Before long, Yu Shaocheng grabbed his bundle and headed out.

Yu Shaocheng held the title of Commandant of the Guard in Jinling, a position similar to a Deputy General in the Northern Defending Army. There were many such positions within the army, and the specific responsibilities depended entirely on how the superior officer viewed it.

Yu Shaocheng had just turned twenty, an awkward age in the military. He lacked the experience and authority to command respect. Moreover, he had obtained his position through the influence of his father’s rank, which made his situation even more challenging.

Those who had fought their way up through battles looked down on him. Others who had also inherited their positions, but whose families hadn’t declined, also held him in contempt. As for everyone else, they resented him for his abilities and the trust he had from his superiors, leading to further isolation.

This was the state of Southern Yong’s officialdom—not only in the military but also in the court. The concepts of status and hierarchy were like brands imprinted in their minds. Conflicts between individuals were sharp and obvious. Everyone was out for themselves, with little regard for the court or the people.

Worse still, Sun Renluan, as the de facto ruler of Southern Yong, was content with this situation. He believed that as long as the people below had their own selfish interests, they would listen to him. If they all united, Sun Renluan, who controlled the Emperor to command the nobles, would be in deep trouble.

In contrast, Yang Zangyi wanted to improve this situation. He sought to unite everyone in support of the young Emperor. Even so, his loyalty wasn’t to the Emperor; he merely wanted to overthrow Sun Renluan. The Sun Family had overshadowed the Yang Family for ten years, and as someone who had witnessed the Yang Family at its peak, Yang Zangyi dreamed of leading his family back to its former glory, commanding power, and influencing the masses.

If even they were like this, it seemed Southern Yong was beyond saving.

The only thing that comforted Yu Shaocheng was that, despite the darkness in the officialdom, the soldiers under his command were obedient. The world was in chaos, and many had joined the army just to earn a living. Southern Yong emphasized hierarchy so heavily that it led to more deaths. Incidents of aristocrats beating commoners and torturing slaves were all too common. If a superior was cruel, the people beneath him had no choice but to endure it.

In reality, more innocent lives were lost at the hands of Southern Yong’s nobility than under Qu Yunmie’s command. Yet the Southern Yong nobility knew to keep such scandals hidden, while Qu Yunmie didn’t care about his reputation.

…

Half an hour later, Yu Shaocheng mounted his horse, leading six thousand soldiers as they departed. The expressions of these six thousand men were blank. In their minds, it didn’t matter where they went. Their lives were always hanging by a thread, they just lived day by day.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Yanmen County, Xiao Rong and the others were unaware that a significant gift was already on its way. They were busy organizing the relocation of the capital.

Not everyone was leaving. A force of 200,000 soldiers was to remain, following Qu Yunmie’s orders. His deep-seated enmity toward the Xianbei was ingrained in him, and he wouldn’t feel safe without leaving sufficient troops behind.

The Generals ordered to stay behind were Yuan Baifu, whom Qu Yunmie trusted, and Wang Xinyong, whom he didn’t particularly like.

…

Xiao Rong observed Wang Xinyong’s indifferent expression and thought he had grown accustomed to it. Whenever a task like this, akin to being exiled to the frontier, arose, it always seemed to fall to him.

Qu Yunmie planned to attack the Xianbei in the fall, and the relocation of the capital didn’t deter him from this goal. In a few months, he will be back. Xiao Rong pondered this for a moment and decided that there shouldn’t be any major issues during this period, so he didn’t object.

As for the remaining 150,000 soldiers, 20,000 of them had already left with less important supplies. The final 130,000 would depart on the same day as the King of the North.

There were 130,000 soldiers and nearly 100,000 civilians accompanying the relocation, including the families of the Northern Defending Army and people who had moved to Yanmen County for its security.

These people were willing to settle in the treacherous terrain of Yanmen County because they hoped the Northern Defending Army would protect them. Now that the Northern Defending Army was leaving, even though 200,000 troops would still guard Yanmen Pass, the common people had no idea about the Xianbei’s strength. The mere thought that the Xianbei might break through the pass terrified them, so they packed up their belongings and insisted on leaving with the Northern Defending Army.

The day before their departure, Xiao Rong left the palace, leaving behind Gao Xunzhi, who had been so consumed with calculations for days that he had given himself a migraine. Xiao Rong was followed by two guards who had orders from Qu Yunmie and couldn’t be shaken off, so Xiao Rong simply let them accompany him.

It had been almost two months since he arrived in Yanmen County. Although he had come and gone several times, he had only seen the city’s streets on his first day.

