That night, it wasn’t only the guards who didn’t sleep well, the palace was even more restless.

Sun Renluan first gave the young Emperor some stern advice, and then, on his way out, stopped by the Empress Dowager’s chambers. This startled Dowager Sun, who was enjoying the company of her male favorite. She hurriedly pulled on her outer robe and came out in a fluster.

Sun Renluan: “…”

Having lived for over forty years and with more than forty women in his own backcourt, Sun Renluan could immediately tell what Sun Shanlu had just been doing. The anger he had been suppressing finally erupted.

There has always been a strange phenomenon throughout history: people are much harsher on their own family than they are on outsiders.

If an outsider behaved inappropriately, Sun Renluan mightn’t even spare them a glance, but if his own sister behaved inappropriately, he was furious, as if she had personally shamed him.

He had always disapproved of Sun Shanlu keeping male favorites. What other Empress Dowagers did was their business, but his sister was already under everyone’s scrutiny, and if she acted so recklessly, she might one day bring ruin upon their entire Sun Family. In the past, when she occasionally summoned a man from outside the palace, Sun Renluan couldn’t control her, so he turned a blind eye. Now, after he had just searched the entire palace, he knew there were no outsiders present.

So, the answer was obvious—it was either a guard or a eunuch. His dear sister was getting bolder by the day.

A brief fling and long-term intimacy are two entirely different things. The former is just a toy, but the latter can grow into a problem.

Sun Renluan ordered the doors to the hall to be shut and vented his anger on Sun Shanlu once again. Little did he know, Sun Shanlu was also suppressing her own emotions. She had heard a lot of lies from Xiao Rong and now firmly believed that Sun Renluan had framed her. To make matters worse, not only was he targeting her, but he was also going after her beloved TanEr. Sun Shanlu could no longer hold back and started a full-blown argument, even using her status as Empress Dowager to suppress Sun Renluan. The shouting, both male and female, echoed loudly, striking fear into the hearts of the palace servants outside.

Originally, the male favorite’s identity was supposed to be exposed in another month or two, and even then, it wouldn’t have been a graceful revelation. However, Sun Renluan had witnessed the two of them together with his own eyes, and his face turned a furious shade of green. He wanted to kill the male favorite, but Sun Shanlu refused to let him, throwing herself to the ground without any of the dignity expected of an Empress Dowager. Her hair was disheveled, and it seemed she would rather die herself if Sun Renluan dared to harm TanEr.

The scene at that time was even more chaotic than it was now, to the point that even the young Emperor had been alarmed, running out in tears to protect his mother. The fact that Sun Renluan didn’t suffer a stroke on the spot showed that he was in good health.

Since this time the exposure was less dramatic, Sun Renluan didn’t push Sun Shanlu to her breaking point. After a bout of mutual yelling, his head throbbing, Sun Renluan waved his hand and ordered TanEr to be imprisoned. As for the Empress Dowager, they would say she was ill, and how long that illness would last depended on when she admitted her fault.

Sun Shanlu was almost driven mad with rage but could only watch helplessly as TanEr was taken away. TanEr kept turning back to look at her, his eyes filled with fear and helplessness, which broke her heart more than ever. Her stone-hearted brother remained unmoved by this scene. As he left, he even snorted coldly, as if breaking up this pair of lovers wasn’t enough to quench his anger.

Sun Renluan had originally come to ask about Xiao Rong, but with such a big incident, they had all forgotten about him. Sun Shanlu sat in the palace, weeping, while Sun Renluan returned to ease his throbbing head. In an unnoticed corner, the young Emperor, He Fu, curled up in bed, listening to the sound of his mother’s sobs not far away.

Generally speaking, children aren’t aware of the concept of “disgrace.” Perhaps in a few years, he would realize that his mother was indeed a bit wild, and that his uncle’s anger was understandable. However, such realizations would take time, and at this moment, he was still just a small child who depended on his mother and was completely on her side.

Accompanied by his mother’s sad sobs, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a dream world that most children never experience.

