Chapter 63: I Will Only Teach You Once

Chapter 63: I Will Only Teach You Once

As he spoke, Fei Du thumped down onto his knees.

“Prince, forgive this crime! Because Provincial Governor Nie Yao’s kindness to me was like giving me a new life…”

Xiao Ce walked over to Fei Du’s side with a smile, patted his shoulder, and interrupted, “No need to explain. This Prince understands! Alright, work hard here. This Prince sees all the good work you do. This Prince definitely will not treat you poorly!”

“Of course, if you dare do anything to betray This Prince. This Prince will let you know that death would be a very luxurious thing for you.”

Xiao Ce was not scaring him; among his Twelve Fiends, Xiezhi had that very ability.

Fei Du nodded and said yes.

Xiao Ce said to Fei Du, “Next, take good care of feeding these Message Crows. This Prince still has great use for them.”

After saying this, Xiao Ce did not linger.

After descending from this tower, Xiao Ce spotted Xiao Jiu with a swollen face standing at the entrance at a glance.

Looking at Xiao Jiu’s extremely awkward expression.

Xiao Ce had already guessed a little something. Watching Xiao Ce and Yan Jia go out the door.

Xiao Jiu rushed over to the two of them in a few quick steps.

After a simple bow, Xiao Jiu said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, General Bao Cong sent me to find you, to find a doctor to treat the Khan’s Son of Ashina! He said this Khan’s Son of Ashina is on the verge of death.”

“What did This Prince tell you to do over there?”

Xiao Jiu repeated what Xiao Ce had just told him to do, his face awkward.

“Then what are you doing now?”

Xiao Ce’s voice just turned a few degrees colder, scaring Xiao Jiu into kneeling on the ground.

“P…Prince, forgive me… it was General Bao Cong… he…”

Xiao Jiu recounted the situation from before.

Hearing Xiao Jiu say this, Xiao Ce was truly so angry he laughed.

“Xiao Jiu, you are on my territory? What are you afraid of him for? Did This Prince not tell you, you are This Prince’s man, you represent This Prince! Do you think that Bao Cong was hitting you? No! He was slapping my face! You are This Prince’s man, only This Prince can order you around!”

Xiao Jiu lowered his head and said, “Prince, I know… but… I just feel scared looking at him! He is, after all…”

Xiao Ce interrupted, “Xiao Jiu, do you really want to follow This Prince or not?”

Xiao Jiu nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice.

“Then go and get back the face you just lost! This Prince cannot have such a weak and easily bullied personal servant by my side!”

“If you are weak and easily bullied, then naturally everyone will think This Prince is also weak and easily bullied. If others cannot even bully you, wouldn’t they be even more wary of This Prince!”

Xiao Ce’s simple two sentences instantly made Xiao Jiu want to hide in shame.

He knelt on the ground and began slapping his own face, admitting his mistake!

Xiao Ce stepped forward and grabbed his hand, saying, “This Prince doesn’t need you to say it, This Prince needs you to do it!”

Xiao Jiu looked at Xiao Ce with an awkward face and said, “P…Prince, I… I don’t know what to do?”

Xiao Ce gave a helpless smile. “I will only teach you once!”

As he spoke, he softly explained to Xiao Jiu once.

“Prince, is… is that okay?”

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Jiu, “I allow you to make mistakes, but, if you don’t even dare to do these things… you should just go back to the Qian Clan Trading House and continue being a young clerk who gets bullied by anyone.”

Seeing this, Xiao Jiu’s gaze grew a bit more determined. “Prince, I will go do it now. But, can I borrow a few people?”

Xiao Ce’s expression remained unchanged. “Of course, you are doing work for This Prince. You are This Prince’s personal attendant, you represent This Prince in many situations!”

Xiao Jiu’s gaze grew even more determined.

“Prince, this time, I will absolutely not lose face for you!”

Xiao Ce nodded slightly and said, “If you can’t do it well, don’t come looking for This Prince.”

Watching Xiao Jiu leave.

Yan Jia said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, do you think he can accomplish what you told him? His personality, and even the personality of most slaves in the entire Four Northern Desert Prefectures, wasn’t formed in a day. Wanting them to overcome this fear isn’t that easy.”

Xiao Ce smiled. “He represents me in many situations. So, if he can’t do it, he can only be replaced. I see potential in him and am willing to train him. But, if he’s an unworthy heir, I won’t waste too much time on him. This Prince still has a whole lot of other matters to attend to.”

Yan Jia nodded and said, “Prince, if he really manages it… wouldn’t it be too much?”

Xiao Ce snorted coldly. “Too much? The Bao father and son have ruined the Four Northern Desert Prefectures, thirty-nine cities, to this state. Flaying them a thousand times would be too lenient! Don’t worry, people are self-interested animals. If they could band together, they wouldn’t have been bullied by the Turks like this. They are just a heap of loose sand, nothing to fear!”

Yan Jia nodded and cupped his hands. “Prince, your wisdom is profound!”

Xiao Ce glanced at Yan Jia. “Since when did you learn to flatter?”

Yan Jia shook his head, his expression serious. “Prince, your subordinate does not know how to flatter, I spoke sincerely! Your subordinate has admired few people in my life, but the Prince is definitely one!”

Xiao Ce smiled. “You kid, you’re quite good at bootlicking.”

Yan Jia cupped his hands saying he wasn’t, then added, “Prince, judging by the time, the two Princess Consorts are probably almost at Lingxiao City. I wonder if the Prince wishes to go welcome them?”

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “No need! This Prince is still busy! Women shouldn’t be spoiled.”

…

Xiao Jiu arrived at the Rites Hall again.

This time, four burly soldiers followed behind him.

After walking in, he saw quite a few merchants bent over the tables writing something.

Some merchants saw Xiao Jiu arrive and seemed to want to approach.

However, Xiao Jiu walked purposefully towards the inner hall with his men, giving no chance for those merchants to try to get close.

Seeing this, the merchants all spoke curiously among themselves.

“This Xiao Jiu is full of bluster, looks like he’s planning to make trouble?”

“What trouble? He’s just the son of a slave, lucky enough to gain the favor of the King of Northern Desert. Bao Cong slapped him twice earlier, and he didn’t even dare to make a peep. In the end, it was with our help that he fled in a panic.”

“Exactly, it seems now that the King of Northern Desert’s bluster is mostly just for show. Pretending to be so tough, but when his subordinate got slapped a few times by General Bao Cong, they didn’t even dare to squeak.”

“Yes, yes! Look at that person in doctor’s attire behind Xiao Jiu, that must be the doctor. They are just putting on a show… that Xiao Ce is probably all bark and no bite. He’s deliberately tricking us into writing those documents, so he can threaten us to work for him… I’m not writing anymore…”

As he spoke, one of the merchants tore the paper he had written on into shreds and threw it into a teapot.

Seeing this, the others all did the same.

While these people were talking, they didn’t lower their voices, so Xiao Jiu heard everything very clearly.

His feeling of guilt grew even stronger.

What Xiao Ce said was right. He now represented the King of Northern Desert. If he was weak, it would make everyone think the King of Northern Desert was weak too.

He gritted his teeth to encourage himself. For no other reason than to be worthy of Xiao Ce’s trust in him.

He understood very clearly, this was his chance.

Whether he was a dragon or a worm depended on this matter.

Xiao Jiu’s gaze grew a few degrees colder.

…

Inside the Rites Hall, hearing the commotion outside.

Bao Cong saw Xiao Jiu bringing people over, especially noticing the attire of the last person in the group, which was a doctor’s attire.

“Haha, see! They just need a good beating. Give them a thrashing and obediently bring the person.”

Bao An and some people from the Noble Clans saw this and all stepped forward.

Their eyes held a trace of confusion and bewilderment.

Bao An quickly said to Mosi Ashina beside him, “Your Highness Khan’s Son, they backed down… they backed down… the doctor is here! This shows that Xiao Ce, that useless fool, is also very weak inside.”

Mosi Ashina’s face was dark. “I want him dead!”

Bao An nodded and bowed. “Your Highness Khan’s Son, definitely… definitely… I will definitely have him killed.”

As he spoke, Bao An said to Bao Cong, “Cong’er, they are coming. Show them a thing or two!”

Bao Cong wore an arrogant expression. “Father, just watch. Since that useless fool Xiao Ce doesn’t dare to come, we’ll deal with the dog by his side first! Hmph… Let that useless fool Xiao Ce know, know clearly, who is the true master of the Northern Desert!”

Saying this, Bao Cong strode proudly to the hall entrance, looking down his nose with a disdainful expression, and cursed at the approaching Xiao Jiu.

“Damn it, you dog! Told you to find a doctor, why so slow! Do you know how much blood the noble Khan’s Son has lost?”

“You roll over here. For every drop of blood the Khan’s Son lost, I’ll let the same amount from you!”