Chapter 48: Old Soldier and Mulberry

Blind Old Xu was a veteran of the Northern Liang army. He had originally been a crossbowman, but after losing an eye to a stray arrow, he transferred to the cavalry. His combat record was mediocre, unremarkable in the Northern Liang army where merits were acquired by collecting heads. As a result, before retiring, he hadn't accumulated any substantial family wealth, only a body riddled with ailments. Initially, after settling in the city, he was relatively well-off. However, he couldn't withstand the constant demands of his old comrades, who were even more destitute than him. Most of his fallen comrades required Old Xu to pay for their coffins, and over time, the solitary Old Xu was left with no money at all. Old Xu was a native of Jinzhou in Liaodong. Orphaned at a young age, he followed Grand Commandant Xu Xiao from Jinzhou to Liaoxi, and then from Liaoxi through Xiong'er Pass, fighting across the Central Plains. During the Spring and Autumn Wars, many veterans who had enlisted at the same time as Old Xu, if they managed to survive, became military advisors or colonels; at the very least, they received the honorary military title of Deputy Commandant of Zhaowu before retirement.

Therefore, Old Xu was a veteran, but not a fierce one.

Those who dared not risk their lives for glory and still earned official positions were merely sons of influential families. An old soldier like Old Xu, who couldn't be described as greedy for life but was certainly afraid of death, was already fortunate enough not to have his head chopped off by the supervising officers and generals.

Later, Old Xu's remaining eye also went blind, accidentally ruined by charcoal smoke while working in the mountains. That's how he became known as "Blind Old Xu" throughout the neighborhood. What was most unfortunate was that after Old Xu went blind, misfortune compounded, like a leaky roof amidst a relentless downpour. He accidentally failed to avoid the hooves of a pampered noble's swift steed in the bustling market, and was trampled, crippling him.

The group of noble youths, accompanied by beautiful women, merely burst into laughter upon seeing the old man rolling on the ground. Blind Old Xu originally wanted to grit his teeth and fight desperately, but as his hand fumbled for a carrying pole on the ground, he overheard voices mentioning that those young masters were the sons of a certain Commandant of Mounted Archers, or grandsons of a Palace Secretary or a Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince from the capital. Old Xu then threw down the pole and cried out like a child, wailing repeatedly, "I should have died long ago!" His cries were so chilling that they drove away even the sympathetic bystanders. One dandy, annoyed by Old Xu's noisy wailing, drew his sword, ready to strike him down. The people of Northern Liang had always been fierce and bold. Even these dandies, whose hands might only possess the strength to untie a courtesan's sash, would certainly strike if they could draw a sword. This aspect made many foreign dandies newly arrived in Northern Liang very uncomfortable.

If that sword had fallen on Old Xu's head then, there would be no story today of His Royal Highness the Young Master carrying green ant wine.

At that moment, Xu Fengnian happened to be passing by. His horse was far more robust than those of the third-rate dandies, and his aura was a hundred times more arrogant. He originally didn't want to get involved in such a messy affair, but he was caught by Old Xu's heart-wrenching cry: "My legs weren't broken by those bastards from Western Chu; instead, they were crippled by my own people! God, are you blind like me?!"

Xu Fengnian said nothing, merely ordering his cruel servants to disperse the ruffians. As for how many arms or legs those pampered young masters broke, His Royal Highness cared little. If they had the guts, they could bring their whole families to the prince's manor and demand compensation from Xu Xiao himself. It would be even better if they brought an imperial decree.

Afterwards, Old Xu didn't die; he was inexplicably taken for treatment of his legs. However, the force of that horse's hooves was something an old man's legs could hardly withstand; they were completely shattered. Just as Blind Old Xu was preparing to sit in his small riverside hut and wait to die, suddenly, someone from the yamen came and said they would give him one tael of silver each month. Old Xu, his heart pounding, collected the money for half a year before daring to ask the official. The official said it was a new rule of the Northern Liang army: to treat veterans kindly. Later, Old Xu asked another barely living old comrade and learned that it was true, but they all had to go to the yamen to collect their money.

Old Xu was puzzled. "Good deeds are rewarded with good? But I'm hardly a good person. In my youth, I didn't shy away from burning, killing, and looting while following the Grand Commandant."

Old Xu's leg was broken, but he could still hobble along with a homemade crutch. His hut had been repaired by servants on the orders of that yamen official. Each year before winter, a thick cotton quilt would also be sent to him. Old Xu managed his vegetable garden adequately. One tael of silver was a thousand cash. Old Xu wasn't picky about food, and by the end of the month, he even had spare money for some meat and wine. His modest life was quite enjoyable. Waiting for death now was a hundred times more pleasant than when his leg had just been broken.

Today, Old Xu was dozing on a wooden stool outside his hut. He heard a loud voice shout, "Old Xu, Old Xu, let's drink! I caught a duck for you from the river on my way here, and it's a plump one!"