 

＊

 

To the common people, the palace was a mysterious place—it’s carved beams and painted rafters, its opulence, and even the rivers flowing through it were imagined to be made of gold. Even those who lived at the foot of the Imperial City rarely heard any news from inside the palace.

Yet to the officials, the palace was like a giant sieve. It followed the same principle as the rest of the world: good news stays hidden, while bad news spreads far and wide. Within just one night, the two dramatic scenes had already reached the ears of officials all across Jinling.

Even Xiao Rong was no exception. The moment he woke up, he heard all about the argument between the State Uncle and the Empress Dowager.

The person who passed on this information was none other than Young Master Song.

 

…

 

No one knew whether he was kindly reminding Xiao Rong to act cautiously or just showing off that, even with a low rank, he could gather important information. Either way, Xiao Rong was still very grateful to him.

He hadn’t expected this illicit couple to be discovered so quickly. In Xiao Rong’s estimation, it should have happened right after he left.

Sun Renluan, being a suspicious person, would naturally conduct a thorough search of the places Xiao Rong had visited and the people he had met. Sun couldn’t catch Xiao Rong’s flaws, but some people’s mistakes couldn’t be hidden. However, in Xiao Rong’s view, Empress Dowager Sun should have been more cautious after seeing Sun Renluan’s behavior, and make it more unlikely that Sun Renluan would find anything out about her anytime soon. Even if he did, it would only be tiny traces, not enough to piece together the whole truth immediately.

Who would have thought that Empress Dowager Sun would be so bold? While her brother was scolding her son nearby, she didn’t hide but continued her flirtations with her male lover. Was she brave, or just lacking sense?

Actually, the Empress Dowager had been provoked by Xiao Rong. Her emotions had already reached a critical point, and she was seeking some physical excitement. Many reasons led her to act this way. The human heart is so complex that even Xiao Rong miscalculated at times. Fortunately for him, this wasn’t a significant matter and shouldn’t affect his plans.

Xiao Rong was preparing to enter the palace to meet Sun Renluan, but unexpectedly, Sun Renluan was a step ahead and sent someone to invite Xiao Rong to the palace.

In an instant, everyone in the room stood up, intending to follow Xiao Rong.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Although he had promised to take them wherever he went, if they all came along, the scene would be rather strange.

After a moment of silence, he instructed Zhang Biezhi, “Take a few men into the city to recruit mercenaries from different tribes. Avoid the Huns, Wusun, and Khitan who came south in the past. For the rest, as long as the price isn’t too outrageous, you can hire them. But make sure to investigate their backgrounds—preferably those with families or many acquaintances. Hire people from different tribes, but avoid those who are alone or in small groups.

“As for the reason for hiring them, just say it’s to escort me across the river.”

Once they crossed the river, they would be on the Northern Army’s territory. Since they came, they shouldn’t expect to leave.

Zhang Biezhi was stunned for a moment. He had a question. “You want me to go?”

Hadn’t Xiao Rong been making him pretend to be a fool these past few days, always acting as if he looked down on Xiao Rong in front of others? Now, Xiao Rong was sending him to hire people to protect him, which seemed contradictory.

Xiao Rong sensed Zhang Biezhi’s unspoken question and raised an eyebrow—who would have thought the “low-end” version had learned to think?

He laughed. “Yes, you. No one else knows where these tribes come from, only you do. Besides, I think no matter how long we stay here, I won’t see His Majesty again. You don’t have to keep up your old act anymore.”

If what had happened last night hadn’t occurred, Xiao Rong might have needed Zhang Biezhi to continue pretending for a while. However, Sun Renluan had dug his own grave, fiercely confronting the Empress Dowager at this critical moment. Neither Empress Dowager Sun nor the young Emperor would listen to anything he said now.

Xiao Rong even hoped Sun Renluan would badmouth him, because the more he did, the less the two of them would believe it.

Zhang Biezhi half-understood, looking eagerly at Xiao Rong, and hoping he would explain further. However, Xiao Rong had already turned and left. The others were just relieved they hadn’t been assigned this task. They, of course, preferred to stay by Xiao Rong’s side to provide protection.

