While asking the General how he was doing, Rong Juan’s gaze was sizing him up from bottom to top.
What a divine horse.
This horse is drop-dead gorgeous!
The warhorse Xie Yanzhou rode was named “Silver Whinny.” Its silver coat was like mountain snowdrifts. It could travel a thousand miles a day and was as fast as a shooting star.
Rong Juan stared at it for a good while before finally letting his gaze settle on Xie Yanzhou’s face.
It was an unexpectedly young face. He wore a high crown, his forehead hair combed completely back. His pupils were naturally light-colored and slightly narrow, and his nose was straight and prominent, making his profile appear even more distant and cold.
Very handsome. Still a tiny bit worse than me.
System: [And a bit worse than me. He ranks third.]
One human and one system habitually boosted their own egos.
Currently, that gaze swept over him lightly from the corner of the eye, not lingering.
However, Xie Yanzhou’s expressionlessness was much better than the look of pure disgust on the face of the trusted aide holding the horse behind him.
The aide sneered, “Young Master should step back. On the battlefield, Silver Whinny has shattered the ribs of enemy leaders.”
Before he could finish, as Xie Yanzhou dismounted, the previously majestic Silver Whinny suddenly approached Rong Juan and actively nuzzled against him.
This was a sign of great intimacy and trust from an animal.
The aide’s face stiffened.
Rong Juan, on the other hand, calmly enjoyed the horse’s affection.
Some people were naturally liked by animals. Scientific explanations involved face shape, hair density, etc., while more metaphysical ones talked about magnetic fields.
As the only person present with his hair down, he was definitely a master in this regard.
Natural factors plus the System’s presence meant his magnetic field was indeed different from that of ordinary people.
Silver Whinny’s closeness finally made Xie Yanzhou pay some attention to Rong Juan, though the gaze was by no means friendly.
“Rong Chenglin’s son?”
To call the Prime Minister by his full name in public, there probably wasn’t a second person in the entire capital who would dare.
Reflected by the iridescent treasure chests, Rong Juan’s face shone along with them. “Son of my mother who ran away early, adopted son of the Chief Superintendent.”
Opening and closing his mouth with “your dad’s son” was so impolite.
He was very good at climbing the social ladder, smiling as he added, “General’s sworn younger brother and tenant.”
The moment “sworn younger brother” came out, the hot wind on the street seemed to drop a few degrees.
Someone gulped, and everyone instantly fell silent.
Even the trusted aide took a small step back, feeling that the wealthy children of the capital had been comfortable for too long and were stupid enough to speak without thinking.
Xie Yanzhou had been in the army for too long; indeed, he hadn’t seen such an impudent person in ages.
Peerless appearance, disheveled clothes, loose tongue—
Because he was so unruly, one couldn’t see any resemblance to his treacherous official father in the person before him.
“The General’s Manor does not keep idle people.”
In the military, “not keeping people” didn’t mean kicking them out; it meant “no mercy under the blade.”
The sharp voice laden with killing intent pressed down, but Rong Juan didn’t bat an eye or skip a beat. “I am very hardworking.”
It was unclear if Xie Yanzhou heard him, as he had already stepped into the residence.
The warhorse kept looking back every three steps; it really seemed attached to Rong Juan.
Thinking of this brat stepping into the General’s territory made several officers feel disgusted. Resisting the urge to strike, they asked the trusted aide, “Should we give him a display of authority?”
Looking at the warhorse’s reluctant demeanor, the aide said grumpily, “The horse is about to run off with him. What authority is there to display?”
Thanks to the System, Rong Juan’s poison-ravaged body currently had heightened senses.
His ear tips twitched as he caught the aide’s words.
Rong Juan suddenly wanted to eat wafers. (Note: “Display authority” is xia ma wei, which sounds like part of “wafer” in Chinese).
System: [I want to eat encrypted viruses too.]
Ignoring those strange, disgusted looks, one human and one system stood outside the manor, sighing.
…
In the evening, Xie Yanzhou gathered briefly with his soldiers. Laughter and cursing occasionally drifted from the manor, the liveliness of drinking and toasting forming a sharp contrast with the cold silence of the adjacent courtyard.
Xie Yanzhou was often criticized for his cruelty, and his style of marching was the same, often enforcing harsh military law in the camp.
Rong Juan didn’t know how he was when fighting, but at least in his leisure time, he seemed to have an approachable side.
