In the afternoon, Huang Yanjiu went to bid farewell to Qu Yunmie.

 

Before Xiao Rong received the handwritten letter, he couldn’t stay in Chenliu any longer. Whether it was to deploy troops or prepare the gold, silver, and jewels Xiao Rong had specifically requested, he needed to return to Jianning.

 

Originally, he had planned to stay for another two or three days to probe Qu Yunmie’s intentions before leaving, but when Zhou Liang defected, it caught him off guard. He was now extremely frustrated and just wanted to return to his own territory as soon as possible. 

 

As for the three conditions Xiao Rong had mentioned earlier, Huang Yanjiu had been negotiating with him, subtly indicating that he was unwilling to agree. However, today, when he faced Qu Yunmie, he suddenly changed his stance and stated that as long as he received that handwritten letter, he would agree to all three conditions.

 

When Huang Yanjiu left, Xiao Rong wasn’t present. He was seen off by Qu Yunmie and Gao Xunzhi. Later, after hearing Gao Xunzhi’s recounting, Xiao Rong understood that Qu Yunmie had made up his mind to kill Huang Keji.

 

….

 

Qu Yunmie was only indebted to Huang Yanqin for a favor, yet he was pressed to such an extent. Huang Yanjiu was no fool, how could he leave behind a promise that could become evidence, handing over his vast fortune so easily? When Xiao Rong made such a request earlier, it was merely to force him, to make him believe that he was being unreasonable. This would lower his guard, and in the outcome Xiao Rong had envisioned, Huang Yanjiu would bargain with him and ultimately agree to provide Huang Keji with some tangible benefits.

 

With those benefits, Huang Keji would no longer be so isolated, and when he truly followed Huang Yanjiu back to Jianning, he wouldn’t be reduced to relying on others.

 

Xiao Rong never expected that Huang Yanjiu would agree.

 

He accepted such an unreasonable request simply because Huang Yanjiu knew it was impossible to fulfill. The distance from Chenliu to Jianning was so vast, and even if Huang Keji were to unexpectedly pass away, even if Qu Yunmie knew there was more to the story, he couldn’t openly accuse Huang Yanjiu.

 

Having stayed in the Northern Army for so long and encountered such deceit and manipulation, Xiao Rong couldn’t help but feel repulsed. He didn’t appear at the following banquet. He hadn’t hosted a feast for Huang Yanjiu upon his arrival, but it would have been rude not to offer one when he left. A guest must be treated with respect, even if the atmosphere was tense, and no matter how tasteless the event might be, the formalities had to be observed. 

 

In the front courtyard, they sang and danced. The new female singers and dancers were all previously raised by the former governor of Chenliu. Initially, the governor had planned to take them with him, but Xiao Rong had stopped him. The Northern Army was short of such entertainers and if they couldn’t even invite a few dancing girls for a banquet it would be embarrassing. He certainly couldn’t get up and dance himself.

 

It did make him feel a little bit of an itch, but the thought of how people in this era viewed these dancers made Xiao Rong lose interest.

 

He didn’t want to be looked down upon.

 

The former governor of Chenliu had no idea what Xiao Rong was thinking. When he found out that the Northern Army hadn’t taken anything but had kept the beautiful singers and dancers from his residence, his expression was a bit off.

 

….

 

At the same time, the front courtyard was lively, but Xiao Rong’s side was very quiet.

They had just finished dinner, and Xiao Rong was reviewing Xiao Yi’s homework from the past two days. The old lady, however, was moving around rapidly, going back and forth in Xiao Rong’s room, inspecting everything.

 

She would sometimes mention that there was a missing cushion, and other times, she would comment that the color of his clothes was wrong. She spoke to herself, not bothered by the lack of response from anyone. Ah Shu stood by quietly, bored, as long as the old lady wasn’t causing any trouble.

 

Xiao Yi nervously watched Xiao Rong, unsure of how his work would be received. Xiao Rong hadn’t told him the topic beforehand. This essay had been written during Xiao Yi’s journey to Chenliu, and when he learned that Xiao Rong would review it, he spent the night revising it and copying it onto fine paper.