Blind Old Xu's spirits lifted. The young man named Xu had arrived. He had known this young man for four or five years. Reportedly, the young man had been caught peeking at an unmarried girl bathing over a wall, and was chased to the riverside, where he hid in Old Xu's hut. This had forged a minor but significant bond between them. Blind Old Xu knew about the charming maiden from the Orchid Pavilion wine shop that young Xu often talked about. Although he couldn't see, Old Xu's hearing was good. He often overheard idle ruffians gathering and drooling as they muttered. Their whispers were always about how the young girl's bosom had grown fuller over the years, how her round face had become more refined, and how she was blossoming into an even more strikingly beautiful woman. Old Xu had bought distiller's grains at the wine shop before and had caught a whiff of her fragrance. "Tsk, tsk," he'd thought, "it's truly delightful, even comparable to Orchid Pavilion's signature plum wine."

It was no injustice that young Xu was chased and beaten for her sake back then! If Old Xu were a few decades younger, there's no way young Xu would have been the one climbing walls; Old Xu would have been the one keeping watch for him!

"The pot's in the usual spot inside. When plucking the duck, remember not to just toss the feathers into the river. Be careful, or as soon as you leave, my hut will be torn down." Old Xu took the wine flask, sniffed it, and smiled contentedly, "This green ant wine isn't as good as Orchid Pavilion's plum wine, but it's far superior to distiller's grains."

The guest put the duck, its neck twisted, into Blind Old Xu's arms. He grumbled, "Do I have to pluck it too? I'll go boil some water."

With wine in hand, Old Xu was amiable. He hobbled off with his crutch to pluck the duck.

Before long, the hut was filled with an appetizing aroma. Old Xu gnawed on a greasy duck leg and chuckled, "Young Xu, it's been over a year, hasn't it? You either disappear for three years or are unheard of for a whole year. What kind of business are you in? Listen to Old Xu's advice: don't do anything wicked. Peeking at girls bathing is fine—it's not like they'll lose a piece of flesh—but if you're playing with swords and spears, then it's a different story. Never mind that, I suppose you wouldn't listen anyway. I know I can't drink your wine for free, so tell me, what do you want to hear about this time? At my age, I can't talk much, so I'll tell you what I can."

The man, chewing on duck meat, smiled and said, "Tell me about Liaodong. My ancestors were from there, specifically Jinzhou."

The one who could wander around so casually, of course, was His Royal Highness the Young Master, Xu Fengnian.

Blind Old Xu chuckled, "Jinzhou? Of course I know Jinzhou well! The entire Liaodong region is like that. Don't let it fool you; nine out of ten governors cry poverty to the imperial court, but they're not poor at all. The only poor ones are us, the landless, who are just short of rebellion."

Xu Fengnian lightly chuckled, "That's not enough to start a rebellion. Liaodong is poor, and its people are used to hardship. As long as they have even half a bowl of rice to eat, no one is willing to rise up in revolt."

Old Xu sighed, "Unless they're truly starving to death, who would want to defy fate and die? But if things continue like this, it's hard to say what will happen in Liaodong. I've been away from Jinzhou for nearly thirty years, and I've endured for all those thirty years."

Liaodong has always been a battleground. As the saying goes, 'tiger's stride, dragon's gallop,' meaning that success or failure hinges on one's resolve. The safety of the realm often hinges on the two Liaos. Xu Xiao advised defending it with all the empire's might, but few in the court or among the populace took it seriously. It wasn't that no one understood the stakes, but rather that the world was temporarily stable. What benefit could discussing or acting upon future fluctuations, fifty or a hundred years from now, bring to their current official positions?

Xu Fengnian softly said, "Old Xu, tell me more about the customs and traditions of Liaodong."

Old Xu spoke plainly and freely, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube. By the time the whole pot of stewed duck was devoured, Old Xu was quite exhausted, though most of his energy had been spent on the duck meat itself.

Old Xu finally wiped his mouth and said, "When the Grand Commandant first entered Northern Liang, he was truly magnificent. How did the Princess's poem go again?"

Xu Fengnian smiled, "A thousand carriages on the Green Ox Road, children beneath his banner holding mulberries."

Old Xu, leaning on his crutch, looked wistful.

Xu Fengnian left the wine flask and quietly walked out of the hut.

Qingniao stood in the distance, watching His Royal Highness slowly approach. She accompanied him every time he visited the riverside hut, and she never asked why His Highness chose to associate with a blind old veteran.

Xu Fengnian looked at Qingniao's serene face, his gaze somewhat distant.

Back then, Blind Old Xu was among those thousand carriages, his leg still intact.

And that child, holding mulberries, had looked up and asked his mother if they were tasty.

Qingniao was a little bewildered by his gaze. Xu Fengnian unexpectedly bit her cheek and chuckled, "Delicious, it tastes like mulberries."