“He’s quite generous. I occupied several extra rooms, and he had no objections.”
Rong Juan had returned the deed of sale to the servant who followed him earlier, giving him freedom and giving himself freedom of speech.
Otherwise, with someone always following him, he’d have to be careful with every word.
Now, blowing on hot tea while sitting on the couch, he lamented his acquisition of several rooms.
Of course, the more likely reason Xie Yanzhou ignored his squatting was that he treated him like air.
“There are too many good things brought over; one room can’t hold them all.” Rong Juan pointed vaguely at the densely packed treasure chests. “One, two…”
Tired of counting while lying in a nest of gold and silver, he finally started considering serious matters, slowly listing the possible answers for this mission.
The node for the System’s transmigration was the end of the Liang Dynasty. If a prince usurped the throne, the dynasty’s name wouldn’t change immediately.
“The day I went to jail, I noted the prices on the street.”
Based on his transmigration experience, if the people were destitute, rebel armies would appear everywhere, and grain prices in the capital would skyrocket. None of this had happened.
This current calm felt more like an inside job, the dynasty collapsing from within.
However, he had met too few people so far.
Rong Juan: “Ordinary detectives have three suspects to solve a case. I’m one short… Hmm, Usurper Suspect Number One: Cheap Dad.”
The wet nurse only said the Prime Minister left the capital on business, not specifying what. Usually, leaving the capital for a period meant visiting relatives or exile.
Cheap Dad was clearly neither, which was even more abnormal.
“Usurper Suspect Number Two: Xie Yanzhou.”
Rong Juan found Xie Yanzhou increasingly suspicious. His insistence on staying was partly to observe him more.
“This person calls Cheap Dad by his name without scruples, has the Chief Superintendent as a godfather for backing, and doesn’t care about his reputation at all. A template rebel.”
The System found this logical: [But you have all the conditions he has.]
Rong Juan: “Is that an AI-generated joke?”
System proudly: [AI isn’t that abstract. I just made it up.]
One human and one system laughed heartily.
[Why not list the Chief Superintendent?]
Rong Juan: “Unlikely.”
According to the latest gossip Koukou heard, the Chief Superintendent was suspected of having a damaged body. If he were faking it, doing so for twenty years would be too exaggerated.
The probability of someone without heirs usurping the throne in this era was truly low.
But nothing was absolute. Rong Juan thought about it, took out a small notebook, and added him anyway.
Their self-entertainment only lasted a day.
The next day, the palace banquet originally set for Xie Yanzhou was suddenly postponed.
Early in the morning, the steward’s urging came from outside, and Rong Juan was groggily woken up to receive an edict.
Forcing his eyelids open, he walked with his head down. “Waking up early brings bad luck all day.”
Just as he finished speaking, he bumped into someone.
Xie Yanzhou looked at him coldly.
Rong Juan: “…”
See, waking up early causes accidents.
Fortunately, the death stare only lasted three seconds. The eunuch reading the edict stood on the steps and began.
He said a lot, the gist being that the Right Prime Minister had accidentally discovered a prince plotting for wealth and rebellion during his trip. He collected evidence in time and would return to court soon.
The Emperor, for unknown reasons, insisted on waiting for him to return to participate in the palace banquet, claiming they should celebrate together, despite knowing the military and the Right Prime Minister didn’t get along.
Rong Juan was baffled.
What does this edict have to do with me?
After reading the edict, the long-white-browed eunuch glanced at Rong Juan. “This must be Prime Minister Rong’s son. Truly a man of talent.”
Rong Juan had been summoned in a hurry, his hair still messy. He didn’t fit those words at all.
When someone spouted nonsense to praise you, nothing good ever followed.
The eunuch soon smiled and said, “His Majesty specifically ordered that the Young Master also attend the palace banquet.”
Rong Juan pointed to himself, face full of question marks.
The eunuch nodded, confirming it was indeed him.
“Damn,” Rong Juan expressed his feelings, then asked, “If I go, whose table do I sit at?”
Palace banquets had clear seating arrangements; status was clear at a glance, and no class could overstep. He had no official rank. Would he sit at the Chief Superintendent’s table or the Prime Minister’s?
The eunuch’s smile deepened. “His Majesty said, it’s up to you.”
The only time in history that supported online seat selection for a palace banquet. But Rong Juan wasn’t proud; he even wanted to curse.
