No matter how loudly Qu Yunmie shouted in his heart, he would never actually tell Xiao Rong any of this.

That would have been the ultimate confession.

Not bad at all—he had just learned that phrase, and now he was putting it to use.

…

If he hadn’t brought it up, Xiao Rong probably wouldn’t have thought much of it. If he had, Xiao Rong would’ve immediately connected the dots. He’d have known that Qu Yunmie had once learned a harsh lesson from Danran. Considering how Qu Yunmie had insisted on knowing what Xiao Rong and Danran talked about every time he saw them together lately, the curiosity he’d tried so hard to suppress would’ve surely reignited.

So, he would rather keep his mouth shut and wait for this ticking time bomb to explode on its own, than let Xiao Rong become aware of it now.

They had gotten up too early, and Xiao Rong still hadn’t had breakfast. Conveniently, he ate right there, and after finishing, he even stared at Qu Yunmie as he drank the entire medicinal soup, sip by sip.

When Gao Xunzhi came in, that was exactly what he saw—two people neatly dressed, but lounging around. Xiao Rong rested his chin on one hand, staring unblinkingly at Qu Yunmie. When Qu Yunmie frowned and put down the empty bowl, Xiao Rong beamed and said, “You’re so well-behaved, Your Majesty.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

His expression showed disdain, but the way he subconsciously relaxed his limbs showed he clearly loved being praised like that by Xiao Rong.

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

The memories he had tried to bury came rushing back. He had felt better after a nap, but now the headache was returning.

He quietly rubbed his temple and walked inside. When the two saw him, Qu Yunmie only looked at his actions, but Xiao Rong asked in confusion, “Chancellor, what’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”

Gao Xunzhi shook his head. “It’s nothing, I just didn’t sleep well last night. By the way, I saw Danran running out through the East Gate earlier. She said she came to deliver the medicine His Majesty forgot to take yesterday. Did you go out of the city yesterday, Your Majesty?”

Qu Yunmie was completely numb. Xiao Rong picked up a small crispy melon from the table, took a big bite, and chewed gleefully while looking at Qu Yunmie like he was enjoying the show.

Even without Qu Yunmie saying anything, Xiao Rong had already noticed this trait of Danran—she always inadvertently revealed things people didn’t want to talk about.

If Danran had been an adult working in the royal palace, Xiao Rong would’ve definitely corrected this habit. However, she was just a little girl and didn’t have access to any real secrets. If something was a secret, she could actually keep her mouth shut.

Like that thing about bringing in familiar faces to boost the mood at the Huichun Hall—Danran knew about it but had never let it slip. That showed she understood what mattered and what didn’t. You could say: trust her with big things, but not with small ones.

…

One look at Qu Yunmie’s reaction, and Gao Xunzhi knew he had sneaked out. There was nothing he could do about it—he just sighed lightly and got to the point.

He wanted to ask Qu Yunmie how he planned to deal with the recent incident—Xiao Rong being ambushed and injured.

This was a major event and should’ve been discussed with all the advisors present. Gao Xunzhi worried that Qu Yunmie’s attitude would rub them the wrong way, so he came to feel him out first.

Upon hearing that, Xiao Rong also looked up. With both of them watching, Qu Yunmie was silent for a moment before casually replying, “I’m planning to send Gongsun Yuan to rally all the troops stationed in Northern Yong.”

Gao Xunzhi stared at him in shock, and Xiao Rong’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Under their disapproving looks, Qu Yunmie deliberately paused for a few seconds, then slowly finished, “—to show force and intimidate.”

Both of them: “…”

Who taught you to speak with such dramatic pauses?

After teasing the elder and the younger like that, Qu Yunmie couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Don’t worry. I know now’s not the time to march South. After all, I’m the one injured, not Xiao Rong. We can afford to wait.”

Xiao Rong reflexively corrected him. “That’s not right, Your Majesty. No matter who gets hurt, we must always prioritize the bigger picture.”

Qu Yunmie twitched his ear. He’d heard this kind of nagging so often it might as well form calluses in his ears. Knowing it was useless to argue, he just ignored it and went on. “As for the price Southern Yong has to pay, I’ll leave that to the advisors to discuss. I only have one request—I want Southern Yong Badong County and Jingling County.”

Both Gao Xunzhi and Xiao Rong were stunned.

Those counties lay along the dividing line between the North and South. The Huai River originated near Yiyang, and those counties were west of it—outside the river’s protection.

That didn’t matter. They had an even better natural defense: the vast and towering Bashan mountain range.

Even though Yizhou was already under Qu Yunmie’s control, it had just suffered heavy looting and destruction earlier that year and was still chaotic. If even Yizhou was hard to govern, Badong and Jingling, far away and geographically closer to Southern Yong, would be even harder.

