Chapter 43: Overjoyed, Lu Households Commander Gallops to the Capital City to Report His Merits
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Overjoyed, Lu Households Commander Gallops to the Capital City to Report His Merits
On the third day of Pei Shaoqing’s seclusion, Sun Youliang arrived once again at the State Mansion in Jin Guan City to call on Households Commander Lu Dingchuan.
"Squad Leader Sun, what brings you here again? What is it this time?" Lu Dingchuan asked, his expression full of curiosity.
Sun Youliang, who was kneeling on one knee, looked up with a brilliant smile. "I have come to offer my congratulations, my lord!"
"Oh? And what do I have to be congratulated for?" Lu Dingchuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sun Youliang declared, "Lord Households Commander, just after you appointed Lord Pei as a Standard-Bearer, he personally slew the Profound Sect rebel, the Kaiyang Saint Heir, three days ago. This is a testament to your ability to recognize and properly employ talent. Is this not an occasion for congratulations? Is it not a joyous event?"
"What did you say?!" Lu Dingchuan shot to his feet, staring intently at Sun Youliang. "Pei Shaoqing killed the Kaiyang Saint Heir?" he asked in disbelief.
’Either Sun Youliang misspoke, or I misheard.’ The Kaiyang Saint Heir was one of the seven great Saint Heirs of the Profound Sect. His significance was anything but ordinary.
’Why would he be in Tongzhou?’
’And how could he have been killed by Pei Shaoqing?’
"Lord Pei killed him personally." Sun Youliang placed the bundle he was carrying on the floor and unwrapped it. Inside was a wooden box, a Jade Pendant, and a letter.
"Households Commander, the Kaiyang Saint Heir’s personal token and head, along with Lord Pei’s letter, are all here."
Instead of having someone present the items, Lu Dingchuan strode down himself. He first snatched up the Jade Pendant, examining it closely. Then, he lifted the lid of the wooden box and stared, stunned, at the head inside. There was a large hole right between the eyebrows.
Only then did he finally unseal the letter and read it carefully.
In the letter, Pei Shaoqing claimed to have an informant in the Profound Yellow Sect’s Tongzhou Branch. Through this informant, he learned that the Kaiyang Saint Heir had come to Tongzhou to hunt down a traitor who had absconded with a Spirit Pill.
He had therefore located the traitor first and placed him under surveillance.
When the Kaiyang Saint Heir and the traitor fought to a bloody stalemate, with both sides grievously wounded, he led his Jing’an Guard to capture them in one fell swoop. He personally shot and killed the Kaiyang Saint Heir, and was now presenting the Saint Heir’s head and personal token as proof.
"Excellent! Excellent! Truly excellent!" Lu Dingchuan exclaimed after finishing the letter, his face flushing with excitement. "He is truly a worthy son of Marquis Weiyuan, a tiger born of a line of generals! I will immediately pen a report and send a man to the Capital City to request a commendation for him!"
The head and the token were both here. He didn’t think there was anything fake about the story; after all, verifying the facts wouldn’t be difficult.
Pei Shaoqing wouldn’t dare commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor.
He was so pleased because Sun Youliang was right. Pei Shaoqing was his subordinate, and what’s more, a Standard-Bearer he had personally appointed. Naturally, a share of the credit would be his.
As for the whereabouts of the Spirit Pill...
Pei Shaoqing hadn’t mentioned it in his letter, so Lu Dingchuan wouldn’t bring it up either.
’Who would dare try to make the son of Marquis Weiyuan spit out a Spirit Pill that was already his? Those who might want to lack the power, and those with the power wouldn’t deign to do so.’
"On behalf of the Standard-Bearer, I thank you, my lord!" Sun Youliang immediately lowered his head and spoke.
"Ah, Squad Leader Sun, please, rise." Lu Dingchuan helped him to his feet, his expression warm and pleasant. "If anything, I should be thanking Standard-Bearer Pei. Come now, tell me all the details. I’m dying of curiosity."
’Achieving a great feat once could be a coincidence. Twice could be chalked up to clever scheming. But to do so three times, and for such a major accomplishment, that’s undoubtedly true strength.’
’Now, he was more convinced than ever that Pei Shaoqing had been playing the fool back in the Capital City, hiding his extraordinary talent.’
’He loved subordinates like this—powerful, well-connected, and capable. They could win him glory and shield him from disaster. And if he cultivated a good relationship with them, they became an invaluable part of his network.’
"Understood." Sun Youliang rose to his feet, then changed the subject. "By the way, my lord, the Standard-Bearer also instructed me to ask when the new Hundred Households Commander is expected to arrive. If he has not yet departed, I can travel back to Tongzhou with him."
