If he weren’t still getting to know Song Shuo, he’d have glared at him to death. Xiao Rong stared at Song Shuo and said, “You think I can make an example of someone right now? What if the person I kill has powerful relatives? If they retaliate, are you going to the frontlines or me?”

Song Shuo replied, “You, of course. You have a sword.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Gao Xunzhi was exhausted. This kid’s mouth always said the wrong thing at the worst time.

He quickly looked at Xiao Rong, who clenched his jaw and stood up, clearly unhappy.

Within the palace, Song Shuo was one of the few who wasn’t afraid of Xiao Rong. Others feared his authority—he just felt a little nervous.

However, as Xiao Rong took a step toward him, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit. Startled, Xiao Rong collapsed before he could even say a word.

Gao Xunzhi caught and shook him, trying to wake him, but Xiao Rong was completely unconscious. He immediately ordered a soldier to fetch the doctor.

As Gao panicked, he noticed Song Shuo’s stunned expression. He called out, “Mr. Song?”

Song Shuo continued to stare blankly and finally murmured, “Did I… anger him into fainting?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

Before, when Xiao Rong was frequently ill, Song Shuo hadn’t joined them yet. The one time he fainted recently, Song Shuo had been out, and by the time he returned, Xiao Rong was already up and about, so he never truly grasped Xiao Rong’s frailty.

Seeing Song’s nervous look, Gao Xunzhi swallowed his initial words and gravely nodded. “That’s right. Little Rong’s body is weak. When angered, he falls ill easily.”

So be careful next time and don’t poke his sore spots with every word.

Song Shuo looked at the unconscious Xiao Rong and nervously clenched his fingers. He believed Gao’s explanation, but still felt something was off. “But Xiao Rong often gets mad at the King—why doesn’t he faint then?”

Gao Xunzhi: “…”

He calmly met Song’s gaze for two seconds and finally said, “Because he’s used to it.”

Song Shuo: “…”

You can get used to that?!

＊

No matter how bizarre it seemed, Song Shuo had no choice but to accept it—Gao Xunzhi clearly knew Xiao Rong better.

Later, the one who came to treat Xiao Rong wasn’t the palace doctor but Tribe Chief Agusejia. This time she didn’t try any of her folk remedies but used newly learned Central Plains medical practices. After much fussing—none of which Xiao Rong could feel—he finally woke up, only to find everyone had left.

Unlike his usual behavior of immediately seeking out the King, today’s Xiao Rong remained extremely calm—so calm it felt unreal.

He stared silently at the canopy for a while before slowly sitting up. Gao Xunzhi was beside him. Xiao Rong looked at him and asked softly, “The King hasn’t left Yanmen Country yet, has he?”

Gao Xunzhi nodded. “According to yesterday’s military report, the King said he’ll set out tomorrow.”

Xiao Rong said, “Yes, General Jian said the same thing. Everything is calm in Yanmen Country, and no one dares to cause trouble under the King’s nose.”

So, who was it?

Was it Qu Yunmie who unintentionally did something, or was someone in Yanmen acting privately? Did something unexpected happen in Shengle, or was there trouble from somewhere even farther away—somewhere he couldn’t even imagine?

He hated this feeling of knowing danger was approaching but being unable to pinpoint where it would come from. He had hated it before, and he hated it now.

The degree of hatred was about the same, but since Qu Yunmie wasn’t by his side and he couldn’t grab him by the collar and question him about every little thing, this feeling of frustration suddenly became unbearable.

Xiao Rong sat on the bed with pursed lips. He hadn’t spoken for a long time and even forgot that Gao Xunzhi was still in the room. It was only when an aged but powerful hand pressed down on his knee that he came back to himself.

Xiao Rong looked up and saw Gao Xunzhi giving him a comforting smile: “Little Rong, don’t worry.”

“He will come back.”

…

*

This time, the symptoms were worse than the previous two times. After waking up, Xiao Rong also felt very weak. He couldn’t tell whether it was due to the system or just exhaustion. Either way, he didn’t want to get up.

For some reason, Song Shuo suddenly changed from being lazy to diligent. All the official work Xiao Rong abandoned was taken over by him. Every time he looked at Xiao Rong, he seemed guilty. Xiao Rong couldn’t be bothered to ask why. If Song Shuo wanted to work, then let him handle it all.

How rare. Since he met up with the Northern Army, Xiao Rong hadn’t had any time to rest. Day and night—even when he was idle—he would still simulate what might happen in the future. Today was the first time in ages that he truly put down everything and rested.

Even so, the others didn’t care about his depressed, ‘I quit life’ attitude. In fact, they were quite pleased. Even Danran, when she came to deliver medicine, said, “Mr. Xiao is always too busy. If this keeps up, it’ll ruin your health. Mr. Xiao, just rest well. Don’t worry about Huichun Hall—I’m here!”

Xiao Rong looked at Danran expressionlessly, then looked away coldly.

Huichun Hall? He didn’t care about something that had already completed its purpose.

Danran: “…”

Even acting cute didn’t get a reaction from Mr. Xiao anymore—he really was in a bad mood.

