Upon learning that Xiao Rong intended to persuade Qu Yunmei to relocate the capital, no one in Yanmen County was happier than Yu Shaoxie.

 

When Yu Shaoxie arrived at Xiao Rong’s residence, his face was brimming with excitement.

 

“I knew it! Brother Xiao, you and I are kindred spirits!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

This statement felt a bit odd.

 

Yu Shaoxie continued, “What’s so great about Yanmen County? Only the King would specially move here and build a palace. Even the neighboring Dai County is far superior in every aspect.”

 

Realizing he had lost his composure, Yu Shaoxie cleared his throat.

 

In his eyes, Xiao Rong was a true gentleman—calm, courteous, bold, and unafraid of power, much like himself but far more capable.

 

Despite their shared fearlessness, Xiao Rong could face the King and walk away unscathed, genuinely influencing him. In contrast, Yu Shaoxie always needed rescuing.

 

Ashamed, he acknowledged that even though he was a few years older than Xiao Rong, he lacked Xiao Rong’s composure.

 

These thoughts stayed in Yu Shaoxie’s mind, unsaid. Therefore, Xiao Rong was unaware of his thoughts, simply observing him sigh and clench his fists intermittently.

 

What a strange display.

 

Yu Shaoxie believed Xiao Rong’s silence was due to his dignity. When faced with a colleague’s rudeness, Xiao Rong would merely smile gently, as a reminder. The reality was harsher—Xiao Rong felt he had extracted all useful information from Yu Shaoxie, and he now held no further value for him.

 

…

 

The two conversed, each speaking past the other. Yu Shaoxie’s admiration for Xiao Rong grew, and without needing prompting, he began to speak openly. Xiao Rong would occasionally nod and smile, though his thoughts wandered elsewhere.

 

Finally, Yu Shaoxie asked him a question, snapping Xiao Rong back to attention. “What did you say, Brother Yu?”

 

Yu Shaoxie smiled, not noticing Xiao Rong’s distraction. “I was asking, in your opinion, where should the King relocate the capital?”

 

Xiao Rong blinked and countered, “What do you think, Brother Yu?”

 

Yu Shaoxie confidently replied, “Naturally, Changan!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

He had expected this.

 

Many hoped Qu Yunmei would relocate the capital, but their motives were far from noble and often self-serving.

 

The Yong Dynasty’s southward move had hurt the people north of the Han River and worried those to the south. The noble families had followed the emperor, yet many still dreamt of returning to Changan to restore the glory of Emperor Wu.

 

Exaggerating slightly, eight out of ten people in the Southern Yong court held this view.

 

The most notable proponent was Duke Sun Renluan. Coincidentally, his family name was Sun, a prominent noble family known as the Pingyang Sun clan.

 

This was the same Pingyang Xiao Rong had visited.

 

The magistrate of Pingyang had ties to the Sun family. While other cities were struggling, Pingyang remained prosperous because Sun Renluan secretly supported it, believing he would eventually return there.

 

Qu Yunmei had recently visited Pingyang due to Sun Renluan’s influence, meeting this magistrate. With the Xianbei not yet defeated, Qu Yunmei wouldn’t move south, maintaining a seemingly amicable relationship between the two sides.

 

Some Southern Yong people hoped the court would return to the capital, while others, seeing no hope in the court, sought new leadership, placing their hopes in the new ruler.

 

Representatives of this second group included Yu Shaoxie and the Southern Yong-born General Wang Xinyong.

 

In the end, they weren’t much better than Qu Yunmei, driven by their ideals—one centered on Changan, the other on Yanmen Pass.

 

Oops, that even rhymed unintentionally.

 

Xiao Rong couldn’t help but chuckle softly. His laugh, like snow melting instantly, caught Yu Shaoxie off guard, making him think Xiao Rong’s parents had indeed given him the right name.

 

Yu Shaoxie asked, “What are you thinking about, Brother Xiao?”

 

Xiao Rong cleared his throat, trying to look serious. “I was thinking, Changan is an excellent place, but relocating the capital now is mainly to break the Chiyou banner curse. Changan’s northwest location seems less effective.”

 

Yu Shaoxie disagreed. The name Changan symbolized so much—it had always been the capital! How could it be overshadowed by the Chiyou banner?

 

Given that Xiao Rong had said this, Yu Shaoxie suppressed his urge to argue and patiently asked, “Then where do you think is better than Changan, Brother Xiao?”

 

Despite his restraint, a hint of resentment slipped into his tone.

 

Xiao Rong sipped his tea and straightforwardly replied, “Chenliu.”

 

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

 

…

 

Relocating to Chenliu was just one of Xiao Rong’s ideas. He didn’t insist Qu Yunmei must follow his suggestion.

 

As long as they left Yanmen County, whether it was Changan, Luoyang, or Chenliu, it didn’t matter much.

 

However, Yu Shaoxie didn’t seem to think the same way. When he left, he looked extremely frustrated, as if he had something to say but held back. Xiao Rong noticed this but didn’t react.

 

There was nothing he could do. This was Xiao Rong, a supremely detached, life-preserving university student who didn’t want to get involved in matters unrelated to his own safety.

