The Northern Army was no longer penniless. They can now easily afford a reward of two hundred thousand gold.

Xiao Rong would only have been eating his fill to waste such a huge amount of funds on a bounty. Did governance not require money? Did feeding troops and raising horses not require money? Even if they were currently wealthy, if they distributed it evenly, there would not be much left.

This was a difference in mindset. The Qingfeng Sect believed that all assets belonged to the sect leader. The Northern Army was similar in spirit, but as the current official in charge of financial authority, Xiao Rong clearly separated public and private matters. Qu Yunmie only possessed a small allocated portion. Like other generals, he was paid according to military merit. The remaining funds were all taken into the state treasury. Even the Northern King could not freely spend a single coin.

It sounded rather poor, but in reality Qu Yunmie’s personal wealth already amounted to several tens of thousands of gold. Silver, copper coins, and treasures were even more numerous. It was just that Qu Yunmie himself did not care. Every time spoils of war were counted, he would be the first to rush over, but his eyes only focused on peerless weapons. After choosing the finest weapons, if he was asked to pick more, he would casually select a few glittering treasures with little interest.

Qu Yunmie did not recognize valuable items, nor did he know what was truly precious, so he only took what he recognized.

……

While Xiao Rong managed the state treasury, he also managed Qu Yunmie’s private funds. He never discussed it with Qu Yunmie. There was no need to, because even now Qu Yunmie did not know he had a private treasury.

In his mind, there was no concept of money. Whenever he asked for funds, it was always on behalf of the army. He himself had no expenses. He only liked collecting weapons, but he did not like buying them. In his view, anything that could be seized did not need to be bought.

……

Knowing this temperament, Xiao Rong naturally never mentioned it to him. While handling official duties, he treated Qu Yunmie’s private treasury as a pastime, investing a little here and buying a little there. Qu Yunmie likely did not know that Xiao Rong had purchased an entire street of property for him.

This street was not Baibao Street, but a small alley less than one kilometer long between Baibao Street and the dock. The road was wide and the location excellent, so Xiao Rong renamed it “Jixiang Alley.”

Originally it had been residential housing, but there were not many households there. After Chenliu became prosperous, people naturally rushed toward the main city area. The advantage of the dock hadn’t been fully realized yet, and particularly farsighted merchants had not yet flooded into Chenliu in large numbers. This gave Xiao Rong an opportunity. He had Ah Shu use money to buy out the scattered households, then negotiated with a newly arrived secretary officer on how to purchase the remaining plots. The officer inherited the excellent tradition of his predecessor: even if the buyer was Master Xiao himself—or even the king—he would not lower the price.

Xiao Rong was wealthy anyway, and more importantly, he was spending Qu Yunmie’s money, so a little loss did not matter. He spent a large sum to buy the entire alley. He then continued sending Ah Shu to hire craftsmen, demolish houses, rebuild them, and purchase cheap servants through the brokerage offices. Each household was assigned two servants. During the day they cleaned and checked for damage, at night they attended official study sessions, learning Central Plains characters and the more popular Western Region language.

Xiao Rong’s goal was to make Jixiang Alley the preferred lodging place for merchants in the future.

City housing prices had already risen to absurd levels. Inns on Baibao Street had become overnight luxuries. Aristocratic young men did not care—even staying for a year was fine—but merchants could not afford it. A single caravan required at least ten people, otherwise bandits on the road could easily kill them and seize their goods.

Even shared rooms were too expensive for such a group. Moreover, a business delegation needed structure. Guards might stay in dormitories, but a shopkeeper could not share the same room, otherwise negotiations would be inconvenient.

Coming to the capital once was manageable, but after two or three trips, they would seek cheaper or more convenient lodging. Xiao Rong’s plan was exactly to capture this need: instead of renting single rooms, entire houses were rented out. The longer the lease, the cheaper the rate. They were also provided with servants who could communicate and understand local customs. These servants could fetch water, clean rooms, or run errands, all with ease.

In an era of poor information flow, travelers always first sought local connections. Without them, they could easily be cheated without even realizing it. Jixiang Alley offered equal treatment to all, and its backing was the Northern King. In the merchants’ eyes, anyone might cheat them, but not the Northern King. After all, he was a man of great vision, how could he care about such small profits?

