Edict of Peace 128
Chapter 128: Repay Kindness, Avenge Grudges
Gong Zhenyong was quite polite to the youth beside him, who was dressed in brocade robes and a golden crown. He glared at Li Guanyi, saying unkindly, “Kid, get out quickly! What, is it so comfortable staying here?!”
“Come out quickly.”
Li Guanyi put on his shoes and walked out. Although he had only been here for two nights, it felt like a long time. The sunlight on his skin felt warm.
Li Zhaowen unceremoniously draped his arm over Li Guanyi’s shoulder. He opened his folding fan, shielding himself and Li Guanyi, and said with a smile, “Li brother, Li brother, although I said before that with your temperament and martial arts skills, you’d probably end up in jail someday…”
“But you don’t have to give me so much face, old brother.”
“It’s only been a few days, and you’re really in?”
Li Zhaowen teased him, looking very composed. But Li Guanyi felt that this guy definitely had a sharp tongue. He bowed to Gong Zhenyong, saying, “Thank you for your help, General.”
Gong Zhenyong’s impression of the youth improved slightly. He said, “Don’t say such nonsense.”
“If you had encountered such a situation and didn’t act, I would have kicked you out of the Jinwu Guard. You should act when necessary. If something happens, I’ll take responsibility. If I can’t handle it, there are others above me.”
“If even the soldiers bend their spines, then our nation is truly finished.”
He threw a badge over, saying:
“Your position, ceremonial robe, and jade belt have been withheld. Your position is suspended, and you’ve lost your post as a military advisor. Now you can only be a ninth-rank lower-level guard. Don’t worry, this period will be over at most after the Grand Sacrifice, and you’ll be reinstated.”
Li Guanyi thanked him and put on the badge. He understood the importance of status.
Gong Zhenyong looked at the youth in brocade robes beside Li Guanyi. The latter smiled and nodded.
Gong Zhenyong frowned. He had clashed with Ying Country’s cavalry and fought with men from the Longxi State Duke’s Mansion on the border region in his younger years, so he only nodded, his attitude quite cold.
Originally, Li Guanyi was supposed to be kept in confinement until after the Grand Sacrifice. However, the youth beside him was of very high status, especially during the Grand Sacrifice.
Today, the matter was suddenly brought up, mentioning that Li Guanyi was the youth’s friend. Thus, an order quickly came from above, releasing Li Guanyi. It was ostensibly a release, but in reality, those high-ranking officials wanted the youth to accompany the noble son from another country to relax.
This made Gong Zhenyong feel stifled for a long time. He drew his sword, shattered rocks, and broke his sword before finally feeling a little better. Though he had been a general in the capital for a long time, sometimes he still felt unaccustomed.
Those arrested in the sweep of the Ghost Market were stubbornly kept in confinement.
Yet, he was released to accompany a high-ranking official from Ying Country.
Didn’t we just win a victory in the Western Regions? Why are we so cautious?!
Gong Zhenyong was filled with anger, but his expression was calm. He said, “I have orders from above.”
“Before the Grand Sacrifice, you don’t need to come to the palace for duty.”
Li Guanyi was startled. Gong Zhenyong patted his shoulder, grinned, and said:
“Of course, when you want to come back, we’ll be waiting for you.”
“Go.”
Li Guanyi and Li Zhaowen left the Jinwu Guard. There was a carriage waiting outside, but Li Zhaowen waved it away, indicating that it could leave. She and Li Guanyi walked side by side. The morning in Jiangzhou was still peaceful, showing no signs of the major event that had occurred the previous day.
Li Guanyi was now wearing a blue shirt. His sword, a gift from the emperor, had been confiscated due to the incident. His hair was tied with a simple wooden hairpin, making him look like an ordinary youth, quite simple.
Having just been released from the small dark room, he naturally looked plain. He chatted casually with Li Zhaowen.
“Brother Li, your information network is quite impressive.”
Li Zhaowen laughed freely. “Major events in the capital can’t be hidden from many people, but neither can they be hidden from others. Brother Li, your name has become quite famous. All the countries knew yesterday that a fifteen-year-old Jinwu Guard charged into the Ghost Market with a sword.”
Li Guanyi said, “…Alright, but shouldn’t we change our form of address?”
“You call me Brother Li, and I call you Brother Li.”
“Who exactly is Brother Li?”
“Or are you the Brother Li of Brother Li?”
It was a simple joke, but it seemed to hit Li Zhaowen’s funny bone. She suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard she bent over, tears in her eyes. Finally, clutching her stomach in pain, she patted Li Guanyi’s shoulder, saying, “Haha, hahahaha, Brother Li, you’re really interesting.”
Li Guanyi found this person’s tongue sharp and her sense of humor low-brow. He said:
“Who’s Brother Li? Which Brother Li?”
“Pfft hahahaha, you, don’t speak, haha…”
Li Zhaowen was amused again. Laughing until her stomach hurt, she said, “Fine, fine, let’s change our address.” Smiling, she opened her folding fan, covering her upturned lips, her left hand behind her back, she said elegantly, “I’ll call you Brother Li.”
“And you, call me Erlang.”
Li Guanyi neither confirmed nor denied it. However, as they walked, he noticed that people were looking at him, their gazes rather strange.
Was someone following them?
Moreover, the number of people following them seemed to be increasing?
Li Guanyi turned around and heard the sound of horses approaching. Someone was riding a horse towards them. The way these horses moved was different from the running of warhorses. The four hooves moved independently, like walking, yet it was steady and fast. A style of walking akin to the famous “Flying Swallow” technique from the past.
These were highly valuable horses; walking horses for leisure.
A handsome youth was on the horse, dressed in brocade robes, surrounded by servants. Other wealthy young men, with proud brows, held folding fans; their features were quite handsome.
However, it looked like someone had given them a beating; their noses and eyes were still swollen.
Even so, they held their heads high, quite self-important and arrogant.
It was the group of young officials who had clashed with Li Guanyi and his group at the Changfeng Tower—or rather, the group who had been unilaterally beaten—the son of the Minister of Rites, Yan Daiqing, and the others around him were also the sons of high-ranking official families.
These young officials looked at Li Guanyi and laughed, “Oh, isn’t this Li Guanyi, the junior officer who wore the ceremonial robe? A sixth-rank lower military advisor, why are you wearing simple clothes today?”
“Where’s your ceremonial robe?”
“And your jade belt?”
They taunted him, their tone light and cheerful, as if the youth before them had fallen on hard times.
They felt they had triumphed.
Yan Daiqing said, “Alright, let’s go to the banquet.”
The Minister of Rites was high-ranking, and Yan Daiqing had some prestige among these young officials, so they laughed for a while and left. Yan Daiqing rode at the back. He had already ridden some distance, but his hand still tightly gripped the reins.
The intelligent horse slowed its pace.
Li Guanyi looked up and suddenly heard Yan Daiqing, riding ahead, say:
“You were incredibly foolish!”
“A valuable person shouldn’t linger outside the house; didn’t you know to come back and look for someone?!”
“You’re simply stupid, stupid as an ox! Hmph!”
Li Guanyi was surprised. This young man of renown pursed his lips, removed his sword, and threw it in front of Li Guanyi. Li Guanyi caught the sword. The moment he held it, he knew it wasn’t ordinary; it was a high-quality sword. Yan Daiqing, whose nose and eyes were still swollen, remained arrogant:
“I’ve heard your poems; you are a swordsman.”
“As they say, a gentleman should not be without a sword when faced with injustice.”
“Until your sword is returned, you can use this.”
“Next time we meet, we’ll still be opponents from the literary and martial arts worlds. Last time, you guys attacked me, whacking me with stools many times, and I’m going to get my revenge.”
He hesitated. There was a clear division between the literary and martial worlds, but he gripped the reins, his hand tense and unaccustomed, and said softly:
“Well done.”
He spurred his horse, and it accelerated forward. The sons of the official families continued to laugh. No one noticed that Yan Daiqing’s sword was gone. Yan Daiqing simply said, “I lost it.”
“What? Isn’t that a rare and valuable sword? You should get it back.”
“No need, losing that sword is perhaps better than having it.”
Li Guanyi held the sword and raised his eyebrows.
The blade was long and slender, with a sharkskin scabbard and a jade inlay on the hilt. His fingers rested on the guard. The sword emitted a sharp edge, cold and chilling. The blade was smooth, engraved with inscriptions.
[A Gentleman is like Jade, Firm but not Sharp, Gentle but Principled]
It was a top-tier weapon, a perfectly forged sword that could withstand the internal energy of a general-level martial artist without shattering. It allowed for smooth internal energy flow without obstruction, and it was sharp and strong. Martial artists below the Fourth Level could fully utilize their strength with this sword.
Li Zhaowen gently fanned herself, thoughtful, and smiled, “As expected.”
Li Guanyi sheathed his sword and said, “What’s expected?”
Li Zhaowen laughed freely. “Brother Li, don’t you know? Among the younger generation, you’re already one of the strongest. Among the younger generation of Chen Kingdom, you’re already among the strongest.”
“Young people admire those who dare to act.”
“Money and power can’t subdue their spirits.”
Li Guanyi didn’t respond, remaining silent.
Li Guanyi and Li Zhaowen went to a teahouse by the roadside. Li Zhaowen expertly ordered many local Jiangnan dishes. They didn’t go to a grand restaurant, but to a place ordinary people frequented. Everyone thinks Jiangnan cuisine is light, but it’s not true.
Depending on the location, some dishes are rich, oily, and sweet.
Others are light. After tea was brewed, someone came to sell tea snacks and treats – a woman of about forty or fifty, carrying a willow basket with small pouches containing melon seeds, peanuts, and roasted beans.
Li Guanyi and Li Zhaowen settled in, without ordering any snacks.
Someone came and placed several small pouches in front of Li Guanyi, then left without a word. Li Guanyi was startled and said, “Madam, wait a moment, I haven’t paid yet.”
He shouted, but she didn’t answer. He quickly caught up with her and saw that her face was wrinkled, her white hair like withered grass, making her look seventy or eighty years old, but Li Guanyi’s internal energy sense detected that she was at most thirty or forty.
