The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 25 Reporting
Xiao Yi had heard that Bianliang (Kaifeng) was a prosperous city during the Song Dynasty, with night markets that lasted all night long, but at this time, Kaifeng was dark and quiet.

The occasional sound of a wooden clapper and the clatter of hooves from the imperial guards patrolling the streets only served to create a sense of impending danger.

He turned into the alley and stepped onto the horse-drawn road. His official boots made a clear sound as they trod on the hard, rammed earth surface.

Soon, they encountered the first patrol.

The other person glanced at him from a distance, but instead of questioning him, they avoided him.

Xiao Yi had intended to question them, "What shady business are you engaging in while hiding from me?"

On second thought, there was no need to go to such lengths; it would be better to make things worse than they were intended.

After walking a while longer, he encountered a second group of people, but this time he wasn't so lucky.

"Halt! Who goes out at night?!"

Xiao Yi stopped and saw a junior officer carrying a torch approaching.

He raised his chin slightly, his voice carrying just the right amount of impatience and reserve, and said, "Xiao Yi, a proofreader in the Secretariat, has been ordered by his superior to deliver this document."

"Where's the paperwork?"

Xiao Yi took out the envelope that Li Fang had written to Guo Wei.

Sure enough, the junior officer glanced at it, but didn't open it. He looked him up and down and said, "Scholar Xiao is quite young."

"Do you think I'm like you, born to suffer?" Xiao Yi retorted with a quote that someone else had once said to him.

The junior officer was embarrassed but remained vigilant, and asked, "I want to ask why Xiao Xiaoshu didn't send anyone to deliver the message? Why did he travel at night without any attendants or guards?"

That's a very insightful question.

It wasn't that Xiao Yi and Li Fang hadn't considered things carefully, but rather that they lacked trustworthy followers.

Xiao Yi took out the official document from his robes, too lazy to fully unfold it, revealing only a corner of the vermilion seal, and casually said, "I have some refined tastes, is that any of your business?"

"It's not that I'm making things difficult for Scholar Xiao, but rather that martial law is in effect in the city tonight..."

"Oh?"

Xiao Yi seized the opportunity to interrupt, turning the tables and asking, "I also sensed something was wrong. If my master asks later, I should be able to answer. What happened?"

"fine."

"Such a commotion at night must mean something serious has happened."

"I said, it's nothing!" The junior officer frowned, impatiently turned to the side, and waved his hand, saying, "Scholar Xiao, don't delay any longer, go ahead."

Xiao Yi showed a hint of resentment, stared at the other party for a moment, and then left with unhurried official steps.

Once he was out of sight of the patrol, he quickened his pace.

Finally, beneath the outline of the Great Xiangguo Temple, a mansion came into view.

We've arrived at the Guo residence.

The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and it was extremely quiet.

Xiao Yi didn't knock on the door. Instead, he walked around most of the wall, found a place that was easy to climb, threw out the hook rope for hanging cured meat, and easily climbed in.

Looking around, he saw that this was the east wall of the Guo family's backyard, so he walked towards the main house.

The back garden was somewhat scenic, and the small open space in the middle showed some signs of martial arts practice, with wooden stakes and stone locks. However, a child's outer robe was hanging on the stone lock, probably forgotten there after playing. Next to the wooden stakes, the lines for hopscotch were drawn crookedly.

Xiao Yi walked around the wooden frame used for playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Ahead, a swing hung on the beam of the corridor. On the bench, there was a basket of needles and thread, an unsewn fur coat, and roasted chestnuts scattered around.

This family is forgetful, but it's warmer than the Shi family mansion.

He was a little lost, but when he saw a house with lights on in the distance, he headed towards it.

As they drew closer, the sound of conversation could be faintly heard.

"Hehe, you've secured a good spot. Isn't this a brilliant move? Let's see how you get around it."

"Watch this, open! Haha, that's big enough. If you dare to move, I'll take it down."

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, open! Five? Five! Return to the point, return to the point, it's all mine."

"Want to play again? I'm out of money."

"Here, I'm all ready. Third Brother, please sign this IOU."

"Eight percent monthly interest? You might as well rob someone."

"Third brother, you have to sign it, otherwise who will kneel with you as punishment? You'll have to kneel for another half a month."

"Ugh, my knees are so sore."

"Serves you right for being a lecher."

"It wasn't because I was lustful. That Khitan female prisoner said she wanted to see my dagger, so I showed it to her..."

Xiao Yi walked to the door and looked inside through the crack in the window.

First, I saw a memorial tablet inscribed with "The posthumous title of Grand Tutor Guo Jian". On the ground, a boy was kneeling on his side, playing backgammon with a girl who was kneeling.

Xiao Yi recognized the young man as Guo Xin, the third son of the Guo family.

The girl was not yet of marriageable age. She wore her hair in two buns, with small red-gold hairpins adorning them. She was dressed in a brocade jacket with a light gray squirrel fur trim around the collar. Her skin was smooth, and her eyes were bright and lively. Judging from her age, clothing, and demeanor, she must be Miss Guo Wu.

She was gathering all the scattered copper coins in front of her, her eyes crinkling with joy as she shook her head, while simultaneously berating Guo Xin.

"Anyway, Third Brother caused a huge disaster; that runaway horse almost killed us."

"You brought this up again." Guo Xin secretly reached out and grabbed some copper coins. "Give me some, let's play another game. There's no use in saving money."