……

Living among merchants also made it easier for them to connect with each other. Those willing to stay long-term were clearly involved in large-scale trade. Even if they did not immediately benefit from one another, more connections meant more opportunities.

For Xiao Rong, there was another advantage: the servants could both make guests feel at home and immediately report information about newcomers. If good opportunities appeared, he would be the first to know; if trouble arose, he wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Such a place—similar to a multinational relay station—would not bring huge profits. It certainly could not compare to Baibao Street. Therefore, there was no need for the government to manage it, making it a private enterprise was fine.

Xiao Rong hesitated between buying it himself or letting Qu Yunmie purchase it. In the end, he chose the latter. After all, if nothing unexpected happened, Qu Yunmie would remain in Chenliu permanently, while Xiao Rong himself… He felt he still had many choices ahead.

In his mind, purchasing property meant declaring long-term residence. He didn’t think he had reached that stage yet.

*

The Qingfeng Sect’s two-hundred-thousand-gold bounty caused a massive uproar within the sect, and outside it was no better. Everyone was stunned. The Qingfeng Sect was simply too wealthy.

……

Chen Jiancheng issued this bounty to show Han Qing how much he valued him. He was willing to spend his entire fortune for him. However, Han Qing, lying calmly, felt his temples throbbing as if they were about to explode.

At this critical moment for the Qingfeng Sect, Xiao Rong had posted his portrait. This was clearly an intention to fight them to the death. Although the Northern Army was currently busy, Yuan Baifu’s rebellion was only a minor issue. Once he was eliminated, the army would recover immediately. Without this obstacle, their next target would undoubtedly be the Qingfeng Sect.

At this time, Chen Jiancheng publicly revealed their wealth and made themselves a target. Greed for wealth has existed since ancient times. Previously only the Northern Army wanted the Qingfeng Sect’s lives, but now even street thugs would want to bite off a piece of them.

Still, Han Qing was not one to lose his temper. Faced with difficulty, his first instinct was to solve the problem, and only afterward to settle scores with those who caused it. So while Qu Yunmie and the others were still in Zitong, Han Qing had already taken action.

First, he calmed Chen Jiancheng. Words spoken could not be taken back. Since the bounty had already been issued, there was no point retracting it. No one could achieve such a thing anyway. The Northern Army and the Northern King were not to be trifled with. Even if someone truly managed to break through layers of cavalry and take Xiao Rong’s head, he would not pay them. He would immediately order them killed instead.

He could not tolerate Qu Yunmie living in this world, let alone someone who could defeat Qu Yunmie.

……

Second, he spread rumors that the Northern Army’s purge of the Qingfeng Sect was actually because of the sect’s immense wealth. The army was preparing to attack Jinling and needed funds, so they had targeted the Qingfeng Sect. Revenge for the Northern King was just a fabricated excuse. The Xianbei and Central Plains were eternal enemies. How could they obey a Central Plains man? The sect leader was noble and farsighted and could not possibly use all his wealth for a bounty. The true purpose was to protect the sect. Only by killing Xiao Rong could the Qingfeng Sect survive.

In truth, Han Qing wanted to target Qu Yunmie directly, but since the bounty specified Xiao Rong, he had no choice but to focus his rhetoric on him. He even used the sect’s doctrine: the Qingfeng Sect existed to purify the world, and all who opposed them were corrupt demons. Naturally, Xiao Rong was the worst of all.

After such distortion of truth, fearful believers turned into angry ones. When the propaganda spread, people began to see Qingfeng Sect members openly assassinating officials in broad daylight, shouting doctrine whether they succeeded or not, shouting Xiao Rong’s name, prophesying chaos, war, and destruction.

These messages spread through Southern Yong first and had not yet reached north of the Han River. The most frightened civilians were in Southern Yong, and seeing people who looked like themselves act with such fanatic conviction shocked them deeply.

People were superstitious, so anything could become mystical. A blind person might be seen as a conduit to the divine. A sudden personality change could be interpreted as enlightenment.

As Han Qing successfully manipulated public sentiment, Chen Jiancheng admired him deeply. This was exactly why he could not live without Han Qing.

Day after day passed. The people became increasingly anxious and fragile. One spark could ignite chaos. Chen Jiancheng believed Han Qing’s next step would be to incite peasant rebellion.