Once the eunuch left, Rong Juan shuffled toward Xie Yanzhou.
Also up early, Xie Yanzhou, who had been drinking with his subordinates last night, looked more spirited and sharp than Rong Juan, who had slept for nearly ten hours.
Others feared Xie Yanzhou, but Rong Juan lacked reverence in his bones; this was true for everyone.
A visitor from another world, measuring the present with the future, subconsciously held a sense of superiority.
Furthermore, as long as he didn’t commit a major crime, no matter how ruthless Xie Yanzhou was, he couldn’t casually kill the legitimate son of a high-ranking court official.
So Rong Juan spoke up without psychological burden: “Is there any way not to go? If my dad finds out I emptied half the Prime Minister’s manor, he’ll slaughter me.”
His answer was a ruthless back view.
Xie Yanzhou had only two impressions of Rong Juan: magnificent at first sight, and… very noisy.
“Magnificent” was usually used to describe art. And in his eyes, Rong Juan was indeed just an object. Hating the house and the crow, for the sake of future peace, Xie Yanzhou was already considering fabricating a reason to smash this art piece and have someone sweep it out.
System: [Little Rong, the look in his eyes is a bit cruel.]
Rong Juan was pondering other things at the moment, muttering as he walked, “If only my dad accidentally caught a cold on the road. That would delay his return, and he couldn’t attend the banquet.”
“A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal. If he became lame, that would be even better.”
Xie Yanzhou suddenly stopped, and Rong Juan almost bumped into his back a second time.
The gaze from above was like looking at a rare animal.
Facing Rong Juan’s genuine, unadulterated expectant look, he finally said four words: “Good luck to you.”
Walking toward the study, Xie Yanzhou could vaguely hear prayers such as “God bless” and “Ancestors bless” from behind. His expression went from sarcasm to a slight curve of the lips.
The Right Prime Minister really raised a good son.
Anyway, he had never seen a descendant pray for the ancestors to bless another descendant with misfortune.
By the time he reached the study, the curve of Xie Yanzhou’s lips had flattened.
“Rong Hengsong.”
The Superintendent Bureau handed over a more detailed personal file. Xie Yanzhou scanned it quickly.
A history full of bad deeds was now detailed on paper.
The Chief Superintendent sending the guy to him wasn’t a whim. Xie Yanzhou knew his thoughts. Rong Chenglin was a cunning old fox; using his own son as bait to set a trap was normal.
There were many confidential documents in the General’s Manor. If this person had ulterior motives, action would be sooner or later.
Outside, a trusted aide knocked and entered after permission. Seeing the records of past crimes on the desk, he gritted his teeth. “Committing so many evils at a young age. If you ask me, one military baton strike to kill him wouldn’t be excessive.”
Xie Yanzhou closed the file. “Send Xue Ren to see me.”
…
“Exactly how much evil did the original host commit? It even spread to the military camp thousands of miles away.”
In the past two days, whenever soldiers came to discuss military affairs with Xie Yanzhou, seeing Rong Juan, they would deliberately pretend to whisper but actually loudly discuss his past misdeeds, looking at him like jackals wanting to tear him apart.
Whenever this happened, Rong Juan would stand still and pray for his dear dad to catch a cold on the road and return to the capital late.
The soldiers would be dumbfounded, even forgetting to curse.
The System read its novels every day, dizzy from staying up late: [Little Rong, we should think about the mission.]
“This mission is just a waiting game. Wait until the new Emperor ascends and see who it is.”
Rong Juan took off his shoes and leaned on the couch, discussing serious matters as requested. “But the location of our room is interesting. It’s not far from the study and Xie Yanzhou’s living quarters.”
The layout of the General’s Manor wasn’t good to begin with. The backyard was turned into a racecourse, squeezing all the remaining houses together. Even so, there were plenty of places to live.
Rong Juan smiled faintly. “If you really hate someone, you should put them near the servants’ quarters.”
Now it looked more like entrapment.
System: [So the General doesn’t hate you?]
The System gasped: [Little Rong, could he have fallen in love with you at first sight?]
Cannot talk to a love-brain. Rong Juan turned over and started his nap.
Compared to his laziness, Xie Yanzhou, on the other hand, was simply an executor of Spartan discipline.
Reading until late at night, practicing with swords and spears before dawn—the sounds of metal clashing and drilling horses were loud.
Plus, Xie Yanzhou’s trusted aides were orphans adopted by the old General. Unmarried, they lived in the manor too, and from time to time, there were shouts of training counts akin to military drilling.
Opening his eyes to see the morning star, Rong Juan’s “waking-up grumpiness” exploded. He howled, “Doesn’t anyone report noise disturbance?!”
Birds flew up in fright from the horizon.
On the racecourse, Xie Yanzhou, who was wiping his blade, paused upon hearing this resentment-filled cry, then resumed drilling.
The manor’s head steward stood to the side.
Is it an illusion? The steward pondered. It feels like the General deliberately made the noise louder after hearing that. To be honest, this behavior is a bit childish, like teasing a kid.
Soon, he shook his head. How could the General be that bored?
In the afternoon, the manor was even noisier. Many court officials personally visited and gave gifts.
In the following days, more and more people came to offer congratulations. Xie Yanzhou finally seemed to realize it was inappropriate and began closing the doors, claiming illness to decline guests.
He quieted down, but Rong Juan started moving. Surprisingly, he didn’t nap that day but picked and chose from the precious medicine chests.
The System synthesized a prescription using the highest-tech AI and helped weigh the ingredients while out of body: [This tonic has a target audience coverage of 99%. Strengthens the body and increases wisdom.]
Unfortunately, Rong Juan, with poison rooted in his body, was the 1%.
[Drinking this is useless for you.]
“It’s not for me. It’s for that General Xie.”
System: [Little Rong, was your brain attacked by hackers?]
He wakes you up every day, and you’re stewing tonic for him?
Rong Juan: “Xie Yanzhou is probably really sick.”
More accurately, injury was more likely.
When the eunuch read the edict, Rong Juan faintly smelled a medicinal scent on Xie Yanzhou. He deliberately got close to confirm he wasn’t wrong. Practicing with weapons was likely a cover for the injury.
The unscrupulous open doors for gift-receiving these past two days confirmed his thought.
Xie Yanzhou couldn’t be that stupid. It was mostly to find a reason for closing the doors now.
So he’s sick. The System still didn’t know why Rong Juan was playing the weasel paying respects to the chicken.
“Stupid. On the day of the palace banquet, I want to sit at his table.”
Xie Yanzhou had to get better quickly. With him there, at least part of the topic would be on the military; otherwise, it would all be about acknowledging a father.
“Besides, this concerns my life dream.”
Rong Juan dreamed of being a happy salted fish. Why can people find happiness in eating, drinking, and playing? Because they have been busy and suffered.
So he needed a standard reference object.
“This goes back to the third time I was woken up. Amidst my annoyance, I suddenly evolved a new joy.”
Rong Juan looked intoxicated. “Thinking that someone has to rise at cockcrow to dance with swords while I sleep… Heavens! I’m happy again.”
System: […] Damn, you’ve become a pervert again.
The System always felt he had other purposes. The host’s actions were always baffling.
But once he acted, his purpose was firm.
Rong Juan indeed had another important reason for sending the medicine that he didn’t say. He planned to confirm this at the palace banquet.
The System worked all around, finally helping to grind the medicine into powder.
Rong Juan knew the weasel—pah, he meant himself—couldn’t give it directly; Xie Yanzhou wouldn’t drink it.
So he tiptoed to the small kitchen, carefully soaking the inner wall of the medicine pot, which was clearly recently used with the powder.
After silently doing his good deed, he went back and had the System write it in the diary.
Outside the window, trees swayed. There was no screen in the room, and gifts sent over the past two days were piled in the corner.
Xie Yanzhou was shirtless. The wound on his tight muscles was hideous.
The doctor was changing his dressing.
“Fortunately, there was no poison on the arrow. Just rest for a few days, and it will be fine.”
If Rong Juan were present, he would recognize this doctor as the coroner he had met once, Xue Ren.
Xue Ren was a master of both medicine and poison, the top expert in pharmacology at the Superintendent Bureau.
“Don’t spread word of this.” Xie Yanzhou put on his outer robe.
Knowing he was injured, even if not seriously, some people would use it as an excuse to extend his stay in the capital.
Xue Ren agreed, but his gaze was drawn to a parrot on a wooden perch in the room. Its beak was hooked, and its extremely long tail was dazzling.