Unlike them, Zhang Biezhi didn’t pick and choose tasks—or rather, he didn’t have the reservations of the personal soldiers of Qu Yunmie, so he was more willing to obey Xiao Rong’s orders. Besides, among these twenty or so people, he was the least worried about Xiao Rong’s safety.

It was the people of Jinling who should be worried. Anything Xiao Rong was willing to risk so much for would surely have a huge payoff in the future. Too bad they were too shortsighted and still didn’t realize the danger looming over them.

 

…

 

Sun Renluan had summoned Xiao Rong to have him attend today’s Eight Lords’ meeting.

Well, “attend” wasn’t quite the right word. The truth was that Sun Renluan wanted to use the Eight Lords’ to suppress Xiao Rong.

As soon as Xiao Rong entered the palace gates, news that he had brought a dozen guards with him had already spread, causing the group of old men to burst into laughter. They were all cultured men, so they didn’t curse Xiao Rong, but mild sarcasm was inevitable. They commented on all of Xiao Rong’s actions over the past few days, twisting everything to be negative.

Even Xiao Rong’s striking appearance, which usually garnered admiration, was now ridiculed by these old men as proof that he was just a “pretty face,” using his looks to charm people. They speculated that the King of the North was probably bewitched by Xiao Rong’s appearance. Yet, could you really blame the King of the North, they wondered, for being a man of lowly origins who couldn’t resist a bit of beauty.

The man who said this was dripping with sarcasm, and the others found it amusing, filling the hall with laughter once more. Sun Renluan watched them, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Ten years ago, it hadn’t been this group, but another one sitting here, ridiculing and criticizing a “nobody” with such disdain that it seemed the man would be dead any second—someone so lowly and contemptible that he had no right to live.

That man had been Qu Yunmie.

The same Qu Yunmie who, with a mere stomp of his foot, could send the entire city of Jinling into panic—the same man who had forced them to hand over the imperial seal and decree, acknowledging him as the legitimate King of the North.

Generations of talent rise and fall. First Qu Yunmie, now Xiao Rong. Why were the truly talented ones always on the other side of the Huai River? They were also both young, with long roads ahead of them.

Looking at Jinling now…

Sometimes, Sun Renluan felt he was already old and frail. He had been at the pinnacle of power for so long, and he could see the world clearly, but he couldn’t tell where this group around him was heading. At the beginning of the year, there had been unusual celestial signs, and someone had told him it was a sign that the King of the North’s time was up. Now, it didn’t seem that way at all. War was brewing, the stars were shifting, and the celestial pole was tilting—a great fire was coming.

He understood some astronomy. The signs at the beginning of the year had never specifically named the King of the North. The shifting of the stars and the tilting of the pole were the clearest indicators; it wasn’t the King of the North whose time was ending, but this faltering, nominal He family dynasty.

Sun Renluan had spent so much time with the He family that he couldn’t replace them, nor could he sever himself from them. If the celestial signs were true, then he thought that when the great structure collapsed, he too would be one of the many buried in the dust.

But so what? He had lived through countless storms in his life. The stars couldn’t stop him. He would continue to do what needed to be done until the very moment when the clash of swords was real, no longer a celestial omen, but right before his eyes. Only then would he stop, close his eyes, and embrace his eternal peace.

 

…

 

When Xiao Rong finally entered, the group of old men immediately plastered on fake smiles, pretending to be benevolent and kind. Xiao Rong smiled back, took his seat, and began to discuss business with them.

It was still about sending troops. The Eight Lords mightn’t all have been Sun Renluan’s close confidants, but when it came to outsiders, they were united. Sun Renluan had already shared parts of what Xiao Rong had said that day, and they weren’t entirely opposed to sending troops anymore, but on the condition that Xiao Rong had to offer up something valuable in return.

Merely pledging loyalty wasn’t enough, they needed real action! The court was short on troops, so why not have the King of the North send 50,000 soldiers to guard the capital? That wasn’t asking too much, was it?

Xiao Rong laughed. “Fifty thousand? Isn’t that too few?”

The old men were taken aback. They had intended to haggle with Xiao Rong, knowing he wasn’t foolish enough to actually send 50,000 troops. Even sending 10,000 would be a win for them.

What did Xiao Rong mean by this? Just as they were feeling confused, they heard him calmly continue, “How could 50,000 troops be enough to guard the capital? If you really want to protect it, you should ask for 400,000! Have the King personally lead the army across the Huai River. You just need to open the gates, and you’ll receive the King’s ‘sincere’ gesture.”

The old lords: “…”

We’ve seen people act entitled due to their age, but never someone relying on their youth to get away with things!

They couldn’t out talk Xiao Rong. The first day he had arrived here, when facing the entire court, Xiao Rong had seemed so flustered. Now, sitting among them, he appeared to be completely at ease. Could it be that with fewer people around, he’s become more confident?

They couldn’t figure it out and didn’t have time to dwell on it. Xiao Rong wasn’t here to entertain them, and he didn’t want to waste time.

 

…

 

Xiao Rong’s stance was clear: he’d pledge allegiance to the court on the surface, but beyond that, there was no way he’d offer them any real concessions. Especially when it came to soldiers and supplies—not a single grain of rice would be given. Despite that, these old men made it clear they expected to gain substantial benefits, or else they wouldn’t agree to whatever Xiao Rong proposed. They had to maintain their dignity.

After a long back-and-forth, with Xiao Rong looking thoroughly irritated by them, he finally agreed to a compromise. He would offer an annual tribute. Would that be enough?

In theory, the Lords were supposed to pay tribute anyway, but the court was weak, so no one took it seriously anymore. As far as Xiao Rong knew, only two or three lords still paid tribute to Southern Yong, one of them being He Tingzhi, and the other two were too timid to refuse.

Even among the few who still paid tribute, the offerings were half-hearted at best. Gone were the days when the finest goods were reserved for the Emperor. Now, the best was kept for themselves, and what was left was sent to the emperor.

Xiao Rong, shaking his head as he spoke, continued to describe how impoverished the Northern Army was. Giving money and supplies was out of the question, but they could offer some specialties from north of the Huai River. For example, a special type of warming powder they had. “You’ve probably never heard of it,” Xiao Rong said. “It’s something only found in the north. It’s sealed most of the time, but when the weather gets cold, you can wrap it in cloth, and it’s as effective as a hot water bottle. It stays warm for several hours!”

He also mentioned carriages, boasting that the craftsmen in the north were experts. The carriages they made were as comfortable as small houses. Such fine items, of course, were meant for the Emperor’s use.

Xiao Rong enthusiastically described these trivial but unique items, all of which were things of little value but rare in the Southern Yong.

The warming powder, for example, was considered a magical tool in the Northern Army because their region was much colder. In the south, it wouldn’t be as necessary. Even at its coldest, the southern region wouldn’t experience frostbite, the most the powder could do was make winters a little more comfortable, but it wouldn’t improve combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

If he could, Xiao Rong would have preferred to send something more strategic, like salt.

At this time, the salt people used was mostly well salt, which had many impurities and didn’t taste very good. The salt used by the royal family was a bit better, being lake salt, but even that wasn’t much of an improvement.

As for sea salt, which came from the sea, it was still largely restricted to fishermen. Many factors, such as inconvenient transportation and a general fear of the sea, limited its wider use.

Although sea salt had been around for thousands of years, it hadn’t yet become a household staple. Later, after the Grand Canal was dug and the shipbuilding industry developed, water transport became more accessible, and sea salt became the first choice for officials.

Sea salt was inexhaustible. If Xiao Rong could introduce it to the Southern Yong while hiding its origin, well and lake salt would be sidelined. In time, Xiao Rong could monopolize the salt supply for the Southern Yong, and then, by controlling the flow of salt, he could tighten the reins on the kingdom. If he wanted, he could make life in the Southern Yong very difficult.

However, this couldn’t be done openly. Xiao Rong didn’t want to harm the common people, only to control the nobility. While the nobles could endure some difficulty, the common people wouldn’t survive it.

So he didn’t mention the salt. Important matters like that required careful planning and a strategic approach.

Still, the little gadgets Xiao Rong talked about were enough to tempt the old lords. These were all things they had never seen before but were highly practical. They continued bargaining with Xiao Rong, demanding that he supply them in quantities starting at thousands of pounds.

So many goods that the little Emperor would never use—clearly, they were planning to embezzle the tribute.

Well, that was to be expected. With the Emperor being as he was, there was no need to pretend otherwise.

Taking advantage of their ignorance, Xiao Rong repeatedly emphasized how expensive the warming powder was, saying it contained gold. “You’ve heard of ‘real gold fears no fire,’ right? That’s why this powder works so well!”

In the end, Xiao Rong reluctantly agreed to send 200 pounds of warming powder as tribute. As for the carriages, he’d tell all the craftsmen to work overtime when he returned, hoping to have ten carriages ready by next year.

The old lords: “…”

We may not understand the warming powder, but do you think we’ve never seen a carriage before? What kind of carriage takes a whole year to build?

Still, no matter what they asked, Xiao Rong had a response ready. He spoke with such flair, as if all the carpenters in the north were Lu Ban reincarnated. Halfway through his explanation, someone interrupted and suggested, “In that case, instead of sending carriages, why not just send a few of those carpenters over?”

Xiao Rong choked for a moment.

“I really don’t know what the difference between a noble family and bandits is, and yet you actually have the audacity to say something like that.”

Not only did the person have the audacity to say it, but they even repeated it. Xiao Rong curled his lips in disbelief, thinking there was no way he’d agree to such a thing. He explained that these carpenters couldn’t be sent away because their vocal cords had been poisoned and their tendons severed, ensuring that they couldn’t reveal the secrets of how they made their craft. So, with a thick-skinned attitude, he refused.

Saying the most humble words with the most sinister smile.

Everyone else: “…”

It really was true that the Northern Army was even harsher than this group of noble sons!

Sun Renluan frowned, watching the others being utterly stunned by Xiao Rong’s intimidation. Feeling annoyed, he finally stopped them. He hadn’t really summoned the Northern King’s official to ask for any tributes. After much deliberation, he’d already concluded that it would be more beneficial to the current court for the Northern King to submit to the court. He had, in fact, already planned to agree.

The real focus of today’s negotiation was never about tribute—it was about military deployment.

Sun Renluan wanted the Northern King to submit but he didn’t want to deploy troops.

Jinling couldn’t afford to lose even 10,000 soldiers without risking some trouble, so he had no intention of sending people to fight the Xianbei. However, he knew that Xiao Rong wouldn’t agree to this. So, according to his plan, he intended to send out 3,000 men to transport provisions for the Northern Army.

The first batch of provisions would come from Jinling, and after that, they would only be responsible for transport, not for supplying.

When Xiao Rong heard this, he immediately got agitated. He loudly declared that what the Northern Army lacked was manpower, not provisions. Moreover, that little bit of grain wasn’t even enough for one day’s supply!

Upon hearing this, the old lords were also displeased. Jinling also had an army to feed, and this was all they could send. Surely they couldn’t neglect the Emperor troops guarding the capital just to favor the Northern Army? They thought Xiao Rong was utterly ungrateful.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He bit his teeth and glared at this group of old lords, who were sitting comfortably with no care for the difficulties. After a long while, he firmly declared that if this was Jinling’s attitude, then the Northern Army would no longer need the court’s assistance in the war against the Xianbei. No matter how hard the battle, they would bring down the Murong tribe. When the battle was over, they would remember those who helped them, and they would definitely remember those who had kicked them while they were down.

Old lords: “…”

How dare you threaten us?!

Of course, Xiao Rong dared. He coldly smirked at them, and it was at this moment that they finally realized that he was the Northern King’s strategist. His stance essentially represented the Northern King’s. Once he went back and whispered a few words to the Northern King, Jinling could be in grave danger.

The fear from the time the Northern King moved the capital resurfaced, and they panicked. Their first reaction was to look at Sun Renluan.

Sun Renluan pursed his lips but didn’t leave them unattended. With a rational attitude, he personally began negotiating with Xiao Rong. Seeing Sun Renluan being courteous, Xiao Rong’s expression softened somewhat.

