Chapter 0011 Good Stuff

Chapter 0011 Good Stuff

The guards had expected Xiao Rong to be driven out soon, but an hour passed, then two hours passed...

When Xiao Rong finally emerged, all the guards outside gave him a curious look. Xiao Rong: "?"

Those who could serve as personal guards to the Northern Pacification King were naturally people he trusted and also veterans of the Northern Pacification Army. They might not be old in age, but their families had been serving the Qu family since their grandparents' generation.

After Xiao Rong left, the guards reported this incident to their superior, the guard commander, Zhuang Weizhi.

Zhuang Weizhi was even more surprised than they were, because he had served Qu Yunmie for a longer time and knew how impatient their king was with receiving advice.

Even if the Chancellor Gao were present, he couldn't keep the king in one place to listen for two hours of gibberish.

This was something they didn't understand.

Was what Xiao Rong said gibberish? It was clearly a brilliant strategy that resonated deeply with him!

Xiao Rong's initial mention of preparing for the autumn campaign against the Xianbei had slipped his mind. After bidding farewell to Xiao Rong, he immediately wrote a brief letter and sent it to Zhangye.

Zhuang Weizhi watched him finish writing. Qu Yunmie had already put down his pen but suddenly asked, "Has Yuan Baifu sent any military reports?"

Zhuang Weizhi shook his head. "No, does the king wish to issue orders?"

Qu Yunmie hesitated for a moment. Bringing someone from Zhangye or Yizhou wasn't much different in terms of distance, but the terrain varied greatly.

However, it was someone else's job, not his own. Why should he worry about the trouble? With this thought, Qu Yunmie immediately lowered his head, ready to write another letter, but the sight of the text gave him a headache. So, he simply said to Zhuang Weizhi, "Tell Yuan Baifu to spare those who surrender in Yizhou and bring all the captives back to Yanmen County."

Zhuang Weizhi was taken aback. "Including the local clans and commoners?"

Qu Yunmie was about to nod but then remembered that Xiao Rong hadn't mentioned the commoners.

He narrowed his eyes, thinking he understood.

It must be because Xiao Rong came from a noble family and felt compassion for these commoners, unwilling to make them do hard labor.

"Hmph, why shouldn't the commoners do what the peasants and farmers do?"

With this thought, Qu Yunmie sneered. "Of course, unless you want to plead on their behalf?"

Zhuang Weizhi: "…………"

He had only asked a question. ＊

On the other side, Xiao Rong returned to his residence and immediately asked Ah Shu to bring him paper and pen.

This matter was too important to rely solely on memory.

Whenever Xiao Rong asked for paper and pen, it meant something significant. Ah Shu did not dare delay and quickly brought the items over.

Then, he watched as Xiao Rong wrote while muttering softly.

"His temperament fluctuates; sometimes he is generous, sometimes petty."

"He listens only to things that interest him; when uninterested, he dismisses them casually."

"He despises foreigners and looks down on scholars, but his attitude towards ordinary people is unclear."

"Surprisingly, he can still listen to reason."

"He needs to be coaxed, not confronted."

"He is not superstitious and even dislikes superstition."

After finishing, Xiao Rong picked up the half-dry paper and gently blew on it. "The rest remains to be observed."

Ah Shu: "…………"

He stared blankly at Xiao Rong. "Master, you... you're not going to keep this paper, are you?"

Xiao Rong was puzzled. "If I didn't want to keep it, why would I write it down?"

Ah Shu genuinely admired him. "Aren't you afraid the Northern Pacification King will find it?"

Xiao Rong smiled smugly. "Not at all, look how I wrote it."

Ah Shu looked at him in confusion, then leaned closer and realized that although the characters were recognizable, most of them were unfamiliar.

Ah Shu was stunned. "This..."

"This," Xiao Rong proudly explained, "is called simplified script. Ordinary people can't read it."

Even literary scholars might struggle, as there are similarities between simplified and traditional scripts, but the Northern Pacification King... Ha! A brute who only knows fighting wouldn't recognize anything written here even if he were taught again.

Still, for safety, Xiao Rong kept the notes close to his person.

Today, he had gone to offer advice and implement his plan, but also to test the limits of Qu Yunmie.

Xiao Rong was the type who either did nothing or did everything to perfection. Since he was now bound to Qu Yunmie, he would no longer act on impulse. He was determined to push Qu Yunmie to the throne, despite his dislike for the man.

Moreover... his dislike was not as strong as it once was.

Especially after learning about the inexplicable entanglement between Qu Yunmie and Yu Shaocheng.

From what he saw yesterday, honestly speaking, Qu Yunmie's desire to kill Yu Shaoxie was not entirely unreasonable. This was an era where the ruler's word was law. The Northern Pacification King, though only a king, was already halfway to becoming a ruler, and the position of a king in those days was vastly different from later times.

Feudalism had only just begun, and the system of feudal lords was still in transition. The idea of reducing the power of feudal lords was non-existent. At this time, kings ruled their own states, with their own officials and palaces. Even their wives were called queens, not consorts.

That's why these warlords eagerly sought titles of kingship. When unable to become emperors, being a king allowed them to experience supreme power.

However, the title of Northern Pacification King cannot be considered purely self-proclaimed. The young emperor of Southern Yong issued an edict, intending to bestow the title of Prince of Dai upon Qu Yunmie, who was at the height of his power at the time, because he was stationed in Dai Commandery. Dai was a long-established feudal state, and the young emperor's move was an attempt to win Qu Yunmie over, making him an official subject. However, Qu Yunmie ignored this and settled in Yanmen County instead. He wrote a letter to the young emperor stating that he did not want to be the Prince of Dai; he wanted to be the Northern Pacification King.

The young emperor had little authority, so he could not enforce his will. The officials of Southern Yong discussed the matter and decided that Qu Yunmie posed too great a threat. If they did not comply with his wishes, he might attack them directly. Thus, they reluctantly agreed to his terms.

Therefore, despite the unconventional title of Northern Pacification King, Qu Yunmie had the royal seal, imperial edict, and ceremonial token, making his position absolutely legitimate. He was officially recognized as a legitimate hetero-clan king by the emperor himself.

Given such a privileged status, it is truly frustrating how he ended up where he did... but let's set that aside for now.

In short, in the eyes of people of this era, Qu Yunmie's status should only be slightly lower than that of the young emperor. Even Sun Renluan, the emperor's brother-in-law, would have to bow to him according to protocol. Yet Yu Shaoxie not only disregarded him but also cursed him to his face, hitting him where it hurt the most. His execution was not unjustified.

With his brother killed, Yu Shaocheng naturally could not let it go. He wanted nothing more than revenge for his brother, which, honestly, was not wrong.

So, in the end, this whole situation is a mess. Everyone acted out of emotion, leading to this outcome.

Who to blame? Xiao Rong felt that they could only blame their own bad luck...

Since Yu Shaoxie left no mark in history and died too early, Xiao Rong did not know if he truly had any talent. Moreover, although Yu Shaoxie appeared bold and outspoken before Qu Yunmie, he was actually shy and polite in private. With the group of captives not arriving for some time, Xiao Rong needed to learn more about the Northern Pacification Army, so he frequently visited Yu Shaoxie to chat, mainly to gather information on the relationships within the Northern Pacification King's circle.

Yu Shaoxie had been here for eight months and knew more than Xiao Rong did.

Civil officials were not worth mentioning; apart from the Prime Minister Gao, everyone else just went through the motions. As for military officers, Xiao Rong already knew the key figures.

Yuan Baifu, Jian Qiao, Gongsun Yuan, and Wang Xinyong.

These four were his main generals, having fought alongside him through thick and thin. The first three came from the Northern Pacification Army, while the last one was a general of Southern Yong stationed in Huainan during the first year of Kaiyun. When Qu Yunmie led his troops to defect and return north, they clashed, and Wang Xinyong lost, resulting in him and his troops being taken back north by Qu Yunmie.

After some adjustments, he eventually stayed in the Northern Pacification Army, but Qu Yunmie used him without fully trusting him. Moreover, his presence did cause some issues, representing those soldiers who wished to return to the prosperous lands. The old Northern Pacification Army members had feelings for Yanmen Pass, but these new arrivals did not. They followed Qu Yunmie for survival and advancement, not for his personal ideals.

There were problems with morale, though it was unclear whether Qu Yunmie had noticed.

As for Yu Shaoxie, he clearly aligned with Wang Xinyong. He believed that Qu Yunmie should not have established his palace here. Now that the entire north was his, why build a city here when there were better places elsewhere?

Xiao Rong observed that when discussing private matters, Yu Shaoxie was a shy and adorable person, but when it came to official business, he became like someone hit by gamma rays, raging to the point of turning green.

In his view, Wang Xinyong was too timid, Gongsun Yuan had poor conduct, Jian Qiao lacked independent thought, and as for Yuan Baifu... he paused for a moment, struggling to find a flaw.

He was too close to Qu Yunmie.

Xiao Rong: "..."

There's no one good in your eyes, huh?

Xiao Rong remained silent, listening without offering his own opinions. Unlike Yu Shaoxie, who had put his life on the line, Xiao Rong was working hard to save his own life.

Moreover, his insights could not be shared. Certain events yet to happen would not be believed even if he spoke of them.

Having not chatted with anyone for a long time, Yu Shaoxie shared everything he could, until he felt exhausted. He took a sip of tea and then remembered something to share with Xiao Rong, whom he saw as warm and righteous.

"General Yuan and the others have returned."

Xiao Rong was startled. "Back already? So soon?"

Yu Shaoxie: "It was just to suppress the unrest; it wouldn’t take long. With the King’s temperament, he wouldn’t think of finding someone to govern Yizhou. The governorship of Yizhou is purely—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Rong had already hurriedly gotten up and walked out.

Yu Shaoxie was stunned. "Where are you going, Brother Xiao?"

Xiao Rong: "I have something else to attend to. I’ll go back to the palace first. My apologies, Brother Yu!"

Yu Shaoxie: "……"

Watching Xiao Rong leave, his expression was incredibly complex. When they first came to Yanmen County, he was like this too, full of enthusiasm and dedication, his mind solely focused on how to assist the Northern Pacification King.

Sigh, I wonder how long Brother Xiao can keep this up. *

Xiao Rong hurried back, wanting to see what Yuan Baifu looked like. But when he arrived, the guards said that the King was discussing matters with General Yuan.

Xiao Rong responded with an “oh” and didn’t leave.

The guard looked at him. Xiao Rong feigned weakness, coughed forcefully twice, and then leaned against the door frame as if exhausted, his ear conveniently near the crack in the door.

Guard: "…………"

Xiao Rong just heard a refined voice say, "They confessed, it’s Li," when he was abruptly lifted up by a stern-faced guard.

"Mr. Xiao, please don’t make things difficult for us."

Xiao Rong clicked his tongue, about to argue, when suddenly someone lightly tapped his shoulder.

Xiao Rong was taken aback and turned around, seeing an old man with gleaming eyes and a strange smile, speaking in an even stranger tone, as if he were a kidnapper, asking, "Xiao Rong?"

"Are you Xiao Rong?"

"Come here, come to me."

He walked to a side hall, opened the door, and waved Xiao Rong over with a smile. "Come on, I’ll show you something good."

Xiao Rong: "……"

Author's note: