311. The Left Envoy of the West General
Translator: Bryan
The State Preceptor turned to look at Ye Xiaoxian again.
Her face was dainty, her eyes slightly slanted. With rouge on her cheeks, her each and every move was gracious.
âPlease take a seat, Madam Xiao.â The State Preceptor pointed at the seat in front of him.
Ye Xiaoxian noticed that Xiao Baoshan had left. And the bowl, wine cup and chopsticks he had used had been replaced with new ones.
It would seem the State Preceptor wanted to talk to her in private, presumably trying to convince her to be his lobbyist.
Knowing that she had no other choice, she sat down without hesitation.
âWould you like some wine, Madam Xiao?â said the State Preceptor, âThis is the Immortality Wine from the palace, top-of-the-line.â
Ye Xiaoxian took a sip. It was not very strong, but indeed much tastier than what they sold on the street. She nodded. âIt does taste good. They made it with early morning dew, right?â
Seeing that she had some acquaintance with wine, the State Preceptor said, âIt would seem Madam Xiao is an expert. I heard that youâre from the countryside and used to own a restaurant.â
âThatâs true.â
âNo wonder. You mustâve dealt with all kinds of people when running a restaurant, which is why youâre pretty s.p.u.n.ky.â
âThank you for your compliment, State Preceptor. It seems that youâve done a detailed background check on me.â
âI only look into the Xiao family.â The State Preceptor took a sip of wine and then asked casually, âMay I ask where your parents are, Madam Xiao?â
âTheyâre dead!â Ye Xiaoxian said firmly.
She knew nothing about the parents of the original owner of her body. According to Li Hongmei, she had been purchased from a human trafficker. In this dynasty, there were people selling their children everywhere. A man could buy an underage girl to be his future wife at the price of two taels of silver.
Given that the couple had sold the original owner of this body, they must be dest.i.tute and have little love for their daughter, so they were as good as dead to Ye Xiaoxian.
Surprisingly, the State Preceptor asked, âDead? How did they die?â
Little Ye thought for a moment and said, âIâm not sure. I just know theyâre dead. Maybe they drowned in a river, or maybe they got killed in a mudslide.â
The State Preceptor thought to himself, âSo itâs not her.â
Xiao Baoshanâs hometown was in Qinghe County which was very remote. His daughter could never have got that far.
The State Preceptor then said to Little Ye, âI heard from Zhang Deshui that your cooking skills are pretty good. The recipes for these side dishes are all from you. Where did you learn to cook?â
âWho is Zhang Deshui?â
âHeâs one of my cooks.â
Little Ye said, âOh, his culinary skills are good, but not perfect. Many of these dishes could have been improved, such as the pork legs and the duckâs gizzard.â
âYou like cooking?â
âOf course,â Little Ye replied curtly.
âWell, you may pay a visit to the kitchen and have a little cooking contest with Zhang Deshui when you have the time, so that Iâll get to taste the food made by you.â
Little Ye said, âNo problem.â
There were so many precious ingredients in the State Preceptorâs residence, and she had plenty of leisure at hand, so why not practice with those ingredients?
â¦â¦
At the imperial court.
On this day, the State Preceptor specially brought a lunchbox to the court. After entering the palace, he handed it to his subordinate and instructed him to deliver the snack to the empress dowager for her to enjoy.
After the court meeting, the State Preceptor specially visited the empress dowagerâs palace.
The empress dowager was stroking her cat. At the sight of the State Preceptor, she asked, âIâve tasted the snacks you had my men deliver to me in the morning. Theyâre very delicious, more delicious than what the imperial cooks could make, to be honest. Theyâre light and had the ingredientsâ original flavor. The pork legs were particularly tasty. Normally I have to gnaw when having pork legs, but the ones I ate in the morning were boneless. Theyâre soft and glutinous and tender, and the flavor was very lingering. I heard that that kind of stuff is very good for skin health.â
âIs that so? Iâm glad you like it. But do you know who cooked them?â asked the State Preceptor.
âWho was it? Did you recruit a new cook? The former one⦠Zhang Deshui, I believe thatâs his name. He resigned?â
Zhang Deshui used to serve the former emperor, and the empress dowager had had the food he cooked before, which was why she knew his name.
State Preceptor said, âHe did not resign. I have a young female visitor staying in my place. Sheâs Xiao Baoshanâs wife. Her culinary skills are divine. Whatâs more surprising is that she bears some resemblance to what you looked like when you were younger.â
âOh? When I was younger?â The empress dowager showed a disdainful expression. âWhen I was young, I was the most beautiful woman in this country. Are you sure she compares to me?â
âOf course she cannot hold a candle to you. She just looks a bit like you. Apart from anything else, sheâs from the countryside, and her temperament is different from you.â
The empress dowager was a little unhappy. âDid you miss the younger version of me when you saw the girl who looked like me? All men like young women, and they dump old ones when they have younger alternatives.â
âThatâs not true. Youâre not old. Your skin is still so delicate. Youâre the woman I love the most, and also the only woman I love,â said the State Preceptor, giving her cheek a playful tweak.
âThen why did you keep her in your house?â
âTo make Xiao Baoshan toe the line.â Then the State Preceptor told her his plan and added, âThatâs why I canât let Madam Xiao go for the moment. I need to put her under house arrest, otherwise her husband will refuse to do my bidding.â
The empress dowager heaved a sigh.
âWhatâs that sigh about?â the State Preceptor asked.
âIâm sighing because I wonder if you guys will ever get tired of scheming against each other, and because women always end up becoming the victims.â The empress dowager recalled how she had been sent into the palace.
