Yin Tong, the most hot-tempered among them, clenched his fists as he listened to the unsavory remarks. His eyes blazed with anger. Just as he was about to lose control and confront those spouting nonsense, Xu Guang grabbed his arm.

 

Xu Guang's face was expressionless, but he held onto Yin Tong tightly.

 

Yin Tong looked at Xu Guang, his lips pressed together, eyes filled with unspeakable grievance and resentment. At this moment, in the mouths of these people, they were no longer the heroes who returned to the capital yesterday but the most shameless and debauched individuals.

 

The mouths of the common people, incited by those with ulterior motives, had become the sharpest blades in the world, more painful than the long knives of Beiyan piercing their bodies.

 

Xu Guang neither looked at him nor let go of his hand. He couldn't allow Yin Tong to argue with people on the street.

 

At this moment, staying silent was wrong, speaking up was wrong, standing there was wrong, and turning to leave was even more wrong.

 

They had been set up, caught in a dilemma with no easy way out.

 

Zuo Li, as Xie Zhui's deputy, had spent the most time with him. Mentioning Xie Zhui would inevitably bring up his deputy, Zuo Li, making him the primary target of the attacks.

 

Zuo Li took a deep breath and, lowering his head, whispered to Xu Guang and Yin Tong, "Don't stoop to their level. The longer we stay here, the worse it will get. Let's go."

 

Yin Tong glared angrily, "Just leave like this? After being watched like monkeys?"

 

Zuo Li's chest heaved with anger as he looked at Yin Tong, "Then, what do you want to do? Argue with them and continue being watched and ridiculed like monkeys?"

 

Xu Guang moved his lips, wanting to say something, but felt that anything he said would be wrong.

 

At that moment, Xie Zhui made a move.

 

He stopped the servant who was about to drive away the surrounding crowd, then stepped down from the carriage, using a stool to descend slowly.

 

His back was straight, his face sharp as if carved by a knife, and his eyes cold as stars. His entire demeanor was imposing and commanding.

 

The ordinary people felt a chill run through their bodies as Xie Zhui's emotionless eyes swept over them. At this moment, they suddenly remembered that although Xie Zhui was a ger, he was also a ger who had killed people and whose hands were stained with the blood of many.

 

The murmurs of discussion grew quieter from the moment Xie Zhui stepped out of the carriage. By the time he reached Zuo Li, Yin Tong, and Xu Guang, the unpleasant comments had completely ceased.

 

Xie Zhui didn't look at the people around him but directly addressed the three men in a deep voice, "I heard from His Highness that you are to enter the palace to see the Emperor soon. Why aren't you resting at home and instead running around here?"

 

As soon as he spoke, Zuo Li felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. It was reminiscent of the times in the military camp when he heard Xie Zhui disciplining those who had broken the rules, making him instinctively ponder whether he had violated any military regulations.

 

Yin Tong and Xu Guang felt the same way, and the expressions on all three faces instantly turned bitter, looking somewhat pitiful.

 

Back when Xie Zhui first joined the military, everyone thought he was there because of his father's connections and looked down on him. Xie Zhui didn't say a word in response. He established his authority in the military with two simple methods:

 

First, by fiercely killing the enemy.

 

Second, by fiercely beating up anyone who didn't respect him.

 

He killed many enemies and fought with a relentless determination to win, showing no regard for his own safety, which made everyone wary of him.

 

A child witnessing this scene looked up at the adult beside him and asked in a clear, innocent voice, "Father, are those three afraid because they can't beat that person?"

 

The child's father: "..." What an inconvenient truth.

 

He covered the child's mouth, gave an embarrassed smile to Zuo Li and the others who were looking at him, and quickly slipped away from the crowd with the child in his arms.

 

The surrounding commoners, seeing this, thought to themselves that the scene before them really did seem like that. The child's clear eyes and honest heart had seen the truth.

 

Zuo Li's face showed some embarrassment. Yin Tong felt a surge of emotion seeing the unchanged Xie Zhui, but when his gaze fell on the dark red mole between Xie Zhui's brows, the words he wanted to say were swallowed back.

 

The only one who remained relatively calm was Xu Guang. He composed his expression and replied openly, "Brother Zuo is a native of the capital. Yin Tong and I have never been to the capital before. We gathered today to have Brother Zuo tell us about the capital, so we wouldn't make any mistakes in front of the Emperor when we enter the palace."

 

Yin Tong nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, "Exactly, exactly."

