Zhang Biezhi nervously and guiltily told Xiao Rong he hadn’t found the jade pendant. The servant who knows where it was sold has fled to Jiaozhou to seek refuge.

In a city that large, finding such a small jade pendant was, in truth, extremely unlikely. Xiao Rong knew this as well. Moreover, Zhang Biezhi hadn’t returned empty-handed. He learned that the pendant had been acquired through barter.

Small jewelry shops did not accept just anything. If they accepted useless items, it would be equivalent to taking in trash.

They only accepted things that could be resold, such as hairpins, embroidered patterns, or silk produced by rural sericulture households.

Xiao Rong seriously doubted the higher-ups of the Qingfeng Sect would use such items just to buy an inconspicuous jade pendant. They were wealthy, and they traveled constantly. Carrying around so many miscellaneous goods would have looked strange.

It was most likely bought by a stranger, who then ground off the carved markings so it could be reshaped into something else.

Due to this, Xiao Rong took it quite calmly. He patiently comforted Zhang Biezhi, but Zhang Biezhi had experienced failure in his task for the first time and could not accept the blow. He stood in front of Xiao Rong whining and lingering. After Xiao Rong comforted him again and he still remained like that, Xiao Rong told him to get lost quickly.

Zhang Biezhi immediately raised his head and smiled in relief. “Thank you, Lord Xiao. Then I’ll leave now.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He could not tell whether this man was truly foolish or pretending to be.

Already in a rather unpleasant mood, he returned to his room only to find an uninvited guest there.

Xiao Rong glanced subtly toward the side of the desk and saw nothing unusual. He closed the door and walked toward Song Shuo. “What are you doing here?”

Song Shuo noticed his earlier movement. He was a little distracted, so his reply was half a beat slow. Xiao Rong stared at him without blinking. Song Shuo leaned back slightly and then said with a grievance-filled tone, “What, everyone else can come, but I can’t?”

“Xiao Rong, I’ve noticed you’ve become much more distant with me lately. If I don’t ask you about things, you simply don’t tell me. For example, today—what did you send Zhang Biezhi out to do? What secret are you two keeping?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He extended a finger and beckoned him.

Song Shuo did not understand and leaned forward in confusion. At that moment, Xiao Rong kicked the chair beneath him. The chair flew out instantly, and Song Shuo fell hard onto the floor.

Song Shuo: “…”

He stood up angrily, clutching his backside. “Xiao Rong!!!”

Xiao Rong laughed at him and deliberately said in a falsely kind voice, “What is it, fool?”

Song Shuo held back for a long time and could not come up with anything sharp to say. In the end, he only said fiercely, “How boring!”

Then he limped away while holding his backside.

Xiao Rong watched his departing figure and felt a rare trace of guilt.

That trace of guilt was quickly replaced by pure joy. Thinking about Song Shuo lying flat on the ground made him unable to stop laughing. He set the chair back in place and even stepped on the thick carpet.

A tribute carpet from Fuloosha, its quality was indeed excellent.

……

The fall had been like tripping on a bed. It did not hurt his body, but it hurt his pride.

With his personality, Song Shuo should’ve argued with Xiao Rong for three hundred rounds, but suddenly he did not dare. He was somewhat afraid. Afraid that Xiao Rong’s hesitation between leaving or staying might have something to do with him.

He was not steady enough, not gentle enough, not polite enough, and not considerate enough.

Thinking of this, Song Shuo bit his lower lip in an empty place and nearly cried from the blow, but he was, in fact, a very confident person. At most he could be self-critical for one minute. After that, his thoughts changed.

Although he had flaws, he had even more strengths! He was good-looking, intelligent, and quite charming. Everyone likes him. He also had a somewhat useless family. Once his father and those annoying relatives passed away naturally, he would develop his family properly.

He wasn’t someone who would drag Xiao Rong down!

He could help him!

……

Why did Xiao Rong want to leave?

Song Shuo could not figure it out. He looked up at the already-darkening sky. At this time, everyone was eating dinner. With a gloomy expression, he turned and walked in another direction.

*

Indeed, everyone else was eating dinner, but Mijing did not need to eat

As an early practitioner of the “sixteen-plus-eight” fasting method, Buddhist disciples generally skipped dinner and only ate breakfast and lunch.

Between sunset and the hour before full night, Mijing used this time to read scriptures. Buddhist scriptures contained great wisdom. Each reading brought different changes in his state of mind. Immersing himself in this ocean of spiritual purification allowed him to feel relaxation and peace from body to mind, inside and out.

Bang bang bang!

“Monk, open the door! It’s Song Shuo!”

“I saw you inside! Your head is right next to the candle! With such a round head, it’s definitely you!”

Mijing: “…”

The world of mortals was too painful.

He did not want to live anymore.

….

He muttered that sentence in his mind, but Mijing still resigned himself to going and opening the door.

As soon as the door opened a crack, Song Shuo—dressed like a ball—squeezed in desperately. After successfully squeezing himself inside, he looked around at the austere and tidy room, first curling his lips in disdain, and then began to take matters into his own hands.

He moved the stove that had been placed in the corner, kept there to avoid burning the scriptures, over to the low table, then picked up Mijing’s two usual meditation cushions and threw them from the meditation area onto the mat beside the table.

There was nothing else to move. Mijing lived even more ascetically than Qu Yunmie. At the very least, if Xiao Rong replaced Qu Yunmie’s bedding with something soft, Qu Yunmie would still use it, but Mijing deliberately made his own life difficult.

After sitting down, Song Shuo, this young noble who understood nothing of ascetic cultivation, immediately complained. “It’s the depths of winter already, and you’re still using a bamboo mat. At least switch to a hemp one.”

His poor butt. He had just fallen earlier, and now he was sitting on ice again.

Even though there was still a cushion between him and the floor, he still complained with complete confidence. So what if there was a cushion? His precious backside could still feel the cold through it.

Mijing: “…”

Song Shuo probably thought he was poor, which was why he suggested switching to hemp, but aside from this bamboo mat, Mijing only had a roll of patterned brocade that could serve as a mat.

That was something sent to him by Indian nobles through merchant caravans from thousands of miles away. It was made by monks from Sankhita, embroidered with gold and silver threads and decorated with jewels beloved by Indians. Of course, none of those external adornments mattered as much as its origin from Sankhita—it was a treasure blessed by Ashoka.

Even after nearly two years, those people were still continuously sending gifts, hoping he would return again in exchange for their offerings.

To the Indians, it was a treasure, to Song Shuo, it was just grass.

……

Song Shuo kept rambling on about how everything here was bad, what should be replaced, what should be added, and whether Mijing was too embarrassed to speak up. “It’s fine, I’m not afraid of embarrassment, I’ll go say it for you.”

Mijing: “…”

He really could not listen anymore. “What exactly did you come here for?”

Song Shuo immediately shut his nonstop mouth. His eyes darted around uneasily, and his hands fidgeted under the table.

Mijing observed him and already had some guesses in mind.

After a moment, Song Shuo finally asked awkwardly, “Monk, what do you think of my personality?”

Mijing’s eyes widened slightly.

Too sinister.

Song Shuo had clearly come to trap him, knowing he could not tell lies.

Mijing deeply felt he was being persecuted.

Still, “the soldier comes, the general blocks, water comes, earth damns it.” Mijing has dealt with many people before and was not afraid of a mere man like Song Shuo. After a brief pause, he replied, “For personality, everyone has their own view. My view is not the same as the person you have in mind. Asking me is pointless. You should first tell me why you are asking this.”

Song Shuo narrowed his eyes. “You just don’t want to answer.”

Mijing blinked and pressed his palms together. “Amitabha.”

Song Shuo: “…”

Faced with someone so sincere and calm, even Song Shuo lost the will to argue. After a moment, he took a deep breath, and his expression gradually sank into seriousness.

Mijing put his hands down and waited.

When Song Shuo looked up again, he had changed the question and no longer seemed so awkward. “When did you decide to stay here?”

Mijing slightly adjusted his posture. “When I became certain that the Northern Army had someone willing to walk the same path as me, and that the Northern King himself was also willing to take that path.”

Song Shuo glanced at him but did not comment.

In truth, Song Shuo strongly disagreed with Mijing’s thinking. He felt Mijing was naïve and burdened by too many obligations. Politics and monkhood were not the same thing, yet Mijing wanted to do both. That was impossible. Trying to balance both meant mediocrity in both. Only by choosing one side could one reach its extreme.

If he became a politician, Mijing would have to ignore the killings within the Northern Army.

Sometimes it was not even war-related, just punishment according to military rules, like flogging, which sometimes led to death. Mijing would have to endure all of that silence and suffering.

