{"id":7027,"date":"2025-05-29T12:15:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T10:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7027"},"modified":"2025-05-29T12:15:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T10:15:14","slug":"your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-68-private-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/05\/29\/your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-68-private-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Majesty, you mustn&#8217;t! &#8211; Chapter 68: Private Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After a good night\u2019s sleep, the first day also turned out to have fine weather. When he woke up early in the morning, there was even a light breeze\u2014cool and refreshing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It felt comfortable, but in fact, the weather turning cool in June wasn\u2019t a good sign at all. It only showed that it was yet another cold year, and winter would probably come early again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The feeling of returning home after being out and about was indeed different\u2014his long-standing tension had finally eased. Xiao Rong didn\u2019t dream at all through the night. Shortly after dawn, he opened his eyes. Though he hadn\u2019t slept much, he didn\u2019t feel tired at all.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first thing he did after getting up was brushing his teeth with a willow twig. He had to admit, the wisdom of the ancients was truly boundless. It hadn\u2019t been that long since people left behind the days of slavery, yet they had already figured out something like toothpaste.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Except, this toothpaste wasn\u2019t quite what Xiao Rong was familiar with. Its ingredients were all herbal, it didn\u2019t foam, nor did it have any minty freshness. It even tasted a bit bitter. In terms of cleaning power, it was slightly inferior, but when it came to improving oral health, it was absolutely top-tier.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since using this toothpaste, Xiao Rong hadn\u2019t experienced gum bleeding again.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This wasn\u2019t something you could buy just anywhere\u2014it had been gifted to him by Yu Shaoxie. They called it &#8220;Fuling Fragrance.&#8221; It had been part of the dowry that Yu Shaoxie\u2019s mother brought from her family.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It really showed the status of aristocratic families\u2014they could even make toothpaste recipes part of a dowry.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong had once tried to sound out Yu Shaoxie about whether this toothpaste could be sold. He suggested opening a shop under Yu\u2019s name and splitting the profit fifty-fifty between the Yu family and the government. Yu Shaoxie had been both amused and helpless. He hadn\u2019t felt offended\u2014he just thought Xiao Rong\u2019s relentless drive to make money was&#8230; incredibly sincere.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Yu Shaoxie told him they couldn\u2019t sell it. If his mother\u2019s family ever found out the formula had been leaked, it wouldn\u2019t just be his mother who got punished\u2014his grandfather, aunts, and uncles would also suffer consequences. At best, they\u2019d be expelled from the family. At worst, they could be struck from the ancestral record.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that was only if they hadn\u2019t participated directly. If they had, the family head might even call upon the clan elders to carry out private punishment against the offenders.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all aristocratic families were this harsh, but there were always some that ignored the law and operated as closed-off mini-kingdoms.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie\u2019s mother had passed away giving birth to Yu Shaocheng. The Yu family had been in decline for over a decade. Even though the two brothers had nearly forgotten what their maternal grandparents looked like, blood ties followed a person for life. That shackle could never truly be removed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This system seemed extremely inhumane&#8230; but there were reasons people had chosen to live in clan groups for thousands of years. In times of natural disasters or turmoil, large families had far better chances of survival than small ones. Only by sticking together could people make it through harsh environments.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that Xiao Rong no longer lacked money and his emergency funds were secured, he didn\u2019t need to think about monetizing these small things anymore. Still, as he looked at the \u201cFuling Fragrance\u201d set in a porcelain dish, his gaze turned slightly serious.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Yu Shaoxie\u2019s maternal family: &#8220;Fuling Fragrance\u201d was equivalent to the \u201cXiao family paper\u201d in the Linchuan Xiao household. Both were proud assets of their respective families and sources of livelihood\u2014absolutely untouchable by outsiders.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu\u2019s family might even execute one of their own for it. And the Xiao family was far more powerful. If they ever got serious, with Xiao Rong\u2019s current scale and connections, he might not be able to bear the consequences.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But whether it was building a library or developing the future imperial examination system, they couldn\u2019t do it without paper. The price of paper had to be brought down, and the Northern Army had to be involved in the papermaking industry.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Previously, because he couldn\u2019t think of a good solution, Xiao Rong had shelved the idea. But that morning, a sudden flash of inspiration made him realize that his position wasn\u2019t so passive anymore.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> He smiled slightly, lowered his head to rinse his mouth again, and after finishing his morning routine, he stepped out of the house humming a tune.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next to him, Ah Shu was baffled: \u201c???\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of tune was the lord humming? He had never heard it before.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\uff0a<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because he had gotten up early, Xiao Rong didn\u2019t dive into work right away. He first went to inspect the projects he had given orders for before leaving.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baibao Street was overseen by Jian Qiao. When Xiao Rong left, it was just a flat foundation. Now it was already taking shape. The street was six hundred zhang long\u2014longer than most commercial streets. But it wasn\u2019t because there were more shops. The Northern Army\u2019s building techniques were limited\u2014no one knew how to construct tall buildings. Most were single-story. Only the central section had two floors, per Xiao Rong\u2019s demand. Any taller would be too much for the soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the first batch of shops was completed, the noble families came to take a look. Everyone was amazed. The design was all per Xiao Rong\u2019s instructions. Unlike the local norm of buildings with combined doors and windows, he removed the windows entirely and replaced the street-facing walls with doors. One wall could have six doors. When open for business, all six doors would be thrown open\u2014allowing passersby to immediately see what was being sold inside.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each shop also had a reserved flowerbed space out front. According to the soldiers who built the houses, shopkeepers could choose to plant flowers there or display products. On the river-facing side, there was also a square area left open. They said they\u2019d place stone tables, wooden stools, maybe even a pavilion or swings\u2014for customer rest.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But really..: &#8220;resting&#8221; was just a pretense. The true purpose was to attract the wealthy. The most idle people in town were rich ladies and retired officials. They had money and time. If Baibao Street was made fun and beautiful, they\u2019d naturally treat it as a place to stroll and digest. And who could resist buying something while out walking?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The nobles understood Xiao Rong\u2019s intention. Seeing all the careful details made them even more satisfied.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look\u2014there were even designated trash chutes! Just put the waste behind the shop, and Lord Xiao said someone would collect it early in the morning!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wow, that was something only Capital used to have. And now, even little Chenliu enjoyed such treatment. Plus, the shops didn\u2019t charge rent. Amazing. If only they didn\u2019t charge taxes either.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong: Keep dreaming. Don\u2019t pay taxes and I\u2019ll throw you and your goods out on day one.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once they saw the real thing, the nobles realized Xiao Rong wasn\u2019t bluffing\u2014he truly intended to develop this place. They had lived long enough to know that if the local governor was serious, there was no town that couldn\u2019t be built up.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And so, Baibao Street grew more bustling by the day. The first half of the street was filled with stewards and shopkeepers from noble families delivering and receiving goods. The second half had skilled workers finishing rooftops. General Jian had said, once this street was complete, they could return to the barracks for rest!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed&#8230; now that funding was in place, there was no need to treat soldiers as laborers. They could hire refugees from outside the city and help them fill their pockets\u2014encouraging them to settle down here.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the buildings were done, the only manpower still needed would be for strengthening the city defenses. Xiao Rong had mentioned it to Chancellor Gao just yesterday. Though the man seemed distracted\u2014who knew if he even remembered<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing how busy everyone was\u2014and that things were moving faster than expected\u2014Xiao Rong didn\u2019t interrupt them and quietly left.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, he went to find Yu Shaoxie, who had just gotten up. As soon as he heard Xiao Rong was there, he knew what it was about.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It had to be about the script.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier, Xiao Rong had asked Yu Shaoxie to find a desperate and shameless scholar to write the kind of story he wanted. Yu found one and checked in daily. Since Xiao Rong was in a rush, he had already reserved a place on Baibao Street called the Theater\u2014it was near the plaza. That was his personal business. The tallest building on the street, two and a half stories. Once the street was finished and the literary collections opened, the theater would launch at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie hadn\u2019t even swallowed his tea before pulling out the first three acts. A good play normally took years to write, but Xiao Rong wanted fast food. So Yu had to go along, though reluctantly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be honest, Yu Shaoxie had never seen anything this sloppy. If it were up to him, he would have argued with the actors by the first act.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as Xiao Rong read, his brows kept rising higher. He nodded continuously: &#8220;Not bad. Hmm, this one\u2019s talented.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie: \u201c\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you serious?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong was absolutely serious. He smiled: &#8220;This man must have gone through a lot. He even captured the voice of the poor. Very good\u2014nothing hollow or fake. And every line rhymes. It\u2019s only been half a month, right? He\u2019s already written this much. That means he\u2019s efficient. I\u2019ll take these three acts first. One act per ten days\u2014that\u2019s a full month. But the performers still need time to rehearse and memorize lines. So from now on, have him deliver one act on the 1st and 15th of every month. Based on ticket sales, I\u2019ll give him a bonus. Motivation needs rewards.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie: \u201c\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He couldn\u2019t understand: \u201cXiao, do you really think this script is clever? It\u2019s clearly slapdash\u2014every line reads like a limerick!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong winked: \u201cBut common folks can only understand limericks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie was stunned, then shook his head: &#8220;I understand you\u2019re eager to win over the people. But once the literary competition opens, if the scholars find out you own that theater and these vulgar songs are what\u2019s being performed\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He stopped himself mid-sentence for the first time. He had a good impression of Xiao Rong and held back his temper in front of him. Every time he bit his tongue, he was swallowing sharp words back down.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong stayed quiet for a while, then asked calmly: &#8220;Brother Yu\u2014why did you join the Northern Army in the first place?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The topic shifted too quickly, and Yu Shaoxie was momentarily stunned before he replied: &#8220;The king is brave and valiant. The Northern Army is in its prime. Looking across the Central Plains, the king was the only one who could rival Barbarian.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong said: &#8220;If only the king and the Northern Army had a more noble background, that would be perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After a few breaths, Yu Shaoxie finally realized that Xiao Rong was speaking in his tone, finishing the words he hadn\u2019t said.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie couldn\u2019t help but frown, while Xiao Rong just smiled faintly: &#8220;In truth, it was a hard fact that the king and others had poor backgrounds. There was no need to hide it or deceive anyone. If you were to look for someone with an even worse origin than the king, you&#8217;d only find bandits and robbers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong paused, then continued: &#8220;But that wasn\u2019t a bad thing. Precisely because the king came from humble beginnings, he could accept people from all walks of life. Look at the Northern Army\u2014it had criminals, refugees, foreigners, fallen nobles, Buddhist monks, and even the eldest sons of aristocratic families. Such a combination would be unheard of anywhere else, yet under the king, it was possible. Because the king had a lowly origin, he had high tolerance. He didn\u2019t mind others\u2019 pasts. So why was it that someone like you, Brother Yu, with such a noble background, couldn\u2019t manage the same?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaoxie stared at him blankly. Xiao Rong smiled again but stood up directly. He waved the opera booklet in his hand at Yu Shaoxie, then turned and left.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong appeared calm, but after he left Yu Shaoxie, he felt a bit unsettled.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He had known what kind of person Yu Shaoxie was from the beginning. He was a classic scholar, aligned with the traditional values of the scholar class. Raising one class always meant lowering another. It was no surprise that he considered scholars superior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before, Xiao Rong would just brush off such talk. He wouldn\u2019t bother saying anything, because he knew the chance of changing Yu Shaoxie\u2019s mind was slim. More likely, Yu Shaoxie would start to resent him, realizing they weren\u2019t the same kind of person, which would make working together awkward.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In summary, he shouldn\u2019t have said all that. It would\u2019ve been better to gloss over the issue.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But now, it was too late\u2014he had already said it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong didn\u2019t even know why. The moment he heard Yu Shaoxie\u2019s remarks, he couldn\u2019t help but speak up. If even a simple, folksy poem that commoners enjoyed was \u201cunbearable\u201d to him, then what kind of image did he have of people like Qu Yunmie, who didn\u2019t even care for that?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On top of that, Yu Shaoxie never argued with him\u2014but he always acted differently in front of Qu Yunmie. Lately, he hadn\u2019t been openly criticizing Qu Yunmie as much, but whenever something bothered him, he still spoke up bluntly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie had long since gotten used to it. He usually just ignored it or snapped once to change the subject. Xiao Rong hadn\u2019t thought much of it before, but today, he suddenly realized something.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He used to think Yu Shaoxie criticized Qu Yunmie because he was overly idealistic. But he wasn\u2019t like that with everyone\u2014why? Was it because he thought Qu Yunmie was uneducated? That he didn\u2019t understand anything? That he held a high position without deserving it? Was that why he got so angry every time?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Yu Shaoxie really thought that way, it wouldn\u2019t have been completely unreasonable. After all, Qu Yunmie truly wasn\u2019t the best at governing. Feeling frustrated made sense. But all of a sudden, Xiao Rong couldn\u2019t accept that attitude anymore.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie was clearly trying to change.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Yu Shaoxie still treated him with the same old mindset. That rubbed Xiao Rong the wrong way.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On one hand, he felt satisfied for speaking his mind. On the other, he regretted it. No matter how Yu Shaoxie thought, he was still a hardworking person in the Northern Army\u2014and he treated Xiao Rong genuinely, as a friend.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong sighed heavily. He leaned against the artificial mountain, absentmindedly tugging at the hanging vines. Just as he was zoning out, he caught sight of a child in the corner of his eye. He glanced over, then looked away.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A second later, he suddenly realized\u2014wasn\u2019t that Danran? What was she doing here at this hour? Wasn\u2019t she supposed to be helping out at Huichuntang clinic?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong was taken aback. He quickly walked over. When she heard her name called, Danran turned around in confusion. Seeing Xiao Rong, she beamed: &#8220;Long time no see, Mister Xiao.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong looked at the basket in her hand: &#8220;Why are you here right now, Miss Danran?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran replied: &#8220;Mother asked me to bring medicine to Yunmie. He left in a hurry yesterday and forgot to take it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong repeated: &#8220;Yesterday?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran looked puzzled: &#8220;Yes. Last night Yunmie went to visit Mother. They talked for a long time\u2014I was already sleepy, but they were still chatting away. I almost overslept this morning. Mother even teased me, called me a little pig.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He stared at Danran for a long time, then abruptly turned around and strode off in the direction of Qu Yunmie\u2019s residence.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran was stunned. She didn\u2019t know what had happened, but she suddenly had a very bad feeling<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moments later, she heard Yunmie furious voice from that direction: \u201cDanran!!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next second, Danran took off like a shot\u2014of course, running in the opposite direction of Qu Yunmie.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Qu Yunmie\u2019s bedroom.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong stood with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Qu Yunmie: &#8220;Don\u2019t you dare blame Miss Danran!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He sat there quietly, not saying a word.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong said: &#8220;What did you promise?! That you\u2019d rest and recover at Chenliu! That you wouldn\u2019t go to the training grounds until your wound healed! The Butewu clan lives even farther than the training grounds. You can\u2019t even ride a horse up those mountains!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie tried to lie: \u201cOld Woman lives in the clinic\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong snapped: &#8220;Don\u2019t think I don\u2019t know! Chief Agusheja personally escorts Danran to visit her mother every day!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So he really had no secrets left.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That blasted Danran\u2014why did she tell everyone everything?!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing no way out, Qu Yunmie had no choice but to confess sullenly: \u201cYes, I went outside the city. There was nothing to do at the palace anyway. Besides, this wound\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before he could finish, he saw Xiao Rong\u2019s glare\u2014sharp as knives. One more word about how \u201cit wasn\u2019t serious,\u201d and he looked ready to kill.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: \u201c\u2026It\u2019s almost healed. As long as I move carefully, it\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong crossed his arms, rotated his own shoulder a bit, then looked at Qu Yunmie suspiciously: &#8220;Really?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie nodded repeatedly and even lifted his clothes to show him: &#8220;There hasn\u2019t been any bleeding since yesterday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No bleeding and \u201calmost healed\u201d were two different things\u2014but\u2026 at least it showed the wound had started to heal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong\u2019s expression finally softened a little. Qu Yunmie watched him carefully and began to relax. But just as he let his guard down, Xiao Rong spoke in a ghostly tone: &#8220;Since Your Majesty finds idle time so dull, I\u2019ll assign you a few government tasks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The moment he heard the word government, Qu Yunmie\u2019s head began to throb. He wanted to refuse immediately, but Xiao Rong gave him a dark look: &#8220;So\u2026 the king would rather lie in bed?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No. He would not.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He agreed lifelessly, only to discover that the first \u201cgovernment task\u201d Xiao Rong assigned him\u2026 was to take Danran out for a day of fun tomorrow\u2014with two conditions: no leaving the city, and no riding horses.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: \u201c\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What kind of official duty was that??<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you drink some love potion from that girl? Wake up! That girl wasn\u2019t as sweet and harmless as she looked! Get to know her a little better and you\u2019d realize\u2014she could air your dirty laundry for the whole city to hear. Trust me. Trust me!!<\/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 a good night\u2019s sleep, the first day also turned out to have fine weather. When he woke up early in the morning, there was even a light breeze\u2014cool and refreshing. It felt comfortable, but in fact, the weather turning cool in June wasn\u2019t a good sign at all. It only showed that it was [&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":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","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\/7027","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=7027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7028,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7027\/revisions\/7028"}],"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=7027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}