Xiao Rong sat steadily like an old dog.

 

Since he didn’t speak, Gao Xunzhi had no choice but to step forward himself. He tried to move him with emotion and reason, but Qu Yunmie completely ignored him.

 

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

 

So frustrating.

 

While the advisors were concerned about omens and auspiciousness, Yuan Baifu and his men were more worried about the defenselessness of the location. To them, such a decision was tantamount to seeking death.

 

Four generals, along with a chancellor, all opposed the decision to establish the capital in Chenliu. Qu Yunmie obviously couldn’t out-argue these five, but he could certainly overpower them.

 

With a loud bang, he slammed the table beside him and angrily declared, “My mind is made up. Anyone who dares to persuade me otherwise will stay in Yanmen Pass as a city guard!”

 

The five men: “…”

 

Do you even care about reason anymore?

 

Xiao Rong watched this scene and thought, it’s obvious, he doesn’t.

 

After saying this, Qu Yunmie turned and left. The others looked anxious but helpless, exchanging glances before shaking their heads. If the King wouldn’t listen to them, what else could they do?

 

Xiao Rong rested his chin in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the five men. He noticed that while they were worried, none of them showed any signs of resentment—perhaps they were used to it, or perhaps they were just holding it in.

 

Tilting his head slightly, Xiao Rong stood up. Only Yu Shaoxie noticed his movement and was about to ask where he was going, but Xiao Rong had already left with a quick pace.

 

Shortly after, Xiao Rong found Qu Yunmie practicing archery in the training field. This guy was so easy to find; whenever he was angry, he either went to the training field or Yanmen Pass.

 

Qu Yunmie shot five arrows at the target across from him, each one hitting the bullseye. He had already heard the footsteps behind him and recognized Xiao Rong.

 

After shooting his arrows, he immediately put down the fully drawn bow, turned around, and asked angrily, “Why didn’t you speak in the hall?”

 

Xiao Rong was taken aback, actually hearing a bit of reproach in his tone.

 

After a moment of silence, Xiao Rong replied, “Because they all made valid points.”

 

Qu Yunmie clearly couldn’t accept this answer. “So what if they made valid points? I often make valid points too, but you still come up with long arguments against me!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

His mouth twitched and he responded half-heartedly. “That’s different. The King is the King, and they are they.”

 

Qu Yunmie paused for a moment, reluctantly accepting the explanation. “Even so, moving the capital to Chenliu was your idea. You should have said something.”

 

Xiao Rong looked at him and said, “I did suggest moving the capital to Chenliu, but I didn’t insist that it must be there. The gentlemen made good points—the last King of Chenliu—”

 

At this, Qu Yunmie got angry again. “I am the King of the North!”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

Not only was Qu Yunmie angry, but he was also puzzled. It was Xiao Rong’s idea, so why was he changing his stance so quickly?

 

“Could it be that you think moving the capital will lead to the same fate as the Emperor of Taining?!”

 

Xiao Rong blinked and shook his head firmly. “Absolutely not.”

 

Qu Yunmie, irritated, asked sarcastically, “How can you be so sure?”

 

Xiao Rong replied matter-of-factly, “Because I’m here. I would never let the King meet a tragic end. Anyone who dares to stop me will have to cross my dead body first.”

 

Qu Yunmie: “…”

 

His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. Even his normally coordinated limbs felt awkward.

 

…Ridiculous!

 

Nonsense!

 

How could a dignified man like him end up needing protection from someone as frail as Xiao Rong?

 

He was just spouting big words—he’d do better to spend that energy curing his illness. If he could recover and stop looking so doomed, maybe then Qu Yunmie might believe him a little more.