He did not know that Han Qing had no intention of leading a rebellion, or staying in the Qingfeng Sect at all.

Now that his identity had been exposed, staying would only mean death. He could incite chaos, yes, but words meant nothing in the face of blades. When swords were at one’s throat, even the most confused people would wake up.

So Han Qing used the sect members one last time—to stir chaos, to muddy the waters, to create his escape opportunity.

As for where to escape, that was another question entirely. Neither the Northern Army nor Southern Yong suited him. One was too strong, the other too weak. His original plan had collapsed, so gradual progress was no longer possible. Qu Yunmie was impulsive. By the time he conquered Southern Yong, it would be too late.

So he needed to find someone who could make up for his weaknesses and cooperate with him.

His greatest weakness was simple: he had no army.

Across the world, who had troops, who were far from Chenliu and Jinling, and—most importantly—who would not care about his past identity as Qingfeng Sect’s Great Protector, only whether he could help them seize the realm?

Gradually, a name appeared in Han Qing’s mind. When he reached an answer, he did not feel excitement. Instead, he leaned back and carefully considered that person’s character and how far he could go in the world.

*

Han Qing’s thoughts were known only to himself. Even Chen Jiancheng was immersed in fantasies of Han Qing helping him conquer the realm, and the lower- and middle-ranking cult members were even less informed.

As they moved further south, Di Fazeng increasingly noticed that something was wrong with the surrounding civilians. When they had just left Yiyang, the people were merely taking detours to avoid them, but in the past two days, civilians have been fleeing at full speed. That kind of fear etched into their bones was completely different from before.

Di Fazeng found this strange. He stopped at a certain place and went alone to investigate. Because he looked very different from Central Plains people, this actually made him more reassuring in such times. After all, foreigners had little to do with the Northern Army.

With the information he gathered, Di Fazeng quickly returned to camp. He did not know that Southern Yong had already descended into such chaos. As someone with a very sharp political sense, he naturally assumed that the Qingfeng Sect was planning something big by directly inciting the masses to rise up.

Without thinking further, he quickly wrote a letter, recorded all the details, and urgently sent it back to Chenliu.

That night, Xiao Rong received the urgent report. He paused for a moment, and before everyone had rested, he summoned them all to the council hall.

A few of them gathered around the letter. After reading it, Song Shuo was the first to speak.

“Shameless!!!”

“…”

Mijing’s expression also turned serious. “The Qingfeng Sect disregards human life and will stop at nothing to achieve its goals. After days of being hunted, they have devised such a strategy to escape. They are using their followers and civilians to oppose the Northern Army. If the common people truly rise in rebellion, with malicious manipulation, millions could end up dead.”

Gao Xunzhi stood with his hands behind his back, equally angered. Indeed, this was the Qingfeng Sect—always so despicable in their methods.

All his thoughts were reduced to the same words as Song Shuo: “Shameless!!!”

“…”

One person had not yet spoken. Xiao Rong looked toward him. “Your Majesty?”

Was he not going to say anything?

Qu Yunmie silently took the letter. On the short page, Di Fazeng repeated those statements several times, writing Xiao Rong’s name again and again. North of the Han River was peaceful and stable, but across the river, Xiao Rong had already become the target of all hostility.

This was not a scene he wanted to see.

He looked at the letter and asked in a low voice, “Why are they all targeting you, and not me?”

The other three were slightly stunned, each thinking of how to answer. Only Song Shuo, who understood nothing, spoke the truth directly.

“Because this was ordered by Xiao Rong. Because people pick the softest target. Because you are a great hero in everyone’s eyes, while once Xiao Rong leaves Chenliu, he becomes nothing.”

The other three: “…”

Qu Yunmie looked at Song Shuo.

Before things became irreversible, Xiao Rong quickly snatched the letter back from Qu Yunmie’s hands and spoke first.

“This is not about targeting anyone. The Qingfeng Sect’s actions give me the feeling that they are preparing for a desperate struggle. Whether it is me or someone else, it is merely an excuse. Before Di Fazeng sent this report, there had been no unrest in Chenliu. We carried out daily checks for assassins and have only caught one so far—and he wasn’t even particularly skilled. If they truly believed I was the key problem, these people should already be flooding toward Chenliu. Since they have not come, it means I am not their main target.”