…

Although people usually visited Xiao Rong’s residence, it was never as lively as today. People came and went as if it were a theater. Xiao Rong got annoyed, so he simply lay down and slept. When he woke up again, it was already dark outside, and candles had been lit in the room. Under the candlelight, Xiao Rong noticed something.

Mijing’s head was matte—it didn’t reflect light under illumination.

…

Mijing sat in a chair. No one knew how long he had been waiting there. When he heard the rustling from the bed, he opened his eyes and stopped twirling the prayer beads in his hand.

Xiao Rong looked at the smooth, warm-looking prayer beads in his hand and asked lazily, “Are you here to cheer me up too?”

Mijing smiled. “There are some things that everyone can’t do. Cheering people up is something I can’t do. I have spent almost my whole life delivering bad news.”

Xiao Rong couldn’t help but sit up. “Usually when people say that, the next sentence starts with ‘but.’”

Mijing shook his head. “No ‘but.’ I came to deliver bad news.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He felt numb. After a while, he said, “Alright, tell me.”

After all, when you have enough lice, they don’t itch anymore; when you owe enough debt, it stops bothering you.

When he said that, Mijing nodded and then completely sold out Qu Yunmie. “The night before the King’s departure, he invited me to tea. While we brewed tea, he asked me not to tell you about it. He thought that if something happened in Chenliu, as long as it didn’t harm the foundation, you wouldn’t tell him. So he asked me to be the messenger.”

Xiao Rong braced himself for some terrible news, and this was it?

He blinked and asked his first question: “Why you?”

Mijing answered, “The King said I was the only one in the palace who couldn’t be persuaded by you. I only do what I believe is right.”

Sounded reasonable.

So Xiao Rong asked his second question: “Then why did you tell me?”

Mijing looked slightly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected the question. “Because I only do what I believe is right. Right now, I believe telling you is the right thing.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

He couldn’t help but say, “If the King finds out, he’ll probably be mad at you again.”

Mijing smiled faintly. “It’s fine. Even if the King dislikes me again, he won’t actually do anything.”

Xiao Rong scoffed. “You’re quite confident.”

So many times, Qu Yunmie had wanted to take action. If not for Xiao Rong stopping him with all his might, Mijing would’ve ended up wandering again.

These were words Xiao Rong would never say aloud. Even though he knew Mijing was someone who could endure anything for the people, he didn’t want to test him with meaningless arguments. The most fragile thing in this world was the human heart.

Yet, even without Xiao Rong saying it, Mijing knew what he meant. Qu Yunmie wore all his emotions on his face. If he wanted to hide something, he’d need to cooperate too.

After a moment of silence, Mijing continued, “It’s not about confidence. I have seen the King’s self-control. That night, he not only asked me to inform on you, but he also shared some of his true feelings. He said that if anything happened to you, not even ten Xianbei lives would be enough to pay.”

Xiao Rong’s expression changed, and he rushed to defend Qu Yunmie. “No, the King was just speaking casually. He wouldn’t do that!”

Mijing looked at Xiao Rong with an expression that said, ‘Do you really believe that?’

Xiao Rong: “…”

Seeing Xiao Rong speechless, Mijing smiled again. “The King is a man of his word. He definitely would do it.”

Xiao Rong opened his mouth, about to say more, but Mijing cut in, “and hearing him say that made me feel relieved.”

Xiao Rong said, “Huh?”

Mijing raised an eyebrow. “Not even ten Xianbei lives would be enough. After suffering such deep grief, he can still control himself and only direct his rage toward his enemies. I must say, that one sentence from the King reassured me. He was no longer that Northern King who killed over trivial matters. I no longer fear he’d suddenly go on a killing spree.”

Xiao Rong was stunned for a while, then looked at Mijing. “He never was—those were all just rumors.”

He said this with a clear conscience—because he had already forgotten about the young Emperor who, in the official history, died in Mijing’s arms.

…

So this was why Mijing’s attitude changed—Xiao Rong felt a little happy. This time, it wasn’t due to his own efforts, but Qu Yunmie’s help—without even knowing it.

After enjoying the cheerful feeling for a moment, Xiao Rong tilted his head and asked, “So, he really was worried something would happen to me?”

Worried? He couldn’t even hear it mentioned. Just bringing it up would set him off.

After a moment’s silence, Mijing smiled. “You do look like someone worth worrying about.”

Xiao Rong’s mood got even better.

It wasn’t just him worrying about Qu Yunmie—Qu Yunmie also worried about him. He feared Qu Yunmie would die out there, and Qu Yunmie feared he’d die in Chenliu.

Nice. Very fair.

Knowing he wasn’t the only one suffering and worrying—his heart instantly felt balanced.

He threw off the covers and got out of bed. In high spirits, he said, “I still have some unfinished work. Good. It’s late, so no one will come looking for you, right? You take half, I take half. If we move fast, maybe you’ll be able to go home by midnight.”

When Mijing just sat there, stunned, Xiao Rong frowned and urged him, “Hurry up! If you dawdle too long, it’ll be past midnight.”

Mijing: “…”

No wonder he fell for you.

You and him—both the type to repay kindness with betrayal.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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