Last time, Yanmen County was peaceful and prosperous. This time, it felt like disaster was looming. The streets were crowded with ox carts and donkey carts. Men were busy loading their belongings onto the carts, while women pounded dough on cutting boards, preparing enough food for the journey.

Those not joining the move weren’t idle either. They came out to watch others pack up, worry etched on their faces as if they feared something.

A single decision to relocate affected the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.

…

Xiao Rong leaned against a low wall, arms crossed, his gaze slowly sweeping over a corner of the street. When he saw something, he paused and turned his eyes back.

On his first day, he heard children singing a nursery rhyme about Chiyou’s banner. That day, he had encountered a Butuw tribe girl. The incident had triggered some memories, leaving a strong impression on him.

In front of a closed house, the girl he had seen and one of the boys who had been singing the nursery rhyme were saying their goodbyes.

The boy was about five or six years old, very short, and seemed to have a cold, sniffling constantly. He handed the girl two stones, and she gave him a small bundle in return. The cloth obscured its contents.

The boy looked reluctant to part. He said something to the girl, but Xiao Rong couldn’t hear it. A moment later, he heard the boy’s mother calling.

“Gou’er, go fetch water!”

The boy froze, quickly said something like “goodbye” to the girl, and ran off.

The girl watched his retreating figure for a while before carefully putting the stones away. When she turned around, she met Xiao Rong’s gaze.

Xiao Rong raised an eyebrow slightly, and the girl, just like last time, stared at him blankly for a moment before suddenly bolting away even faster than before.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Was he that scary?

Both children were gone, but Xiao Rong remained, leaning more comfortably against the wall.

Ah, childhood friendships were indeed the most precious.

Xiao Rong tilted his gaze toward the irregularly shaped clouds in the sky. After a moment, he sighed softly and turned to leave.

He didn’t return to the palace. The two children had reminded him that if they were saying their goodbyes, Qu Yunmie, who valued Yanmen Pass so much, was probably doing the same.

When he reached the foot of Yanmen Pass, Xiao Rong looked up at the towering gates. This time, he let out a heavy sigh before starting to climb.

At least this time, Qu Yunmie’s aura didn’t affect him. He wasn’t dizzy or seeing spots, and he wasn’t panting like a dog halfway up.

Qu Yunmie sat on the city tower, a jar of wine beside him. He wasn’t drinking but occasionally poured a cup and slowly spilled it on the stone floor in front of him.

When Xiao Rong arrived, this was the scene he saw.

The entire tower was filled with the scent of wine. Xiao Rong wrinkled his nose before slowly walking toward Qu Yunmie.

Qu Yunmie poured another cup of wine, but this time he didn’t spill it. He looked up at Xiao Rong, the person who always seemed to interrupt his solitary moments. “Care for a drink?”

Xiao Rong pursed his lips and couldn’t help but smile. “I’d better not.”

Qu Yunmie had expected this answer. He took back the cup and, lowering his gaze, said, “That day, you weren’t just rambling drunkenly, you were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

Xiao Rong found a clean spot to sit down, then widened his eyes. “Unjust! Drunken rambling can’t be taken seriously. It’s only after sobering up that every word is heartfelt and genuine.”

Qu Yunmie turned his head, narrowing his eyes slightly: “Do you dare swear by it?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

This was getting tricky.

After a pause, Xiao Rong was about to raise his hand and swear, but Qu Yunmie, seeing him open his mouth, frowned and interrupted.

“Forget it.”

Xiao Rong perked up. “Does that mean the King believes me?”

Qu Yunmie shook his head. “I’m afraid that if lightning strikes, it might hit both me and you.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He laughed awkwardly. “The King truly knows how to joke.”

Qu Yunmie curved his lips in a smile but didn’t respond further. Instead, he spilled the wine once more.

Xiao Rong glanced at his expression and felt that he was probably not in a very bad mood, so he asked, “Are you pouring wine for someone, my King? Is it for your parents?”

Qu Yunmie responded with a “Hmm,” and slowly said, “For my parents, my elder brother, the elders from my childhood. For the brothers who came later, and the soldiers who died here one after another.”

Xiao Rong was stunned. If it were only a few people, he might have tried to offer some comforting words, but after Qu Yunmie finished speaking, he couldn’t say a single word.

A single sentence, dozens of words, countless lives.

Xiao Rong rarely found himself speechless. He fell silent, but Qu Yunmie asked him, “You said only your grandmother and younger brother are left at home. Have the others all passed away?”

Xiao Rong paused, looked at the wine stains on the ground, and then replied, “Yes, my family… isn’t the main branch of the Xiao family but a collateral branch. We didn’t live in the main family’s residence. My ancestors made mistakes in their youth and were expelled by the main branch. My grandfather worked as a minor official in the government, barely making a living. My grandmother managed the household, gave birth six times, and eventually raised four children. My father was the third child. My eldest uncle died of illness at seventeen, my second uncle went out to seek medicine for my grandfather and was killed by bandits. My younger uncle joined the army and died on the battlefield. My father was a scholar, but since there were no family connections and no one appreciated him, he could only support the family by writing letters. Twelve years ago, due to overwork and persistent cough that brought up blood, he passed away.”

At this point, Xiao Rong paused and continued, “My eldest uncle never married, and when my second uncle died, his wife was pregnant. Her family pressured her to miscarry and remarry. Probably due to consulting a quack doctor, she died within days. They had a son, but he didn’t survive either. My mother wasn’t from a prominent family. After my father died, she supported the family by weaving cloth, funded my studies away from home, and supported my younger brother’s education. When I was… fourteen, her vision deteriorated, and she accidentally fell into a pond outside the house at night. She wasn’t found until morning.”

Qu Yunmie was stunned by these revelations. He had never imagined Xiao Rong’s family situation was like this.

He hadn’t expected Xiao Rong to have such experiences. These experiences weren’t Xiao Rong’s own but were gradually told to him by his younger brother, Xiao Yi. Last year, Xiao Yi, facing severe difficulties at home, brought their grandmother to Xinan to seek help from his elder brother, who was studying. Upon arriving in Xinan, Xiao Yi learned that a recent plague had swept through, and the dead were all burned outside the city.

After finding out from acquaintances that his elder brother had also contracted the plague, Xiao Yi didn’t dare tell their grandmother. After the loss of their younger uncle, their grandmother was deeply affected, and when their father passed away, she lost all recognition. Although she didn’t recognize people, she remembered having two grandsons. Xiao Yi couldn’t bear to think about how she would react if she knew her eldest grandson was gone.

So, he ran out of the city alone, recklessly searching through the belongings of the dead, and eventually found his elder brother’s documents.

The documents were intact, but the jade pendant was gone. Even though their family had fallen into poverty, they were still a collateral branch of the Xiao family. Despite their poverty, they had many valuable items, which they had never sold.

The jade pendant was one such item. Xiao Yi wiped his eyes and went to ask the officials for the pendant. However, it was impossible to get it back. The items were considered property of the officials. Since so many days had passed since the deaths, and no matter how much Xiao Yi protested, it wouldn’t be returned.

Xiao Rong happened to come across Xiao Yi at this time. He heard Xiao Yi calling out his name to the officials, only to later realize that he was calling for Xiao Rong, which sounded similar but was a different character.

Without his elder brother, Xiao Yi lost his last hope. He had to return to Linchuan with his grandmother, but at just thirteen, with no skills, he feared he wouldn’t be able to support her.

Xiao Rong listened to his sobbing account. At the time, he was planning to leave Xinan for Huaiyin. Thus, the two of them quickly came to an agreement. Xiao Rong needed an identity, and Xiao Yi needed support. Xiao Rong took the documents and, in exchange for some silver coins from selling sweet bean paste, left ten for Xiao Yi, telling him to rent a small courtyard in Xinan, study, and take care of his grandmother. He promised that once he was settled, he would bring them over.

Xiao Yi gave Xiao Rong Ah Shu, noticing that Xiao Rong was in poor health and fearing that his “elder brother” might also die. Ah Shu was the child of a former servant. After their family’s downfall, the servant was dismissed, but a few years later, the servant, who had fallen ill, sent the child back, saying no wages were needed, just enough food to eat.

Although losing Ah Shu made Xiao Yi’s life more difficult, he really didn’t want to collect corpses for others anymore.

Xiao Rong was always puzzled by Ah Shu’s peculiar attentiveness. Now, he had the answer.

……

Xiao Rong’s feelings towards his adopted younger brother were always complex. They weren’t blood relatives, and initially, it was all just mutual benefits. Yet after spending ten days with Xiao Yi, Xiao Rong felt that this child was very dependent on him, as if he genuinely saw him as an elder brother. This was understandable; with the repeated misfortunes at home, Xiao Rong had appeared when Xiao Yi was most frightened and had helped him, naturally leading to a sense of dependency.

Knowing the situation of the Xiao family already, Xiao Rong wasn’t deeply affected by it. He was just a bit worried, realizing that he would soon see his younger brother. Suddenly, he felt the pressure increase.

Xiao Rong was just reminiscing about his younger brother, but his silent demeanor was interpreted differently by Qu Yunmie.

Qu Yunmie always thought of himself as resilient, believing that in his life, people had always left him. He thought that the shrewd and daring Xiao Rong lived a completely different life—one of luxury and carefree enjoyment. It turned out they weren’t so different after all.

