Chapter 174
Chapter 174
“Teacher, this student’s skill is inferior. I am ashamed.”
Qin Wenyuan dropped the chess stone in his hand, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a light sip.
“Tell me. Why have you come this time?”
Xie Chengyan did not dare conceal anything. He immediately bowed. “Nothing escapes Teacher’s discerning eyes.”
Before stating his purpose, however, he took out a scroll of brilliant yellow silk and handed it to Qin Wenyuan.
“Teacher, this is an imperial edict written personally by the Emperor before this student resigned from office. Please read it.”
At the sight of the edict, Qin Wenyuan immediately set down his teacup and rose with a respectful expression. He straightened his robes, then accepted the scroll with both hands.
He opened it and read every word. By the time he rolled it closed again, his expression had clearly changed.
He returned the edict to Xie Chengyan.
Then he stroked his white beard and gazed pensively at the sky.
“It seems the heavens over Great Xia are about to change color.”
Xie Chengyan did not respond. There was nothing he could say. The present situation would not bend to either man’s wishes.
Qin Wenyuan looked at him again.
His tone abruptly changed. “Even if Great Xia is destined to change, the Princess possesses a body worth ten thousand pieces of gold. How can she become entangled with a mere exile? You are Jin Bao’s maternal uncle. Are you simply going to stand aside and watch?”
The sword hanging over Xie Chengyan’s head had finally fallen. He sighed softly.
What could he do? None of this was within his control. But his teacher would never understand if he tried to explain it that way.
In Qin Wenyuan’s eyes, neither rites nor law could be discarded. An exile remained an exile.
That made Xie Chengyan’s next request even harder to voice. He already knew the outcome without asking. His teacher would never agree to send students to administer counties Xiao Che had captured.
To Qin Wenyuan, that was rebellion.
The Emperor’s fate remained unknown. Although Prince Cheng controlled the imperial court, as long as he never announced the Emperor’s death, anyone who raised an army would be a traitor.
That allowed Prince Cheng to claim the righteous position. In the name of protecting the Emperor, he could lawfully send armies to destroy the various feudal princes.
The final edict issued by the Emperor seemed to have become a joke.
Xie Chengyan considered how to persuade Qin Wenyuan. The atmosphere grew stagnant.
“Uncle, Grandpa Qin, what’s wrong? Why aren’t either of you talking?”
Jin Bao had already explored all of Qingya Academy.
She found the place terribly dull. Everyone did nothing but study, and there was not even another child in the entire academy. It was far too quiet and lacked the warmth of ordinary life.
She preferred Jintang Valley and traveling with Daddy.
Xie Chengyan’s expression softened when she returned.
But Jin Bao’s large eyes had fixed on a potted plant behind Qin Wenyuan.
She did not recognize the species. The plant was completely dead, yet its owner had not thrown it away. That meant it was important to him, or that he felt deep affection for it.
Jin Bao skipped over.
“Grandpa Qin, this plant is dead. Why do you still keep it?”
Her question drew Xie Chengyan’s gaze as well.
The moment he recognized the plant, his eyes reddened.
He had given it to his teacher when he left the mountain years ago.
It was not a precious variety, only a dwarf pine he had carefully cultivated.
It stood less than a foot tall, with twisted branches symbolizing enduring strength and longevity.
He had presented it as a farewell gift, hoping his teacher would remain evergreen like a pine and enjoy a long life.
“Teacher… this is…”
Qin Wenyuan turned slightly and stroked Jin Bao’s little head.
“This is Grandpa’s favorite potted plant. My favorite student gave it to me. Grandpa could not bear to throw it away. I feared that doing so would sever the last thing I had to remember him by.”
He spoke to Jin Bao, but the words were meant for Xie Chengyan.
Jin Bao nodded. “Since Grandpa likes it so much, Baby will help you save it.”
Qin Wenyuan chuckled. “Silly girl, how could something already withered and dead return to life? Even if the divine physician Hua Tuo were alive, he could not revive something dead for years. How could such a miraculous art exist in this world…”
Before Qin Wenyuan finished, the remaining words lodged in his throat. His clouded eyes opened as wide as they could.