"As it happens, he departed just this morning." Lu Dingchuan, knowing what Pei Shaoqing was worried about, chuckled. "Tell Standard-Bearer Pei not to worry. This Hundred Households Commander Zhou has a mild temperament and is known for being accommodating with his colleagues. He’s very easy to get along with."
"Then again, with such a great achievement, Standard-Bearer Pei is certain to receive a handsome reward from His Majesty. He might even be promoted soon, in which case he’ll only have to deal with Hundred Households Commander Zhou for a few days."
At that very moment, the "mild-tempered" and "easy-to-get-along-with" Zhou Xiangyang was in his carriage, on the road to Tongzhou.
The weather was scorching. He dabbed at his sweat with a handkerchief, then lifted the carriage curtain. Spotting a tavern in the distance, he immediately ordered, "It’s hot enough to kill a man! We’ll stop at that tavern to rest and travel at night. Chase out all those mud-caked peasants and clear a space for me."
"My lord, at this rate, it’ll take us more than ten days to get there," one of his attendants pointed out.
They had been traveling for less than half a day, yet Zhou Xiangyang had already caused numerous delays for all sorts of bizarre reasons, from the carriage being too bumpy to the food not suiting his palate.
If they switched to traveling at night, how would they ever make it?
"I’m not in a hurry, so why are you?" Zhou Xiangyang snapped, glaring. "Are you not going to slap your own mouth?"
"Yes, I was wrong, I was wrong." The attendant, with a miserable expression, hurriedly began slapping his own face.
Zhou Xiangyang snorted coldly and let the curtain fall.
’Mild-tempered? Easy to get along with?’
That depended entirely on who you were.
In front of Lu Dingchuan, of course Zhou Xiangyang was mild-mannered.
But he was a different person entirely in front of others.
...............
That very day, Lu Dingchuan wrote his report. He had it, along with Pei Shaoqing’s original letter, the Kaiyang Saint Heir’s head, and the personal token, dispatched to the Capital City by express courier.
The messenger rode day and night, not even stopping to rest at relay stations—just swapping for a fresh horse and continuing on. Eight days later, at the end of the seventh month, he arrived at the Northern Military Governor’s Office of the Jing’an Guard in the Capital City.
The structure of the Jing’an Guard was similar to that of the Jinyi Guard, but it lacked a central Commander’s office. The Northern and Southern Garrisons each had their own Governor, who reported directly to the Emperor.
Thus, the Northern Military Governor’s Office was the highest command center for the Northern Garrison Jing’an Guard of Great Zhou. Its Governor held the official rank of Fourth Grade; though the rank wasn’t particularly high, the power he wielded was immense.
At this moment, Governor Wei Yue was attending to official business.
He was forty-three years old and in the prime of his life. He wore a long beard and had a gentle, refined air, appearing more like a graceful scholar than a fearsome official.
A subordinate strode in and announced in a clear, resonant voice, "My lord, an urgent report from the Shu State Thousand Households!"
"Send him in," Wei Yue said, his tone perfectly calm.
A moment later, a Jing’an Guard with a traveler’s pack on his back hurried in. The moment he crossed the threshold, his knees buckled.
He slid forward on his knees and prostrated himself. "Yan Xinkun, Squad Leader of the Shu State Thousand Households, pays his respects to the Lord Governor!"
"What is it?" Wei Yue asked, his voice as light and indifferent as a passing cloud.
Yan Xinkun deftly produced a letter from his robes and presented it with both hands. "This is a personal letter from Lord Lu."
A Guard on duty in the office immediately stepped forward, took the envelope, inspected it, and then handed it to Wei Yue.
Wei Yue deliberately unfolded the letter.
After reading the letter, his expression turned serious. He looked up and asked in a low voice, "Where are the token and the head?"
"Here, my lord!" Yan Xinkun took the bundle from his shoulder and held it up respectfully with both hands.
The Guard once again stepped forward to receive the bundle and present it.
Wei Yue opened the bundle. He first confirmed the authenticity of the head and the token, then read Pei Shaoqing’s personal letter.
He then stood in place, frowning in silent contemplation.
’He was the one who had arranged for Pei Shaoqing to join the Jing’an Guard.’
’He was well aware of the young man’s reputation in the Capital City and knew exactly what he was—or wasn’t—worth. But ever since going to Tongzhou, it was as if he had become a completely different person. The whole affair was riddled with oddities.’
’Of course, he didn’t believe Pei Shaoqing would dare deceive the Emperor.’
’But there was likely more to the story of how this credit was earned. It certainly couldn’t have been through Pei Shaoqing’s own abilities.’
After a long moment, he finally spoke. "You are to remain here in the Garrison Command. Do not wander off. I am going to the palace for an audience with His Majesty."
"As you command!" Yan Xinkun replied, bowing his head.
Meanwhile, after passing through many hands, the report from County Magistrate Wang also reached the headquarters of the Profound Yellow Sect.