Hot flashes

The candlelight flickered in Xiao Jue's unfathomable eyes, casting a dim and unclear reflection of the complex emotions that flashed through his mind.

The ashes of the secret letter fell onto the table, like a silent memorial.

Zhou Heng keenly caught the fleeting anomaly. "Huo Yi... an old friend of your father's?" he asked hesitantly.

Xiao Jue remained silent for a moment. Inside the tent, only the soft crackling of the charcoal fire and the faint sound of the night patrol's clapper could be heard from afar.

He walked to the huge map of the territory hanging there, his back to Zhou Heng, but his gaze did not fall on any specific mountains, rivers or cities. It was as if he had pierced through time and space and seen some distant, blood-stained scenes.

"He is an old friend, and also... the only remaining enemy who can still be called 'honest'." Xiao Jue's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent tent, carrying a rare, almost analytical calm.

Zhou Heng felt a chill run down his spine but did not interrupt.

"My father, Xiao Yuan," Xiao Jue began slowly. When he mentioned this name, his tone was not very dramatic, but it seemed to carry a great weight. "He guarded the northern border for twenty years, fighting in more than a hundred battles, big and small. His body was covered with scars. The most serious one was a fatal blow that went straight from his left shoulder to his heart. He took the fatal blow for Huo Yi, who was then a deputy general."

He paused, "The Qiang cavalry knocked on the gates, the imperial grain and provisions were delayed, and when the winter clothes were delivered, they were found to be stuffed with straw."

It was my father who squandered all our family fortune, pawned my mother's jewelry, and borrowed money from wealthy merchants on the border, so that our soldiers would not freeze or starve to death and that we could defend our country's borders.

Zhou Heng listened, holding his breath.

"In that battle, he won, beheading thousands and chasing the enemy for a hundred miles. The news of the victory reached the Southern Capital..." Xiao Jue's lips curled into a cold, almost mocking smile. "The Emperor showed little joy, but impeachment memorials from the Censorate poured into the palace like snowflakes. He accused the Emperor of hoarding troops, cultivating relationships with border merchants, and buying off the hearts of the soldiers, all with ulterior motives."

"Absurd!" Zhou Heng couldn't help but exclaim, a surge of indignation rising in his chest.

"Yes, it's absurd." Xiao Jue turned around, looking at the pure indignation in Zhou Heng's eyes, his gaze shifting slightly. "But the king believed it, or rather, he was willing to believe it."

The phrase "merit so great that it threatens the ruler" has always been the sharpest sword hanging over the head of a military general.

My father... He was upright and honest throughout his life, only knowing how to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Even when the court wronged him, he never harbored any resentment, let alone any rebellious thoughts.

He believed that as long as he relinquished his military power, returned to the capital to plead guilty, and explained his true intentions, he could surely gain the emperor's approval and ensure the safety of his family.

His voice remained steady, but Zhou Heng could hear the surging sorrow and hatred beneath the calm, a sorrow that was almost frozen in ice.

"He went back. He took my mother, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephew who had just turned three." Xiao Jue's gaze fell on a point in the void, and he spoke very slowly, each word as if it were being ground out from between his teeth. "And then... that was it."

"Investigation" of treason, but the evidence? Fabricated.

The imperial edict was issued: The entire family shall be executed, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive.

Zhou Heng gasped, feeling a chill run through his body.

"Where is Huo Yi?" Zhou Heng asked in a dry voice.

A complex glint flashed in Xiao Jue's eyes: "The entire court was silent as a cicada in winter. Only he, Huo Yi, who at the time was a General of the Cavalry who had been promoted but demoted and sidelined for repeatedly offending the emperor with his uprightness, argued his case in court, pledging his life and decades of military merit to prove my father's innocence."

He paused, "The consequence is that he has angered the emperor. The old emperor is already worried that there is more than one minister whose merits overshadow his own. Huo Yi's actions are tantamount to walking into a trap."

A decree ordering him to retire to his hometown in honor was tantamount to deposing him. My father… ultimately didn't live to see his strong evidence come into play, or rather, that evidence only hastened the disaster.”

So that's how it is. Zhou Heng understood the truth behind Huo Yi's return home, and also understood the meaning of Xiao Jue's words, "an upright enemy."

Those were truly loyal and upright individuals, shining brightly in a dark age, their sentiments pitiable and their aspirations admirable, but their effectiveness... is regrettable.

"Then how did you..." Zhou Heng couldn't continue the question.

"Me?" Xiao Jue twitched the corners of his mouth, but there was no warmth in his smile. "I was fourteen years old at the time. Because I was weak since childhood, my father sent me to the mountains to learn martial arts and strengthen my body from a strange person, which saved me from a disaster."

When the bad news came, my master sent me down the mountain overnight.

It was some of my father's old comrades who had followed him to the death who risked their lives to provide cover and shelter along the way, and hid me in a border region inhabited by Qiang and Hu peoples, where I lived in anonymity and wandered for several years.

He looked at Zhou Heng with a deep gaze: "My father and Huo Yi are loyal to the surname of the man sitting on the dragon throne, and to the court that is already rotten to the core."

Therefore, he could disregard the soldiers' hunger and cold, endure the emperor's suspicion and the ministers' treachery, and even face death with equanimity, bringing ruin upon his entire family.

Their loyalty, pure and unwavering, is admirable.” He then changed the subject, speaking clearly, “But I absolutely disagree.”

Zhou Heng came from a relatively egalitarian era that emphasized individual value. To some extent, he could better understand Xiao Jue's almost "pragmatic" ambition for hegemony, rather than his father's tragic, almost martyr-like loyalty.

At the same time, he also felt deep sorrow for the fates of General Xiao Yuan and General Huo. The tragedies of our times often come at the cost of the most upright people bearing the heaviest price.

"So," Zhou Heng digested this heavy information, looking at Xiao Jue, "General Huo's return to the court this time is to punish you, this... 'traitor', for which dynasty?"

"Yes." Xiao Jue nodded, his expression returning to its usual coldness. "He is loyal to his ruler and his country, even if that ruler is mediocre and that country is corrupt. As for me, I walk my own path. Our paths are different, so only one battle will suffice."

He looked at Zhou Heng, his gaze seemingly trying to see into his heart. "Now, do you understand?"

Zhou Heng nodded slowly, his feelings incredibly complex.