Chapter 45: I Didn’t Want to Either, But Who Told Them They Were Incompetent?

“What are we going to do now?”

“Exactly! If we can’t come up with a solution soon, Qinghe County will be lost!”

“I’ve heard that all the scholars sent to try and persuade Zhang Jincheng have been killed. This time, Zhang Jincheng is determined to take Qinghe County…”

From the front courtyard, as one dire report after another arrived from Qinghe, the gathered scholars, officials, and a few armored officers all frowned, murmuring anxiously among themselves.

Passing by the main hall, Fu Zihou caught the sound of a plea coming from within.

“Gentlemen, we of the Cui family beseech you to offer a plan as soon as possible. As long as Qinghe’s siege can be lifted, our family will gladly gift one hundred taels of gold and forever remember this kindness…”

He could hear the longing and urgency in the voices of the Cui elders. Just as he was about to head for the pavilion, he noticed, to his surprise, Bao Shumu and Changsun Shumu coming in from the flower garden, leading a group of people.

“Zihou, come here!” Changsun Shumu called to him at once.

Though puzzled by the summons, Fu Zihou halted and walked over to her.

Before long, he found himself in front of Changsun Shumu, casting a curious look at the men and women, young and old, who followed behind her and Bao Shumu.

“Zihou, this is Chae’er’s grandfather and grandmother! This is her great-aunt! This is her uncle! And these are her great-aunt’s children—so by relation, they’re Chae’er’s cousins, both male and female.”

Seeing Fu Zihou approach, Changsun Nonggui introduced the elders with a smile. Since there were so many, she let Zihou greet them first.

Fu Zihou stood rooted in surprise; he hadn’t expected so many of Li Chae’s relatives to arrive at once. Then again, with the year’s end approaching, it was only natural: the Gao family’s branches and female kin, unless aged or unwell, were all to return to Tiao County for the ancestral rites.

“Zihou, greet them…”

Prompted by Changsun Shumu, Fu Zihou offered bows to each in turn. To his astonishment, the last was a young woman whose beauty rivaled Li Qiong’s, and whose bearing, if anything, was even more refined. She couldn’t be much older than he, yet was Li Chae’s great-aunt by generation.

He recalled his aunt mentioning once that Chae’er’s late mother had been the daughter of Gao Shining of the Gao family. Beyond that, he knew little of Gao Shining or the family; during his time in Tiao County, he hadn’t asked, trusting in the Old Madam’s assurance that when the year’s end came and Li Chae’s father returned, he’d be taken to meet Chae’er’s great-grandmother and grandfather.

Now, with so many of Chae’er’s relatives suddenly before him, Fu Zihou couldn’t help but feel nervous, especially under the watchful, smiling scrutiny of her grandmother and great-aunt.

“This is Chae’er’s betrothed, Fu Zihou!” Changsun Nonggui waited for him to finish the formalities, then introduced him to the others with a smile.

As she looked at those behind her, Changsun Nonggui herself was surprised that Li Chae’s great-aunt had also returned for the ancestral rites this year, in addition to Chae’er’s grandfather Gao Shining and grandmother Xiao.

This great-aunt was the sister of Gao Shining and Gao Shilian, long married to Changsun Sheng, now his widow. The young brother and sister following her were the children of the Gao and Changsun families: Changsun Wuji and Guanyinbi.

Years ago, after Changsun Sheng’s death, his widow and children were cast out by the Changsun clan, but Gao Shilian, then living in Luoyang, took them in. Two years prior, when Yang Xuangan rebelled and was defeated, the Minister of War in Luoyang, Husi Zheng, fled to Goguryeo to escape punishment. Gao Shilian, being on close terms with Husi Zheng, was implicated and banished to Jiaozhi as a registrar. Before leaving, Gao Shilian left his mother, sister, and son in his elder brother’s care.

Though she herself belonged to the Changsun clan, Changsun Nonggui mused that her kinship with Chae’er was closer than with the siblings Changsun Wuji and Guanyinbi.

The other two men—one was Gao Shining’s son, Gao Jin, brother to Chae’er’s late mother; the other was Gao Shilian’s son, Gao Luxing.

Chae’er’s great-grandmother was absent, likely Gao Shilian’s wife, who stayed behind in Luoyang to care for the family.

Seeing everyone appraise Zihou with approving nods, Changsun Nonggui broke into a smile.

“Though Zihou comes from humble beginnings and only recently arrived in Tiao County with his family, after meeting Chae’er, he pawned his beloved sword to buy her a hairpin for thirteen thousand coins…”

She spoke in a feigned tone of reproach, as if to say Zihou was foolish.

Yet her words surprised the Gao family members; neither Gao Shining nor Xiao had expected a young man to treat the mute and disabled Li Chae with such devotion.

“Zihou, where are you going? Where is Chae’er?” Changsun Nonggui asked, having noticed earlier that Zihou seemed to be heading toward the pavilion without Chae’er.

“Aunt, Chae’er is in the back courtyard warming herself by the fire. I was just going to check on Brother Cui’s injuries.”

“Go on, then. I’ll take everyone to see Chae’er.”

Changsun Nonggui nodded. She thought it a good thing for Zihou to show concern for the gravely injured Cui Yuzhe, as closer ties with the Cui family could only help.

“Yes, Aunt.” Zihou bowed again to Chae’er’s elders, and, seeing the eldest great-grandmother nod, turned to leave.

“If only Chae’er’s mother were still alive to see a man care for her daughter like this…”

Madam Xiao, nearing fifty, watched Zihou’s departing figure and, thinking of her lost daughter, felt a pang of sorrow and regret.

“But such a reunion can never be…” Gao Shining replied, his gaze complex.

Noticing familiar faces in the main hall, and mindful of the internal strife within the Gao clan, Gao Shining sent his wife and sister to see Chae’er, while he went to greet the Cui family elders.

“Sister, I used to think that among all the men I’d met, only Shimin could be called a good husband. But it turns out this Fu Zihou is one, too!” Changsun Wuji remarked to his sister after Zihou left.

He was on excellent terms with his brother-in-law Li Shimin. They hunted, feasted, and drank together. Ever since his sister married Li Shimin, her husband had doted on her. Two years prior, when Li Shimin’s mother was gravely ill, his sister had tended to her day and night. Though the elder Madam Dou eventually passed, her care left a deep impression on Shimin, who, from then on, never refused his wife anything she asked.

Wuji had thought his brother-in-law, Li Shimin, was the rarest of husbands, but the story of Zihou pawning his sword for a hairpin genuinely moved him—perhaps because, while his sister was a great beauty, he’d seen Li Chae several times and knew she was mute from birth.

“Yes, to trade his treasured sword for a hairpin for his betrothed—she must mean everything to him,” Guanyinbi murmured softly.

“It’s a pity Shimin wanted to come to Tiao County, but had to stay behind in Hexi with our elder brother. Had he met Zihou, I’m sure he’d have liked him!” Wuji lamented, smiling. He knew his brother-in-law’s temperament—deeply loyal, always drawn to others of kindred spirit.

“Haven’t you heard about what’s happening in Qinghe? If he’d come, he might not have been able to resist getting involved. It’s far too dangerous!” Guanyinbi chided, turning her beautiful face to him. She knew what her husband was involved in and what he and his brothers were doing.

With the Cui family’s plea for help, she was sure her husband would have been tempted to lead men to Qinghe to fight Zhang Jincheng—far too risky.

“Sister, you worry too much about Shimin’s safety! You’ve never hunted with him, or you’d know—if he were to come, the siege of Qinghe would be resolved effortlessly!” Wuji laughed, seeing his sister’s concern.

But when she ignored him and followed their mother and the others to the rear courtyard, Wuji could only sigh helplessly and trail after her.

…………

In a guest room of the Li residence.

Because Cui Yuzhe was gravely injured and needed quiet, only the elders of the Cui family came to visit; at other times, only Cui Wenjin kept vigil.

The gate was guarded by household servants, who recognized Fu Zihou and let him pass without question.

Inside, Cui Wenjin sat by her brother’s bedside, her eyes swollen from crying.

“Has Brother Cui not woken yet?” Zihou asked, frowning as he looked at Cui Yuzhe.

“You liar, what are you doing here?” Cui Wenjin snapped between sobs, her surprise at his looks overshadowed by her worry for her brother.

She thought back on all the ways her brother had spoiled her, always indulging her wishes. Now she was terrified: if he never woke, what would she do?

“A liar? Lady Wenjin, when have I ever deceived you?” Zihou replied, baffled by her accusation.

“You know perfectly well!” she retorted, unwilling to argue further. Wiping her tears, she ignored the mild sting in her eyes.

“Do you know what’s happening in Qinghe now? Can you tell me?” she asked softly, her expression fragile.

She had been at her brother’s side all this time and knew nothing of the news. Besides her brother, she worried for her parents, sister, and kin in Qinghe.

“They say the troops sent from Tiao County to reinforce Qinghe were completely wiped out—barely one in ten made it back. According to those who fled and reported, your family elders believe Qinghe may fall as soon as tomorrow,” Zihou answered, unsure when he’d ever deceived her but deciding to be honest.

He didn’t want to be remembered as a liar in her eyes.

“What? Tomorrow?!” Wenjin’s eyes widened in shock. She spun around, clutching Zihou’s sleeve in panic, looking around as if searching for something.

“Going there won’t help! Your elders and all those people in the courtyard—they’re out of ideas, too!” Zihou sighed as Wenjin instinctively reached for her sword.

She froze, his words like a knife to her heart as she thought of the situation.

“But my parents…” Tears welled in her swollen eyes again. As her sword clattered to the floor, she slid to the ground beside the bed, curling up in despair.

Zihou glanced at her, then at the unconscious Cui Yuzhe, recalling how, after Li Yuan killed Dou Jiande, Hebei had never truly submitted to the Tang for centuries.

“I don’t know why you call me a liar,” he said quietly, “but now I must ask—does the Cui family keep its word?”

Wenjin, after a moment, looked up at him, her tear-stained face bewildered.

Zihou picked up Cui Yuzhe’s identity token from the bedside table, then bent to retrieve Wenjin’s fallen sword.

“I may not be able to help your family, but I’ll do my best. If anything happens to me, if I don’t come back, please look after my family,” he said softly, then turned to leave.

By the time Wenjin understood his meaning, she froze in surprise.

“Wait! Don’t do anything rash, you’ll get yourself killed!” she called out, her voice breaking. Though she desperately wanted to save her family, she didn’t want this “liar” to throw his life away—he was slender, hardly a warrior, and what could he do alone?

So many soldiers and generals had already been defeated or killed by Zhang Jincheng.

But Zihou gave no reply. She saw him pause at the door and look back.

“If I don’t go, no one will dare go to Qinghe now. Aren’t you afraid Zhang Jincheng will sack the city?”

Wenjin was stunned, recalling Zhang Jincheng’s past massacres of innocents and the dire news Zihou had just reported.

By the time she regained her senses, he was gone, leaving only a helpless remark behind:

“I don’t want to go either, but what can I do when none of these people are up to the task?”