At this, everyone fell silent.

If Xiao Rong was the target, things would be simple, just protect him. Now, however, the enemy clearly decided to strike at civilians instead.

Southern Yong was the court’s territory. Qu Yunmie could only intervene after conquering the court first.

This was an unsolvable problem. If they attacked, chaos would spread and rebellion would grow more easily. If they did not, they would only allow the situation to ferment.

The Northern Army could stand by and watch the struggle, but it was not so simple. Others were not fools either. Chaos among civilians could become an opportunity for others to rise. Watching might produce an even greater monster, while intervening would only make things worse.

Everyone present tacitly shared one assumption: they did not want to raise weapons against civilians. This confidence came from their strength. If the Northern Army was weaker, they would have no choice but to fight even a peasant uprising.

Once emotions were stirred, they were difficult to suppress.

Xiao Rong thought more deeply than others.

The Qingfeng Sect first issued a bounty on him, offering two hundred thousand gold. Soon after, rumors spread that the bounty was not just for the Great Protector, but for the entire sect.

Ordinary people might believe this explanation, but Xiao Rong felt it was more like a forced justification for the earlier action. One impulsive and crude, the other detailed and carefully constructed.

One must be Han Qing, and the other must be the sect leader. The one who issued orders behind Han Qing could only be the leader.

The two had different styles, resulting in this strange situation where one caused trouble and the other cleaned up after him. It showed that Han Qing did not completely control the Qingfeng Sect.

In recorded history, Han Qing erased his past and stayed quietly by He Tingzhi’s side for many years, never even claiming the throne after obtaining it. Would such a person truly lead a rebellion army?

Whether in history or here, the Han Qing Xiao Rong has seen doesn’t match that style. He did not engage in warfare, he was more like a wandering strategist, moving between emperors and warlords. His method was singular but effective. He gave advice and influenced powerful figures to achieve his goals.

If Han Qing intended to let the Qingfeng Sect fight at the front while he reaped the benefits, that would make more sense, but something still felt off.

Just like in today’s meeting, everyone focused on preventing civilian casualties, but no one believed a peasant uprising could stop Qu Yunmie’s rise to power. Such forces would collapse easily.

Han Qing must know this as well. Surely he could not seriously believe such rebels could defeat the Northern Army.

Xiao Rong fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly slammed the table and stood up.

“I know now—he is going to run!”

Qu Yunmie looked at him and simply gave a low “mm.”

Xiao Rong, seeing his calm reaction, nearly grabbed his collar.

“You can’t let him escape! You’ve seen how despicable his methods are. If he gets away and finds someone willing to protect him, we will never find him again!”

Xiao Rong was truly frustrated. He had thought capturing Han Qing would be easy since his face was already known across the realm, but once Southern Yong descended into chaos, people would begin having dangerous ideas. Civilians would not protect Han Qing—but warlords might.

At such a time, anyone with ambition would want to test their strength. A man who had nearly killed the Northern King—regardless of his status as a Great Protector—was undeniably capable.

Then Xiao Rong suddenly remembered the second bounty notice he had just issued, which listed all of Han Qing’s deeds.

His face turned green.

He had unintentionally written Han Qing a perfect resume.

……

Xiao Rong was so anxious he nearly climbed onto the roof.

“No, we absolutely cannot let him disappear again. Di Fazeng’s three thousand men are not enough. We must send more. Southern Yong is stuck in between—good, good, I’ve been used, and so has Southern Yong. They probably don’t even realize they have become this man’s human shield.”

In his panic, Xiao Rong even considered sending Qu Yunmie himself.

“Why don’t you personally lead the troops—”

He stopped halfway, realizing that Han Qing had no bottom line. If Qu Yunmie went, he might be trapped on the first day.

Xiao Rong was about to retract the suggestion when Qu Yunmie suddenly raised his head.

“No.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Those two words left him speechless—and oddly surprised, because in the past, Qu Yunmie was always extremely eager to capture enemies, only restraining himself because of Xiao Rong.

Noticing this abnormal reaction, Xiao Rong blinked. “Not going?”

Qu Yunmie lowered his gaze and gave another “mm.”

“Let someone else go,” he said. “I will stay here and personally guard you.”

 

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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