It was a losing deal. Even if they took the land, they wouldn’t be able to manage it for a while. At best, they’d gain symbolic control.

Xiao Rong found the idea absurd. He couldn’t imagine Southern Yong agreeing to cede territory over an incident most people weren’t even aware of—a disaster akin to a total defeat. If he were Southern Yong, he’d want Yang Zangyi to die in disgrace.

Wait—

Xiao Rong blinked and looked at Qu Yunmie. “Your Majesty, are you truly set on getting those two counties? Or would other equivalent reparations suffice?”

Qu Yunmie thought about it. What he really wanted was territory—because that’s what people valued most. Xiao Rong didn’t want him to go to war, and mere verbal threats weren’t very effective. Southern Yong people were cowards—unless the danger was at their doorstep, they wouldn’t even flinch.

After a moment, Qu Yunmie compromised reluctantly. “If they really refuse to give up the counties, I’ll take something else—but the compensation can’t be any less. I didn’t get injured for nothing.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

He also wanted Southern Yong to pay dearly—but he wasn’t as ruthless as Qu Yunmie, who wanted to rip a chunk of flesh right off them. Xiao Rong had planned to target only what they needed, but since Qu Yunmie was the victim, not him, he couldn’t say no. Especially now, when they held all the leverage—they could afford to be capricious.

Besides, ambition was good.

With the literary examinations about to begin, more people from the north of the Huai River and even from Chenliu would be observing. A stable life could attract civilians, but a ruler with grand ambitions could draw in the truly ambitious talents.

Xiao Rong used to think Qu Yunmie was driven only by revenge. Now he saw he was willing to use his brain for it, too.

The more Qu Yunmie demanded, the more outrageous he acted, the worse life would get for Yang Zangyi back in Southern Yong. Property was personal, but land belonged to the entire kingdom—Qu Yunmie was trying to pin the blame on Yang Zangyi.

Whatever the motive, at least this time Qu Yunmie wasn’t screaming for war. He was starting to use strategies suited to scholars. Xiao Rong felt a strange kind of joy—like a dog he raised finally learned how to catch a frisbee. He stood up immediately and said he would gather everyone to finalize the plan that day.

After he left, Qu Yunmie also felt good. Xiao Rong didn’t oppose him—he even looked supportive. That was rare. Usually, Xiao Rong objected to everything he did.

Qu Yunmie’s lips curled into a faint smile. Noticing Gao Xunzhi was still sitting there, he kindly asked, “Sir Gao, is there anything else?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

No.

He answered that in his heart, but he didn’t realize he hadn’t spoken out loud. So to Qu Yunmie, Gao Xunzhi just looked at him with soulful eyes before standing up and walking away, utterly drained.

Qu Yunmie had a question mark pop up in his mind, while a row of ellipses trailed behind Gao Xunzhi’s head as he walked off.

Why hadn’t he noticed this before? Now that he had—what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t even chime in when the two of them talked. Their conversations were practically encrypted. Anyone else listening would be completely lost.

He felt exhausted… and terrified. Scared they were too close. Scared they weren’t close enough.

He didn’t want to live anymore. He might as well go jump in a river.

…..

Not long after, Xiao Rong called everyone over. This was Song Shuo’s first time attending such a small meeting. Unlike attending court in Jinling, there were only six people in the room. Not only was it impossible to hear any unclear questions, but he could even stretch out his hand and reach everyone present.

He didn’t just think this, he acted on it. The monk sat serenely in the middle, watching Song Shuo extend a hand that had nowhere to rest, and then he fiddled with the prayer beads hanging around his neck.

The monk: “…”

Xiao Rong swatted Song Shuo’s hand down with a sharp slap. Song Shuo, feeling wronged, covered his reddened hand, but as soon as Xiao Rong turned away to speak with someone else, he grinned at the monk.

Mijing quietly made eye contact with him, thinking, Another strange one.

…

As Xiao Rong had anticipated, everyone became very enthusiastic about demanding compensation. Even Mijing got involved. However, almost everyone believed that it was impossible for Southern Yong to cede any territory. Even if they did, it wouldn’t benefit them much. They’d rather have something more practical.

Although Song Shuo was new, he had an advantage that no one else had. He had spent some time in Jinling and had been in charge of copying government letters. He knew the approximate assets in the national treasury.

Since he had already decided to stay, Song Shuo didn’t intend to hide it. This wasn’t because he had already pledged allegiance to Qu Yunmie, but because he was afraid Xiao Rong, who had been watching him closely, might hit him again.

