With two deep tiger-tooth marks sunken into his cheek, Li Si stuffed pieces of noodle soup into his mouth with a wronged expression. His face both hurt and itched, and after eating for a little while, he could not help stopping to rub it.
Now he finally knew why his face had hurt so much when he woke up the morning before yesterday!
But what had he done wrong!
And what had he done wrong the day before yesterday!
That little colt brain of his was destined never to open up; relying on himself, he would never be able to figure it out. But Brother Xiao also refused to tell him! How could Brother Xiao be this bad!
After Brother Xiao finished biting him, he went off to wash and dress by himself. Now he was sitting across from him with his head lowered, eating noodle soup, occasionally sneaking a glance up at him, but the moment Li Si looked back, Brother Xiao lowered his eyes again.
–
After the meal, Zhang San helped him pack his bundle—there really was not much to pack, only a few changes of clothing, the late Imperial City Directorate Commander’s money pouch, oil paste for maintaining weapons, coarse cloth, wooden picks, and besides these, the small jar of wound medicine Zhang San had prepared for him in Kuiyuan City.
From between the folded clothes, a small grayish-green square suddenly fell out. Zhang San picked it up and spread it open to look; it was a dried lotus leaf.
Holding that dried lotus leaf between his fingers, Zhang San said in amusement, “Why did you even keep this?”
Li Si reached out to snatch it back. Zhang San turned sideways to dodge, then looped his other arm around him, taking the chance to pull him into a full embrace.
Like a bully snatching something from a child, Zhang San held him in his arms with one hand and brought the lotus leaf to his own nose with the other, sniffing it—it still carried a trace of sweet cane sugar fragrance.
“The sugar Brother Xu gave you, and you’re this reluctant to part with it?”
Li Si’s face wrinkled in grievance. The flatbread and sugar had been given by Brother Xu, but the one who had crushed the warm flatbread, dipped it in sugar, and fed it to him bite by bite had been Brother Xiao. He had kept this because he could not bear to part with Brother Xiao.
Ahem, of course, he was also a tiny bit reluctant to part with Brother Xu. Brother Xu, please do not be angry.
He reached out to snatch it again, but Zhang San stretched his arm out and swayed it left and right to tease him, making him so angry that he punched Zhang San’s shoulder again.
“Hahahaha! All right, all right, I’ll give it back to you.”
–
The two of them fooled around like this, and at last the simple bundle was packed.
Zhang San then tucked the dragon-patterned jade pendant into Li Si’s lapel, put away his smile, and said seriously, “Keep this safe for A’Shen. Give it to him after you reach the capital, so he doesn’t lose it on the road again.”
He added, “That decurion under you, the one named Tao Shi, is sincere and honest. You can rely on him more. The others aren’t bad either; they’re all good men. But remember, you have to keep some caution toward everyone. Don’t trust anyone completely, especially after you enter officialdom in the future.”
This was already the second time Li Si had heard him say something similar, but in any case, he only had to obediently do as he was told, so he nodded.
Zhang San then said a few more things, nothing beyond reminders to be careful on the road.
Cook Wu and her husband also came in. Knowing that the young master was leaving, they had gotten up early that morning and made quite a few dry flatbreads for him to take along. Zhang San helped him wrap them all up and put them into his bundle.
Now that the young master was leaving, Cook Wu could not help wiping the corners of her eyes. Zhang San hurriedly advised her, “Sister Wu, don’t make him cry. Look, his tears are already welling up too.”
With tears gathered in his eyes, Li Si reluctantly thanked Cook Wu and her husband, then prepared to go with Zhang San to Elder Sister’s house to pick up Qiao Shen.
–
Before the two could leave the county yamen, Junior Clerk Chen hurried after them with a pigeon tucked in his arms. “Commander! Another message has come!”
Zhang San thought for a moment. Worried that the military situation might be urgent, he said, “Sisi, you go pick up A’Shen first, then go to the North City Gate and meet up with your comrades and General She. Yesterday, I already sent someone to tell them and arranged for them to meet at the North City Gate early this morning. After I read the letter, I’ll go straight to the North City Gate to see you off. Wait until I arrive before you leave.”
Li Si nodded and went to Elder Sister’s house by himself first.
–
Together with Liu Wu, Zhang San stood guard as Chen Lu decoded the newly arrived secret letter. Only yesterday, he had had Chen Lu inform Kuiyuan City of the great victory in defending the city, and he had thought what came would be the next set of instructions and plans.
However, after Chen Lu decoded the characters and pieced them together—his entire body instantly went limp. He slumped backward and nearly toppled off the stool.
Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Liu Wu caught his body as it fell backward. Chen Lu stumbled and tried to stand, his hands and feet flailing in panic, knocking over the brush and inkstone. The ink soaked the writing on the paper into a complete mess.
“Absurd… shameless…” Chen Lu murmured, his face bloodless.
–
Li Si picked up Qiao Shen and made a final farewell to Elder Sister and Brother-in-law.
Before they left, Elder Sister held Qiao Shen and said, “If you become an imperial relative and a high official in the future, you must think more of the common people. You have eaten the food of common people, so you must know the hardships of common people.”
Qiao Shen nodded with tears in his eyes.
“Sister doesn’t need you to buy me any shop. Running a shop is so tiring! Sister and your brother-in-law have lived plain and simple lives, and we are content. Live properly in the capital. As long as you are safe and sound, Sister will be at ease. If you do not live well there, if you are not happy, then you may come back too. Sister will always have a mouthful of food here for you.”
Qiao Shen was holding back a full face of tears and was about to cry. “Sister…” But Elder Sister glared him back with a fierce, tiger-like look.
“What are you crying for! Leave happily!”
“Yes…”
Hardening her heart, Elder Sister pushed her little brother toward his fourth brother. “Take him away! Safe travels!” Then she cast Li Si a look urging him to hurry. Li Si himself had originally been on the verge of tears as well, but since he had to shoulder the responsibility of being an older brother, he did not dare cry either. Obediently, he tugged up his little brother’s sleeve and pulled him away.
Elder Sister stood at the courtyard gate, watching the figures of her two younger brothers until they passed the corner of the street and alley. Only then did she withdraw her gaze. She lowered her head and secretly wiped the teardrops from the corners of her eyes, then looked beside her—and saw Brother-in-law crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, his whole body trembling like a weak willow swaying in a storm.
She pushed the weak willow back into the courtyard with one slap. “Stop howling! Go wash the dishes!”
–
Li Si and Qiao Shen hurried to the North City Gate. The twenty-two soldiers who had come to Ant County with him and the two Imperial City Directorate subordinates were all waiting there.
The decurion at the front had thick black brows and eyes, a square face, and an honest, sincere appearance. He was precisely the “sincere and honest” Tao Shi whom Brother Xiao had mentioned.
General She Ke Cun was also standing beside Tao Shi, and his complexion looked much rosier than it had a few days earlier. Although he had injuries and found it somewhat inconvenient to move, he was still unwilling to be supported by others and stood straight by himself.
At the edge of the crowd stood three more people: the pig-headed Strongman and his two subordinates. The soldiers did not much care for the three of them, and the Strongman himself knew that times were different now and that all his former glory was gone. He leaned on a wooden stick and stood crookedly—because the hole in his backside had not yet healed, he could not stand steadily and kept tilting to one side.
Everyone saluted Envoy Li and the young master with the unfamiliar face. Li Si did not know how to introduce people, so he merely said, “This is Qiao Shen.”
Like a little adult, Qiao Shen saluted all the elder brothers and said, “This junior greets you.”
One Imperial City Directorate subordinate cautiously asked, “Envoy Li, is this young master the person His Majesty wants us to bring back? May I ask what background this young master has, and why His Majesty is looking for him?”
Li Si said, “He came from Kuiyuan. His Majesty wants to find him to conduct ritual rites.”
His explanation was vague and unclear, and confusion appeared on everyone’s faces. Fortunately, Qiao Shen himself was sharp-tongued and quick-witted, and explained for himself, “This junior is a sixth-generation descendant of Great Xuan’s founding emperor, with a jade pendant as proof. Fo… Brother Sisi?”
