No matter how lively the banquet is, there would eventually come a day when it dispersed. After seven consecutive days of drinking heavily and eating large quantities of meat, many people had become lazy and sluggish. Qu Yunmie couldn’t stand seeing others idle, and he naturally didn’t allow his soldiers to fall into such a state. Therefore, for several days in a row, he went in and out of the military camp early and returned late. With him no longer constantly clinging to him, Xiao Rong finally felt relieved.

Gao Xunzhi, Xiao Rong, and Song Shuo sat together to review the lists. Song Shuo made recommendations, Xiao Rong analyzed them, and Gao Xunzhi made the final decision, appointing the new governors of the two commanderies of Nanyang and Runan.

……

Although the process looked complicated, in reality Song Shuo only recommended three people. Everyone knew how picky Song Shuo was. Xiao Rong removed one of them, determined the final placements of the remaining two, and once their names reached Gao Xunzhi, it was essentially just a formality. Gao Xunzhi trusted Xiao Rong deeply and would not refuse him unless there was a serious issue.

Once the list was finalized, Gao Xunzhi went out to meet the candidates. He was older and highly respected, and such serious, persuasive conversations were always handled by him.

The three of them quietly determined the future of Nanyang and Runan. The former governors there were still in office and believed they were serving Zhao Xingzong quite well, and still felt quite pleased with themselves.

As for whether they will resist the dismissal order, Chenliu was heavily garrisoned, and the two regions were close so if they dared to use force…. Qu Yunmie was just waiting for an excuse after days of eating and drinking well. Once he received the news, the Northern King would likely rush over joyfully to suppress them.

If they chose a softer approach, Xiao Rong didn’t care either. If a regional governor couldn’t handle even this and immediately sought help from above, then he was simply useless and should step down to make room for someone else.

……

When drafting the formal appointment document, Xiao Rong paused slightly with his brush and suddenly laughed.

Song Shuo immediately straightened up. “What are you laughing at?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Song Shuo had recently become very sensitive. He reacted to every small change, though no one knew exactly what he was so concerned about.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Rong said, “I think today’s matter is a bit interesting.”

Song Shuo didn’t understand. “What’s interesting? If you ask me, when we dismiss them, we should also send three feet of white silk. Since they dared to neglect the people I appointed, they should knel and accept death as punishment.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

It’s been almost half a year, yet Song Shuo has failed to become more perceptive, he even seemed to have regressed. Whenever he encountered such matters, he became especially extreme.

He was starting to resemble the old Yu Shaoxie. Speaking of which, Yu Shaoxie hasn’t been shouting about killing and fighting anymore. He was still brave and stubborn, but when handling such matters he was now applying both kindness and authority. Reports from Shengle showed that things there had become increasingly stable—prisoners of war and Xianbei people had all become obedient. It was quite an achievement to calm so many troublemakers.

Xiao Rong thought: was this the so-called “when God closes a door, He opens a window”?

He couldn’t help but glance at this very single-minded “door.”

Song Shuo asked, “Why are you looking at me again?”

Xiao Rong shrugged. “You’re good-looking.”

Xiao Rong expected Song Shuo to blush, as he was usually quite pure-hearted. However, Song Shuo once again did not disappoint him.

He nodded and said generously, “That’s true. Look as much as you want.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

The topic was thus casually cut off by Song Shuo’s confidence, and Xiao Rong said nothing further.

The reason he laughed was the way the three of them handled this matter today was somewhat like the division of labor in the Three Departments and Six Ministries system.

In the early feudal era, society had been extremely unstable. To be precise, it was even less stable than the earliest period, because people did not fully recognize the authority of the emperor, and the concept of the “Son of Heaven” had not yet taken deep root. Emperors were busy protecting themselves and their families, and thus had no time to centralize imperial power.

Decades later, as society became relatively stable, any ambitious emperor tried to reclaim authority.

The Three Departments and Six Ministries system was only a mature form of the chancellor-based division of power. Before it, there had been a long evolutionary process. Even the title “chancellor” had changed countless times over a thousand years. In a sense, Xiao Rong’s current position as Sikong/Minister of Works equivalent role was itself part of this distributed chancellor authority.

Yet a lack of maturity had its reasons. Positions like Sikong, Situ, Taizai, and Taifu were abolished because they held too much power. Even when the Emperor tried to divide authority, as long as someone held such a title and was capable enough, they could still suppress others of equal rank.

The collapse of Southern Yong was partly due to this system. There were too many first-rank officials, and even Sun Renluan could not ignore their influence. Everyone had a voice, everyone believed they mattered, and the court naturally became chaotic.

