Chapter 13: Jiao Zao

Ma Bing was chuckling to herself when suddenly a clear male voice rang out, “Little girl, what’s so amusing?”

She looked up and saw Xie Xian.

Ma Bing was sitting at a table by the window in the corner of the hall. Xie Xian had one hand leaning on the window frame, smiling.

It was unclear what he had just been doing, but he was holding a sandalwood fan with specks of gold, wearing a gray robe and a slightly darker Xiaoyao headscarf, with his hair ribbon fluttering. Compared to his previous official attire, he now appeared even more dashing—so much so that he seemed more refined and handsome than the young scholars awaiting the palace examination.

Ma Bing quickly stood up to bow, momentarily unsure of what title to use.

Marquis? Marquis of the Imperial Household? Minister Xie?

Xie Xian, however, was unfazed. Before she could complete her bow, he simply lifted his fan and strolled over, then casually sat down across from her with a flip of his robe, saying, “No need.”

He seemed completely at ease, as if they were old friends.

His casualness eased Ma Bing’s tension. Noticing a bit of dust on his robe, she curiously asked, “Have you been outside the city, sir?”

Recently, the weather had been dry, and to prevent fires, water carts drove through the streets of Kaifeng three times a day to sprinkle water. If he had only been moving within the city, there would certainly have been no dust on his clothes.

Xie Xian raised his eyebrows and smiled. “You kids sure have sharp eyes.”

Ordinary people wouldn’t usually notice such details, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t think much of it.

He unfolded his fan and gave it a few waves, actually answering seriously, “A friend of mine was demoted, so I went to see him off.”

Naturally, a few poems were composed to express his frustration: Ah, how beautiful the spring scenery is—I’ve been demoted. Ah, how wonderful the spring sunshine is—I’ve been demoted again…

With a flick of his fan, a faint scent of young willow branches mixed into the cool breeze and reached Ma Bing’s nose. Looking closer at his right fingertips, she indeed saw faint green traces of tree sap.

The word “willow” (liu) in Chinese sounds similar to “stay” (liu), and it has long been a tradition among scholars and literati to break off willow branches as a gesture of farewell to departing friends.

“Oh, you little girl, you’re quite cunning—you haven’t answered my earlier question yet,” Xie Xian teased.

Ma Bing glanced at him. At first, she wasn’t keen on speaking, since it might imply criticism, but then decided he wasn’t the kind of rigid, inflexible person who couldn’t take a joke.

“I was laughing at those people upstairs—they’re full of knowledge but also schemes. They wear the shell of scholars but are more mercantile and vulgar than merchants.”

Upon hearing this, the servant pouring tea for Xie Xian nearly dropped his teapot.

Aren’t you just cursing someone by implication?

Xie Xian paused mid-fan, and his smile froze.

Ma Bing blinked innocently and whispered, “You insisted I tell you…”

It wasn’t her fault!

After what felt like an eternity, Xie Xian sighed, pinching his forehead, then unexpectedly burst into laughter.

Ma Bing: “…??”

What was so funny?

But Xie Xian seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. He couldn’t stop laughing, his head bowed, half-leaning on the table, shaking with laughter. This drew curious glances from nearby tables.

Look at that—another victim ruined by the imperial exams, gone mad.

With his back to the hall, people could only see his trembling back. Ma Bing was forced to endure the stares.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed and annoyed, her face flushed with heat. “What exactly is so funny?”

Unfortunately, asking only made Xie Xian laugh even harder.

Ma Bing: “…”

This guy must have a problem in the head!

The reason the princess married him must have been out of infatuation with his looks!

Fuming, Ma Bing stood up to leave, but Xie Xian reached out and gently pinched the hem of her robe with two long fingers. “Oh, don’t be angry.”

He was clearly already forty, with faint lines at the corners of his eyes, but rather than diminishing his appearance, these added a certain matured charm and steadiness that only time could bestow.

And when he looked up like this, eyes filled with laughter and saying sweet things, it was hard for anyone to resist.

At least Ma Bing felt she couldn’t…

She sat back down, sulking. Suddenly, the light dimmed. She looked up and saw Xie Yu standing exactly where Xie Xian had been moments ago, his face full of surprise, as if asking, “How did you two end up together?”

Xie Xian’s face immediately lit up with delight. “Finished patrolling the streets? Come in and have some snacks.”

Ma Bing: “…”

Hey, those snacks were bought by me!

Well, Ma Bing felt that Xie Yu probably wasn’t too keen on coming in.

He stood there for a moment, his eyes flashing with hesitation, before finally sighing resignedly and stepping inside.

Xie Xian tugged his son over and examined him from top to bottom for a long while, then sighed again. “You’ve lost weight.”

Xie Yu thought he was making it up.

Although things had been hectic lately, his family had never stopped sending him things. He felt he hadn’t lost weight at all—in fact, he might have gained a bit, which was why he had to increase his martial arts training.

Skillfully pushing aside Xie Xian’s hand, Xie Yu glanced between the two again. “What were you talking about?”

“Oh,” distracted by this, Ma Bing almost forgot the previous topic, “I was saying, is it really necessary to be scheming to become an official?”

Xie Yu was taken aback, while Xie Xian began to laugh again, glancing sideways at his son.

Ma Bing found their reactions a bit strange. “What’s wrong?”

Xie Yu averted his gaze. “Nothing.”

