When Zhang Biezhi rushed over in a fury, Xiao Rong wasn’t in his room. He was sitting in the conference hall, talking with Yu Shaoxie.

After many days, Nanyang finally reacted, but their response was quite perfunctory. They sent a letter, which made no mention of Qu Yunmie’s injuries or the shock that Xiao Rong had suffered. It was filled with polite formalities and ended by subtly implying that they hoped to send someone for negotiations to clear up the misunderstanding.

In other words, they weren’t planning to admit to the matter, but rather to bury it through bribery.

This couldn’t be helped. A dignified Chancellor using such dirty methods was nothing unusual in itself, though if it got out, it would be unheard of. The people of Nanyang cared deeply about their reputation, and they would never be willing to admit such a humiliation.

When the letter was delivered, Xiao Rong and the others were watching an exciting match in the training grounds, so the letter was handed over to Gao Xunzhi.

Since Yu Shaoxie and Gao Xunzhi were staying together, Gao Xunzhi was reading the letter when Yu Shaoxie was beside him. Upon learning Nanyang’s intentions, Gao Xunzhi immediately expressed that he wanted to take this trip.

Currently, Yu Shaocheng was unaware of the matter. Gao Xunzhi discussed it with Yu Shaoxie, and according to Gao Xunzhi’s thoughts, he wasn’t too keen on letting Yu Shaoxie go, as his younger brother’s relationship with Nanyang was quite awkward. As Yu Shaoxie’s older brother and a former resident of Chang’an, all his teachers and peers were people from Nanyang. His position was no better than his brother’s.

However, Yu Shaoxie said something that made Gao Xunzhi change his mind immediately.

“Currently, the only people who can represent the King in talks with Nanyang are those of us in the Conference Hall. Mr. Song won’t do, his temperament isn’t steady, and his words might offend others. Not to mention, he witnessed the battle in Huaiyin, so the people of Nanyang will likely not be happy to see him. As for Master Foji, his status is too important to leave Chenliu. As for you, Mr. Gao, you have to manage all major and minor affairs of Chenliu and the military, so you cannot leave. This leaves either me or Xiao Rong. If Xiao Rong hears about it, he might actively volunteer to go, but do you dare to send him back to Nanyang’s territory?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

He didn’t dare.

After a moment of silence, Gao Xunzhi said to Yu Shaoxie, “This time, we are in the right. Once we reach Huaiyin, we are no longer guests, but the wronged party seeking justice. We no longer need to worry about their attitude. Before you leave, I will send you three thousand troops. Even if you don’t fight, it will still show them our power.”

Yu Shaoxie smiled and nodded. This kind of silent support was more than welcome.

Before he left to pack his things, Gao Xunzhi added, “There is one condition before you can go.”

Yu Shaoxie turned around and heard Gao Xunzhi speak. “You need Xiao Rong’s consent. Otherwise, when he finds out, he will hold a grudge against you for the rest of your life.”

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

This was why Yu Shaoxie had called Xiao Rong out by himself.

…

Xiao Rong furrowed his brows as he listened to Yu Shaoxie explain why he wanted to go. He spoke about his knowledge of Nanyang, his understanding of officialdom, his neutral position in the event, and how it would make negotiations easier. In truth, Xiao Rong was uneasy about entrusting such an important matter to Yu Shaoxie, because after spending so much time together, Yu Shaoxie had only ever handled the trivial tasks that Xiao Rong didn’t want to give to the staff. When they held small meetings, though Yu Shaoxie often participated, he didn’t seem to offer much besides vocal outrage when the situation called for it.

Yu Shaoxie was someone who always liked to speak out about unfair things, but he was also someone who would always support his family over reason. So, the closer someone was to him, the more likely he was to speak on their behalf.

With so much enthusiasm but not enough caution, would Yu Shaoxie be able to resist being tricked by the people of Nanyang, end up being swayed, and decide that the Northern Guard should compensate Nanyang for something?

Seeing Xiao Rong remain silent, Yu Shaoxie asked, “Xiao Rong, do you think I am incapable of handling such an important task?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Has he become that easy to read? His expression had become so obvious?

Yu Shaoxie said, “To be fair, I haven’t done much in the Northern Army. Last time, when you pointed it out, I realized that the reason I often disagreed with the King wasn’t just his fault, I was also at fault. If it were you, Xiao Rong, you would have made the King reflect deeply, but all I ever did was make the King angry, and I was of no use.”

Xiao Rong glanced at the calm Yu Shaoxie.

You really have the courage to directly admit that Qu Yunmie’s mistakes were because of you. Aren’t you supposed to be a local official? Can’t you learn from those scholars’ humility and indirectness?

…

Yu Shaoxie didn’t know that Xiao Rong had been criticizing him in his mind. He was still speaking slowly, saying, “It’s actually quite funny. When both the King and I made mistakes at the same time, we both held our ground and didn’t think we were wrong. To others, it probably seemed like the same thing. As the King became better and better under your influence, Master Xiao, it turned out that I was the only one who made mistakes. Even when I look back on it, I find it somewhat comical. That’s why I’ve been thinking about it day and night, realizing that I shouldn’t continue like this. The King is the person I serve, the Chancellor is the person I respect, and you, Master Xiao, are the person I admire. If I want to walk alongside you, I must do something substantial. Please rest assured, I remember all of your requests clearly, and when I go, I will make sure the people of Nanyong confess everything.”

He even joked with Xiao Rong, “Except for Badong and Jiling, the King is no ordinary person, and his demands are not ordinary either. I really can’t make any guarantees.”

Yu Shaoxie felt that he had spoken well, but Xiao Rong kept looking at him and said, “You didn’t mention your younger brother.”

Yu Shaoxie was stunned.

Xiao Rong raised a finger and counted, “The King, the Chancellor, and me. Your younger brother is now also part of the Zhènběi Army. Why didn’t you mention him?”

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

He had forgotten.

Yu Shaoxie’s face turned awkward. He knew how much his younger brother, Yu Shaocheng, admired him, but sometimes he felt his younger brother was a bit clingy. They spent too much time together, so when they weren’t together, he would try to distance himself from his younger brother as much as possible.

Xiao Rong didn’t tease him further, but smiled lightly. “Alright, since you’ve said that, I will naturally support you, but if you don’t succeed, I will report it to the King and let him scold you severely.”

Yu Shaoxie smiled. “No need. If I don’t succeed, I will accept the military punishment myself.”

A military punishment started at twenty lashes, and even the strongest soldiers would cry out in pain. If it was severe, it could cripple someone’s legs. Even though Yu Shaoxie was physically stronger than Xiao Rong, he couldn’t endure such punishment.

It seemed he was truly confident in this matter. That was good.

However, Yu Shaocheng, the mad prince, probably wouldn’t accept this. He couldn’t even follow along, because no one would agree to let him go to battle.

Thinking about how recently that mad prince mocked him for lacking common sense, Xiao Rong smiled slightly, deciding not to remind him and let him go crazy tonight.

He picked up a tea cup nearby, paused for a moment, and then brought up the topic Yu Shaoxie had mentioned earlier. “That day after returning, I also thought about it. You and I had very different growth experiences. All your teachers were scholars, while mine were not. I shouldn’t have questioned you like that because, in essence, we come from different identities. And that’s fine. The King needs people like me, and he needs people like you. Each of us looks at things from different angles, and that’s how everything can be covered thoroughly without mistakes.”

Yu Shaoxie listened to Xiao Rong, his eyes lowered, and he smiled faintly.

If Xiao Rong hadn’t said those words, Yu Shaoxie wouldn’t have minded that matter. Since Xiao Rong had said them, he had to admit he felt quite happy.

After a moment, Yu Shaoxie raised his head and promised Xiao Rong, “In the future, I will make an effort to observe more and listen more, paying attention to groups outside of the scholar class.”

Xiao Rong shook his head. “No need. Just remain as you are. Every war will end eventually, and generals will return to their fields. One day, this world will belong to scholars. The Northern Army needs someone to serve as a link with the scholars, a buffer, and you can be that person. You can lead, guide, and influence the scholars.”

Yu Shaocheng was stunned. “Me?”

He didn’t consider himself top-tier in either family background or literary skills.

Xiao Rong smiled. “Of course you. The Chancellor could never do it. Scholars will never accept him as one of their own because of his past as an exiled criminal. They might respect him, but they will never consider him one of them. As for Song Shuo, well, maybe when he’s older, but who knows when he’ll learn to be so polished? If he goes out now, he might end up dead at the hands of some hot-tempered person.”

At this point, Xiao Rong took a sip of tea, mentally adding that, many times, he himself was the one with the bad temper.

“As for me, I’m even less qualified. In front of you, I’m not afraid to admit that my literary skills are about on the same level as the King’s.”

Yu Shaoxie frowned. “Master Xiao, there’s no need to belittle yourself like that.”

Xiao Rong opened his mouth to speak again, but when he heard that, he froze.

Seriously, can’t you at least learn how to be tactful?

“It’s the truth. What I’ve learned isn’t about fancy words or literary meaning. When sitting with scholars, within a quarter of an hour, they can tell that my knowledge is lacking. Besides, I don’t want to spend years dealing with them on this. For them, it’s leisure and elegance, but for me, it’s like nails on a chalkboard.”

After a brief pause, Xiao Rong sighed. “I’ve had this thought for a long time now. Master Xiao, do you know that in the literary collection, I plan to give three questions?”

Yu Shaoxie nodded.

Xiao Rong said, “I’ll come up with the questions, but I hope you can take the credit for them and say that they were your idea.”

Yu Shaoxie stared at him quietly. After a couple of seconds, when he realized Xiao Rong wasn’t joking but was serious, Yu Shaoxie suddenly stood up. “Absolutely not!”

He shouted, “Xiao Rong, what do you take me for?!”

Xiao Rong froze. This was the first time Yu Shaoxie directly called him by his name. Scholars never called each other by their full names unless they were extremely angry.

Yu Shaoxie shouted, “So what if I don’t have fancy words or literary knowledge? You can create questions that stump thousands of scholars, which proves you’re better than them! I don’t understand why you always give up these opportunities. Free medical treatment was clearly your idea, but you gave it to the King. The library is something you wanted to build, but you gave it to Master Gao. Now you want to give me the title of the leader of the literary collection. I don’t know why you’re doing this. Maybe you just don’t want attention, or maybe you think none of this is good, but that’s your opinion. I won’t steal what should belong to you!”

Xiao Rong was stunned for a moment. He was about to stand up and explain himself, but before he could rise, Yu Shaoxie pressed his shoulder down. “Listen!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

You’re so fierce!

Yu Shaoxie continued angrily, “Don’t say that you did it willingly. Have you thought about me? I’m getting praised for things I didn’t do. Does that feel right to you? If the roles were reversed, would you accept this ridiculous thing?”

Xiao Rong pursed his lips. Of course, he wouldn’t accept it. If the system hadn’t interfered, he wouldn’t be involved in anyone’s mess.

After a while, Xiao Rong spoke. “I can’t help it. I’m the kind of person who knows a lot but also knows very little. If I don’t find someone to replace me, my shortcomings will eventually show. I thought… I thought you would help me.”

In the end, his voice lowered because he hadn’t thought it through. He had been thinking as a giver but hadn’t considered the pressure on the receiver.

Originally, he hadn’t intended to have Yu Shaoxie come. He planned to have Gao Xunzhī step in, since he was the Chancellor and had the highest status. The library and such were all under his control. After seeing Yu Shaoxie’s unknown side, Xiao Rong couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. Maybe he felt that Yu Shaoxie was better at dealing with people or that Yu Shaoxie wouldn’t reject his request, so he had decided on his own. Now, when he brought it up, it blew up in his face.

Normally, he wouldn’t have been so reckless with matters that needed someone to take a high-profile role. He would have discussed it with others, but with Yu Shaoxie, he made an exception, and it ended disastrously.

Xiao Rong lowered his head, feeling embarrassed, especially after admitting he had no literary knowledge.

