The noble families were somewhat difficult to deal with, but the Three Elders were completely straightforward and honest people.

They had no real power, and the former governor of Chenliu deliberately ignored them. Although they held the title of “Three Elders,” no one had taken them seriously for a long time.

When Qu Yunmie summoned them this time, they were flattered. No matter what Qu Yunmie said, they just kept agreeing, saying “yes, yes.” In the end, even Qu Yunmie felt embarrassed to be too harsh with them and stood up to personally see them out.

Xiao Rong didn’t follow but stayed behind, narrowing his eyes slightly as he watched Qu Yunmie’s somewhat unnatural behavior. A thought formed in his mind.

….

On May 17, the new plaque for the King’s residence was finally ready. It bore four large characters: “Northern Wangfu” (Residence of the King of the North), personally written by Chancellor Gao, and engraved on the plaque. When it was hung up, Xiao Rong and the others stood nearby, watching.

Yu Shaoxie sighed. “I still feel like calling it ‘Residence’ isn’t quite right.”

Xiao Rong replied, “What else can we call it? We can’t call it a palace. Just by looking at the gates, you can tell this isn’t a palace. If we insisted on calling it that, people would laugh their heads off.”

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

So why stay here? Why not find a place and build a real palace?

In Yu Shaoxie’s mind, even if Qu Yunmie was going to ascend the throne, that was something that would happen in ten or so years. Surely, he couldn’t live like this the whole time. Yet every time he brought it up, Xiao Rong would change the subject. He sensed that Xiao Rong had his reasons for insisting on staying here and calling it “Residence” but since Xiao didn’t explain, Yu couldn’t guess.

Qu Yunmie was standing nearby as well, seemingly indifferent to the name “Northern Wangfu.” He didn’t care what it was called—it was just a place to live, after all.

The plaque was hung, but there were no firecrackers—there wasn’t even a custom to set them off for such occasions. People usually burned firecrackers when something opened, but since they’d been living there for a while, setting them off now would just feel odd.

So, everyone clapped a little, then dispersed to take care of their own business. Qu Yunmie called for his horse, preparing to go inspect the army camp outside the city.

Xiao Rong stopped him, looking up and asking, “Is the King busy today?”

Qu Yunmie paused slightly. “I’m not busy.”

Xiao Rong smiled. “Then how about joining me for a stroll around town? The North army has been stationed here for nearly ten days. Don’t you want to see what changes have taken place in the streets?”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

It’s only been ten days—what changes could there be?

Still, he swiftly dismounted and looked at Xiao Rong, waiting to go with him.

Xiao Rong paused. “The King should change into regular clothes first.”

Going out in riding gear and armor—are you afraid people won’t recognize you as the King of the North?

Qu Yunmie’s expression changed slightly. Even though he didn’t say anything, Xiao Rong knew he was inwardly thinking: ‘What a hassle.’

…

Xiao Rong remained as calm as a meditating monk, showing no intention of changing his mind, so Qu Yunmie reluctantly went inside to change clothes.

A moment later, Qu Yunmie came back out, stiffly tugging at his new clothes before slowly walking down.

Hearing footsteps, Xiao Rong turned around and was immediately stunned.

Qu Yunmie had actually put on a scholar’s robe. The dark purple, front-closing long gown nearly dragged on the ground. Qu Yunmie, accustomed to wearing the riding clothes invented by the nomads, didn’t quite know how to deal with the wide sleeves. He was supposed to wear an outer robe to complete the scholar’s outfit, but whether Qu Yunmie had refused to wear it or simply forgotten, his lean, tight waist was now exposed.

In ancient times, scholars often carried swords, being both men of letters and swordsmen. Xiao Rong had never been able to picture what such a scholar would look like—until now.

Xiao Rong pursed his lips slightly, unsure why he suddenly felt like laughing. It wasn’t that Qu Yunmie looked bad—on the contrary, Xiao Rong thought he looked rather good—but for no reason at all, he just wanted to laugh.

Suppressing that strange urge, Xiao Rong walked over to Qu Yunmie. However, when he saw the displeasure in Qu Yunmie’s eyes, Xiao Rong couldn’t hold back anymore and smiled. “Did the Prime Minister tell you to change into this?”

Qu Yunmie reluctantly grunted in response. “I don’t know when he had this outfit made for me. He said wearing this would help me blend in more.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

You’ve been tricked badly.

With your height and appearance, even if you wore a straw mat, you wouldn’t blend in.

Of course, Xiao Rong didn’t want to undermine Gao Xun’s authority. Instead, he reached out to straighten Qu Yunmie’s turned-up sleeve and then smiled at him. “You look great in this, Your Majesty. Let’s go.”

With that, Xiao Rong turned and started walking ahead. Qu Yunmie followed for a few steps, then suddenly realized and stopped in his tracks

He somehow felt… as if Xiao Rong really liked seeing him dressed this way.

Xiao Rong turned back in confusion. “Your Majesty?”

Qu Yunmie paused for a moment, then continued walking. “Coming.”

….

