Upon hearing Qu Yunmie’s question, Gao Xunzhi immediately turned his head and glared at him.

However, just as things quieted down, trouble sprang up elsewhere. Behind him, Madam Chen’s cheerful voice rang out again. “I can’t meddle in official matters, but as for family affairs, I alone can make the decisions!”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

Could she stop adding to the chaos already?

Madam Chen was already a headache when she was confused, but unexpectedly, she was even more destructive when clear-headed. Gao Xunzhi was completely thrown off. Fortunately, at that moment, Xiao Rong and the others arrived.

The door was open, so Xiao Rong stepped right in and asked, puzzled, “What is it that my grandmother is deciding on?”

If Xiao Rong had come in alone, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so bad. However Xiao Yi, two maidservants, and even Song Shuo—whom Gao Xunzhi had only met once—had all followed in. Gao Xunzhi nearly had a heart attack.

Madam Chen mightn’t have meant what she said, but outsiders would certainly take it that way.

This was a time when men cared even more about their reputation than women. There were plenty of men who’d throw themselves into a lake if their reputation got tarnished. Although Xiao Rong wasn’t that fragile, no one liked being tangled up in such gossip.

Gao Xunzhi practically pounced like a starving tiger, using agility that didn’t match his age to lunge toward Madam Chen. Yet before he could stop her from speaking, Madam Chen caught sight of Xiao Rong’s face, and immediately embraced him with tears. “Little Rong—if something happened to you, how could your grandmother go on living!”

Xiao Rong didn’t respond to her right away. Instead, he glared angrily at Song Shuo.

Song Shuo shrank back, knowing he was in the wrong, and dared not speak in his own defense.

Xiao Rong comforted the old lady with a few words, but to little effect. In the end, it was Xiao Yi who stepped forward and brought up their long-passed family members to distract her. Her forgetfulness was a blessing—no matter how terrifying something was, she couldn’t retain it for long. Soon she returned to normal and followed Xiao Yi out.

Song Shuo didn’t dare linger either. Now that they had found the Old Madam, he didn’t want to stay and irritate Xiao Rong. Once he left, only Xiao Rong, Qu Yunmie, and Gao Xunzhi remained in the room.

Xiao Rong watched everyone leave, then turned and asked the two of them, “What decision was being made?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

He thought Xiao Rong had forgotten.

Gao Xunzhi couldn’t bring himself to say it, but that rascal Qu Yunmie could. He said it casually, without a care. “The old madam said that a life-saving grace should be repaid a thousandfold. Since the Xiao family couldn’t produce anything valuable, she decided to repay me with you.”

Gao Xunzhi, upon hearing that, completely gave up on Qu Yunmie. No wonder Rong always scolded him—he brought it on himself.

Gao Xunzhi thought Xiao Rong would be furious. Any man would be, hearing something like that. Despite this, not only did Xiao Rong not get angry, he even chuckled and sat down on a chair. “Your Highness, even if my grandmother were confused, she wouldn’t say something like that. What exactly did she say?”

Qu Yunmie opened his mouth, but Gao Xunzhi cut in before he could speak. “Don’t be angry, Rong. The old madam was out of her mind—she even forgot whether you’re a man or a woman. What she said was she’d give you to His Highness. She probably thought you were a lady.”

Xiao Rong, hearing this, turned to look at Qu Yunmie. Qu Yunmie met his gaze calmly, as if waiting for him to show some embarrassment.

Xiao Rong was silent for a moment, then let out a light laugh. “Whether a lady or a gentleman, what difference does it make? Given my current status, haven’t I already been given to His Highness?”

Day and night, racking his brains for this big idiot—what lady had a fate as bitter as his?

Qu Yunmie stared at him for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing, clearly delighted. “Great minds think alike. I was just thinking the same!”

Xiao Rong rolled his eyes internally, but outwardly only curved his lips slightly. He stood up and said farewell to the two of them. “Then I’ll take my leave. Chancellor, I’ll visit you tonight—we still need to discuss how to use that money.”

Qu Yunmie asked, “Should I be there too?”

Xiao Rong walked toward the door, waving a hand. “No need. Tonight it’s just the Chancellor and me. No one else will be present.”

Upon hearing that, Qu Yunmie immediately understood and relaxed back into his seat.

Others might mind not being part of strategic planning, so when others were present, he had to attend too. With Xiao Rong and Gao Xunzhi—his most trusted and familiar people—it didn’t matter whether he joined or not. He didn’t need to worry about what decisions they made.

Just like that, Qu Yunmie had his night free. Since he was injured and couldn’t drink or go to the training grounds to loosen up, he began thinking about what else he could do that night.

What he didn’t realize was that Gao Xunzhi was still sitting in the room, staring at him with a very odd expression for quite a while.

…Hmm.

In just a few days, Rong and His Highness seemed to have gotten much closer.

Or maybe they’d always been like this, and he just hadn’t noticed until now?

Whatever the case… it was a good thing they were close. This way, he wouldn’t always be on edge, afraid that one day he’d wake up and find that Rong had been scared off by Qu Yunmie.

