{"id":7036,"date":"2025-06-05T08:27:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T06:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7036"},"modified":"2025-06-05T08:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T06:27:05","slug":"your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-70-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/06\/05\/your-majesty-you-mustnt-chapter-70-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Majesty, you mustn&#8217;t! &#8211; Chapter 70: Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That night, Xiao Rong wasn\u2019t the only one who couldn\u2019t sleep, there was also Agusheja, who stayed up until her eyes were dark with fatigue and her mind buzzing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had never seen Danran so excited in her life. It was already the middle of the night, but Danran still didn\u2019t sleep. Full of energy, she rolled around on the bed, talking non-stop, repeating &#8220;Yunmie, Yunmie, Yunmie, so fun, so fun, so fun\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran had always slept beside her since childhood. Danran&#8217;s mother, too heartbroken to nurse, had no milk after giving birth. Many people tried to help her, whether by stimulating lactation or by finding other women who had recently given birth to provide milk. Eventually, Danran was raised well. However, that woman ignored the advice of others. After laying in her bed for an entire day, she came to Agusheja, holding the tiredly crying Danran. She forcibly handed the swaddled baby to Agusheja and said that this child would now be an orphan of the Butewu tribe. From then on, whether it was naming, raising, living, or showing filial piety, none of it would have anything to do with her, and she would never again refer to herself as this child&#8217;s mother.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The harsh words spoken back then never came to fruition because Agusheja would never allow Danran to be separated from her mother. Ah Yan however, was very ill. Forcing Danran to return to her mother might not be good for either of them, so Agusheja decided to keep Danran and raise her purely as a Butewu tribe member, as Ah Yan had intended.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Butewu tribe didn\u2019t have family names, only given names, so Danran was simply Danran, not Qu Danran.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raised by her, Danran was naturally very close to her and would tell her everything, but talking nonstop like this was a first. Agusheja worried that Danran was too excited and was afraid she might be sick.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She worried too much. Once the clock passed midnight, Danran\u2019s excitement gradually faded. She lay on the pillow, continuing to talk about the day\u2019s events, no longer rolling around. After another quarter of an hour, Danran\u2019s voice suddenly stopped. Agusheja turned her head and saw that she had fallen asleep in that position.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seemed it was time for Danran to learn how to sleep on her own.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Danran\u2019s guardian, Agusheja knew exactly what Danran was going to do that day. She also knew about the so-called &#8220;script.&#8221; The man named Xiao Rong, a person from the Central Plains, liked to do these little tricks, fooling unsuspecting common people, as if this could remove the barriers between the Butewu tribe and the Central Plains people. It was as if this could make the Central Plains people accept Qu Yunmie and stop fearing him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it worked&#8230; Agusheja didn\u2019t know. She didn\u2019t go out much, and when she did, she would only sit down to diagnose patients at the Rejuvenation Hall, and left as soon as she was done, never staying a second longer. The younger members of the tribe weren\u2019t as rigid as she was. They would chat with the people coming for treatment, learn needlework from the Central Plains people, and even figured out when it was cheapest to buy vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thirty years.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had been down the mountain for exactly thirty years. When she was on the mountain, she was a young girl with the best memories and boundless energy. Back then, she was like Danran now, happy every day. The tribe\u2019s affairs were handled by the older members, and she didn\u2019t know what crises they were facing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, when her older sister decided to go down the mountain, she vaguely and somewhat opposed it. Once they had actually descended, she grew up gradually and discovered the many dangers in the world below. She began to long for the days on the mountain. People easily forget, and the pain and tragedies buried beneath the snow were barely remembered. All she could recall were the bodies at Yanmen Pass, exposed without the snow\u2019s cover. That image was so vivid, so piercing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She wasn\u2019t the only one; she could tell many others also missed their time on the mountain. At least, then, they only had to face natural disasters. Once they were on the plains, the constant deception and internal strife made them anxious every day. The Butewu tribe couldn\u2019t understand why people would raise weapons against each other, why even their own kin would fight to the death. If life on the plains was like this, if they all had to die at the hands of others, she would rather return to Buxian Mountain, to Yannu Lake. At least, dying in the heavy snow would leave them clean.