Early the next morning, Xie Changgeng came back from sending the mother and son out of the city. Upon learning that his mother had gotten up, he put aside his work and hurried over to greet her.
Mother Xie already knew that the daughter of the Mu family had adopted a son and had brought the news. She was surprised and very unhappy. She saw that only her son came to greet her, and there was no daughter of the Mu family, let alone the child. When she asked, she learned that the mother and son had left early in the morning.
Although the old lady hated the daughter of the Mu family and disliked the cheap "grandson" even more, she had just arrived last night and the daughter left with the child this morning and did not come to serve her. She felt that she was being despised and neglected.
And it was obvious that his son had given his permission. Thinking of his always obedient son, who had disobeyed him time and again and refused to agree to that, he became increasingly unhappy, with a gloomy face and no words.
Xie Changgeng knew his mother was unhappy, so he explained, "Mom, since you don't like Mu, I will send her away to avoid making you angry."
Mother Xie snorted, "That's nice of you to say! You must be blaming me for bullying your beloved, right? I've only been here for one night, and you've already sent her away. Do you think I'm a greedy old man who will eat people?"
Xie Changgeng smiled and said, "Mother, what are you thinking about? You have come all the way here to see your son. Your son is very touched. I can't take good care of you. If you get upset because of someone else, it will be your son's fault."
After hearing what her son said, Xie's mother calmed down a little and said, "It's fine if you don't have a baby, but why do you want to adopt a son? Geng'er, I'm telling you, don't even think about letting that wild child take your surname!"
Xie Changgeng has always known that his mother is narrow-minded. He didn't feel much about it before. He thought of the hardship his mother had endured in her early years and just went along with her. But now, hearing her talk about the child in such a tone, he suddenly remembered that this morning when he sent the mother and child out of the city, the woman hid in the carriage and never showed her face. But the child secretly leaned out of the window when the carriage left and kept looking back at him. He suddenly felt unhappy.
He did not respond, still smiling, and said respectfully: "Mom, you should have a good rest. I have been busy lately, so I can't accompany you today. I will go first."
He told the steward to take good care of his mother and turned away.
Xie Changgeng said he had too much to do, but that was not an excuse. A few days passed in the blink of an eye. That day, it was getting dark, and he was still in the government office at dusk, discussing something with Liu Guan and others.
Going west from Hexi, past Qilian, you will reach Yumen. Out of Yumen, deep in the desert where northerners frequently move, under the snowy Tianshan Mountains, there is a small city called Jincheng. It was originally under the jurisdiction of the dynasty, where a thousand soldiers were stationed all year round, with beacons set up to monitor the actions of northerners. But a few decades ago, Jincheng was occupied by northerners, and the court weighed the pros and cons and gave up its jurisdiction.
A few years ago, Xie Changgeng recaptured Jincheng and re-deployed soldiers to garrison it. But it was not cheap to maintain the garrison in Jincheng. Just in terms of food and grass, for example, the transportation from Hexi was long and dangerous, and there was always the possibility of being harassed by northern cavalry. A soldier transporting food would eat the equivalent of ten sergeants on the way, and that area, apart from the purpose of marking the boundary, had little practical significance. This was one of the reasons why the court had previously abandoned Jincheng.
Xu Ke, the Jiaocheng prefect who was in charge of the distribution of grain and grass in Hexi, submitted accounts several times and believed that the grain and grass were limited. He suggested abandoning Jincheng and withdrawing the defense line.
This was the topic of discussion at the moment. Most people agreed that it was indeed unnecessary to continue to maintain the Jincheng garrison at a high cost. After the discussion, everyone looked at Xie Changgeng, waiting for his decision.
Xie Changgeng pondered for a moment, his eyes swept across the faces in front of him, and he said, "The 1,000 garrison troops are not only guarding Jincheng, but also Tianshan Mountain, Xueling Mountain, and the land south of Xueling Mountain. Abandoning Jincheng is abandoning the land, and handing it over to others is even more blasphemous to the soldiers who died in the battle to seize Jincheng. Even if a thousand miles are barren, as long as I, Xie Changgeng, serve as the governor here for one day, I will not give up an inch of land, let alone ten times, even a hundred times the price!"
He threw the account book in his hand back to Xu Ke.
"This matter is settled, and there is no need to mention it again. The problem of food and grass can be solved by cutting redundant troops. What Hexi needs is not a large army, but elite troops."
The Jiedushi made the final decision and provided a solution. No one dared to say no and everyone agreed immediately.
Xie Changgeng left Liu Guan and a few others behind and ordered the military clerks to be summoned to sort out the military roster as quickly as possible, dismiss the old and weak who had relatively low combat effectiveness, and instead send them to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land.
As they were talking, they saw the steward looking outside the hall, as if something happened, so they called him in.
The steward said that the old lady cooked a table full of meals for him herself, but she didn't eat anything herself. She was always hungry and was waiting for him to come back, and then she sent him over to ask about it.
Xie Changgeng glanced outside.
It was pitch black, completely dark outside.
He withdrew his gaze and saw that Liu Guan and others were all looking at him. Then he realized that it was getting late. They were probably all hungry. Those who had families probably had wives at home who were waiting for people to come back for dinner. So he told them to disperse and start work tomorrow.
The subordinates obeyed the order and left. Xie Changgeng didn't want his mother to wait for a long time, so he hurried back and saw that there was indeed a table of sumptuous dishes waiting for him to eat, so he hurriedly helped her to the table.
"Mom, why do you have to work so hard? I haven't fulfilled my filial duty since you came here, and now I still want you to cook for me. I am really ashamed."
Mother Xie called Qi Lingfeng out and said with a smile, "With Feng'er helping, mother won't have to work hard. Feng'er, you've been busy for a long time, sit down and eat with us."
Qi Lingfeng waved her hands: "Feng'er dare not. Old Madam and brother-in-law, please have dinner. I will serve Old Madam."
"I told you to sit down, so sit down!"
Mother Xie ordered Qiu Ju to arrange a seat for Qi Lingfeng. Seeing that she still refused, she pretended to be angry and said, "Why don't you sit down? You don't listen to me either?"
Qi Lingfeng glanced at Xie Changgeng opposite her and saw that he was looking at her without saying a word. Finally, she sat down next to half of the stool.
Only then did Xie's mother become happy. She asked Qiuju to pour wine for her son and kept picking up food for him.
"You should eat more. Feng'er is a good cook. These dishes are made by her. You will know after you taste them. A person with a family and a wife has become so thin. I don't know what's the point of marrying someone. Mother feels sorry for her when she sees it."
Xie Changgeng was indeed hungry, but he didn't really want to hear his mother's chatter, so his appetite was gone. He couldn't refuse his mother's kindness, so he reluctantly ate a bowl of rice without picking up any dishes. He stood up and served his mother rice and soup, saying, "Mom, I just ate something in front of me. I'm full, but I still have things to do. Please enjoy your meal and remember to rest early tonight."
He left the dining room and went straight to the study.
As the hour progressed, towards the end of the evening, Xie Changgeng buried his head in his papers and gradually felt a dull pain and swelling in the injured area on his back. He couldn't help but think of the woman who had stabbed him. He slowly stopped writing. At this moment, he suddenly heard a series of light footsteps coming from far away and approaching outside the door. There was a gentle knock on the door. He came to his senses and saw a woman's figure approaching slowly.
Qi Lingfeng came in, holding a tray with a cup on it. She stopped in front of him and looked at him with loving eyes.
"Brother-in-law, the old lady said that you didn't eat much for dinner. She was afraid that you were hungry, so she asked me to make a midnight snack and send it to you. Brother-in-law, please don't despise it."
She put the tray on the table, opened the bowls and cups, then stood aside, quietly looking at the handsome man behind the candlelight.
Xie Changgeng wanted to ask her to go back, but after a slight hesitation, he changed his mind, slowly put down his pen, and said, "Qi, do you know why my mother brought you here this time?"
Qi Lingfeng blushed and said in a whisper: "The old lady mentioned it to me a few times..."
Xie Changgeng nodded.
"My mother has also told me this, and I have responded to her more than once. I wonder if she has told you this?"
Qi Lingfeng lowered her head and said nothing.
Xie Changgeng continued, "My mother asked me to take you as my concubine to repay you for saving her. I think it's inappropriate. It's too disrespectful to you and your Qi family. I think your mother in heaven would not agree. What I mean is that my mother should recognize you as her daughter and arrange a marriage for you so that you can marry off in style."
Qi Lingfeng raised her head, and the blush on her face had long faded away.
"Brother-in-law, I know that I am a weakling, and I dare not have any unrealistic dreams. But over the years, I have been sincere to you, brother-in-law, and heaven can be a witness..."
She stared at the man behind the light, tears welled up in her eyes, and she slowly knelt on the ground.
"Brother-in-law, I really don't care about the status, I am willing to be a concubine. As long as I can stay by the side of the old lady and brother-in-law and serve you for the rest of my life, I will be satisfied. Please, brother-in-law, don't be so cruel..."
Xie Changgeng said: "I already have a wife, so I don't need to take a concubine to serve me. As for the relationship between you and my mother, mother and daughter can also fulfill it."
Qi Lingfeng's figure froze.
"Qi, I am very grateful for your kindness in saving my mother's life. I have never forgotten it. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay you double."
Qi Lingfeng froze for a moment, tears streaming down her face.
"Brother-in-law..."
"Qi," Xie Changgeng interrupted her.
"From now on, you can call me by my official name or by my sworn brother. It's getting late. You've been with my mother all day, so you must be tired. Get up. I'll call someone to take you back to rest."
He said, then stood up and headed for the door.
Qi Lingfeng hurriedly got up from the ground. "I dare not trouble you, sir. I will go now. I already know what you mean. I am willing to follow your arrangement and recognize the old lady as my stepmother, so as not to embarrass you."
She lowered her head, shedding tears and hurried away.
It was late at night, but Xie Changgeng was not sleepy. He didn't want to go back to his room, nor did he have the heart to do anything else. He slowly walked to the study window, opened it, and looked out.
The night sky was covered with dark clouds, and there were flashes of lightning in the clouds. The wind was blowing hard, sweeping away large pieces of dead leaves from the branches of the autumn trees in the courtyard. The dead leaves fell to the ground with a rustling sound.
It seems like it's going to rain again.
Xie Changgeng suddenly remembered what the child had told him that night and gradually became absent-minded.
At this moment, there was another sound of footsteps outside the door. The man came to the door, patted it twice, and pushed it open.
Ah Mao ran in and shouted, "Sir! Madam Qi just came back and has been crying. The old lady started shouting in the house and asked me to call you to go see her immediately!"
Xie Changgeng was upset for a while.
He didn't want to see his mother at all. While hesitating, he suddenly heard the voices of his mother and a servant girl talking outside the courtyard door. He knew they were coming here. Without hesitation, he grabbed his sword and said, "Ah Mao, remember, when the old lady comes, tell her that I was not here and you didn't see me!"
He walked out of the study and hurriedly turned to another side door. When he reached the door, he found that it was locked. He looked around, climbed up the wall and flipped over. Then he went to the stable, took the horse and the raincoat, went out of the gate of the Jiedushi Mansion, and instructed the gateman that if his subordinates had any business, they could report to the Beishan Horse Farm. He also reminded them not to let the old lady know.
The concierge agreed to all of his requests. Xie Changgeng then mounted his horse and rode away. The man and the horse soon disappeared into the night.