After all, he was an imperial clansman, so it was not convenient for him to call Li Si “Fourth Brother” in front of outsiders, and he changed his address on the spot.
Li Si took out the jade pendant and gave it to Qiao Shen. Qiao Shen presented it to each of the elder brothers to look at, but quickly took it back and handed it to Li Si in front of everyone. “May I trouble Brother Sisi to keep this safe for me.”
In truth, this was him clearly showing everyone that the person he trusted most was Li Si, and that he respected Li Si’s status as Envoy. Then he said to the crowd again, “His Majesty has issued a secret decree to find me and bring me back to the capital. As for why, that naturally depends on His Majesty’s will. All elder brothers need do is escort this junior there safely, and you will have completed His Majesty’s entrusted task. In the days ahead, I will have to trouble all elder brothers.”
He was both imperial kin and noble blood, yet was so courteous to everyone. The crowd immediately grew uneasy and all said they did not dare accept such words, becoming respectful toward him.
–
The group waited at the North City Gate for nearly another half stick of incense. They waited until the pig-headed Strongman’s backside hurt too much for him to keep standing, so he found a nearby rock and sat down. Seeing that General She also seemed somewhat exhausted, Li Si also supported him to sit down beside them.
Only then did Commander Zhang arrive late, followed by County Commandant Liu and Junior Clerk Chen.
For some reason, the expressions of all three were extremely heavy. Yet they all forced themselves to look proper, saluted everyone in farewell, and said some appropriate words for the occasion. Zhang San once again thanked everyone for their help toward Ant County and General She; this was truly a great kindness and virtue, and he was endlessly grateful.
Seeing Li Si staring straight at him, Zhang San naturally walked to Li Si’s side while speaking, grasped his wrist, and pressed it lightly, indicating that he should wait first. Then he said to General She, “General, there is an urgent military order from Kuiyuan. May I ask General to step aside for a few words?”
Everyone then left through the city gate and waited on the mountain road, leaving General She seated on the rock and speaking with Commander Zhang.
Li Si kept looking back every step he took—standing far away, he could not hear what the two of them were saying, but General She’s expression also sank all at once.
The two spoke a few words to each other with grave expressions. General She nodded, as though he had promised Zhang San something.
Once their conversation ended, Zhang San supported General She and walked out beyond the city.
“It’s getting late. Please set off quickly, everyone,” he said to the crowd.
Then he continued, “Envoy Li, may I trouble you to stay behind and speak a few more words with me. Your pace is fast. You can catch up with everyone in a little while.”
Li Si had waited for a long time and had finally waited until it was his turn. His heart was filled with a grievance he could hardly endure, and he quickly seized Zhang San’s hand in one grip—not caring that twenty or thirty people were all watching from the side.
–
Not far away, standing by the city gate, Liu Wu’s eyelid twitched.
Chen Lu said hopefully, “Brother Wuzhi…”
Liu Wu said, “Ahem, don’t join in the fuss! Hold hands again after we go back.”
–
At this point, Zhang San no longer cared about face. He openly held Sisi’s hand and watched everyone set foot on the mountain road. Only after they had walked a long distance away did he lead Sisi behind a towering tree by the roadside—also preventing Liu Wu and Chen Lu at the city gate from seeing them.
Li Si looked at him eagerly, only to see Brother Xiao’s previously calm and composed expression collapse all at once. His eyes were full of tenderness and reluctance—and for some unknown reason, a thick trace of sorrow was hidden at the bottom of his eyes.
Li Si blinked, suddenly feeling somewhat uneasy. “Brother Xiao, did something happen?”
Brother Xiao wrapped one arm around his waist and cupped his cheek with the other hand, gently stroking it. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Nothing. You don’t need to worry. Kuiyuan… Prefect Zhang and Chief Commander Wang have some new arrangements. They merely asked General She to pass some words to his elder brother.”
Li Si asked worriedly, “Is something happening on Ant County’s side? Are you going to fight another battle?”