 

These thoughts flashed through Qu Yunmie’s mind, and outwardly, he finally regained his interrupted composure. “So what if there’s no natural defense? With me overseeing the capital, it becomes an impenetrable fortress. As for auspiciousness, I have made it clear that such talk that undermines morale will not be tolerated in the Northern Defending Army. The vast Central Plains have seen plenty of inauspicious events. If we avoided every one of them, we’d be hiding in the mountains. Besides, if we’re talking about inauspicious places, the Changan where Emperor Taining both ascended and died is the most inauspicious of all. Yet they don’t mention replacing Chenliu with Changan.”

 

Xiao Rong immediately clapped his hands in approval. “The King is absolutely right! Why didn’t you say this earlier?”

 

Qu Yunmie paused, reflecting on his previous thoughts. “I found them annoying and didn’t want to argue with them.”

 

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

His encouraging and gentle expression nearly twisted, but he held it together, continuing in a teacher-like tone. “The four generals and Chancellor Gao are the people the King trusts the most. They have spent a lot of time with the King. If the King could persuade them with reason, they would surely listen with humility. Winning them over without using a single blade or bullet is the mark of a true victor. Don’t you agree, my King?”

 

Qu Yunmie hesitated, feeling uncertain. He actually thought, ‘Why talk when you can fight? Talking wastes time and energy. Only scholars think like that.’

 

However, Xiao Rong smiled gently at him, his eyes full of patient anticipation.

 

Qu Yunmie: “…Maybe you’re right.”

 

Xiao Rong kept smiling, though inside he was thinking, ‘Maybe my foot! If you can’t grasp such a simple concept, no wonder you can’t retain talented people.’

 

Oh well, progress takes time. Xiao Rong figured that transforming the King of the North would be a years-long process. Getting this much today was at least a start.

 

After praising Qu Yunmie a bit more and exchanging a few pleasantries, Xiao Rong was about to leave when Qu Yunmie called him back. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Do you still think we should move the capital to Chenliu?”

 

Xiao Rong smiled and said, “Wherever the King decides to move, I have no objections. Chenliu is a challenging place, but once you’ve established yourself there, the rewards are the greatest. I know the King is strong and capable, and I wish for your continued success. If you’ve truly made up your mind, then I will be by your side to the end.”

 

Qu Yunmie felt reassured by these words, completely forgetting that it was originally Xiao Rong’s idea and that he had merely supported it. Now, after a few words from Xiao Rong, their roles had reversed, and Qu Yunmie felt as if he owed him a favor.

 

The simple-minded King softened his expression and asked Xiao Rong, “After we move the capital, will you bring your family here?”

 

Xiao Rong, surprised that Qu Yunmie still remembered his family, hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Of course, there’s no safer place in the world than a city personally guarded by the King.”

 

Qu Yunmie thought, ‘Now that’s more like it.’ He waved his hand, finally letting Xiao Rong go.

…

With the King’s show of force and Xiao Rong’s diplomacy, the decision to move the capital to Chenliu was soon finalized.

 

Once the decision was made, they didn’t act immediately, and the soldiers weren’t informed. Gao Xunzhi and his group of idle advisors spent their days debating what to take and how many people to bring. While they weren’t great at giving advice, they could handle mundane tasks.

 

Meanwhile, Xiao Rong had his own mission. He studied the map of Chenliu, thinking about how to fortify the city.

 

The top priority was to strengthen the city’s defenses. Xiao Rong wasn’t too worried about the Huns people, they had been beaten by Qu Yunmie and were in no shape to pose a threat for another two to five years. The only powers left with any strength were the Xianbei and Shanshan. The former was under the watchful eye of the entire Northern Defending Army, and the latter had a non-aggression pact with Qu Yunmie. As long as Qu Yunmie maintained his current strength, they wouldn’t dare break the treaty.

 

So the city defenses would be primarily against their fellow Central Plains inhabitants.

 

Namely, the various forces south of the Han River.

 

Huang Yanjing was a key concern for Xiao Rong. He constantly kept an eye on him. The Dongyang King Hetingzhi posed a lower level of danger because he was cunning. He had few troops and liked to cultivate his reputation. In history, he had risen in rebellion after the collapse of the Southern Yong court, driven by his royal heritage to avenge the emperor—a cause that, while unsuccessful, allowed him to claim the moral high ground and eventually take the throne.

