{"id":6646,"date":"2024-09-10T09:06:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T07:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=6646"},"modified":"2024-09-10T09:06:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T07:06:35","slug":"your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-2-distant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2024\/09\/10\/your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-2-distant\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Majesty, you mustn&#8217;t! &#8211; Chapter 2 &#8211; Distant"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After passing out that day, Ah Shu, the coachman, and several townspeople who had been scared by Xiao Rong&#8217;s true nature worked together to bring him into Pingyang City. The soldiers guarding the city took one look at Xiao Rong&#8217;s appearance and let them through without even asking for papers. In this era, only noble families could raise a man with looks like Xiao Rong. Even if a similar-looking man did appear among the common folk, he would have long been taken in by a wealthy household and confined. Walking around freely was out of the question.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In these chaotic times, many formerly strict rules no longer applied. When Xiao Rong first arrived, he landed in Xinan County, which was under Southern Yong&#8217;s jurisdiction. The northern areas were beyond Southern Yong&#8217;s control, but there was no one to regulate the movement of people between the North and South.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The real issue was that there were simply too many people to manage. The disjointed State of the Central Plains had persisted for 180 years. During that time, there had been sixty-seven emperors. The most extreme period saw six Emperors ruling independently at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In comparison, this year was relatively good\u2014there were fewer wars, Southern Yong wasn&#8217;t causing trouble, and Qu Yunmie was busy fighting foreign tribes, so no one was disturbing the common people.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, that was only for this year. Soon, the situation would become chaotic again, and the flames of war would soon cover the entire Central Plains.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the morning, a light fog hung over the streets. Xiao Rong opened the inn window and sat by it, looking at the ancient street outside.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After waking up that night, his weakness had lessened considerably, and the coughing fits he&#8217;d experienced before whenever he moved had vanished.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking at the peaceful street scene, Xiao Rong should have felt calm, but he couldn&#8217;t manage to feel at peace.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s been half a year.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s been in this era for half a year, and he still couldn&#8217;t stop feeling sad.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How\u2019d he get so unlucky!!!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He would never forget that day. One moment, he was standing in the center of the school auditorium, striking a cool pose, and waiting for the lights to go out so he could begin his solo dance rehearsal. The next moment, the lights went out, and with one leg raised in a challenging pose and holding a sword, he found himself in the middle of a market in Xinan City.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A butcher selling pork stared at him in shock, and dropped his knife, which landed with a &#8220;crack&#8221; on a piece of pork a lady had just asked for.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pig&#8217;s head was split open, and the lady started scolding the butcher angrily. Taking advantage of the chaos, Xiao Rong fled.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong was terrified, and unable to react to what had happened. Fortunately, he had been rehearsing a sword dance and was wearing a historical costume. Even so, what was considered a costume in the modern era looked strange in this time period.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally finding a secluded place to hide, Xiao Rong crouched behind a pile of firewood, holding onto the Dean&#8217;s beloved sword. Just as he settled down, a voice he would come to loathe spoke up.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This voice belonged to a system, which claimed that Xiao Rong was the most compatible person with the historical figure Qu Yunmie, based on its calculations. Qu Yunmie was supposed to become Emperor and found his own dynasty, but his unfortunate fate led to his tragic death in Chenliu City. Over the centuries, countless people had pitied him, and the system decided to change his fate.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, human affairs had to be handled by humans. The system couldn&#8217;t interfere directly, so it searched for someone familiar with Qu Yunmie&#8217;s fate across three thousand years and determined that Xiao Rong had the highest chance of success.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon hearing this, Xiao Rong nearly coughed up blood.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;What does his tragic fate have to do with me? Many people had tragic lives throughout history, so why drag me into this?! You wretched system, just send me back!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong appeared resolute, but only he knew how frightened he was.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The system was right\u2014he was indeed familiar with this period of history, so much so that he immediately refused because he knew it was an impossible task.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie was doomed, no one could save him!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing his determination, the system hesitated before replying, &#8220;Alright, I&#8217;ll send you back. Do you have any last words?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Last words?&#8221; Xiao Rong asked, stunned.