Chapter 41
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Assistant Prefect Niu handled his business very quickly, and his staff were very capable. Half a day later, after Xia Yujin had shelled three cups of seeds and drunk two pots of tea, they returned with that dirty little beggar, caked in mud like a clay figurine, that they’d found under a bridge.
The beggar was so skinny that he was nothing but skin and bones. He was wearing foul-smelling and worn-out clothes, looking like a gust of wind could bring him down. His black and white eyes were the only physical indication that he was still alive. He stood, very ill at ease, in front of a possibly very impressive and handsome official, a dark-faced official, and a third one who exuded violence, shivering. His lips were quivering, but he couldn’t say a word, until the bailiff kicked him in the back of the knees and he remembered to kneel, incessantly kowtowing. Tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving two tracks in the mud. If they didn’t know the truth, most people would think he had been tortured.
Xia Yujin covered his nose. “Drag him away.”
After having spent so long in his company, Assistant Prefect Niu knew how he was. Plus, the Emperor wasn’t concerned about this affair, Ye Zhao didn’t say anything, and Xia Yujin didn’t have any scruples to take advantage of his status as a prince of the blood. Seeing that this man in his twenties was even less reasonable than his eight-years-old grandson, he said, indignant and full of disapproval, “Why so fast? We haven’t asked him anything.”
“You overly careful old fogey!” Xia Yujin fumed. “Your questioning will take so long that my nose will have fallen off by the time you’re done! Take him away and wash him off first! Give him clean clothes to change into and bring him back to talk.”
Assistant Prefect Niu gave a snort of contempt. “If you can’t stand this bit of suffering, how do you expect to accomplish anything?”
Xia Yujin paid him no heed. “Give him a sturdy set of clothes, then tell the kid that if he does what he’s told and takes a bath, he’ll be given food.”
The little beggar had been on the run for several days. He was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his spine. Feeling that being a poor devil with a full stomach was better than being a starving ghost, he immediately looked up.
“Rice?”
“Yes, rice,” Xia Yujin said.
The little beggar’s stomach rumbled from excitement. “How many bowls?” he asked quickly.
“If I treated you to edible bird nests and shark fin,[1] wouldn’t you still feel wronged?” Xia Yujin said disdainfully after some consideration. “There’ll be meat, of course, and you’ll be able to eat as much as you can.”
Ye Zhao smiled softly and Assistant Prefect Niu stopped talking.
Servants hurried forward to take the little beggar away to bathe and eat.
In the end, Dr. Meng happily came by the censor’s office with his medicine chest, fed three pills to the little beggar to help his digestion, prescribed him something for his binge-eating, gave Xia Yujin a resentful look, and gloomily walked away.
Assistant Prefect Niu fiercely glared at Xia Yujin.
Xia Yujin was even more afflicted. “How could I have known he could eat half a suckling pig and three bowls of rice…”
With the help of the digestive pills, the little beggar recovered. “Sir,” he weakly called, “my stomach doesn’t hurt that much anymore. That steamed bun, I only ate half of it…”
Assistant Prefect Niu immediately stepped forward, and said kindly, “Good boy, don’t be scared if you saw what happened at Master Li’s house four nights ago from the banyan tree. His Highness Prince Xia’s bodhisattva’s heart is sure to let you eat your fill for the rest of your life.”
“Hey!” said Xia Yujin. “How can you use someone else’s money to grant favors?”
Impatiently waiting for an answer, Assistant Prefect Niu pushed him back.
Encouraged by the food, the little beggar swallowed his saliva and said in a small voice, “The moon was full that night. I had a steamed bun, but I was still hungry, so I woke up in the middle of the night and sat in the tree gnawing on a bone. Then I saw a very tall shadow flying over the roof like a shadow, right into Uncle Li’s house. After a short while, that shadow came out of the house and looked down. He was holding a sword, and after he wiped with something the blade glinted. I felt that something was wrong, so I didn’t make a sound. The next day I heard that Master Li was dead and that the authorities were going around asking questions. I was scared, so I ran away…”
“How tall was the shadow?” asked Ye Zhao.
The little beggar measured her. “It seemed a bit taller than you, sir.”
