Xiao Rong was very anxious, but the others didn’t understand why he was so anxious.

Yu Shaoxie turned his head to glance at Gao Xunzhi, who subtly nodded in response.

Yu Shaoxie understood. He shook Xiao Rong’s hand off his clothes and after pushing him away, he sat down beside him and gently asked, “Little Rong, is there something wrong with Zhao Xingzhong?”

Qu Yunmie, who had been completely caught off guard, suddenly turned his head upon hearing “Little Rong'” and stared intently at Yu Shaoxie.

…

At this moment, Xiao Rong had more or less come to his senses. He had been too anxious earlier and revealed some things he shouldn’t have. He stiffly looked at the three people, and gradually relaxed.

He acted as if it wasn’t a big deal and politely said to the other two, “Your Majesty, Chancellor Gao, may I have a private conversation with Brother Yu?”

Qu Yunmie immediately raised an eyebrow, about to ask what kind of conversation needed to be had behind the king’s back.

However, Gao Xunzhi was quick to pull him back. Gao Xunzhi smiled at Xiao Rong. “Of course, we will leave first. Little Rong, remember to rest and not talk too much.”

After that, he pushed the unwilling Qu Yunmie out of the room. Once they were outside, he even helped close the door. Qu Yunmie, feeling uncomfortable with Gao Xunzhi’s actions, muttered, “I didn’t say I wanted to leave.”

Gao Xunzhi shut the door and turned around, speaking with a hint of reproach, “What do you want to do? Are you trying to block Little Rong’s view inside?”

Qu Yunmie didn’t respond but stood there with his arms crossed, silent. After a while, he coldly asked Gao Xunzhi, “What are they talking about?”

Gao Xunzhi replied, “I don’t know.”

The surrounding atmosphere fell quiet again, but it didn’t last long.

Qu Yunmie couldn’t hold it in any longer and said, “Did you hear him call Xiao Rong something just now?”

Gao Xunzhi stared at him: “…”

“What does it have to do with you?!”

＊

Inside, Xiao Rong calmly explained, “I suddenly remembered, I’ve heard the name Zhao Xingzhong before.”

Yu Shaoxie asked, “Really?”

Xiao Rong nodded, though he had just called him Zhao Yaozu and Zhao Xingzong, but never Zhao Xingzhong.

Feeling that Yu Shaoxie didn’t quite believe him, Xiao Rong continued, “It was quite a few years ago when I heard the name. I’m not sure if they’re the same person. Why don’t you tell me more about him, Brother Yu?”

Yu Shaoxie blinked and, before Xiao Rong could get too suspicious, he sighed and nodded. “Alright.”

…

There wasn’t much to say because Zhao Xingzong was as clean as a blank sheet of paper—there was nothing suspicious in his family background or resume. The more Xiao Rong heard, the more anxious he became.

This was because he couldn’t imagine how Zhao Xingzhong could influence Qu Yunmie’s destiny in any way.

Yu Shaoxie finished speaking, but Xiao Rong remained distracted. Not knowing how to comfort him, Yu Shaoxie stopped talking. Xiao Rong, sensing the silence, raised his head, thanked Yu Shaoxie, and asked him not to worry about Zhao Xingzhong for now. He would have him brought over when he felt better.

Yu Shaoxie nodded and left.

However, as soon as he opened the door, he saw two people standing outside—both Qu Yunmie and Gao Xunzhi hadn’t left.

Yu Shaoxie closed the door again and greeted the two. Qu Yunmie frowned and scrutinized him, as though trying to figure something out.

Qu Yunmie asked, “How is he?”

Yu Shaoxie replied, “He’s still a bit weak. In my opinion, no one should disturb him for the next couple of days—”

Before he could finish, Qu Yunmie turned and pushed the door open.

Yu Shaoxie: “…”

Well, it’s not the first time the King hasn’t listened to him.

He sighed silently, turned to face Gao Xunzhi, and spoke, “Chancellor Gao…”

Gao Xunzhi shook his head and replied, “Don’t make it public. The more people know, the worse it is for Little Rong’s health. The secrets of the heavens shouldn’t be revealed.”

Yu Shaoxie was taken aback but then nodded slowly, understanding.

