Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Xie Yiguan subtly glanced at Liu Wushi. If he wasn’t mistaken, the fox fur Liu Wushi was wearing seemed to belong to Su Yu...

He didn’t answer Liu Wushi’s question but instead asked, “This fox fur on Liu Wushi seems somewhat familiar...”

Liu Wushi’s slightly pale face, illuminated by the torchlight, immediately flushed with a hint of red. His eyes that resembled a fox's showed a mix of pride and deep affection. “It was a gift from a close friend.”

He was still mindful of Su Yu’s reputation and didn’t mention her name in front of everyone, especially since they had been alone in a cave together—though he had been barely conscious at the time.

Xie Yiguan: “...” He couldn’t help but feel that Liu Wushi was even more infatuated than before.

He pondered silently. Could it be that Liu Wushi had encountered Su Yu, and she had deceived him into thinking she was also in Shuozhou? But what about this title of “Pacification Commissioner”?

Xie Yiguan couldn’t shake the feeling that the emperor had dug another pit for him. It might be better to try to get some information out of Liu Wushi. He said casually, “General Wei and I are here on official business. But why is Liu Wushi here so late at night, and...”

He pointed at the male homeowner who was struggling under Guo Laidong’s foot.

The male homeowner immediately cried out, “Officers, help me—”

However, Guo Laidong only stepped down harder, causing the man to howl in pain. This drew the attention of the female homeowner and the two children, who fell at Wei Jiong’s feet, begging him and Xie Yiguan for justice.

Wei Jiong felt a pang of sympathy and was about to intervene, but Xie Yiguan gently pulled him back. Wei Jiong looked at him, and Xie Yiguan shook his head slightly. “Perhaps we should hear what Liu Wushi has to say.”

Liu Wushi gave a cold look at the male homeowner. “A few days ago, I, like Pacification Commissioner Xie and General Wei, stayed here and even paid for the lodging. But these people planned to kill and rob us, murdering several of my brothers. Such despicable people cannot be allowed to keep committing crimes.”

He smirked, glancing into the nearby darkness. “You two officers should be thanking me. If I had arrived any later, these people might have turned on you.”

Wei Jiong followed Liu Wushi’s gaze and saw the Liu family’s business’s martial men escorting other villagers. At the end of the line, one of the men was carrying a large bundle of farming tools.

The female homeowner wept and said, “Officers, we’ve been falsely accused! We were just trying to help. That day, the city was buried in snow, and if we hadn’t taken them in, these gentlemen would have frozen to death. Who would have thought they’d repay our kindness with betrayal...”

Xie Yiguan chuckled and asked, “If it’s a case of repaying kindness with betrayal, then where did the lady’s luxurious lamb skin come from? And the horses in the yard—where did they come from?”

Before the female homeowner could answer, he added quickly, “And what is buried under that tree in the yard?”

The female homeowner looked up, startled. The lamb skin and horses could be explained, but how had Xie Yiguan noticed the tree?

“What’s buried under the tree?” Wei Jiong asked curiously.

Xie Yiguan smiled gently. “There’s a pickaxe right here. Why doesn’t General Wei dig it up and find out?”

After all, digging coal and digging holes were both routine tasks for Wei Jiong.

Wei Jiong actually took Xie Yiguan’s suggestion, picked up a hoe, and went to the tree. With one strike, a foul, rotting smell rose up. He frowned, digging again, uncovering a mix of half-rotted corpses and human bones.

Wei Jiong: “...”

As a military man, corpses didn’t scare him, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Xie Yiguan had known something was wrong from the start and had deliberately chosen to stay at this house.

Xie Yiguan smiled and said, “General Wei is overthinking it. It’s purely a coincidence.”

Wei Jiong: “...” He hadn’t even said anything yet. How did Xie Yiguan know what he was thinking?

Xie Yiguan chuckled again. “General Wei, your thoughts are written all over your face.”

Wei Jiong: “...” He wasn’t a three-year-old child, so easily fooled! Clearly, Xie Yiguan could read minds. It was truly terrifying!

He drew his sword, intending to execute these people on the spot, but was once again stopped by Xie Yiguan. He first looked at Xie Yiguan in confusion, then had an epiphany: "I understand! We are in the territory of Shuozhou; these people should be handed over to the authorities in Shuozhou, specifically Yang Jinggao."

Xie Yiguan lowered his eyes and asked indifferently, "Following General Wei's reasoning, if we were in Tongzhou territory now, would you just kill these people directly?"

"Yes," Wei Jiong felt there was nothing wrong with that. As the defense envoy of Tongzhou, directly meting out justice was perfectly normal.

However, Xie Yiguan frowned slightly. The laws of Great Qi were the most comprehensive and detailed in the history of all dynasties. Villagers who conspire to kill and rob are subject to execution, but according to the law, they should be tried and sentenced by the authorities before execution. If Wei Jiong acted now, how was it different from taking justice into his own hands?

Clearly, Wei Jiong, as an official of the court, had not realized this.

