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Xiao Jiming gathered his cloak around him as he stood under the lantern. Zhao Hui stood guard behind him and said, “Counting the hours, he should be back now. The man who went to pick him up said that the Young Master had left by himself on his horse. Why isn’t he here yet?”
Xiao Jiming let out a breath of cold air and looked at the sky in silence for a moment. He said, “Whenever he’s unhappy in the past, he would go galloping on horseback at the foot of Hongyan Mountains. This habit won’t change.”
Zhao Hui said, “At the very least, the Imperial Army is a post.”
Xiao Jiming shifted his gaze and asked, “Do you know what Father regrets the most in his life?”
Zhao Hui shook his head honestly.
Xiao Jiming said, “It’s that he has fathered A-Ye too late. Three years ago, we were ambushed at the foot of Hongyan Mountains. Before Father’s reinforcements arrived, A-Ye led the twenty members of the cavalry that had been originally assigned to guard him and rode his horse across the Hongjiang River at night. He groped around in the quagmire for half the night and burned Biansha’s grains. When I saw him, he was smelly and dirty all over as he soaked in the water until the wounds on his legs festered. That year, he was only fourteen of age. I asked if he was afraid, and he said that he had a blast of a time. Father often said that the Lu Clan are the eagles of the desert, while the Xiao Clan are the dogs of Libei. I don’t like this choice of phrasing, but we are like chained dogs every time we deploy troops from that time onwards. It’s no longer as satisfying as it was ten over years ago. Battling all these years has long drained the valor in me. The members of the Xiao Clan are not dogs, but the only one left today with the nature of the wolf is A-Ye. What he yearns for in his dreams are the mountains of Libei. And yet, he now has to remain in Qudu and forget about the freedom of riding horses. Father and I have both let him down.”
After a moment’s silence, Zhao Hui looked at Xiao Jiming and said, “There’s no need for the Hereditary Prince to put yourself down. The Young Master is impetuous by nature and is not the best choice of person to lead and continue the legacy. It doesn’t matter if he’s born earlier or later; the reins of Libei must not be handed over to him. The Commander-in-Chief must have the tenacity of one shaped by experience, and a willpower as unwavering as a rock. The Young Master is not up to it.”
Xiao Jiming did not say a word more.
The strong wind that night sent the lanterns swinging ceaselessly. Master and servant waited for a little less than an hour before they saw someone urging the horse on towards them from a distance away.
“Hereditary Prince!” The man on the horse tumbled off and said, “Something happened to the Young Master!”
Zhao Hui immediately held up his blade and said, “Where is the Young Master?”
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An hour earlier.
The Squad Commander shoved a shackled Shen Zechuan down the stairs.
“Sing.” The Squad Commander egged him on from behind. “Quick, sing a few lines!”
Shen Zechuan did not utter a word as he looked at the man squatting under the shadows of the wall. His chest hurt the moment he saw the gyrfalcon. He could not help but purse his lips into a tight line as he stood where he was.
Xiao Chiye said, “Come over and stand here.”
Shen Zechuan exhaled a breath of hot air and slowly shuffled forward to stand a short distance away from Xiao Chiye.
YOU ARE READING
Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)
Historical Fiction*Re-edited and intended for offline purpose only* The six prefectures of Zhongbo were surrendered to foreign enemies without resistance, and Shen Zechuan found himself apprehended in the capital, reduced to a state of utter disgrace, despised and co...