When she entered the palace, she was only sixteen years old and had just given birth to a daughter. At that time, the latest emperor was already more than sixty years old. Though in favor with the emperor, she was very unhappy. Every day, she had to figure out new ways to please the latest emperor, and she had to guard against tricks from his concubines in the harem.
Fortunately, she had been extremely beautiful, and the latest emperor had been a lecher, and the State Preceptor had offered her a lot of constructive advice, which was why she had risen to the top of the hierarchy in the harem.
The State Preceptor swept the empress dowager into his embrace and stroked her shoulder. âI know you feel wronged, but look where you are now. Even the emperor now has to respectfully call you mother, let alone the others. And you have inexhaustible wealth and infinite fame.â
âI just miss our daughter. I wonder if sheâs still alive.â
âCome on, not again.â The State Preceptor kissed her on the lips to stop her from saying anything else.
Soon, the empress dowager was lying limply beneath the State Preceptor, unable to speak.
â¦â¦
It was already evening and Li Chengkun was still dealing with memorials to the throne.
When the first batch of memorials were handled, he asked the eunuch waiting on the side, âIs the State Preceptor still in my motherâs palace?â
âI⦠I donât know, Your Majesty.â
âGo find out. If heâs still there, bring him to me.â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
The eunuch took his leave.
About half an hour later, the State Preceptor arrived.
Since he had been rolling on a bed, his clothes were rather dissheveled.
Li Chengkun couldnât help frowning. âState Preceptor, next time you come here, make yourself presentable.â
âYes, Your Majesty.â
âHas Xiao Baoshan replied?â Li Chengkun asked.
âNot yet, but his wife has been put under house arrest in my place. I donât think heâll wait for long. Besides, weâre not in a rush to make a decision. Messages from the north suggest that the war is still in a stalemate. Thereâs no telling if Xiao Baoshan is there to put out the fire or to add oil to it.â
Li Chengkunâs eyes fell on the memorial in front of him.
Yan Zijing and his men had been fighting in the north for over a month, and the eventual winner was indeed still unknown, but provisions were decreasing and the casualty number was rising by the day.
Indeed, they had no idea whether Xiao Baoshan was going there to add oil to fire or to put it out.
But no matter what, he had to go to the battlefield.
Li Chengkun then asked the State Preceptor, âWe canât send Xiao Baoshan there for no apparent reason. And he needs a good cause to lead the army. Should we bestow a t.i.tle upon him?â
The State Preceptor said, âWell, about the t.i.tle⦠He used to serve the Sixth King stationed in the south-west, so we might make him Left Envoy of the West General, and we send him north as backup.â
âWhat about Qian Qi?â Li Chengkunâs then asked.
âQian Qi will remain West General.â
âBut Xiao Baoshan is stronger than Qian Qi.â
âThatâs even better. Xiao Baoshan is clearly stronger but his rank is lower, so he will be sure as h.e.l.l to feel unbalanced, which means he will be on bad terms with Qian Qi, and they will not join hands.â
Li Chengkun looked at the State Preceptor, and sighed inwardly, âItâs true what they say, the tactics of experienced people are just ruthless.â
The State Preceptor added, âWe may have Qian Qi stay here for the time being. If you want to send someone north, it has to be Xiao Baoshan. Or, we may transfer Qian Qi back to Baoning City after some time.â
âSo Qian Qi will be our p.a.w.n used to hold Xiao Baoshan in check?â
The State Preceptor smiled, âExactly. Qian Qi is also a tough guy. At present, we have no goods on him in the capital city. It is very difficult to tie him down. If we order him to go north to put out the fire, he will almost certainly refuse. Besides, weâve already sacrificed Qian Dong to make the big plan work. If Qian Qi dies, the bloodline of the Qian family will be cut off for good.â
With that, the State Preceptor and Li Chengkun smiled at each other.
In the past, Qian Qiâs big brother had been sent to âput out the fireâ. Originally, after completing the task, he could have returned to the capital where he would be made a marquis, but as a member of the Qian family, he had been very stubborn. After quenching the flames, he had chosen to destroy the army of the Northan Qing Kingdom at the cost of his own life.
Otherwise, they would not have got the chance to throw mud at Xiao Baoshan.
â¦â¦
In the north.
The war had been going on in full swing.
As expected, Yan Ziyan was a born field commander and had what it took to be a general. Originally, there had not been many men in Ziyan Villa, but with the help of the fifty thousand men sent by the imperial court, they had managed to hold back the enemy until now.
Moreover, under his leaders.h.i.+p, the fifty thousand men had done what a hundred thousand men might not be able to do.
The Northern Qing Kingdom had sent reinforcements three times in a row, but they were still unable to take Heihe City. The city used to be very vulnerable, but now, it was like an impregnable castle.
The supreme commander of the enemy was so angry that he almost vomited blood. They had lost several generals, all of whom had great fighting skills.
However, Yan Ziyan and his men had never received any military training, and they never adopt any conventional tactics when fighting. Their strategies were erratic and ever-changing, and the enemy never knew what their next move might be.
However, the Northern Qing Army did not have time to guard against it and thus started fighting back with no elaborately formulated battle plans. They could only send in reinforcements repeatedly, intending to win the war with the outweight of numbers.
Yan Ziyan and the others were fighting more and more fiercely, and thus the war continued without any rules.
That night, they intercepted a group of Northern Qing soldiers coming to attack the city, surrounded them and annihilated them with hails of arrows.