When Xiao Shaojin woke up the next morning, he was back in his own room. His sweat-soaked clothes had been changed into clean sleeping robes, and his mouth tasted fresh. The maids must have carried him back and cleaned him up.
There were a dozen maids in his courtyard. He couldn't remember all their names, so he nicknamed them based on their daily outfits.
"Green Bud, how did I get back last night?" Xiao asked the maid dressed in green as she put on his shoes. "I remember talking late with Master Zeng, then I fell asleep."
The maid was used to his random nicknames. "Your Highness, this servant is named Xingyu (Apricot Rain). My sisters and I carried you back."
"Who told you to change my clothes and wash me?" Xiao pretended to be angry. "You deserve a beating! Butt over here!"
Xingyu blushed crimson. "It was Sister Ruiyao's order! If you want to beat someone, beat her!"
Hearing the name of the Head Maid, Xiao grunted. "Fine."
He walked towards the door, then suddenly turned back and gave Xingyu a light slap on the bottom.
Smack.
"Your Highness! You are such a rogue!" Xingyu cried out, her face burning.
"'Master Sun's Art of War' says: All warfare is based on deception," Xiao grinned. "I'm teaching you high-level strategy. Don't be ungrateful."
He ran out, with the maid chasing behind him.
"Why are you chasing me?" Xiao stopped. "Go do your work. I need to see my father."
"Sister Ruiyao prepared a medicinal breakfast," Xingyu stammered. "She says you slept late and woke late, which is bad for your health. You must eat before leaving."
"Am I the Heir or is she?" Xiao rolled his eyes. "Do you listen to her or me?"
"I listen to Your Highness... but Sister Ruiyao..."
"I know she's a tigress," Xiao interrupted. "If she gives you trouble, say I insisted. Tell her to come lecture me."
He walked away without looking back.
The maid stood there for a moment, whispering to the empty air. "My name is Xingyu."
Xiao Shaojin went to his father's courtyard, only to find that Prince Xiao Hong had gone to the military camps early to reward the troops.
Old man really knows how to pick the peaches, Xiao grumbled internally. I fought the battle, he wins the hearts.
He didn't dwell on it. He ordered his carriage prepared. He was going to the Drill Battalion to see Han Zhong personally.
While the older generals obeyed him out of respect for his father, Han Zhong was the first general Xiao had cultivated himself. Han Zhong was loyal to him, not just the Prince.
To control the Border Army, Xiao needed his own inner circle. This was the first truth he learned from the Ghost Valley Arts: Troops are confidence.
His carriage suddenly stopped. A commotion erupted outside.
Xiao Shaojin, annoyed, picked up Sun Zhongxuan's manuscript to read.
Outside the carriage stood a middle-aged man, a young man, and a girl about Xiao Shaojin's age.
The girl was petite and cute, a beauty in the making. She wore a blue-and-white martial arts outfit with a sharp ponytail, holding a white rabbit she had just bought from the Jicheng market.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the rabbit, which had been knocked flying by the carriage. She pointed a finger at the driver and screamed, "Why are you driving so fast? You killed my rabbit! Get down, apologize, and give me an explanation!"
The Prince's driver, Uncle Wang, looked aggrieved. "Young Miss, I was driving normally on the official road. The rabbit ran out; I couldn't have dodged it even if I saw it."
"You still have to apologize!" the girl insisted relentlessly.
The driver was an honest man who had followed the rules all his life. He had never heard of a law requiring an apology for a roadkill rabbit. He shook his head. "There is no such law in Youzhou. How about I pay you for it?"
The girl threw a tantrum, shouting loudly. The two men with her scratched their heads, smiling awkwardly.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Shaojin's patience snapped. He lifted the curtain slightly.
"Uncle Wang, why haven't we left? If you hit something, just pay for it."
Uncle Wang quickly got down and pulled the girl aside. "How much for the rabbit? I'll pay you three times the price."
Feeling even more wronged, the girl wailed, "I want an apology! You want to pay? Fine! One hundred taels! Can you afford that?"
Clatter!
Before the driver could panic, a shower of silver ingots flew out from the carriage, scattering on the ground.
"I don't want to be seen in the city today," the boy's voice came from inside. "Uncle Wang, let them take the money and scram."
The girl was furious. She stomped over to the carriage window and yelled, "What do you mean? Throwing silver on the ground? Do you think this young lady lacks your few scraps of silver?"
Whoosh.
Xiao Shaojin yanked the curtain fully open. He stared down at the red-faced, angry girl.
"Let me remind you," he said coldly. "Those aren't 'scraps.' Open your dog eyes and look closely. That is Official Silver. There are over a hundred taels there. Pick it up. No need to thank me."
The girl saw a handsome, delicate boy, but the moment he opened his mouth, he was rude and unbearable.
She pointed at his nose. "Apologize to my rabbit! And apologize to me! Or you aren't leaving today! I'll let the people judge who is being humiliating!"
Xiao Shaojin ignored her. He waved at his driver to get back on. Seeing a crowd gathering, he decided to end this quickly.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I won't bicker with you," Xiao sneered. "Your rabbit isn't dead from the crash; it's being strangled to death by your arms. There's a veterinary clinic in Well Alley in the East City. Take this jade pendant to the doctor, and he will save it."
He tossed his personal jade pendant to her.
Before the girl could react, the carriage sped off.
"Little rascal!" she shouted, holding the jade. "If he can't save it, I'll beat you to death!"
Her companions tried to comfort her, suggesting they buy a new one, but the girl insisted on trying the clinic. They hailed a carriage and headed east.
It was 3:00 PM when Xiao Shaojin arrived at the Drill Battalion.
He walked straight toward Han Zhong's tent. Behind him, a voice called out, "Why is Your Highness at the camp?"
Xiao turned to see General Yan Chuanzhi. "I should ask you that. What are you doing here?"
Before Yan could answer, a burly man with bandaged arms and chest walked out. It was Han Zhong.
Xiao rushed forward to stop him from kneeling. "No kneeling. I told you, no formalities when we are alone. How is the wound?"
"Your Highness, rest assured," Han laughed boisterously. "I'm fine! The refined iron armor you gave me saved my life. It's just a shallow cut."
Xiao inspected the bandages. "Good. Doctor Huang did a good job. I spent a fortune to hire him from the Southern Capital. His Golden Trauma Medicine is far better than the standard issue."
"Indeed!" Han nodded vigorously. "Doctor Huang is a miracle worker. Since he came, fewer brothers have died from fever or lost limbs."
"Of course," Xiao grinned. "I have an eye for talent."
The three walked into the barracks. "So, Chuanzhi, why are you here?" Xiao asked again.
"He dragged me out drinking last night," Yan Chuanzhi rolled his eyes. "Then at dawn, he dragged me here to spar with spears."
Han Zhong lowered his head, afraid of being scolded for drinking while injured.
But Xiao just smiled. "Han Zhong, you are thirty, right? Don't drink with injuries. You'll regret it in a few years."
"I picked you three years ago for your martial arts and your dragon guts," Xiao continued. "And now you're bullying Chuanzhi? You outweigh him by fifty pounds!"
"See?" Yan laughed triumphantly. "Even the Heir knows you're bullying me."
"I didn't mean to bully him," Han scratched his head sheepishly. "Brother Yan learned the Yang Family Spear from the East Sea. I just wanted to steal a few moves."
"You've gotten smarter," Xiao laughed. "Chuanzhi's spearmanship is top-tier in the Empire. But the Yang Family Spear requires internal cultivation and mantras. If you just copy the moves, you'll hurt yourself."
Inside the room, Xiao sat back and crossed his legs.
"I came for three things. First, to reward Han Zhong. Since Chuanzhi is here, I'll tell you both. My father will reward you officially, but I have my own plans."
The two generals moved to kneel, but Xiao stopped them. "Sit. Han Zhong, you captured the Grand Preceptor. If not for you, the battle might have been lost. I have decided to report your deeds directly to the Emperor. If I'm right, the Emperor will promote you to a Rank 5 Military Officer in the Capital. You will take orders directly from him and move to the Capital."
Han Zhong looked confused. "But I'm already a Vice Commander, which is a Sub-Rank 5. Why go to the Capital? I have no family there. What's the point of being an officer there?"
"I will likely go to the Capital in two years to study at the Imperial Academy or the Lunar Academy," Xiao explained patiently. "I will be alone in a city full of hidden dangers. Can you rest easy letting me go alone? Let me teach you: A Rank 5 in the Border Army is worth far more than a Rank 5 in the Capital. It looks like a lateral move, but it's actually a promotion in status."
"Oh!" Han slapped his thigh. "Why didn't you say so earlier? If it's for Your Highness, I'll go! Without you, I'd still be a nobody."
"Chuanzhi is my Personal Guard General, so he will be by my side," Xiao continued. "But in the Court, the Xiao family has no friends. Only enemies. So, no matter what position the Emperor gives you, you must have troops. And I don't need to teach you how to train troops, right?"
"Give me two or three years," Han grinned. "I guarantee I'll train a force as strong as the Iron Pagoda, loyal only to Your Highness!"
"I will help you when the time comes," Xiao nodded.
"But Your Highness," Yan Chuanzhi asked, puzzled. "Why go back to the Capital to study? You've already done the mandatory year of etiquette training."
"This isn't etiquette," Xiao said. "The law says that noble sons who start cultivating the Literary Veins must be sent to the Capital's Academies once they show potential for Enlightenment."
"Did Your Highness reveal your progress?" Yan asked, alarmed.
"No," Xiao shook his head. "But Master Zeng is leaving after the New Year. He gave me a priceless treasure, but the time isn't right yet. I need to bring it to the highest place to let it bloom. This is my plan. Do not worry."
"The Capital is full of dark currents and danger," Xiao looked at his two loyal generals. "If you don't want to follow me into that tiger's den, speak now. I have other ways."