 

Xie Zhui said, "The Emperor is very kind, and you are all men of merit. There is no need to worry too much."

 

After saying this, he glanced around and then, with a stern face, continued, "The Emperor summoned you back to the capital to reward you, not to have you endure insults and humiliation here. So, when you hear those offensive and filthy words, you don't need to take them to heart or endure them. Report them directly to the authorities."

 

"Fortunately, I have already sent someone to invite the Prefect of the Capital. I'm sure he will investigate and find out who is deliberately stirring up trouble. My marriage to His Highness was personally granted by the Emperor and is known throughout the land. You were summoned back to the capital by the Emperor himself to receive rewards. Those who deliberately incite trouble today must be dissatisfied with the Emperor. If we don't find and apprehend such disloyal individuals, it will harm their entire families. You must not remain silent out of momentary softness."

 

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Guang said openly, "Prince Li's Prince Consort once saved my life. When the Emperor granted the marriage, we were still at the northern border and couldn't offer our congratulations. Today, meeting on the street, it is only right and proper that we pay our respects to Prince Li's Prince Consort."

 

Zuo Li and Yin Tong exchanged glances and stepped forward to bow.

 

They all understood that this bow was not just for Prince Li's Prince Consort but for the great general of the northern border.

 

The onlookers: "..."

 

How did their actions suddenly become acts of disloyalty to the Emperor? And now the Prefect of the Capital was coming to arrest people? They hadn't done anything; they had just echoed a few words they heard.

 

But on second thought, it made sense. The Emperor had granted the marriage between Xie Zhui and Prince Li. If they were here shouting about Xie Zhui's impropriety in the military, weren't they slapping Prince Li in the face by saying he married an unchaste ger?

 

Prince Li was the Emperor's own son, and the marriage was personally granted by the Emperor. Slapping Prince Li's face was equivalent to slapping the Emperor's face.

 

Some people, thinking quickly, grew increasingly fearful. Seeing that the Prefect of the Capital had not yet arrived with soldiers, they hurriedly turned and left. Others, seeing this, also ran off in a hurry.

 

Among them was the person who had claimed that the carriage had almost killed him. Without needing Xie Zhui to say a word, the people from Prince Li's residence followed him.

 

After the crowd dispersed, Xu Guang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

If Xie Zhui hadn't stepped out of the carriage and said those words, who knew how the situation might have escalated.

 

Xie Zhui, however, didn't think much of it. It was clear that today's incident was aimed at him.

 

If he hadn't shown up, people would have said he had a guilty conscience, and Zuo Li and the others would have been dragged into the mess. By stepping forward and invoking the Emperor, no matter what those people thought, they had to keep it to themselves.

 

This was something Xiao Shan had taught him last night.

 

At that time, Xiao Shan had said, "You must understand that in this world, Father Emperor is the highest authority. His words are absolute, and our marriage was granted by him. If any rumors or slanders come our way, just tell them to take it up with the Emperor."

 

"Trust me, I'm familiar with this. As long as you stand there confidently and speak up, they won't dare to say a word. There's no need to wrong yourself at all."

 

At the time, Xie Zhui was very tired and didn't have the chance to ponder these words. Now, thinking them over carefully, they made a lot of sense.

 

Why endure those petty people? Enduring them wouldn't earn him a single coin, and not enduring them wouldn't result in any harm. Since that's the case, it's better not to endure.

 

While these thoughts ran through Xie Zhui's mind, his face remained impassive.

 

He looked at Xu Guang and the others, ready to say his goodbyes, when the sound of horse hooves came from behind. Following that was a pleasant, slightly puzzled voice: "Xie Zhui?"

 

Xie Zhui turned around to see Xiao Shan dismounting and casually tossing the reins to Ji An behind him, then walking towards him. Xiao Shan, raised in luxury, with his extraordinarily handsome face, looked every bit the noble gentleman when he wasn't speaking or playing.

 

As he approached, Xiao Shan looked at Xie Zhui and asked, "What happened? Why did you stop here?"

 

Xie Zhui didn't elaborate but instead introduced Zuo Li, Yin Tong, and Xu Guang.

 

Upon hearing the words "northern border," Xiao Shan immediately understood the situation, though he wasn't sure what had transpired in the meantime. There was no need to worry about that now; he could ask about it later.

 

He then turned his gaze to Zuo Li, Yin Tong, and Xu Guang.

 

Zuo Li and the others, knowing that he was Prince Li, were momentarily stunned. They had heard of Xiao Shan's bad reputation but hadn't expected him to be so handsome.

