Chapter 139: A thief's bite leaves a scar three inches deep

The strategy of borrowing a road to conquer the state of Guo originated from the Zuo Zhuan. Xiahou Hui was naturally familiar with it, and although Xiahou懋 knew little about the art of war, he was also quite clear about this historical allusion. Hearing Wei Ba utter these four words, Xiahou Hui paused for a moment, while Xiahou Mao suddenly thought of something, his expression turning cold instantly. Xiahou Hui quickly recovered and sneered, "Wei Ba, if you intend to falsely accuse me to defend yourself, I am afraid you will be disappointed."

Wei Ba curved the corner of his mouth. "The moment I spoke, the young lady understood. Is it because the young lady is too brilliant, or had you long anticipated that this could not be concealed from everyone?"

Xiahou Hui snorted. "An upright person remains pure; I advise you not to indulge in wild fantasies. My surname is Xiahou—a fact that no one can deny. You had best confess your crimes early; my uncle is benevolent and might spare your life. If you continue to conceal the truth and treat us like fools, you are merely courting your own disaster."

"Young lady, when one wants to condemn someone, pretexts are never lacking. If you truly wish to eliminate me and remove a thorn in the side for the General of the Chariots and Cavalry and his son, why go to such elaborate trouble? Based solely on my defiance of the Princess's orders in sparing those five pitiful women, you could use the Princess's decree to strike off my head. Would that not be far simpler than this?"

The moment Wei Ba uttered the phrase "borrowing a road to conquer Guo," Xiahou Hui knew what he was going to say. Now, hearing the words "the General of the Chariots and Cavalry and his son," his "sinister intentions" became even clearer to her. Yet, some matters are not easily proven simply because you know the truth in your heart, much like how she wanted Wei Ba to confess that his surrender was feigned. She herself knew that the possibility of Wei Ba's surrender being a sham was extremely high, but lacking conclusive proof, she had to take precautionary measures. Even if she could not firmly establish his guilt, she had to remove him from Xiahou Mao's side, place him under house arrest, and deny him any opportunity to act. She also hoped Wei Ba would offer a defense; once he defended himself, he would likely reveal further flaws.

Unfortunately, Wei Ba offered no defense at all, instead directly accusing her of having ulterior motives. She had prepared for this possibility as well, but the ultimate decision did not rest with her—it rested with Xiahou Mao, depending on whether he chose to believe her or Wei Ba. In her view, no matter how foolish Xiahou Mao might be, he would certainly not suspect her.

Yet she quickly discovered that things were not as simple as she had estimated. Xiahou Mao evidently trusted Wei Ba far more. She suddenly realized that Wei Ba's earlier mention of the Princess and those five concubines was not a casual remark, but a deliberate and malicious move that struck precisely at Xiahou Mao's Achilles' heel.

"Yuanyong, what have you done to them?"

Xiahou Hui choked on her words. Peng Xiaoyu and the others had indeed suffered no small amount of hardship after being thrown into prison, and as for Xiahou Mao's three favorite concubines, Princess Qinghe had directly ordered their execution.

"Are they dead?" Xiahou Mao read the truth in Xiahou Hui's eyes, and his voice began to tremble.

"They... they lived with Wei Ba..." Xiahou Hui hesitated, uncertain how to answer.

"Young lady, even if my surrender were truly a sham, would I share such a monumental secret with them?" Wei Ba cut off any chance for Xiahou Hui to argue, blocking her words directly. He saw it clearly: Xiahou Hui was clever, but when it came to situations requiring eloquent debate, her experience was far from sufficient. Moreover, Princess Qinghe's desire to kill those beauties could not possibly be concealed. Even if Xiahou Hui possessed a tongue of flowing lotus blossoms, Xiahou Mao would never believe her.

"Uncle, Wei Ba's surrender is a fake. His approach to you is intended to do you harm." Realizing that entangling herself in this issue would only put her at a further disadvantage, Xiahou Hui abandoned the topic altogether and went straight to the core. She interrupted Xiahou Mao to point out the real crisis he faced: "If you lose Guanzhong, or even lose your life, of what use will those beauties be to you, even if they remain alive? Would they not ultimately fall into the hands of certain people?"