 

He valued his reputation too much. It was both his greatest strength and his fatal weakness. As long as the young Southern Yong Emperor was safe, he wouldn’t make a move. He could only wait patiently until the emperor’s downfall.

 

In fact, this strategy was quite good because the world was in such chaos, and the young emperor had a lot of enemies. Surprisingly, this young emperor was also somewhat clever and wanted to save himself, which led even his powerful uncle not to fully side with him.

 

Sitting in that position, the young emperor was bound to be killed sooner or later—it just depended on who was foolish enough to be the first to commit that treacherous act.

 

Well, unsurprisingly, in history, that fool was none other than the Northern Warlord Qu Yunmie, whom Xiao Rong was currently serving.

 

Xiao Rong was left speechless.

 

No wonder he was so overwhelmed when he first arrived. Was this something a normal person would do? At that time, the King of Chenliu had already risen up, rapidly taking over half of Southern Yong’s territory, while Qu Yunmie’s army of hundreds of thousands had just been cut in half. With enemies on both sides, instead of finding a place to regroup and stabilize his forces, Qu Yunmie, driven by revenge, charged straight into the Southern Yong Imperial Palace. Even after discovering that his enemy was already dead, he vented his anger by killing the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

 

He did it with his own hands.

 

It should be noted that in Central Plains politics, usurpers usually made sure to treat the former emperor well. Only the barbaric northern tribes would kill off the entire royal family without hesitation, allowing the scholars to criticize them mercilessly. Qu Yunmie’s reputation was already poor, and this act only solidified his image as an outsider with a different heart. Not only did he lose the support of the people, but he also became a target of universal scorn, turning into a despised figure overnight, someone anyone could openly curse.

 

Xiao Rong initially had no positive feelings toward Qu Yunmie because of his reckless actions. To Xiao Rong, the historical Qu Yunmie was nothing more than a brainless brute, and his failure seemed inevitable. If he hadn’t failed, it would have gone against the course of history.

 

Then again, he didn’t know the Qu Yunmie from history, he only knew the Qu Yunmie who gave him tonics.

 

Although those tonics caused him excessive blood loss, requiring him to drink nourishing soups for several days.

 

Once his mindset began to change, his previously black-and-white thinking also shifted. For instance, Xiao Rong no longer saw Qu Yunmie as simply stupid but started to consider why he acted the way he did.

 

It was because Gao Xunzhi had been killed.

 

After witnessing the relationship between Qu Yunmie and Gao Xunzhi firsthand, Xiao Rong found it impossible to blame Qu Yunmie. Perhaps Qu Yunmie really wasn’t suited to be an emperor—he valued too many things, had a heart that was both ruthless and not ruthless enough. He wanted to protect everything he cared about, but only knew how to charge ahead without finding the right way to do so.

 

Xiao Rong couldn’t help but sigh. Helping someone like this rise to power was truly a torment. He had to worry about everything Qu Yunmie wasn’t good at, and just thinking about the overwhelming workload made Xiao Rong feel dizzy.

 

He still cursed and complained about how hard his life was, but he no longer resented the system for sending him here.

…

Half a month later, the matter of relocating the capital was more or less settled.

 

Jian Qiao led a group to Chenliu City to assess the situation. The governor of Chenliu was so terrified by the news of the Northern Warlord’s move that his hat almost fell off. Regardless, he couldn’t refuse, so he had to agree with a forced smile.

 

The next day, the news that the Northern King was making Chenliu his capital spread throughout the city. Chenliu was an ancient city, home to many powerful clans, not all of which were noble families—some were wealthy upstarts.

 

When these people heard the news, their reactions were even more extreme than the governor’s. Some immediately packed up and moved, while others fortified their strongholds, treating the Northern Army as if it were a flood or a ferocious beast.

