Chapter 37 Cousin, the Crybaby

Chapter 37 The Crybaby Cousin

Xie Xiao and Bian Shen withdrew but did not immediately leave, waiting outside Yaotai for a moment until Yan Weichu emerged.

Seeing them, Yan Weichu quickly stepped forward, slipped an arm around Xie Xiao's waist, and leaned in to peck a kiss on his cheek with a smile. "Did you wait long, cousin?"

Bian Shen averted his gaze, truly unable to watch.

The one who intimidated the Marquis of Dingbei inside was you, and the one acting all affectionate here, completely oblivious to others, is also you...

Your Majesty, you truly are a man of deep feelings.

Yan Weichu grinned cheekily without a hint of seriousness. Xie Xiao helplessly reminded him, "Father is still here, and this is Yaotai. Do be more careful and don’t act so recklessly."

"What’s the matter? Were you really scared by His Majesty’s words earlier?" Yan Weichu brushed it off. "His Majesty didn’t even hold it against you for saying such disrespectful things, and even told me to comfort you."

Xie Xiao looked into his bright, smiling eyes. "So you obediently came to comfort me?"

Yan Weichu drew out his words, "Cousin—"

Xie Xiao ignored him.

Bian Shen cleared his throat lightly. "Let’s go. Don’t just stand here."

Before getting into the carriage, they said goodbye to Bian Shen. Yan Weichu smiled and said, "I’ll come back to visit Father and Dad in a few days."

Bian Shen smiled warmly on the surface, but his only thought was: a married son is like spilled water—it’s better if you don’t come back.

Yan Weichu paid no mind to what he might be thinking, waved his hand, and then clung to Xie Xiao as they boarded the Marquis’s carriage together.

As the carriage pulled away from Yaotai, Yan Weichu asked Xie Xiao again, "Did you really wait for me out here the whole time?"

"Yes," Xie Xiao replied softly. "I didn’t know when you’d come out, so I had to wait."

Yan Weichu felt a pang of heartache at this. "Don’t do something like this next time. I already told you His Majesty wouldn’t eat me."

Xie Xiao glanced at him sideways. "His Majesty called you inside for half the day—what did he say? Did he let you into the inner chamber?"

Yan Weichu detected a hint of jealousy in his words but didn’t point it out, smiling instead. "He treated me to some snacks. The food and pastries at Yaotai are really excellent. His Majesty saw how much I liked them and bestowed two imperial chefs upon me. They’ll be sent to the Marquis Residence this afternoon."

Xie Xiao fell silent for a moment. "Are the meals at the Marquis Residence not to your liking?"

"Not exactly," Yan Weichu said, moving closer to him and nudging his arm. "Cousin, don’t be so petty. His Majesty was being kind—I could only thank him for his grace."

In truth, these two chefs had been sourced for him earlier by Zheng Shize from Jiangnan. As a child, he had loved the Jiangnan dishes made by Consort Zheng's own hands, and after all these years, he still remembered that flavor. He wanted his cousin to taste it too.

"What else?" Xie Xiao pressed. "What else did His Majesty say to you?"

Yan Weichu had been inside for so long, with others coming and going during that time. The emperor couldn’t have just been making small talk with Yan Weichu.

Yan Weichu blinked playfully. "His Majesty said you submitted a memorial requesting titles for me as the wife of the Duke’s heir and Marchioness. He approved it."

Hearing this, Xie Xiao’s expression relaxed considerably. This was good—the emperor had finally done something decent.

"Cousin, starting tomorrow, you’ll have to report to the Capital Garrison, right?" Yan Weichu asked him.

Xie Xiao nodded. "Yes. When you’re at home, try to find time to study more."

Yan Weichu, however, said, "Can’t do that. His Majesty assigned me a post too. He appointed me as the Qilin Guard Commander, and I’ll also start my post at the Western Garden tomorrow."

Xie Xiao’s voice paused. "...The Qilin Guard?"

Yan Weichu explained, "It’s a newly established Imperial Guard unit by His Majesty. Initially, it will have ten thousand members, with plans to expand later. It only recruits imperial clansmen. His Majesty said, since there can be a Shi Family Army and a Xie Family Army, why can’t there be a Yan Family Army? Rather than letting these imperial clansmen idle away their days, it’s better to bring them out and train them to gain real skills. First, we’ll set the numbers and have them train at the Western Garden."

Xie Xiao could understand the emperor’s intentions, but what puzzled him was: "His Majesty made you the Commander?"

"Why not?" Yan Weichu puffed out his cheeks at the doubt in Xie Xiao’s eyes. "Cousin, do you look down on me? I told you I want to be a general too."

Xie Xiao thought that since it was the emperor’s Imperial Guard, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a Feudal Prince lead it. The emperor choosing his cousin was understandable. He was just worried that Yan Weichu, lacking experience, might be pushed around. Were imperial clansmen easy to deal with?

If Yan Weichu knew what his cousin was thinking, he would surely laugh. Who was bullying whom? He was the one planning to whip those useless imperial clansmen into shape, to make them truly obedient.

