The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 12 The Pledge of Allegiance (Thanks to "NieMa" for the generous donation)

Seeing Shi Dechong's gaze pierce him like an arrow, Xiao Yi knew that he might really lose his life because of a single sentence.

He quickly calmed down and thought to himself that the man must be an enemy of the Shi family, but he had never heard of him before. Either the Shi family underestimated him, or the man was arrogant.

In an instant, Xiao Yi reacted.

He approached Shi Dechong with no fear in his eyes and said frankly, "Young master, you've come at the right time. Just now, this man inexplicably said to me, 'If I speak with you privately, the Shi family will surely kill you,' which is an attempt to slander the commander-in-chief for indiscriminate killing."

Shi Dechong was taken aback, the reprimand that was about to come out of his mouth stopped, and surprise appeared in his eyes.

The man had already reached the courtyard gate when he heard this and stopped.

Xiao Yi knew that this was not enough to protect himself. After a moment's thought, he said, "At first I didn't understand. He was wearing a purple robe. What grudge did he have against me, a servant? Then I realized that he probably thought he had the young master under his thumb and was openly sowing discord, expecting the young master to kill out of suspicion."

Finally, Shi Dechong shifted his gaze from him to the other man and uttered a name through gritted teeth.

"Li Ye".

Xiao Yi sensed Shi Dechong's anger and added fuel to the fire, saying, "This Lord Li is indeed targeting the Shi family. His words are malicious, like Xiang Zhuang's sword dance aimed at Liu Bang."

He compared Shi Dechong to "Liu Bang" (a historical figure known for his treacherous character), which made him feel that the suspicions directed at him had subsided.

Li Ye's mocking smile froze. He gave him a deep look, and then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Well said, 'Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang.' I underestimated you. I didn't expect you could save your life with these eight words."

Xiao Yi said, "No need for Governor Li to worry. The young master and the general are fair in their rewards and punishments. They only kill those with ulterior motives and will not punish them for their words."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Li Ye threw his head back and laughed, as if he had heard a very funny joke, and said, "Well said, well said. When it comes to mocking Shi Hongzhao, the servants of the Shi family are the best at it. Their mockery is exquisite."

Shi Dechong's expression turned slightly unpleasant. Suppressing his anger, he smiled calmly and said, "Li Ye, don't you find it boring to resort to such underhanded tricks all day long?"

"I find it very funny, why get angry? It was just a joke."

A mocking smile appeared on Li Ye's lips as he pointed at Xiao Yi twice and said, "I'll remember you."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve and strode away.

Xiao Yi was somewhat surprised that Shi Dechong had let it go so easily.

It must be because Li Ye has an extraordinary status.

Although his crisis was temporarily averted, he had offended such a lunatic, and whether this was a blessing or a curse was hard to predict.

Xiao Yi was the one who was inexplicably pushed to the brink of life and death, but seeing Shi Dechong's unhappy expression, he still had to go forward to comfort him.

“Young master, this person sows discord in public, is shallow in knowledge, has crude schemes, and is of low character and moral standing, yet he still wears a purple robe.”

Shi Dechong sneered and asked, "Do you know who he is?"

"I don't know."

"The Emperor's maternal uncle and the Empress Dowager's younger brother, he was favored at home since childhood and was used to a life of pleasure and debauchery. He rose to the position of Xuanhui Envoy by playing around with the Emperor. He spends his days in close contact with the Emperor and flying kites in the palace, which is quite improper."

As Shi Dechong spoke, he shook his head, as if he felt that arguing with Li Ye was beneath him, and sneered, "A spoiled brat who thinks he can go against me."

Xiao Yi said, "It's obvious that he thinks highly of himself."

Shi Dechong smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, since I didn't take Li Ye seriously, why would I blame you?"

Xiao Yi had had enough of this kind of test where life and death were decided by the words of others, but he smiled and said, "Just treat him as... a tasteless fart?"

"Haha not bad!"

Shi Dechong was overjoyed, his gloom vanished, and as he left the Ministry of Personnel and mounted his horse, he suddenly uttered a sentence.

"Xiao Yi, from today onwards, you will be my personal attendant, and your monthly allowance will be the same as Chun Tao's."

--------

Chun Tao carried a set of fine linen robes into the side room. She looked at Xiao Yi and found that he was calm and composed, showing no signs of being surprised by honor or disgrace.

"Congratulations on your promotion! What achievements have you made?"

"I didn't achieve anything this time."

Xiao Yi had made more contributions before but received little reward. It was Li Ye's provocative words that made Shi Dechong realize the need for clear rewards and punishments.

Or perhaps Shi Dechong simply wanted to show Li Ye that he hadn't fallen for the trap.

"You're really lucky to have won the young master's favor so much," Chun Tao said. "Try it on and see if it fits."

"Thank you."

Xiao Yi disagreed with her, so he took the robe and waited for her to leave.

Chun Tao didn't leave. She crossed her arms and urged, "What's there to be shy about? Hurry up and change. I still need to take you to see the young master."

"it is good."

Xiao Yi changed his clothes, and the two walked towards the front yard.

On the way, Chun Tao perhaps felt that Xiao Yi was qualified to talk to her on equal terms, so she did not deliberately walk in front, but walked side by side with him.

"You look thin, but you're quite strong. You look good in this new outfit."

"It was given to me by Miss Chuntao and fits perfectly."

"You talk as if I know your size, that's not true at all," Chun Tao said. "Do you even know how a personal attendant should act?"

"Please enlighten me."

"As a 'close attendant,' you will naturally be by the young master's side, whether in official business or private. Although you are still a household servant, your status is extraordinary. Even the stewards can call you 'Brother Yi' or 'Young Master Yi.' From now on, you can directly seek an audience with the young master without asking me. You must be familiar with the people who associate with the young master, and act as his mouthpiece, eyes and ears, and hands and feet, offering advice and suggestions, conveying orders, supervising affairs, and organizing documents..."