 

There were several grades of paper available now, each with a different name. Xiao Rong couldn’t keep track of all the complexities, but he knew that some paper could be sold for the price of gold, some for the price of silver, and others were highly sought after by scholars but priced outrageously.

 

The finest papers were usually associated with miraculous or famous literary figures, and no matter the type, they were all sold by aristocratic families.

 

Paper-making wasn’t rare, but the paper made by commoners was fragile and not smooth. Commoners, who didn’t know how to read, rarely used paper, and no one specialized in it.

 

Aristocratic families had long been improving paper-making techniques. The finest papers today had reached the level of mature Xuan paper, which absorbed water slowly but shaped easily, making it the best choice for daily use.

 

In a couple of hundred years, true Xuan paper would become common in every household, but for now, it was a luxury. According to the shopkeeper, the paper contained mica, cinnabar, gold powder, and rosin. Whether it truly contained these materials was impossible to tell, as the finished product was a white, slightly yellowish paper, with only the protruding fibers visible to the naked eye.

 

At least that was what the shopkeeper claimed, and none of the listed ingredients were cheap, which naturally made the price of the paper even higher.

 

When Xiao Rong had left, Xiao Yi had given him the remaining fine paper from their home. He kept twenty sheets as a memento, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t dare use them. However, since this was the first time Xiao Rong was reviewing his work, he nervously wrote it on this high-quality paper.

 

Xiao Yi didn’t know where to put his hands because of nervousness. However, he hadn’t expected that Xiao Rong was actually staring blankly at the paper.

 

How obscure.

 

His literary skills were limited to understanding traditional Chinese characters, and he had only learned punctuation after coming to this era. Although Xiao Yi was young, he had learned to write as soon as he could walk. The Xiao family had high hopes for their two sons to restore the family’s former glory, and for Xiao Yi, studying was his only task growing up.

Realizing he was struggling to read, Xiao Rong didn’t show it, as he knew how much his younger brother admired him and didn’t want to come down from the pedestal.

 

Pretending to finish reading the last line, Xiao Rong put the paper down and looked up with a smile. “Good, but there’s still room for improvement.”

 

Only then did Xiao Yi dare to breathe again. He lowered his head, looking a bit disappointed, but quickly raised it again and clenched his fist determinedly. “Next time, I won’t disappoint you, Big Brother!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

Next time, you’d better show it to someone else.

 

After a pause, Xiao Rong picked up the paper again, feeling its thickness and appreciating its fine quality. He furrowed his brow. “Xiao Yi, where did you get this paper?”

 

Xiao Yi was taken aback. He pursed his lips and instinctively glanced over at the Old Lady and Ah Shu. The former was mumbling about what kind of needles and threads she should buy to make clothes for Xiao Rong, while the latter seemed lost in thought.

 

Only then did Xiao Yi relax and lean closer to Xiao Rong, speaking in a soft voice, “Big Brother, I didn’t buy it. It’s from the family’s regular allotment.”

 

Xiao Rong blinked, pausing for a moment before asking in surprise, “They even give out paper?”

 

As expected of an old prestigious family, so impressive! The Xiao family had only kept a small amount of this fine paper for so long. They had been expelled forty years ago, yet after all this time, they still had so much left. They must have received quite a lot at the beginning!

 

Xiao Yi glanced at the two people again and whispered even more softly to Xiao Rong, “Big Brother, this paper is called ‘Xiao Gong Paper.’ It was invented by Xiao Sidu, an ancestor of the Xiao family, and to this day, it remains one of the main sources of profit for the main branch.”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

He had been wondering who would have the audacity to sell paper at such a high price, and it turned out to be his own family’s name.

 

His mood was complicated as he looked down at the paper.

 

To be honest, the paper was indeed of high quality. After forty years of careful preservation, it had only yellowed around the edges, with the rest still looking new and perfectly usable.

 

….

 

Still, no matter how good the quality was, the price couldn’t be justified!

 

Xiao Rong didn’t oppose the existence of luxury goods in the world, but he was against the monopolization of an entire industry by a family producing luxury items and banning commoners from using alternatives, all to distinguish between what was called an aristocratic family and what was called the common people.

 

He pursed his lips and quietly asked Xiao Yi, “Apart from the Xiao family making a profit from this, are there any other families that make a living selling paper?”