Xie Yiguan chose not to confront Wei Jiong about this but instead bowed to Liu Wushi, "In that case, Mr. Liu, please hand these individuals over to us as well."

Liu Wushi had originally planned to hand the person over to Wei Jiong for handling. He knew that Wei Jiong, who was known for his hatred of evil, would not spare the lives of these villagers. However, he could not understand why Xie Yiguan wanted to spare their lives.

But both Xie Yiguan and Liu Wushi were officials, and as a businessman, he would not openly challenge them, especially since he needed a favor from Xie Yiguan.

Liu Wushi had Guo Laidong hand the person over to Wei Jiong and then asked, "Will Xie Anfu Shi and General Wei return to the city now? Why don't I accompany you both?"

Wei Jiong wasn't planning to sleep now and had no objection to continuing the journey. However, with the villagers now captured, he remembered he had a score to settle with Liu Wushi.

He stepped forward and slapped Liu Wushi on the shoulder, "Liu Jiulang, you are truly deceitful. Even if I once mistook you for a woman, you didn't have to trick me like this. Do you know I was..."

Before Wei Jiong could finish the word "person," his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

Liu Wushi and the others were momentarily shocked, staring at Xie Yiguan and the wooden stick in his hand—

Had Xie Yiguan just knocked out a formidable general with a stick?!

Xie Yiguan, however, was very composed, slowly placing the stick back in the corner as if he had just had a cup of tea rather than rendering a burly general unconscious.

He smiled at everyone, "I feared General Wei was about to assault Mr. Liu, so I acted hastily. But I was careful; I avoided hitting any vital areas, just rendered him unconscious. Please carry him onto the horse, and we'll head into the city now."

Of course, this wasn't the real reason he knocked out Wei Jiong. He was afraid Wei Jiong would reveal that Su Yu was the emperor to Liu Wushi, so he decided to knock him out to avoid any risk of disclosure.

He nodded slightly, his smile growing warmer.

Everyone: "..." For some reason, looking at Xie Yiguan's smile, they felt a shiver run down their spines.

Xie Yiguan then said to Liu Wushi, "General Wei and I have official business to attend to, so we won't be traveling with you, Mr. Liu."

His refusal was clear, and Liu Wushi couldn't insist, "Actually, I have no other intentions; I just wanted to ask Xie Anfu Shi about someone."

Although Xie Yiguan didn't know exactly what had happened between Liu Wushi and Su Yu, the fact that Su Yu's fox fur was on Liu Wushi and Liu Wushi was looking at him so eagerly suggested that the emperor must have done something that left Liu Wushi deeply entangled.

He felt some sympathy for Liu Wushi, but since the emperor chose to deceive Liu Wushi among so many others, it must be that Liu Wushi had a bigger problem himself.

Xie Yiguan gave Liu Wushi a profound look and asked, "Since Mr. Liu refers to him as a friend, I assume you don't want so many people to know. Do you really want to ask here?"

Liu Wushi opened his mouth, only to see Xie Yiguan swiftly mount his horse.

Xie Yiguan suddenly turned back and said to him, "Since he could give you the fox fur, there will be a time when you meet again. Why rush, Mr. Liu?"

Liu Wushi clenched the fox fur tightly. Xie Yiguan didn't understand his urgency to see Su Yu. He wanted to tell Su Yu that what he said in the cave that day wasn't just nonsense from his unconscious state; every word was true. He was also afraid that if he spoke too late, Su Yu would already be someone else's wife...

Liu Wushi bowed deeply, "Indeed, I am consumed with anxiety. Please, Xie Anfu Shi, tell her that I will be waiting for her at the Liu family’s business in the city. If it's inconvenient for her to meet, she can write to me."

Xie Yiguan glanced at him and then left without looking back.

Wei Jiong, hanging on the horse, jolted all night but didn't fall off. When he woke up, he found the east already bright, and he was almost at the prefectural office.

He glared furiously, about to ask who dared to ambush him, when Xie Yiguan reminded him, "General Wei, the Governor's Mansion is just ahead. Quickly wipe your face; you’ve got drool all over it. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of His Majesty."

General Wei was startled, took the silk handkerchief handed by Xie Yiguan, repeatedly thanked him, wiped his face, and hurriedly asked Xie Yiguan, "Do I look presentable now?"

Xie Yiguan pretended to give him a once-over, nodded, and gestured for General Wei to go ahead.

General Wei got back on his horse, riding while rubbing his still sore neck. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. He turned back and said to Xie Yiguan, "Last night, was it you who ambushed..."

Xie Yiguan smiled and interrupted him, "General Wei, we’re here at the Governor’s Mansion."

General Wei: "..."

Xie Yiguan dismounted first and spoke with the guards at the gate of the Governor's Mansion, "My surname is Xie, sent by His Majesty to provide disaster relief. Are Governor Yang and General Yu in the mansion?"