This topic reminded him of the teasing he had endured from his parents in the past, which was probably why he had joined the imperial guards so early…

After laughing heartily for quite some time, Xie Xian poured himself a cup of tea to soothe his throat and picked up some jujube candies from the plate, nodding solemnly. “Indeed.”

These dates from Shandong were especially firm and thick-fleshed. Fresh, they were crisp and sweet; dried, they were chewy and nourishing, good for energy and blood. They could be used as fruit snacks or in soups. When steamed, they became particularly sweet and tender, almost jelly-like, hence their name.

Ma Bing’s eyes widened in surprise, while Xie Yu didn’t seem at all shocked by the answer.

Before Ma Bing could speak again, loud noises came from outside. Instinctively turning her head, she saw several constables escorting a prisoner in chains slowly passing by, followed by a crowd of angry citizens shouting curses like “That dog official, Mr. Xu…” and “It’s your turn now!”

Xu?

Ma Bing looked closer and realized it was indeed Xu Maocai.

In just ten days, Xu Maocai looked as if he had aged ten years. His hair had turned white, his expression was listless, and the wind made it even more disheveled and pitiful, a far cry from his former glory.

The former governor of Ning’an, now dressed in prisoner’s clothes and in chains, slowly walked through the crowd, surrounded by the people’s curses.

Some citizens, whose lands had been seized by Xu and his son, had even followed him, crying and cursing all the way…

“Has the case been concluded?” Ma Bing asked Xie Yu.

Since they were parading him through the streets, some details no longer needed to be kept secret. Xie Yu replied, “Not quite. Xu Lang has confessed to everything he could, and there’s nothing more to extract…”

After reporting to the Emperor, the court had no interest in seeing that scoundrel again and had directly sentenced him to execution in autumn.

Xu Maocai, however, was still involved in other cases. The old fox remained cunning and still harbored hopes, so they had to keep him for now.

But based on what he had done so far, the best outcome for him would be exile to three thousand miles away, or he might even share his son’s fate.

Ma Bing’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

She tried to appear indifferent as she said, “But he might not have confessed to everything he did.”

After all, the more evidence there was, the heavier the punishment.

Xie Yu glanced at her. “Hard to say.”

Like a cornered dog might bite, if provoked enough, he might drag others down with him.

But if there was someone especially important to Xu Maocai in this world—like his wife or clan members—perhaps to protect them from retaliation, he might dare not implicate others.

The interrogation of Xu Maocai had reached a stalemate. He clearly had more key testimony to give but was holding back due to some concerns.

If this continued, it would only waste time. Tu Yao had taken a risky move: parading Xu Maocai around, hoping that those hiding in the shadows would panic and act. Only when the enemy moved could they follow the trail…

Ma Bing watched Xu Maocai pass by outside the window, his heavy chains dragging on the ground with a clanging sound.

“All this scheming, and still he ends up like this…”

“No, you’re wrong,” Xie Xian said, tapping the table with his folded fan in a casual manner. “That wasn’t real scheming or planning—it was merely self-conceit and arrogance. The true scheming of an official should be to outmaneuver opponents, anticipate external threats, and prepare for disasters, not to use one’s limited intelligence to oppress innocent, ordinary people. People like that are just short-sighted fools.”

Xie Xian said this indifferently, his usually smiling eyes showing a hint of coldness and mockery.

Ma Bing suddenly realized she had been mistaken—gravely mistaken.

She had been captivated by his appearance and demeanor, forgetting that beyond being the princess’s husband, Xie Xian was truly a brilliant scholar who had achieved the rare feat of first place in all three levels of imperial examinations. Having spent many years in officialdom, beneath his gentle, harmless exterior, he had already honed the unique skills and vision of a seasoned politician.

If it came to scheming, this man was likely the master of the craft.

“Marquis,” a servant from the Princess’s mansion entered, delighted to see Xie Yu as well, “The Crown Prince is here too. The Princess has just received a jar of excellent Western Regions wine, along with some fat game hens and tender grilled fish sent as tribute. Perhaps you both could…”

Xie Yu raised his hand to stop him. “Give my regards to my mother.”

The imperial examination was in two days, and the government office couldn’t afford to be short-staffed during this period.

Xie Xian happily stood up, almost eagerly. “Well then, I shall return home and enjoy it with the Princess.”

Xie Yu and Ma Bing both stood to bow.

Xie Xian had already taken a few steps away when he suddenly turned back, stared at Ma Bing for a moment, then moved his hand in a flash, quickly tugging her little braid!

Ma Bing: “!!!”

Xie Yu: “…”

Successfully pulling off the surprise attack, Xie Xian laughed delightedly, as cheerful as a child.

“Little girl, you may have many worries,” he suddenly winked, “but life is short. Don’t get stuck in the past—look to the present.”

On the way back to the Kaifeng government office, Ma Bing seemed distracted, drawing many sidelong glances from Xie Yu.

“Don’t take him too seriously.”

Speaking of his father, Xie Yu felt a mix of emotions.

What was he thinking, acting so childishly!

As an adult, pulling a little girl’s braid—how could he behave like that?!

Ma Bing gave him a long look. “Your father is indeed an interesting person.”

It hurt so much!

Xie Yu pinched his brow. “Sorry.”

Ma Bing huffed and turned her eyes stubbornly toward a roadside food stall.

Xie Yu: “…”

Silently, he took off his money pouch and handed it over.

Fine, fine—pay for it. The sins of the father are borne by the son!