It wasn’t impossible, after all. Xiao Rong knew his secrets, and if he stayed silent, Xiao Rong would definitely get angry.

If you had to compare Song Shuo to an animal, he’d be a budgie—good-looking, cute, with a strong desire to speak, but he only occasionally spoke the human language. His nature was somewhat cocky, vain, and if not for his fragile disposition, he would have been beaten to death by others long ago.

…

Birds often have a strong need for attention, and Song Shuo was no exception. At first, he held back, but gradually, he became more open. By the end, all anyone could hear was his continuous chatter. He was smart and talented, always hitting the nail on the head, but he also liked to interrupt others, which left them helpless.

There was nothing they could do—after all, Xiao Rong had brought a younger version of Song Qianzheng. They had no choice but to tolerate these flaws.

Xiao Rong was very tolerant of talent. As long as someone could do the work, he didn’t care about their personality flaws. He also knew that Qu Yunmie couldn’t tolerate this, Qu Yunmie hated people who were overly proud and talkative.

Xiao Rong crossed his arms and looked at Qu Yunmie, only to unexpectedly find that Qu Yunmie didn’t even frown. He was calmly watching Song Shuo.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He was angry.

He turned his head away, only to accidentally make eye contact with Yu Shaoxie. Yu Shaoxie had spoken less today, mostly because he couldn’t get a word in over Song Shuo. Xiao Rong felt that it was because Yu Shaoxie wasn’t in as good a mood as usual.

Yu Shaoxie was also watching Song Shuo. When he saw Xiao Rong turn his head, he was momentarily stunned. If it were usual, he would have quietly asked Xiao Rong if something was wrong. If the answer was “nothing,” he wouldn’t have stopped asking. Instead, he would have continued asking if Xiao Rong wanted some tea or if he was hungry and needed a snack.

The treatment that Xiao Rong usually didn’t even notice had suddenly disappeared today. The contrast made Xiao Rong purse his lips.

His gaze shifted again, and Xiao Rong stared at the carpet in front of him, no longer looking at anyone in the room. Even Qu Yunmie’s inexplicable favoritism toward Song Shuo couldn’t spark his interest anymore.

Meanwhile, Yu Shaoxie was only stunned for a moment. The events of the morning were still fresh in his mind, and he wasn’t sure how to talk to Xiao Rong. By the time he was about to speak, Xiao Rong had already turned his head back. Yu Shaoxie instinctively thought that Xiao Rong was still angry with him, and he silently lowered his head.

There were six people in total, and as these two became absent-minded, the others gradually lost focus as well. Qu Yunmie was the first to notice Xiao Rong’s odd behavior but couldn’t figure out what had happened. Gao Xunzhi was in a highly sensitive state. As soon as he saw Qu Yunmie staring at Xiao Rong, Gao Xunzhi began to feel frustrated.

“Look, look, look! I really don’t want anyone to know that you were raised by me!”

…

The monk noticed that others were distracted but also had no idea what had happened. After glancing at everyone’s expressions, he decided to step in and say, “Since the discussion is nearly over, let’s call it a day. Master Xiao should go eat, and the King should return to rest. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Yes, it was almost time for Xiao Rong to eat.

Actually, the monk ate lunch too, but he ate vegetarian food. Most people couldn’t join him for a meal, and he strictly followed the monastic rule of not eating after noon. He wasn’t like Xiao Rong, who had a second meal at night.

Xiao Rong: “…”

You all wait, one day I’ll promote the habit of eating three meals a day across the Central Plains.

With Qu Yunmie’s permission, everyone scattered. The only person left confused was Song Shuo, who had spoken halfway, “Why is everyone leaving? I haven’t finished my story!”

***

During this period, whenever Xiao Rong ate lunch, Qu Yunmie had to watch him. If Qu Yunmie was hungry, he would eat a little with him, if not, he just drank his medicinal soup.

Qu Yunmie finished his medicinal soup in one gulp, but couldn’t make out Xiao Rong’s expression. He was about to ask him about what had happened earlier when he saw Xiao Rong wipe his mouth and tell Ah Shu to go to the Rejuvenation Hall to invite Danran over.

The moment Qu Yunmie heard Danran’s name, he instinctively became cautious. “Why are you calling her?”

Xiao Rong glanced at him, and that usual scrutinizing look made Qu Yunmie even more anxious. After a while, Xiao Rong answered, “Of course, I need to go over the script with both of you. I can’t let any mistakes happen tomorrow.”

Qu Yunmie: “?”

There’s a script for going out to play?

…

Half an hour later, Qu Yunmie found out that there wasn’t just one script, there were many scripts.

Qu Yunmie was merely impatient, while Danran was clearly resisting.