 

After Yu Shaoxie left, Xiao Rong began counting the days on his fingers again. The relocation of the capital was still uncertain, and even if it happened, it wouldn’t be a quick process. The army would move, and so would the families. Unlike Emperor Guangjia’s hasty escape, this process would take at least six months.

 

In these six months, he wouldn’t be idle. There was plenty to do, one thing after another.

 

…

 

Xiao Rong requested a map from the guards and after studying it for a while, took it to Qu Yunmei.

The guards at the main hall initially said that the King was discussing matters with Master Gao. Just as Xiao Rong was about to leave, a voice from inside invited him in.

 

Xiao Rong felt something was off but climbed the steps anyway.

 

When he entered, Gao Xunzhi and Qu Yunmei were both seated, their expressions seemingly normal.

Qu Yunmei lifted his eyelids and asked, “What is it?”

 

Xiao Rong placed the map he was holding in front of Qu Yunmei. “Your Majesty, the captives are in place and shouldn’t remain idle. Please look here, there are large coal mines that can be mined in the open. You can send a vanguard to explore, then secure the discovered coal mines, and have the captives work there. Coal is flammable and can replace firewood. With it, neither the soldiers nor the civilians will have to suffer from the cold this winter.”

 

Qu Yunmei stared at the spot Xiao Rong pointed to, expressionless.

 

It wasn’t that he was calm, he simply had no idea what coal was.

 

…

 

In fact, coal had been discovered long ago. Xiao Rong knew its importance, and other smart people did too but ordinary people had no access to it.

 

Although Qu Yunmei had been a lieutenant general in the Northern Army, the entire army was quite ignorant.

 

Regarding his knowledge gaps, Qu Yunmei had a great strategy: say nothing and let others speak. Gao Xunzhi had heard of coal but had never seen it, so he wasn’t very excited. Xiao Rong looked at him, then at Qu Yunmei, already highly suspicious.

 

Understanding the situation, Gao Xunzhi asked Xiao Rong for an explanation. Xiao Rong paused, then carefully explained. Once Gao Xunzhi understood how valuable coal was, he finally got excited. “There’s really that much?!”

 

Xiao Rong nodded. “We can’t dig too deep, but even the surface coal will last a long time. Heating is a major concern for the people. Although coal is valuable, I propose not selling it initially but using it for smelting. Any surplus firewood and charcoal in the army can be distributed to the poor before winter. Additionally, I’ll think of other ways to make this winter warmer.”

 

Qu Yunmei looked up at Xiao Rong’s slight smile, his eyes flickering.

 

Gao Xunzhi’s reaction was much more enthusiastic.

 

He imitated Xiao Rong’s gesture, holding Xiao Rong’s hands with a grateful expression. “Master Xiao, you are indeed compassionate! Master Xiao… Ah, may I call you Ah Rong?”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

With a twitching mouth, he politely declined. “Only my grandmother calls me Ah Rong.”

 

Gao Xunzhi, moved, replied, “Alright, I’ll call you Ah Rong then.”

 

Xiao Rong said, “It’s better to stick with Master Xiao.”

 

Gao Xunzhi followed his suggestion, seating Xiao Rong down and praising him endlessly, now truly seeing him as his precious grandson.

 

Qu Yunmei couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, finally finding a moment to quickly ask, “How did you know there was coal in Pingcheng?”

 

Xiao Rong turned, his expression unchanged. “I calculated it.”

 

Gao Xunzhi, initially unhappy about being interrupted, immediately praised, “Exactly! Ah Rong has real skills! Unlike the Quingfeng Sect, whose leader’s so-called divine abilities are mere rumors, Ah Rong’s abilities are the real deal!”

 

Qu Yunmei: “…”

 

He glared at Xiao Rong, his face clearly saying, “Didn’t you say you couldn’t tell fortunes?”

 

Xiao Rong raised an eyebrow at him, silently communicating, ‘Yes, I can’t. So, how do you think I knew?’

 

Qu Yunmei: “…”

 

Suddenly, he felt very angry.

 

Caught between them, Gao Xunzhi was completely ignored.

 

He observed their silent exchange, clearly understanding they had communicated a lot, yet he couldn’t grasp any of it.

 

Chancellor Gao was utterly confused until Xiao Rong suddenly smiled brilliantly, declaring his victory. Then he turned to Gao Xunzhi. “Chancellor, though the Quingfeng Sect is a scam, they have deceived countless people and inspired them to follow without expecting anything in return. This is the effect of their supposed divine power. Though I possess talent, I’m not adept at preaching or guiding people. We lack talent and manpower. If we could find a renowned monk or Taoist priest, the people would surely come to us, saving us a lot of effort.”

 

Gao Xunzhi blinked a couple of times. To be honest, he was quite willing to do this. His name suggested that either he or his parents were Taoist believers, but he didn’t immediately agree, instead looking silently at Qu Yunmei.

 

As expected, Qu Yunmei, with a dark expression, said, “Don’t even think about it! The Northern Army can have only one performer. If another one comes, don’t blame me for making an example out of them!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

Clarify, am I the chicken or the monkey?!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

Support translation: