Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Episode 33 Recap
> Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Recap
In the dead of night, by an ancient desk lit by a green lamp, Changlin King Xiao Tingsheng was writing furiously. He suddenly paused, his brows deeply furrowed, then let out a long sigh, discarded what he had just written, and replaced the paper to rewrite it. Uncle Yuan did not understand his intention, thinking he had simply made a mistake. The Changlin King explained that Xiao Pingjing appeared carefree and uninhibited, but was in fact meticulous.
The strokes of the characters he had just written seemed somewhat unsteady, and he feared Xiao Pingjing would overthink it if he saw them. This showed the mutual understanding between the father and son. Xun Baishui stood in the hall of the Marquis of Laiyang's residence. Xiao Yuanqi calmly prepared new tea for him, but Xun Baishui was not in the mood for enjoyment; at that moment, he was more concerned about Xiao Yuanqi himself.
He questioned whether Xiao Yuanqi's act of telling him the news was out of loyalty to the Emperor or an attempt by the Changlin King's Manor to gauge the attitude of court officials. Xiao Yuanqi, however, smiled and said that if the Changlin King's Manor truly harbored ulterior motives, then the only people who would genuinely fight for the Emperor without hesitation were the Empress Dowager and Xun Baishui.
Xun Baishui did not want to beat around the bush with him and directly questioned what he was trying to say. Xiao Yuanqi then took out a black lacquered wooden box. Xun Baishui opened the box to see that it contained the accusation letter from Pu Yangying, which identified the Empress Dowager as being involved in the plague incident, along with the Empress Dowager's own decree from that year.
Xun Baishui was greatly alarmed and hastily asked Xiao Yuanqi how he had obtained these items. Xiao Yuanqi seized the opportunity to say that if he truly harbored malice towards the Empress Dowager and Xun Baishui, he would only need to hand these items to the late Emperor, and the outcome would be self-evident. The reason he had kept these items was to prove that he was absolutely not allied with the Changlin King's Manor.
Xun Baishui gazed at Xiao Yuanqi for a moment, then calmly put away the items. Xiao Yuanqi pushed the tea towards Xun Baishui. The two, one calm and collected, the other half-believing and half-doubting, nevertheless drank the tea together, which served as a mutual acknowledgment. Xiao Yuanqi encountered an old friend on the street. The friend invited him for a light drink, but Xiao Yuanqi had something to attend to.
As he was declining, he suddenly saw a carriage, not belonging to the royal family, passing by escorted by Imperial Guards, which greatly surprised him. His friend told him that this was the young lady of the Xun family, who was frequently invited into the palace. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanqi was looking towards the carriage, and coincidentally, the young lady inside the carriage lifted the curtain to get some air at that very moment.
Xiao Yuanqi and Xun Anru thus happened to meet each other for the first time. As the carriage gradually moved further away, Xiao Yuanqi had to shift his gaze back from the departing carriage. He was supposed to visit the Changlin King that day, so he quickly hurried to the King's Manor. The Changlin King handed Xiao Yuanqi his reply to Xiao Pingjing, asking him to deliver it on his behalf.
After Xiao Yuanqi received the letter and returned home, he immediately melted the wax seal of the envelope, took out the letter, and read it carefully. He then handed the letter to Xun Baishui for inspection. Xun Baishui angrily threw the letter to the ground. From the letter, he learned that Xiao Pingjing was preparing a large operation to annihilate the main force of the Dà yú Imperial Army and wanted the Changlin King to cooperate in court.
This was exactly what Xun Baishui feared most. Since Xiao Pingzhang's passing, the Changlin King was not proficient in court affairs. At the same time, after Xiao Pingjing took command of the Changlin Army, his military achievements were limited, and his prestige was not comparable to his father or brother.
Therefore, Xun Baishui believed that although the Changlin King and his son appeared to be a military and political alliance, one internal and one external, they could not truly achieve internal and external coordination. However, if Xiao Pingjing's planned operation succeeded this time, not only would it annihilate the main force of the Dà yú Imperial Army, but it would also allow the Changlin Army to withdraw safely.
The prestige of this battle would be attributed to Xiao Pingjing, which would enable the Changlin King and his son to truly achieve perfect coordination between internal and external affairs and control both court politics and military affairs. This was the result Xun Baishui least wanted to see. He believed that by then, everyone in the court would have to obey the Changlin King's Manor's will.
Xiao Yuanqi, fanning the flames from the side, said that it was not only the court, but perhaps even the Emperor would have to obey the Changlin King's Manor's will, which struck Xun Baishui's sensitive nerve. Thus, Xun Baishui thought of having the Emperor issue an imperial decree ordering the garrison troops in the four borders only to defend, not to leave the city, provoke, or expand the war.
Xun Feizhan had originally gone to pay his respects to Xun Baishui but discovered Xun Anru sighing alone while gazing at the moon. Xun Anru had been feigning illness, unwilling to enter the palace. Xun Feizhan told her to obey and not to act impulsively. At the same time, he heard from Xun Anru that Xun Baishui was receiving guests, which slightly shocked him; he couldn't imagine who would be visiting so late. He quickly rushed to Xun Baishui's study.
Xun Baishui was conversing congenially with Xiao Yuanqi when he suddenly heard the sound of servants stopping Xun Feizhan, and he immediately told Xiao Yuanqi to hide. Xun Feizhan burst into the study, but he only saw Xun Baishui alone. Xun Baishui falsely claimed that there were no guests. Xun Feizhan did not catch anyone, and although he harbored extreme suspicion, he could only say that he was being overly suspicious and then took his leave.
Xun Baishui reported to the Emperor that the Changlin King's Manor was preparing a major operation in the northern border. The Emperor trusted the Changlin King greatly, but was somewhat half-believing and half-doubting. Xun Baishui suggested that the Emperor could ask indirectly to find out the truth. So, the Emperor took the opportunity during his archery practice on horseback to ask the Changlin King why the provisions and fodder for the northern border were thirty percent more than usual.
The Changlin King explained that since the late Emperor passed away and the Emperor was young, it was an opportunity for foreign nations to invade Daliang, so everything he did was for prevention. When the Emperor returned to the palace, Xun Baishui and the Empress Dowager, echoing each other, spoke of the Changlin King's faults, questioning why he could not bring matters of the northern border to court for all officials to discuss.
The Empress Dowager also stated that this was the situation when a powerful minister dominated everything. The Emperor pondered for a long time, finally deciding to display his imperial authority and asked what advice the Grand Secretariat had on the matter. On the other side, the Changlin King told Xun Feizhan of his plans. Xun Feizhan worried that while the Changlin Army would defend the country against enemies, they would ultimately be implicated in return.
The Changlin King said that the Cabinet officials simply could not understand the suffering of border warfare; they would only argue and pass the buck. However, military opportunities were fleeting and could not wait for the outcome of the court officials' discussions. On one hand, it was a state ritual, and on the other, a God-given military opportunity; it was inherently a dilemma.
And the Emperor had just turned fourteen and newly ascended to the throne; he simply could not bear such a difficult dilemma. Xun Baishui's suggestion to the Emperor was precisely what he and Xiao Yuanqi had agreed upon: to issue an imperial decree without the Changlin King's knowledge, stating that the four border garrisons could only defend, not deploy troops.
The young Emperor initially had reservations, but being young after all, under the instigation of his maternal uncle Xun Baishui and his mother, the Empress Dowager, he ultimately decided to issue the decree. Xiao Yuanqi traveled day and night to Ganzhou. However, even though he was skillful, Xiao Pingjing saw that the letter had been opened and read immediately upon receiving it. Xiao Yuanqi feigned ignorance to deceive him.
Xiao Pingjing realized that the other party might send an imperial decree from the court and have people monitor along the way, sending a carrier pigeon message upon spotting a court envoy. Xun Baishui also knew this imperial decree was very crucial and decided to personally enter the northern border to issue the decree.