Xia Yujin was on his guard. “What ‘sir’? Call her ma’am!” he indignantly exclaimed.
The little beggar nodded in fright. “Yes, ma’am!”
Xia Yujin was so angry that, after scolding that blind brat, he aggressively asked, “Did you see that guy’s face? If you didn’t see it, no more meat for you!”
“In the dark and with his head down, how could he have seen anything?” Assistant Prefect Niu rebuked him.
“I saw it!” screeched the little beggar. “I accidentally dropped the bone I was gnawing on the ground, so he walked over, looked down at the bone on the ground, then up at the tree! So I quickly made a stray cat’s sound and he left after cursing it out.”
“What did he look like?” Ye Zhao pressed him.
The little beggar hesitated for a moment, his face filled with fear. “He… he didn’t look like a person. He looked vicious, and his hair was all tousled, with braids in it. His eyes were scary and his nose was crooked, like… like a ghost! No, he was a ghost, for sure! That’s why he could fly in the air and hurt people everywhere.”
Xia Yujin proudly prodded Assistant Prefect Niu in the side. “So? Am I the best at solving this case, or what?”
Assistant Prefect Niu started to seriously consider whether he ought to have his wife go pray for him at the temple for a change of fortune.
The hairstyle, stature, and nose described by the little beggar all pointed to someone from Eastern Xia.
Prince Yinuo was at the head of the Eastern Xia delegation, come here for the sake of establishing good relations between the two nations. He’d been performing well in the days he’d been here: not only restraining his men and forbidding them from going out as they wished, he also showed great interest in the officials’ incessant company. He hardly seemed to care about the occasional mocking and resentment from the officials about Eastern Xia’s previous help to the Man Jin, only putting on a frank and honest smile but never talking back or taking it to heart. With such a performance on his part, it was genuinely difficult to find a pretext to accuse him of a crime and request to conduct a search.
And even if they did find him guilty of murder and showed to all that he was only a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as long as they didn’t find any evidence of a coup against the Great Qin, they could not arbitrarily punish him without causing a conflict between the two countries. But they’d just gone through eight years of war against the Man Jin, their whole economy had suffered, and neither the government nor the people of the Great Qin had yet recovered their strength. No one wanted to see this happen.
“We can’t say he’s scheming against the Great Qin,” Xia Yujin said.
“Where’s the evidence?” asked Assistant Prefect Niu.
“Master Li’s fakes are definitely important.”
“But what were they?”
Xia Yujin thought for a long time, then clapped his hands. “Since the little beggar saw the murderer’s face,” he said, “then take him to see the people from the Eastern Xia’s delegation and identify him.”
“He’s a powerful prince of the blood, and this is a matter of national prestige. How would you look for this person?”
“I’ll book Xinghua House,” Xia Yujin happily answered, mind turning fast, “call dozens of singers and musicians, then invite them all to the party. Then we’ll dress the little beggar up as an attendant and have him follow me. He’ll be able to walk around and identify the murderer!”
“What reason will you give to invite everyone to drink at a pleasure house?” asked Assistant Prefect Niu.
Seeing Xia Yujin lost in thought, Ye Zhao, who’d been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. “When we crossed paths on the battlefield, he said that friendship grows from an exchange of blows, that he thought fate has destined us to meet, and that he wanted to invite me to drink. I can gather my officers from the Northern Desert, then invite everyone from the delegation to a grand banquet so that we can all drink together.”
“General, this plan is wonderful,” Assistant Prefect Niu praised.
“No way!” Xia Yujin remembered Yinuo, that bear from Eastern Xia who seemed so interested in his wife, his wife’s bad alcohol tolerance, and the beautiful dancers from the banquet with a foreboding feeling. “Is my wife specializing in drinking with company at pleasure houses? What will you do if you get drunk?”
“Then what do you propose?” asked Ye Zhao.
Xia Yujin gritted his teeth. Determined to sacrifice himself, he patted his chest and said, “I’ll do it!”
“Eastern Xia people like to peer pressure people to drink,” Ye Zhao argued, “and they’re all massive. With your stature, you won’t be able to keep up.”
“Your Highness, don’t be too difficult,” Assistant Prefect Niu also tried to reason. “Why you? The general can take care of the event.”
Unwilling to admit his true purpose, Xia Yujin had no other choice than to righteously yell, “Ah-Zhao is still my wife, no matter how great she is! A man, a real man, cannot let someone wrong his wife! Will I have any prestige left, otherwise?”
“You’re a hero! Some guts!” Ye Zhao said, smiling, as she patted his shoulder. “I can certainly respect my husband’s kindness.” After some thought, she warned him again, “But I’ve looked into it, this time. Prince Yinuo has indeed played with male pets, and the head of his private guard is a cut-sleeve as well. Be careful when drinking with him, don’t let the alcohol give him an opportunity to take advantage of you.”
Xia Yujin’s face turned green with nausea. He wanted to ask: was it too late for regrets, now?
With the two of them getting along so well, the atmosphere was peaceful.
Assistant Prefect Niu was moved. Even that well-known scoundrel could feel deep affection and, regardless of gossip and rumor, was perfectly delighted to protect the fiercest tiger among all of the Great Qin’s wives. Mutual respect between spouses! Later, he ought to drop by a shop to buy some jewelry, take it to the main hall and speak intimately with his own wife, lest he be inferior to the scoundrel and let his relationship with his wife go to waste.
As he thought of this, his respect for Xia Yujin irresistibly rose. “How considerate and righteous of you, Your Highness!” he applauded. “You are a true man of character. I misjudged you.”
Xia Yujin immediately swallowed back any words of regret he’d had, putting on a smile. “You flatter me…”
[1 ↑] Luxury and expensive foods that aren’t very filling.
Officially a third of the way through!! (if you don’t count the extras)
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Assistant Prefect Niu handled his business very quickly, and his staff were very capable. Half a day later, after Xia Yujin had shelled three cups of seeds and drunk two pots of tea, they returned with that dirty little beggar, caked in mud like a clay figurine, that they’d found under a bridge.
The beggar was so skinny that he was nothing but skin and bones. He was wearing foul-smelling and worn-out clothes, looking like a gust of wind could bring him down. His black and white eyes were the only physical indication that he was still alive. He stood, very ill at ease, in front of a possibly very impressive and handsome official, a dark-faced official, and a third one who exuded violence, shivering. His lips were quivering, but he couldn’t say a word, until the bailiff kicked him in the back of the knees and he remembered to kneel, incessantly kowtowing. Tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving two tracks in the mud. If they didn’t know the truth, most people would think he had been tortured.
Xia Yujin covered his nose. “Drag him away.”
After having spent so long in his company, Assistant Prefect Niu knew how he was. Plus, the Emperor wasn’t concerned about this affair, Ye Zhao didn’t say anything, and Xia Yujin didn’t have any scruples to take advantage of his status as a prince of the blood. Seeing that this man in his twenties was even less reasonable than his eight-years-old grandson, he said, indignant and full of disapproval, “Why so fast? We haven’t asked him anything.”
“You overly careful old fogey!” Xia Yujin fumed. “Your questioning will take so long that my nose will have fallen off by the time you’re done! Take him away and wash him off first! Give him clean clothes to change into and bring him back to talk.”
Assistant Prefect Niu gave a snort of contempt. “If you can’t stand this bit of suffering, how do you expect to accomplish anything?”
Xia Yujin paid him no heed. “Give him a sturdy set of clothes, then tell the kid that if he does what he’s told and takes a bath, he’ll be given food.”
The little beggar had been on the run for several days. He was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his spine. Feeling that being a poor devil with a full stomach was better than being a starving ghost, he immediately looked up.
“Rice?”
“Yes, rice,” Xia Yujin said.
The little beggar’s stomach rumbled from excitement. “How many bowls?” he asked quickly.
“If I treated you to edible bird nests and shark fin,[1] wouldn’t you still feel wronged?” Xia Yujin said disdainfully after some consideration. “There’ll be meat, of course, and you’ll be able to eat as much as you can.”
Ye Zhao smiled softly and Assistant Prefect Niu stopped talking.
Servants hurried forward to take the little beggar away to bathe and eat.
In the end, Dr. Meng happily came by the censor’s office with his medicine chest, fed three pills to the little beggar to help his digestion, prescribed him something for his binge-eating, gave Xia Yujin a resentful look, and gloomily walked away.
Assistant Prefect Niu fiercely glared at Xia Yujin.
Xia Yujin was even more afflicted. “How could I have known he could eat half a suckling pig and three bowls of rice…”
With the help of the digestive pills, the little beggar recovered. “Sir,” he weakly called, “my stomach doesn’t hurt that much anymore. That steamed bun, I only ate half of it…”
Assistant Prefect Niu immediately stepped forward, and said kindly, “Good boy, don’t be scared if you saw what happened at Master Li’s house four nights ago from the banyan tree. His Highness Prince Xia’s bodhisattva’s heart is sure to let you eat your fill for the rest of your life.”
“Hey!” said Xia Yujin. “How can you use someone else’s money to grant favors?”
Impatiently waiting for an answer, Assistant Prefect Niu pushed him back.
Encouraged by the food, the little beggar swallowed his saliva and said in a small voice, “The moon was full that night. I had a steamed bun, but I was still hungry, so I woke up in the middle of the night and sat in the tree gnawing on a bone. Then I saw a very tall shadow flying over the roof like a shadow, right into Uncle Li’s house. After a short while, that shadow came out of the house and looked down. He was holding a sword, and after he wiped with something the blade glinted. I felt that something was wrong, so I didn’t make a sound. The next day I heard that Master Li was dead and that the authorities were going around asking questions. I was scared, so I ran away…”
“How tall was the shadow?” asked Ye Zhao.
The little beggar measured her. “It seemed a bit taller than you, sir.”
Xia Yujin was on his guard. “What ‘sir’? Call her ma’am!” he indignantly exclaimed.
The little beggar nodded in fright. “Yes, ma’am!”
Xia Yujin was so angry that, after scolding that blind brat, he aggressively asked, “Did you see that guy’s face? If you didn’t see it, no more meat for you!”
“In the dark and with his head down, how could he have seen anything?” Assistant Prefect Niu rebuked him.
“I saw it!” screeched the little beggar. “I accidentally dropped the bone I was gnawing on the ground, so he walked over, looked down at the bone on the ground, then up at the tree! So I quickly made a stray cat’s sound and he left after cursing it out.”
“What did he look like?” Ye Zhao pressed him.
The little beggar hesitated for a moment, his face filled with fear. “He… he didn’t look like a person. He looked vicious, and his hair was all tousled, with braids in it. His eyes were scary and his nose was crooked, like… like a ghost! No, he was a ghost, for sure! That’s why he could fly in the air and hurt people everywhere.”
Xia Yujin proudly prodded Assistant Prefect Niu in the side. “So? Am I the best at solving this case, or what?”
Assistant Prefect Niu started to seriously consider whether he ought to have his wife go pray for him at the temple for a change of fortune.
The hairstyle, stature, and nose described by the little beggar all pointed to someone from Eastern Xia.
Prince Yinuo was at the head of the Eastern Xia delegation, come here for the sake of establishing good relations between the two nations. He’d been performing well in the days he’d been here: not only restraining his men and forbidding them from going out as they wished, he also showed great interest in the officials’ incessant company. He hardly seemed to care about the occasional mocking and resentment from the officials about Eastern Xia’s previous help to the Man Jin, only putting on a frank and honest smile but never talking back or taking it to heart. With such a performance on his part, it was genuinely difficult to find a pretext to accuse him of a crime and request to conduct a search.
And even if they did find him guilty of murder and showed to all that he was only a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as long as they didn’t find any evidence of a coup against the Great Qin, they could not arbitrarily punish him without causing a conflict between the two countries. But they’d just gone through eight years of war against the Man Jin, their whole economy had suffered, and neither the government nor the people of the Great Qin had yet recovered their strength. No one wanted to see this happen.
“We can’t say he’s scheming against the Great Qin,” Xia Yujin said.
“Where’s the evidence?” asked Assistant Prefect Niu.
“Master Li’s fakes are definitely important.”
“But what were they?”
Xia Yujin thought for a long time, then clapped his hands. “Since the little beggar saw the murderer’s face,” he said, “then take him to see the people from the Eastern Xia’s delegation and identify him.”