She didn’t want to go out with Yunmie! She was scared!

She stood under the grape trellis, pulling Xiao Rong and pleading with him. “Master Xiao, can’t I stay behind? Gongsun Qi is smarter than me. Why not let Yunmie take him out instead?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Gongsun Qi was the eldest son of Gongsun Yuan, only six years old, and was a child who loved playing in the mud.

The Butuwu tribe didn’t have many newborns. In recent years, everyone has been busy, and the age gap has become more significant. There were only two children of Danran’s age in the entire tribe, and those two didn’t get along very well with her.

So, her playmates were mostly people from the Central Plains. As Gongsun Yuan’s son, no matter how much the Northern Army relocated, Gongsun Qi would never be separated from Danran. In a sense, these two could be considered childhood friends.

She would rather give up her childhood friend than spend a day alone with Qu Yunmie. Yunmie, you’re really failing at being a sensitive leader.

Xiao Rong smiled gently but then ruthlessly refused Danran. She sank into despair but, not one to give up, quickly perked up and asked, “What about Master Xiao? Could you come with us?”

Xiao Rong looked down at Danran, seeing her pathetic expression. He sighed helplessly. “I can’t. I’m too good-looking. If I go with you, it won’t achieve the effect I want.”

Danran: “…”

Her little face turned bright red. She had something to say but didn’t dare to speak.

Seeing her hesitation, Xiao Rong realized she was truly resistant to the idea. Not wanting her to mess up at a critical moment, he stepped back: “How about this? Let Jian Qiao follow you. With him there, you shouldn’t be scared, right?”

Danran silently nodded. She was still scared, but among Yunmie’s subordinates, Jian Qiao was the one she liked the most. She couldn’t explain why, but she always felt happy when she was near him.

Eventually, Danran timidly nodded, and when Xiao Rong saw this, he was relieved.

The next morning, Danran stood stiffly at the King’s gate, waiting for Qu Yunmie to come out. Following Xiao Rong’s instructions, she put on an expression that seemed ready to face death and stepped forward to grab Qu Yunmie’s hand.

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He knew she was scared of him, but he didn’t understand why. He had always treated her well. Every time there was an execution in the military, he would always leave a spot for her in the first row.

…

Qu Yunmie focused on criticizing Danran for being too scared but didn’t notice that he was also acting strangely. He had never done anything like this before. Danran’s small hand in his felt warm and fragile.

Nevertheless, the two of them mechanically took their first steps. Jian Qiao treated today as a break and followed behind them. Looking at the three of them leaving, Xiao Rong and the Butuwu tribesman who had escorted Danran both showed the same kindly expressions.

Xiao Rong said, “Try it a few more times, and you’ll get used to it.”

Butuwu tribesman replied, “Yes, Danran is growing up now. It won’t be long before she realizes that @#￥%&*# really isn’t that scary.”

Xiao Rong looked at him in confusion. He didn’t understand what the strange string of words meant, and just as he was about to ask, the man waved his hand and said, “I’ll be leaving now. I’ve arranged a hunting trip with a few villagers from Wangjia Village.”

Xiao Rong froze.

He didn’t know where Wangjia Village was, but this Butuwu tribesman did. It was clear he had already integrated with the villagers. The Butuwu people were known for their hunting skills, and while Xiao Rong had never thought about teaching the Central Plains people how to hunt, he realized that for the Butuwu tribe, hunting was essential to their way of life.

What Xiao Rong hadn’t thought of, the Butuwu people were already doing—starting with medicine, then hunting. The Butuwu tribe was integrating into the Central Plains faster than Xiao Rong had imagined.

Looking at the empty King’s Gate, Xiao Rong suddenly laughed, a bit mysteriously. He took a deep breath and walked back into the palace.

…

On the other side, Qu Yunmie felt like a joke.

He was holding Danran’s hand, dressed in a prince’s attire he had worn the year he became the Northern King. Since he had never worn it before, the inside had even been eaten by termites, leaving a few holes, though thankfully they were hidden. Xiao Rong had insisted he wear it anyway.

What really made Qu Yunmie frustrated, though, was that Xiao Rong made him carry the Snow-Drinking Vengeance Spear as well.

What kind of image is this??? Dressed in luxurious clothes, unarmored, yet still carrying weapons, and with a little girl by his side. He’s not out performing acrobatics or selling his skills!

Xiao Rong had said, “What can I do? You leave in the morning and come back at night every day, and the people of Chenliu don’t even recognize who the Northern King is, so I have no choice but to use this trick.”

…

Soon, they arrived at their first stop, a soup pancake stall that Xiao Rong had specifically recommended.

