The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 23 Asylum
"despair."

The woodshed was locked.

Xiao Yi's luggage was returned; apart from the dagger, crossbow, and flint, all the other items were still there.

He had a calm and accepting attitude, and took out some flatbread, salted dried meat and water bag. He shared some with Qiu Shuang and ate by himself.

"It seems like you have everything in your satchel."

"Some essential items."

Qiu Shuang didn't eat the dried meat. She broke off half a piece of flatbread, chewed it in small bites, took the water pouch and drank a couple of mouthfuls before saying, "Don't worry, although I am a woman, my word is my bond. I will definitely ask Lord Xinchen to save your life."

Xiao Yi asked, "How close are you to the Li Fang family?"

"Very close, not even beyond the fifth degree of kinship."

"So when your father was questioned, his family wasn't implicated?"

"Actually, there is a connection. Uncle Zhao was originally a high-ranking official, but he retired because of this incident. His family has always been cautious and quite good at protecting themselves."

Xiao Yi nodded, chewed half a piece of dried meat, took back his water pouch and drank a few mouthfuls. Since his felt sleeping bag had been thrown away, he had no choice but to take off his sable cloak and cover himself with it, closing his eyes to rest.

But then she heard Qiu Shuang ask in her ear, "You are so different from before."

People always grow up.

Xiao Yi knew that being handsome was a feeling, which made him the target of Li Fang's suspicion and caused him considerable trouble.

Qiu Shuang said, "But you used to be illiterate and didn't know martial arts. You always kept your head down, spoke very softly, and always looked away when you saw people. You were always timid and hesitant."

Xiao Yi said, "I don't remember. I was seriously ill and lost all my memories."

"Xiao Yi... Xiao Yi, is this the name you gave yourself?"

"That's it."

Xiao Yi didn't want to continue the topic, but then he thought that since he had taken this body, he should repay any debt of gratitude he owed to his family. So he asked, "Do I have parents?"

"He died under the chaos of Shi Jingtang's army. According to my wet nurse, in the winter of the first year of Tianfu, my father fled to Yique and encountered the Jin army raiding and massacring Caodian Village. He rescued four infants from the mountain of corpses. You were the second one, so you were called Xiao Yi. I was born that year, and you had just entered the manor. You were two years older than me."

"What about the other three? Xiao Jia, Xiao Bing, and Xiao Ding?"

"It died young; it's hard to raise a healthy baby."

Xiao Yi remained silent for a moment, then said, "I will remember the kindness shown to the Li family."

“You’ve already repaid it,” Qiu Shuang asked. “Then, you don’t remember me either?”

"Ah."

"Li Zhaoning".

"Ok?"

“My name is Zhaoning, and my nickname is Youniang. A woman’s given name should not be revealed easily, but on the day my father brought you home, he was moved by the chaotic world and gave me a name.”

"understood."

“From today onwards, neither of us will accept the title of ‘servant’ bestowed upon us by others. You are Xiao Yi, and I am Li Zhaoning. Do not forget this again.”

Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback. He opened his eyes and saw a certain light in the eyes of the frail girl in front of him.

"Okay, Li Zhaoning."

"It's been a long time since I've heard anyone call me that. Every time I hear 'Qiushuang,' I feel..."

Li Zhaoning suddenly lost in thought as she finished speaking.

After a long while, she murmured to herself, "Kill my entire clan, and add my maid's name to the list."

She turned her head away, wiped her face, gritted her teeth, and whispered four words.

"The historians...may they die!"

Xiao Yi looked over and saw that her delicate shoulders were trembling violently. She must have suddenly relaxed her tense nerves. All the emotions that had accumulated tonight—chopping people up, escaping for her life, and getting revenge—were pressing down on her at the same time, making it hard to bear.

The next moment, Li Zhaoning closed her eyes, fell backward, and fainted.

Xiao Yi reacted quickly, catching the back of her head with his palm and gently lowering her down, then covering her with the green sable cloak.

He could understand her desire to vent her anger by chopping people up.

After waiting for a long time, the chains outside the woodshed rattled, and the door was pushed open. Li Fang entered first, stood to the side, and respectfully led an old man, presumably Li Tao.

Li Tao was in his fifties, wearing an ordinary black turban, a slightly faded robe, and an old dark crane cloak. His face was thin, his eyes were sharp, and he had the air of someone who had long held a high position and the detachment of someone who had seen through the ways of the world.

"Lord Xinchen has arrived." Li Fang raised his voice slightly.

"Junior Xiao Yi greets Lord Xinchen. I apologize for my unauthorized visit."

Li Tao stroked his beard and said sarcastically, "You are not being presumptuous. It is I who have failed to greet you properly, for I did not prepare a ladder under the wall to welcome you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback, not expecting Li Tao to be such a joker.

Although Li Tao was expressing his dissatisfaction, compared to Shi Hongzhao, who was quick to kill, and Su Fengji, who was cunning and scheming, he already possessed far more of the demeanor of a prime minister. However, this was a difficult question to answer; climbing over the wall in the middle of the night was inappropriate, and he needed to respond in a way that would please the old man.

Without time to think it over, Xiao Yi said, "Something big is going to happen tonight. I have no one to discuss it with, and since Lord Xinchen is also awake, I climbed over the wall and came in."

Li Tao couldn't help but smile and said, "So, it's my fault that I went to bed early?"

The laughter startled Li Zhaoning, who quickly got up and knelt down.

"Lord Xinchen, my daughter..."

