Chapter 17: Taking the Imperial Exam, Heading South of the River

Chapter 17: Taking the Imperial Exam, Heading South of the Yangtze

Since today was the day for the newlywed's traditional visit back home, Ning Xishi stayed home after dinner instead of heading off to the bars. When he returned to the General's Mansion, it was still early.

Steward Li Yuan escorted him inside, catching his mood with a smile. "The young master seems to be in a fine mood today."

Wang Meng had agreed to work for him, promising to save his life if he ever found himself in danger. Ning Xishi felt a lot safer knowing he had backup, so of course he was delighted.

He nodded, and as he passed by Xie Jingxing's courtyard, he glanced at the armored guards stationed at the entrance, then turned to Li Yuan. For once, those jaded, carefree eyes showed a hint of softness.

Steward Li sensed trouble coming and then heard Ning Xishi ask, "The General hasn't turned in yet today, has he?"

The implication being: does he need my company in bed tonight?

Li Yuan stammered, "Ah... the General caught a chill after falling into the water a few days ago. He's been going to bed early lately."

Ning Xishi was genuinely surprised—this hadn't been in the original novel at all. "Then why didn't anyone tell me before? I really must go check on him."

Li Yuan frantically spread his arms wide to block Ning Xishi's path. "Young master, truly, there's no need! Your top priority right now is to focus on your studies, pass the imperial exams, and serve in the imperial court. Leave everything else to me. Besides, what if you catch his illness and it sets back your studies? That would be disastrous! Your county-level exam is in spring next year—time is precious."

This time, it was Ning Xishi's turn to be stunned.

Since when did he ever say he wanted to take the imperial exams?

Why was it that the martial arts world wanted him—a man with barely any fighting skills—to become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, while the people of the General's Mansion wanted him—a notorious bully at the Imperial Academy who could hardly string two characters together—to take the imperial exams?

Back in his own courtyard, Ning Xishi finally voiced the question that had been on his mind the whole walk back: "Does everyone have way too much faith in me?"

Dongshuang saw his young master genuinely troubled and almost laughed out of frustration. Even he could tell that Li Yuan was just feeding him a line to keep the young master busy and away from the General.

But his young master had actually bought it.

Dongshuang was about to expose Li Yuan's trick when he heard his young master speak thoughtfully: "I've decided—I'm going to take the imperial exams! If I fail the county exam in February next year, I'll try again the following February!"

Dongshuang felt like pigs must be flying. Could Wang Meng pledging loyalty really have changed his young master this much?

Catching Dongshuang's bewildered gaze, Ning Xishi whispered, "That way, won't we have an excuse to leave the house every day?"

Just a few days ago, Ning Xishi had been worrying about the possibility of the General's Mansion putting a curfew on him. Now, just when he needed it most, Li Yuan handed him the perfect excuse.

Ning Xishi hummed a Shaozhou folk tune and said, "Dongshuang, draw me a bath. I want to take one."

·

The conversation between Ning Xishi and the steward quickly got back to Xie Jingxing.

Not only that, but the question Ning Xishi had asked every time he passed by the main courtyard these past three days—"Has the General gone to bed?"—now seemed to sound almost flirtatious, stirring something in Xie Jingxing's heart, a heart that was usually all about scheming and calculation.

Unfortunately, the other two men in the study had no idea what was on General Xie's mind.

Qiu Changyu said thoughtfully, "I always thought this arranged marriage was trouble. If he'd just stay in his lane and be a pretty decoration, the General's Mansion could easily support him. But he keeps trying to worm his way into the General's bed—that's a problem."

Li Yuan nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I've planted myself at the main gate now, afraid to wander anywhere else, in case Young Master Ning suddenly returns and makes a beeline for the General's quarters."

Xie Jingxing: "..."

Li Yuan's words also reminded Xie Jingxing—his room did seem too large and too empty. If someone were to walk straight in, would they be scared?

He could make some time to redecorate.

Whenever Xie Jingxing was deep in thought, he had a stern, cold look on his face. Qiu Changyu and Li Yuan, observing his expression, assumed he was merely irritated by Ning Xishi's bold moves, and thought nothing more of it.

Qiu Changyu figured that Ning Xishi was, after all, the Emperor's arranged match. If they simply got rid of him, they'd have to face the Emperor's wrath.

Besides, Ning Xishi's dad was the Minister of Rites. Word had it that Ning Hanjiang was fiercely protective of his son. If they mistreated the kid, the Minister could sabotage the army's supply lines while the General was off at war. That would be a real disaster.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, they had to treat Ning Xishi like royalty and pamper him.

How utterly sickening.

Xie Jingxing's expression remained cold. "What did you find on the Beggar Gang's signals at the Imperial Academy?"

Qiu Changyu shook his head, indicating no progress, though he did have some new information that, if you connected the dots, might reveal the Beggar Gang's intentions.

Li Yuan quickly excused himself, leaving only Qiu Changyu and Xie Jingxing in the study.

Qiu Changyu quickly handed over a confidential letter. "Our sources report that the Jiangnan region has been restless lately. Many martial arts sects are secretly purchasing grain and hiring blacksmiths—it seems they're forging weapons in secret, possibly preparing for rebellion!"

Xie Jingxing thought these martial artists must have nothing better to do. The court hadn't dealt with them not because it lacked the power, but because it was temporarily tied up with internal factional struggles.

Once it could spare the resources, sending a Viceroy of Liangjiang to take charge would sweep any major sect clean.

Xie Jingxing furrowed his brow, crushed the wax seal, and opened the letter.

The deeper he read, the deeper his frown became.

Qiu Changyu was alarmed. "They really intend to rebel? Have they colluded with foreign powers?"

Xie Jingxing tossed the letter to Qiu Changyu, who skimmed it quickly and then patted his chest in relief. "Thank goodness it's not a rebellion."

"Electing a new Martial Arts Alliance Leader—that's far more serious than rebellion." Xie Jingxing's eyes already gleamed with murderous intent.

The previous Martial Arts Alliance Leader's grave hadn't even had time to grow tall grass, and already these people had forgotten the lesson, daring to elect a new leader. Did they think the court would only kill once, and grow soft the second time around?

"Their previous leader was muddle-headed, wanting to declare himself king, which is what provoked the court's wrath," Qiu Changyu said. "If this new leader could be made to follow military orders, then perhaps having a Martial Arts Alliance Leader wouldn't be so bad after all."

Xie Jingxing shot him a look. "You go be the leader then?"

Qiu Changyu quickly backed down. "No way—I'm staying by your side, General, to trample the Xiongnu cavalry underfoot!"

As the words left his mouth, Qiu Changyu suddenly understood Xie Jingxing's meaning: unless the Martial Arts Alliance Leader was someone they controlled, no one else could be trusted.

Three years from now, they would fight a decisive battle against the Xiongnu. Any turmoil within the court could affect the outcome of that war.

They couldn't afford to gamble.

Qiu Changyu's expression turned serious as well. "General, why don't I set out at dawn tomorrow and head to Jiangnan to feel out the martial arts world?"

Xie Jingxing shook his head. "A single Hongmen banquet would silence them for at most two or three months. Besides, if you truly scare them, they'll elect their leader in secret, and we won't hear a whisper of it—that would be raising a tiger to bite us later."

At that thought, cold sweat ran down Qiu Changyu's back.

Indeed—one couldn't apply the logic of ordinary citizens to those martial artists. Since they'd proposed electing a leader, they would see it through with single-minded determination.

"Then... General...?" Qiu Changyu's words slowed. This matter might require the court's direct intervention.

Xie Jingxing said, "I'll write a memorial now and submit it tomorrow. A few days from now, I'll personally lead troops south to Jiangnan to suppress the bandits."

"Suppress the bandits"—directly defining those martial artists as outlaws. If they knew what was good for them, there would be room to negotiate. If not, killing them was just as acceptable.

Sure enough, Xie Jingxing's memorial got shot down that very day.

Nobody at court gave a damn about those Jiangnan sects. Besides, with the court stable and the whole realm singing and dancing in peace, everyone figured the General of the Western Expedition was just trying to get his military command back.

Well, the emperor definitely went down that road, and the ministers, falling over themselves to worry about the same things as the emperor, automatically assumed General Xie was up to something. So they acted as the emperor's mouthpieces and shot it down on the spot.

Wang Meng, who'd done a solid job on the wedding, had recently gotten into the emperor's good graces and was posted at the entrance to the Golden Bell Hall as one of the emperor's personal guards.

He caught bits and pieces of the court talk. At first, he didn't think twice about it, but then he remembered it was General Xie's memorial, and he owed Young Master Ning his life. So he quietly tipped off Ning Xishi.

Ning Xishi got Wang Meng's message while he was at the Imperial Academy. He was dozing at his desk when a crumpled paper ball smacked him in the head. He figured it was one of his buddies asking him out for drinks that night.

But when he uncrumpled it, he saw Wang Meng's sloppy handwriting—and it was all about state affairs.

Ning Xishi nearly jumped out of his skin, and any trace of drowsiness vanished in an instant.

At noon, he went back to his room, lit a fire right away, and burned the evidence that could get him beheaded. Then Dongshuang came back and gave him the rundown on Shopkeeper Xiao's interrogation of Old Fourth Ming at Qingyan Tower.