Qu Yunmie made Danran sit on the stool, then, with a cold face, he told the stall owner, “Two bowls, please.”

After he said that, the stall owner didn’t move. Qu Yunmie immediately furrowed his brows and looked at the stall owner.

The stall owner, holding a large ladle about the size of Danran’s head, stared blankly at Qu Yunmie. Only when he looked over with displeasure did the stall owner snap out of his stupor, causing the ladle to fall to the ground. He quickly caught it in midair and, after turning around, trembling, he made the two bowls of soup noodles at a speed that would normally be impossible. He then nervously served them.

He didn’t ask Qu Yunmie if he wanted meat paste, instead, he just poured half of what was in the wooden bucket into the bowl.

As for asking for payment, he didn’t dare. He was only hoping that this “living King of Hell” would finish eating quickly and leave, and not kill him.

Qu Yunmie stared at the especially generous bowl of soup noodles, falling into silence.

Danran felt the same way, but it wasn’t because the stall owner was too generous, it was because Xiao Rong had already arranged a line for them in the script.

Danran: “Yunmie, it’s too much. I can’t finish it…”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He was convinced. Following the script, Qu Yunmie took another bowl from the side and divided half of the noodles from Danran’s bowl into it. Then they began to slurp down their soup noodles. A bowl and a half was nothing for Qu Yunmie, especially since he ate quickly. Once he finished, he kept watching Danran eat.

No matter how slowly Danran ate, he never urged her. When she finished, Qu Yunmie took out a handkerchief from his sleeve.

Provided by Xiao Rong, and made by the Chen family, it was guaranteed to be a fine product.

…

After Danran wiped her mouth, she bounced to the ground. She was about to turn and leave for the next stop, but suddenly remembered Xiao Rong’s request. She quickly took a few steps back and grabbed Qu Yunmie’s hand again.

Qu Yunmie glanced at her but said nothing. Instead, he took out a silver coin from his sleeve without asking the stall owner how much the two bowls cost and directly left with Danran.

Small vendors often gathered in clusters, so if they found one, there were usually many others nearby.

The soup noodle stall owner, holding the nearly four-ounce silver coin, was in a daze.

This coin was almost equal to his entire month’s income!

Now he didn’t think of Qu Yunmie as the King of Hell anymore, he thought of him as the living God of Wealth.

…

Seeing that the soup noodle stall owner was fine and had received such a large silver coin, the surrounding vendors immediately gathered around.

“Uncle Li, are you alright?”

“That’s the Northern King, huh? Hey, why does that girl’s outfit look so strange?”

“She’s from the Huichuntang Clinic! My second aunt lives there. She says their tribe dresses like this. Oh my, the Buddha bless us, why would the Northern King come out to eat soup noodles?!”

“I heard the Northern King got injured and should be resting, so maybe he has time to come out for soup noodles?”

“So the Northern King is rather pitiful, only able to go out and taste soup noodles when he’s injured.”

“That girl, what’s her connection to the Northern King? I always see her helping with medicine at Huichuntang. She… could she be our princess? The princess is actually helping us with medicine?”

The people exchanged looks.

A princess? They hadn’t even heard of a queen or a princess before.

The only one close to them was Uncle Li, but he had been knocked out by the silver coin given by the Northern King. At first, he didn’t speak, but when he regained his senses, he quickly packed up and went home, probably to spend the silver as soon as possible.

Although people nowadays knew that gold and silver were the most stable currencies, for ordinary folks, having gold or silver in hand was more like a death sentence. It was better to quickly exchange it for rice and hide it away.

After the Northern Army began patrolling the city, the number of thefts had decreased, but people’s views hadn’t changed after decades. They still preferred to live cautiously.

Uncle Li left, but this topic of conversation didn’t fade away. For these small vendors, having seen the Northern King in person and watched him eat soup noodles was enough to brag about for a lifetime. Before, they only imagined what it would be like, but now they had seen it with their own eyes. They felt somehow closer to the Northern King, especially since he seemed quite nice. He paid for his meal and even brought the girl along, which was much better than their neighbors.

On the other side, Qu Yunmie and Danran had arrived at their second stop, a more affordable morning market.

There were all sorts of things being sold here, most of which were bought by women. When a tall man suddenly appeared, everyone froze for a moment. They were nervous, and Qu Yunmie, being looked at, felt nervous as well.

He was well aware of his current image in the eyes of the common people. Asking him to learn the way others acted, to smile graciously at everyone, was something he could never do in this life.

When Xiao Rong had explained his script yesterday, Qu Yunmie had understood his intentions, but he truly thought Xiao Rong was too naive.

His appearance could only stop babies from crying at night. Didn’t even his niece fear him? Let alone these people outside.