This imported macaw was one of the gifts from an official. Influenced by his birth mother, Xie Yanzhou liked birds.
Xue Ren said casually, “The giver was thoughtful.”
Xie Yanzhou, still wearing combat boots, walked slowly to the table.
With a slight force from his slender fingers, he tapped the edge of the wooden perch. “Very thoughtful.”
He looked at the parrot calmly. “I had my men test many possibilities. Finally, I found that when it hears words like ‘beloved subject,’ it will…”
“Long live, General… Long live!”
The parrot flapped its turquoise wings and suddenly squawked.
Xue Ren’s face changed drastically.
The Emperor occasionally came to the manor to reminisce about his old friend, Xie Yanzhou’s father. If he heard this, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Generals were already easily suspected. People might think he had treasonous thoughts.
Xie Yanzhou wrote down the giver’s name and handed it to Xue Ren. It was an official from the Ministry of Rites.
As for the rest, the Superintendent Bureau would handle it naturally.
He casually picked up the freshly delivered medicine bowl and, under Xue Ren’s puzzled gaze, poured the medicine into the birdcage to feed the parrot.
At first, the parrot didn’t drink. Until it was extremely thirsty, it actively stuck its head into the bowl.
“This is another little bird that can harm people.”
Not long ago, the guard watching Rong Juan reported that he had sneakily gone to the small kitchen to tamper with the medicine pot.
Thinking of the guard’s vivid report, Xie Yanzhou’s gaze fixed on the parrot’s gorgeous feathers.
Sure enough, since ancient times, the more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it is.
Xue Ren was clearly not as calm as him. Hearing this, he said angrily, “Wolfish ambition, just like his father!”
He had originally felt some pity for Rong Juan being poisoned and destined to die young. Now it seemed that with such viciousness, it was better for him to die early and reincarnate.
Xie Yanzhou didn’t care. Assassinations, poisonings—he had seen plenty of these little tricks. Ten times a year if not a hundred.
During the days of closed doors, Xie Yanzhou lived a life where the medicine couldn’t stop.
Those problematic medicines were all thrown into the parrot.
Since knowing the medicine pot was tampered with, Xue Ren would brew a separate dose for Xie Yanzhou at a different time every day and had reported this matter to the Chief Superintendent.
Because the Superintendent Bureau had to prioritize the official from the Ministry of Rites who sent the parrot, Rong Juan was temporarily put aside for a few days.
Soon, a major event occurred in the capital.
Zhang Jia, the Vice Minister of Rites, was found to have engaged in fraud during the previous year’s imperial examinations.
The Emperor was furious and ordered the Superintendent Bureau to investigate that very day strictly.
How could a normal official withstand the Superintendent Bureau’s methods? After suffering only superficial wounds, Zhang Jia was actually scared insane.
The Superintendent Bureau found a large amount of wealth in his residence. Unfortunately, with Zhang Jia insane, the source of most of the wealth was unknown.
Because it involved too many people and there were concerns about instability in the court, the Superintendent Bureau announced that the case was closed at the Emperor’s request.
Once the Court of Judicial Review verified it, Zhang Jia was executed that same day without even waiting for autumn. The speed was jaw-dropping.
And just as Zhang Jia’s blood splattered three feet, another major event happened—the Right Prime Minister returned to the capital!
The palace had long arranged a banquet, and all nobles were required to attend.
That afternoon, Xie Yanzhou, dressed in official robes, stood under the bird perch in the room.
He wasn’t surprised at all that the Ministry of Rites had fallen so quickly. The Superintendent Bureau had special authority granted by the Emperor; once the process started, it was incredibly fast.
What truly surprised him was that the macaw Zhang Jia had sent, after being fed problematic medicine for a while, was actually alive and well.
Observing carefully, Xie Yanzhou confirmed he wasn’t seeing things.
“Gu!”
This parrot was not only alive and spirited… it had even gotten fat.
“Gu!!”
Spreading its wings like a roc, then retracting them and lifting its head, the macaw stood as straight as a pine.
The muscles beneath its chest shield were unusually strong. Its two black bean eyes looked down at Xie Yanzhou with disdain.
“…”
Author’s Note:
Parrot: Who’s medicine do you think you’re taking? It’s a god’s medicine!
Xie Yanzhou: …
(Note: The adaptation of the original line comes from “Big Fish & Begonia”.)