Chapter 52: No Shortcomings (II)
It is said that a brief separation is better than a new marriage. Though this saying seems a bit awkward when applied to Ni Xin, it still holds some truth. After all, whether Ni Xin admits it or not, she still can’t let go of Li Kuo in her heart. This is evident from her decision to stay in Suiye City and wait for the young man’s return.
Xiao Tao noticed Ni Xin’s distraction and smiled, covering her lips lightly. “So the young lady is determined and unwilling to yield to the general. But really, as women, we shouldn’t be too stubborn when it’s time to submit. After all, a man like the general will surely have multiple wives. Yet, since the young lady is so devoted to him, human hearts are made of flesh—surely the general must have his own considerations.”
“Who wants to marry him? You little girl, stop talking nonsense!”
Ni Xin immediately furrowed her brows and glared fiercely at Xiao Tao. Having come from the martial world, her gaze was naturally sharper than ordinary people’s. Frightened by her glare, Xiao Tao fell silent.
After a long while with no response, Ni Xin grew annoyed at Xiao Tao’s lack of sense. She stamped her foot angrily and said sternly, “Hurry up and help me get ready. It seems like your head is full of silly cleverness!”
Only then did Xiao Tao snap out of it. She stuck out her tongue, went over to Ni Xin, and took out rouge and hairpins to help her get dressed.
But it seemed fate loved to play tricks. Before Xiao Tao could apply even a trace of rouge to Ni Xin’s cheeks, loud footsteps were heard outside. Ni Xin was shocked and stood up in haste, knocking over a nearby bronze mirror.
“Ni Xin, I’m back!”
Li Kuo strode into the room, stunned by the mess on the floor.
“J, General, you two continue your talk. I’ll go check if the spring noodles the young lady asked for in the kitchen are ready.”
Xiao Tao bent down to gather the shards into a dark blue wooden box, bowed, and stepped out of the room.
Now, the atmosphere in the room became even more awkward. Although Ni Xin had missed Li Kuo greatly during these days, the joy she had imagined upon reuniting did not come as expected. The young lady bit her lips tightly, staying silent.
Seeing her state, Li Kuo had to put aside his prepared words.
“You… why did you return so suddenly? Xiao Tao said you’d be back in another ten days…”
After a long silence, Ni Xin couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke first.
Li Kuo smiled slightly and said, “Military matters are never certain. I sent a messenger ahead to Shule just to give Dumoye time to prepare, so as to avoid chaos when the time comes. As for the specific dates of the journey, of course, they can’t be fixed.”
“Oh.”
Ni Xin had countless words in her heart, but at that moment, they all seemed stuck in her throat, leaving her unable to speak a word.
“By the way, I made a robe for you. Come and see if it fits.”
Ni Xin bit her lip, picked up the robe laid out on the side table, and handed it to Li Kuo.
In fact, the lining of the robe was purchased from a tailor’s shop in Shule City, with only the front and the belt being sewn by her own hands. Yet, such a simple task proved to be quite challenging for Miss Ni Xin. After all, she had made a living by traveling the world and had never done any women’s work before!
It took Ni Xin half a month to finish this seemingly ordinary garment.
“It’s rare that you’ve gone to such trouble. I must try it properly.”
Not wanting to disappoint Ni Xin, Li Kuo simply smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and put it on.
“What’s this?”
After tying the belt of the robe, Li Kuo accidentally noticed a peony flower on the inside of the front and asked in surprise.
“This… this is… Ah, you really are an idiot!”
Ni Xin’s tone changed instantly, and two rosy blushes appeared on her cheeks. Stomping her foot angrily, Miss Ni gave the young man a glare before walking out. …
In the large camp in the southern part of Shule, the loyal generals were celebrating the safe return of the “mission team.”
This mission to Transoxiana, though not as perilous as facing death itself, was still full of dangers. Under Li Kuo’s leadership, they used the guise of the XieMissis caravan to avoid the checkpoints set up by the Abbasid army and the Jihadists, and infiltrated Bakhtria.
The secret agreement reached between the general and King Ashilanda of Bakhtria allowed the anxious soldiers to relax. With this stronghold, even if General Gao Xianzhi hesitated to take control of Transoxiana due to pressures from the imperial court, the Tang Dynasty’s influence in the region would not completely vanish.
“Our general has truly done great service for the court and brought honor to the Emperor. In my opinion, he should at least be appointed as a deputy military governor.”
Wang Xiaochun picked up a thick porcelain bowl and began to drink. As a direct subordinate of Li Kuo, he shared in the young man’s fortunes and misfortunes. If Li Kuo could be promoted to vice-commander, Wang Xiaochun might be elevated to battalion commander. If Li Kuo achieved the rank of marquis, Wang Xiaochun would certainly not receive any reward below that of a county lord.
