Three Steps: From Assassin to Empress - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Galloping on Horseback

The large ship headed southwest along the canal, and soon they arrived in Jingzhou. Ying Xiu had been on the ship for several days but didn’t feel seasick. He was still full of energy after disembarking and wanted to explore Jingzhou with Xie Zhou.

Xie Zhou had always been agreeable to his requests. He immediately ordered a carriage. The carriage was simple and inconspicuous, blending in with the crowds on the long street. Ying Xiu sat in the carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to look outside. The long street was bustling with people and very lively.

Jingzhou was one of the nine provinces of the Han people, and the people living here were all locals from Jiangdong. He could hear authentic southern accents everywhere.

“I heard that the Qiang prince is about to enter the capital. When he passed through here, he was incredibly arrogant and overbearing…”

“What can we do? They have strong soldiers and horses. We can only hope that they are truly here for trade and not to start a war.”

“Who knows… Although the person on the throne is tyrannical, at least he can keep those malicious Qiang people in check.”

“I just hope there won’t be another war. We, the common people, will be the ones to die…”

The carriage happened to pass by a few people talking. Ying Xiu listened carefully for a while and found that they were discussing the Qiang people sending envoys to trade with the Southern Dynasty.

“Xie Zhou, do you think these Qiang people are really here for trade? Will the emperor agree to it?” Ying Xiu asked. These political matters seemed distant, but they were related to every person in the Southern Dynasty. Once the relationship between the two tribes changed, war would start again, and the people would suffer the most.

Xie Zhou just said, “The emperor will agree.” He said it so confidently that Ying Xiu couldn’t help but look at him twice. He thought this might be the political acumen of a gentry’s client.

“I do hope they trade. When the relationship between the two tribes is good, the people will be good,” Ying Xiu said, resting his chin on his hand and looking at the scenery outside the carriage, his eyes glistening with light. As for the northern expedition to reclaim the Central Plains, many people would have to die. The Central Plains were too far away, only existing on a map. To Ying Xiu, they were not as real as the living people he saw every day. The people only hoped to live peacefully, day after day, year after year, quietly flourishing and withering like wildflowers.

Xie Zhou did not speak. Following Ying Xiu’s gaze, he looked at the bustling crowd outside. A woman holding a child’s hand, a child with a candied hawthorn stick, a vendor shouting as he carried colorful paper windmills on his shoulders, a man rushing home with a steaming bamboo steamer basket. It was an extremely ordinary day in the world, everything seemed peaceful and lively. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, his expression still calm and unperturbed.

After a brief tour of Jingzhou, the carriage arrived at an inn. It was more like a magnificent manor. The vermilion gates were wide open, and people were waiting eagerly. Seeing the carriage, a man led a group of people forward. He quickly leaped off the steps and approached them. His steps were quick, but his expression was neither humble nor arrogant, with a certain calmness forged in the midst of turmoil.

Seeing this arrangement, Ying Xiu instinctively turned to look at Xie Zhou. Xie Zhou said without changing his expression, “I rented it.”

Ying Xiu couldn’t help but exclaim, “It must have been very expensive? Should I contribute—”

Halfway through his sentence, Xie Zhou gave him a slight look. “No need.”

Although his voice was gentle, it carried an undeniable firmness. Ying Xiu had no choice but to give up the idea of contributing money. He wondered if being a client for the Prime Minister was so lucrative. Was Xie Zhou spending his entire life savings?

In a flash, the man had already reached Xie Zhou. He was about to kneel and bow, but the accompanying servant gave him a look. The man immediately got up and bowed to Xie Zhou instead. Seeing Ying Xiu beside Xie Zhou, he was startled, then bowed to him as well. Ying Xiu was taken aback and quickly returned the gesture, about to bow, but a hand gently stopped him. Xie Zhou ignored the man and said to Ying Xiu, “Let’s go in first.”

Ying Xiu was pulled through the vermilion gates. He looked back and saw the man kneeling on the ground, his face full of caution, as if he were facing not a tenant but some fearsome monster. Inexplicably, a thought flashed through Ying Xiu’s mind: a person who manages people must have an official’s face. The man he had just seen had an official’s face.

“Who was that?” Ying Xiu asked in confusion.

Xie Zhou, however, seemed unconcerned, as if he was used to people’s deference. “Don’t worry about it.”

Ying Xiu said “oh.” He thought that this was how the landlords rented their rooms nowadays, seeming very eager to please their guests.

Beside them, Shang Weijun broke into a cold sweat. That was the Governor of Jingzhou. He had come to inquire about the emperor’s whereabouts and rushed over to curry favor. For a high-ranking official like the governor to be so undignified, Shang Weijun wished he could lend him some sense.

Ying Xiu was so excited about horseback riding on the ranch that he couldn’t sleep that night. He lay awake, tossing and turning. Xie Zhou, who slept beside him, was a light sleeper and was also not asleep.

“Xie Zhou,” Ying Xiu stopped tossing and turning and lay flat on the bed, calling out to him in a low voice.

“Ying Xiu,” Xie Zhou responded softly.

They were like thieves, whispering to each other in the silent night.

Ying Xiu turned over again to face Xie Zhou. In the faint moonlight of Jingzhou, he looked at the white-robed youth. In his eyes, the client’s white robes were purer than the moonlight. The difference was that moonlight was elusive, but Xie Zhou’s clothes were within reach. He reached out and held the hem of Xie Zhou’s robe. The undergarment was thinner and lighter than the outer robe, a cold softness in his hand.

Ying Xiu sighed softly, “I wish it could always be like this.” The youth’s clear voice carried a hint of sleepiness, sounding a little ethereal, like an unrealistic dream from a faraway place.

Xie Zhou held his hand, his voice calm. “It will be.” In this world, everything he wanted could be achieved. And all Ying Xiu had to do was to keep him interested.

Ying Xiu looked up and lightly pecked Xie Zhou. He always felt that Xie Zhou smelled fragrant and cool, and he looked delicious, but he didn’t know how to eat him, so he could only get a taste. Xie Zhou reached out and held Ying Xiu’s head, leaning down…

After a long time, they finally parted.

“When is your birthday?” Xie Zhou asked him.

Ying Xiu wondered if he was imagining it, but the other person’s voice seemed a little hoarse and especially low. “July,” Ying Xiu added, “next July.” That was almost eight months away. Was Xie Zhou in such a hurry to give him a birthday present?

Xie Zhou didn’t say anything else. Silence returned to the room.

The next day, on the ranch in Jingzhou, yellow grass stretched as far as the eye could see, and the land was flat and vast. A horse with a completely red body gracefully trotted with its head held high. The groom stood beside it, eagerly introducing the art of riding to Ying Xiu.

Not far away, Xie Zhou walked toward them. The groom immediately retreated a few steps, disappearing from Ying Xiu’s sight. Ying Xiu watched in confusion as the groom, who was perfectly fine just a moment ago, untied the reins and walked backward. Maybe this is also part of the art of riding.

Ying Xiu took the reins with one hand and waved to Xie Zhou with the other, his face excited. “This horse is so red. Let’s call it Little Red.”

Xie Zhou glanced at Little Red. This was a prized Ferghana horse presented by the Xianbei of Northern Liang Mountain a few years ago. He nodded. Little Red was a very suitable name.

Ying Xiu leaped onto the horse’s back, his hand on the reins. Little Red was a bit arrogant at first, but when it saw the tall, white-robed youth calmly staring at it, as if contemplating how to cook horse meat, it immediately restrained its temper and allowed the youth on its back to ride it.

“Little Red, you’re amazing!” Ying Xiu exclaimed, feeling the strong wind rushing toward him. Little Red raised its head and let out a spirited neigh. The man and the horse were having a great time.

Behind him, Xie Zhou came on a horse as white as boiling snow. His white robes billowed, and he was as cool as a falling star. He slowly slowed down, riding side by side with Little Red.

“Xie Zhou!” Ying Xiu waved at him and asked curiously, “What’s your horse’s name?”

Xie Zhou was silent for a moment. He had never cared about anything around him, let alone naming a horse. After a moment of thought, he said, “Little White.”

Little White turned its head and gave Xie Zhou a look, but said nothing. It was indeed very white and worthy of the name.

Ying Xiu praised Xie Zhou for being good at naming things. Not far away, the Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud, who was in charge of the horses, wiped his sweat. One person named a prized Ferghana horse Little Red, and another named a legendary black horse Little White… If this were to get out, the news that the tyrant had named a horse Little White would surely make all of Jiangdong gasp in shock. With the emperor’s will being what it was, he would have to rename his own horse Little Black.

After riding side by side for a long time, Ying Xiu found it strange that there was no one else there besides Xie Zhou. “It seems like no one else is here to ride horses.”

Xie Zhou asked him, “Do you want to ride with them?”

“I’m just a little curious,” Ying Xiu explained. As an assassin, a crowd was the best cover. But this place was empty. Besides the servants and Xie Zhou, there was no one else, which was a little strange.

“Maybe the sun is too strong today, and no one came to ride.” The explanation sounded reasonable, and Ying Xiu believed it. He played for a while longer. When he was satisfied, he said goodbye to Little Red and Little White and left with Xie Zhou in the carriage.

On the official road leaving the ranch, a group of young gentlemen was arguing loudly. “Why can’t we go in? Do you know who my young master is?”

Ying Xiu peeked out and was noticed by one of the men, who pointed at him. “Why can they go in and we can’t? My young master is from the Governor’s office of Jingzhou…” Before the man could finish, he was dragged away. The young master from the Governor’s office shouted, “Even if you’re hitting a dog, you have to look at its owner! How can you treat my servant like this? Did the people in that carriage tell you to do this? That person must have gotten into my father’s bed and is using his power to bully me!”

Ying Xiu, suddenly the target of the accusation, lowered the curtain and ignored it. He turned his head and met Xie Zhou’s gaze. Xie Zhou was still wearing his clean riding attire, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, looking elegant and refined. Seeing him, the other person’s dark and deep eyes moved slightly, filled with an indescribable danger, fixed on the collar of Ying Xiu’s clothes.

Ying Xiu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. His intuition told him that something was wrong with Xie Zhou right now.