Of course, this was only a minor reason. More importantly, nepotism was rampant. To deal with one person, one often had to uproot their entire family, in-laws, teachers, and allies. Just like Yang Zangyi. Why had he survived despite causing so much trouble? Because his background was too strong. Unless one acted in secret, neither he nor Sun Renluan could move against the other.

Just thinking about it gave one a headache. If the system told Xiao Rong he had to save the young emperor, he suspected he would have ended up perishing together with him.

……

Although Xiao Rong knew there were more advanced administrative systems in the world, they were too advanced for this era. Compared to the present time, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system was already extremely modern. A court could not consist only of young people who accepted new ideas, there were also many deeply rooted middle-aged and elderly officials whose wisdom could not be underestimated.

Moreover, destroying Southern Yong didn’t mean eliminating all its people. Even in a corrupt court, there were still pillars of stability. Their loyalty could help the new regime run more smoothly. If it were possible, Xiao Rong would have tried to recruit Sun Renluan.

Yes—governance reforms could be done gradually, but aristocratic clans had to be eliminated completely. One couldn’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw, one mustn’t be too greedy.

Lowering his eyes, Xiao Rong placed the completed document aside. At this point, there was no need to send it to Southern Yong for the young Emperor’s seal anymore. Since relations have already broken down, there was no point in continuing such self-deception.

*

Replacing governors was the first step. Five days after the two corrupt governors were expelled from their residences, Xiao Rong sent out a team led by a particularly capable financial secretary. Braving the winter cold of the north, they set off with great momentum toward the various cities—to collect debts.

……

After careful consideration, Xiao Rong felt this was perfect timing. In winter, people did not travel much, and most troops were resting in Chenliu. Everyone knew that the Northern King was also “hibernating,” so no one would be foolish enough to rebel. Xiao Rong assigned over ten thousand men, along with sufficient grain supplies and cold-weather equipment, and even gave them a Shangfang sword—one of Qu Yunmie’s hundred-plus blades—so they could intimidate others.

If anyone refused payment and dared to resist, they were to be killed on the spot, and a reportwas to be sent back so Xiao Rong could immediately appoint a replacement.

The secretary: “…”

By the way, the secretary was no longer a secretary. He had been transferred out of the provincial office and now served under Gao Xunzhi with an impressive title: Censor-in-Chief of the Chancellor’s Office.

It sounded impressive, and its duties were indeed important. His job was to assist the chancellor.

In reality, it was a highly offensive position. As the name suggested, he was responsible for reporting anyone who was not “upright.”

Southern Yong no longer had such an office, because it offended too many people. Since it was attached to the chancellor’s office, the chancellor would also offend people, so they abolished the position and left the job to the Imperial Censorate instead.

That was the same office once held by Zhao Xingzong’s ancestor, who had only lasted a few years before landing himself in prison.

……

Upon hearing there was a business trip assignment, Zhao Xingzong once again thought it would fall on him. Moreover, the new position felt like a cycle of fate. No matter how he looked at it, he felt he was the unlucky one. When the appointment was finally issued, he laughed loudly at home and almost laughed himself unconscious.

The next day, he went to drink with the newly appointed Censor-in-Chief and threw him a lively farewell.

The new Censor-in-Chief: “…”

Do I know you?

Some people did not like this position, but some liked it very much. From the fact that this man had openly driven up prices in the provincial office, it could be seen that he was thick-skinned and ruthless.

When Song Shuo bought property, the price was raised by two thousand in one go instead of being sold at the original price, showing he was not afraid of powerful people.

Xiao Rong also heard that someone had gone to him on the first day to buy a house, hesitated for a long time without making a decision, and the next day the price on the sign had doubled. When that person finally made up his mind to buy it, he found the price had risen so sharply. He did not panic. He went home, brought out his eighty-year-old mother and seventy-five-year-old aunt, and had the two old women plead bitterly, saying the family had no money left, that they had suffered disasters the previous year, lost people the year before that, and if they did not buy the house they would end up homeless.

Ordinarily, anyone would have been moved by pity, but this man had no reaction at all. In the end, the buyer left the government office in anger, and because he truly could not negotiate the price down, he had no choice but to buy it at double the cost.

Xiao Rong: “…”

So you actually did have money after all.

In any case, this was a talent. Selling houses wasted his talent—collecting debts was his true calling.

……

There were more than thirty cities north of the Han River. Aside from when the Northern Army forcibly collected grain during the autumn harvest, they had not interfered in local affairs. This time, what Xiao Rong ordered them to collect were miscellaneous taxes from each city. According to regulations, half of these taxes went to the local government and half to the imperial court. Since there was no imperial court anymore, they would go to the Northern King instead.

Two governors had just been removed, so these officials should still have been fearful. They also knew that a major war along the Han River was imminent, and that the Northern King was likely short of money, which was why he was demanding taxes.

In reality, he was not short of money at all. Xiao Rong simply needed an excuse to act.

If they obediently paid, it meant they were cowardly and could be kept for a while longer. If they refused to pay like iron roosters and even resorted to force, then they were beyond saving. If they would not yield even in the face of life and death, there was no point expecting them to obey orders in the future.

The world had been in chaos for too long, and many people had become accustomed to local military power and autonomy. They did not care who became emperor, they only cared about their own territory. They believed that even if the Northern King became emperor, the world would remain the same, so they tried to deal with him using old methods.

Xiao Rong no longer bothered with them. Those who obeyed were kept, those who did not were killed or imprisoned. He only hoped everything could be finished before the New Year.

There were a little over two months left before the New Year. Xiao Rong’s instruction to the new Censor-in-Chief was to collect taxes from one city every two days. Leave on the first day and demand that the tax be gathered by the second. It was acceptable as long as half was delivered, otherwise, they would immediately arrest the officials without further discussion.

The reason for such a tight schedule was that Xiao Rong feared these people might not willingly pay, but instead forcibly extort civilians to make up the money. At such a time, robbing civilians would truly be forcing them into death.

……

The new Censor-in-Chief set out with troops. Gao Xunzhi also assigned him a minor general, and Di Fazeng had already entered Southern Yong territory. Every couple of days, he sent back reports on his progress. Di Fazeng was very clever, he not only searched for Han Qing, but also dismantled Qingfeng Sect strongholds wherever he went. He brought away veteran followers with blood on their hands, deprived them of food and clean water, kept guards watching them, and beat them regularly. If they became ill and seemed near death, they were placed in prison carts to recover for a couple of days before being taken out and beaten again.

Along the road, people pointed at them, but Di Fazeng didn’t care at all.

The veteran followers had strong bonds among themselves, so naturally some tried to rescue them. Those who joined the Qingfeng Sect were either dark-minded schemers or hot-blooded zealots, all eager to act. Di Fazeng captured every one of them. Although some beliefs could override instinct, these people clearly hadn’t reached that level yet. With a little pressure, they quickly revealed the locations of nearby strongholds.

Thus, Di Fazeng didn’t search blindly himself, but advanced step by step toward the Qingfeng Sect’s main base using the intelligence extracted from them.

….

When the first wanted notice was posted, Chen Jiancheng immediately moved Han Qing and the others to a new location.

Now, a residence in Xiaokou Town housed a group of elderly, weak, women, and children—there was no doubt they were all Qingfeng Sect agents.

However, Chen Jiancheng and the others hadn’t gone far. They first went east to Xisai and stayed there for a while to resupply and gather intelligence. There was not much news about the Qingfeng Sect, but there was quite a lot about the Northern Army.

One of the Northern King’s four great generals suddenly defected and joined Southern Yong. He was now stationed in Zitong alongside the Grand General Shen Yangrui.

When he heard the name Yuan Baifu, Chen Jiancheng was momentarily confused. Although Yuan Baifu was one of Qu Yunmie’s men, Qu Yunmie had many generals, and he could not immediately match names to people.

After a moment, he remembered who it was and became excited. “Li Xiuheng once told me about this man. He said he could be used. Ha, so it was true!”

Han Qing did not speak. He also remembered this information from Li Xiuheng and had once considered contacting this man, but now there was no need.

A complete fool.

If one wanted to betray Qu Yunmie, there were many good opportunities. He could have done so right after Li Xiuheng’s death, or after the army returned but before facing Southern Yong. The former would have made him seem loyal to the past, the latter would have made him seem unwilling to be a traitor. Instead, he chose to defect at the moment when the world most admired Qu Yunmie, and after receiving a military order from him.

In positions of power, every step had to be carefully considered. Since Qu Yunmie’s order was sudden, Yuan Baifu’s decision must also have been made suddenly. Treating rebellion as a joke—this man was either stupid to the core or mentally unstable.

Han Qing was not afraid of evil men, nor of fools. What he feared were madmen. Evil men could be used as tools, fools could be directed, but madmen had no logic at all. They might end up killing themselves and their allies without warning.

Because of this incident, they did not immediately leave Xisai. While disguised and preparing to observe further developments, northern agents rushed in with terrible news: Han Qing’s appearance and name had been exposed by the detestable Xiao Rong.