 

Xiao Yi, being a proper scholar, was more knowledgeable about these matters. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “The Yongjia Hu family sells apricot blossom paper, and the Wuling Jing family sells Jinghou paper, but none are as famous as Xiao Gong paper.”

 

That was to be expected. Just by looking at the names, one was a duke and the other a Marquis, and naturally, the former would be more prestigious than the latter.

 

Xiao Rong had briefly glanced at the family rankings. The first-tier aristocratic families included the He family, the Pingyang Sun family, the Yuzhang Yang family, and the Jiangxia Yang family. The second tier had a few more, eight families in total, including the Xiao family and the Jing family. As for the Hu family Xiao Yi mentioned, Xiao Rong hadn’t heard of them, and they were likely ranked below second-tier.

 

There were even more third-tier families, over twenty in total, and beyond the third tier, there were families that didn’t make the list but were still recorded in the aristocratic genealogy. Counting the first, second, and third tiers, along with the families that didn’t make the rankings, there were more than sixty surnames listed, many of which were repeated. While sixty may seem like a lot, there were even more families who failed to make the list.

 

Countless people were eager to join the ranks of the aristocracy, but the aristocratic families didn’t even bother to spare them a glance.

 

Scholars grouped together, and aristocratic families grouped even tighter. Xiao Rong didn’t actually want to confront the aristocratic families so soon. He certainly didn’t want to be enemies with the Xiao family, as his identity was fake. If the main branch discovered any discrepancies, he would no longer be able to appear in public, and more critically, Qu Yunmie might lose trust in him.

 

However, if the price of the paper didn’t go down, his plan to attract scholars would be compromised. If the first literary gathering didn’t stir up excitement, the second and third would only grow more lackluster. He had hoped to gradually transition the gatherings into a path for the imperial examination, but he couldn’t afford to fail now.

 

Xiao Rong fell into thought, wondering how he could lower the price of paper without drawing early attention from the aristocratic families.

 

Before he could come up with a plan, a soldier knocked on the door.

 

This was a new rule Xiao Rong had established: from now on, anyone coming in had to knock first, no one was allowed to enter without permission.

 

Ah Shu had finally ended his daydreaming. He received the news from the soldier and quickly ran back to inform Xiao Rong. “Master, Huang Yanjiu and the others have left. They wanted to leave the city before curfew.”

 

They had arrived under the cover of night and were now leaving the same way. Whether coming or going, they weren’t planning anything good.

 

Xiao Rong hummed in acknowledgment and instinctively reached for his writing materials. However, he suddenly remembered that Xiao Yi was still there. After a brief pause, he put down the pen and instead ordered Ah Shu, “Go find General Jian, and have him send a few clever people to follow Huang Yanjiu secretly. If anything unusual happens, interrupt him immediately.”

 

Ah Shu responded with an “Oh,” and turned to leave. Xiao Yi, seeing Xiao Rong issue orders so calmly, felt a little unfamiliar with the sight but also admired him even more.

 

Xiao Yi then tentatively asked, “Big Brother, is Huang Yanjiu the younger brother of Huang Lujiang?”

 

In the past, people addressed officials by combining their surname and the location, but that was an old tradition. Nowadays, people usually address officials directly by their official title.

 

However, for those with high popularity and good reputation, people still followed the old practice and added a respectful title.

 

Huang Yanqin met this standard. He held a high position in the hearts of scholars, so he could be respectfully called Huang Lujiang.

 

As for Huang Yanjiu, he was far from reaching the level where people would call him Huang Jianning.

 

Xiao Rong glanced at Xiao Yi, then smiled. “Yes, but Xiao Yi, your current task is to continue reading and solving problems. You will encounter external affairs in the future, but for now, focus on your current work. You can’t win people over with half-baked efforts.”

 

Xiao Yi blushed and nodded obediently. “Yes, I will listen to Big Brother.”

 

Xiao Rong said, “If you get tired of studying, go out more, participate in local literary gatherings, and get to know the local scholars.”

 

Xiao Yi opened his mouth, “But didn’t Big Brother ask me to pretend to be a genius? Geniuses are known for surprising everyone with their talent. If I meet those scholars early, they might find out from my words that I’m not really that impressive.”