Not even Qu Yunmie knew about this, and he had thought Yu Shaoxie wouldn’t mind, so he’d told him. Now, he regrets it. He shouldn’t have said it.

Meanwhile, across from him, Yu Shaoxie listened to his increasingly quieter voice and looked at his lowered head. He couldn’t help but freeze.

Xiao Rong had never looked so vulnerable in front of others. He was usually either high and mighty or calm, but now he seemed fragile.

Yu Shaoxie’s heart trembled, and he suddenly understood why Xiao Rong had entrusted him with this matter. It wasn’t because he really thought no one else could do it. If he had thought so, there were other ways to handle it. He came to him simply because he wanted to. Yu Shaoxie knew this was a good thing, one that would bring him many benefits, just as he always wanted to bring things to Qu Yunmie. Now, he wanted to take things for himself.

Yu Shaoxie felt a sudden urge to groan. Everyone was right. He really should change his direct, outspoken nature.

…

Xiao Rong was regretting. He silently warned himself not to tell others everything again. Look at the outcome—how embarrassing!

Suddenly, someone grabbed both of his shoulders. Xiao Rong instinctively looked at his shoulders, then heard Yu Shaoxie’s commanding tone. “Little Rong, look at me.”

Xiao Rong really looked up, but his face was full of shock.

What did you just call me?!

The Chancellor would never call me that!

Yu Shaoxie clearly felt that he wasn’t the same as the Chancellor, and he could call him that.

“Little Rong, I know you have good intentions, but you should know that I have good intentions too. You want to make my name known, and I’m happy and touched, but fame means nothing to me compared to how important you are to me. If you don’t want to bear the fame in literary matters, I will help you. No matter what, if you come to me, I will help you. Even if it costs me my life, I will do it, but not by taking your things. Do you understand? Little Rong, do you understand my heart?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He stared at Yu Shaoxie, feeling like he wanted to scream and run out of the meeting hall.

I do understand, but not with your cheesy words! Let go, you rogue!

Bluntness wasn’t just a flaw. In the case of misunderstandings, it was a huge advantage. Under Yu Shaoxie’s watchful eyes, no misunderstanding could last overnight.

…

Xiao Rong was stunned—he didn’t even dare to stand up, because he was afraid that if he moved, Yu Shaoxie would make physical contact with him again. Since he had just made a firm promise, Yu Shaoxie wasn’t planning on dragging things out. He immediately started thinking of a solution for Xiao Rong.

Surprisingly, he really did come up with one.

“How about this,” he suggested, “regarding the anthology—what if we fabricate a great literary talent?”

Xiao Rong was trying hard to resist the urge to go home and take a shower. For some reason, he just felt… unclean.

…

He looked at Yu Shaoxie, confused. “What do you mean?”

Yu Shaoxie smiled. “If you don’t want anyone to know that the questions were written by you, then let them become questions written by no one. We won’t reveal who this person is—we’ll let the scholars speculate who could be so talented. In the future, if similar situations arise, we can use the same trick again. What’s even better is that this fabricated figure can be incredibly flexible. He could be one of us, a reclusive sage uninterested in worldly affairs, or even someone from another faction. Real or fake—who could tell the difference?”

Xiao Rong looked at Yu Shaoxie in surprise—this was probably the best idea he had come up with since joining the Northern Army.

Yu Shaoxie was still asking him, “Is this plan feasible?”

Xiao Rong nodded. “It is.

He was already thinking about what kind of character to create. Although Yu Shaoxie preferred to keep the identity flexible, Xiao Rong thought it best to define it from the beginning—otherwise, it might turn into a joke later.

Halfway through his thoughts, something suddenly felt off. When he looked up, he saw Yu Shaoxie quietly watching him. That gaze… how to put it—was full of affection, and it made his skin crawl.

Xiao Rong said, “Brother Yu?”

Yu Shaoxie chuckled softly. “No need to be so formal in private anymore. You can call me Big brother, just like little Cheng does.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Wouldn’t that make Yu Shaocheng lose his mind on the spot?

*

Back at his quarters, Xiao Rong lay on his bed, feeling emotionally exhausted from the day.

He emptied his mind and turned into a blank slate, just staring dumbly at the bed canopy as he slowly recharged his energy.

Before he could truly relax, he heard Ah Shu’s angry voice from outside. “I already told you, you can’t go in!”

Zhang Biezhi shouted, “Why not? Master Xiao saw so many people today—why can’t he see me?!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Sadly, he didn’t even have the energy to get mad anymore. After lying there a bit longer, he numbly sat up and waited for Zhang Biezhi to barge in.

Sure enough, Ah Shu couldn’t stop him at all. Zhang Biezhi rushed in and, upon seeing Xiao Rong merely sitting at the bedside, glared at Ah Shu as if to say, You liar!

Ah Shu: “…”

Ughhhhh!

Just you wait—wait until I grow taller than the King himself!

Zhang Biezhi had been like a firecracker outside, but once he entered, he did restrain himself. He explained why he had come, growing more and more aggrieved as he spoke. Regardless, he knew better than to annoy Xiao Rong—if he did, this matter would really be hopeless.

Xiao Rong listened expressionlessly for a long time. Once he understood, he raised his hand to stop Zhang Biezhi. “You want to learn how to be a man?”

Zhang Biezhi replied, “I want to learn how to be an official, Master Xiao. I don’t want to kill people with my hands anymore—I want to be like you, and kill them with words.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Nonsense. When had he ever killed anyone with words?

If this were a normal day, Xiao Rong would have burst out laughing. Zhang Biezhi wanting to learn strategy was as absurd as himself wanting to learn to walk on walls—it just wasn’t going to happen.

However, he didn’t have the energy to laugh now. Sitting by the bed, he stared at Zhang Biezhi and suddenly thought of something.

Was it more impossible for Zhang Biezhi to learn strategy, or for him to even want to learn it in the first place? Xiao Rong felt it was the latter. From the moment he had the idea, Zhang Biezhi was no longer the same high-profile-in-life, low-profile-in-death figure he’d once read about in the history books.

Just like Yu Shaoxie—someone who should have been long dead, but was alive and well, and even saying such corny things to him…

….

Xiao Rong lowered his gaze slightly, but tilted his chin up. People’s destinies had already changed, and he really shouldn’t judge others with an old perspective. Besides, whatever Zhang Biezhi wanted to do was his own business—Xiao Rong shouldn’t stop him. Who knew, maybe Zhang Biezhi wasn’t just talented in warfare. With a twist of fate, he might even become the first truly well-rounded talent in the Northern Army.

Though that image was admittedly hard to picture.

He made a soft noise. Under Zhang Biezhi’s nervous gaze, Xiao Rong finally spoke. “If you don’t mind running errands for me, handling private matters, and staying up late with me, then come work under me. You can’t be the commander of the guards anymore—you’ll be the deputy commander.”

Zhang Biezhi: “…”

He was actually being made a deputy to that mercenary Di Fazeng. Fine, he’d endure it for now—and settle the score with Di Fazeng later!

…

So, Xiao Rong gained two more fierce people at his side.

Zhang Biezhi was quite noisy, but he had one redeeming trait—he respected Xiao Rong. He never made a fuss in front of him, he only argued with Di Fazeng and Ah Shu.

There was no need to mention Ah Shu—those two were practically sworn enemies by now. As for Di Fazeng, though he was Zhang Biezhi’s superior, Zhang never respected him at all, relying on the fact that his brother-in-law was Jian Qiao. Di Fazeng wasn’t the type to bother with things unless they were serious. Even when Zhang Biezhi acted arrogantly right in front of him, Di Fazeng would barely lift his eyelids and just continued to stare lifelessly at the ground.

Zhang Biezhi was nearly driven mad by that attitude of indifference.

Regardless of how much chaos happened below, Xiao Rong didn’t bother to get involved. He was the Prefect of Chenliu, not a kindergarten teacher dealing with toddlers bickering in class.

＊

As summer came to an end and autumn approached, the whole of Chenliu grew busy.

Baibao Street officially opened. For the first three days, there were special promotions: spend a certain amount and you could receive a voucher from the shopkeeper. Take the voucher to the management office and exchange it for a gift—things everyone could use, like cloth, fresh meat, spices, and so on.