Xiahou Mao was startled. Hesitating for a moment, he turned to Wei Ba and asked, "Are you... truly faking your surrender?"

Wei Ba shook his head in disappointment. "General, please think carefully. Up to this point, have I ever done a single thing against your interests?"

Xiahou Mao thought back and shook his head. Indeed, Wei Ba had not yet committed a single act detrimental to him.

"Yuanyong, have you made a mistake?"

"Uncle, one must exercise utmost caution when dealing with defectors..." Before Xiahou Hui could finish her sentence, Wei Ba let out a cold laugh and interrupted her. "Miss Xiahou, are you about to say next that it is better to believe something exists than not, and better to kill three thousand innocents than let one guilty person escape?"

Xiahou Hui was struck dumb. That was precisely how she had intended to advise Xiahou Mao, but hearing those words spoken by Wei Ba made them sound far more murderous and changed their tone entirely. At the very least, she had never intended to kill Wei Ba; she had merely wanted to urge Xiahou Mao to remain vigilant, advising him not to treat Wei Ba as a true confidant to avoid falling into his trap. Placing Wei Ba under house arrest and keeping him away from core matters would ensure he could pose no significant danger, even if his surrender were false.

Yet now that Wei Ba had stolen her lines, any defense she offered seemed problematic.

"General, my decision to stay in Chang'an in the first place was a mistake. I should have gone to Luoyang instead; no matter whose service I entered, it would have been better than remaining by the General's side. Clearly, someone does not wish for me to stay with you."

As he spoke, Wei Ba cast a glance at Xiahou Hui and let out a long sigh. "An innocent man is guilty simply because he harbors a jade ring. As a defector, I should have kept a low profile, protected myself, and refrained from offering strategies for the General. Now that I face an unjust death, as Miss Xiahou has said, it is entirely my own fault."

Seeing Xiahou Mao's expression grow increasingly grim, Xiahou Hui could only let out a bitter sigh. She said, "Wei Ba, you have a silver tongue capable of turning black into white and confusing the public. Yet if you think you can play the entire world in the palm of your hand, you are far too arrogant."

"I am trapped in a prison and about to be beheaded; how can I be accused of playing the world in the palm of my hand? As for the young lady, using a dubious charge to eliminate a formidable rival for her future husband—that is truly a brilliant tactic." Wei Ba looked up and laughed aloud, cutting the laughter short abruptly. "You are truly a model among women, young lady. Before even being married, you already put your husband's family before your own. Sima Shi marrying you is the Sima family's good fortune, but it is hardly a blessing for the Xiahou family that they gave birth to you."

Xiahou Hui's face flushed crimson. Wei Ba not only insisted that she had ulterior motives, but he also accused her of undermining her own clan's interests for the benefit of her future husband's family. This charge was far more venomous than the accusation of a feigned surrender. The Xiahou family was not just her immediate household; behind them stood the imperial Cao family. And the Sima family was far from simple—they were powerful ministers, ones eyed with deep suspicion by the Son of Heaven.

True to the saying that a thief's slander strikes to the bone, these light words from Wei Ba carried an accusation she could simply not bear.

"You... you are spouting malicious slander." Wise as Xiahou Hui was, she could no longer maintain her composure in the face of Wei Ba's vicious counterattack. Her face flushed red as she pointed a trembling finger at him and shouted harshly, "With your glib tongue and hypocritical appearance, you went to such elaborate lengths to approach my uncle. Was it not your intention to harm him?"

Looking at that trembling finger before him, Wei Ba suddenly felt a wave of dark impulse. He coughed, smiled faintly, and said, "I believe General Xiahou has his own clear judgment on this matter; I need say no more."