“He’s a powerful prince of the blood, and this is a matter of national prestige. How would you look for this person?”
“I’ll book Xinghua House,” Xia Yujin happily answered, mind turning fast, “call dozens of singers and musicians, then invite them all to the party. Then we’ll dress the little beggar up as an attendant and have him follow me. He’ll be able to walk around and identify the murderer!”
“What reason will you give to invite everyone to drink at a pleasure house?” asked Assistant Prefect Niu.
Seeing Xia Yujin lost in thought, Ye Zhao, who’d been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. “When we crossed paths on the battlefield, he said that friendship grows from an exchange of blows, that he thought fate has destined us to meet, and that he wanted to invite me to drink. I can gather my officers from the Northern Desert, then invite everyone from the delegation to a grand banquet so that we can all drink together.”
“General, this plan is wonderful,” Assistant Prefect Niu praised.
“No way!” Xia Yujin remembered Yinuo, that bear from Eastern Xia who seemed so interested in his wife, his wife’s bad alcohol tolerance, and the beautiful dancers from the banquet with a foreboding feeling. “Is my wife specializing in drinking with company at pleasure houses? What will you do if you get drunk?”
“Then what do you propose?” asked Ye Zhao.
Xia Yujin gritted his teeth. Determined to sacrifice himself, he patted his chest and said, “I’ll do it!”
“Eastern Xia people like to peer pressure people to drink,” Ye Zhao argued, “and they’re all massive. With your stature, you won’t be able to keep up.”
“Your Highness, don’t be too difficult,” Assistant Prefect Niu also tried to reason. “Why you? The general can take care of the event.”
Unwilling to admit his true purpose, Xia Yujin had no other choice than to righteously yell, “Ah-Zhao is still my wife, no matter how great she is! A man, a real man, cannot let someone wrong his wife! Will I have any prestige left, otherwise?”
“You’re a hero! Some guts!” Ye Zhao said, smiling, as she patted his shoulder. “I can certainly respect my husband’s kindness.” After some thought, she warned him again, “But I’ve looked into it, this time. Prince Yinuo has indeed played with male pets, and the head of his private guard is a cut-sleeve as well. Be careful when drinking with him, don’t let the alcohol give him an opportunity to take advantage of you.”
Xia Yujin’s face turned green with nausea. He wanted to ask: was it too late for regrets, now?
With the two of them getting along so well, the atmosphere was peaceful.
Assistant Prefect Niu was moved. Even that well-known scoundrel could feel deep affection and, regardless of gossip and rumor, was perfectly delighted to protect the fiercest tiger among all of the Great Qin’s wives. Mutual respect between spouses! Later, he ought to drop by a shop to buy some jewelry, take it to the main hall and speak intimately with his own wife, lest he be inferior to the scoundrel and let his relationship with his wife go to waste.
As he thought of this, his respect for Xia Yujin irresistibly rose. “How considerate and righteous of you, Your Highness!” he applauded. “You are a true man of character. I misjudged you.”
Xia Yujin immediately swallowed back any words of regret he’d had, putting on a smile. “You flatter me…”
[1 ↑] Luxury and expensive foods that aren’t very filling.