The others didn’t dare interrupt anymore, and in the back-and-forth discussions, Xiao Rong finally relented a bit. He stated that if Jinling was truly unwilling to deploy troops, then they should provide enough grain to feed 100,000 soldiers for a month. They were already willing to submit to the court, but if the court couldn’t protect them, why should they devote themselves entirely to its service?

Sun Renluan was so furious at Xiao Rong’s exorbitant demands that his heart ached. It wasn’t that he couldn’t come up with that amount of grain, but how could he possibly provide for the Northern Army? That would be like raising a tiger and inviting trouble!

As Sun Renluan contemplated whether to end this pointless dispute and postpone the discussion, he heard Xiao Rong change his tone. If the court was unwilling to provide the grain, they could convert it into silver. However, the grain north of the Huai River was more expensive, so if they converted it to silver, the amount would have to be doubled.

Old lords: “…”

You’re going too far!

However, they didn’t notice that Sun Renluan’s expression had subtly changed. People, provisions, and money—this was the order of importance in Sun Renluan’s mind. He would never give away people, and he could only provide a limited amount of grain, but money…

Doubling the amount was out of the question, and giving it all was impossible, but he could give a bit more than the grain.

This idea wasn’t without merit. In times of chaos, money was the least valuable resource. However, what Sun Renluan didn’t know was that the thing Xiao Rong lacked most at the moment was money. With money, he could weather this difficult period. With money, he could immediately begin fortifying the city’s defenses upon his return.

A new round of haggling began, with neither Xiao Rong nor Sun Renluan willing to back down. In the end, Sun Renluan agreed to provide 50,000 taels of gold, but not all at once. He would give 20,000 taels first, another 20,000 once the Northern Army set out, and the remaining 10,000 later when he could gather it.

This arrangement was essentially a way to let the last 10,000 taels disappear, and perhaps even the 20,000 promised after deployment mightn’t come through.

Still, even just 20,000 was a huge amount to Xiao Rong in his current situation, and although his face showed reluctant agreement, he was practically laughing inside.

It was well-known that Sun Renluan was a man of integrity, and once he made a promise, he wouldn’t go back on it. Sun Renluan assured him that the items would be sent over soon, including the things Xiao Rong had requested earlier.

He didn’t say it explicitly, but Xiao Rong knew that he was referring to the letter of military mobilization for Huang Yanjiong. Sun Renluan was using this gesture to remind Xiao Rong that they were partners, that he trusted Xiao Rong’s words, and had entrusted the matter to him. Given Sun Renluan’s sincerity, Xiao Rong should do his utmost in return.

Xiao Rong expressed his deep gratitude, showing no sign of his earlier ferocity.

At this point, it seemed the negotiation was over, and Xiao Rong was about to take his leave when Sun Renluan suddenly stopped him, inviting him to attend a banquet that evening.

Xiao Rong was taken aback.

He had been here for several days and had never attended any banquets because he came without an invitation. The people of Jinling looked down on him and didn’t want to throw a welcome banquet for him. Now that they suddenly wanted to host one, Xiao Rong couldn’t understand Sun Renluan’s intentions.

In any case, since the host had invited him, he had to accept the invitation. After all, he had been quite active earlier, and it was too late to pretend to be ill.

When he agreed, Sun Renluan nodded and allowed him to leave early.

After returning to his residence, Xiao Rong thought for a long time about why Sun Renluan suddenly wanted to host a banquet for him. Could it be because they had just reached a cooperation agreement, so out of courtesy and reason, Sun Renluan wanted to thank him?

It seemed somewhat reasonable, but also felt unreasonable. Normally, wouldn’t he have been invited to a banquet when they were planning the cooperation? He had expressed his intention to cooperate with Sun Renluan the very next day after arriving here. Sun Renluan was interested, yet he never mentioned inviting him to a meal.

Xiao Rong had a filter for Sun Renluan. He always felt that Sun Renluan wouldn’t do something as extreme as killing someone or seizing goods. Setting up a trap at a banquet to take his life seemed absurd. Sun Renluan’s character was too noble. He was clearly the type of person who couldn’t be bothered with social obligations.

There was something unusual about this, but Xiao Rong couldn’t figure out if the abnormality was dangerous. Whenever this happened, he became frustrated. He could use cheating methods to predict whether things would be unfavorable for Qu Yunmie, but he couldn’t calculate if they would be unfavorable for himself.

After hesitating for an entire afternoon, he eventually decided to attend the banquet. Zhang Biezhi had been out all day. According to Xiao Rong’s request, he had hired more than forty foreign people. When these foreigners entered the guest residence, they almost scared the servants into fainting.

As usual, Xiao Rong left Zhang Biezhi and the others behind to watch over the foreigners. He, along with Ah Shu and the remaining guards, went to the palace. Since this was a meal and drinking event, Ah Shu could follow him inside. He obediently sat to the side while Xiao Rong and the others exchanged cups.

However, Xiao Rong declined and said that he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t handle alcohol, so he didn’t drink much. If someone insisted, he would lower his head, pinch his forehead, and make others feel too embarrassed to push him further.

Ah Shu was very helpful, secretly pouring the wine out while pretending that Xiao Rong had already drunk a lot.

This kind of situation was very unfamiliar to Ah Shu, so unfamiliar that it didn’t scare him. He focused solely on serving Xiao Rong. Because of this, when Xiao Rong’s body stiffened, he was the first to notice.

He looked at Xiao Rong in confusion. “Master?”

He understood.

He realized what the banquet was about. It wasn’t Sun Renluan who wanted to invite him, it was someone else who wanted to invite him, so they persuaded Sun Renluan to invite him on their behalf.

If he hadn’t seen the dancer at the banquet and heard people laughing and praising her as a rare beauty in Jinling, he wouldn’t have known that the trap was set right there.

The dancer’s name was Xizhu, and Xiao Rong knew her name because she was the only famous female assassin from the Yong Dynasty.

Her most famous act was helping Sun Shanlu, disguising herself as an ordinary dancer to approach Sun Renluan, and then stabbing him to death with a single sword.

Xiao Rong was both shocked and terrified because, according to history, she was clearly a person of Sun Shanlu, yet just now, it was the Prime Minister, Yang Zangyi, who had praised her!

He couldn’t help but curse inwardly. So Yang Zangyi and Sun Shanlu were in cahoots? No, if they were working together, why would they invite him today? Even if they wanted to kill Sun Renluan today, there was no need to make him a spectator. So, they weren’t working together, but they must have some connection. One was the Prime Minister, and the other was the Empress Dowager. What kind of connection could they have?

– TanEr?

Xiao Rong was drenched in cold sweat. This was a big scandal that hadn’t even been recorded in the history books. After thinking it through, it all made sense. How could Sun Shanlu, with her intelligence, keep several months worth of male lovers without anyone noticing? It was because Yang Zangyi was covering for her. How did a woman from the palace suddenly meet such true love? It was because Yang Zangyi understood her, so he tailored a true love just for her.

Through this true love, the conflict between the Sun siblings would escalate, and Sun Shanlu, listening to whispers by her bedside, would be more willing to kill.

However, the premise was that their true love couldn’t fail.

Because Xiao Rong had made a clever move that made Sun Renluan discover Dowager’s love earlier, her true love was now imprisoned, and Sun Shanlu had been detained. A good hand had turned into a wasted one. As someone who used poison, turned the two siblings against each other, and made the sister take on the blood debt of killing her brother, Yang Zangyi—could he let Xiao Rong go, someone who had ruined his hard work?

Xiao Rong’s mind raced. The more anxious he became, the faster his thoughts flowed. Yang Zangyi wasn’t Sun Shanlu. He wouldn’t let this female assassin act during the banquet. If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to explain it to Qu Yunmie or to Sun Renluan. However, he could use other means to get this assassin near him. After all, assassins didn’t necessarily need to kill with a sword. Poison or disguising it as an accident would work too.

Once he thought about it that way, Xiao Rong relaxed a little. As long as they didn’t act immediately, he could find a way to escape.

