XXXV
Su Tu became obedient after being beaten, and hid behind a pillar, shouting, "I admit defeat, I admit defeat! You people from the Central Plains are such scoundrels, how can you defeat a minority with a large number?"
Xiao Weixin sneered and stabbed with his sword: "You brought this upon yourself."
"Okay, okay." Na Sutu held his head and showed weakness, "I really want to make a deal with the prince. If I have offended you, please don't bother with someone like me."
Su Tu was a man who was neither good nor evil, and he was a perfect example of "being able to bend and stretch". When he begged for mercy, he knelt faster than anyone else, but when he attacked, he was also very clear-headed.
As long as he can gain benefits, he will lower his posture to a very low level when asking for help from others. If such a person cannot achieve great things, who else can
You Shu looked towards Xiao Weixin, the sword in his hand still against Su Tu's neck, waiting for his words.
Of course, Xiao Weixin couldn't really kill Su Tu. After all, he was a hostage. It would be difficult to explain to Xiao Weishen if he killed him.
He signaled You Shu to stop with his eyes, and sat down and picked up the teacup again, just to see what Su Tu could say. You Shu sheathed his sword and stood behind Xiao Weixin in an instant, his figure so fast that it was hard to see with the naked eye.
Su Tu didn't learn his greasy behavior after being beaten. He took another big sip from the teacup and then said earnestly, "I haven't finished what I said just now. Your Majesty, please listen to me first."
"I heard that your Emperor of Central Plains was assassinated a while ago? I'm sure someone as smart as Your Highness must have figured it out. It was all my brother's doing." He put down the cup and shrugged, looking helpless: "The old man is dying, and now Xirong is basically under his control."
"My brother's methods are even more brutal than your Emperor of the Central Plains. If I hadn't been smart and allowed myself to be captured by you, I would have become a pile of dry bones by now."
Xiao Weixin glanced at him and said coldly, "What does this have to do with me?"
"I thought the prince would sympathize with me." Su Tu sighed hypocritically, "You are so heartless."
You Shu complained silently in his heart. With Su Tu's aggressive looks, it was really unbearable to watch him pretending to be pretentious.
For some reason, Su Tu just happened to look up at him at this moment, with a smile in his eyes.
You Shu calmly looked away and didn't look at him.
Xiao Weixin only felt his hands itching again, "If you have something to say, just say it, don't stare at my people."
"Alright, alright." Su Tu smiled with narrowed eyes, then suddenly turned cold and serious again, changing his expression as fast as a lunatic: "I know that the prince has many experts under him and a huge intelligence network. Since I want to cooperate with you, I will naturally not let you suffer any loss."
"I want to kill my brother and seize the throne, but my own strength is not enough, otherwise I would not be driven to the Central Plains thousands of miles away."
"If Your Majesty is willing to lend me a helping hand, I will control the power of Xirong when the matter is accomplished. I will return the six cities that were taken from you. I will also lead my people to retreat 300 miles to the border and never invade the border of Daxia again."
His words were sonorous and powerful, and the promise he made was indeed very touching. More than a decade ago, there was a war between Xirong and Daxia on the border. At that time, the old emperor was still in power. He personally went to the battle but failed to save the defeat and almost died on the battlefield. After the war was lost, the border was occupied by the arrogant Xirong six cities in a row, and 30,000 people were slaughtered in one night, which made General Yang spit blood all over the ground.
Later, those six cities became a pain in the hearts of all the people of Daxia. Any normal person with a little bit of blood would hate this matter. General Yang has been unwilling to retire all these years because he hopes that one day he can retake those six cities with his own hands.
Of course, Xiao Weishen was not a normal person. He didn't care about the lives of the people in those six cities, and he didn't even think about taking them back.
After hearing his sincere words, Xiao Weixin finally suppressed the sarcasm in his eyes, but his expression was still not good: "The hostage's words sound nice, but everyone knows that you people in Xirong are the least trustworthy. If I really help you, and one day you return to Xirong and claim to be the king, and then tear up the agreement, what can I do?"
