HCB Chapter 521 Xie Jingxian: He frowned slightly without making a sound.
Chapter 521 Xie Jingxian: He frowned slightly without making a sound.
Li Sheng turned to look at him and nodded with a smile.
“We really have to go into the mountains. There’s an old hunter in our department who stumbled into a misty valley when he was young, and that’s how he remembered the location.”
“That place is damp all year round, with many wild animals, narrow mountain roads, easy to get in but difficult to get out. I once secretly went in when I was a child, and I had a fever for three days after I came back.”
She spoke so casually, but Xie Jue listened intently, his eyes widening slightly. "Then you still dare to go in?"
Li Sheng's eyes crinkled into a smile. "How can we bring that piece of wood out if we don't go in? It's not like the wind blew it out."
As soon as he said this, the room fell silent, but Qin Jiuwei was the first to laugh out loud.
Xie Jue then laughed as well.
Xie Jing watched her quietly from the side, his expression unchanged, but his eyes darkened.
Li Sheng didn't stay long and left quickly.
As she left, she didn't look back at Xie Jing and walked straight outside.
Outside the mansion gate, it was already dark.
Li Sheng had only taken a few steps out of the mansion gate when he saw a green-canopied carriage parked to the side of the gate.
A young servant stood beside the carriage. Upon seeing her emerge, he immediately approached her with a respectful tone.
"Miss Li, my young master would like to have a chat with you."
Li Sheng glanced at him sideways, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.
"Your young master?"
"Yes."
Li Sheng didn't ask who it was, but gave a very faint, slight smile.
He then got straight into the carriage.
The carriage drove out of the alley and headed west of the city, the sound of the horses' hooves steady and neither fast nor slow.
After a stick of incense had burned, the car stopped in front of a restaurant.
Li Sheng lifted the curtain and got out of the car, glancing up at the restaurant's signboard.
Jufu Tower.
"squeak--"
The door was slowly pushed open, and Li Sheng walked in.
The interior was elegantly furnished, and she immediately spotted the figure standing by the window.
"Thank you, Young Master Xie," Li Sheng called out.
The man turned around at the sound of the voice, and it was indeed Xie Jing.
He had his hair tied up and wore a low hat, his face calm and indifferent.
"You do recognize me."
Li Sheng smiled, her eyes sparkling, "Young Master is a noble person, of course I would not dare to forget."
Xie Jing didn't reply, but instead walked back to the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
He sat down and looked up at her.
"Just tell me what you want to do."
Li Sheng stopped and tilted her head slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about, young master."
Xie Jing lowered his head and took a sip of tea. "Your gift today was very timely. It was presented to us as a family after the banquet, when we were all gathered together. It was such a valuable and unique gift."
"They'll naturally want to know who sent it, and you can come in without any problem."
"Your timing is very accurate, and you're very clever."
Li Sheng's face, which had been smiling, paled slightly.
Her lips moved, and she whispered, "I don't understand what you're saying."
Xie Jing looked at her and suddenly smiled.
"You did this..." he said very softly, "for the sake of your people, didn't you?"
Li Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, and her eyes involuntarily widened a little.
"You, you know?"
"A little research will tell you."
He spoke calmly and unhurriedly, “The Wuli tribe has declined drastically in recent years, while your neighboring Nacang tribe is rapidly rising, and the annexation of the three villages is a foregone conclusion.”
"And Wuli recently experienced internal strife, which has been suppressed, but the aftershocks have not yet subsided."
"Shortly after the civil war ended, the court received a memorial from Wuli that he had sent a woman to the capital."
He paused slightly, then said, "You came to the capital to seek help."
"So you came to me wanting my help, am I right?"
Li Sheng felt a chill run down his spine.
She didn't expect Xie Jing to be so direct, leaving no room for negotiation.
Li Sheng is somewhat clever, but she is still just a fifteen-year-old girl.
He panicked for a moment.
My chest tightened, and the wind around my ears felt colder.
She instinctively pinched her palm, her nails almost digging into her flesh, before she finally managed to steady her breathing.
Li Sheng slowly loosened his fingers hanging by his side, revealing faint bloodstains on his palm.
She looked up and gazed at Xie Jing again.
“You’re right, I came to Beijing because of Wuli.”
“We have guarded that mountain forest for two hundred years, but now, we are almost losing the right to live.”
Xie Jing remained unmoved, his expression calm and serene.
Li Sheng lowered her voice, "I know you have influence in the court, and you can help me."
"But if you are willing to ask, we will help you. Wuli is willing to sign a formal treaty with the court, establish post stations for tribute, and provide mountain delicacies and medicinal herbs every year."
"If there is any war, the Wuli soldiers can come out of the forest to meet the enemy and stabilize the southwestern border for the court. They will not ask for military pay and will no longer stay in their fortified villages."
Xie Jing listened quietly, then glanced at her with a cold look in her eyes.
"No help."
He spoke decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
This matter is beneficial to him and to the imperial court.
But it's not worth sending troops.
The best strategy now is to let the Wuli and Nacang tribes fight amongst themselves and wear each other down.
Li Sheng stood still, biting her lip, her hands hanging at her sides clenching tightly.
She couldn't help but think of the Wuli people, the elderly elders, the children who hadn't yet learned to speak, and the forest where she had grown up, which might soon be burned, trampled, and swallowed up...
She was worried about them, and even more afraid that if she couldn't help them, she might never see them again when she went back...
Xie Jing noticed that her eyes had changed, her expression paused, and her lips tightened.
He spoke again after a moment.
"I will not help you with this."
"I called you here today just to tell you not to scheme against my family. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
His family is his most important bottom line.
Li Sheng looked up at him and said softly, "I understand, I won't do it again."
She took a deep breath, looked up at him, and gave him a forced smile. "Sorry to bother you."
Xie Jing looked into her eyes.
Her eyes were beautiful, with clear, dark pupils.
Her eyes were a little red, but she didn't look disheveled; she resembled a pear blossom hanging on a branch.
It's so beautiful it almost makes your heart skip a beat.
Xie Jing looked away, and at that moment Li Sheng also turned to leave.
"I will have someone send the wood carving back."
Li Sheng glanced back at him. "No need."
"I did send the wood carving to see you, but it was also a sincere wish for your birthday."
After saying that, she didn't linger and turned to leave.
Xie Jing's gaze fell on her back.
She didn't walk fast, but her steps were stubborn, and her back was ramrod straight.
She was wearing a light shirt specially made by the Uli people. The fabric was soft and close-fitting, and when the night wind blew, it appeared somewhat thin.
Xie Jing frowned slightly, without making a sound.
Suddenly, I realized that she was just a fifteen-year-old girl.
Far from his homeland, he ventured alone to the capital, navigating the treacherous and complex city to survive, while also bearing the burden of his clan's lives.
Just then, a soft sound came from beside me, and Qingbai appeared to be standing to the side.
Sensing his emotions, she asked in a low voice, "Young Master, should we agree to her request?"
Xie Jing looked away. "No need."
Qingbai nodded, not surprised.
Xie Jing paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "Prepare a carriage to take her back to the post station."
It was late at night, and it wasn't safe for her to be out alone.
After Xie Jing refused, Li Sheng did not go to him again.
The situation in Uri awaited her; she couldn't go back empty-handed.
So she turned her gaze in another direction.