If he remained a monk, he could not prioritize his superiors’ political interests or even his own people in the same way. No one could achieve absolute fairness, and everyone’s idea of fairness differed. Yet Mijing was protected by others and did not need to worry about his own safety, only whether he could withstand the accusations of his conscience in the dead of night.

Song Shuo once mocked him for being unrealistic, but over time he realized Mijing truly walked this path with unwavering determination, and that whether the outcome was success or ruin, he would bear it alone.

After understanding this, Song Shuo stopped being sarcastic. Now he restrained his urge to criticize and asked, “If one day you decided to leave the Northern Army, what reason would there be?”

Mijing frowned.

“I don’t know. There are too many possible reasons, but if it is the person you are thinking of, I guess… he might have other things to do.”

Song Shuo: “…!”

He immediately bristled, looking at Mijing like a thief. “I didn’t say who it was!”

Mijing looked at him. “Within the Northern Army, who else would you care about leaving?”

Song Shuo: “…”

His face stiffened completely. After a long while, he said in helpless fury, “You are not allowed to tell anyone!”

Mijing paused slightly. “I will try.”

Song Shuo’s expression twisted.

He shouted incoherently, grabbing Mijing by the collar across the table. “No! Not ‘try’! Not a single word! You are a monk! You have to keep it a secret for me!”

Mijing’s collar was wrinkled and his neck was being pulled tight. As he struggled to free himself, he said, “When have you ever heard of a monk keeping secrets? If you did not want me to say it, you should not have told me in the first place.”

Song Shuo shook him furiously. “I didn’t tell you, it was you who guessed it yourself! You are not allowed to say it, not allowed!!”

Mijing was shaken until his head went dizzy and could not help raising his voice slightly. “Why!”

Song Shuo nearly pressed his forehead against Mijing’s bald head. “Because if you say it, he won’t be able to leave!!!”

Mijing froze.

Song Shuo also froze.

Slowly, Song Shuo released his grip and sat back down, his voice much lower. “I can’t understand why he wants to leave, but if he really does want to go, I don’t think anyone should stop him. He is different from you and me. I have my ambitions and family, you have your painful past and the world you must fix. What does he have?”

Achievements mean nothing to him. Family can be entrusted to others if needed. He looks like he enjoys food and luxury, but even without them he can still live.

If everything one has is meaningless, then it is equivalent to having nothing at all.

When Mijing guessed Xiao Rong’s reason for leaving, his first reaction was that Xiao Rong had other things to do, because Mijing himself believed that Xiao Rong stayed here precisely because he had things he must accomplish.

After one day or two it might not be obvious, but after months or even years, one could always sense that urgency in Xiao Rong; the feeling that he was bound to complete a task.

Mijing was stunned by the question. After a long while, he replied, “He has you and me.”

Song Shuo stared at him. “Are the two of us enough to make him stay?”

Mijing: “…”

Not enough.

Mijing did not answer, and Song Shuo said nothing more either. He lowered his head, looking somewhat aggrieved. He was confused and reluctant, yet if this was what Xiao Rong wanted, he would still step back and support him.

Song Shuo felt he had sacrificed far too much. There could not possibly be anyone more considerate than him.

Mijing looked at him and already felt a faint sense of worry.

Song Shuo has not realized that this matter had nothing to do with him or Mijing. Their influence was negligible. When facing a mountain, they were merely two insignificant bumps.

……

After calming down, Song Shuo forced Mijing again to promise not to tell anyone. After careful consideration, Mijing actually agreed this time.

Song Shuo immediately became happy, knowing Mijing would not lie to him. Mijing’s thoughts were simple as well.

Xiao Rong would probably not leave so irresponsibly. If he truly intended to go, he would arrange everything in advance—including Qu Yunmie. If done properly, nothing would go wrong after he left, if not, then he would not be able to leave at all. Even if he escaped secretly, Qu Yunmie would turn the entire Central Plains upside down to find him.

Now that both civil and military officials were already in place, and figures like Gao Xunzhi were stabilizing the situation, the Northern Army would not fall into chaos. Letting Qu Yunmie go searching for someone was still better than letting him handle state affairs in a volatile mood.

In conclusion, whether he spoke or not, this was between those two people. He should not interfere.

……

After Mijing calmly analyzed this, he realized Song Shuo had left some time ago. Mijing stood up, restored everything to its original place, and picked up the scripture again, intending to read it through quickly before moving on.

He suddenly realized he could not focus at all.

The words on the scripture seemed to move, rearranging themselves in his mind and refusing to fade.

Why leave?