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These thoughts can be said to be very negative, but who could blame her? She was the leader of the Buttewu tribe. She watched her people shrink from several thousand to just about eight hundred. She wasn\u2019t like her sister, who was strong and decisive. Her real skill lay only in medicine, but medicine couldn\u2019t save those on the brink of death.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She would also feel lost and doubt whether what she was doing was right or wrong, but she couldn\u2019t let others see it. So, little by little, she became this rigid and dull figure, neither laughing nor crying, as if nothing, no matter what happened, could change her emotional state.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then again, thirty years had passed, and she was now someone who had one foot in the grave. When she was in her twenties, she used to look at the moon in the sky, feeling sorrow and fatigue over the endless tragedy. Now, in her forties, she rarely paid attention to her own feelings. Her gaze was on the children and the younger members of the tribe. She didn\u2019t want them to follow the same path she had\u2014endlessly struggling, silent, and numb, day after day. No one should live like that.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was what she hoped, but she didn\u2019t know how to make it a reality.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long had this hope been buried in her heart? She couldn\u2019t count. There was a saying in the Central Plains: &#8220;Children and grandchildren have their own blessings.&#8221; She felt she was nearly at this point. This saying seemed very open-minded, but when it came to her, it was full of helplessness. Since she couldn\u2019t achieve it, she had no choice but to accept it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as she had accepted it, as she had given up and stopped hoping, she actually saw joy and laughter on the faces of her people. She saw them raise their arms and run into the dense forest, playing and fooling around under the guidance of the local Chenliu people. She saw the women of the tribe, who usually never smiled, picking up baskets and proudly showing off the new skills they had learned.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They seemed to have been accepted.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something that had been impossible for thirty years, a person named Xiao Rong had done with just a little trickery. He didn\u2019t even spend much money, yet he had opened the hearts of these people from the Central Plains to the Buttewu tribe. Not only were the people of the Central Plains shocked, but even the Buttewu tribe was shocked. Was this how friendly the people of the Central Plains were? They were kind-hearted. They had only given a bit of leather, but the locals wanted to repay them with their own cloth. It was completely different from the treatment they had received before, when they had been pelted with mud.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first, she agreed to Xiao Rong&#8217;s request because this person was highly valued by Qu Yunmie, and she didn\u2019t want to reject him. Who would have thought a casual decision back then would lead to such a good outcome?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her people were one reason, and then there was the relationship between Danran and Qu Yunmie. She feared that Qu Yunmie had reached a certain point where even if she forced Danran and Qu Yunmie to sit together for a meal, they would never become even a little closer. Agusheja had no idea how Xiao Rong managed to do it. He seemed to have some kind of sorcery.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At her most desperate, she had once knelt on the ground and kissed the earth, clumsily mimicking her sister&#8217;s former way of praying, asking the Goddess of Salt, whom the Butewu tribe believed in, to respond and help her, so her people and family would no longer suffer. It wasn\u2019t until now that she realized she didn\u2019t need the Goddess of Salt. She only needed a Xiao Rong.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran was sound asleep, and Agusheja shifted her body, but she still didn\u2019t feel sleepy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this quiet night, her thoughts grew more scattered. She thought, \u2018Xiao Rong had only briefly mentioned the Butewu tribe, and yet the tribe had received such great benefits.\u2019 Nearly everyone was incredibly grateful to him. Then, if Xiao Rong had spent so much time at the royal mansion and put most of his energy into Qu Yunmie, how would Qu Yunmie feel?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She couldn\u2019t help but think back to two days ago.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At that time, Qu Yunmie had come to visit at night. He sat in front of her and asked her a question. \u201cIs it possible for someone to continuously suffer from illness, both great and small, yet still live a long life, overcoming all dangers?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja thought the question was strange, but she answered truthfully. \u201cThere is nothing unusual in this world. Such people should exist, but they are rare. More people fall to illness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie didn\u2019t seem surprised by her answer, but then he asked another question. \u201cOld woman, if I wanted to make someone into that rare person, how would I do it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja was taken aback for a moment, then answered without hesitation. \u201cYou can\u2019t do it. Every person has their own fate. Even if the Goddess of Salt descends, she cannot save a person who is destined to die. Do everything you can, and leave the rest to fate. Overthinking and forcing things only adds to worries.