Regardless, Xiao Rong seemed very confident in this plan. As soon as he said something discouraging, Xiao Rong would glare at him, and Qu Yunmie wouldn’t dare to say anything further.

However, as Xiao Rong’s plan seemed to be failing, Qu Yunmie felt a slight sense of defeat. He stopped looking at the people and just pursed his lips, following behind Danran.

In complete contrast to Qu Yunmie, Danran was gradually loosening up. Yunmie hadn’t eaten her or bullied her, and the soup noodles were delicious, even better than what her mother or Old Luo made. Xiao Rong had said she could have anything she wanted today, and to complete the task, she needed to buy many, many things. In fact, she had never bought anything herself; all her possessions were given to her by her mother and Old Luo.

Even on this little, insignificant street, selling cheap things for a few copper coins, Danran was still happy. She wanted the little animals made from leaves, the small wooden people carved from wood. Halfway through the stroll, a street performer appeared and began performing with his mouth. Danran, excited, almost jumped up.

She didn’t remember the things from her birth, but from when she was three or four years old, she had to follow the Northern Army. Later, Qu Yunmie became the Northern King, which meant stability, but she had grown older. According to the customs of the Butuwu tribe, children at the age of seven or eight were supposed to work.

So, even though she had playmates, she didn’t have much time to play. For children, as long as they had family and grew up in a loving environment, they usually didn’t feel there was anything wrong with their childhood, at least not when they were young.

Only adults would feel pity for the children, like Qu Yunmie did now.

Qu Yunmie watched Danran cheer with the crowd, and when the performer reached a high point, she even stood on tiptoe and clapped enthusiastically. Watching her little form, Qu Yunmie wanted to smile, but when he actually tried, he realized he didn’t feel like smiling.

Qu Yunmie’s gaze was fixed on Danran, so he didn’t notice that the crowd around them had been watching him for a while. They realized that his attitude toward Danran was the same as any man’s attitude toward his own daughter, which they found strange.

In the next moment, Qu Yunmie suddenly moved. He picked Danran up and held her high in his arms. In an instant, Danran became the tallest person in the crowd.

This wasn’t part of Xiao Rong’s script. Danran screamed in shock. When she was a child, she had been most afraid of high places. She tightly hugged Qu Yunmie’s neck, begging him to put her down, but Qu Yunmie refused, telling her to watch the performance, and they would leave once it was over. There were still several stops ahead.

Nothing was more important than the task at hand. Hearing this, Danran stopped struggling. She looked back at the performer, who was quite pleased with the little girl’s support. Luckily, he was far enough from Qu Yunmie that he couldn’t see his unusual appearance, otherwise, he wouldn’t know whether he could continue his performance.

The performer mimicked sounds according to Danran’s liking, and gradually, Danran was drawn back in, watching him put his hand in his mouth to help make sounds. Danran imitated his actions but failed to make a sound.

Danran felt embarrassed, and Qu Yunmie immediately laughed out loud. She blushed in frustration and shouted at him, “Yunmie!!!”

Soon, the performance ended, and Qu Yunmie put Danran down. This time, when Danran held his hand, it was much more natural, and once she grabbed it, she began bouncing happily. She was no longer as stiff as when they first left.

Watching them leave, the older women and a man named Jian Qiao in the crowd all tilted their heads in delight. “Aww~~”

So cute~~~

Next, they visited a jewelry store, a watercolor shop, a ready-made clothing shop, and after buying everything, Qu Yunmie took Danran to find other children to play with. Of course, it was Danran who played while Qu Yunmie sat by and watched.

Sitting nearby were two elderly women. They were working on needlework while watching their grandsons.

Qu Yunmie felt out of place with them, but these two women had lived long enough, so they weren’t afraid of Qu Yunmie suddenly taking action. Curiously, they asked Danran who he was. When they learned that she was his brother’s post-death child, they actually sympathized with him. The conversation seemed normal at first, but then one of the elderly women asked him if he was married.

Qu Yunmie: “…”

The fierce and murderous-looking King of North sat on the stone bench, being tormented by the two old ladies for almost an hour. Despite his expression seeming as hard as stone, he didn’t leave, and except for questions he truly couldn’t answer, he obediently replied. Throughout this time, his eyes always followed Danran, clearly showing that he was a responsible guardian.

Although it seemed like there were only two old ladies here, in fact, there were people gathered by every window in the surrounding rooms. They whispered to each other about the King of the North. When the children’s beanbags were thrown by Danran up into a tree, the King of North seemed to see a lifeline. He immediately walked over with large strides. Under the gaze of the children, he easily climbed up the tree by grabbing the bark, and threw the beanbag down from the branch.