With reddened eyes, she knelt before Li Guanyi. The youth helped her up.
The teahouse owner said, “Young Master, accept them.”
He softly said, “She’s a poor soul, supporting two daughters in the capital. Both daughters were…harmed, their knees broken, and their tongues cut out, forced to beg. Her husband went to seek justice and was beaten to death and thrown into a river. We saw what you did yesterday.”
“Poor people don’t have much, but this gives her a glimmer of hope.”
“Knowing that the person who harmed her daughters was punished, she can go home, and those three souls have found a place to rest.”
Li Guanyi let go of her hand. He saw the white-haired woman leave, crying and laughing, then running away in a stumbling manner. Li Guanyi said, “Will she…”
The teahouse owner softly said, “You’re asking if she’ll do something foolish? No.”
“Her two daughters and husband are dead, but they have a few acres of land. Someone has to tend their graves.”
“People like us are like weeds in troubled times. As long as our roots aren’t pulled out, we’ll survive somehow. We eat grass, tree bark, we have to live, right?”
“We live, stuck in the mud, trampled on the ground, but we live.”
“As long as we’re alive, one day we’ll see a peaceful era.”
“Don’t you think so?”
Li Guanyi turned and saw that many things were placed on his table.
Those who had been secretly following the youth had come, placing down things—not valuable things—melon seeds, peanuts, roasted beans, a generous amount. Li Zhaowen closed her fan and lightly tapped it on her palm. She thought for a moment, then stood up.
She watched silently. The old owner placed a pot of tea on the table, softly saying,
“This tea is on me.”
“The things aren’t great, but they’re local. I prepared them for your tea.”
“When you leave, I’ll clean up.”
“We’re not from a noble household, but we understand gratitude.”
Li Guanyi looked at those people, and Li Zhaowen reached into her bosom to take out money.
But the youth grabbed her wrist. Li Zhaowen turned her head to see Li Guanyi’s mouth turn down, then forcefully curl upwards, his face breaking into a radiant smile.
Li Guanyi pulled Li Zhaowen to sit down.
He poured a cup of tea, grabbed a handful of peanuts and beans, and ate them with the rough tea cakes. His smile was bright, and he said, “These are good, the taste is just right, delicious.”
“This tea is also good tea.”
Thus, those who had given their offerings but felt their gifts were unworthy felt relieved. Their faces showed a mixture of appeasement, relief, and gratitude, tears welling in their eyes.
Li Guanyi’s acceptance of their gifts, and his obvious enjoyment of them, seemed to settle a score between them, a silent yet profound ritual.
It was a word.
Repay kindness, avenge grudges.
You avenged me, I repay you. You accepted it, and on the surface we’re even. I’ve done right by my dead family, and I’ve done right by you. My knees still bend; I’m still alive, and I can say I’m someone who remembers kindness and doesn’t forget origin, right?
When I die and meet my family, I can say, I kept my promise, I avenged you.
The youth didn’t use money to insult the last vestiges of their dignity.
The youth laughed heartily, and the people dispersed. Li Zhaowen leaned against the window, watching them leave, and softly said, “Everyone only knows of Gongyang Ru’s revenge, but forgets the principle of repaying kindness. The teachings of Confucianism are hidden among the people, it’s true.”
“Repay kindness, avenge grudges.”
“With such people, such hearts, if they rise up one day, who can stop them?”
She turned around and saw the youth sitting there pensively. Li Guanyi drank cup after cup of tea, his expression calm. Li Zhaowen found that her young friend had changed somehow since their first meeting.
After much thought, she understood the change.
In the past, he only thought about his own affairs, now he considers a bit more.
His actions and demeanor have changed.
He has gained a heroic bearing.
Li Guanyi said, “Sorry, Erlang, today isn’t a good day for drinking…but I’d like to ask you for something.”
Li Zhaowen said, “Brother, speak.”
Li Guanyi said, “Feng Qi Wu.”
Li Zhaowen was surprised, then nodded with a smile. She called for the owner, asked for paper and pen, wrote a letter in front of Li Guanyi, showed it to him, and said, “This item is in my home. I’ll write a letter to my family, and send it with a Roc, it will arrive within a few days.”
Li Guanyi hadn’t expected the youth to not ask why.
So Li Guanyi didn’t ask why she was helping him.
He only solemnly said, “Thank you!”
Li Zhaowen smiled slightly, “Between you and me, it’s only natural.”
That day, they didn’t drink to their heart’s content. Li Zhaowen made plans to meet again. Then she watched the youth pack up everything, not leaving a single melon seed behind, before leaving. Li Zhaowen opened her folding fan, looking at his back, softly saying:
“…The dragon hides in the deep, but what gave you the heart to take flight?”
She sighed, “There are so many heroes in the world.”
Li Guanyi returned to the Xue family, but he didn’t expect an unexpected guest.
It was the Tie Le youth from those he’d saved—the one who had dared to hand him a knife.
And—
The Tie Le Khan, Qiebi Li!
(End of Chapter)
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
0 Comments