The courtyard outside was like a military drill ground, densely packed with soldiers.
Xie Yanlai staggered across the threshold and swept a glance around. Clustered near the gate and surrounding the government office were the fifty Border Army soldiers he had brought with him. The rest were Capital Garrison troops, numbering about one or two hundred.
Neither side wore armor nor carried weapons, but the tension between them was no less intense than on a battlefield. Especially among the soldiers standing in the front rows, their military robes were disheveled, and many bore bruised and swollen faces—clear evidence of a substantial "scuffle."
Several officials stood between them, attempting to keep the two sides apart.
As Xie Yanlai came to a halt at the entrance, the lead official was still angrily berating them.
"Brawling among yourselves right under the Emperor’s nose—what kind of behavior is this for soldiers!"
"Is this the discipline the Border Army teaches? Or have you grown so accustomed to fighting that you think you can brawl wherever you go?"
Xie Yanlai tutted twice, "Your Honor, that’s about enough."
Interrupted, the official turned with a dark expression. Before he could speak, the young officer raised an eyebrow and scrutinized him. "And who might you be?"
"I am Zhu Yun, a Director from the Ministry of War," the official replied sternly.
Xie Yanlai gave an indifferent "Oh." "Just a Director, then."
What was wrong with being a Director? Was a Director not worthy of addressing him? Director Zhu gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to let his eyebrows fly, and asked, "And you are?"
Xie Yanlai saluted with a hand gesture. "Captain Xie Yanlai, from Luocheng."
Just a Captain! With that attitude, one would think he was a general. Director Zhu sneered and was about to retort when a servant rushed out from the side.
"Ninth Young Master," the servant said urgently, "Third Young Master has sent someone to fetch you. Will you return home?"
The title "Ninth Young Master" was one thing, but the mention of "Third Young Master" sent a jolt through Director Zhu. Combined with the surname, he immediately realized who this young officer was.
The court had issued an edict summoning the Border Army to the capital but had not specified who should come. The decision of who would represent the Border Army was left to them, and their identities were only reported when they submitted their credentials in the capital.
So, it was a scion of the Xie family who had come.
Well, it had to be a Xie—no surprise there.
Director Zhu looked at the young officer, feeling that everything now made sense. Just then, two clerks pushed through the crowd, shouting "Make way!"
Behind them, five soldiers were being escorted in, heads bowed.
"Director Zhu, we’ve gotten to the bottom of it," one clerk said irritably. "Care to guess what started it?"
"It was over food and drink!" the other clerk cut in. "These cooks made some improper remarks and provoked the two sides into a fight."
He then barked at the five soldiers in unison.
"Kneel!"
"Was it you who said, 'Let’s see who’s better—whoever wins deserves to eat,' and started the fight?"
The five soldiers dropped to their knees with a thud.
Director Zhu looked at them but did not fly into a rage. Instead, he asked calmly, "Is that what happened?"
Among the kneeling soldiers, some were uneasy, some pale-faced, and others flushed with indignation.
"Yes," they admitted after a moment’s hesitation.
"In that case, they will face military discipline," Director Zhu declared, glancing at the young officer standing by the gate. "And they will apologize to Captain Xie and the Border Army."
Military discipline?
The five soldiers instantly turned ashen-faced."Sir," the flushed soldier could no longer restrain himself and shouted, "but we truly have no choice. They are far too picky—three times, five times, they've overturned the meals we prepared, saying it's unpalatable, accusing us of disrespect, claiming we're feeding them pig slop. Where have we shown disrespect? We all eat the same food—if we can eat it, why can't they? We simply refuse to accept this—"
As his voice faded, shouts erupted from the Capital Garrison soldiers gathered outside.
"Sir, don't blame them! We just can't stand it anymore!"
"What gives them the right to be so choosy?"
"We who eat pig slop ought to see how much better those who eat human food are than us!"
"What do they have to be so arrogant about? They guard the border commanderies, but we haven't been idle either—we guard the capital!"
Amid the shouts, the previously quiet Capital Garrison soldiers grew restless again, surging forward, while the Border Army soldiers showed no sign of backing down.
"Nonsense! Who's being picky?"
"It's you who've been smashing pots and bowls, making it clear you can't stand us!"
"Come on then, let's test it out!"
"Who's afraid of who?"
The scene once again boiled over like a pot of water.
The officials standing in the middle once again wore faces as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Silence!" they commanded.
Though the soldiers outnumbered them, they dared not openly defy the civil officials and quieted down, though the tension remained thick.
"Director Zhu, as you can see—" the officials breathed a slight sigh of relief and sought his instruction, "it appears this is what happened—a quarrel over food and drink sparked the conflict. Let's handle it according to military law."
Director Zhu's expression remained placid. "I heard. Punishment will naturally be meted out where due, but the Grand Tutor's inquiries are stringent. I cannot afford oversights and must ask further."
What more was there to ask? Make big issues small and small issues vanish—punish those who deserve it, get these Border Army soldiers into the capital to see the Emperor, and the matter would be over, the officials thought. But since Director Zhu had invoked the Grand Tutor's authority, they dared not object.
Director Zhu turned to the five kneeling cooks. "What exactly did you prepare that made them call it pig slop?"
One cook raised his head. "Sir, it was just the usual meat and vegetables eaten in the barracks." Suppressing his grievance, he added, "I know our cooking skills are poor, not comparable to those master chefs in restaurants."
Director Zhu frowned. "What kind of talk is that? Border Army cooks aren't restaurant chefs."
"But those noble young masters are used to delicacies from land and sea!" another cook shouted, lifting his head to glare at one person.
Instantly, all eyes followed his gaze.
Director Zhu, unhurried and unflustered, slowly turned to look at the young captain standing by the door, who seemed utterly indifferent to the chaos and conflict, idly examining his own fingers.
"Although Captain Xie is from a noble family," he asked, "shouldn't he endure the same hardships as the Border Army, without delicacies from land and sea?"
Xie Yanlai lifted his eyelids to glance at him but hadn't yet spoken when the attendant beside him dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Sir, this has nothing to do with the young master. It's my fault," he said. "Precisely because our young master has endured such hardships fighting with the Border Army, now that we've returned to the capital, I wanted him to eat well, to have food that suits his taste. That's why I argued with the kitchen."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped himself twice across the face.
"Our young master knew nothing about this. Please punish me, sir."
Director Zhu smiled slightly, not even glancing at the attendant, his gaze still fixed on Xie Yanlai. "Captain Xie, is that really how it was?"Xie Yanlai's previously raised eyelids drooped again. He looked neither at his attendant nor at Director Zhu, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, merely saying lazily, "Whatever you say goes."
Director Zhu sneered, "How would I dare speak casually about Young Master Xie's affairs?"
He no longer addressed him as Captain Xie. With this "Young Master Xie," who could tell whether he meant the young master before him or that other Young Master Xie at court?
The officials nearby understood perfectly. As the Grand Tutor's man, Director Zhu would never have a good word for Young Master Xie.
"Now that we know how things stand," one official murmured, "we should report back to the Grand Tutor as a warning."
At this point, there was truly nothing more to accomplish here—just pointless bickering. Director Zhu glanced at Xie Yanlai. Just you wait, young man, we'll settle this at court.
"Very well," he withdrew his gaze, "this matter ends here. Take these men away—"
His words were cut short by Xie Yanlai, who had been too lazy to speak earlier.
"Hold on," he interrupted Director Zhu, "this matter cannot end here."
Cannot?
Director Zhu and the officials turned to look at Xie Yanlai.
The young captain straightened up, all traces of laziness gone. He clenched his fists before him and said coldly, "This matter isn't over yet."
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