Zhan Feiyu, warming herself by the fire, looked at Yang Xu, who had spoken with a stiff face. "I understand what you're saying, but whether it's worth it depends on the situation."
"The Yang family were all loyal and righteous. The men of the Yang family all died in battle, but the Emperor, to consolidate his military power, allowed slanderers to accuse the Yang family of colluding with the enemy and treason!" By the end, Yang Xu clenched his fists in anger, his dark eyes filled not only with rage but also with unwillingness and resentment.
Although Yang Xu had always considered restoring the Yang family's honor his responsibility, the thought of serving an emperor who couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery left him deeply unsettled.
"Add some water to the pot, don't waste the firewood," Zhan Feiyu said, and as expected, Yang Xu rolled his eyes.
His simmering anger was suddenly punctured, and Yang Xu retorted irritably, "Do you want me to get you a couple more sweet potatoes?"
After a while, cold water was added to the pot. Zhan Feiyu placed the sweet potatoes by her feet, waiting for the water to boil before extinguishing the fire and burying the sweet potatoes in the embers to roast.
"From the Yang family's perspective, the Emperor was merely taking precautions and preventing future trouble," Zhan Feiyu continued, unfazed by Yang Xu's glare as she poked the firewood. "If the Yang family had become too powerful in Longyou Dao, and other border generals followed suit, then the Great Qing Dynasty would not have enjoyed its current peace and prosperity, with peace reigning in all four seas."
Scholars rebelling for ten years achieve nothing! In essence, it all came down to lacking military power.
However, the Yang family's reputation in Longyou Dao far surpassed that of the Emperor, who was far away in the capital. From the seven garrisons to the common folk in Longyou Dao, they knew the Yang family but not the Emperor. To centralize imperial power, the Emperor could not allow the Yang family to continue to grow.
"After the Yang family's incident, other generals, understanding the Emperor's intentions and fearing the same fate, all surrendered their military power. The Emperor used the Yang family as a warning to consolidate his control over the military smoothly..."
Zhan Feiyu's words were interrupted by Yang Xu.
The anger that had just subsided flared up even more fiercely. Yang Xu angrily questioned, "Then what about our Yang family? Should we have to endure such unjust accusations?"
"That's why it's said that all blessings and curses come from heaven. If the ruler wants his minister to die, the minister must die," Zhan Feiyu said, her words cold and unfeeling. She was not the current Emperor, nor did she know the Emperor's true thoughts when he made that decision. What she had said was merely speculation.
His body tensed, and the flames of anger burned in his blood. At this moment, Yang Xu even felt a sense of misplaced anger towards Zhan Feiyu. "If one day, you were to suffer everything the Yang family did, would you still willingly serve the Emperor?"
"If the Emperor were to reinstate the Yang family, Old General Yang and Uncle Yang would surely regain military command, not for the Emperor on the dragon throne, but for the people of Longyou Dao not to be invaded by barbarians." In this regard, Zhan Feiyu deeply admired Old General Yang's magnanimity and bearing.
As for herself, Zhan Feiyu chuckled. "Righteousness often comes from the humble, while betrayal is frequent among the learned. So, Yang Xu, I cannot be as selfless and dedicated to the people as Old General Yang."
Seeing Yang Xu stunned, Zhan Feiyu put on a stern face, her demeanor fierce. "If anyone dares to treat me like that, I will turn the world upside down. As for what happens in the end, I'll probably be dead, and who cares about the ensuing chaos."
"You?" Yang Xu looked at the murderous Zhan Feiyu, his mind unable to process this. Shouldn't scholars be dedicated to the nation and its people, dying only after fulfilling their duties?
"To establish the heart for heaven and earth, to foster life for the people, to carry on the lost teachings of the past sages, and to bring peace to all generations. These words are just to fool those who don't read. Otherwise, how would there be corrupt officials and greedy bureaucrats?" In the glow of the firelight, Zhan Feiyu's plump face held an expression of utmost sincerity. "These are my heartfelt words, and after today, I will not admit to them."
Yang Xu nodded. "I won't spread them."
Seeing that the water had boiled, Zhan Feiyu extinguished the fire and put the two sweet potatoes into the embers. "Let me give you an analogy. One day, you are returning to the city with important military intelligence and encounter a house on fire with ten people trapped inside."
"If you stay to put out the fire and rescue the people, you will delay the military dispatch, leading to the annihilation of a troop of hundreds. But if you leave, these ten people will be burned to death. What would you do?"
Yang Xu was taken aback. He immediately had a choice in his mind: the lives of ten people versus hundreds. He would undoubtedly choose the latter.
"This is also why the Emperor allowed the Yang family to be framed back then," Zhan Feiyu said. She couldn't say who was right or wrong. If you haven't experienced someone else's suffering, don't advise them to be kind. It was normal for Yang Xu to resent the Emperor, but from a rational perspective, the Emperor's actions were impeccable.
Yang Xu left the kitchen in a daze, his mind a jumble. He had been furious about the Emperor's unjust treatment of the Yang family before, but now, that anger had inexplicably disappeared.
Under the corridor, Yang Shoucheng patted Yang Xu's head and led him out of the courtyard. Half an hour later, father and son ascended the mountain behind the village.
Looking out from the heights, their vision instantly broadened. "Xu'er, look towards the northwest. Every winter, foreign tribes like the Wala and Tatars raid the border passes. Back then, I led troops on a three-hundred-mile raid and burned all their captured grain."
Yang Shoucheng had overheard the conversation between Zhan Feiyu and Yang Xu in the kitchen. The Emperor had indeed wronged the Yang family, but the sons of the Yang family protected this land and the people who had lived here for generations, regardless of who sat on the dragon throne.
"I know," the whistling wind on the mountaintop blew away the gloom in Yang Xu's heart.
He had grown up listening to his grandfather and father tell stories of the border. Not just the Yang family, but countless soldiers had left their lives on the border battlefield. Inch by inch of land, stained with blood, had brought peace and prosperity to the people of Longyou Dao.
"Xu'er, you are not guarding someone's empire, but the people of this land. As long as you have a clear conscience, that is enough," Yang Shoucheng had also thought that if the Emperor had ordered the execution of the entire Yang family back then, he probably wouldn't be so calmly guiding Xu'er today. Ultimately, the Emperor was a wise ruler.
...
In the afternoon, the carriage swayed away from Stone Village. Knowing that Scholar Gu had arranged for Zhan Feiyu to study under Qiu Zongxi for a month, Old General Yang did not hesitate to have Yang Xu pack his luggage and set off for Xiangwu County by carriage.
"Ah Sheng, stop for a moment. I smell something," Zhan Feiyu called out from inside the carriage, lifting the curtain to look outside.
In the white mist, the rich aroma of steamed buns wafted over with the wind, instantly whetting Zhan Feiyu's appetite.
Yang Xu, with a stiff face, looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was drooling with desire. At this moment, Yang Xu finally believed what Zhan Feiyu had said earlier: if she had a choice, she would be a pampered young lady who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.
What was the point of studying? Weren't steamed buns delicious or dumplings not tasty? Who would take the imperial examinations if they could be a dandy? Calling friends, raising cups, and drinking heartily – that was life.
"I'll go buy some," Zhan Feiyu got out of the carriage behind He Nuan. It had been more than half an hour of bumpy travel from Stone Village back to the county town, and Zhan Feiyu's bones were stiff. It was good to get out and stretch her limbs.
"I'll go too," Yang Xu said, and as soon as he finished speaking, he jumped down cleanly. Just as Old General Yang had said, Yang Xu was still a child and wanted a playmate.
The steamed bun shop was not large, with mist rising from the steamers. A considerable number of people were already waiting outside to buy buns, likely drawn by the aroma.
"Oh dear, don't push, don't push! This old body can't take it..." As soon as the words fell, everyone heard a pained cry. Turning their heads, they saw that under the jostling, an old woman with white hair had fallen to the ground.
"My hand!" The old woman's face turned pale with pain. She raised her hand, and everyone looked closely. Her left little finger was clearly broken, hanging limply.
However, looking at the old woman, with her white hair and wrinkled face, wearing a dirty, patched old coat, it was clear she was a poor person who couldn't afford to go to a doctor.
Realizing that something had happened, the people who had been crowded together buying buns suddenly retreated several steps, fearing they might be implicated and have to pay a few taels of silver.
As everyone moved back, the old woman slumped on the ground, and the three of them closest to her, appeared particularly conspicuous.
"I saw it just now. It was this young girl who pushed her," someone in the crowd said, and everyone's gaze once again fell on Zhan Feiyu.
Another aunt added dryly, her eyes darting away, clearly guilty. "I think I saw this young girl make a move just now. She was probably pushed by someone behind her."
"Who is so heartless, pushing people blindly? Now something has happened."
"Young girl, don't just stand there stunned. Give the old woman some money so she can go to the doctor. It's just a broken finger, nothing serious."
During the jostling, many people had pushed others. Since no one wanted to pay compensation, the blame for pushing fell on Zhan Feiyu.
Fortunately, this young girl looked like a wealthy young lady. The hairpin on her head was probably worth dozens of taels of silver, more than their entire family earned in a year. Paying some silver wouldn't hurt.
"You're talking nonsense! It wasn't Xiao Yu who pushed her!" Yang Xu suddenly became angry. These people were talking nonsense. He had been standing next to Xiao Yu just now, and she had kept her hands in her sleeves to keep warm, not taking them out, so how could she have pushed anyone.
The aunt standing closest smiled. "You're a good child, protecting your sister. No one is blaming your sister. She just pushed her accidentally. The old person's bones are brittle, so just pay some silver, and it will be fine."
Yang Xu was almost a head taller than Zhan Feiyu, and coupled with his dark, rough face and his stern, wolf-like ferocity when he frowned, he looked more like an older brother than the fair-skinned and delicate Zhan Feiyu.
"Young girl, I am old, and my bones may be useless even if they are set," the old woman continued to hold up her injured left hand, concealing the greed in her eyes, and said pitifully, "If you don't have money, then give me the hairpin on your head. I'll take it to a pawn shop to exchange for some silver. When I get home, my son and daughter-in-law won't dislike me, this old woman, for my left hand being useless and unable to do much work."
With her left little finger broken, it would definitely affect her ability to work. The old woman wanted a hairpin. The onlookers didn't find anything wrong with that. Zhan Feiyu clearly had money, and she probably had many more such hairpins in her dressing table. Losing one wouldn't matter, and the old woman would have some money to support herself.
"It wasn't Xiao Yu who bumped into you, so we won't pay!" Yang Xu's voice grew louder as he pulled Zhan Feiyu back a couple of steps.
Although the old woman looked very pitiful, Yang Xu had been taught by Old General Yang for many years and knew right from wrong. Since Xiao Yu didn't push her, they definitely wouldn't pay.
Yang Xu's outburst seemed to stir up a hornet's nest. The old woman began to wail and cry, and even tried to grab Zhan Feiyu's clothes, but she dodged. The old woman could only grab Yang Xu's sleeve.
"There's no justice! Why didn't you two children push the old woman until she hit her head and died on the ground? Then I wouldn't have to go home and be complained about by my daughter-in-law. With my hand crippled, how can this old woman live..."
The white-haired old woman cried mournfully, her left hand held high with her little finger dangling, and her aged skin like withered branches, truly eliciting sympathy from many.
"If this old woman had any other way, I wouldn't want your hairpin. You should send me to the doctor, or if not, to the yamen. There's always a place to reason." The old woman retracted her left hand and wiped away her tears, looking as if she had no will to live. "At worst, I'll find a rope and hang myself at your doorstep, so I don't have to be tormented by my unfilial daughter-in-law."
Although Great Qing valued filial piety, it was truly the scholars and court officials who were bound by it.
For ordinary farming families, as long as they didn't break the law or violate the clan rules, they couldn't be reasoned with every day. Therefore, whether they were filial to their parents and elders was something no one could control behind closed doors.
If the old woman's left finger didn't heal and she couldn't work, it was normal for her daughter-in-law to resent her. Otherwise, why did they say that no one is filial to the sick for a long time.
Seeing that the old woman's family was so poor that they could barely make ends meet, and raising an unproductive old woman, it was understandable that her daughter-in-law would dislike her. Otherwise, why would they say that no one is filial to the sick for a long time.
"Let's go to the yamen!" Yang Xu was not afraid at all. Even though he knew that Constable Luo had enmity with the Yang family, he also knew that Magistrate Zhu would not dare to offend Zhan Feiyu. She was a disciple of Scholar Gu, and besides, the old woman hadn't pushed Xiao Yu at all.
"You're a child, don't talk nonsense. Why go to the yamen for such a small matter?" An uncle nearby reprimanded him sternly. Who wanted to go to the yamen for such a minor issue?
"It's just that there are people in the yamen, so if we go to the yamen, we won't have to pay any money," someone outside the crowd shouted loudly, further increasing the animosity towards Yang Xu.
Compared to the defiant Yang Xu, and looking at the crying old woman who seemed on the verge of death, the crowd naturally sympathized more with the weaker party.
"No need to go to the yamen," a clear voice rang out. Zhan Feiyu's words immediately drew an angry look from Yang Xu.
"This young lady is reasonable."
"Yes, you are not short of money. Why make such a fuss?"
"Ten taels of silver would be about right." This statement was quite fair. Xiangwu County was poor. The shop assistants probably earned only ten taels of silver a year. The old woman had only broken a finger. Ten taels of silver was not much for a rich person, nor was it a lot for the old woman.