Xiao Rong: “…”

Song Shuo grinned cheekily. “Money moves people’s hearts. Without the ten thousand gold, these scholars would just be a bit jealous, nothing too serious. Since you’ve used ten thousand gold as a prize, the existing jealousy and resentment will only grow. Do you understand that no matter who you pick as the leader, three days later, you’ll be collecting his body?”

Xiao Rong was shocked. “They would dare to kill someone?!”

Song Shuo replied, “What’s there to be afraid of? Who do you think the assassins from Qingfeng Sect are being supported by?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He wasn’t sure if Song Shuo was exaggerating, but there was some truth in what he said. This was an unprecedented situation, and even Xiao Rong, the initiator, couldn’t be sure how it would develop. If he couldn’t make these scholars happy, this literary collection, originally meant to attract scholars, might end up humiliating them. That would truly be counterproductive.

Xiao Rong fell into deep thought, while Song Shuo lowered his head and continued to read the essays submitted by the scholars.

These essays were being reviewed by Song Shuo, Yu Shaoxie, and occasionally Gao Xunzhi, who were picking out the well-written ones to showcase.

The first question still allowed answers even after it was posted. More scholars were submitting their responses, and the notice board in the square had added a special section to display the first question.

Song Shuo was clearly more interested in the first question’s philosophical dilemma. He took charge of reviewing it, leaving the second question to Yu Shaoxie.

Speaking of which, although Song Shuo could be talkative and annoying, his work efficiency was high. He could quickly get to grips with anything and spot where things were lacking. He could even review an essay in a minute and give it a grade. If Xiao Rong asked where the essay had flaws, Song Shuo could pinpoint them clearly, and it was obvious that he had actually memorized them.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He felt a bit discouraged.

This was true genius, he thought. He only looked at more essays than others.

With a silent sigh, Xiao Rong stared out the window, then felt his shoulder become heavier.

Song Shuo, without any restraint, leaned on his shoulder. Xiao Rong had just been marveling at his intelligence, but now he started to complain about his shamelessness.

Suddenly, Xiao Rong let his shoulder sag. Song Shuo, unprepared, smacked his head against it.

The next second, Song Shuo angrily jumped up. “What’s the big deal with just leaning for a second? Why are you so petty!”

Xiao Rong laughed in anger. “This is petty? I never let anyone lean on me!”

Song Shuo said, “Then why is it okay for the King?!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He was about to ask when the King had ever leaned on him, but he remembered that on the day they escaped from Jinling, the King had indeed leaned on him for a moment. Song Shuo had seen it.

Xiao Rong gritted his teeth. Damn you, Song Shuo. Why do you have such a good memory?

＊

The first question was an enduring philosophical problem. Xiao Rong adapted the Ship of Theseus and made a version of it based on the Central Plains.

A fishing boat had been passed down through ten generations in a family. The owner had been repairing it over time, replacing damaged parts with new planks. After ten generations, not a single plank of the boat was from the original. Was it still the same fishing boat?

…

In Xiao Rong’s view, this was a matter of perspective. Either answer could be correct. People had been discussing this question for centuries, each trying to convince the other but never succeeding. Xiao Rong wasn’t interested in solving the philosophical problem. He just wanted to see the personal thoughts of the scholars as they argued over it.

This kind of question couldn’t be answered solely by quoting ancient sayings or examples. If you wanted to convince others, you had to present your own view.

The more flexible a mind was, the further it could extend its thoughts. Those who clung stubbornly to one answer couldn’t say much.

What the Northern Army needed were such flexible minds. If someone answered the first question in a flexible way and also conformed to the mainstream thinking of the Central Plains, Xiao Rong would remember their name and personally visit them, hoping to recruit them into the Northern Army.

The third question didn’t matter as much, it was just to weed out the people who didn’t fit.

Xiao Rong was so focused on recruiting talent, he didn’t realize that the first question was about to cause a huge stir outside.

Compared to the first question, the second was so conventional that it was almost boring. The first question, however, was new and fresh, like something never seen before, and it was stumping everyone.

As they racked their brains trying to answer, they were all dying to know who had come up with this question.

At this moment, it was time for Yu Shaoxie to step in. He knew many of the people participating in the literary collection, and whenever they visited, he welcomed them all, meeting even more people. Xiao Rong didn’t make an appearance, so the Chancellor’s men couldn’t get to him. Naturally, they had to ask Yu Shaoxie for information. Yu Shaoxie smiled faintly and told them the question’s creator didn’t want their name revealed, so they shouldn’t ask anymore.

Not all scholars were friendly. Someone sarcastically asked, “Is it that you don’t want to reveal the name, or do you look down on us and don’t want to tell us?”