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Yes. As soon as you return, the stage lights will crush your neck. With your era&#8217;s medical technology, such a fatal injury is incurable. Out of respect for our acquaintance, you can leave a last word\u2014perhaps what kind of burial clothes you want or what kind of coffin you&#8217;d prefer? I&#8217;ll pass on your message to your family in their dreams.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong was speechless.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The system prepared to send him back, and Xiao Rong, frozen in shock, suddenly changed his mind, bursting into tears. &#8220;No, no, no! I&#8217;ve changed my mind, let me stay! Thinking about it, Qu Yunmie doesn&#8217;t deserve to die! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Born under the red flag, how could I refuse you? Leave it to me, I&#8217;ll save him!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The system smiled faintly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The system&#8217;s only job was to bring him here; it wouldn&#8217;t grant him any special abilities. Despite that, Xiao Rong&#8217;s own knowledge was his greatest asset. With a flurry of actions, the system bound Xiao Rong and Qu Yunmie&#8217;s fates together, then told him that since his life was effectively borrowed, if he failed the task, he would die along with Qu Yunmie. In order to motivate him, his health was tied to Qu Yunmie&#8217;s fortune.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The closer Qu Yunmie got to the throne, the healthier Xiao Rong would become. The further away Qu Yunmie got, the sicker Xiao Rong would be.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The severity would adjust automatically; mild cases would make him dizzy, severe cases would make him cough blood.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, he didn&#8217;t need to worry about these ailments killing him. As long as Qu Yunmie was alive and had a chance to ascend the throne, Xiao Rong would be like someone who had eaten the meat of a Tang Monk\u2014no matter what, he wouldn&#8217;t die.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if Qu Yunmie died, or if his fortune completely vanished, meaning he had no chance of becoming Emperor, Xiao Rong would die the moment those fortunes disappeared.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conversely, even if Qu Yunmie hadn&#8217;t yet become emperor, if circumstances made it certain that he would, and his fortune was fully restored, Xiao Rong would be freed from the bond and could live his life as he pleased.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After explaining all this, the system vanished, leaving Xiao Rong in stunned silence.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other than a life it couldn&#8217;t guarantee, the system had given him nothing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was wearing strange clothes, holding the Dean&#8217;s sword, with no food or shelter, and didn&#8217;t dare pawn the sword as it was his last resort.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How he had survived from having nothing, not even an identity, to now, Xiao Rong didn&#8217;t want to recall. Those bitter memories were best left in the past.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He had spent six months, traveling three thousand miles from Xinan to Pingyang, without even seeing the Northern Army. Xiao Rong unfairly blamed Qu Yunmie, whom he had never met, but he was also partly to blame.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the system left, Xiao Rong realized he had over two years to complete the task. Resentful of being forced into this, he procrastinated.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He traveled slowly and found that Qu Yunmie had left Huaiyin. He\u2019d even felt relieved. It wasn&#8217;t until he experienced the strange, painless sickness that he began to rush.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death wasn\u2019t an option, but the weakness was severe. He needed support to move and had to lean on walls when alone, which severely hurt his pride.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was an art student who had been dancing since elementary school and selected dance choreography as his major in college. His major was a bit special with a male to female ratio of about one to two. Among ten boys, five are scumbags and five are gays.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A scumbag is not necessarily straight, and a gay is not necessarily loyal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong&#8217;s looks were enough to charm a lot of people in ancient times, and it was no less so in modern times. Moreover, except for himself, almost everyone who saw him thought he was gay. In an environment where there were more than zero and fewer than one, many people rushed to become number one for love. A couple, after encountering Xiao Rong, broke up and both came to pursue him. They didn\u2019t succeed and even fought publicly. This incident made Xiao Rong famous, earning him the title of a top gay figure. Despite his countless angry explanations that he wasn\u2019t gay, no one believed him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Xiao Rong didn\u2019t care much about being misunderstood as a homosexual, being mistaken for a zero made him furious.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He started lifting weights, going out without coordinating his outfits, and watching action anime daily. Yet, all his hard work was undone in a single night.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hating others for seeing him as weak, he now found himself weaker than ever.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Old and new grievances piled up. The system had fled, so Xiao Rong couldn&#8217;t even vent his anger on it. Instead, he blamed Qu Yunmie for everything, even though they had never met.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Just as he was about to explode, Ah Shu entered. Despite being tall, he was only fourteen and followed Xiao Rong dutifully wherever he went. &#8220;Master, the innkeeper has prepared breakfast.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ah Shu was excellent in every way but was a bit timid due to his past experiences. Xiao Rong tried to hide his emotions around him. If he showed anger or worry, Ah Shu would become very anxious. Adjusting his expression, Xiao Rong smiled. &#8220;Alright, let&#8217;s go down together.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At present, which was 1,500 years before Xiao Rong&#8217;s time, the food at an ordinary inn was very rough. Xiao Rong couldn&#8217;t afford expensive meals, but what he could afford was considered a delicacy by the common people outside.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The waiter silently brought over his breakfast. Looking at Xiao Rong&#8217;s face, which was as beautiful as a celestial being, his feelings were very complicated.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The coachman wasn&#8217;t lying. When this young master arrived, he was unconscious. When he woke up, the first thing he did was to negotiate prices with the innkeeper. After some back-and-forth, the innkeeper unfortunately lost and agreed to let the young master stay for five days and waive the fee for one day.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As he was going upstairs, the young master looked regretful. The waiter passed by him and heard him muttering, &#8220;Such a waste. I should have asked for a three-day stay with one day free.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter what, Xiao Rong planned to stay here for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He actually wanted to find Qu Yunmie. Traveling further North by three hundred miles to Yanmen County would suffice, that was Qu Yunmie\u2019s base. The Northern Border Army, which had developed to this point, boasted an outward claim of eight hundred thousand troops. Of course, this number was greatly inflated, but there were indeed tens of thousands stationed at Yanmen Pass.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, it was Qu Yunmie&#8217;s hometown; second, they were keeping an eye on the Xianbei people to prevent any actions from them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personally searching for someone was one way, but Qu Yunmie often ran around. If Xiao Rong stayed put, he didn&#8217;t know when he would see him. Without seeing him, Xiao Rong couldn&#8217;t restrict his actions or stop him from continuing his self-destructive ways.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After thinking it over, Xiao Rong decided it was best to make a name for himself first. With fame, everything would be easier, and when he joined the army, he wouldn&#8217;t be neglected. He was doing this to save Qu Yunmie and his own life, not for wealth or power. Starting from the bottom was useless, he needed to rise directly to Qu Yunmie&#8217;s side.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What was the fastest way for an ordinary person to become famous?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were two ways: assassinating the most famous person of the time or predicting the future of the most famous person of the time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In short, riding on the coattails of fame.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assassination was out of the question. With his physical condition, he would be lucky to leave Pingyang City.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, only predicting the future was left.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pretending to be a fortune teller was always a favorite trick of scholars. Xiao Rong was better; what he said would certainly come true.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowadays, the Qingfeng religion was prevalent in the Central Plains, and everyone revered the idea of Gods and spirits. That big idiot Qu Yunmie would definitely be no exception.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confident in his strategy, Xiao Rong began to build his reputation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, he sent Ah Shu out to spread the word about his identity, saying he was a Young Master from the Linchuan Xiao Family who knew a bit of divination. Then, when people came to ask for his help, he would spend half an hour each day doing free divinations.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even so, all those who came for a divination received the same response: he only divined major events, not minor ones. The common people naturally left, while those who thought Xiao Rong was a fraud suspiciously observed him to test his truth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, when almost everyone in Pingyang City knew about him, Xiao Rong stood by the window, looking solemnly at the sky. After making several gestures he didn&#8217;t understand himself, he spoke in a heavy voice.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Something has happened in Yizhou.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first, people didn&#8217;t believe him and didn&#8217;t take it seriously. However, a few days later, the Governor of Pingyang received news that Shenli County in Yizhou had been taken over by rebelling farmers. The area around the county was charred, corpses were strewn everywhere, and all the stored grain had been looted.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These farmers, led by commoners, were moving northward.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone was shocked. They were in awe of Xiao Rong and came to see him every day, including nobles and high-ranking officials. Even spies from Southern Yong showed up.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite this, there was still no reaction from the Northern Defending Army.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong began to doubt himself, but using the trick of prophecy too often wasn&#8217;t good. After all, he was just an ordinary person and couldn&#8217;t always be accurate and overusing it might bring disaster before attracting Qu Yunmie.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong decided to wait and see. After a few days, the Northern Defending Army posted a notice in Pingyang City, saying that the King of the North was recruiting talented individuals, regardless of background. Anyone who believed they had real skills could come and apply.