This was the last script Xiao Rong had arranged for him and the two old ladies — the hero saving the beanbag. Once he completed this, he could go back and change his clothes.

However, as soon as Qu Yunmie’s feet touched the ground after jumping down from the tree, he was met with the starry-eyed admiration of the children. The children didn’t care who the King of the North was, they didn’t even think he was as important as the “king” among them. Surrounded by the children and listening to their sincere praise, Qu Yunmie’s hard expression finally softened.

He smiled at the children, and it was that smile that left everyone present, young and old, dumbfounded.

Wow.  The King of North had such a nice smile! Everyone had heard that he was a ruthless killer, but since his arrival in Chenliu, the local order had improved, the free consultations at the rejuvenation hall had appeared, and even the street thieves had disappeared. When they had first heard about him getting injured while saving one of his subordinates, they thought it was a lie. Now, seeing him in person, maybe it was true after all.

A person who was so patient with children couldn’t possibly casually take someone’s life!

…

Sorry, he really could.

This had nothing to do with the common people. If it weren’t for Xiao Rong’s deliberate arrangement, Qu Yunmie would probably never appear in front of these people. His nature didn’t affect the people of Chenliu. After all, no matter how brutal someone was, they couldn’t just randomly kill their subjects for fun.

The common people didn’t know this. The people of the Central Plains were inherently peaceful, seeking stability, kindness, and righteousness. They disliked killing and abhorred war. Even when forced to fight, they would first consult with diviners to confirm that they were following the will of Heaven, thus gaining the support of the people.

Therefore, Xiao Rong had to cleanse Qu Yunmie’s name of violence and bloodlust, even if the new reputation was built on scripts.

After Qu Yunmie returned, Xiao Rong wanted to ask how it went, but Qu Yunmie quickly bypassed him, entered the room, and shut the door. Xiao Rong thought he was upset, but after hearing Jian Qiao laughing behind him, he realized that Qu Yunmie wasn’t upset, he was just embarrassed.

Jian Qiao was sincerely happy for Qu Yunmie. Who would want to be seen as a monster by the common people? Thanks to Xiao Rong’s plan, the King would surely understand what it felt like to be loved by the people in the future. All of it was thanks to Xiao Rong!

Jian Qiao never stopped praising him, and Xiao Rong patiently listened for a while before sending him off. When they got home, Jian Qiao continued to sing Xiao Rong’s praises. Xiao Rong thought to himself, luckily Jian Qiao was a man, if he were a woman, Zhang Shi would have already cried Jian Qiao’s bed into a puddle.

…

Because he was in a good mood, Jian Qiao didn’t scold Zhang Biezhi when he saw him but instead invited him to sit and drink with him.

After Zhang Biezhi sat down and looked at his drink, he suddenly blurted out, “Brother-in-law, I want to follow Master Xiao in the future.”

Jian Qiao spat his drink out, hitting the beautiful face of Zhang Shi opposite him.

Zhang Shi: “…”

She calmly stood up and went to wipe her face.

Jian Qiao: “…”

Only feeling guilty for a moment, he turned to Zhang Biezhi. “Follow Master Xiao? Now that Master Xiao is protected by guards, he won’t be leaving the city anymore. What use do you have?”

Zhang Biezhi replied, “I’m probably better than those guards.”

Jian Qiao was speechless. Indeed, in terms of skill, Zhang Biezhi was better, but…

“You probably think staying by Master Xiao’s side will help you get promoted faster. Don’t dream. Even if Master Xiao appreciates you, he will first look at your military achievements. The Xianbei attack is coming soon. Listen to me, go to Shengle and kill some Xianbei people. After you come back, I’ll speak highly of you in front of Master Xiao.”

Zhang Biezhi frowned. “I don’t want a promotion. I just think staying by Master Xiao’s side, I can learn more. Master Xiao is indeed a person of great talent. During the time I’ve been in Jinling, if it weren’t for Master Xiao, I probably wouldn’t have understood anything. Brother-in-law, I don’t want to be a fool anymore.”

Jian Qiao: “…”

Unbelievable, the fool no longer wanted to be a fool.

If he had said something else, Jian Qiao might have thought there were other motives, but since he was being so honest, Jian Qiao didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Zhang Shi came back after wiping her face. She didn’t return to the table right away but quietly stood behind the curtain, not wanting to disturb their conversation.

Since Zhang Shi didn’t speak, it was clear she agreed. Her husband was a general, and that was an unchangeable fact, but she didn’t want her brother to live such a dangerous life. Besides, she knew her brother’s personality and had always worried that Zhang Biezhi would one day cause an irreparable disaster. She already felt guilty toward her husband, and for the sake of their little family, she hoped her brother could work in a calmer environment, at least not in a place where everyone was shouting about killing.