This is exactly what Xiao Yi needs right now—some freedom of movement, and the ability to access and accumulate more information. Chun Tao added, "Many people have come to visit today, and the young master is a bit tired. He specifically asked you to help him entertain the guests."

Xiao Yi was somewhat puzzled by being suddenly entrusted with such an important task.

When asked again, Chun Tao didn't know either, only that Shi Hongzhao often handled official business at his private residence, and officials came to visit in an endless stream.

As they spoke, they arrived at the lobby.

Shi Dechong sat there, looking slightly tired, and casually tossed a visiting card to him.

"Xiao Yi, you're in charge of receiving this person."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi saw that the signature on the letter was "Li Hongdu of Jinyang, the third-generation nephew of the late Grand Tutor". He roughly calculated that this person should call the Empress Dowager "aunt".

More likely, it's just a distant relative.

Just as he was about to put down the visiting card, he suddenly noticed a detail—the visiting card had been sent half a month ago.

A moment later, Li Hongdu was led into the hall. He was dressed in luxurious clothes, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his fair face was covered with a fawning smile. He bowed deeply, his posture extremely humble.

"I, Li Hongdu, have finally entered the Shi family. I humbly wish to pay my respects to Young Master Shi. This is a small gift list, which is hardly worthy of the prestigious Shi family. It is but a token of my sincerity. I humbly request your acceptance."

Seeing that Shi Dechong was holding tea and remaining silent, Xiao Yi stepped forward, took the gift list, and read aloud: "I have prepared a small gift to respectfully present to Lord Shi: one hundred taels of pure gold, one bushel of pearls, and twenty bolts of soft satin as tribute..."

Shi Dechong suddenly raised his hand to stop them, indicating that he didn't want to listen anymore.

Xiao Yi then asked, "What brings you here, sir?"

"I am but a humble man, with only a smattering of archery and horsemanship. I aspire to serve as your whip and stirrup bearer, but I dare not presume upon a high position. If I could serve as a patrol inspector in the Imperial Guard, patrolling the streets, that would be enough for me. I have heard that there is still a vacancy in the left wing?"

The hall was quiet, and Shi Dechong remained silent.

Xiao Yi asked, "Where did you hear that?"

"I learned this from Li Ye, the cousin of the young man."

"Li Ye?" Xiao Yi thought it was a coincidence, but then realized it wasn't. He calmed himself and asked, "Then why don't you go and beg him?"

Li Hongdu looked indignant and said, "He took the money and then called me a fool for having unrealistic ideas and kicked me out. I couldn't swallow this insult. I thought that among all the officials, only Grand Tutor Shi was a true hero. So I sold my ancestral land and borrowed money from my neighbors to scrape together this money. I beg you, sir, to say a few kind words so that I can gain a foothold in the capital and hold my head high."

Xiao Yi caught a glimpse of Chun Tao pointing to the gift list, shook his head slightly, and said knowingly, "This gift list doesn't look like it's from selling off ancestral property."

“Young Master,” Li Hongdu turned to Shi Dechong and said, “To be honest, although I am a member of the Empress Dowager’s clan, I sincerely wish to join the Shi family. I trade in Jiangnan and send a considerable amount of money to the patrol office every year. If you would accept me as your retainer, you would not only gain real benefits but also demonstrate your magnanimity.”

Shi Dechong then put down his teacup and asked in a soft voice, "Xiao Yi, what's your opinion?"

Xiao Yi pondered to himself that Shi Dechong hadn't seen Li Hongdu for half a month, and today he suddenly asked him to meet with him, which showed that he had a plan in mind.

He understood.

So, mimicking Li Ye's manner, a knowing smile played on his lips as he leaned close to Li Hongdu's ear and whispered, "You're trying to seize military power by offering huge rewards. Unfortunately for you, didn't you consider that the walls might be overheard when you discussed this with Li Ye?"

These words came so suddenly that Li Hongdu's expression froze, and he instinctively trembled.

"you……"

“Young Master, we’ve managed to trick you out of it,” Xiao Yi said.

Li Hongdu paused for a moment, then bowed with feigned displeasure and said, "If you don't trust me, sir, you may accept this small gift. I will take my leave now."

"Take him away!" Shi Dechong suddenly shouted, then sneered, "A relative of the empress covets military power and has offended my father. Does he even think he can go back alive? Drag him out the door and kill him in the street."

Li Hongdu was shocked and shouted, "How dare you? I... I am a relative of the Empress Dowager! How... how dare you kill me?"

Xiao Yi also believed that killing the Empress Dowager's relatives would be detrimental to historians.

Just as he was about to offer some advice, he turned his head and saw Shi Dechong staring intently at him.

"Xiao Yi, you come and kill him."

"But he..."

“You already let one scholar go last time.”

In an instant, Xiao Yi realized that this was a test, and also a pledge of allegiance that he had to make.

This morning I was sown apart by Li Ye, and this afternoon I was arranged to kill off Li's relatives. What a coincidence!

If he isn't killed, then he is dead.

……

Li Hongdu was dragged by his guards to the gate of the Shi residence.

Xiao Yi took the waist knife and drew it.

The light was dim, and the blade reflected a face devoid of expression, devoid of pity or murderous intent, only indifference, as if isolated from the world.

"Congratulations, you've finished filming."

"Don't kill me! I'm a member of the Empress Dowager's clan! How dare you..."

"puff."

The throat-slitting motion was a bit clumsy, but it was clean and efficient.

With a soft sound, the fear and struggle came to an abrupt end.

(End of this chapter)