Gao Xunzhi smiled slightly and patted his shoulder. “Alright, go on and do your work. I’ll be off.”

Yu Shaoxie smiled back and, out of politeness, asked, “Where are you going, Chancellor Gao?”

Gao Xunzhi smiled. “To offer incense.”

Also maybe try to speak with the Daoist Lord and ask him to leave any extraordinary matters to Little Rong. As for the suffering of the body, Gao Xunzhi could take care of it. Many doctors said that his health was as good as that of a man in his twenties or thirties. After all, who isn’t sick? Everyone has their ailments, right?

Cough… He hoped the Daoist Lord would agree with his reasoning.

＊

When Qu Yunmie’s footsteps approached, Xiao Rong, who was deep in thought by the head of his bed, heard the sound and lifted his face. He watched as Qu Yunmie walked closer and finally sat down with a creak at the edge of his bed.

Xiao Rong: “…”

Qu Yunmie’s body fat percentage was almost like that of a pig, but his weight was the same as his height, with little fat on him. Despite that, he was so heavy, which only meant that he was covered in muscle. No wonder his body felt so solid. When Xiao Rong grabbed his clothes earlier, he accidentally grabbed his abdominal muscles. The sensation… was best left unspoken.

It felt like grabbing a block of marble.

When facing Yu Shaoxie, Xiao Rong would at least try to explain his unusual behavior, but facing Qu Yunmie, he couldn’t be bothered to make excuses. After all, Qu Yunmie wouldn’t guess the truth, and when it came to things he couldn’t figure out, Qu Yunmie never forced himself.

Just as Xiao Rong had expected, Qu Yunmie didn’t bother to guess, but not for the reasons Xiao Rong thought. He simply didn’t care about the truth.

He stared at Xiao Rong for a long while before speaking. “Will you still be alive when I return?”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He was genuinely speechless.

Xiao Rong, with a numb expression, looked at Qu Yunmie and said, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. Just for your words, I will live until that moment.”

Qu Yunmie said, “I know you’re joking, but I’m not.”

Xiao Rong froze for a moment. He looked more carefully at Qu Yunmie. When he saw his calm expression, Xiao Rong paused and adjusted his own expression. He then said seriously and calmly, “I am healthier than Your Majesty thinks. As long as Your Majesty returns safely, you will see me waiting for the triumphant army at the city gate.”

Upon hearing this, Qu Yunmie finally stopped staring at Xiao Rong. He lowered his gaze, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to ease. This didn’t last long, because Qu Yunmie suddenly raised his eyes again as though accusing someone.

“Who is Zhao Yaozu? Why did you want to find him right after you woke up?!”

Xiao Rong: “…”

I was about to ask you the same thing! How could a philosopher be involved with your fate? Are you planning to kill him?!

*

Zhao Yaozu, no, Zhao Xingzhong, was an unresolved mystery that even Xiao Rong couldn’t understand.

Even though he was lying in bed, Xiao Rong wasn’t idle. He had Zhang Biezhi go out to investigate Zhao Xingzhong in detail, but there was still no information. In order to figure out what was wrong with Zhao Xingzhong, Xiao Rong even used Qu Yunmie as a test subject, using his attitude toward Qu Yunmie to figure out how to deal with Zhao Xingzhong.

The conclusion he reached was that Zhao Xingzong was someone who could either be killed or kept by his side, but he couldn’t be allowed to leave, nor could he be allowed to grow unchecked in Chenliu City.

It was strange. What did this mean? Could it be that if he left the Northern Army’s surveillance range, he would start causing trouble and oppose the entire Northern Army?

He was just a philosopher! Could a philosopher really take over a warlord’s role?

Xiao Rong was puzzled and became more so when he met Zhao Xingzhong in person. He realized Zhao Xingzong was the same scholar who had cried uncontrollably in the theater that day. Xiao Rong couldn’t imagine him raising his arm and rallying an army to attack Chenliu.

Moreover, after discovering that Xiao Rong was the legendary Xiao Lingyin, Zhao Xingzong almost knelt before him. His shock and fear weren’t pretend. Although he wasn’t afraid for long, under Xiao Rong’s gentle approach, he quickly regained his enthusiasm, repeatedly swearing loyalty to Xiao Rong, claiming that he truly wanted to serve the King of the Northern Border.