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie said, &#8220;He probably thinks the same.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was why he was indifferent to his own suffering. Even when he coughed up blood, he didn\u2019t even give himself a second glance.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was so ruthless to himself, yet so attentive to Qu Yunmie. He watched over him as he slept, made him medicinal meals, and watched him change his bandages. It seemed that in his eyes, Qu Yunmie was far more important than he was.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie couldn\u2019t understand how anyone could treat a stranger as more important than their own life. He was also angry. The way that person ignored him and treated him dismissively had made Qu Yunmie furious.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, he didn\u2019t say these things aloud, because even though that person cared about him, he never listened to him. He always did things his way, focusing only on what he thought was important. Clearly, his own body wasn\u2019t part of that list.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie came to Agusheja, wanting to know how to solve this situation. If it required medicinal herbs, he would go buy them. If it needed a doctor, he would hire one. If he needed some rare treasure or a life-saving elixir, he would fight for it, even if it meant stealing it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Halfway through Qu Yunmie\u2019s questions, Agusheja already had an idea of who he was talking about. Since she rarely saw Xiao Rong, she had no idea how bad his health was. Based on her last interaction with him, she even thought Xiao Rong seemed to be in good health.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who would have thought, after she said this, Qu Yunmie immediately became angry, saying Xiao Rong had coughed up blood twice. How could she say there was nothing wrong with him?!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja: \u201c\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the end, they couldn\u2019t come up with any useful results. Agusheja said there was no such thing as a magical medicine. Even the Goddess of Salt\u2019s ginseng was only slightly better than regular ginseng. It didn\u2019t work miracles.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless, Qu Yunmie\u2019s stubbornness took over. He retorted, saying, &#8220;You just said there\u2019s nothing strange in the world. Surely there must be a medicine that can treat Xiao Rong\u2019s illness. I just haven\u2019t found it yet. The rare treasures of the world are probably all in the palaces of various countries. I\u2019ll search one by one, and I\u2019ll eventually find what I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja didn\u2019t even want to respond to Qu Yunmie\u2019s grand talk. How many countries were there in the world? How many palaces? Even if he worked his whole life, he wouldn\u2019t be able to accomplish that.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie left, and Agusheja didn\u2019t think about the matter any longer. She thought that Qu Yunmie, being an adult, should know what was possible and what wasn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, she wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She understood well that Xiao Rong treated the Butewu tribe so kindly only because of his relationship with Qu Yunmie. They were benefiting from Qu Yunmie\u2019s light. If he was this good to Qu Yunmie\u2019s people, how good must he be to Qu Yunmie himself?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether stubborn, arrogant, or proud, these were traits Qu Yunmie always had. Cruelty and a love for killing were things he developed later. The turning point came after his older brother died. It was as if, overnight, Qu Yunmie learned the role of killing. The more people he lost, the more he needed to vent his anger. When others took his loved ones, he would take theirs in return.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To Agusheja, Qu Yunmie was an orphan, someone with an inherent flaw. He would never learn to peacefully accept the loss of others.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lying in bed, Agusheja continued to let her thoughts wander, imagining what would happen if Xiao Rong died of illness. Given Qu Yunmie\u2019s current state, what would he do?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a sudden motion, she sat up in bed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran was sound asleep, but suddenly there was a sound of rummaging through boxes. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and saw the figure of the old woman crouching on the floor, seemingly searching for something.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran sleepily asked, &#8220;Granny, what are you looking for? Is someone ill?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agusheja calmly replied, &#8220;No, I can\u2019t sleep. I just wanted to look at the medical books that Yunmie sent over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing Danran still looking confused, Agusheja reassured her. &#8220;Go back to sleep. I\u2019ll be quieter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Danran obediently lay back down, and Agusheja buried her head back into the old chest.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where did she put it? She had previously dismissed the book because it was filled with Central Plains characters and didn\u2019t want to look at it, but now, she had no choice but to read it.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She had to cure Xiao Rong\u2019s illness. This wasn\u2019t for Qu Yunmie, nor for Xiao Rong, but for the unfortunate world!<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next day, after barely sleeping the night before, Xiao Rong woke up feeling lethargic. When he was eating breakfast, his head almost dropped into the hot pot.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong had always arranged the medicinal food, but that morning, after waiting for half the day in his room without seeing Xiao Rong come, Qu Yunmie knew that Xiao Rong must have slept in. So, he decided to get up and fetch the medicine himself.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quick as lightning, Qu Yunmie grabbed Xiao Rong&#8217;s hairpin, saving his smooth and delicate face, but his hair didn\u2019t escape.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong let out a cry of agony, quickly trying to save his hair. He was gasping for air from the force Qu Yunmie applied. Well, at least he wasn\u2019t sleepy anymore.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYour Majesty! Is this personal vengeance?\u201d Xiao Rong cried.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie felt a little guilty but refused to admit he had used too much force. He turned the tables and grumbled, &#8220;Complaining over such a small thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His chest heaved with anger, and Qu Yunmie avoided his gaze, pretending he didn\u2019t see him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faced with Qu Yunmie\u2019s shamelessness, Xiao Rong couldn\u2019t continue to make a scene. Finally, he huffed loudly, expressing his displeasure, and then continued to drink his porridge.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opposite him, Xiao Yi: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, he wanted to maintain his respect for the Northern King, but it was just too hard.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for whether Qu Yunmie was seeking personal revenge, it was hard to say. Xiao Rong however, was definitely seeking personal revenge.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He brought all the official documents he needed to handle and dumped them in front of Qu Yunmie. With this pile, Qu Yunmie would be busy the whole day.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie stared blankly at the documents. Even when Xiao Rong and the others weren\u2019t around, he didn\u2019t have to deal with this much official business.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing his shocked expression, Xiao Rong felt a little pleased. He smiled faintly and said to Qu Yunmie, &#8220;Thank you, Your Majesty. Xiao Rong takes his leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie, still counting how many volumes there were in the pile, reflexively called out, &#8220;Where are you going?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve dumped all the official work on me, where exactly are you going? Don\u2019t tell me you\u2019re off to have fun by yourself.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong turned his head, flashing a charming smile. &#8220;Don\u2019t you remember, Your Majesty, I brought some people back from Jinling? To get them, I spent a fortune. I\u2019ve been busy these days and haven\u2019t been able to see them. I\u2019ve gone to all that trouble to buy them, how could I neglect them? You can continue your work, I\u2019ll be back after seeing them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Qu Yunmie: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for those foreign mercenaries, they were having a terrible time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They thought they had just taken a simple task to protect an official, but that night, everything turned upside down. In the following days, they faced life-threatening situations, desperate escapes, and somehow ended up in the Northern Army, a place infamous for killing foreigners. Finally, they were placed under house arrest.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was a disaster.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of them thought about escaping, especially when Qu Yunmie had been injured. Everyone was focused on Qu Yunmie, and no one paid attention to them. That was the perfect time to flee. However, as soon as one of them prepared to escape with his horse and goods, a young officer squinted his eyes, bent down to pick up a weapon from a dead body, and threw it at him. The would-be escapee didn\u2019t even have time to scream before he died.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although mercenaries were usually indifferent to life and death, that didn\u2019t mean they were seeking death.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, no one dared to escape. They silently followed Qu Yunmie. They remembered that the one who had hired them was Xiao Rong, the civil official. They thought maybe things weren\u2019t as desperate as they seemed. At least Xiao Rong wouldn\u2019t easily kill them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Soon, they realized how na\u00efve they had been. Although it was Xiao Rong who hired them, his mind was completely occupied with taking care of Qu Yunmie. He didn\u2019t have the time to manage them, so he directly handed them over to Yu Shaocheng, the young officer who had killed their comrade.