"Big Brother, don't let that Qi fellow fool you!" Before Gongxi Chou had even stepped inside, his thunderous roar had already pierced Jimò Qiu's ears, fast and urgent, as if he were rushing to put out a fire. "That man may look decent, but he's no good! Big Brother, don't believe a word he says!"
Jimò Qiu sat there, lost in thought, clutching his wooden staff.
When he first sensed Gongxi Chou approaching, a hint of delight had appeared on his face. But as he heard Gongxi Chou's words pour out in a rapid-fire stream, the young man's features took on the weighty seriousness unique to a Patriarch. Even his brows and eyes spelled out two words: displeasure.
"B-Big Brother—" Gongxi Chou had one foot inside, while half his body remained outside. Seeing Jimò Qiu's unfamiliar demeanor, he hesitated, unsure whether to enter or retreat.
Big Brother seemed to be in a bad mood.
Jimò Qiu really wasn't very happy.
"'One must not fail to respect those in high office; if one respects them, one will not give oneself over to reckless abandon.' Qi Zhongshu is an important court official, the Sovereign's trusted right hand. Even if you don't feel any reverence toward someone like him, you shouldn't speak so disrespectfully. Calling him 'decent-looking but no good' is terribly rude."
If Gongxi Chou had been a nobody, then whatever he said or did, however wild and unrestrained he might be, wouldn't have mattered. But now that he had accepted the title of Great General of Kang, he and Qi Zhongshu were colleagues. How could he still behave so unrestrainedly and speak without thinking?
The court was not the same as the world beyond it.
Some things still needed to be considered.
Most importantly—
He couldn't wrong an innocent man!
"What