After returning to their guest residence, Zhang Biezhi followed Xiao Rong into his room.

Xiao Rong hadn’t called him, Zhang Biezhi came on his own. The place they were staying was very close to the palace and appeared to be a guest house specifically for distinguished guests. However, it wasn’t just the twenty or so of them living there, there were also a number of servants, supposedly to attend to their needs. Whether these servants would be listening in for any useful information was anyone’s guess.

Xiao Rong didn’t mind Zhang Biezhi following him. After returning to the room, Xiao Rong sat down and slowly exhaled. Ah Shu ran over to pour him tea. Xiao Rong picked up the cup, took a slow sip, allowing the steam to cool, and then finally swallowed it.

He was reflecting on his performance that day. During such a tense situation, he hadn’t had the time to analyze others’ reactions, so he quickly tried to commit things to memory, planning to think it over carefully once he returned.

Ah Shu was used to this by now. Every time Xiao Rong focused deeply, he became extremely absorbed, almost unaware of what was happening around him.

Ah Shu, being considerate, didn’t disturb him, though he looked at Zhang Biezhi with curiosity, unsure why he was just standing there.

Zhang Biezhi was staring at Xiao Rong but not speaking. After noticing Ah Shu’s gaze, Zhang Biezhi turned to look at him, and his expression subtly changed.

Ah Shu: “…”

He was stunned.

He realized that the usual cocky expression Zhang Biezhi often wore was gone, replaced by downturned lips and teary eyes, full of grievance.

Ah Shu was horrified. This pitiful look was so unlike Zhang Biezhi! He needed to stop it immediately.

Zhang Biezhi had no idea what Ah Shu was thinking, and Ah Shu could only turn his head away. Seeing Ah Shu’s reaction, Zhang Biezhi felt even worse.

What kind of days has he been living through recently?

…

A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Rong finally finished recalling everyone’s reactions from the meeting. He picked up his tea cup again, and by now, the hot tea had become warm. Just as he was about to take a big sip, with his mouth open, he noticed a figure standing opposite him, like a door god.

Xiao Rong asked, “What are you doing here?”

Zhang Biezhi had been waiting for him to come back to his senses, but upon hearing this question, he was furious. “You almost broke my foot!”

Xiao Rong blinked. “Really? Take it off and let me see.”

Zhang Biezhi’s eyes widened instantly. “Take off, take off what?!”

Xiao Rong looked at him matter-of-factly. “Didn’t you say I almost broke your foot? Take off your shoe and let me see if it’s serious.”

He really hadn’t meant anything by it. He had only stepped on Zhang Biezhi’s foot at the last moment to keep him from messing things up. Xiao Rong knew he’d used a bit of force, but not enough to break any bones. He simply wanted to check if Zhang Biezhi was really hurt.

If he was hurt, he’d need to treat it quickly, especially since this guy was Jian Qiao’s brother-in-law.

Saying this, Xiao Rong stood up, walked over to Zhang Biezhi, and was about to lift his robe to check his foot when Zhang Biezhi reacted as if he’d been shocked, stepping back in a hurry.

Xiao Rong, puzzled, straightened up and saw Zhang Biezhi’s face flushed. “No need, it’s not that bad. I… I’m leaving.”

Xiao Rong was confused. He knew that men shouldn’t take off women’s shoes, but surely it didn’t apply to men, too?

Could it be that he had accidentally behaved inappropriately?

Xiao Rong looked at Ah Shu, who also had a complicated expression. “Not really. It’s just that taking off someone’s shoes or changing their clothes is usually done by servants. If not by servants, then by parents or very close family. You’ve elevated him too much, sir.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He hadn’t known that. He hadn’t meant to elevate him.

With a glance at the door, Xiao Rong decided not to worry about it any further. He instructed Ah Shu, “Tell them to bring dinner. After I eat, I’ll go to sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”

Ah Shu wanted to point out that going to bed right after eating wasn’t good for him, but seeing Xiao Rong’s determined expression, he swallowed his words.

＊

Xiao Rong’s follow-through was quite impressive. He did exactly what he said. After finishing dinner and taking a hot bath, he comfortably went to bed.

…

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Zhang Biezhi, for a rare moment, found himself unable to fall asleep.

It was the first time he’d ever met such a strange scholar.

In Zhang Biezhi’s eyes, scholars were supposed to be like Xiao Yi. No, actually, Xiao Yi wasn’t a standard scholar either. The standard scholar was more like the group he saw today in the Imperial Palace of Jinling—lofty, commanding the landscape with their words. Even if they brushed past him, they wouldn’t spare him a glance. If they accidentally touched him, they’d flash a look of disgust, as if they’d toss their clothes away the moment they got home.

Zhang Biezhi despised everyone who bullied him.

Just like when he was young. Even though his father was forced into his situation, the other children insisted that his father had defected to the barbarians. They called his whole family traitors and threw mud at him, pushing him down and forcing him into the mud pit.

If an adult hadn’t passed by, he would have died in that muddy pit.

Later, he began to fight back. At first, he took more beatings than he gave, but over time, he ended up beating others more often. The day he finally knocked down the kid who bullied him the most, Zhang Biezhi felt a joy that nothing since could ever replicate. The feeling of winning was just that good.

Still, he also knew he couldn’t always win against everyone. He constantly belittled other scholars, sneering whenever he heard Xiao Rong’s name, claiming Xiao Rong could never beat him in a fistfight. This was simply because he knew the only way he could surpass Xiao Rong was in physical strength. The other side of his arrogance was insecurity. Bullying others was his way of making sure he wasn’t the one being bullied.

Xiao Rong didn’t treat him well either, often mocking him for being worse than a monkey and threatening to kill him if he didn’t behave. He even used his brother-in-law to pressure him. Just thinking about it made Zhang Biezhi’s teeth itch with anger.

He thought Xiao Rong must hate him. After all, he was aware of his own faults—he had bad-mouthed Xiao Rong before, so it was only natural that Xiao Rong would dislike him. Despite that, Xiao Rong had bent down in front of him and even offered to take off his shoes to check his injuries.

Even his brother-in-law hadn’t done something like that for him. His sister used to when she hadn’t yet married, but not anymore.

This reminded him of his childhood. Back then, even though he was often bullied, he still lived with his family. His father would beat him, and his mother would scold him, but those days of being looked after by his parents were truly wonderful.

His sister and brother-in-law were good to him, but something still felt off. It was probably because, at home, he could comfortably be a burden, but in his brother-in-law’s house, even being a burden wasn’t comfortable anymore.

…

Most people experience rebellion in their teenage years, around fourteen or fifteen. Zhang Biezhi, however, matured late and was still rebellious at eighteen. Despite this, he knew what he needed to know. Maybe in a few years, after he got past this period of mental instability, he would mature and start repaying his sister and brother-in-law, like those dogs people raise that transform from little demons into little angels after a year or two.

However, historically, he never got that chance. As for his current self… well, now he was starting to think about things he never would have considered before, so no one could predict how he might turn out.

As Zhang Biezhi tossed and turned in bed, his ears perked up. The moment the door opened, he sat up and quickly grabbed his knife, holding it defensively across his chest.

One of Xiao Rong’s guards entered, carrying a basin of water. He paused for a moment, then walked over with the basin. “I heard the General hurt his foot. I fetched some hot water for you to soak it.”

Zhang Biezhi was stunned for a moment, surprised that one of Qu Yunmie’s personal guards would treat him so well. They hadn’t paid him much attention during their entire journey.

Normally, one would suspect there was something suspicious about this, but Zhang Biezhi wasn’t normal. He happily agreed and even had the man place the basin by his bedside.

Afterward, Zhang Biezhi began soaking his feet. The guard didn’t leave, saying he’d wait to take the basin away once Zhang was done. Zhang Biezhi didn’t mind, though he found it a bit boring to just sit there, so they started chatting.

The guard cleverly initiated the conversation by asking how Zhang had gotten injured. After all, hadn’t he gone to the palace? Could it have been someone there who hurt him? The mere mention of the palace made Zhang Biezhi furious, so he immediately recounted everything that had happened.

The guard listened and reacted at the right moments, occasionally asking questions. His questions were sharp, often leading Zhang to talk about Xiao Rong even though they seemed to be about him.

Zhang Biezhi, having no suspicion toward one of his own, not only said everything he should have but even things he shouldn’t, including Xiao Rong’s attempt to personally check his injuries.

The guard was visibly surprised at this. Scholars were known for their pride. If you asked them to take off someone’s shoes, they’d see it as a great insult. Yet Xiao Rong had voluntarily lowered himself? Did he care for Zhang Biezhi that much?

Why? Wasn’t Zhang Biezhi infamous for being a fool?

It didn’t make sense, absolutely none. Xiao Rong’s intentions were impossible to decipher. Perhaps Xiao Rong had seen some unusual merit in Zhang Biezhi. With this thought in mind, the guard returned and meticulously wrote down everything he had gathered before handing the letter to another person to be sent out early the next morning.

Thus, the next day, when Xiao Rong requested an audience with the Grand Marshal in the palace, the letter that exposed him completely had already arrived in Qu Yunmie’s hands, across the Han River.

The last time Qu Yunmie received such a letter, he was nearly furious enough to explode, though he had ultimately restrained himself. His expression had been so terrifying that even the horses outside had refused to eat.

…

This time, Qu Yunmie calmly sat on his mat and read through the entire letter without showing any extreme emotions. Seeing this, Yu Shaocheng, who stood by, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had no idea what had been written in the last letter that had made the King so angry, but since the King wasn’t mad this time, it seemed things in Jinling were going smoothly.

However, Yu Shaocheng quickly realized he had relaxed too soon.

After setting down the letter, Qu Yunmie looked up and instructed Yu Shaocheng, “Send someone to tell Jian Qiao to come and collect his brother-in-law’s corpse.”

Yu Shaocheng was shocked. “Is the King saying something happened in Jinling and Zhang Biezhi is dead?!”

Qu Yunmie smiled faintly. “Not yet, but soon.”

To dare make his most trusted advisor take off someone’s shoes… Ha.

Die. Just die quickly.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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