Grain wasn’t included. At the time, the Northern Army was urgently collecting the autumn harvest—not a single grain could be spared.

The management office was manned by government soldiers and military men. Among the resident stewards, surprisingly, two were of foreign ethnicity.

Though lone foreigners weren’t enough to send the townsfolk fleeing, they were still intimidating to look at. After explaining to the point of exhaustion, the Han stewards finally hired two children around eleven or twelve to keep repeating their words. They told the people that the two foreigners were there to prepare for future foreign caravans. Places like Kucha, Shule, Yutian, and Tianzhu—they’d all heard of them, right? All Buddhist countries. Their caravans would bring in fragrant spices and exotic foods. When the time came, those two foreign stewards would handle the transactions, and the locals could just focus on shopping.

The townspeople listened, but were highly skeptical about whether they could actually afford those goods from the Western Regions. Still, that wasn’t the most important thing. As long as the foreigners didn’t suddenly go berserk, it was fine.

Among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, Xiao Rong did want to promote commerce, but he couldn’t elevate it too much either. So when Baibao Street opened, no one from the royal palace went to celebrate. Only representatives from prominent families showed up to exchange pleasantries with the crowd.

Song Shuo went in briefly after lighting firecrackers. He came back with a pair of ready-made shoes and a calligraphy set. Xiao Rong only went on the third day to take a look.

So far, no troublemakers had appeared. That was likely because there still weren’t many people. Once merchants from other regions began arriving in droves, conflicts would become inevitable.

Everything went as Xiao Rong had expected. The only thing that intrigued him a little were the two kids explaining things at the management office. After watching them tilt their heads and chatter for a bit, Xiao Rong turned and returned to the palace.

As he stepped into the central garden, Song Shuo suddenly darted out from a nearby door.
“Finally caught you!”

Xiao Rong said, “Are you itching for trouble again? I’m your superior!”

Song Shuo pouted. “Yeah, yeah, I know. There’s no one else around anyway. I came to you for something serious. In two days, the literary competition will be launched. I was thinking—should we let the Buddha’s Disciple host a parallel debate as well?”

Xiao Rong looked at him. “The summer retreat hasn’t ended. Monks aren’t allowed to go out. If the Buddha’s Disciple leaves, he’ll be criticized by others in the Buddhist community.”

Song Shuo clicked his tongue. “Monks sure are troublesome.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He couldn’t help but defend Mijing. “The Buddha’s Disciple is just following his sect’s rules. He doesn’t eat meat or drink wine, so of course he won’t go out during the retreat.”

Song Shuo almost rolled his eyes. “If I remember correctly, in ancient times, monks had to stay in mountain caves during the summer retreat. The caves couldn’t even have grass growing near them, to avoid other living beings entering. That was a real retreat. Now they just stay in temples and call it a retreat? Or just staying in the palace without walking around counts as ‘following the rules’? If they’ve already broken the precepts, they might as well break them all. What’s the point of clinging to half and letting go of the other? Isn’t that just hypocrisy?”

Xiao Rong was silent for a long while. Song Shuo thought he had won the argument and was about to smirk proudly when Xiao Rong spoke quietly.

“Yes, the summer retreat is indeed a performance. People can never fully avoid killing. Everything we eat to stay alive is another form of life. That doesn’t mean all Buddhists are hypocrites. They are trying to do the most they can within the impossible. Their compassion may not cover the entire world, but if they can help even one or two people, it still means something. Besides, everyone has moments where they deceive themselves. Water that is too clear has no fish. If everyone lived in perfect clarity, how would someone like the Buddha’s Disciple remain consistently kind to the world?”

Song Shuo: “…”

He couldn’t help straightening his back, and his tone softened, though still stiff. “I was just talking nonsense. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Xiao Rong gave him an exasperated look. “You call that talking nonsense? That was a full-on rant. I know you dislike both Buddhism and Taoism, but since none of their followers have criticized you, you don’t need to criticize them. They haven’t harmed anyone. So it’s neither your business nor mine.”