Understanding Zhang Shi’s attitude, Jian Qiao finally gave in. “If I have time, I’ll mention it to Master Xiao.”

Zhang Biezhi immediately became happy and clinked glasses with Jian Qiao. “Thank you, brother-in-law. In the future, I’ll rise, and I’ll make sure you rise too!”

Jian Qiao: “…”

If you don’t want to be a fool, you might want to learn how to speak first.

….

Xiao Rong had no idea that a fool was about to fall into his hands. He was wandering along a path in the palace.

He wasn’t someone who liked to look down, but when he thought about it, this situation really was his fault, and he didn’t want to be an unfaithful person. Just thinking about Yu Shaoxie’s appearance yesterday made him uneasy, and he couldn’t even sleep.

Actually, he could have gone during the day, but there were too many people, and Xiao Rong kept procrastinating. As he delayed, it became night.

If he didn’t go in now, Yu Shaoxie would probably fall asleep.

Looking at the light from inside, Xiao Rong steeled himself and walked in.

Outside Yu Shaoxie’s room, Xiao Rong knocked on the door bravely. When Yu Shaoxie heard the sound, he quickly came to open the door. As the door opened, the door next to it also opened.

Yu Shaocheng peeked his head out. Seeing it was Xiao Rong, he didn’t return to his room immediately but tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why Xiao Rong was looking for his older brother so late.

Xiao Rong: “…”

It was still Yu Shaoxie who, noticing his frozen expression, looked around and saw Yu Shaocheng, so he urged, “Why aren’t you sleeping? What will you do if you can’t get up tomorrow?”

Yu Shaoxie didn’t know that Yu Shaocheng didn’t like to sleep, because when they were young, Yu Shaocheng always kept his eyes open at night, which startled Yu Shaoxie. He had thought his brother was sick or possessed by some evil spirit. Later, seeing how scared his brother was, he developed the habit of going into his room at bedtime. When his brother was around, he would close his eyes and pretend to sleep. When his brother wasn’t there, he would do other things.

Thanks to all the nights spent on these activities, his night vision was now sharper than a cat’s.

….

Next door, Yu Shaoxie had already removed his hairpin and taken off his outer clothing. He naturally had a delicate appearance, and now, dressed in soft and thin clothes, he appeared less neat than usual, but more approachable.

He asked Xiao Rong, “Brother Xiao, why are you here so late?”

Xiao Rong sat silently, not speaking.

He actually wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was really not good at apologizing.

Yu Shaoxie looked at him in confusion. Under that gaze, Xiao Rong finally opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Xiao Rong: “…”

So embarrassing.

So embarrassing.

Maybe he should just leave.

It wasn’t right to leave, nor to stay. Xiao Rong was so conflicted that it felt like his head was about to explode. He tightly clenched his hands and, after much struggle, finally managed to make a sound. “I—

Just after he spoke, Yu Shaoxie, who had been quietly watching him, walked over. He slightly lowered his head, stretched out a dry yet warm hand, and gently placed it on Xiao Rong’s head, caressing it tenderly, as if touching a fragile porcelain doll.

Xiao Rong stared up in a daze. He saw Yu Shaoxie smiling gently at him. The smile was healing and tolerant, as if he already understood everything without Xiao Rong needing to say a word. As the one being blamed, Xiao Rong didn’t need to say the two words of apology because Yu Shaoxie had already forgiven him.

In front of this kind of Yu Shaoxie, Xiao Rong felt a complex emotion he couldn’t even comprehend. It felt as if… as if no matter what he did, it didn’t matter. Being blamed didn’t matter, being slandered didn’t matter, hurting him didn’t matter. Because Yu Shaoxie not only treated him as a friend but also as a brother. What kind of brother would always stay angry at his own younger sibling?

That feeling of being forgiven, tolerated, and loved no matter what happened, the feeling of always having someone encouraging and waiting for you whenever you look back…

Before Xiao Rong could express his feelings, Yu Shaoxie spoke to him. “Alright, go back now. You can’t stay up so late anymore.”

Xiao Rong didn’t want to leave, but Yu Shaoxie escorted him out. Much later, when Xiao Rong was lying on his bed, his eyes were still dazed and open.

He understood.

He finally understood why Yu Shaocheng had chased after Qu Yunmie without letting go after his brother was killed.

Qu Yunmie, you’ve done so many bad things!!!

…

In his sleep, Qu Yunmie suddenly sneezed, opened his eyes in confusion, but before his mind fully caught up, his eyes gradually closed again. The next moment, the steady sound of breathing resumed.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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