＊

After returning to his residence, Xiao Rong summoned Xiao Yi to ask about those maidservants. Gao Xunzhi had bought four for Madam Chen in one go—two personal ones and two for chores. Even modestly wealthy families didn’t have that many. Xiao Yi, however, was quite satisfied.

The King of the North’s manor was special. All the busybody servants were soldiers drawn from the Northern Army. Too many maidservants would just be troublesome. These four were carefully selected by Gao Xunzhi. He had only two requirements: quick hands and honest hearts.

After all, the entire manor was full of bachelors… not to mention the most attractive of them all, Xiao Rong. Every time he went to town, heads turned. If he didn’t always drag the King along, the place would be drowning in handkerchiefs and sachets.

Xiao Rong was too good-looking—so much so that it backfired. Girls might secretly throw him handkerchiefs, but they didn’t dare talk to him. People pursued beauty, sure—but few had the guts to chase after an unearthly beauty.

Still, apart from Xiao Rong, the manor also housed the two Yu brothers, the occasionally present Zhang Biezhi, the wandering monk, and now Song Shuo.

If the new maidservants weren’t well-behaved, Gao Xunzhi couldn’t even imagine what a mess that would be.

Oh, and there was the King too—but he didn’t count. Ever since he turned sixteen and suddenly shot up to eight feet tall, Gao Xunzhi hadn’t seen a single woman show the slightest interest in him. At least before, some women would talk to him—granted, mostly begging him to save their lives—but at least that was some kind of interaction.

Now, aside from the tribal women of Butewu, no woman dared even look him in the eye.

Honestly, most men didn’t dare either. They avoided eye contact with Qu Yunmie as much as possible—it was just that Gao Xunzhi hadn’t paid attention.

…

Listening to Xiao Yi repeat Gao Xunzhi’s concerns, Xiao Rong felt an oncoming headache.

Why was Gao Xunzhi talking about this with Xiao Yi anyway? Xiao Yi was still a young boy, still learning and striving.

Was all this strict vigilance even necessary? The maidservants weren’t spies. As long as they were from decent families and genuinely liked someone, it wasn’t a big deal to marry them off.

Of course, the main reason was that there really were too many bachelors in the Northern Army. Although their average age seemed young from a modern perspective, by ancient standards, they were all considered over-aged single men.

Married men were more steady and less likely to stir up trouble behind the scenes—just like Zhang Biezhi. The reason he behaved so recklessly now was precisely because he had no concerns or responsibilities. Others were always cleaning up after him, and he never had to worry about anyone else’s safety.

Let him get married and start a family—then we’d see if he still dared to be so reckless.

That being said, Zhang Biezhi was still too foolish right now. Forcing him to marry was like pushing a girl into a fire pit. Better to wait a few more years.

Zhang Biezhi could be put on hold, but Yu Shaoxie, Yu Shaocheng, and Song Shuo could be moved up the list. Especially Song Shuo—marrying him off to a wife from the Northern Army, considering his historical reputation as a loyal husband whose descendants all came from his legitimate wife, would basically tie him permanently to Chenliu.

Xiao Rong tapped his chin and smiled faintly into the air.

Xiao Yi thought, ‘What is big brother thinking? He looks kind of scary.’

＊

Gao Xunzhi was stunned for a moment when he heard Xiao Rong’s question before answering,
“Uh… the King’s relatives?”

He hesitated a bit and said, “Little Rong may not know this, but when Qu Yue—ah, I mean General Qu—left Liaodong Commandery back then, his family was either dead or had fled. He escaped with a group of strong young men from nearby villages. He didn’t have many relatives to begin with, and now it seems that only Qu Jin can be considered one.”

Xiao Rong had never heard of Qu Jin, and Qu Yunmie had never mentioned him, so he asked curiously, “Qu Jin is the King’s…?”

Gao Xunzhi replied, “They’re clan cousins, descended from the same mother four generations ago.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

That was quite distant.

Still, no matter how distant, once Qu Yunmie became emperor, that man would be the only remaining member of the royal clan. He’d have to be given a title no matter what—there was no one else left.

Xiao Rong asked again, “How old is Qu Jin?”

Gao Xunzhi said, “He’s twenty-two. He’s currently stationed at Yanmen Pass. Like the rest of the Qu family, Qu Jin inherited their bravery and martial skill. Under Wang Xinyong, he serves as Left Commandant and commands thirty thousand troops.”

Xiao Rong became thoughtful.

Wang Xinyong only commanded eighty thousand troops in total, making him the general with the fewest soldiers among the Northern Army’s top four. The Left Commandant was a position of real power, unlike a mere deputy general—he could counterbalance the commander to a certain extent, whether liked or not.

It seemed that Qu Yunmie did trust this relative, otherwise he wouldn’t have assigned him such a post.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Rong shook his head. Military affairs weren’t his responsibility, and there wasn’t much use in thinking about them. What he did know, though, was that his matchmaking plan has fallen through—there wasn’t even one suitable girl left in the Qu family.

When Gao Xunzhi found out what Xiao Rong was really trying to do and saw his disappointed expression, he couldn’t help but laugh in spite of himself. “Little Rong hasn’t even gotten married himself, and he’s already trying to arrange marriages for others. In my opinion, Little Rong should settle his own marriage first.”

Faced with this marriage urging, Xiao Rong effortlessly gave a practiced response. “Let the King get married first, then we’ll talk.”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

You think I don’t want that?

This depended on whether Qu Yunmie himself wanted it. Year after year had passed, and Qu Yunmie had gone from being a young general to a Northern King. Back then, it was just about a woman marrying a general—now it required choosing a queen.

Qu Yunmie disliked women from noble families, disliked nouveau riche, and just those two conditions eliminated ninety percent of candidates. Then you look at the rest of his preferences—he disliked beautiful women, disliked weak ones, disliked arrogant ones, stubborn ones, and slick, smooth-talking ones…

Gao Xunzhi sometimes suspected the prince was just hinting that—he didn’t like people at all.

…

It was an old, tired topic. Just thinking about it made Gao Xunzhi want to sigh. Before he could, he suddenly looked over at Xiao Rong across from him. The more he looked, the more puzzled he became.

“Little Rong, how is it that you get along with the King so calmly and harmoniously? According to the King’s preferences, you—”

He paused here, because Xiao Rong was squinting at him.

Gao Xunzhi continued, “You, Little Rong, happen to match the King’s preferences exactly. That’s why you two never argue, never lose your temper—a true pair of enlightened sovereign and wise minister!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

So even the Chancellor could lie through his teeth with a straight face.

He snorted, picked up a pair of scissors nearby, and trimmed the burnt wick from the candle. The flame flickered, casting sharp shadows and light.

“There’s no need to flatter me, Chancellor. I know very well—in the King’s eyes, I’m exactly the kind of person he despises. When I first arrived at Yanmen Commandery, the way he barged in so aggressively, it was clear he had come to kill me. If I hadn’t thought fast, you and I wouldn’t even have had a chance to meet.”

Xiao Rong rarely complained about Qu Yunmie in front of Gao Xunzhi, but now that he had, Gao Xunzhi couldn’t help but chuckle. “You can’t look at it that way. Because of his past, the King did have some bias against scholars and weaker people. It is precisely because of that, his current attitude toward you is even more valuable. It means he doesn’t admire your surface—he appreciates your inner self. Little Rong, have I ever thanked you? For being willing to come to the Northern Army, to stay by the King’s side, and not minding his stubborn and self-willed nature. To the King, ordinary subordinates aren’t enough to make him act this way. He’s a man who can be described as both overbearing and pure—he sees me as an Elder, Yuan Baifu as a brother, and you, Little Rong… he sees you as a true friend.”

Xiao Rong held the scissors, the candlelight casting warm shadows on his face. His eyes kept moving—glancing at Gao Xunzhi, then at the flame. After a moment, he said softly, “I also… consider him my friend.”

There was a slight pause in the middle of his sentence. Gao Xunzhi wasn’t sure whether he was hesitating or trying to choose words that would match his own. He lowered his eyes and smiled silently.

Ah, youth. Still full of spirit, still pondering how to define someone’s place in their life. When you got to his age, everyone became the same—if you got along, you stayed, if not, you parted. Each day that passed was like a gust of wind overhead. If it came, fine. If not, it didn’t matter. The wind didn’t care, and neither did those who’d never felt it.

Maybe Qu Yunmie would care about Xiao Rong’s answer. If he heard that one sentence, he might lose sleep over it tonight. He was that kind of boy—tough on the outside, sensitive underneath. However, Gao Xunzhi was the one sitting here. As someone who’d practically raised Qu Yunmie, he didn’t feel anything in particular hearing those words.

This was because people changed. Just like when he first arrived in the Northern Army, he hated the place. If not for having nowhere else to go, he never would’ve stayed. Yet in the end? He stayed for over twenty years, playing father, mother, and peacemaker between Li Xiuheng and the army. Everything of value in his life, he had left in this army.

It wasn’t a bad life. Bitter and sweet mixed together. Luckily, Xiao Rong was much more fortunate than he’d been. Over the past twenty years, Gao Xunzhi had carried the burden alone. Xiao Rong wouldn’t have to do that. He had help—from Yu Shaoxie to the Buddha’s Son, who would step in at critical moments, and from the King…

The King would walk with him all the way. Even if Xiao Rong tried to stop or turn back, the King would hold onto his hand tightly, stubborn and domineering, pushing him forward—until the end of their life.

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

None of this was something Qu Yunmie had ever said. It was just something Gao Xunzhi naturally believed, from what he knew of him.

Once the thought entered his mind, he suddenly froze.

He looked toward Xiao Rong instinctively, but Xiao Rong was already talking about his financial plans—his eyes growing brighter and brighter as he spoke. Finally, he smiled and asked, “Chancellor, what do you think?”

Gao Xunzhi stared at him blankly for a moment, then pulled a stiff smile onto his face. “Very good—let’s go with your plan, Little Rong.”

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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