Chapter 457 (1/2)
Chapter 457: The Families from Qinghe County
Xia Hou's expression was calm and cold . It was like the snow outside of Tuyang City that was present even deep into spring . His lips were thin and as hard as steel . There were calmness and strength in his voice .
The Prince had mentioned Ning Que's plausible ident.i.ty, but it did not cause the general to grow more vigilant . This was because he was confident in how to handle this matter .
Li Peiyan's expression relaxed, possibly because he was influenced by Xia Hou's current state . He thought that since there was no evidence and his brother, the Emperor, did not do anything back then, he would not do anything about it now . It was difficult for anyone to overturn the ruling in the case of Xuanwei General's betrayal .
The two bigwigs in the study were not concerned about whether Ning Que would deal with Xia Hou like he had with the others involved in the case . They knew that Ning Que was not capable of it .
Even though Ning Que was a core disciple of the Headmaster and was the Academy's Mr . Thirteen, he was still just Mr . Thirteen . He was not Mr . First or Mr . Second . And even if he were, they might not be able to defeat General Xia Hou, let alone Ning Que .
Li Peiyan said calmly, ”The imperial court and General Xu s.h.i.+ have all checked up on Ning Que's background . I, of course, have done my checks too . Looking at all he had done, Ning Que is a cold and cruel person but is intelligent and knows when to stop . He is good at bidding his time and would not attack if he is not certain of the situation . With your agreement with the Academy in place, he would continue to bide his time since he is not strong enough . ”
He patted Xia Hou's shoulders and said consolingly, ”As long as the true supermundane from the Academy do not attack, who could be your match in Chang'an?”
Xia Hou looked at the candlelight on the table and furrowed his brows slightly . He said, ”The West-Hill came to me . ”
Li Peiyan expression grew solemn as he looked into the general's eyes and said warmly, ”You must understand that the imperial court has been granted a rare chance thanks to the stealing of the Tomes of Arcane 'Ming' Handscroll . The academy is willing to consent to your retirement . This opportunity is fleeting and it'd be unwise to hesitate at this point . ”
Xia Hou was silent for a long time before he said softly, ”Everyone in the world knows that . However, there are many who would not be satisfied to see me leaving Chang'an like that . ”
Li Peiyan thought about the news he received and his brows ticked upwards before he could stop it . He sighed and said, ”You are right . The Qinghe County had sent people here too . Those old fogeys seemed to have caught a whiff of something and are here to
join in making chaos . We both have to bear with it for a while at this time . ”
”n.o.body in the imperial court likes those from the Qinghe County, including His Majesty . ”
Xia Hou said, ”If necessary, I can kill a couple of people for the imperial court before I leave . Of course, that would be done with the permission of His Majesty . ”
Li Peiyan thought of his royal brother who was completely different from the man written about his history books . He smiled bitterly and said, ”How could His Majesty give permission so easily with the laws of the Empire . ”
Xia Hou said, ”Then we shall let those people from Qinghe County live for a few more days . However, if they try to upset Her Majesty, then you'd have to forgive me for ignoring the laws of the Tang Empire . ”
Li Peiyan said, ”Of course . If those people don't know what's good for them and do not understand the relations.h.i.+p between His and Her Majesties, they are seeking death . ”
Xia Hou said, ”Then I shall take my leave . ”
Li Peiyan said, ”Your two sons have locked themselves in the General's Mansion since they returned to the capital last year . They do not interact with the court officials . I know that this must be at your direction, but since you have returned, why lock the children up? Come with me to watch the song and dance at the House of Red Sleeves and bring them along . ”
Xia Hou said, ”I have something tomorrow . I will come and drink with Your Highness after that . ”
Li Peiyan's expression wavered . He wondered what Xia Hou had to do in Chang'an since he had already gone to the palace today . Xia Hou's two sons had locked themselves in the General's Mansion, and Xia Hou should know to remain silent before His Majesty's edict comes down . What business did he have that he was willing that he was willing to commit an offense for?
Xia Hou walked to the entrance of the study and stopped . He said, ”I will treat Ning Que to drinks tomorrow . ”
Li Peiyan was startled . He looked at him and said, ”What do you intend to do? Have you forgotten who he is? He can't do anything to you, but if you do anything to him, do you think the Academy will remain silent?”
Xia Hou said, ”A gla.s.s of wine will disclose the past . I dare to invite him, but I want to see if he dares to come . ”
. . .
Xia Hou had offended the Academy when he tried to steal the ”Ming” Handscroll of the Tomes of Arcane in the Wilderness . It had angered His Majesty as well . However, he commanded thousands of cavalry and had won new lands for the Tang Empire . He was both powerful and had done well on the battlefield, so it was hard for the imperial court to punish him .
Mr . First of the Academy had gone to Tuyang City to meet with Xia Hou . General Xia Hou had calmly accepted his suggestion of disarming and retiring without hesitating .
This was an ending that the Tang Empire wanted to see . No matter those in the palace, the military or the court officials, they were all very satisfied, which was why they gave Xia Hou their utmost respect and treatment that his position afforded .
However, there wasn't anything in the world that could satisfy everyone . The Devil's Doctrine existed even where Haotian's light s.h.i.+ned and there were people who disrespected the Headmaster even before the mountains of the Academy .
Xia Hou could not satisfy everyone as well .