 

They couldn’t help it—Chenliu was quite close to Southern Yong. They preferred the idea of the Southern Yong court rescuing them from the chaos over being ruled by a warlord who only knew how to fight.

 

However, the Southern Yong court had other concerns. When they heard that Qu Yunmie was moving the capital to Chenliu, the entire court almost tore the roof off the palace.

 

They were suspicious and confused. What was Qu Yunmie up to? Wasn’t he supposed to be preparing supplies to fight the Xianbei? Was he not planning to fight them anymore? Not only was he not fighting, but was he preparing to attack them instead?!

…

Over the past ten years, the Southern Yong court had stabilized, with the economy and population thriving. The first person they had to thank was the Imperial Uncle, Sun Renluan. The second was the Northern Warlord, Qu Yunmie.

 

Sun Renluan stabilized internal affairs, while Qu Yunmie served as their shield, drawing all the northern tribes’ aggression away from them.

 

Although they looked down on Qu Yunmie and his Northern Army, often speaking of him with disdain in court, they also knew that without him standing in their way, the Xianbei, with their covetous eyes on the Central Plains, would have already reached the Han River, leaving them with no choice but to fight to the death.

 

Qu Yunmie and the Northern Army had annexed the entire region north of the Han River, and the court hadn’t protested, even tacitly accepting that the Northern Warlord’s domain was as vast as the entire north.

 

Even so, no one could tolerate someone else sleeping so close to their bed. The founder of the Yong Dynasty had once unified the north and south, and it was a source of pride for everyone serving the Yong Dynasty. Unlike past emperors and ministers who were content to stay put, the people of Southern Yong all wanted to reclaim the lands north of the Han River.

 

They believed their best chance would come when Qu Yunmie went to fight the Xianbei. They planned to take advantage of the situation, trapping Qu Yunmie and his army outside the pass.

 

In history, this was indeed what happened. Qu Yunmie, after defeating the Xianbei, turned around to find himself betrayed. Enraged, he struck back, and those useless Southern Yong officials couldn’t even hold out for ten days before being pushed back south of the Han River.

 

Fortunately, other events diverted Qu Yunmie’s attention, or he might have crossed the Han River and stormed the Southern Yong Imperial Palace right then.

 

Despite that, the difference was minimal—six months later, Qu Yunmie returned with a vengeance, and most of these people met their end at his hands.

 

Who can predict the future? These people didn’t realize how naive their plan was. They truly believed it was a great idea to take advantage of the situation. Who could have guessed what had gotten into Qu Yunmie? Wasn’t he supposed to hate the Xianbei the most? Why would he suddenly change course?

 

It was really annoying. Why couldn’t he just focus on his revenge?

…

Yanmen County was still calm, but chaos was brewing outside. However, news was delayed, so Xiao Rong and the others weren’t aware of it yet. Jian Qiao returned to report what he had seen to Qu Yunmie, while Gao Xunzhi and Xiao Rong listened and occasionally asked questions.

 

Gao Xunzhi asked, “Is there a suitable place to build a royal palace?”

 

Jian Qiao was about to answer when Qu Yunmie said, “There’s no rush to build a palace.”

 

Xiao Rong chimed in: “As long as the Northern King lives somewhere, it can be called a palace. There’s no need to choose a site and start construction right now, there will be plenty of time once the world is more stable.”

 

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

 

Fine.

 

He changed his question. “Is there a suitable place for the King to reside?”

 

Jian Qiao, who had been waiting to speak, nodded repeatedly. “The former governor’s residence of Yuzhou is vacant, and there’s also a large Marquis’s residence occupied by the Chenliu governor. He and his family are living there.”

 

Qu Yunmie said, “Have him move out.”

 

Jian Qiao: “…Yes.”

 

Xiao Rong nodded. “That Marquis’s residence can serve as the temporary palace, and the governor’s residence can be used for official matters. Once the King arrives, the Chenliu governor needn’t worry anymore. After all, how can the capital of the Northern Warlord have a governor? The position should be renamed the Chenliu Inspector.”

 

Jian Qiao wasn’t familiar with official titles, so he listened in confusion, but he understood that Xiao Rong intended to remove the current governor. He couldn’t help but ask, “Then who should be appointed as the Chenliu Inspector?”

 

Qu Yunmie and Xiao Rong spoke simultaneously: 

“Him.”

“Myself.”

 

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

 

Jian Qiao: “…”

 

Xiao Rong blinked, then smiled at Qu Yunmie. “Thank you, my King, for your trust. I was about to recommend myself, but you’ve saved me the trouble. Rest assured, I will govern Chenliu well, making it the most prosperous and fortified city in the Central Plains.”

 

Qu Yunmie glanced at him and replied nonchalantly, “Hmm.”

 

Gao Xunzhi also looked at him, a bit confused. Was it his imagination, or did he just see a pie flying away?

…

Xiao Rong continued questioning Jian Qiao. “How many factions are there in Chenliu City? Is the situation complicated?”

 

Jian Qiao replied, “Besides the governor, a few powerful clans have established themselves there. From what I observed, they don’t seem too happy about the King moving the capital.”

 

Qu Yunmie wanted to snort coldly at the idea that he should care what a few clans thought about his movements.

 

Xiao Rong laughed. “That’s understandable. These clans have lived in Chenliu for generations, surviving even the northern invasions. They’re deeply tied to the city and won’t be easily separated from it. Under such circumstances, they wouldn’t be happy with anyone taking over Chenliu. They’d prefer no government presence at all.”

 

Gao Xunzhi frowned. “Some clans can rival noble families in power, making them difficult to manage. If we crack down on them, we risk inciting unrest, as they control much of the city’s economy. However, if we leave them unchecked, their arrogance will grow, making future governance difficult.”

 

Xiao Rong nodded. “That’s exactly right, which is why I’ve already come up with a strategy. These clans seek nothing more than wealth and stability, and it just so happens that the King’s forces lack people who are skilled at making profits. The reason these clans are unhappy about the King’s relocation is that they think he will share in their profits. But if they find out that the King will not only not take from them but also help them earn more, their attitudes will change. Chancellor, there are no true fools in this world. Even these clans, if used properly, can become a weapon against the noble families.”

 

Saying this, Xiao Rong turned to ask Jian Qiao, “Are there any noble families in Chenliu City?”

 

Jian Qiao replied, “There are two, but they are not the main branches, only offshoots.”

 

Xiao Rong blinked and said, “Oh, I see.”

 

Since they weren’t the main branches, he couldn’t use the same tactics he would against a main branch.

 

Gao Xunzhi, surprised that Xiao Rong, being from a noble family himself, could speak so easily about dealing with noble families, grew curious and wanted to know more. Just as Xiao Rong was about to explain, Qu Yunmie suddenly let out a heavy cough, interrupting them.

 

The two immediately looked up, and Xiao Rong asked, “What happened, my King? Did you catch a cold?”

 

Qu Yunmie finally felt a bit relieved. He lowered his eyes, about to say that it was nothing serious, when a soldier suddenly rushed in from outside.

 

The soldier bowed in apology, then turned to Xiao Rong and said, “Sir Xiao, a scout has reported that they’ve found traces of the Buddha’s Child!”

 

Xiao Rong jumped up in excitement. “Really?! Quick, quick, quick! Where is the scout? Take me to him!”

 

With that, Xiao Rong hurried out, practically rushing as if the wind was at his feet, clearly very eager. Gao Xunzhi and Jian Qiao watched his figure disappear out the door, then turned back to look at Qu Yunmie, who was scowling.

 

Qu Yunmie, with a dark expression, muttered, “The Buddha’s Child again!!”

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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