Xia Hou's expression was calm and cold. It was like the snow outside of Tuyang City that was present even deep into spring. His lips were thin and as hard as steel. There were calmness and strength in his voice.
The Prince had mentioned Ning Que's plausible identity, but it did not cause the general to grow more vigilant. This was because he was confident in how to handle this matter.
Li Peiyan's expression relaxed, possibly because he was influenced by Xia Hou's current state. He thought that since there was no evidence and his brother, the Emperor, did not do anything back then, he would not do anything about it now. It was difficult for anyone to overturn the ruling in the case of Xuanwei General's betrayal.
The two bigwigs in the study were not concerned about whether Ning Que would deal with Xia Hou like he had with the others involved in the case. They knew that Ning Que was not capable of it.
Even though Ning Que was a core disciple of the Headmaster and was the Academy's Mr. Thirteen, he was still just Mr. Thirteen. He was not Mr. First or Mr. Second. And even if he were, they might not be able to defeat General Xia Hou, let alone Ning Que.
Li Peiyan said calmly, "The imperial court and General Xu Shi have all checked up on Ning Que's background. I, of course, have done my checks too. Looking at all he had done, Ning Que is a cold and cruel person but is intelligent and knows when to stop. He is good at bidding his time and would not attack if he is not certain of the situation. With your agreement with the Academy in place, he would continue to bide his time since he is not strong enough."
He patted Xia Hou's shoulders and said consolingly, "As long as the true supermundane from the Academy do not attack, who could be your match in Chang'an?"
Xia Hou looked at the candlelight on the table and furrowed his brows slightly. He said, "The West-Hill came to me."
Li Peiyan expression grew solemn as he looked into the general's eyes and said warmly, "You must understand that the imperial court has been granted a rare chance thanks to the stealing of the Tomes of Arcane 'Ming' Handscroll. The academy is willing to consent to your retirement. This opportunity is fleeting and it'd be unwise to hesitate at this point."
Xia Hou was silent for a long time before he said softly, "Everyone in the world knows that. However, there are many who would not be satisfied to see me leaving Chang'an like that."
Li Peiyan thought about the news he received and his brows ticked upwards before he could stop it. He sighed and said, "You are right. The Qinghe County had sent people here too. Those old fogeys seemed to have caught a whiff of something and are here to join in making chaos. We both have to bear with it for a while at this time."
"Nobody in the imperial court likes those from the Qinghe County, including His Majesty."
Xia Hou said, "If necessary, I can kill a couple of people for the imperial court before I leave. Of course, that would be done with the permission of His Majesty."
Li Peiyan thought of his royal brother who was completely different from the man written about his history books. He smiled bitterly and said, "How could His Majesty give permission so easily with the laws of the Empire."
Xia Hou said, "Then we shall let those people from Qinghe County live for a few more days. However, if they try to upset Her Majesty, then you'd have to forgive me for ignoring the laws of the Tang Empire."
Li Peiyan said, "Of course. If those people don't know what's good for them and do not understand the relationship between His and Her Majesties, they are seeking death."
Xia Hou said, "Then I shall take my leave."
Li Peiyan said, "Your two sons have locked themselves in the General's Mansion since they returned to the capital last year. They do not interact with the court officials. I know that this must be at your direction, but since you have returned, why lock the children up? Come with me to watch the song and dance at the House of Red Sleeves and bring them along."
Xia Hou said, "I have something tomorrow. I will come and drink with Your Highness after that."
Li Peiyan's expression wavered. He wondered what Xia Hou had to do in Chang'an since he had already gone to the palace today. Xia Hou's two sons had locked themselves in the General's Mansion, and Xia Hou should know to remain silent before His Majesty's edict comes down. What business did he have that he was willing that he was willing to commit an offense for?
Xia Hou walked to the entrance of the study and stopped. He said, "I will treat Ning Que to drinks tomorrow."
Li Peiyan was startled. He looked at him and said, "What do you intend to do? Have you forgotten who he is? He can't do anything to you, but if you do anything to him, do you think the Academy will remain silent?"
Xia Hou said, "A glass of wine will disclose the past. I dare to invite him, but I want to see if he dares to come."
Xia Hou had offended the Academy when he tried to steal the "Ming" Handscroll of the Tomes of Arcane in the Wilderness. It had angered His Majesty as well. However, he commanded thousands of cavalry and had won new lands for the Tang Empire. He was both powerful and had done well on the battlefield, so it was hard for the imperial court to punish him.
Mr. First of the Academy had gone to Tuyang City to meet with Xia Hou. General Xia Hou had calmly accepted his suggestion of disarming and retiring without hesitating.
This was an ending that the Tang Empire wanted to see. No matter those in the palace, the military or the court officials, they were all very satisfied, which was why they gave Xia Hou their utmost respect and treatment that his position afforded.
However, there wasn't anything in the world that could satisfy everyone. The Devil's Doctrine existed even where Haotian's light shined and there were people who disrespected the Headmaster even before the mountains of the Academy.
Xia Hou could not satisfy everyone as well.
Neither Ning Que nor the West-Hill was satisfied with the conclusion to this matter. The king of Yan Kingdom and its people who have been bullied by Xia Hou's cavalry for decades had been waiting for the Tang Emperor and his officials to fall out and for Xia Hou to become a pathetic dog were dissatisfied too. There were even some powerful people within the Tang Empire who were disappointed.