 

However, they quickly regained their composure, bowed to Xiao Shan, and greeted him as "Your Highness."

 

Xiao Shan nodded and told them there was no need for formalities.

 

After they straightened up, Xu Guang said, "Your Highness, Prince Consort, it's getting late. We won't delay you any further."

 

Xiao Shan replied, "Prince Consort and I are heading to the Xie residence. We won't keep you any longer."

 

Following these words, Zuo Li, Xu Guang, and Yin Tong quickly stepped aside to make way for them.

 

Xiao Shan and Xie Zhui got into the carriage.

 

Once inside, Xiao Shan looked at Xie Zhui and asked, "Are you alright?"

 

Xie Zhui nodded.

 

Xiao Shan said, "That's good then. Imperial Physician Su is following behind us. Let's go first."

 

Xie Zhui responded with a simple "Alright."

 

As the carriage left the area and entered the Xie residence, Zuo Li and the others finally moved towards a nearby alley.

 

Yin Tong, looking in the direction of the Xie residence, couldn't help but say, "Damn it, what kind of situation is this? Since when did just talking to the General become something that could be used against us?"

 

Zuo Li exhaled and gave him a sidelong glance, "I've told you not to call him General. Why can't you get that through your head? He is now Prince Li's Prince Consort. It's better for us to avoid any unnecessary suspicion."

 

"You..." Yin Tong wanted to say something but didn't know what, so he just glared at Zuo Li.

 

During this time, Xu Guang had been observing without intervening. Once the two had finished their bickering, he said, "Today's gathering isn't going to happen. Before we return to the northern border, we should avoid going out too much to prevent being used by others without even realizing it."

 

Thinking about the chaotic situation earlier, Zuo Li and Yin Tong both felt a lingering fear and naturally lost the mood for a gathering. The three of them bid farewell on the spot, each preparing to head home.

 

In fact, only Zuo Li was returning to his own home. Yin Tong and Xu Guang didn't have a place to stay in the capital; they were staying at a guesthouse provided by the Ministry of Rites. They weren't in the same room, but their rooms were quite close to each other.

 

On the way back, Yin Tong poked Xu Guang and asked, "I noticed you've been distracted. What are you thinking about?"

 

Xu Guang replied, "I'm thinking about Prince Li."

 

"Prince Li?" Yin Tong frowned, his thick black eyebrows knitting together. "What's there to think about? He's just a pretty boy, though he is quite handsome."

 

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xu Guang shot him a warning glance. "Be careful, walls have ears."

 

Yin Tong also knew this wasn't the best place to talk, so he shut his mouth, though he still felt he wasn't wrong.

 

Xu Guang, on the other hand, found Xiao Shan quite interesting and couldn't help but ponder about him.

 

Meanwhile, Xiao Shan and Xie Zhui arrived at the Xie residence, where Xie Chen had already received word and was waiting for them.

 

The three of them sat together and chatted for a while before Imperial Physician Su arrived.

 

After resting for a bit to calm his mind from the journey, Imperial Physician Su went to the inner room to examine Xie Chen's eyes.

 

Xiao Shan and Xie Zhui waited outside. Half an hour later, Imperial Physician Su emerged from the inner room.

 

Xie Zhui stepped forward and asked, "Imperial Physician Su, how are my brother's eyes?"

 

Imperial Physician Su shook his head and sighed, "It doesn't seem like poison but rather a Gu*. This Gu, I have no way to remove it; I can only temporarily suppress it with silver needles. However, as time goes on, there will eventually come a day when the Gu becomes uncontrollable. When that happens, if the Gu moves from the eyes to the brain, there will be no way to save him."

*refers to a type of ancient Chinese sorcery or poison, often associated with the southern Miao ethnic group. It involves using venomous creatures, such as insects or snakes, to create a potent and often deadly poison.

 

Xie Zhui clenched his fists tightly, his gaze cold and stern as he stood there.

 

Xiao Shan also furrowed his brows. He had heard that gu usually originated from the southern Miao region and was difficult to bring out of there. The southern Miao region was separated from the northern border by mountains and rivers, the farthest distance possible. How did the Gu end up in Xie Chen's eyes?

 

Back then, when General Xie was defeated, Xie Sui went missing, and Xie Chen lost his sight... Who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Was this person aiming to seize control of the northern border's military power, or did they have another purpose? Or perhaps, who had the most to gain from doing this?