Han Qing: “…”

He snatched the portrait in disbelief. The face on it was remarkably clear and highly accurate.

Portraits in this era were usually distorted, even when posted, only close acquaintances could recognize them. Yet this one was so lifelike.

How was it so accurate?

That familiar feeling returned. Ever since Qu Yunmie suddenly moved his capital, Han Qing had felt things slipping beyond his control. Everything had become strangely unfamiliar. He had been certain Qu Yunmie would never leave Yanmen Pass, yet he had departed without a word and marched directly toward the Xianbei.

He had carefully laid a net, waiting for rumors to spread and fear to consume the land. Yet before the rumors even reached Pingyang, they had already disappeared without effect.

His greatest pride had been his understanding of human nature. He knew what kind of person Qu Yunmie was, knew he would attack the Xianbei, and believed that once enraged, Qu Yunmie would become completely controlled by anger and hatred. Then, with a single fire, everything would fall into place.

The rumors were meant to influence Qu Yunmie, and once influenced, he would act according to them. When they came true, fear would spread across the land, and that would mark his death.

It was such a perfect plan, yet every step had gone wrong. Not only was Qu Yunmie still alive, Sun Renluan was still alive as well. The balance of power hadn’t collapsed. Instead, it had grown more stable.

Now even he had been exposed. He preferred operating in the shadows, yet someone had dragged him into the sunlight. From now on, no matter what name he used, anyone who had seen this portrait would recognize him as the Great Protector of the Qingfeng Sect.

Thinking of this, Han Qing pressed his lips together.

The Qingfeng Sect had only been a stepping stone. He never intended to truly serve Chen Jiancheng, nor to let the world know of his involvement.

For the first time, he felt a sense of uncertainty about what to do next.

Meanwhile, Chen Jiancheng was still shouting beside him, as if the exposed person were himself.

He demanded to know how the messenger knew Han Qing’s name and appearance, and why the portrait was so accurate, but the messenger couldn’t possibly know. As Chen Jiancheng grew more agitated, he even tried to draw his sword to kill him.

After the chaos finally ended, Chen Jiancheng remembered Han Qing and hurried over to comfort him, vowing to take revenge and tear Xiao Rong apart.

Han Qing looked at him and concealed his emotions. He thanked him and said he was not feeling well before returning to rest.

Chen Jiancheng watched him with concern and secretly resolved that no matter how much it cost, he would place a bounty within the Qingfeng Sect—twenty thousand gold for Xiao Rong’s head.

The number made him gasp, but he felt it was worth it.

These were events from earlier. Because the Qingfeng Sect operated underground and travel caused severe information delays, and because Chenliu deliberately concealed matters, Xiao Rong only learned of this much later.

When he heard the figure of twenty thousand gold, he spat tea all over the table.

He did not even bother wiping his face and immediately grabbed his own neck. “Twenty… twenty thousand?! Good heavens, the Qingfeng Sect is that rich?”

For a moment, he even regretted it. If he had known earlier, he would have hidden his identity like Han Qing, so he could hand over a random prisoner’s head to collect the reward. To convince the Qingfeng Sect, he would even design an elaborate fake death scene. Then after a few months, he would reappear under another identity, again without showing his face.

……

Gao Xunzhi thought he was checking his neck out of fear and quickly reassured him. “Don’t be afraid, young Rong. Chenliu is constantly screening for outsiders—no assassin can get in. What is twenty thousand gold? They have no life to earn it, and no life to spend it.”

Qu Yunmie said nothing. He felt Xiao Rong was not reacting in fear, but he did not dare say so.

Xiao Rong felt somewhat bitter. Back when there had been a bounty of ten thousand, he had gone to great lengths to create schemes just for show. Now someone else was casually offering twenty thousand.

Suddenly, he remembered something and asked worriedly, “They are offering twenty thousand for me, but I only offered five hundred for Han Qing. Isn’t that too little?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

Yes.

Yet when I asked if you wanted to increase it, you refused immediately and said five hundred was already generous, and five hundred taels of silver should be his worth.

Gao Xunzhi did not respond, but Qu Yunmie said grimly, “It’s not little. If it were up to me, he would be worth at most five hundred copper coins.”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

As expected of both of you.

Xiao Rong touched his neck and still felt unwilling to accept it. He looked up and asked Qu Yunmie, “Is Yuan Baifu’s body still intact?”

Qu Yunmie looked at him warily. “What are you planning to do?”

Xiao Rong asked very seriously, “Do you think they would believe it if I used his burned head to impersonate me?”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Could you please have a little ambition?

 

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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