The first line of the letter read: "Old Fourth Ming's got a one-track mind—can't squeeze anything else out of him, but whoever's pulling his strings is after something big."

It seemed Shopkeeper Xiao was worried that Ning Xishi, being young, might get led around by the nose if he wrote down everything Old Fourth Ming said, and end up chasing that so-called Martial Arts Alliance Leader gig.

So he threw in his own two cents.

Shopkeeper Xiao was actually the third uncle of Ning Xishi's senior martial brother, a grizzled old-timer in the Beggar Gang with serious seniority. He was rock-solid and sharp as a tack. Whenever Ning Xishi hit a wall, he'd go ask Shopkeeper Xiao, who could always offer some insight.

Ning Xishi had always looked up to him, and seeing this, he realized Shopkeeper Xiao hadn't gotten much useful info either. That lead was a dead end.

After reading the secret letter, Ning Xishi thought Old Fourth Ming was a real blabbermouth. Shopkeeper Xiao had grilled him for days, and he was still spouting the same stuff he'd said in the alley that day: First, there's a Japanese pirate spy in the Imperial Academy, and he's still investigating, no clue who it is. Second, something big is going down in the martial arts world, and he doesn't know the details, but they urgently need to pick a new Alliance Leader to keep things stable. The Beggar Clan Chief is the best fit.

Shopkeeper Xiao, being thorough and careful, had also written down Old Fourth Ming's reasoning in the letter:

"The Beggar Gang's the biggest sect in the martial arts world. That cuts both ways.

Under past Gang Leaders, the Beggar Gang's power was split into a bunch of factions. The elders couldn't stand each other, and the gang was basically a pile of loose sand.

But after the young new Gang Leader took over, he led the brothers to blend into the streets and back alleys. And with the Qin family's deep pockets, he managed to buy people's loyalty with silver. Now all the elders listen to the new Gang Leader, which has totally flipped the script for the Beggar Gang, giving them a big say in who becomes the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

So if the new Beggar Gang Leader became the Alliance Leader, he'd definitely have everyone's respect."

The logic was solid, and Ning Xishi couldn't find a single hole in it.

But what really sent chills down his spine was that the Ming family actually knew his true identity!

They even knew his maternal grandfather, Qin Du, was loaded and had used cash to win people over.

Ning Xishi now got why Shopkeeper Xiao had written everything out in such detail. Since the other side had brought up the Qin family, it could be read as a warning—or a threat.

After all, they knew all his identities: Beggar Gang Chief, grandson of Qin Du (a former partner of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs), son of Minister of Rites Ning Hanjiang, and husband of General of the Western Expedition Xie Jingxing.

If his Beggar Gang identity got out, everyone would be dragged into it.

Ning Xishi crouched down and tore the paper into tiny shreds. With a click, he struck his flint and lit a fire, watching the flames slowly eat the scraps. Behind his long lashes, a cold, murderous glint hardened in his eyes.

Even when he'd first found out he'd been transmigrated into a book, Ning Xishi hadn't been this pissed.

Back then, it was just his own life on the line. Now, his whole family would go down with him.

Dongshuang had never seen his young master this mad and quickly asked, "What does it say, Young Master?"

Ning Xishi took a deep breath and said, "Tell my parents the capital's dry and hot. I'm heading back to Shaozhou to rest up."

Once he got back, he'd have a face-to-face with that Old Master Ming. Real slow.

Dongshuang, being the accompanying study boy, had learned a few extra rules and looked uneasy. "Young Master, if we're heading back to Shaozhou now, there are way too many hoops to jump through. You're now the Lady General, a royal relative. If you want to rest up, you could go to a villa on the capital's outskirts. But if you're going far, you've gotta inform the imperial clan... and get the Empress Dowager's approval."

This was actually the approval process for a princess's travels. Ning Xishi now held that title, so his every move had to be made public.

Ning Xishi: "...?"

He suddenly thought of Wang Meng's message, and a plan formed in his eyes: "In that case, let's stir up some bandit trouble in Jiangnan."

The Beggar Gang had plenty of people. With a little disguise and a bit of chaos, wouldn't his husband then have an excuse to send troops?

·

Three days later, Xie Jingxing flipped through that blue booklet for the umpteenth time. Those indecent illustrations flashed before his eyes, one after another, and the twenty-three-year-old general was disgusted with his own pathetic lack of self-control.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Steward Li Yuan came in first to report: "General, someone from the palace is here. They're summoning you to morning court."

After that, he leaned in close to Xie Jingxing's ear and whispered, "Sounds like the Beggar Gang got into a brawl with some other sect and intercepted some treasure meant for the emperor's private stash."

Xie Jingxing's eyes lit up. Talk about a pillow arriving just as you're about to fall asleep.

He might actually get to head south after all.

==========Author's Note:==========

Good night.