This taunt didn’t work on Yu Shaoxie. No matter what they said, he only gave one reply: “I cannot reveal it.”

Yu Shaoxie appeared calm and mysterious in front of others, but once he was back at the palace, he eagerly asked Xiao Rong who had given him this question and if that teacher was still alive.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He’s been dead for more than three hundred years.

This couldn’t be revealed, or Yu Shaoxie would think Xiao Rong was some kind of demon. Xiao Rong could tell him that the question had been proposed by someone from a different ethnicity, and he wasn’t the first person to raise it. This question had been around for a long time, but because of geographical barriers, it hadn’t spread to the Central Plains. Xiao Rong was just helping to spread it.

Yu Shaoxie looked shocked. He had never thought that people from other ethnic groups could be so intelligent. This was a common misconception—despite the fact that the Yong Dynasty had been forced south by the Huhar people, many still looked down on them, seeing them as mere brutes, no different from animals in human skin.

Despising the enemy is always a mistake on the battlefield. Only by knowing both yourself and your opponent can you win every battle. Fortunately, some people were starting to change their thinking. At least Yu Shaoxie was deep in thought now.

Song Shuo glanced at Yu Shaoxie and then curled his lip.

So, non-Han people weren’t even human anymore? What’s the big deal? It was annoying how Xiao Rong was so calm around Yu Shaoxie but couldn’t stand him when it came to himself.

It’s really annoying. This older brother was annoying, and so was the younger one.

Compared to the younger one, the older brother was a little better. The younger one was a bit fierce.

It wasn’t like the King’s fierceness. The King might be fierce, but he made sense. Yu Shaoxie, though, gave Song Shuo the impression that once he exploded, he wouldn’t care about reason anymore. That was dangerous, and Song Shuo needed to keep his distance.

Although he thought this, Song Shuo knew he had no concrete evidence. Moreover, unlike Qu Yunmie, he wasn’t someone who acted purely on instinct. His instincts weren’t always right.

So, Song Shuo relaxed, stopped thinking about the brothers, and picked up another good essay. He put it in the “keep” pile.

*

Along with the first question, a new public notice was added to the city’s announcement boards, a formal document personally written by Young Master Xiao. It stated that there were still many vacant houses in Chenliu City, and the government was now renting and selling them. Interested individuals could directly go to the government office for more details, and if they signed a contract within the month, they could receive some complimentary furniture.

When Xiao Rong had told Sun Renluan that there were many carpenters in the Northern Border Army, he wasn’t lying. Indeed, many members of the Northern Border Army had learned woodworking. There was no choice, Young Master Xiao almost had them create something new every day, and after practicing for a long time, everyone became skilled.

When Baibao Street opened, Xiao Rong had ordered a large batch of tables and chairs. The better ones were sent to the stores, and the less perfect ones were kept as free gifts. Though they had some imperfections, they were still fully functional.

People still didn’t know that the owner of the theater was Young Master Xiao, but the manager had already mentioned during the first act that their play “The Return of the Corpse” had a total of thirteen acts, which would run until the end of the year. The first three acts were released all at once because Baibao Street had just opened, and the theater wanted to support the Northern King’s call. From then on, a new act would be released every half month.

This news was like a thunderclap. It would take half a year to see the whole play, but their hometown was in the south, and they couldn’t keep traveling back and forth every half month.

At that moment, some people started thinking about renting houses, as it was only for half a year, and those with some savings could afford it.

However, after inquiring at the government office, they fell silent.

A regular house near Baibao Street could be rented for at least three months, with a monthly rent of five silver ingots.

But if they bought the house outright, it would only cost ten silver ingots.

“…”

To watch the play, they would already have to rent for more than five months, which would amount to more than ten silver ingots. It was cheaper to just buy the house! After buying it, they wouldn’t need to stay at an inn when they came to Chenliu to watch the play.

Ten silver ingots was affordable even for scholars who weren’t from rich families. Moreover, not everyone was renting for the play. Many came to see the books in the library. Recently, people had started donating books, and seeing their names on the library’s wall greatly satisfied their vanity. Even though they didn’t donate rare books, the Northern Border Army was generous enough to put their names up.

With one person donating, others followed suit, and the library’s collection grew. Meanwhile, in places they couldn’t see, the carpenters carving wood were working so hard that they were almost creating sparks. Some questioned why the repeated books looked exactly the same, but for scholars, it didn’t seem like an important issue, so no large-scale discussions took place.

There was no curfew at Baibao Street. After staying up all night and queuing for a spot, Zhao Xingzong finally saw the first act of the play.

That night, he couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because he had stayed up on purpose, but because he was simply angry. How could such a good father be killed off at the start?

On the first day, Zhao Xingzong got up with a face that looked almost dead, grabbed his savings, and went to the government office to buy a house.

He had figured it out. Getting angry was useless. As an audience member, no matter what he said, the theater wouldn’t take him seriously. Baibao Street was run by the Northern King, and the theater occupied the best spot in the area. Moreover, they didn’t worry at all about the audience causing trouble. Other shops would apologize if customers got upset, and if things got out of hand, they’d call the manager. However, the theater never did that, and the manager even occasionally came over to ask if they needed anything.

Such boldness must have someone backing it, and who else in Chenliu could support such a small theater? It must be the Northern King or someone close to him.

So he decided. If he couldn’t beat them, he would join them. Sooner or later, he would figure out who wrote this play and, more importantly, he wanted to know the ending six months in advance!

…

After successfully obtaining the deed to the house and decisively replacing his own document with the one issued by the Chenliu government, Zhao Xingzong immediately went to find someone to introduce him. He didn’t know how many connections he had to go through, but finally, Yu Shaoxie heard about him.

Zhao Xingzong didn’t have a noteworthy resume, but he was the first scholar in recent days to actively join the Northern Army.

Yu Shaoxie looked through the first article he had written and thought it was okay. As for the first article, Song Shuo, with his personality… Yu Shaoxie hesitated, but didn’t ask him for it.

Taking the article, Yu Shaoxie mentioned Zhao Xingzong to Xiao Rong, who smiled when he heard the name. “Xingzong, why not call him Yaozu?”

At that moment, Xiao Rong suddenly froze.

He didn’t remember Zhao Xingzong, but he seemed to have heard of Zhao Yaozu, as he was a philosopher of this era. Political textbooks mentioned him, but only university philosophy students delved deeply into his theories.

Those who studied ancient philosophy were often tortured by his work. Xiao Rong had seen many posts from seniors in forums when it was time for the first retake exam. Several of the posts had titles like: Zhao Yaozu! I stole AD calcium to nourish you! Please let me pass!

…

Was it this person?

Xiao Rong couldn’t be sure, but whether it was or not, it didn’t seem to matter. A future philosopher? It didn’t matter. In the end, once the world was in Qu Yunmie’s hands, Zhao Xingzong would still be in the Northern Army’s grasp.

Thinking this, Xiao Rong nonchalantly told Yu Shaoxie, “You decide. If you think he’s good, give him a position. If you think he’s not, then give him a lesser one. After all, he’s the first one to join, we can’t turn him down.”

Yu Shaoxie smiled but thought to himself, since Xiao Rong didn’t show enthusiasm toward the person, it meant Zhao Xingzong was mediocre. Though he didn’t know how Xiao Rong had judged, his judgment in these matters had always been accurate.

So, he decided to arrange a random position for Zhao Xingzong. Whether he could rise up depended on his own abilities.

However, just as Yu Shaoxie was about to leave, Xiao Rong, who had been fine until that moment, suddenly became unsteady. He froze for a moment, then suddenly stood up. Before he could ask where the King was, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, fainting.

…

About a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Rong opened his eyes in confusion. Yu Shaoxie, Gao Xunzhi, and Qu Yunmie, who had rushed over, were all present.

Gao Xunzhi anxiously said, “Little Rong, have you been overworked lately? Why are you getting sick again? I told you, you should—”

While he rambled on, Xiao Rong finally came to his senses. He quickly sat up, shoved the nagging Gao Xunzhi aside, and grabbed Qu Yunmie’s clothes, almost in panic, asking, “What did you do? What did you do?!”

The last time he fainted was because Qu Yunmie had killed the Governor of Jinning. That incident made him go through all this trouble to organize this literary competition. If this happened again, he might die from exhaustion!

Qu Yunmie looked at him in surprise, trying to think of anything he had done, but then said, “I didn’t do anything. I did nothing.”

Qu Yunmie didn’t seem to be lying. For him, if he caused trouble, it was usually because he wanted to kill someone or actually did kill someone.

Recently, no one had offended him, and if he had killed someone, he wouldn’t have been able to hide it. So, it probably wasn’t him.

If it wasn’t him, then someone else must have tricked Qu Yunmie again… but there was another possibility.

Xiao Rong sucked in a cold breath, immediately released Qu Yunmie, and grabbed Yu Shaoxie’s clothes. “Zhao Yaozu, I want to see Zhao Yaozu!”

Everyone looked at Yu Shaoxie, who stared blankly at Xiao Rong. “Who is Zhao Yaozu?”

Xiao Rong froze for a moment, then corrected himself. “Zhao Gongzong, I want to see Zhao Gongzong!”

Yu Shaoxie blinked: “…”

His name was Zhao Xingzong.

Perhaps you should rest first!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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