Brother Xiao shook his head. “We’re still doing the same as before, helping the She family army retake Tianmen Pass. Let’s not talk about these things. Let me look at you a little longer.”
Li Si did not understand what Brother Xiao wanted to look at. But Brother Xiao stroked his face and quietly looked at him for a long time, then touched his ears, neck, shoulders, and arms, and in the end still tightly held his hand.
He saw the bloodshot color filling Brother Xiao’s eyes and the glimmer of tears at the corners. His throat turned sour and tight, and for the first time, he said such words to Brother Xiao. “Don’t cry.”
He hugged Brother Xiao and pressed Brother Xiao’s face onto his own shoulder. “After I return to the capital, settle Grandma down, and ask His Majesty for a transfer order, I’ll come back to find you, all right?”
Brother Xiao shook his head hard against his shoulder, both arms wrapped tightly around him, not letting him see his face. “Don’t come back. Be good. Wait for me in the capital. When the war… when the war is over, I will come see you.”
When Brother Xiao said these words, his whole body was trembling—when he had said them for the first time before, Li Si’s heart had been full of hope. But now, when he trembled and choked as he said them again, Li Si was left only with a heart full of unease and sorrow.
“Really?”
“Really… When the war is over, I… I will bring Elder Sister and Brother-in-law with me to see you.”
Li Si held Brother Xiao’s face up and saw that it was wet all over—this was the first time he had seen Brother Xiao cry. Even when he had thought he could only see Elder Sister one final time, even when he faced the unjust deaths of two thousand cavalrymen, this incomparably tough, incomparably tenacious person had never shed tears.
Li Si knew there was a deep reluctance to part with him in these tears, but he had an intuition like a small beast’s, and he felt that Brother Xiao’s grief was not only because of this. He even saw a trace of despair and anger at the bottom of Brother Xiao’s eyes.
He looked more carefully in confusion, but Brother Xiao quickly lowered his eyes and hid that strange trace.
Brother Xiao let go of him, took a step back, turned his head aside, and wiped his tears hard. Forcing a smile, he said, “It’s been a long time since I cried. I’ve let you see something laughable. It’s getting late. Hurry and go.”
Li Si wanted to take a step forward, but Brother Xiao took another step back. Perhaps because he feared he could not hide the emotions in his eyes, Brother Xiao kept his head turned aside and no longer looked at him. Instead, he randomly felt around his own body.
“I don’t know when we’ll meet again. I originally wanted to give you something, but I truly don’t have anything good…”
Zhang San looked around and saw a wild white plum growing all alone on the mountain wall beside the road. There was little soil in the crevice between the rocks, so it had only grown a few long, thin branches. Thick ice and snow pressed down on its slender bones, yet it had not bent or broken at all. It stood quietly in the wind and snow, gently swaying its snow-white flowering branches and sending over a faint fragrance with the wind.
At the center of each snow-white petal was also a touch of golden stamen, making it look even more clean and lovely, pure and innocent.
Zhang San then quickly walked forward, chose the freshest and most brilliant little white flower, and carefully brought it back in both hands.
“I heard that in the capital, whether men or women, it is fashionable to wear flowers in their hair.”
He stroked Li Si’s temple hair and signaled for Li Si to lower his head, then gently inserted that little white plum blossom into the base of his hair bun.
Lowering his arm, he stepped back slightly and examined him carefully. Then he smiled through his tears. “Beautiful.”
Li Si then smiled too, shy and bashful.
Zhang San stared blankly for a moment, then finally hugged him tightly one last time, sniffed the faint fragrance of the white plum at the crown of his hair, then pushed him away and said harshly, “Go!”
Li Si still had so much reluctance, but Zhang San pushed him toward the mountain road again.
He had always listened to Brother Xiao, so he could only walk along the mountain road, looking back every three steps. Behind him, Brother Xiao shouted again, “Don’t look back!”
Li Si felt both wronged and sorrowful, and he forced himself not to look back again, his steps gradually quickening.
He heard the sound of the wind, heard the rustling of the forest as the wind brushed through it, and also heard his own hurried breathing and racing heartbeat. The road before his eyes grew blurry and unclear, and tears flowed drop by drop down his cheeks, falling into his trembling lapel.