Song Shuo didn’t like that—he was someone who loved pointing out other people’s faults. He thought very few people in the world were worthy of speaking with him. In other words, he looked down on most of the population.

He was polite with the King, but when he first met the Buddha’s Disciple, he went straight for his prayer beads. Although the Disciple didn’t take offense, Xiao Rong had remembered it.

If he could behave for a few days, Xiao Rong wouldn’t bring it up again. With Song Shuo’s talkative personality, it was only a matter of time before his attitude was noticed.

Poor Buddha’s Disciple. He had such a good reputation outside, yet here in the palace, he wasn’t liked by anyone.

Xiao Rong didn’t understand the reason for it. Qu Yunmie was illogical, Gao Xunzhi kept his distance because he followed Taoism, Yu Shaoxie wasn’t one to believe in nonviolence, and Song Shuo was even more ridiculous—he was practically an atheist in a feudal era.

Even Qu Yunmie wasn’t that progressive—he still showed signs of superstition now and then.

It wasn’t that Xiao Rong always stood up for the Buddha’s Disciple. It was just that if he didn’t, the Disciple would be completely alone.

…

He shook his head and kept walking. Song Shuo pretended to ignore him but was watching from the corner of his eye. Seeing Xiao Rong just walk off, he finally dropped the act. “Where are you going?”

Xiao Rong glanced at him. “To the King’s study. I left a document there two days ago.”

Song Shuo immediately trotted over to walk beside him. “I’ll come with you.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Move. You’re squishing me.

A moment later, the two of them arrived at Qu Yunmie’s study. He wasn’t there—he had mostly recovered from his injury and had gone back to the military camp. Two days ago, Xiao Rong had left a document there after reporting something to Qu Yunmie. Since it had already been read, it was fine to take it back.

Xiao Rong visited this place often, but it was Song Shuo’s first time. He looked around curiously. Unfortunately, Qu Yunmie wasn’t the neatest person, so a piece of paper was left spread open on the desk—and it immediately caught Song Shuo’s eye.

It was a letter from Yuan Baifu. The first two pages were missing, and only the last page remained, left askew on the table.

Song Shuo read much faster than Xiao Rong. In one glance, he finished reading and laughed aloud. “Who is this? What grudge do they have against you?”

Xiao Rong turned around at his words and saw the letter in Song Shuo’s hand. He immediately scolded him. “Song Shuo! Reading the King’s mail in secret will get you punished!”

Song Shuo said, “Okay, okay, beat me later. First, just look at this.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Still angry, he looked anyway. “This is a letter General Yuan wrote to the King. I’ve read it already. You’re lucky it wasn’t a military report.”

Song Shuo shrugged. “It’s not a military report, but it says more than one. Didn’t you notice this person was trying to drive a wedge between you and the King?”

Xiao Rong was stunned. He didn’t understand what Song Shuo meant.

Song Shuo wanted to gloat, but recalling Xiao Rong’s many achievements, he held back and explained, “This guy’s a pro. He’s trying to manipulate you, but you can’t even see how. Think about it—if you wanted to persuade the King not to fight with me, how would you put it?”

Xiao Rong thought for a moment. He’d probably tell Qu Yunmie not to act rashly, to just let things go with Song Shuo—he clearly looked like someone who wouldn’t live long, so what’s the point of arguing?

…

He started to understand what Song Shuo meant. Even if it were Gao Xunzhi, his focus would be on offering advice, not slipping in a line like “relationships often don’t break all at once.” Everyone knew Qu Yunmie had a knack for offending people—if you said that, he’d think the relationship was already beyond repair.

They had never consciously thought about it, but subconsciously, they had all avoided saying something like that. They just tried their best to stop him from doing more damage.

Song Shuo observed Xiao Rong’s expression and smirked faintly. “Now do you get it?”

Xiao Rong pulled the letter from his hand, put it back on the desk and said calmly, “Let’s go. I’ve found the document.”

Song Shuo: “…”

Seriously? That’s it?

Also, I just uncovered something huge—aren’t you going to praise me at least a little?!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

Support translation: