Volume 1, Chapter 52: The Spar (2)

Xue Nian gasped a few times, but did not deliver another punch to Shen Ran. Instead, he spoke slowly—

"Your Majesty, I was disrespectful."

Shen Ran furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing.

He had already given his all.

But what about Xue Nian?

He seemed to have also exerted himself fully, yet was this truly his full strength?

From his past experiences fighting for his life, Shen Ran faintly sensed that even at the fiercest moment of their clash, Xue Nian had held back.

After a brief silence, Shen Ran suddenly chuckled softly.

In a gentle tone, he said, "I told you, there is no 'Your Majesty' at this moment. Besides—"

His gaze fell on the dark bruise on Xue Nian’s jaw, and he continued warmly, "If we’re being honest, you’re the one who suffered more this time."

His expression was sincere, devoid of any anger or humiliation from defeat.

Xue Nian was momentarily stunned.

Compared to him, Shen Ran’s face was truly baffling.

As long as the other party did not feign indifference or aloofness, it was remarkably easy to feel a genuine fondness toward him.

...

Through Xue Nian’s account, Shen Ran roughly understood the situation.

The manservant spoke of Zhou Mancang, who was originally a soldier in the Imperial Guards but had been crippled in one leg during a mission.

Ordinarily, such a case should have earned him a settlement fee before being allowed to return home.

However, due to the Ministry of Revenue’s perennial financial woes and frequent delays in funding the Imperial Guards, daily expenses were barely met. As a result, Zhou Mancang received a pitiful sum of a few copper coins before being hastily sent home.

Previously, as a soldier, he had a somewhat steady income and two meals of thin porridge a day, barely enough to support his entire family. Now, sent home, his financial lifeline was completely severed.

Zhou Mancang’s household had elderly dependents and young children. With one leg crippled, many tasks were difficult for him. His agile teenage son could occasionally hunt a wild rabbit in the mountains to add a dish to the table. Yet, without Zhou Mancang’s military income, the family’s burden increased by one mouth to feed. Life was truly miserable.

Even his sister, who should have been married by now, remained unmarried because of their extreme poverty. No one dared to take her in, and she was eventually forced to sing on the streets to make ends meet. Tragically, she was kidnapped by an idle second-generation scion who took her as his twenty-ninth concubine.

Desperate to save his sister and finding no help elsewhere, Zhou Mancang turned to Xue Nian.

Xue Nian was the commander of the Imperial Guards, but not overseeing soldiers like Zhou Mancang—instead, he managed a group of idle, wealthy wastrels.

The Imperial Guards were mostly stationed on the outskirts of Shengjing, responsible for protecting the capital’s surroundings. Their tasks weren’t easy, but these were duties for the lower-ranked soldiers. Like the Emperor’s personal guards, the Imperial Guards were a destination for noble scions, where danger was relatively low since they were not in the Emperor’s immediate presence.

After all, the Emperor’s personal guards were expected to have some astuteness and genuine skill. If they shirked duties or performed poorly, they risked severe punishment, even death, which could implicate their families.

The Imperial Guards were different. Court affairs were complex, but everyone was comrades. They saw each other daily and maintained face. It was said that noble scions sent to the Imperial Guards were, if not entirely useless, mostly spoiled brats, idlers, troublemakers, or second-generation scions.

Unable to do anything right, yet top of the charts in causing trouble.

These men certainly did not come to suffer or overwork. Their main goal was gilding their reputations and pocketing some idle money. Otherwise, they pursued their usual activities and sometimes, in bad moods, even gathered to brawl, making discipline nearly impossible.

Leading such a group required strong background and the power to intimidate—otherwise, the leader would bear many worries and blame while being treated like a dog, utterly disregarded.

There was no leader’s dignity.

After three successive commanders in three months, Xue Yuandao could find no suitable candidate willing to handle this hot potato, so he decisively appointed Xue Nian.

This unit traditionally had no real duties the wastrels could not shirk. If anyone was seriously injured, it would be a problem for everyone. Thus, even as commander, Xue Nian’s role was largely idle: drinking with these wealthy brats, playing cards, visiting pleasure houses, and keeping them from stirring up trouble.

Hence, although Xue Nian was part of the Imperial Guards, he was rarely seen on official errands. He was constantly invited to homes for drinks, dragged out hunting, or spent days gambling and nights roaming brothels.

Within the Imperial Guards, Xue Nian had almost no contact with men like Zhou Mancang.

Zhou Mancang never dared approach him.

Yet, after his sister was taken, and his father was mauled to death by dogs sent to intimidate him, the desperate Zhou Mancang, with nothing left to lose, sought out Xue Nian, kneeling and begging for his intervention on his behalf.