Chapter 21

Jia Xu never expected to be dismissed by his lord after being accepted despite his insecurities.

The handsome man raised an eyebrow at the girl’s blunt words and asked, “My lord, do you want to send Xu away?”

His voice carried a hint of hurt from being dismissed.

The little girl quickly shook her head in panic, denying it. “No, no, no, that’s not true…”

After calming down, Ying Yue looked into Jia Xu’s calm eyes and softly said, “Actually… Wen He doesn’t want to stay with me, right?”

Jia Xu was slightly taken aback.

Then, Ying Yue continued, “I think Wen He might have stayed because of the system. Since the system says you are my ‘subordinate,’ as the ‘lord,’ I should have the power to let Wen He go, right?”

Ying Yue realized this while talking to Huo Qubing earlier.

Huo Qubing had made it clear he wouldn’t help her when he first came. Yet, he didn’t leave immediately, leading her to think he couldn’t.

Then she thought of Jia Xu.

Since he mentioned meeting the lord before, Ying Yue never considered what he thought or whether he wanted to stay.

But on reflection, there seemed to be a difference between Jia Xu and others like Bai Qi and Zhao Kuo.

Although he called her ‘lord,’ Jia Xu gave off a sense that he might disappear at any moment.

Ying Yue thought he probably didn’t want to stay but felt unable to leave, which made her feel a bit sorry for him.

Unlike Huo Qubing, who expressed his feelings openly, Jia Xu didn’t have the chance to voice his wishes.

That night, unable to sleep because of worries about Bai Qi in Beidi County, Ying Yue decided to pack her things.

After tossing and turning until the fourth watch^[1]means around midnight., she got up, packed her bag, and gave it to Jia Xu. 

“I know how uncomfortable it is to be forced, so I don’t want to force Wen He. I have prepared dry food and supplies for him. He can choose when to leave.”

Jia Xu lowered his eyes at her kind and innocent words.

He was someone who would do anything to achieve his goals. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, he might have thought, “How can a woman’s kindness accomplish anything?”

But he couldn’t say that to this little girl. Maybe it was because he hadn’t met someone so pure in a long time.

After seeing so much corruption, encountering a pure person felt strange.

He had met many lords before. They were not the ones he served in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, but those chosen by the system.

Jia Xu was different from other advisors in the system.

Each system picks a person from a parallel world and assigns them to assist a lord. Once drawn, the character stays with that lord.

For characters like him, they might seem similar but are different individuals. Once they recognize their master, they return to the card pool and sleep again. They can be drawn again by another host.

After being drawn, Jia Xu hid himself as a lesser character (N card).

Since the system adjusted his age to 26, he wondered if this was how he introduced himself when he was unknown.

After disguising as an N card, previous hosts didn’t want to employ him. They only gave him insignificant roles and forgot about him, which was what he wanted.

Until he was drawn from the card pool again and awakened by Ying Yue.

This little girl was different from others.

Though she was weak, timid, and unsure of her goals, she was gentle, kind, and compassionate. She had moments of determination, a sense of justice, and a knack for judging character.

With her personality, if she were born into a prosperous royal family, she might hire wise advisors and maintain stability.

But she didn’t seem fit to be a founding emperor. That path is full of dangers, and women face harsher treatment.

But who can truly predict the future? He had only been in this world for a few days. Even with keen insight, he wouldn’t dare determine her future based on just a few days.

After all, in his own world, there were legendary women who began as gentle caretakers but became strong leaders due to life’s challenges.

What’s more, Ying Yue is lucky.

The three elements of time, place, and people, at least the first one is on her side. Why did he compare Guangwu with her? It was because of this unique luck that made it seem as if she was God’s own child.

As for the last two points, once we take over Beidi County, fight against the Hu people, and then gather the five surrounding counties, we will temporarily have half the geographical advantage.

And harmony among people? The system is her harmony among people. As long as she can gradually grow up, is there still any limit to her potential? For now, without mentioning the distant past and the talented people of the future whom he doesn’t yet know, just from the people of the same period as him, he can count a long list of names with the little girl.

Thinking of this, Jia Xu chuckled and said to Ying Yue, “My lord, you misunderstood. I don’t want to leave you.”

As he said this, he raised his hand to take the obviously heavy bag from the little girl, turned around to place it on the table behind him, and then calmly told her a system rule she didn’t yet know: “Besides, if I leave the lord, I won’t live long.”

“What, what does this mean?” Ying Yue was completely frightened by his words.

“My lord, please don’t misunderstand me.” Jia Xu, who had spoken so ambiguously out of mischief, slowly explained, “This is the mechanism of the system’s card pool.”

“After we are awakened from the card pool, the system gives the lord and the subordinate a one-year adjustment period. If we are compatible, we will work together. If not, we will part ways.”