Moreover, he truly admired Li Kuo from the bottom of his heart. To be able to calmly persuade a king to switch allegiance to the Tang Dynasty required such courage—courage far beyond what ordinary, mediocre people could possess.
“Well said. Our general has reached the rank of military commander at such a young age; his future is boundless. As long as we follow him, why worry we can’t bring honor to our families and ensure prosperity for our wives and children?”
Dou Qing also felt a surge of enthusiasm. He slammed his fist on the table in admiration and said, “Back when we left Chang’an with the general, we faced so much disdainful looks. But now, look around—those soldiers of the Jinyiwei are just idling away their time in Chang’an. Meanwhile, our brothers are being promoted to officers or brigade commanders, with bright futures ahead of them.”
Life is nothing but a battle. And in a battle, real fighting is inevitable. If you fight, there must be bloodshed and sacrifice. If you stop at the first challenge or setback, are you even a man?
“That’s hard to say. Although Brother Kuo has made great contributions, his rapid promotions have surely made some people in the court jealous. Though the emperor highly respects him, he can’t withstand backstabbing. You don’t know those people in the palace—they don’t even need knives to kill.”
Zhang Yanji, however, wasn’t so optimistic. He poured cold water on the heated atmosphere.
Though he didn’t name anyone, everyone immediately understood who he meant.
“Dare he!” Pu Dachui slammed his fist on the table. “Our general has been patient with him time and again. First, he tried to have Guo Shu Han assassinate him secretly. Then he tried to use the Uyghurs to kill us. How dare he still not give up after we came to Shule through hard fighting?”
“I didn’t say it must be him who’s backstabbing. Why are you in such a hurry?” Zhang Yanji glared at him. “Besides, if he really wanted to slander the emperor, what can we do from thousands of miles away from Chang’an?”
“Alas, treacherous officials are in power!”
Pu Dachui pounded his chest and stomped his feet in frustration. “We fight bravely at the front lines, not only having to worry about those deadly scimitars but also being on guard against allies stabbing us in the back—what kind of situation is this!”
“Well, you know, good people don’t live long, while villains live forever!” Xianyu Yucheng sneered, also feeling frustrated.
In his view, the general was sometimes too kind-hearted. As a soldier, one sometimes needed to show necessary determination—only then could one intimidate the enemy and earn respect from subordinates. Although the general was kind to his troops, he lacked the authority required of a commander, which somewhat weakened the Shule army’s confidence when facing external threats.
“Well, not exactly. After all, our general is the tutor of the Imperial Concubine. Even if the emperor ignores his merits, he can’t just watch the concubine cry, right?” Dou Qing didn’t want the good atmosphere in the camp to be ruined and quickly stepped in to smooth things over: “Although our general comes from humble origins and has no backers in the court, he is still the tutor of the Imperial Concubine. I heard he is also on good terms with the Lady of Guo. With these two as guarantors, I’m sure even those troublemakers would think twice before trying to cause trouble!”
“Hmph, not necessarily. Don’t forget—they both share the surname Yang!” Zhang Yanji had no tolerance for such illusions and shattered everyone’s hopes with just one sentence. “Besides, our General Kuo has no backers in the court. Look at all the military governors in the Tang Dynasty—whose doesn’t have a powerful patron?”
Indeed, the general was the concubine’s archery teacher and was on good terms with the Lady of Guo. But since they both belonged to the Yang family, if things really escalated to armed conflict, what reason would they have to betray the Yang family and help this “outsider” general?
The truth is often easy to uncover; people just fear facing its darkness and choose to cover it up. Once everything hidden is exposed to the light, whether you like it or not, you must confront it.
“Oho, why are you so opposed to the general getting promoted? You’re trying every trick to undermine him!” Wang Xiaochun, unable to argue with Zhang Yanji, also grew angry. “By your logic, does that mean no general in the Tang Dynasty without backers can ever reach the rank of deputy military governor? What has our general done to you that you hate him so much?”
“I didn’t say that!”
Zhang Yanji felt a headache coming on. In this Shule army, aside from Xianyu Yucheng, he had the strongest background. Coming from a prominent family, he naturally had an advantage in terms of promotions and honors as a young man. Many generals with similar military achievements had only reached the rank of brigade commander, while he had already been given the actual position of colonel and granted the title of a third-rank county lord. Although this title meant little in Chang’an, where there were countless descendants of noble families, it seemed like a tempting prize in the eyes of those from poor backgrounds. How could he be so foolish as to bring up his background! Zhang Yanji gritted his teeth and voluntarily conceded, “Actually, it’s not that there are no opportunities at all. Didn’t General Li Ji, who came from humble origins, still be made a duke? Kuai’er Ge’s military achievements are genuine—no one can deny them!”