Of course, this was also his excuse to return to the Western Garden daily to handle government affairs. Otherwise, this act would be impossible to maintain.

Since the imperial decree had already been issued, Xie Xiao had little to say. He could only suppress his concerns and remind Yan Weichu to be careful in his future duties for the emperor.

Yan Weichu grew impatient with this advice and asked, "Are we heading back now?"

Xie Xiao said, "We’re going to the Marquis of Loyal's residence."

The court summoned border garrison generals to the capital annually at year’s end for debriefing, rotating among them. This year, it was the turn of the Marquis of Loyal, Jiang Daoyan.

A border general’s arrival in the capital was no small matter. Yan Weichu had his agents keeping an eye on the situation. Earlier at Yaotai, Cui Shao had specifically mentioned that the Marquis of Loyal had arrived in the capital yesterday evening. Yan Weichu had originally planned to summon him for an audience in a couple of days...

"They were delayed a few days due to snowstorms on the road," Xie Xiao explained. "They missed our wedding banquet. I’m taking you to see him."

Yan Weichu couldn’t very well refuse. Fine—most of the time when he summoned officials now, he didn’t show his face anyway. It didn’t matter.

"I haven’t seen Uncle in many years either," Xie Xiao said abruptly. "It’s a good chance to ask him who exactly Grandfather's Green Frost Sword was given to back then, and why it ended up in the hands of the Zheng family."

Yan Weichu: "..." Is there any point in asking when you already know the answer?

Xie Xiao remained unmoved. Yan Weichu laughed awkwardly and came clean: "Alright, alright. It was given to my father."

As expected.

Xie Xiao had found it strange before—the Zheng family had no connection to his grandfather, so how could they have his grandfather’s treasured sword? Knowing Yan Weichu’s identity made it clear: the most likely scenario was that the sword had been given to the Count of Anding, who had served under his grandfather back then. That incident at Zhanyun Garden had been a trap Yan Weichu designed from start to finish, waiting for him to fall into it.

Xie Xiao’s gaze fixed on Yan Weichu’s face. "How many more things have you lied to me about?"

Yan Weichu showed no guilt. "Really, that’s all. Cousin, you make it sound like I’m a complete fraud."

"Aren’t you?" Xie Xiao taunted him.

Yan Weichu was at a loss for words. How many times was this going to be brought up? Was it never going to end?

"My butt hurts..."

Without blushing, he played his trump card.

Xie Xiao reached out and pinched his chin. "Shameless."

Yan Weichu thought, what’s there to be shy about after everything we’ve done...

By the time the carriage reached the Marquis of Loyal's residence, it was just past noon. Jiang Daoyan’s youngest son, Jiang Shu, was waiting at the gate to welcome them.

Jiang Daoyan had only left the heir apparent to oversee the military while bringing his wife and the rest of their children back to the capital this time.

The Jiang family members remaining in the capital were all distant relatives, and the marquisate had long been without its main family members. It was rare for the household to be this lively after several years.

Jiang Shu had been waiting for Xie Xiao and the others for half a day and was finally delighted to see them arrive. He stepped forward enthusiastically, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Brother Xiao, you’ve finally made it. Father has sent people out to ask about you several times already. This must be Brother Chun, right? Pleased to meet you—I’m Jiang Shu. You can just call me A-Shu."

Yan Weichu had a good impression of this smiling young man and replied with a laugh, "My cousin and I have come to mooch a meal. Hope we're not being a bother."

Xie Xiao explained, "We were summoned by His Majesty this morning, which delayed us somewhat."

"Public business comes first, of course. There’s no need to explain—please, come inside." Jiang Shu gestured for them to enter and also mentioned that Xie Yunniang had arrived early at the residence and was in the rear quarters chatting with his mother and the other ladies.

Xie Xiao nodded and led Yan Weichu up the stone steps at the entrance.

A banquet was set in the main hall of the marquis’s residence. Those at the table were all family: Jiang Daoyan and his four sons, with Jiang Shu being the youngest. The other three were older than Xie Xiao and addressed him by his courtesy name, while they referred to Yan Weichu directly as the Heir Apparent.

After introductions were made, everyone took their seats. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful as cups were raised and conversations revolved around everyday matters.

Yan Weichu noticed that this family had much better temperaments than those in the Duke of Zhenguo’s household, and he regarded them more highly.

The Jiang family’s bold yet refined and courteous demeanor truly reflected the bearing of a renowned military family.

Of course, it might also be because the truly capable members of the Xie family were stationed at the frontiers, whom he hadn’t met yet. One would expect a century-old ducal household not to be entirely filled with such wine sacks and rice bags.

After the meal, they drank a round of tea. Jiang Daoyan instructed Jiang Shu to take Yan Weichu for a stroll in the garden. Yan Weichu understood that Jiang Daoyan had other matters to discuss with Xie Xiao and tactfully said, "Cousin, you stay and talk with Uncle and the others. A-Shu and I will take a walk in the back."

Xie Xiao nodded and reminded him to wear his fox-fur cloak to avoid catching a chill.

Jiang Daoyan took Xie Xiao to his study, just the two of them, without allowing his other sons to follow.

Once the door was closed, his expression grew more serious, and he got straight to the point: "How are things progressing with the matters in Jizhou and Yuzhou on your end?"

Xie Xiao had expected this question and answered truthfully, "Returning land is harder than seizing it. We must handle it low-key, leaving no clues or handles. It has to be done slowly—there’s no rushing it."

Jiang Daoyan’s expression darkened further. "I’m just worried that His Majesty’s temperament won’t allow us to take our time."

The nobility aligned with the Prince Regent enclosed over a hundred thousand hectares of land in the Zhili Province, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. What about them?

Even though they commanded heavy troops at the borders, they dared not gamble under the emperor’s methods.

Xie Xiao understood this even better than his uncle. When the Jinyiwei had unexpectedly raided the Su family to investigate, he had already been alerted.

Su Ping’s late father had once served as a staff officer under his grandfather, and his uncle was an Assistant Commander in Jizhou, serving under the brother of his aunt—the commander of the Jizhou Regional Military Commission. Those involved back then were all privy to the events, and if trouble arose, none would escape.

Though his grandfather and maternal grandfather had acted out of necessity, what was done was done. If the emperor used this as a pretext to move against them, unless they rebelled outright, they would have no choice but to await execution.

He reassured Jiang Daoyan, "There’s no need to worry too much. At least for now, His Majesty likely isn’t planning to move against us."

"I know," Jiang Daoyan said. "His Majesty has just executed those people and won’t launch another large-scale purge so soon. But with this sword hanging over our heads, I can’t help feeling uneasy. Still, His Majesty appointing you as Capital Garrison Commander—what could that mean? And what about the Count of Anding’s side…"

"The Count of Anding doesn't know what happened back then," Xie Xiao shook his head. "The Heir is His Majesty’s own maternal cousin. The emperor specifically had him adopted into the Count of Anding’s family to keep me in check, but this marriage has also given me some breathing room. His Majesty is less wary of me now, which is ultimately beneficial."

Jiang Daoyan wasn’t sure how to respond. "It’s just hard on you. Have you truly decided not to take concubines or have heirs?"

Xie Xiao’s expression remained unreadable. "If it ensures the safety of the Duke of Zhenguo’s household, then it’s a small price to pay."

Jiang Daoyan still found it difficult to accept. Recalling how attentive Xie Xiao had been toward the young man during the meal, he asked, "You and the Heir…"

"I’m willing. There’s no need for you to worry about this, Uncle."

Xie Xiao didn’t wish to elaborate further. Perhaps with someone else, he might have felt resentment.

But these past few days had been very happy. If such days could continue, it seemed nothing else really mattered.

In the garden, Jiang Shu led Yan Weichu for a walk along the covered corridor by the pond, making casual conversation. "Brother Chun, when did you and Brother Xiao meet? He’s only been back in the capital for half a year, right?"

"Guess it's fate," Yan Weichu replied with a smile. "Don’t you call him ‘cousin’?"

Jiang Shu waved his hand. "What cousin? There are way too many of those distant relations—who can keep them all straight?"

Then, as if suddenly remembering that the person beside him did refer to Xie Xiao as "cousin," he added, "But you two are different. I get it—calling each other that is part of the, you know, a couple's thing. I won’t intrude on that."

Yan Weichu found this young man quite amusing. "You’re only fifteen—are you even married? And you already understand a couple's thing?"

Jiang Shu said proudly, "Not yet, but I’m already engaged. I’ll be welcoming my bride into the household next year."

Yan Weichu praised, "That’s wonderful."

Jiang Shu chuckled happily. After glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, he leaned closer to Yan Weichu and lowered his voice. "Brother Chun, let me tell you a secret about my Brother Xiao."

Yan Weichu’s interest was piqued. "What secret?"

Jiang Shu grinned. "Don’t be fooled by how mighty and impressive Brother Xiao is now. When he was little, he was even more timid than Sister Yun. He cried easily—if he fell, if there was thunder, if it was dark and no lamps were lit, even being chased by a rabbit could make him cry. When I was three, just raising my voice could make an eight-year-old Brother Xiao get teary-eyed. Back then, my aunt often wondered if he and Sister Yun had been switched at birth…"

Yan Weichu was surprised and found it hard to believe. His cousin had such a temperament as a child? Really?

"But I heard he could draw a heavy bow at five. How could someone so delicate manage that? And he volunteered for the battlefield at fifteen?"

Jiang Shu said, "Oh, he could draw a heavy bow alright. But have you ever seen someone draw a bow while crying? That was Brother Xiao. As for later, I’m not sure. He only stayed in Suzhou for two years. I guess his temperament changed after my aunt died."

Yan Weichu looked up and saw Xie Xiao approaching from ahead, searching for him.

Jiang Shu immediately fell silent.

As Xie Xiao drew near, he noticed Yan Weichu staring intently at him and felt somewhat puzzled.

Yan Weichu looked at him, blinking slowly a few times.

Cousin… a crybaby?

How amusing.