To his surprise, the guard immediately drew a long sword and placed it on his neck, "Where did this nobody come from, daring to impersonate Xie Anfu Shi!"

Xie Yiguan quickly countered, "So there's already another Xie Anfu Shi in the mansion?"

The guard didn't answer him, only looked at him with vigilance.

Xie Yiguan: "..." He had a pretty good idea who was impersonating him.

General Wei was in no hurry to help, standing aside and laughing heartily, "I didn’t expect anyone to dare impersonate Xie Yiguan. It seems that the fake is doing quite well in Shuozhou, leaving the real one out in the cold."

Xie Yiguan: "..." I’d keep quiet if I were you, or you might get played by that fake.

The guard looked suspiciously at General Wei, seeing him in armor and the soldiers behind him also wearing standard armor, "You’re... from the Tongzhou Army? What brings you here?"

General Wei stepped forward and saluted, "We’re here on His Majesty’s orders to deliver relief supplies. Is Governor Yang around?"

Like Xie Yiguan, he cautiously did not ask about Su Yu's whereabouts.

The guard looked at him, then at Xie Yiguan, reluctantly sheathed his sword, "Governor Yang and Xie Anfu Shi went out early for inspection."

Xie Yiguan was slightly surprised, "This Xie Anfu Shi is up this early?" After all, the emperor was famous for being hard to wake up, even changing the court time to sleep in.

The guard was displeased, "Xie Anfu Shi is hardworking, tireless, and unafraid of challenges. Are you trying to ruin his reputation by impersonating him!"

He went to draw his sword again, but General Wei stepped in and stopped him, laughing heartily again, thoroughly enjoying Xie Yiguan’s discomfort.

Xie Yiguan also chuckled, it wasn’t often the emperor boosted his reputation like this.

He had his ID on him, but he wasn't in a hurry to expose Su Yu, just had General Wei show the guard his token.

The guard looked and looked, it was indeed the token of the Tongzhou Defense Envoy. He looked suspiciously at Xie Yiguan again, carefully verifying, "Is your surname also Xie?"

Xie Yiguan replied, "Yes, my surname is Xie."

The guard carefully examined him from head to toe, finally concluding, "You’re definitely not as high-ranking as Xie Anfu Shi."

General Wei laughed loudly, pointed at Xie Yiguan, and said to the guard, "I'd also like to see this Xie Anfu Shi whose rank is higher than his."

Xie Yiguan: "..." No problem, who could be higher than the emperor?

He and General Wei entered the Governor's Mansion, arranged for the soldiers to bring in the supplies, and they waited in the hall for the others to return.

Not long after, they heard the voices of Yang Ping and two women.

Yang Ping seemed to be enthusiastically recommending the "Xie Anfu Shi" to the two ladies, but one lady said, "Jing Gao, haven't you been tricked by Yuchi Zhongyun again? That Xie Anfu Shi looks way too soft, and his handwriting is a mess. Is he really the youngest top scholar of Great Qi? Most likely, Yuchi Zhongyun found someone to impersonate him."

Yang Ping said, "No, I saw Yuchi Zhongyun treating him with great respect."

The woman sneered coldly, "What good intentions could Yuchi Zhongyun have? They have been working so hard in Shuozhou for so long, they must have ulterior motives!"

"My sister is right, his handwriting is so bad even a dog would turn its nose up at it. How could he possibly be the famous Xie Zhiwei?" the younger lady chimed in.

"So what’s he trying to pull on me?" Yang Ping asked helplessly.

His wife said, "Now the entire northern region of Great Qi knows that I, Shangguan Ruyan, am looking for a husband for my younger sister. They must be here for that. Yuchi Zhongyun knows I don't fancy him, so he found someone to impersonate Xie Zhiwei."

Wei Jiong and Xie Yiguan heard everything clearly in the hall. Wei Jiong didn't like how they were belittling Yu Chiyi, but he was pleased that the imposter of Xie Yiguan was exposed.

He nudged Xie Yiguan, "Looks like the imposter’s been caught... What’s up with you?"

Wei Jiong was taken aback to see Xie Yiguan drop his usual smile and look downright scary.

When Yang Ping, his wife, and her sister walked in, they saw Xie Yiguan and Wei Jiong standing there. "Who are you?"

Wei Jiong introduced himself first, "Wei Jiong, the Defense Commissioner of Tongzhou, has come to deliver disaster relief supplies by the order of the Emperor. The Emperor was worried about the lack of charcoal in your city, so he sent General Yu here first, and we followed."

Yang Ping, realizing they’d overheard his conversation with his wife, looked embarrassed. He quickly asked Xie Yiguan, "And who is this?"

Xie Yiguan gave a faint smile, "The Xie Anfu Shi in town isn’t Xie Zhiwei. I’m Xie Zhiwei, and my handwriting’s worse than a dog’s. His is better than mine."

He added with a smirk, "But most people’s handwriting is worse than mine. If the young lady doubts it, she’s welcome to challenge me."

Who dares to talk trash about the Emperor’s handwriting!