Jin Bao had placed one soft white finger against a dead pine branch.
The withered wood began changing before his eyes.
Fresh green needles soon emerged from the tips of the branches.
Within only a few breaths, the dwarf pine that had been dead for years was vibrant with life, looking even stronger than before.
“This… how is this possible? Impossible…”
For a moment, Qin Wenyuan could find no other words.
Xie Chengyan stepped forward at the right time and supported him, afraid that his elderly teacher’s heart could not endure such intense emotion.
“Teacher, there is one more thing you may not know. The Princess is also the Star Maiden everyone has been discussing lately. She possesses many abilities. What you just witnessed was only one of them.”
Jin Bao immediately grew excited. To show the old man her powers, she casually lifted a garden rock weighing a thousand jin with her bare hands.
Qin Wenyuan recoiled in shock.
“What… what kind of supernatural ability is this? This old man has never heard of it. No book has ever recorded such a thing.”
Qin Wenyuan tried to explain Jin Bao’s condition through his learning. Yet when the words reached his lips, all his knowledge suddenly seemed feeble before her.
Jin Bao returned the stone to its place. Then she nimbly climbed a nearby pine, scrambled onto the roof, and descended the other side so quickly that Qin Wenyuan felt dizzy watching her.
She even discharged electricity at a flagstone in the courtyard, splitting it instantly as sparks hissed from the cracks.
That finally overwhelmed Qin Wenyuan.
His legs gave way, and he collapsed into Xie Chengyan’s arms.
“What kind of person is she…? Is she even human?”
Xie Chengyan quickly helped him onto the reclining chair, gave him water, and soothed his breathing.
Only after a long while did Qin Wenyuan recover.
“Grandpa Qin, does Baby have lots of abilities?”
Qin Wenyuan gazed at the adorable little girl before him with a tumult of emotions. Was this what it meant for a divine omen to be born into the world?
It seemed the rumors were true after all: when the Star Maiden appeared, the four seas would be pacified and the nine provinces united.
With abilities like hers, not only the nine provinces but even lands far beyond them would be within reach.
Qin Wenyuan had a feeling that, within his lifetime, he might witness prosperity and unity on a scale never seen before.
He rose from his chair again and slowly knelt before Jin Bao.
“Qin Wenyuan of Qingya Academy pays his respects to the Princess.”
Jin Bao was accustomed to people kneeling before her, but she disliked seeing elderly people bow and kowtow.
She quickly helped Qin Wenyuan up.
“Grandpa Qin, don’t kneel. Baby doesn’t like you kneeling. Baby wants Grandpa Qin to promise Baby one thing, and Baby can promise Grandpa Qin one thing too. Can we trade? Please?”
Jin Bao held Qin Wenyuan’s withered hand in both of hers and gently swung it as she coaxed him.
Qin Wenyuan had never married, though he had adopted several children.
Now, the longer he looked at Jin Bao, the more lovable and endearing she seemed, and his heart stirred.
“Whatever the Princess commands, say it freely. This old man will certainly help you achieve your wish.”
Jin Bao jumped in place. “Wow! Grandpa Qin is the best!”
Qin Wenyuan had never encountered such a lively child and stared blankly for a moment.
Every child at his academy adhered strictly to propriety. None would ever leap and shout like Jin Bao, so bright and full of life.
“Grandpa Qin, can you like my daddy? My daddy isn’t bad. Bad people framed him.”
Without watching Qin Wenyuan’s expression, Jin Bao launched into an animated account of everything that had happened in the Capital and along their journey.
Her ability to express herself was now comparable to that of a seven- or eight-year-old. She spoke logically, clearly, and persuasively, laying out the story in an orderly stream.
At first, Qin Wenyuan was displeased to hear her speak about Xiao Che. A Princess, in his opinion, should not associate with an exile.
But the longer he listened, the more he realized something was wrong.
By the time Jin Bao finished recounting everything about the Xiao Family, Qin Wenyuan finally understood that they had been framed.
Even Xie Chengyan had not known these details.
Jin Bao had discovered the abnormalities only shortly before the Xiao Family’s property was confiscated. The family was exiled immediately afterward, and no one had cared about what had happened to them during that brief interval.
Now, through Jin Bao’s account, Xie Chengyan finally understood how the once-flourishing Marquis’s Mansion had collapsed overnight.
“Teacher, Jin Bao is right. This student only now learned that the Xiao Family suffered such a calculated scheme. No wonder everything changed overnight.”
Qin Wenyuan frowned. He had heard of such sorcery. It appeared Prince Cheng had begun laying his plans long ago.
He looked at Xie Chengyan again.
“Yan’er, tell me your purpose in coming.”
Joy surged through Xie Chengyan. Did this mean his teacher had agreed?
He quickly explained the plan he and Xiao Che had made.
“Teacher, this student came to borrow several people from you.
“As you know, the officials of the Northern Frontier care only for their own pleasure and ignore whether the common people live or die.
“A single snow disaster last year killed tens of thousands.
“Those officials lack the virtue required for their positions. Xiao Che and I therefore agreed that, once we capture the counties, we will appoint our own people to govern them.
“This student came from Qingya Academy and understands Teacher’s character better than anyone.
“The academy’s students are upright and began their studies with the desire to improve the lives of the people.
“Please lend us your strength, Teacher. Help us end the war as quickly as possible and restore peace and good governance to Great Xia.”
Qin Wenyuan was moved. He gently patted Xie Chengyan’s shoulder.
“Your teacher agrees.”
Those words allowed Xie Chengyan to release a long breath.
Jin Bao tugged at Qin Wenyuan’s hand.
“Grandpa Qin, do you like my daddy now? Can I bring Daddy to visit you and play someday?”
Qin Wenyuan laughed heartily.
“Of course. The gates of Qingya Academy will always stand open to the Princess.”
“Yay! That’s great! Grandpa Qin doesn’t dislike Daddy anymore. Daddy can come to Qingya Academy too!”
Xie Chengyan felt both warm and oddly jealous.
That old Xiao had certainly gained the better end of the bargain. A child of the Xie Family held her adoptive father at the very center of her heart. Still, that only proved Xiao Che had treated Jin Bao with complete devotion.
When Xie Chengyan descended from Qingya Academy, more than a dozen refined scholars followed him.
The oldest were in their thirties and the youngest seventeen or eighteen. Every one wore a white robe and carried a book chest on his back.
Five days later, Xie Chengyan returned to Jintang Valley with them.
Xiao Che, however, had not yet returned in triumph with his army.
Jin Bao had not seen Daddy for more than ten days and missed him.
Just then, Xiao Jingxing brought Xie Chengyan a letter.
“Uncle Xie, Father sent this letter several days ago. He said that if you had returned, I should give it to you immediately. Once you read it, you will understand.”
Before Xie Chengyan’s seat had even grown warm, he opened the envelope.
After rapidly scanning the letter, his face lit with delight.
“Jin Bao, it seems we have no time to rest. Your daddy won a great victory and received an enthusiastic welcome from the common people. He intends to press his advantage and march south, capturing all the nearby counties and prefectural seats in one sweep. He wrote that if you returned and felt bored, you could find him in Ding’an County.”
Jin Bao’s eyes immediately shone.
“Baby wants to go! When are we leaving, Uncle?”
Xie Chengyan put away the letter. He had been absent for more than ten days.
Work had piled up like a mountain in Jintang Valley. Fortunately, he had brought more than a dozen helpers.
“Give Uncle a few hours. Once I arrange the valley’s affairs, we will leave.
“Pingyuan County currently has no one in charge. Your daddy wrote that its magistrate exploited the people and abducted innocent young women. The evidence was conclusive, so he beheaded the man in the street.
“We must visit Pingyuan County first and transfer its administrative duties.”
Excitement and anticipation filled Jin Bao. So many thrilling things had happened around Daddy. She could hardly wait to see him.