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mercenaries: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They had wandered the world for many years, but karma had finally caught up with them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the past few days, Xiao Rong hadn\u2019t asked about their whereabouts. When he finally found Yu Shaocheng, the latter took him to their residence. It was a vacant civilian house near the army camp, with a livestock pen next door.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pinching his nose, he walked in. When the mercenaries saw him, though they weren\u2019t crying, hope gleamed in their eyes, as if Xiao Rong was no longer their employer, but their savior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He glanced at Yu Shaocheng, who looked just as innocent.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forget it, no need to dig deeper.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong couldn\u2019t stand the smell in here. He took the mercenaries outside. Nearby was the North Town Army\u2019s camp, and after glancing at it, he said to the mercenaries, &#8220;I hired you all because I sensed the rising tension in Jinling. It seems you haven\u2019t made any significant contributions in protecting me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mercenaries: Well, with the Northern King around, who could steal the spotlight?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong\u2019s tone shifted. &#8220;But you didn\u2019t desert, and you protected the baggage and goods I entrusted to you. That\u2019s enough to prove you\u2019re trustworthy, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mercenaries exchanged glances.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They had been in the Central Plains for a long time and understood the local language well. &#8220;Good men\u201d didn\u2019t seem like a positive term, did it? Usually, the phrase \u201cgood men\u201d was followed by a request for mercy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet Xiao Rong didn\u2019t seem to be mocking them. The mercenaries looked at each other, and one of them stepped forward to reply.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He nodded at Xiao Rong. &#8220;Thank you for the praise, Sir Xiao.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong sized him up.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He had hired mercenaries from various tribes, with no more than five people from each. It was hard to get them to unite, but in just a few days, this man had earned the trust of the others, which showed some skill.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He asked, &#8220;What\u2019s your name? Which tribe are you from?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The man replied, &#8220;My name is Di Fazeng, and I\u2019m from the Rouran tribe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong suddenly coughed several times, almost coughing up his lungs.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yu Shaocheng hurriedly patted his back, feeling puzzled. He had never heard of Xiao Rong having a cough. He had been fine just a moment ago. How could he suddenly start coughing? It was always his brother who never caused anyone to worry about his health.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/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;\">Xiao Rong waved his hand, signaling Yu Shaocheng to stop patting him. Once he recovered, he calmly looked at Di Fazeng. &#8220;Oh, you\u2019re Rouran? What\u2019s your name again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was no need to ask everyone\u2019s name, but Xiao Rong was feeling uneasy. He didn\u2019t want anyone to see through his emotions, so he used this question to cover it up.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Di Fazeng, the founder of the Rouran Empire, the first to turn the Rouran Khanate into an empire. He became the Khan at 32, proclaimed himself Emperor at 35, and began expanding to the northwest at 36, destroying the Gaoche, Qi Gu, Wusun, and Dayuan tribes. At its peak, the Rouran Empire even controlled parts of Eastern Europe. The territory remained under Rouran control for 120 years, until it was finally destroyed by other nomadic tribes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xiao Rong listened with a smile as Di Fazeng introduced himself, but inside, his heart bled.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This wasn\u2019t someone they could handle. This was a big boss among big bosses! Zhang Biezhi, for such a simple task, you\u2019ve caused me trouble!! Just wait, tonight I\u2019ll clean up the mess for Jian Qiao.<\/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>That night, Xiao Rong wasn\u2019t the only one who couldn\u2019t sleep, there was also Agusheja, who stayed up until her eyes were dark with fatigue and her mind buzzing. She had never seen Danran so excited in her life. It was already the middle of the night, but Danran still didn\u2019t sleep. Full of energy, [&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-7036","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\/7036","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=7036"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7037,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7036\/revisions\/7037"}],"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=7036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}