"What's more, this kind of cooperation doesn't seem to benefit me much. I can take back the lost borders myself sooner or later."
The confidence on Xiao Weixin's face when he said this was not fake. Unlike his father and brothers, he would never allow his city and people to fall into the hands of others!
Na Sutu was silent for a while, and whispered: "Indeed, I don't have anything that can assure the prince that I will not change my mind in the future, but..." He took out a dagger from his arms. The dagger was covered with gold, and a pebble-sized emerald was inlaid on the handle. It was gorgeous and exquisitely crafted, and it was obvious that it was not something that ordinary people could own.
"I swear on the goddess Yuria."
In Xirong, people may not believe in the Khan, but they must believe in the goddess of light, Yuria. They firmly believe that the goddess of light is their mother goddess, blessing all Xirong people with prosperity and well-being from generation to generation. If someone does not believe in her, then he will definitely suffer the most cruel curse in the world and will never have a good end.
When they swear an oath to the goddess Yuria, there is usually a strict ritual. The royal family will use a gold-inlaid knife to cut the skin on their chest near the heart, and use the flowing blood as a medium to express their loyalty to the goddess Yuria. If the person who swears regrets it, he will be exiled by the goddess of light for life, and his soul will bear the stigma of a traitor for generations to come.
The Xirong people, who never keep their word, would never break their promise as long as they swore an oath to the goddess Yuria.
But Xiao Weixin didn't think that was a guarantee. He never believed in any gods, so he naturally didn't think that a so-called God of Light could make the cunning Xirong people keep their promises: "Unfortunately, your oath cannot move this king."
Su Tu knew that this man was not easy to fool, but he didn't expect that he would actually refuse. "Why don't you reconsider it?"
"I also have influence in the capital. If the prince helps me succeed, I will naturally turn around and assist the prince. This is a win-win situation for us, isn't it?"
Xiao Weixin sneered and said disdainfully: "Without you, I can still succeed, it's just a matter of time."
"If there is nothing else, Proton can leave first."
If someone else was rejected repeatedly like this, it would be somewhat embarrassing, but Su Tu stared at Xiao Weixin's face for a long time with eyes like a wild wolf, and suddenly laughed, without showing any anger: "The prince is indeed more difficult to deal with than I thought."
"Although this is the second time you've rejected me, I'm not someone who gives up easily. Since Your Majesty wants to see my sincerity, I'll give it to you."
Nasutu stood up from his chair, neatly put away his precious sword and turned around: "Your Highness, please wait for good news."
After saying this, he left without looking back, in the same hurry as when he came, making people unpredictable.
You Shu looked at his receding back and sighed that the second male lead’s thoughts were just as complicated.
Xiao Weixin drank tea alone in the front hall, and suddenly asked, "What do you think of this person?"
You Shu was stunned and quickly replied: "Your Majesty, I... I don't know how to answer this question."
"But he looked like he really wanted to work with you."
Xiao Weixin propped up his chin with one hand, not knowing what he was thinking. "Of course I know he wants to cooperate, otherwise he wouldn't come to my door again and again."
"But he must have some hidden cards that he hasn't played yet. This person is extremely secretive and moody. If you rashly accept something from him, you will probably suffer a loss."
You Shu hesitated for a while, then asked, "Will the prince agree to cooperate with him?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Weixin would never discuss these things with him before, but somehow he opened his mouth this time, not treating him as an outsider at all, and asked very naturally, "Since Xie Feiyuan intends for you to take over in the future, it would be good for you to participate in some things."
You Shu analyzed this sentence carefully, and was immediately overjoyed. This... This definitely meant that he was to be trained as a confidant!
He is really going to get a promotion and a raise!
"I feel that if we can join forces with Proton, we will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort. However, this person has an unpredictable temperament and is indeed difficult to control. If Your Majesty wants to cooperate with him, he must be fully prepared."
Xiao Weixin chuckled, "So, you want me to cooperate with him?"
"I dare not interfere with the prince's thoughts." You Shu replied. He knew the subsequent plot, so he dared to guarantee that the second male lead would not be able to make any waves in the future.
Xiao Weixin laughed for a while, playing with the jade pendant on his waist, and then said, "Before Su Tu reveals his trump card, I will not trust him so easily. This is my territory. I can let him live or die... but it only takes a word."
"If we can use one or two of them, it wouldn't be a bad thing."
You Shu secretly gave him a thumbs up.
Xiao Weixin ended the topic, suddenly patted the chair beside him and said softly, "Sit down."
Although this was against the rules, You Shu still sat down obediently. However, he only dared to sit on half of the chair, with the other half hanging outside the chair. He tried to be as careful as possible and even breathed lightly.
Seeing his useless look, Xiao Weixin chuckled: "Are you afraid of me?"
"I am the prince's shadow guard, so of course I am afraid." You Shu lowered his head and did not dare to look up.
Xiao Weixin stroked his chin and stared at his profile for a while. The spring light from outside poured in from the door of the front hall, just right on the face of the little shadow guard. From his angle, he could vaguely see the fine golden hair, which made him look somewhat cute.
"Don't be so reserved. I'm just in a good mood and want to talk to someone."
You Shu nodded and asked obediently, "What does Your Majesty want to talk about?"
Xiao Weixin pretended to be in deep thought and said, "For example... what's your name?"
"Ah?" You Shu couldn't help but turn his head to look at him, his expression blank: "My name is Ying San, and the prince has already asked before."
Xiao Weixin's lips curled slightly, with a hint of cunning in his eyes: "No, that's not what I'm asking."
"You became Xie Feiyuan's disciple when you were six years old. Before that, you should have had your own name, right?"
You Shu's head buzzed.
No one had ever asked him this question in the fifteen years since he came to this world. The Shadow Chief had told him the day he was brought back that no matter what his previous name was, it didn't matter. When he arrived at the Shadow Guard Battalion, all his identities were invalidated, and they could only live under code names. As for what was beneath the code name, there was no need to ask, no need to talk, and no one cared.
Therefore, these shadow guards never asked each other about these private matters, and few of them knew each other's real names. Although You Shu knew the real names of several other shadow guards, no one knew his.
I didn't expect that after fifteen years, it was Xiao Weixin who asked first.
You Shu's throat felt a little tight, and he was overwhelmed with emotions.
"My Lord, do I have to answer this question?"
"Yes." Xiao Weixin nodded and said seriously: "I asked, you must answer."
"Don't lie to me."
There were some waves in You Shu's eyes, but they calmed down for only a moment, and he replied in a low voice: "My name is You Shu."
"How to write it?" Xiao Weixin continued to ask curiously.
"The roaming wild geese are like the free-roaming geese; the rolling clouds are like the unrolling
When his father was naming him, he spent several days looking through the idiom dictionary and insisted that the name was very classy. When he took a look at it today, it is indeed very classy.
It’s better than Shadow Five, whose real name is Er Gouzi.
Xiao Weixin then reached out and dipped his hand into the teacup, then carefully wrote the words "You Shu" on the table, raised his head and asked him, "Is that so?"
You Shu looked down and saw the two words on the table were elegant and beautiful, and every stroke could be seen clearly.
I haven't seen these two words for many years. It feels like a dream to see them written openly again after so many years.
"You Shu... You Shu..." Xiao Weixin murmured these two words repeatedly in a low voice, as if he had chewed the words into pieces and melted them in his mouth. There was a special tenderness in his words whenever he opened his lips.
"Xiao Shu."
"Good name."
Xiao Weixin raised his head and smiled gently at You Shuwen in the light.
It's not like You Shu had never seen Xiao Weixin smile before, with expressions of indifference, sarcasm, or loss, but this was the first time he saw him being so gentle to her. There was a light in his eyes, and she just looked at him with a smile, focused and gentle.
At such a close distance, he could almost feel his breath gently hitting his face.
You Shu suddenly felt as if he was immersed in that smile, he could even feel his heart skip a beat.
What just happened