Officially a third of the way through!! (if you don’t count the extras)
Assistant Prefect Niu handled his business very quickly, and his staff were very capable. Half a day later, after Xia Yujin had shelled three cups of seeds and drunk two pots of tea, they returned with that dirty little beggar, caked in mud like a clay figurine, that they'd found under a bridge.The beggar was so skinny that he was nothing but skin and bones. He was wearing foul-smelling and worn-out clothes, looking like a gust of wind could bring him down. His black and white eyes were the only physical indication that he was still alive. He stood, very ill at ease, in front of a possibly very impressive and handsome official, a dark-faced official, and a third one who exuded violence, shivering. His lips were quivering, but he couldn't say a word, until the bailiff kicked him in the back of the knees and he remembered to kneel, incessantly kowtowing. Tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving two tracks in the mud. If they didn't know the truth, most people would think he had been tortured.Xia Yujin covered his nose. Drag him away.After having spent so long in his company, Assistant Prefect Niu knew how he was. Plus, the Emperor wasn't concerned about this affair, Ye Zhao didn't say anything, and Xia Yujin didn't have any scruples to take advantage of his status as a prince of the blood. Seeing that this man in his twenties was even less reasonable than his eight-years-old grandson, he said, indignant and full of disapproval, Why so fast? We haven't asked him anything.You overly careful old fogey! Xia Yujin fumed. Your questioning will take so long that my nose will have fallen off by the time you're done! Take him away and wash him off first! Give him clean clothes to change into and bring him back to talk.Assistant Prefect Niu gave a snort of contempt. If you can't stand this bit of suffering, how do you expect to accomplish anything?Xia Yujin paid him no heed. Give him a sturdy set of clothes, then tell the kid that if he does what he's told and takes a bath, he'll be given food.The little beggar had been on the run for several days. He was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his spine. Feeling that being a poor devil with a full stomach was better than being a starving ghost, he immediately looked up.Rice?Yes, rice, Xia Yujin said.The little beggar's stomach rumbled from excitement. How many bowls? he asked quickly.If I treated you to edible bird nests and shark fin,1wouldn't you still feel wronged? Xia Yujin said disdainfully after some consideration. There'll be meat, of course, and you'll be able to eat as much as you can.Ye Zhao smiled softly and Assistant Prefect Niu stopped talking.Servants hurried forward to take the little beggar away to bathe and eat.In the end, Dr. Meng happily came by the censor's office with his medicine chest, fed three pills to the little beggar to help his digestion, prescribed him something for his binge-eating, gave Xia Yujin a resentful look, and gloomily walked away.Assistant Prefect Niu fiercely glared at Xia Yujin.Xia Yujin was even more afflicted. How could I have known he could eat half a suckling pig and three bowls of riceWith the help of the digestive pills, the little beggar recovered. Sir, he weakly called, my stomach doesn't hurt that much anymore. That steamed bun, I only ate half of itAssistant Prefect Niu immediately stepped forward, and said kindly, Good boy, don't be scared if you saw what happened at Master Li's house four nights ago from the banyan tree. His Highness Prince Xia's bodhisattva's heart is sure to let you eat your fill for the rest of your life.Hey! said Xia Yujin. How can you use someone else's money to grant favors?Impatiently waiting for an answer, Assistant Prefect Niu pushed him back.Encouraged by the food, the little beggar swallowed his saliva and said in a small voice, The moon was full that night. I had a steamed bun, but I was still hungry, so I woke up in the middle of the night and sat in the tree gnawing on a bone. Then I saw a very tall shadow flying over the roof like a shadow, right into Uncle Li's house. After a short while, that shadow came out of the house and looked down. He was holding a sword, and after he wiped with something the blade glinted. I felt that something was wrong, so I didn't make a sound. The next day I heard that Master Li was dead and that the authorities were going around asking questions. I was scared, so I ran awayHow tall was the shadow? asked Ye Zhao.The little beggar measured her. It seemed a bit taller than you, sir.Xia Yujin was on his guard. What sir'? Call her ma'am! he indignantly exclaimed.The little beggar nodded in fright. Yes, ma'am!Xia Yujin was so angry that, after scolding that blind brat, he aggressively asked, Did you see that guy's face? If you didn't see it, no more meat for you!In the dark and with his head down, how could he have seen anything? Assistant Prefect Niu rebuked him.I saw it! screeched the little beggar. I accidentally dropped the bone I was gnawing on the ground, so he walked over, looked down at the bone on the ground, then up at the tree! So I quickly made a stray cat's sound and he left after cursing it out.What did he look like? Ye Zhao pressed him.The little beggar hesitated for a moment, his face filled with fear. He he didn't look like a person. He looked vicious, and his hair was all tousled, with braids in it. His eyes were scary