At this point, why…? Why abandon them?

He thought he would be dealing with Xiao Rong for his entire life. So Xiao Rong, too, was only to be a passing figure in his life?

Most of the time he could accept that outcome, but occasionally he would sit in silence, tasting that feeling that washed over him from time to time.

How lonely.

*

While Mijing and Song Shuo were whispering to each other, Xiao Rong was not being idle. He first moved the piece of paper tucked inside the account book to another safe place, and then went to see Yu Shaoxie.

Since Qu Yunmie is going to send his younger brother out to suppress the rebel army, he naturally has to inform this elder brother.

In fact, Yu Shaoxie had already realized that this task would most likely fall on Yu Shaocheng. Hearing Xiao Rong’s words, he nodded and said, “When Shaocheng arrives tomorrow, I will go to receive him. Don’t worry, Shaocheng is very easy to persuade, and he is eager to achieve merit. He will not resent the King.”

Xiao Rong smiled and said, “The King indeed values him greatly. With his current performance, he will surely become a great general in the future.”

He could not become the very first great general, after all he was still very young. The first would probably come down to either Wang Xinyong or Jian Qiao. Although Gongsun Yuan’s official, procedural attitude did not make Qu Yunmie hold a grudge against him, it still made Qu Yunmie feel somewhat cold. The position of Great General was the highest rank among military officers, and Qu Yunmie would only choose someone who could convince the masses and whom he trusted.

He would strongly support Wang Xinyong. Although this was somewhat unfair to Jian Qiao, it could not be helped. Who made Wang Xinyong’s ambitions so great? Without a good official position, it would be difficult for him to achieve his goal.

When they were privately discussing the restoration of the imperial tomb earlier, Qu Yunmie and Xiao Rong talked about it. According to Xiao Rong’s idea, once Qu Yunmie conquered the world, he would immediately posthumously confer Qu the Great General as a former emperor. Qu Yunmie was very insistent on also posthumously conferring his elder brother.

Xiao Rong naturally did not refuse, but thinking back on it now, he felt a little sympathy for Wang Xinyong.

Marrying the Empress Dowager… hmm…

Xiao Rong’s expression became subtle, as if he wanted to laugh but was embarrassed to do so. Yu Shaoxie looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, “Rong’er?”

Xiao Rong shook his head. After all, nothing has been confirmed yet, so he could not speak of it.

He then turned to the main topic. “Huang Yanjing and the Nankang King formed an alliance very suddenly. Han Qing acted as the go-between in this. I originally thought this was his strategy alone, but after seeing a more detailed military report, I have learned that the Qingfeng Sect was also involved. They have abundant grain and supplies and plentiful wealth. Every soldier even has iron weapons, which is impossible even for the North Army. They have actually achieved it first.”

No matter which time it was, whenever Qu Yunmie boldly declared full mobilization, it was never truly the entire army. There were always troops left behind to guard the home base and other passes. Those remaining troops could not get good weapons, and weapons were extremely consumable. Only by tightening belts and pouring all resources into military production could they ensure they would not run out of weapons in the next war.

Even so, iron is limited, and the Northern Army has so many soldiers. Thus, elite troops have several full-iron weapons, while ordinary soldiers depended entirely on their superiors’ ability. If their commanders are capable, they could obtain swords, if not, their subordinates could only go to war holding wooden spears, with only the spearhead made of metal.

Even Jinling, wealthy as it was, could not equip their entire army with swords. Even if the Nankang King was rich, he could not possibly supply the armaments of his allies.

Moreover, the Nankang King was not actually wealthy. For years he has only governed Nan Kang. He was already in his forties. When he was in his twenties, he was sent out of Chang’an. At first, his fief was large, but after successive emperors came to power, he was left with only Nan Kang. When he was young, he had been ambitious and even tried to compete for the throne, thinking he might have a chance since emperors died so frequently.

However, thrones only passed downward, not upward. Moreover, he was somewhat timid. While other princes stopped paying tribute, he and a few others still dutifully did so.

After the state of Yong became Southern Yong, however, he became increasingly perfunctory.

He was the type suited to holding a regional power, not competing for the central realm. No one knows what kind of spell he is under to choose rebellion at this time.

Hearing Xiao Rong’s words, Yu Shaoxie smiled and said, “Even with excellent equipment, they cannot withstand the King’s million-strong army.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Yes. After the troop count increased, the numbers they reported have also become more inflated. They used to say six hundred thousand, now they directly say one million.