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong stood before the notice. &#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone in Pingyang City was talking about him, which made him have to disguise himself when going out. If the Northern Defending Army had arrived here, they couldn&#8217;t have missed his name. Seeking talent by posting a notice was the last resort in this era, used only when no suitable candidates had been found.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, the Northern Defending Army had never considered recruiting him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were only two reasons: the Northern Defending Army looked down on him, or Qu Yunmie looked down on him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ah Shu looked carefully at Xiao Rong&#8217;s expression. The coachman had mentioned many of Xiao Rong&#8217;s faults but didn\u2019t realize that those were just minor problems. Xiao Rong had one big one.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is\u2014Xiao Rong was very proud.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even Ah Shu could see that this situation was a bit humiliating. Xiao Rong certainly saw it too, but he didn&#8217;t dare speak. After a long time, he took a breath and said nonchalantly, &#8220;Fine, if the mountain won&#8217;t come to me, I&#8217;ll go to the mountain. They probably haven&#8217;t heard of me. I&#8217;ll go and apply myself.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After speaking, Xiao Rong took down the notice. The guards led him, smiling, and Xiao Rong followed with a smile.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ah Shu, feeling his pounding heart, followed with some concern.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong was dressed like a scholar. The old Northern Defending Army hated scholars, but the new recruits didn&#8217;t have this bias. The guard politely led Xiao Rong to a room and let him sit down.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Jian Qiao heard that someone had finally come to apply, he rushed over. On the way, the guard described Xiao Rong&#8217;s situation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;He&#8217;s a scholar named Xiao Rong. I inquired and found out he&#8217;s said to be skilled in divination.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jian Qiao hesitated but continued walking. They hadn&#8217;t found a suitable candidate after so many days, and the turmoil in Yizhou had upset the King. The King\u2019s mood worsened, and Master Gao kept urging him to hurry. He had previously adhered strictly to the six criteria, but now he decided to be more flexible.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When he entered the room and saw Xiao Rong in person, Jian Qiao was stunned.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was spring, yet he was wearing fur clothing\u2014delicate.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His face was pale, and his lips were white\u2014a sign of a short life.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He dared to maintain eye contact without flinching\u2014strong-willed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His eyes kept wandering the room, looking at the decorations\u2014greedy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skilled in divination\u2014superstitious.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He made Jian Qiao stare\u2014beautiful.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong stared back, puzzled by the silence. He had taken the initiative so far, a little more wouldn&#8217;t hurt. Just as Xiao Rong was about to speak, the general opposite him snapped out of his daze, suddenly clasped his hands, and pointed to the door he just came through.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry for troubling you, Young Master, but we\u2019ve already filled all the positions we needed. Please take care.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With that, a bewildered Xiao Rong was escorted out.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Standing outside on the dirt road, Xiao Rong slowly clenched his fist and swore once again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Qu Yunmie, just you wait. After I put you on the throne, I&#8217;ll kill you with my own hands!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Author&#8217;s note:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jian Qiao: Just like that, I lost my future marshal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>Edited by: Antiope<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Support translation:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=25191841\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"217\" height=\"51\" class=\"wp-image-338 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/become_a_patron_button.png?resize=217%2C51\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 217px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 217\/51;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/lajnaa\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/kofi3-3.png?resize=185%2C47\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is kofi3-3.png\" width=\"185\" height=\"47\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 185px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 185\/47;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p><!--EndFragment--><\/p>\r\n<p><!--EndFragment--><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After passing out that day, Ah Shu, the coachman, and several townspeople who had been scared by Xiao Rong&#8217;s true nature worked together to bring him into Pingyang City. The soldiers guarding the city took one look at Xiao Rong&#8217;s appearance and let them through without even asking for papers. In this era, only noble [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bez-kategorii","category-your-majesty","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/20240106180053_200_280-1.jpg?fit=199%2C280&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6649,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6646\/revisions\/6649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}