mere servants, we had no right to question our masters’ decisions, so we remained at the Xie family estate in Huizhou."
Xie Zheng’s back stiffened slightly. He asked, "Was it my mother... who sent you back to Huizhou?"Xie Zhong hurriedly said, "Don't blame Madam. She was grieving and didn't know I had lost an arm and broken a leg at the time, so I couldn't follow the general to the Jinzhou battlefield. That's why she resented me for failing to protect him. I truly feel guilty too. Afraid that my presence in the capital would only bring her more sorrow, I chose to leave on my own."
Xie Zheng lowered his eyes as if deep in thought, remaining silent for a long while.
Outside the waterside pavilion, along the bamboo-lined path, a servant hurried over and stopped at the entrance. Bowing, he presented a letter and said, "Marquis, a letter from Gongsun."
Xie Zhong limped out of the pavilion, took the letter, and handed it to Xie Zheng. After reading it, a sudden surge of fury flashed in Xie Zheng's cold, phoenix-like eyes.
Extreme rage choked his chest, forcing him to cover his mouth and cough softly. His voice, though quiet, was icy: "Prepare the carriage. We're returning to Kangcheng."
After days of anxious waiting, the eunuch sent to Kangcheng to deliver the imperial decree finally received news of Xie Zheng's return. Immediately, he led a grand procession to announce the decree and bestow the official rewards.
Standing outside the magistrate's residence where Xie Zheng was temporarily staying, the eunuch proclaimed loudly, "The imperial decree has arrived—"
The guards at the gate glanced at him before going inside to report. However, the expected scene of flustered yet delighted reception never materialized.
Gongsun Yin was famously good-natured, always ready with pleasant words to appease others, whether sincere or not. But those around Xie Zheng took after their master—none of them even bothered to put on a show.
The eunuch waited outside the gate for the time it took three incense sticks to burn before someone finally emerged. It wasn't Xie Zheng but a man in armor—likely just a personal guard.
The guard showed no fear as he addressed the eunuch: "The Marquis suffered minor injuries while suppressing bandits recently and is unable to come to the gate to receive you, Your Excellency. Please proceed to the front hall."
The eunuch's expression darkened instantly.
A young eunuch beside him, unaccustomed to such disrespect outside the palace, immediately pointed at the guard and snapped, "You—"
The decree-bearing eunuch raised a hand to stop him. This was Kangcheng, not the palace, and he knew better than to provoke trouble. With a forced smile, he said, "The Marquis's safety is paramount. This humble servant will announce the decree in the front hall. Please lead the way, young general."
The guard spared no further glance for the eunuch. "Follow me, Your Excellency."
The eunuch and his entourage entered the residence and headed for the front hall.
Outside, the sun was scorching, but the hall's design—crafted with ingenious skill—brought an immediate chill upon entry. The sudden shift from heat to cold sent an inexplicable shiver down the eunuch's spine.
Looking up at the raised seat, he saw a young man in a dark robe embroidered with gold and crimson threads lounging casually against the backrest. His face was like cold jade, his eyes a frozen pond.
Without his battle armor, he looked every bit the noble scion of a centuries-old aristocratic family.
Steeling himself, the eunuch announced loudly, "Wu'an Marquis, receive the decree—"
The man seated above remained unmoved. Even the adjutants flanking the steps stood rigid, their gazes fixed straight ahead.
The eunuch's unease grew, but he dared not offend Xie Zheng now. Forcing a smile, he said, "Marquis, please accept the decree. These are His Majesty's official rewards. Once you receive it, this old servant can return and report the completion of my task."Xie Zheng half-raised his phoenix-like eyes and finally spoke slowly, "If you don't read this imperial decree, Eunuch, you can still claim the edict was never proclaimed upon returning to the capital. But if you read it and I refuse to accept it, do you know what that would mean?"
The decree-proclaiming eunuch was terrified by Xie Zheng's audacious words. Pointing at him, he exclaimed in shock and anger, "Defying an imperial decree? Wu... Wu'an Marquis, do you also intend to rebel?"
No sooner had these words left his mouth than armored soldiers, who had silently gathered outside the doors, surged in, surrounding the eunuch and his entourage.
Seeing this display, the eunuch's legs turned to jelly. His powdered face turned deathly pale as he blustered weakly, "Do you truly mean to rebel?"
Xie Zheng drew the sword from his lieutenant's side and descended step by step from the high platform. His black robes trailed over the steps, as if weighed down by an oppressive aura of bloodlust and malice.
The eunuch's legs gave way completely, and he collapsed to the ground.
Xie Zheng stopped three paces away from him. With the cold tip of his sword, he lightly tapped the eunuch's face, his phoenix eyes half-lidded as he spoke in an uncharacteristically patient tone, laced with indolence:
"The Xie family has served as loyal subjects of Great Yin for a hundred years. My father died a tragic death on the battlefield of Jinzhou seventeen years ago, earning a reputation of heroic martyrdom. I have no wish to tarnish his name, so for now, I'm still willing to play the part of a dutiful subject. Take a message back to that little emperor."
"If he's grown tired of sitting on that throne, this Marquis wouldn't mind finding someone to take his place."
"Seventeen years ago, Wei Yan could place him on the dragon throne. Today, this Marquis can just as easily pull him down."
The eunuch's mind reeled with shock. Pointing a trembling finger at Xie Zheng, he stammered in outrage, "You... the Xie family! Traitorous subjects!"
"Ah—"
In the next instant, the eunuch's screams echoed throughout the city lord's residence.
Xie Zheng had cleanly sliced off one of his ears.
Clutching the side of his head with one hand, the eunuch wailed incessantly as blood streamed through his fingers, quickly soaking a large portion of his sleeve. Seeing the bloody ear lying on the ground, he howled in pain, nearly fainting from the agony.
The young eunuch supporting him trembled like a leaf, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the severed ear, unaware that he had wet himself in fear.
Xie Zheng tossed the sword to his personal guard who had followed him. Straightening lazily, he looked with disgust at the room full of wailing figures and uttered coldly, "Scram back and deliver my message."
Only then did the eunuch, supported by his attendants, scramble frantically toward the door.
Watching the retreating figures of the eunuch's party, the personal guard turned to Xie Zheng with concern. "Marquis, aren't you worried about how His Majesty might—"
Xie Zheng's gaze followed the eunuch's awkward figure, his eyes indifferent yet icy. "This Marquis does indeed intend to depose the emperor."
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