Inflation really was serious.

Xiao Rong said, “I am not worried that these two can achieve anything major. They originally did not know each other—one was a royal relative of noble birth, the other a disgraced aristocratic son exiled after offending the court. Their status is too different, they likely looked down on each other. Their so-called alliance is only temporary, and after setbacks they will split faster than anyone else. What I am worried about is why the Qingfeng Sect made them cooperate and act at this time.”

Yu Shaoxie thought for a moment and replied, “Near the end of the year, almost no one sends out troops. They probably intended to catch everyone off guard.”

Indeed, at this time everyone is preparing for the New Year, with no mind for war. Attacking at this time would draw criticism from scholars for being unkind and unjust, so few people would choose it.

That explanation made sense, but Xiao Rong still shook his head. “It is probably not that simple. The timing before the New Year is very sensitive. A surprise attack, even though I do not know who it is really meant for.”

There were only a few days left before New Year’s Eve. After the New Year, all anger could be released openly, and armies could march south more easily without worrying about letting soldiers return home for the holiday.

So if anything else happened, it would be within these few days. Xiao Rong could feel that the other side was playing a long game, but he could not find the key point to break it.

Han Qing, what exactly was he trying to do?

Was he trying to disrupt the entire situation so that Huang Yanjing could grow stronger? That made no sense, because even if the situation became chaotic, the Northern Army could suppress it within one or two months.

Was he trying to prolong the life of Southern Yong through opportunistic gains? That was even more absurd. Sun Renluan has already fallen, Jinling’s grain supply has problems, and Jinling was reportedly in complete chaos. The Empress Dowager Sun and Yang Zangyi were attacking each other, and even Buddhism and Daoism had both appeared. There was no way they could save Southern Yong.

Or was it to elevate Huang Yanjing onto the throne supported by the Nankang King?

That was even more unrealistic. Not only would Huang Yanjing never willingly give up the throne, but even if the Nankang King ascended right before Southern Yong collapsed, what meaning would that have?

Others thought this was a good time for Huang Yanjing to rise, but Xiao Rong felt the timing was terrible. If he wanted to rise, he should at least wait until the Northern Army and Southern Yong were fully engaged in war. Since they had not fought yet, it was better to suppress him immediately. It was like whack-a-mole—the moment Huang Yanjing popped up, the Northern Army’s hammer would come down at once.

Xiao Rong felt he was just a pawn pushed out to die immediately, used only to draw attention.

Was that really the case?

Xiao Rong could not be sure, because Han Qing had nothing left now. Killing Huang Yanjing would mean killing his new backer. Even the Nankang King had been drawn in. Who else could he possibly rely on in the vast world? Could he really be doing all this just to destroy them?

Xiao Rong could not understand Han Qing’s thinking, and while he focused all his attention on Han Qing’s intentions, he overlooked one thing.

How Han Qing convinced Huang Yanjing, and how he knew that Huang Yanjing was a cruel man who did not care about the lives of the common people.

After all, only Xiao Rong knew Huang Yanjing’s true personality. For Han Qing to select him so quickly and act so decisively, he must have known what kind of person Huang Yanjing was. Otherwise, he would not have been so bold.

This means Han Qing has an accomplice—one who understands Huang Yanjing extremely well.

This accomplice could no longer return to Huang Yanjing’s side. Even Huang Yanjing did not know that Han Qing knew this person. They thought they were seizing a final opportunity to rise with the tide, yet they did not realize that their fate had already been decided by the Qingfeng Sect and by this former subordinate together.

……

In Jinling City, news arrived that Wang Xinyong had returned North. Most people did not care, but those with guilty consciences became anxious.

Those who had made up their minds had already sent letters to Wang Xinyong. Some even sent their family members or subordinates to meet him in person. However, these people held relatively low official ranks, which was precisely why they could so decisively defect to the new regime.

This person was different. This man held the rank of Grand General of the Chariot and Cavalry, second rank, and among all Southern Yong generals he ranked third. In comparison to the Northern Army, his position was equivalent to Jian Qiao’s.

In terms of loyalty, however, he could never compare to Jian Qiao. He wanted to defect to the Northern Army, but he knew his limits. His position had been inherited through familial privilege. His surname was Sun, and he was a nephew of Sun Renluan.

A direct nephew. His father was Sun Renluan’s biological younger brother.

The Sun family had strict discipline, but few direct descendants were capable. Most of the successful ones came from collateral branches or illegitimate lines. He was one of the mediocre ones. In major matters, Sun Renluan would not even call him into meetings. The reason he still held a second-rank post was because Sun Renluan felt he was at least not troublesome, and because Sun Renluan needed people to balance military power.

After Sun Renluan’s fall, he suddenly became the most trusted person of Sun Shanlu, not because of blood ties or competence, but because he helped salvage her precarious reputation. Due to a grain crisis, the entire court erupted, and some demanded an investigation. Sun Shanlu was terrified.

At that critical moment, this nephew suddenly claimed he had friends willing to donate grain, and that he himself would also donate all his family’s stored grain. Together they could only offer 3,500 hu of grain, but it was enough to ease the crisis and restore the Empress Dowager’s reputation.

He handed the credit entirely to Sun Shanlu, who was delighted and did not question where the grain came from.

Because of this, he gained increasing access and authority within the palace. Normally, people would have become arrogant at this point, but he did not. He still intended to remain a “freeloader” in the new regime.

After hearing that Wang Xinyong had left, he became anxious and hurried to find his new adviser.

That adviser—essentially a strategist—was the one who had provided the grain.

He claimed to be from a wealthy clan in Jianan, seeking protection amid chaos, intending to side with the Northern Army. However, unable to travel north with his supplies, he chose the Sun general after careful observation. He promised to help him escape a doomed fate and continue serving him after defecting.

Every word struck the general’s weakness.

The Northern Army would win, Southern Yong would fall, and he himself—useless and surnamed Sun—would likely not survive. He just wanted to live peacefully. Why was that so difficult?

After a period of persuasion, he was completely brainwashed. Already not very intelligent, he believed he had grasped his last lifeline. As pressure increased day by day, he became mentally overwhelmed. Meeting his adviser was like finding salvation. He kept hesitating and taking no action until, after confirming he would not cause trouble, the adviser finally revealed the plan.

Then he fainted from shock.

……

After waking up, he was still dazed. He had never expected that this “wealthy clan” was even more ruthless than aristocratic families.

He… he was actually supposed to lure the King of the North into the city and then open the gates!

If successful, it would indeed be a great achievement. The Northern King would not kill him, and he might even receive a title of border king… but it was far too dangerous!

If exposed, death was almost certain. This was what he feared most. As for being called a traitor, he did not care at all. The Sun family has long oppressed the court, and he is already used to being insulted.

From this, it could be seen that he truly has no shame at all. Choosing him for manipulation was the right decision.

Since he no longer even cared about opening the gates, the rest was easier. After resolving his doubts, he began to act: he gained the Empress Dowager’s trust, placed his own people in the palace, and replaced the gate guards. The next step was to lure the enemy in, but the adviser would not let him act yet. That is, before today, when he returned and received a nod.

“Now is the time.”

Hearing this, his face twitched with excitement, and he immediately returned to the palace to steal the imperial seal.

On his way in, he bumped into a young eunuch. The eunuch fell to the ground but did not immediately apologize, instead, he fled pale-faced, clearly guilty. However, the general was even more guilty himself and did not pursue it.

Once inside, he waited a long time until the male favorite named Taner caused trouble again and the Empress Dowager Sun was called away. After she left, others followed, leaving only two palace maids.

Empress Dowager Sun did not trust the eunuchs originally serving Sun Renluan, and she was also not used to having eunuchs around her, so she replaced all attendants with palace maids.

The maids were not problematic. They were inexperienced in court affairs and did not know they should remain, so the general easily sent them away.

Once he was alone, he immediately took imperial yellow paper and lightly stamped it with the imperial seal.

After stealing the paper, he returned home and handed it to the adviser, watching as the adviser quickly wrote a letter for help. He could not help but ask, “Mr. Zhou, is today the time?”

The adviser—Zhou Liang, whom he had not seen for a long time—replied impatiently but still answered. “Because the world was about to fall into chaos.”

The Sun general: “…”

Mr. Zhou always spoke briefly and in an almost ethereal tone, so he did not dare ask more.

After the letter was written, it was sent out. Just as he was wondering whether everything would go smoothly, someone rushed in.

It was a palace guard. He urgently reported the Empress Dowager summoned him. Something had happened in the south. Huang Yanjing of the southern border and the Nankang King He Gao had rebelled together. The Empress Dowager was furious and ordered him to come at once.

The Sun general listened, stunned.

“Oh my.”

Mr. Zhou truly had foresight—he was indeed a rare genius of his time.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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