Xiao Biehe didn’t know if he had fallen asleep or fainted, but when he opened his eyes again, the world was pitch black.
The snow had stopped, leaving a thick layer piled upon him. Due to chronic ailments from his youth, he was extremely sensitive to the cold; it took a long time for his stiff limbs to respond to his will.
Father must be truly furious this time, he thought. In the past, someone would at least be sent to bring him food during a punishment.
Not long ago, the rest of the family had been sitting together enjoying a happy dinner.
Madam Jiang’s attitude toward life had been better lately. Xiao Changfeng had originally worried that Xiao Biehe’s return would trigger her grief, but to his relief, she remained stable and calm.
The entire household, including Xiao Jinshi, the adopted son Xiao Qingqu, and even the personal servants of the Madam and the two sons sat at the table. Only Xiao Biehe was missing.
Halfway through the meal, as the snow outside tapered off, Xiao Qingqu broke the silence. “Father, I heard Big Brother returned home today. Why didn’t we call him to join us for dinner?”
Xiao Changfeng replied boisterously, “No need to call him!”
Xiao Qingqu nodded, glancing at the Madam’s expression. Seeing she wasn’t upset, he relaxed and whispered to Xiao Changfeng, “Should we send some food over to him?”
Xiao Changfeng had intended to do just that. Humans aren’t made of iron, after all. He had planned to have the kitchen pack up some leftovers after dinner.
But hearing his adopted son’s words made him change his mind. Missing one meal won’t kill him, but I cannot risk upsetting my wife because of him.
“He committed a grave error and must be punished,” Xiao Changfeng declared. “Let him go hungry. No one is allowed to send him food today!”
Xiao Qingqu nodded in obedience.
In the General’s Manor, though Xiao Qingqu was not related by blood, he was known as the most gentle and kind-hearted member of the family. Years ago, the Madam suffered from severe depression; the mere mention of Xiao Biehe’s name would trigger a breakdown or a suicide attempt. However, when she first saw the two-year-old Xiao Qingqu, she loved him instantly. When he was four, his birth mother, who was Xiao Biehe’s wet nurse—passed away from a terminal illness, and the Madam adopted him out of pity and kindness.
Young Xiao Qingqu was clever and sweet, always making the Madam laugh and helping her forget her sorrows. His presence even mended the relationship between the General and his wife, leading to the birth of their second child, Jinshi.
The Madam treated Xiao Qingqu as her own, giving him and Jinshi the tenderest maternal love. Xiao Qingqu had not always had such an elegant name; born to a humble family, his original name was “Goudan” (Dog Egg), a common folk tradition to ward off bad luck. The name “Qingqu” was given to him by the Madam.
Xiao Jinshi, eating the food his mother placed in his bowl, felt a cruel surge of satisfaction. Since childhood, seeing Xiao Biehe suffer always brought him joy.
Because Xiao Qingqu occupied the place in their mother’s heart that should have belonged to Xiao Biehe, Jinshi got along well with him. Jinshi naturally gravitated toward anyone who stood in opposition to his elder brother. This was also why he harbored a secret loathing for the Crown Prince, simply because the Crown Prince favored Xiao Biehe.
Jinshi knew that both of his older brothers had good temperaments. Even if they stood together, Xiao Biehe would never pick a fight with Xiao Qingqu, and Xiao Qingqu would never go out of his way to provoke him.
Thinking of this, Jinshi’s temper flared again. He slammed his bowl onto the table.
Madam Jiang Xu’er, a refined lady from a scholarly family in Suzhou, was usually gentle and soft-spoken. She touched Jinshi’s hand and asked with concern, “Shi’er, what’s wrong?”
Jinshi shook his head. “Mother, I’m fine.”
“Then why did you throw your bowl?” Jiang Xu’er turned to her maid. “Quick, bring a new set of chopsticks!”
Jinshi gave his mother a toothy grin. “Thank you, Mother.”
The family finished their dinner without Xiao Biehe, and no one felt that anything was wrong. In their eyes, Xiao Biehe was the outsider. While Xiao Changfeng acknowledged him as his son, his habitual harshness made this exclusion feel routine. Besides, in his mind, Xiao Biehe was the one who had erred first.