"Take your claws off me. Hmph, I'm saving up to forge a dagger. If anyone dares to promise me to Shi Erlang, I'll stab him to death and live the life of a happy widow... Huh, who's here?"

"I'm kneeling!" Guo Xin was so frightened that he quickly knelt down, without turning his head, and shouted, "I've been kneeling the whole time, I haven't gotten up!"

Guo Wuniang hurriedly grabbed a cloth, put the backgammon and copper wallet in it, opened the door, and ran away.

Xiao Yi knocked twice on the door, but seeing the two suddenly startled, he quickly used his sword sheath to press Guo Wuniang's shoulder and said, "Wait, I have something important to say..." "Go!"

Guo Wuniang crouched down, about to flee, when suddenly she exclaimed "Eh!" and turned around.

She looked Xiao Yi up and down, paused for a moment, and then exclaimed, "A thief has broken in!"

After saying that, her little fist came flying at him.

Xiao Yi deftly dodged it and said, "Is that the third son of the Guo family inside? Please turn around."

"I know I was wrong, and I'm reflecting on my actions. It was Fifth Sister who insisted on gambling... Oh, it's you?!"

"it's me."

"Fifth Sister, stop! Look carefully, he is your savior."

"ah!"

Guo Wuniang couldn't stop herself and almost fell to the ground.

Xiao Yi reached out and grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifting her up.

Guo Wuniang was a little embarrassed. She covered her face with her hands and muttered, "Who knew you would become an official? How could I recognize you?"

While the brother and sister were fooling around, Xiao Yi took it seriously and said, "I have something important to tell you. Please inform Madam Chai and Guo Erlang."

Guo Wuniang then bowed to him, said nothing, and ran away.

"You can tell me what you have to say," Guo Xin said, still kneeling. "But I can't get up, so you need to come over and tell me."

Xiao Yi said, "The Shi family has been destroyed and wiped out, and the Guo family is in imminent danger. Third Brother, you must..."

"Huh? Then I can't make that decision. Wait a minute, I'll go find my second brother. Ouch!"

Guo Xin was startled and stood up, rubbing his legs which had gone numb from kneeling, before staggering away.

A group of soldiers carrying lanterns rushed over and asked, "Sanlang, have thieves broken in?"

"It's a misunderstanding."

As he spoke, Guo Xin ran across the courtyard gate.

Xiao Yi had no choice but to stand in a standoff with the soldiers, letting their wary eyes be fixed on him.

The Guo siblings' antics interrupted his tense mood. After calming down, he realized that he had oversimplified the situation.

Can the Guo family believe him based solely on his own account?

Even if they believed it, they might still cling to the hope that the historians wouldn't implicate the Guo family.

Leading the entire family to flee overnight required exceptional decisiveness and immense courage.

--------

"Second brother is here."

Finally, Guo Xin ran over quickly, followed by Guo Tong.

Guo Tong had clearly gotten up in a hurry, still wearing his inner shirt and casually draped a fur coat over his shoulders. His hair was slightly loose, but his eyes were sharp and clear, showing no signs of sleepiness.

Xiao Yi strode forward, about to speak.

Guo Wuniang also jogged over and said in a clear voice, "Second Brother, Mother wants you to come to the flower hall to talk."

"Walk."

Guo Tong grabbed Xiao Yi's arm and hurried towards the flower hall.

At that time, Chai Shouyu was already seated at the head of the table.

She appeared calm and composed, dressed in dark casual clothes, covered with a brocade cloak, her hair simply styled without any head ornaments, yet perfectly neat.

"Mother! The Shi family..."

What's the panic?

Chai Shouyu gave her son a light scolding, then turned to Xiao Yi and said, "Xiao Yi has worked hard to deliver the message overnight. Fifth Sister, you serve the tea; there's no need for servants."

She didn't mention Xiao Yi climbing over the wall to enter the courtyard, but glanced at his official robes, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the situation, and ordered the guards to stand watch outside the gate.

Xiao Yi acted quickly, and as soon as the guards withdrew, he bowed and said, "Madam, Second Brother, the Emperor has already taken action against the Grand Tutor. Nie Wenjin, the Right Wing Commander of the Imperial Guards, has defected, and Liu Zhu, the Prefect of Kaifeng, is suspected of betraying us. The Shi family has already been raided. The next step will probably be to purge those closely associated with the Shi family. The Guo family must not take any chances."

"Is this true?" Guo Tong asked. "What proof do you have?"

“I just escaped from the Shi family mansion, which was a sea of ​​blood and a mountain of corpses, and I saw it with my own eyes.”

Upon hearing this, Chai Shouyu's eyes darkened, becoming as deep as an ancient well.

Guo Tong pondered for a moment, his face gradually turning pale, and he clenched his fists.

Xiao Yi was worried that Li Tao would press him for details of his escape. Nothing else mattered, but he didn't want to involve Li Tao before they reached Yedu.

"I understand now, thank you!"

Guo Dongyi clasped his hands in a fist salute, his chest heaving violently a few times, his eyes gradually becoming resolute, displaying a sense of responsibility beyond his years.

He strode out, his voice low but carrying an undeniable air of authority, and began to give orders to his guards.

"Issue the order: double guards at all gates, with bows on the walls. No one is to enter or leave without my command. Anyone who dares to force their way in or spy on the mansion will be killed!"

"Here!"

"Send two men out of the mansion to find out the situation and report back as soon as possible. Also, wrap the horse's hooves."

"Here..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, the difference between the Guo family and the Shi family is clearly visible.

(End of this chapter)