Xiao Rong maintained a kind expression, but in his heart, he had already classified Zhao Xingzhong as a level-one pollutant. He didn’t dare to place him directly in the royal residence, nor could he let Zhao Xingzhong be too far from them. Since he didn’t have enough time to keep an eye on him, Xiao Rong finally decided to send him to the Buddhist disciple to help with some trivial matters.

Coincidentally, the Buddhist disciple lived alone and was always free during the summer. Since he was a devout believer, Xiao Rong wasn’t worried about Zhao Xingzhong brainwashing him. Maybe, in fact, the Buddhist disciple could teach Zhao Xingzhong some Buddhist philosophy, turning him away from causing trouble.

Zhao Xingzhong, unaware of Xiao Rong’s caution, was one of those who admired the Buddhist disciple deeply. He had no objections to this arrangement.

When Zhao Xingzhong happily left the council hall, he happened to run into Qu Yunmie, and when he saw Xiao Rong, he immediately understood who had called him a scoundrel. Since he was planning to stay with the Northern Army, this misunderstanding had to be cleared up.

He quickly saluted Qu Yunmie and explained that he had been startled by the situation that day and had great respect for the King of the North. After receiving Young Master Xiao approval, he would now become one of the King’s subordinates and promised to work hard and show his capabilities and sincerity.

Qu Yunmie listened to his long string of compliments without changing his expression. Zhao Xingzhong was shocked when he learned that Qu Yunmie was the King of the North, but when Qu Yunmie learned that Zhao Xingzhong was Zhao Yaozu, he had only one thought.

—As expected.

Such unpleasant people generally wouldn’t appear out of nowhere in two forms, it made sense if they were the same person.

…

Qu Yunmie disliked Zhao Xingzhong because Zhao Xingzhong had left him speechless that day, and he disliked “Zhao Yaozu” because of Xiao Rong’s reaction. In order to figure out what was wrong with Zhao Xingzhong, Xiao Rong had intentionally made some ambiguous statements, stirring up Qu Yunmie’s desire to kill Zhao Xingzhong or send him to the border. Just as Qu Yunmie had made his decision, Xiao Rong had casually said he was joking, which left Qu Yunmie quite displeased.

He wouldn’t hold a grudge against Xiao Rong for this, but he would resent Zhao Xingzhong for making him feel like this.

…

The more Qu Yunmie didn’t respond, the more Zhao Xingzhong wanted to change his view of him. While Zhao Xingzhong continued to speak, Qu Yunmie raised his hand to stop him. “Enough. There is only one thing I care about—where did he send you?”

Zhao Xingzhong blinked and immediately realized who he was speaking to. He quickly said, “Young Master Xiao asked me to help the Buddhist disciple.”

Qu Yunmie nodded. “Good arrangement.”

From now on, anyone Qu Yunmie disliked would be sent to accompany the Buddhist disciple.

…

The competition was more than halfway through, and almost everyone who was supposed to come had arrived. Those who were willing to participate had also almost all submitted their articles by this time. Perhaps there were a few scholars who wanted to make a grand entrance at the last moment, but there wouldn’t be too many of them. After everyone had stirred up the atmosphere, everyone was eager to express their thoughts immediately, and few could resist the temptation to have their article displayed.

When Xiao Rong started, he aimed for a collection of a thousand pieces, but in the end, only more than six hundred pieces participated.

These were just the people who joined the competition, and many others came to watch, but for various reasons, they didn’t write anything.

Achieving this result couldn’t be said to completely satisfy Xiao Rong, but it was enough not to make him feel his efforts were wasted. At least the real estate in Chenliu had been sold by 90%, and he no longer needed to worry about those houses decaying and collapsing from lack of residents.

After Zhao Xingzhong successfully allied himself with the Northern Army, some other scholars expressed similar intentions. As long as their character wasn’t problematic, Xiao Rong accepted them all. However, these people didn’t receive the same treatment as Zhao Xingzhong. Their settlements were mostly in government offices.

By the time the third question was announced, the outside excitement had mostly nothing to do with the Competition anymore. This was because the third question was of little significance, and the Northern Army was about to depart.

＊

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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