One of them was graceful and elegant, the other brave and heroic. As soon as they stepped onto the street, they attracted everyone’s attention. Qu Yunmie instinctively shot cold stares at the onlookers, but then Xiao Rong softly reminded him, “Hospitality.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Feeling frustrated, Qu Yunmie reluctantly shifted his gaze, trying to focus only on the inanimate objects around him.

As he looked around, something caught his eye. Surprised, he said to Xiao Rong, “These buildings don’t seem as rundown as they used to be.”

Xiao Rong also glanced at the houses on either side. “Yes, that’s thanks to the North Army. Over the past few days, they’ve been repairing houses throughout the city. While the surrounding towns aren’t done yet, the main city has been fully restored.”

Qu Yunmie blinked, suddenly remembering that a while back Xiao Rong had suggested recruiting a few thousand soldiers to do good deeds for the people. So this was the result?

At the time, Qu Yunmie hadn’t given it much thought, but now he realized that restoring the city wasn’t such a bad idea. At least, it made everything look much better.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Rong could guess what Qu Yunmie was thinking. With a slight chuckle, Xiao Rong thought to himself that this was only the beginning. The repair of the city was just a small gain, the real benefit would come from repairing the relationship between the soldiers and the people.

A few days ago, Jian Qiao had told Xiao Rong something, and with that in mind, he purposefully led Qu Yunmie toward a certain house.

It was the home of the old man who had once come out wielding an axe, threatening to fight to the death. Xiao Rong brought Qu Yunmie to stand under a tree outside and discreetly pointed toward the house, signaling Qu Yunmie to look.

Qu Yunmie looked over, puzzled, and then froze.

He saw a soldier from the Northern Army in the courtyard, wearing the simplest of military uniforms. The soldier was smiling like a fool, chopping firewood with all his might, while glancing at a young woman standing nearby.

The woman was also smiling. She held a bowl of water and occasionally fed the soldier a sip, shyly saying, “Husband, the water from the well you dug is so sweet.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

The soldier started chopping wood even faster, his axe swinging so quickly it almost left afterimages. If he could perform like that in the army, Qu Yunmie would have remembered his name by now, rather than just recognizing him by his uniform.

He turned back with an exasperated look, while Xiao Rong chuckled. “This is the first couple in Chenliu City to marry between the Northern Army and the local civilians. They performed the wedding rites two days ago, and since it’s their honeymoon, General Jian has granted him three days of leave. He’ll return to the army tomorrow.”

Qu Yunmie’s eyes widened. “He granted him leave?!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Qu Yunmie had forgotten most of the details Xiao Rong had mentioned earlier, but the “three days of leave” stuck with him. “Since when does the Northern Army have such a rule? Getting married means taking time off? What kind of undisciplined army is this?! That General Jian, acting on his own authority!”

Xiao Rong was taken aback by Qu Yunmie’s reaction and quickly stopped him from going back to confront Jian Qiao. “It wasn’t General Jian’s idea, it was mine! I even discussed it with him. From now on, regardless of who gets married, as long as it’s outside of battle, they’ll be given three days of leave. However, this only applies to first marriages. Remarrying or taking concubines won’t come with such privileges. Marriage is a major life event for everyone, and given these peaceful times, skipping three days of drills isn’t a big deal. What’s the harm in that?”

Qu Yunmie opened his mouth to argue.

Because no other army does this!

Before he could say those words, he remembered that other armies also don’t send soldiers to repair houses. He hesitated, then spoke again, “It’s true we’re in peaceful times, but soldiers aren’t the same as civilians. They need to stay alert every day. Too much time off will make them lose that edge, and it won’t be easy to build it back up.”

Xiao Rong was taken aback, realizing he hadn’t considered that. He pressed his lips together, lowering his head. He fully expected Qu Yunmie to cancel this benefit and scold him, but to his surprise, Qu Yunmie changed his tone. “Three days off for a wedding, as you suggested, but don’t extend it in the future. If you want to reward the soldiers, promote them, award military merits, give them spoils of war, or increase their pay—just be cautious with time off.”

Unexpectedly, Qu Yunmie agreed with him. Xiao Rong had braced himself for a stern reprimand and for the order to be revoked, but instead, he felt a weight lift from his heart, and a warmth spread through him. He couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I won’t interfere in military matters again.”

Then, feeling the need to explain himself, Xiao Rong added, “I didn’t intend to meddle in army affairs. I just think this sort of situation will become more common in the future. The efforts of the soldiers haven’t gone unnoticed by the people. As they step into the public eye, more civilians will see them as trustworthy and marry their daughters to them. As the head of the Northern Army, Your Majesty should encourage—perhaps even reward—such unions. The deeper the bond between Chenliu City and the Northern Army, the greater the people’s support for you.”

By the end of his explanation, Xiao Rong gave an awkward smile. “That’s what I was thinking, but because of my ignorance, I almost made a mistake.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

Was Xiao Rong apologizing to him?

No, not really apologizing, but he was admitting that Qu Yunmie was more knowledgeable.

Qu Yunmie suddenly felt a bit pleased, though he wasn’t sure how to express it. Seeing Xiao Rong’s rare humble expression, Qu Yunmie chuckled softly. “You don’t need to be like that. I know that no matter what, you always have my best interests at heart.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Well, that’s one way to put it.

After all, what’s good for you is good for me.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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