Leading an army back to the capital without permission was a capital offense. It was only by the Emperor’s grace that he wasn’t being executed!
Xiao Changfeng had it all worked out. Since Xiao Biehe was talented and the Madam didn’t want to see him, he should stay on the battlefield to win glory for the Emperor. As for Jinshi, the battlefield was dangerous. Jinshi was the Madam’s heart and soul; if he were injured, Xiao Changfeng couldn’t imagine her grief. Therefore, Jinshi only needed to be happy.
After dinner, the brothers spent time with their mother. By the time Jinshi left, it was late at night, and he remembered the task Xiao Biehe had entrusted to him.
His face soured. He reached into his robes, only to find that the letter was gone.
Gone?
His expression shifted slightly, but he quickly dismissed it. It’s not a big deal. Xiao Biehe is just being paranoid anyway. He decided he would just tell his father verbally.
He headed toward his father’s quarters but stopped halfway, his impatience returning.
Why should I listen to him?
Xiao Biehe was clearly just overthinking, or perhaps he was afraid of being questioned by the Emperor or the Crown Prince. Jinshi had heard the rumors, that Xiao Biehe had used a fake imperial decree to return. And there were those treasonous rumors from two months ago.
Jinshi didn’t believe his brother would actually rebel. They weren’t close, but they were blood. He knew Xiao Biehe wouldn’t do such a thing. Those rumors were likely just attempts to drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Xiao family.
I didn’t promise to help him, Jinshi thought. The paper is lost. Why should I risk Father’s temper for something so absurd? He returned to his own courtyard and vented his frustration by practicing his swordsmanship for two hours, hacking a willow tree into a bare stump. Only then did his anger subside. He went inside to bathe, ordering his servant to “clean up the mess.”
5:00 AM (The Fifth Watch)
Accustomed to the early hours of the military camp, Xiao Changfeng rose early despite being back at the manor. He stood near the shrine, watching the spot where Xiao Biehe knelt. In the darkness, the young man’s white robes seemed to glow.
The snow from the previous night almost buried him. Xiao Biehe remained motionless, kneeling straight in the frost.
“Get up. Go to the kitchen and get something to eat. When dawn breaks, you will accompany me to the palace.”
Xiao Biehe opened his mouth, but his voice failed him after the long silence and the cold. On the second try, a raspy sound emerged. “Thank you, Father.”
Xiao Changfeng turned and walked away. In the dark, snowy night, he failed to notice that his son’s lips were deathly pale, devoid of all color.
It took a long time after his father left for Xiao Biehe to finally manage to stand up without collapsing.
He had been punished many times since the age of seven mostly by kneeling, sometimes by the whip.
Initially, his health had improved at the border, but he remained thinner and more fragile than most men his height. When he was fifteen, they had returned to the manor. His mother was in the garden with Xiao Qingqu. Desperate for her affection after years apart, the young Xiao Biehe had approached and called her “Mother.”
To his horror, the usually gentle woman reacted as if she had seen a ghost, stumbling back in terror.
Fearing she would fall into the lake, Xiao Biehe rushed forward to catch her. Instead, she shrieked and pushed him into the freezing water.
The winter lake was ice-cold, the chill piercing his very soul. He developed a high fever. When his father found out, he didn’t ask for the reason; he simply assumed Biehe had offended his mother. He took the heavy leather whip used for household discipline and gave him ten lashes.
In the freezing snow, the young Xiao Biehe’s back was torn into bloody strips. On the final lash, the whip even snapped. Drenched and bleeding, he was thrown outside the shrine to kneel for three days and three nights.
During those days, the feverish boy fainted repeatedly. No one pleaded for him. Only Xiao Qingqu came once to “apologize,” claiming he hadn’t realized inviting Biehe to see their mother would end this way. But through his delirium, Xiao Biehe saw that as Xiao Qingqu turned to leave, he was smiling.
That was when the permanent damage to Xiao Biehe’s legs began.