"Indeed. Although I may not be as shrewd and decisive as the General of the Chariots and Cavalry and his son, I can still tell whether someone means me well or ill," Xiahou Mao said coldly. "Yuanyong, it was Wei Ziyu who reminded me that Zhuge Liang might dispatch troops to Longyou; otherwise, I would never have established military colonies and fortified cities in Guanzhong. Faced with Zhuge Liang's northern expeditionary force of one hundred thousand men, I could never have held out until now."

"Uncle..."

"Say no more." Xiahou Mao sighed, turning his gaze toward the little beauty weeping in the corner. "I, Xiahou Mao, married a princess; I should never have continued to indulge in beauty. Since the Princess wished to have them killed, I have nothing to say. Yet Wei Ba can assist me in establishing great achievements; I believe that even if the Princess were here in person, she would not oppose my actions. Yuanyong, if you are determined to kill Wei Ba, I dare not stop you. I only ask that you delay it for a few days—until I push through this crisis, until the Great General or the General of the Chariots and Cavalry arrive in Guanzhong to reinforce us. Can you do that?"

Xiahou Hui was speechless. The Great General Cao Zhen was her maternal uncle, and the General of the Chariots and Cavalry Sima Yi was the father of her future husband. For Xiahou Mao to bring up these two men was proof enough of how furious he had become.

Xiahou Hui felt deeply wronged. For the sake of Xiahou Mao's safety, she had endured hardship and traveled all the way from Chang'an as a woman, only to have a few words from Wei Ba sway him into suspecting her of ulterior motives. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave, washing her hands of Xiahou Mao's fate. Yet, being a woman who understood the bigger picture, she knew that bickering with Xiahou Mao now was meaningless and would only cause greater harm.

Swallowing back her tears, she bowed and said, "Uncle, please heed my words. Employing defectors has always been a dangerous undertaking. In the past, Emperor Wen cast aside dissenting views to heavily employ Meng Dang, which led not long ago to the disaster in Fangling. A man of great wealth does not sit beneath the eaves; the warning of the overturning cart is not far behind. Please, Uncle, think thrice and do not fall into the schemer's trap."

"Thank you for the reminder, Yuanyong." Xiahou Mao waved his hand. "You have had a tiring journey; go down and rest." He turned back to look at Wei Ba. "Ziyu, though I trust you, in times of such extraordinary crisis, I cannot afford to be careless. Please bear with me for any offense."

Xiahou Hui breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Wei Ba, her gaze meeting his. Wei Ba gently shook his head. "General, sparing my life is an immense act of grace. How could I harbor any resentment? I have no other wish; I only hope that once the General defeats Zhuge Liang, you will grant me permission to travel east."

Hearing this, Xiahou Mao felt a twinge of disappointment. It was clear that Wei Ba had lost faith in him and no longer wished to serve in his command, which was why he asked to leave. Recalling Wei Ba's assistance—and particularly casting a glance at the weeping beauty in the corner—he felt that he had indeed been weak, powerless to resist the Princess's pressure, unable to protect even his own concubines, let alone the talent he had himself chosen to value. A sudden sense of despondency washed over him, and his grand ambition to establish military merit faded somewhat.

"Ziyu, you have not failed me; it is I who have failed you." Xiahou Mao sighed deeply and waved his hand, ordering someone to take Wei Ba away and treat him hospitably, ensuring that aside from restricting his freedom of movement, he suffered no mistreatment whatsoever.

Wei Ba thanked Xiahou Mao, then bowed toward Xiahou Hui. "Young lady, you are fully satisfied now. However, your spirit matches that of any hero; I still hope you will remain in Meiwu to lend the General a helping hand. Although Zhuge Liang is merely a scholar, he commands a force of one hundred thousand men. For the General to hold out until reinforcements arrive will be no easy task." With those words, he turned and strode away.

Xiahou Hui stood frozen in place. She could not tell whether she had achieved victory or defeat. If it was a defeat, Wei Ba had nonetheless been placed under house arrest by Xiahou Mao just as she wished. Yet if it was a victory, why did she feel not a shred of joy, but rather an inexpressible sense of frustration?

(To be continued)