Xiao Rong calmly took a sip of wine while still thinking about how unlucky he was. Yang Zangyi’s desire for revenge was too strong. He had only indirectly caused TanEr’s imprisonment, so why did Yang Zangyi send this assassin to kill him? Why not leave such an important person for Sun Renluan?

No matter how puzzled he was, no one was going to explain it to him. Yang Zangyi was still chatting and laughing with Sun Renluan. After a while, he turned the topic to Xiao Rong, generously stating that since Xiao Rong was a guest, all the dancers at the banquet would be sent to him for his enjoyment.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Thanks, but I’m not that lucky.

He smiled faintly, stood up to thank Yang Zangyi, and when he sat down again, he called to the confused Ah Shu.

Ah Shu looked at him, and Xiao Rong smiled, closing his clothes neatly from left to right.

Ah Shu face changed instantly as he realized he hadn’t controlled his expression. He hurriedly lowered his head and, trembling, said to Xiao Rong, “Master, I need to use the restroom.”

Xiao Rong replied, “Go ahead.”

Ah Shu’s mental composure still needed work.

The banquet grew more lively, and after Ah Shu went out for a while, he quickly returned, so no one noticed anything unusual.

When the banquet finally ended, Xiao Rong allowed Ah Shu to support him, looking as though he was heavily drunk, and the dancers that Yang Zangyi had given him obediently followed behind him.

Yang Zangyi hadn’t left. He watched as Xiao Rong left with the dancers, then lowered his eyes and took another sip of wine.

On the way out of the palace, Ah Shu tightly supported Xiao Rong, while the dancers behind him tried to reach out, only to be scolded by him. Since they were in the palace, they had no choice but to comply.

Once they left the palace, dozens of people rushed toward them, with Zhang Biezhi, who should have been guarding the guest residence, charging to the front. He immediately carried Xiao Rong on his back, shouting, “I’ll take him back first, you all hurry and follow!”

The guards and Ah Shu followed closely, while the dancers stood dumbfounded behind, not understanding what was going on.

They were separated by the guards and were a few yards away from Xiao Rong. After running a certain distance, when they were far enough from the palace, suddenly, Zhang Biezhi heard Xiao Rong speak calmly from his back, “Put me down, knock them all unconscious, and kill anyone who dares to fight back.”

Real dancers would never dare to fight soldiers. Although Xiao Rong only knew one dancer named Xizhu, who could guarantee that Xizhu didn’t have colleagues?

Zhang Biezhi immediately stopped, straightened up, put Xiao Rong down, and in the next moment, he drew his sword and rushed toward the back.

Seeing him make a move, the others changed their impatient expressions and became ruthless killers. Xiao Rong urgently shouted, “Knock them out! Not kill them!”

Everyone: “Yes!”

To Xiao Rong’s surprise, not only did Xizhu not resist, but neither did the others. Perhaps they didn’t react quickly enough, but Xiao Rong furrowed his brow and walked up quickly.

He didn’t get too close but squinted at the group’s figures. Finally, with his sharp eyes, he identified the best-looking woman. He pointed at her and said, “Turn her over and search her!”

Search for weapons first. If any are found, have her hold them. If none are found… just give her a weapon to hold.

In any case, they had to stand on the moral high ground!

The head of the guards followed the order, but before Xiao Rong could consider which weapon would be more suitable to replace, Xizhu suddenly sprang up from the ground, holding a short blade. The head of the guards was startled, and in a reflex, he swung his sword and killed her.

Xiao Rong: “…”

The head of the guards: “…”

The head of the guards looked like he had made a mistake. He cautiously looked at Xiao Rong, who was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Don’t just stand there. Clean everything up. Take everything we need and we’ll leave tonight!”

After speaking, Xiao Rong walked over to Xizhu and looked at the beautiful woman. He tilted his head, then squatted down and pulled a hairpin from her head.

After carefully putting the hairpin away, Xiao Rong turned to Zhang Biezhi and said, “Don’t go back yet. You have another task.”

Zhang Biezhi looked at him with sharp eyes, looking very reliable.

Xiao Rong smiled slightly and asked, “Have you ever worked with bandits?”

Zhang Biezhi: “???”

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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