 

Xiao Rong was stunned, realizing he hadn’t thought of that.

 

He couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems Xiao Yi is really focused on this matter.”

 

Xiao Yi felt embarrassed. “I just want to help Big Brother.”

 

Xiao Rong stood up and patted Xiao Yi’s shoulder. “You already are helping.”

 

After saying that, he turned and walked outside. Xiao Yi was momentarily stunned and quickly followed for a few steps. “Where are you going, Big Brother?”

 

Xiao Rong waved his hand behind him. “I’m going to have a chat with someone.”

 

Xiao Yi felt a little disappointed. Xiao Rong was so busy. If he hadn’t decided not to meet Huang Yanjiu today, Xiao Yi wouldn’t have had this much time to spend with him. He sighed lightly, packed up the things on the table, and then went to find his grandmother, helping her out.

 

….

 

On the other side, Xiao Rong was looking for Yu Shaoxie.

 

There was something he originally wanted to assign to Xiao Yi, but Xiao Yi had reminded him with a single sentence that his identity wasn’t suitable for certain tasks. So, Xiao Rong had no choice but to ask his friend, Yu Shaoxie, who he still had a decent relationship with.

Xiao Rong rarely sought him out, so Yu Shaoxie was initially flattered and even sobered up from the wine he had been drinking. After listening to Xiao Rong’s request, he began to wonder if he was truly sober.

 

“…Xiao, could you repeat that?”

 

Xiao Rong gave him a strange look, thinking, if he needed to repeat it, then he would.

 

He repeated, “I hope Brother Yu can help me find one or two scholars—those with literary talent, who are skilled in writing, preferably have families, and are willing to do anything for money.”

 

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

 

Each of these conditions alone was not strange, but combined together, it felt odd. He couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao, what exactly do you want such people for?”

 

Xiao Rong didn’t hide the truth. “To write play scripts.”

 

Yu Shaoxie stared at him. “What is a play script?”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

Clearly, Yu Shaoxie was unfamiliar with the entertainment industry.

 

At this time, there were plays, but not the same kind as what later generations would recognize as drama. The current form of theater was more like a monologue, where one person would either speak or sing from beginning to end, with no other performers joining.

Theater and music were still separate at this time. Plays were plays, and music was music. Performers didn’t have accompaniment, and the tunes were very simple, usually just a few lines with a single melody, and the entire performance would not change.

 

Since even the most basic livelihoods couldn’t be guaranteed at this point, Xiao Rong had no intention of putting a lot of effort into reforming the entertainment industry. His request was not too demanding, he just needed someone who could write in the most popular four-six parallel style of the time. If he could do it himself, Xiao Rong wouldn’t have needed to find someone else, but the problem was he couldn’t. What he would write would likely be something no eight- or nine-year-old child would want to listen to.

 

Yu Shaoxie wasn’t as easily fooled as Xiao Yi. He had to ask for a clear explanation. Xiao Rong then shared his thoughts. First, he wanted to give the common people something new to enjoy, second, he wanted to collect some ticket money to generate revenue for Chenliu, and third, he hoped that through the spread of plays, he could help clean up the image of the Northern Army.

 

Yu Shaoxie immediately understood. Although he was a bit of a hothead, he was actually very open to new ideas, and whenever Xiao Rong had a new plan, he was always the first to support it. In fact, by the time Xiao Rong had spoken halfway, he was already ready to roll up his sleeves and start working on it. Upon hearing the latter half of the plan, he realized the plays were meant for the common people, so he let his sleeves drop again.

 

Although he did want to do something for the people, most of them couldn’t read. Using his own works to get feedback from illiterate commoners just wasn’t something Yu Shaoxie’s pride could accept.

 

Xiao Rong noticed his hesitation but didn’t stop him. Yu Shaoxie was right, at least in this era, playwrights wouldn’t be recognized by scholars. In the future, perhaps the authors of such plays would be regarded as the forefathers of theater, but by then, Yu Shaoxie would be dead for many years. Invisible fame wasn’t truly fame for the person who was gone.