Behind his ear, the sound of the wind suddenly tightened, and someone grabbed him from behind.
He was pulled back hard, and when he turned around, he saw Brother Xiao’s wet eyes.
Brother Xiao, who in the end still could not stop himself from chasing after him, said hoarsely, “Little fool, I’ll bully you one last time.”
His eyes widened in surprise. Brother Xiao held his face and leaned close, biting his lips.
–
Li Si was frightened stupid, so frightened that even his tears forgot to fall.
He thought Brother Xiao really was going to eat him, starting from his mouth, biting his entire body into pieces and swallowing him.
Brother Xiao pinched his chin and forced him to open his mouth. His tiger teeth fiercely gnawed at Li Si’s lips, and his tiger tongue licked hard against Li Si’s tongue, like a cat’s tongue covered in barbs. Everywhere it sucked and licked became sore, itchy, stinging, and painful.
He stood there stupidly, his eyes open in a daze, quietly being “eaten” for a very, very long time.
So long that, because he could not breathe, his knees finally went weak and he almost fell to the ground, only to be caught around the waist and lifted back up by Brother Xiao.
Zhang San bit hard again at the corner of his lips, licked away a trace of spilled wetness, and finally let him go. Holding Li Si by both arms, he turned this little colt, who had been “bullied” stupid, back around by the horse head, pushed him hard from behind, and once again pushed him toward the mountain road.
“Go! Don’t look back again!”
–
Zhang San himself also turned around and walked away without looking back. The farther he walked, the faster he went, until he was practically fleeing as he ran back to the North City Gate.
Liu Wu and Chen Lu were both clinging to the city gate, staring foolishly as Commander Zhang hurriedly ran back—when Commander Zhang had been speaking privately with Envoy Li earlier, he had indeed hidden behind the tree, but later, when he chased after him and took liberties with him, he had done it openly and boldly on the mountain road, and the two of them had seen everything clearly from beginning to end…
Chen Lu said hopefully again, “Brother Wuzhi…”
Liu Wu said, “Colleagues in the capital don’t do this!!”
–
While the two were speaking, Commander Zhang strode back. His tiger eyes were still red, and his tiger lips were still wet.
The two subordinates did not dare meet his gaze and awkwardly pretended they had seen nothing at all.
Zhang San’s face was thicker than the newly repaired city wall. Openly and naturally, he wiped away his tears, then shamelessly wiped the corner of his mouth as well.
He wiped away the final trace of grief, straightened his expression, and said, “Summon every civil and military official, clerk, yamen runner, village headman, and local gentry in the county, and announce to all the people of the county—”
–
The sound of gongs and drums, accompanied by hurried footsteps, spread throughout the entire mountain city.
The archers keeping watch atop the city wall, the civil clerks tallying military supplies, and the craftsmen repairing the city gate all stopped what they were doing.
The students studying bitterly in the school, the believers burning incense in the Daoist temple, and the cooks chopping vegetables by their stoves all lifted their heads.
The old men herding cattle in the mountains, the women feeding chickens in small courtyards, and the children gathering firewood in the forest all gradually gathered before the county yamen…
–
“The court is cowardly and, in order to preserve itself, has ordered Kuiyuan, Zhongshan, and Hejian, these three military towns, ceded to the Xiao bandits, abandoning the people of Hedong and Hebei and handing us over with both hands to become slaves of the Xiao bandits! Kuiyuan’s defending official, Zhang Xiao, and its defending general, Wang Qi, have refused to accept the order and would rather die than surrender! I, Zhang San, Commander of Ant County, will also defend this place to the death! Before long, I will open a clear road, and anyone may leave this county and relocate to Lanzhou or Fuzhou to take temporary refuge. Whether soldiers, civilians, officials, or runners, all may depart of their own accord! Those who remain, regardless of whether they are men or women, old or young, are all my comrades-in-arms, my brothers and sisters in the same robes, and will live and die together with Ant County, defending our homes and our nation ourselves!”
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