Xiao Rong: No, no, no, we are still quite different.

……

With changing expressions, Qu Yunmie suddenly turned his head back, looking at the city wall in front of him. He said firmly, “It will not happen again.”

Xiao Rong looked up in confusion and saw Qu Yunmie, with a resolute expression, speak again. “Whether it’s what happened to you or what happened to the Northern Army, it will not happen again. Chenliu is everyone’s new home. I won’t allow anyone to destroy it.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Although he didn’t understand why Qu Yunmie suddenly declared such an ambition, he certainly wouldn’t pour cold water on it. Xiao Rong immediately applauded and cheered loudly, “Good! I believe the King will definitely succeed!”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

For some reason, hearing Xiao Rong’s support, he felt both pleased and embarrassed.

＊

The next day, the army set off.

With over twenty thousand people moving together, the scene should have been grand. However, Xiao Rong was among them and, without a drone to view the aerial view, his only feeling was chaos.

Despite everything being arranged, it was still chaotic when they actually moved out. The guards brought the carriage Xiao Rong wanted, and Gao Xunzhong squeezed through the crowd, marveling at the new carriage’s design.

At this time, carriages had only two wheels, but Xiao Rong had changed his to four, extended the platform, and added a cover to the carriage. Small windows were opened on both sides. Since the weather was warm, the windows were just openings with a small piece of cloth acting as a curtain.

As for the door, time was too tight, and Xiao Rong wasn’t a blacksmith or carpenter, so he couldn’t come up with a flexible, detachable hinge in time. Therefore, the door also had a curtain, but it was thicker, made of leather.

Cotton had already reached the Central Plains by this time, but due to its difficulty in cultivation and people not knowing its warmth, it was still far from widespread. This was one reason why people were prone to freezing in cold weather, as there was no long-term warm clothing.

The interior of the carriage was even more luxurious, with bedding, tea sets, and chicken feather pillows that Xiao Rong had collected.

Chicken feathers were plentiful, but duck feathers were harder to find, and Xiao Rong didn’t know how to remove the smell. So, chicken feathers were slightly better than the strongly scented duck feathers. After enduring many bumpy rides, Xiao Rong found comfort to be the most important thing.

Seeing Gao Xunzhong’s curious expression, Xiao Rong smiled and said, “Does the Chancellor like it? I had two made, and the other one is for you.”

Gao Xunzhong was taken aback, then pleasantly surprised. “Ah, thank you Rong!”

He happily went off to find his carriage, and Xiao Rong was pleased to see him. With Gao Xunzhong sharing the special treatment, no one could criticize him.

……

Mijing appeared among the crowd with his bundle. As soon as people saw him, they parted automatically as if Moses had parted the Red Sea. Mijing slightly bowed his head, greeted everyone, and then walked towards the convoy.

During the summer settlement period, Mijing wasn’t supposed to go out. However, he wasn’t a particularly strict monk, as long as he stayed inside the carriage and didn’t come out, he could follow along with everyone.

Their journey would last at least a month due to the large number of people. It would indeed be excessive to have the Buddhist monk stay in a carriage that could only fit one person for an entire month. Therefore, Xiao Rong had made a larger carriage with the intention of allowing the monk to travel with them.

Qu Yunmie wasn’t far off. He saw Xiao Rong adjust his clothes and then his expression, immediately understanding what he was planning. He raised his eyebrows and instructed a nearby guard, “Go, let the Monk and Master Gao sit together.”

The guard acknowledged and quickly ran over.

From a distance, Xiao Rong suddenly paused. After hearing the guard speak with the monk, Xiao Rong blinked in confusion, then swiftly turned his head to look at Qu Yunmie.

Qu Yunmie happened to turn around, brushing the horse’s mane.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Qu Yunmie was concerned about the monk, how rare.

It was also good that he wouldn’t have to stay with others. Xiao Rong smiled and returned to his carriage.

Before departure, Xiao Rong finally saw the mysterious Butuwu tribe. They looked much stronger than the Central Plains people. Both men and women carried bundles and walked alongside the army without riding horses.

They only spoke to their own people, and the other Northern Town Army seemed used to this. The scene was both distinct and harmonious.

Finally, everyone had assembled. Qu Yunmie, riding at the front, looked back and then raised his whip, swinging it into the air.

“Let’s go!”

Instantly, all the soldiers behind them began to move. The soldiers holding a large flag waved it vigorously while running back and forth, using this special signal to inform the rear that they were about to leave.

Xiao Rong lifted the curtain, looked at the excited or calm faces outside, and after a moment, he smiled and lowered the curtain again.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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