 

Nevertheless, Yu Shaoxie agreed to help Xiao Rong, though he had one more question: “Indeed, only impoverished scholars would take on such work, but why does Xiao still insist that they must have families? Is it that only those with families can produce work that will satisfy you?”

 

Xiao Rong blinked. “No, that’s not it.”

 

Yu Shaoxie looked at him in confusion.

 

Xiao Rong smiled. “People with families have ties and responsibilities. They won’t be easily swayed by a few words and abandon everything to run off and spread the idea that the plays are all my design, that every plot point was something I requested. Those with wives and children won’t dare to offend me like that.”

 

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

 

Actually, after hearing Xiao Rong’s explanation, he felt that even those without wives and children wouldn’t dare offend Xiao Rong.

 

….

 

The next morning, Yu Shaoxie went out to find scholars who were married, poor, and too timid to offend Xiao Rong. Meanwhile, Xiao Rong carefully dressed himself, putting on a full set of scholar’s attire, with two clothing pendants. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to leave the sword behind, choosing not to bring it along.

 

Today, he was going to meet the local aristocrats and the Three Elders. The Northern Defending Army already had a fearsome reputation, so he didn’t need to add any additional stereotypes to his image.

 

He went to meet the aristocrats with Gao Xunzhi, and when meeting the Three Elders, Qu Yunmie would join them.

 

The aristocrats were of lower status, but the Three Elders were respected by everyone in the city.

 

In fact, the Three Elders system was set up hundreds of years ago, when official positions were not yet finely divided, and there was a shortage of officials. Later, with the rise of the feudal dynasties, the Three Elders became more important. Every city had its own Three Elders, and the court also appointed Three Elders. The main purpose was to promote the principle of governing the country through filial piety, while also giving these elderly figures more power.

 

The situation back then was different from now. People had a longer life expectancy, and the most powerful officials were often elderly. They were afraid that the younger generation wouldn’t listen to them, or that the young would usurp their power, so they came up with this system to control society. During the time of the Great Migration, however, the Huhar people didn’t follow the rule of letting the elderly decide everything. They followed the strong-man policy, where the strongest person had the final say, and the Three Elders system was immediately challenged and gradually became obsolete.

 

By the time of the Yong Dynasty, the Three Elders system was completely abolished. The court no longer appointed them, and local governments no longer held special ceremonies for them. However, this didn’t mean that the Three Elders disappeared. In some cities, the common people voluntarily elected Three Elders, and compared to officials who never listened to the people, they trusted these elderly figures who would walk the countryside and chat with them.

 

Once separated from political significance, the Three Elders returned to their original purpose of speaking for the people.

 

Xiao Rong didn’t know what the Three Elders in Chenliu City were like—whether they were truly devoted to the people or if they used their positions to exploit the locals. In any case, he was only there to make an appearance and show his attitude, and it wasn’t going to cost him much.

 

He went to meet the aristocrats in the morning, leaving the Three Elders for the afternoon. When Xiao Rong was ready to leave, Gao Xunzhi was also prepared, and the two of them went to the council hall together.

 

They could take their time, but the aristocrats they were visiting dared not do the same. The truly powerful families wouldn’t come today, and those who did were the more timid ones.

 

Xiao Rong knew he would be working with these people for a long time, so he gathered himself, adjusted his expression, and entered with a smile.

 

As soon as he entered, Xiao Rong froze.

 

Gao Xunzhi, who didn’t understand what was going on, stepped in as well, and when the heads of the aristocratic families saw them, they immediately stood up and saluted. One of them, leading the group, smiled ingratiatingly at them, saying, “Chancellor Gao, Prefect Xiao, these are two unmarried daughters of our family. They are quite clever, and we have specially brought them here today, hoping that both of you will accept them and let them serve as attendants.”

 

After he spoke, the other three also hurriedly expressed the same sentiment. The last one even inadvertently let something slip, saying they had already inquired about Prefect Xiao’s preferences, hoping that Xiao Rong wouldn’t reject their goodwill.

 

Gao Xunzhi stood there for a moment, shocked, and turned to look at Xiao Rong in disbelief.

Was this Xiao Rong’s preference?! Xiao, with your body in this condition, how could you still have such a… demanding preference?!

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

Nonsense!

 

I don’t have such a preference!!!!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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