The powerful man mentioned by the Prince was the families from Qinghe County.
Qinghe County was to the southeast of the Tang Empire. It was prosperous and was rich in culture. There were many bigwigs who came from the county. There were seven families that led the county, the Cuis, Chengs, Songs and a few others.
The seven families of Qinghe County were seven Dominant Families with a long-spanning history. It was said that they have been around for longer than the Tang Empire. The Great Divine Priest of West-Hill Divine Palace was from one of these seven families.
The Tang Empire had begun a thousand years ago because of its strong cavalry. The West-Hill Divine Palace had secretly gathered many other countries to form an allied army against the Tangs, but were not able to prevent a superpower from emerging. However, even with the current state of things then, Qinghe County had been outside the borders of Tang in the southeast. They did not bow down to the pressure asserted upon them by Chang'an and began an independent government and economy due to the protection that the seven dominant family afforded.
This continued for more than ten years.
The Tang Empire's cavalry rode north to the Central Plains and conquered the tribes and lands of the Desolate Man. They even succeeded in driving them out of the grassland and towards the cold region in the Far North. Chang'an's power rose to a rare unprecedented state. Everyone began to look up to them.
It was then, when the seven dominant families of Qinghe County decided to surrender.
There were plenty of things to be done in the founding of the Tang Empire. There were many counties that had to be brought into governance and the people needed to find their footing. The Zhu family of Qinghe County was world renowned and so Taizu, the founder of the Tang Empire who had done everything to exterminate a certain tribe in the grassland because they had massacred a village, chose a conciliatory approach towards the Qinghe County. This matter became one that involved the nation's policy and was later recorded in the Emperor's last testament.
In the early years of the Tang Empire, the building of the Academy at the south of Chang'an had just been completed. Their enrollment numbers were small and the imperial court chose its officers through imperial examinations. As compared to several other counties who were just beginning to get enough food and learn literacy, Qinghe County that was rich in history was at an advantage in the examinations.
In those years, noble students from Qinghe Couty continued to clear the examinations and enter Chang'an. Almost half of those selected came from Qinghe County. Several key positions in the imperial court were helmed by the seven families of Qinghe County.
And because of the policy written in Taizu's testament, the royal family of the Tang Empire was extremely courteous to Qinghe County. They intermarried often and there had been three consecutive Empresses who came from the seven families of Qinghe County.
Many sages worried that as time went by, the Tang Empire would be ruled by the Qinghes instead of the Lis. They worried that the Lis would eventually be run over by those from Qinghe County.
And it was proven, that the Tang Empire that had conquered the world on horseback and brandishing a knife would not be conquered by words. The Emperors of Tang from the very beginning all took up the ruling style of their ancestors. They ruled from the dragon throne while keeping an iron grip on the empire's strong military power.
In the fourth year of Conghua nearly 900 years ago, the Emperor then was only 14. Under the pressure of his mother and the court officials, he stayed silent and studied for four whole years.
Just two years before he came into power, the Empress dowager who was from the Song family of Qinghe County attempted to defy the deceased Emperor's last testament. She attempted to have her brother to hold a position as Grand Secretary while vesting in his military power. It was then, when the young Emperor stretched out his weak and thin hand from beneath his sleeves.
That hand held the Tang military power. And the military power was a cruel blade.
That evening, riders rode out of the imperial city towards the Grand Secretary Mansion of Song Grand Secretary and blood was shed. Several officials shed blood and tears at court next morning, accusing the Emperor of being violent and cruel.
The young Emperor sat on the dragon throne and listened coldly to the news that came from outside of the palace walls. Then, he waved his hand wearily. It wasn't a signal for retreat, because the young Emperor did not release an edict about the crime committed, but had those people punished in court instead.
On the same day, outside the Imperial Palace, 148 court officials died from the beatings. Their blood stained their official uniforms and the green floor tiles. The color of their blood seemed to be several shades darker than the palace walls.
That night, the young Emperor came to the Academy, escorted by his bodyguards and the Yulin Royal Guards.
No one knew what he spoke about or whom he spoke with in the Academy. The next day, an edict was issued. The Empress dowager from Qinghe County who thought that she had more ambition than any other Empress before was thrown into the Cold Palace. No one saw her again after that.
In the days that followed, officials from counties all over the Tang Empire who had come from Qinghe County wrote in letters pleading for forgiveness or pledging their loyalty. Some were captured and imprisoned by the secret guard. Many lost their lives and a large gloomy cloud brewed over Chang'an, causing deep unrest.
The turmoil in court and the messy politics caused serious impact to the Tang's power. However, the young Emperor was like any other of his ancestors of the Li family. He demonstrated a strong will at that moment, and was willing to die for the nation. He did not hesitate to get rid of anyone who would go against him.
After this incident, the power that the Qinghe County had gathered over decades was completely destroyed. The strength of the seven families was severely impaired. What was even more crucial, was that the proud and confident dominant families finally understood a fact.
No matter how great their family names were, no matter how long a history their family had, they were but just bunnies under the butcher's knife in the eyes of the Li royal family should they dare to cross the line.