and his nose was crooked, like like a ghost! No, he was a ghost, for sure! That's why he could fly in the air and hurt people everywhere.Xia Yujin proudly prodded Assistant Prefect Niu in the side. So? Am I the best at solving this case, or what?Assistant Prefect Niu started to seriously consider whether he ought to have his wife go pray for him at the temple for a change of fortune.The hairstyle, stature, and nose described by the little beggar all pointed to someone from Eastern Xia.Prince Yinuo was at the head of the Eastern Xia delegation, come here for the sake of establishing good relations between the two nations. He'd been performing well in the days he'd been here: not only restraining his men and forbidding them from going out as they wished, he also showed great interest in the officials' incessant company. He hardly seemed to care about the occasional mocking and resentment from the officials about Eastern Xia's previous help to the Man Jin, only putting on a frank and honest smile but never talking back or taking it to heart. With such a performance on his part, it was genuinely difficult to find a pretext to accuse him of a crime and request to conduct a search.And even if they did find him guilty of murder and showed to all that he was only a wolf in sheep's clothing, as long as they didn't find any evidence of a coup against the Great Qin, they could not arbitrarily punish him without causing a conflict between the two countries. But they'd just gone through eight years of war against the Man Jin, their whole economy had suffered, and neither the government nor the people of the Great Qin had yet recovered their strength. No one wanted to see this happen.We can't say he's scheming against the Great Qin, Xia Yujin said.Where's the evidence? asked Assistant Prefect Niu.Master Li's fakes are definitely important.But what were they?Xia Yujin thought for a long time, then clapped his hands. Since the little beggar saw the murderer's face, he said, then take him to see the people from the Eastern Xia's delegation and identify him.He's a powerful prince of the blood, and this is a matter of national prestige. How would you look for this person?I'll book Xinghua House, Xia Yujin happily answered, mind turning fast, call dozens of singers and musicians, then invite them all to the party. Then we'll dress the little beggar up as an attendant and have him follow me. He'll be able to walk around and identify the murderer!What reason will you give to invite everyone to drink at a pleasure house? asked Assistant Prefect Niu.Seeing Xia Yujin lost in thought, Ye Zhao, who'd been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. When we crossed paths on the battlefield, he said that friendship grows from an exchange of blows, that he thought fate has destined us to meet, and that he wanted to invite me to drink. I can gather my officers from the Northern Desert, then invite everyone from the delegation to a grand banquet so that we can all drink together.General, this plan is wonderful, Assistant Prefect Niu praised.No way! Xia Yujin remembered Yinuo, that bear from Eastern Xia who seemed so interested in his wife, his wife's bad alcohol tolerance, and the beautiful dancers from the banquet with a foreboding feeling. Is my wife specializing in drinking with company at pleasure houses? What will you do if you get drunk?Then what do you propose? asked Ye Zhao.Xia Yujin gritted his teeth. Determined to sacrifice himself, he patted his chest and said, I'll do it!Eastern Xia people like to peer pressure people to drink, Ye Zhao argued, and they're all massive. With your stature, you won't be able to keep up.Your Highness, don't be too difficult, Assistant Prefect Niu also tried to reason. Why you? The general can take care of the event.Unwilling to admit his true purpose, Xia Yujin had no other choice than to righteously yell, Ah-Zhao is still my wife, no matter how great she is! A man, a real man, cannot let someone wrong his wife! Will I have any prestige left, otherwise?You're a hero! Some guts! Ye Zhao said, smiling, as she patted his shoulder. I can certainly respect my husband's kindness. After some thought, she warned him again, But I've looked into it, this time. Prince Yinuo has indeed played with male pets, and the head of his private guard is a cut-sleeve as well. Be careful when drinking with him, don't let the alcohol give him an opportunity to take advantage of you.Xia Yujin's face turned green with nausea. He wanted to ask: was it too late for regrets, now?With the two of them getting along so well, the atmosphere was peaceful.Assistant Prefect Niu was moved. Even that well-known scoundrel could feel deep affection and, regardless of gossip and rumor, was perfectly delighted to protect the fiercest tiger among all of the Great Qin's wives. Mutual respect between spouses! Later, he ought to drop by a shop to buy some jewelry, take it to the main hall and speak intimately with his own wife, lest he be inferior to the scoundrel and let his relationship with his wife go to waste.As he thought of this, his respect for Xia Yujin irresistibly rose. How considerate and righteous of you, Your Highness! he applauded. You are a true man of character. I misjudged you.Xia Yujin immediately swallowed back any words of regret he'd had, putting on a smile. You flatter me1 Luxury and expensive foods that aren't very filling.Officially a third of the way through!! if you don't count the extras