"No need for further words." Li Tao's teasing expression vanished, replaced by a hint of shame in his eyes. He offered a gesture of support and murmured, "My old friend's daughter has fallen into a den of wolves and tigers, separated only by a wall, yet I did not offer any help. I am deeply ashamed! I am utterly ashamed!"

“Please do not do this, my lord. The traitor Shi is tyrannical and cruel, and the traitor Su is cunning and narrow-minded. It is already a great blessing that you, my lord, have not been implicated.”

"You have suffered all these years. I have sent someone to wake your aunt. Go with the maid outside to the inner courtyard to see her."

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Xinchen." Li Zhaoning curtsied and hurriedly asked, "This is Xiao Yi. I implore you to lend a hand and protect him as well."

Li Tao asked, "You asked me to save him, but who is he?"

“To reply to Mr. Chen, he is nominally a former servant of the family, but in reality, he is like my father’s adopted son. He has been taught literature and martial arts by my father since childhood, and tonight he risked his life to save me… He is my family and benefactor.”

Li Tao smiled and said, "Since Youniang has said so, I trust her. You go ahead, don't keep your aunt waiting. I have a few words to say to her."

Li Zhaoning was still a little worried and looked at Xiao Yi.

"Go."

Xiao Yi nodded, noticing her pale face and colorless lips, and said, "You may be ill. Be careful."

"Mm." Li Zhaoning responded, curtsied to Li Tao, and took his leave, still somewhat concerned, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Xinchen. As for him..."

"Don't worry, I'll have a word with him."

Li Zhaoning then left, turning back every few steps, forgetting that she was still wearing a blue sable cloak.

As soon as she left, Li Fang smiled faintly, put his hands behind his back, looked at Xiao Yi, and said, "I don't believe what my cousin said. If you were my uncle's adopted son, you would have been cut in half at the waist by the Shi family long ago."

Xiao Yi said, "But what we said is indeed true."

"Alright, since you once came to Raoyang to serve me wine, what festival was that year?"

Xiao Yi thought to himself, since it was ancestor worship, it should be Qingming Festival, and the spring chill was biting, so Xiao Yi was blowing his nose.

But then I thought, I can't hide it from them anyway, so it's better to be honest than to lie.

"Brother Li, to be honest, I was hit by Shi Erlang's stick not long ago, and I don't remember many things."

"I see, so this is your sincerity." Li Fang stepped in front of Li Tao and said, "Lord Xinchen, saving Youniang is a favor, and handing her over is our duty. Shall we leave it at that tonight?"

"Very well, but I'm afraid he'll implicate me."

“Drag them to the wall and dispose of them, then hand them back to the Imperial Guards.”

For a moment, Xiao Yi wanted to rush straight out.

His gaze swept quickly across the room. He knew the two men inside couldn't stop him, but he was worried about the guards outside and the possibility that shouting would attract soldiers to search for them.

No, if Li Tao and Li Fang truly intended to kill, they wouldn't have said it directly to my face. They were testing my reaction.

There is still a chance to persuade them.

Xiao Yi calmed down, smiled slightly, and said, "Lord Xinchen likes to joke, but saving me is your duty, isn't it?"

There was no warmth in Li Tao's eyes as he sneered, "The remnants of the Shi family, trespassing on your property, trying to drag my entire family down with you. Even on the verge of death, you still use sweet words."

Xiao Yi said, "My coming here may well be an opportunity for Lord Xinchen."

Li Tao shook his head and said, "With such a sudden upheaval in the palace, we're barely trying to distance ourselves from it, let alone seize any opportunity."

"The situation is unclear. You must be cautious and not take sides rashly." Xiao Yi bowed deeply and said in a calm tone, "The late emperor's trusted ministers, who were pillars of the country by day, have their families destroyed and their clans wiped out by nightfall. The emperor has executed them without question. How can the powerful vassal states of the land sit idly by and watch such a dramatic change occur?"

“What a ‘powerful vassal state’!” Li Fang sneered. “No wonder he comes from the Shi family. He’s arrogant and rebellious enough.”

Li Tao nodded and said, "It was not unjust to kill him."

Xiao Yi felt a sudden pressure and doubted whether his intuition was wrong, but he still gritted his teeth and continued, "With the Shi family gone, how can the border generals who were on good terms with them not feel insecure? The Emperor has destroyed his own Great Wall, destroying not only the founding generals, but also the trust between the emperor and his ministers. This move is disastrous for the country and its people. With villains like Li Ye and Su Fengji in the court, how can this be a blessing for the nation?! Now that Guo Wei holds the seal of the Grand Council and is stationed in Yedu, he will surely..."

He originally wanted to say that Guo Wei was destined for greatness, but as the words were about to come out, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He realized that although he knew the general trend, he could not forget to consider it from the perspective of the people of his time.

Then the conversation changed.

"Now that Guo Wei holds the seal of office and is stationed in Yedu, he will surely raise an army to serve the emperor, cleanse the court of corrupt officials, and eliminate treacherous ministers like Li Ye and Su Fengji who are committing all sorts of evil deeds, restoring peace and tranquility to the world! My lord, Brother Li, how can you bear to see these treacherous ministers deceive the emperor and control the government?!"

so close.

The danger wasn't in the intentions of others, but in almost saying the wrong thing.

If Li Tao were to be persuaded to help Guo Wei rebel, he would surely die; but if he were to say it differently, the outcome would be different.

The difference between righteousness and treason is as small as a single sentence, yet it is worlds apart.

(End of this chapter)