Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 281

After returning, Yun Zhongjun not only refined several batches of elixirs for His Majesty the Emperor, but also had to inspect and select young boys and girls sent from all over the world in Xianyang.

These were all children from wealthy and powerful families, each with a handsome appearance and a standard figure. However, as pure individuals to ascend the mirage in search of immortals, they were still selected from among the best, and in the end, only five hundred boys and five hundred girls were retained.

As the nominal owner of the Mirage Tower, Yunzhongjun personally selected each of these young boys and girls, and had to inspect each one.

Making a big deal out of a small matter can demonstrate to His Majesty the Emperor the seriousness and hope that the Yin-Yang School is in searching for immortals.

Apart from Yun Zhongjun, the other elders were also not idle, at least not on the surface:

The Grand Master of Fate and the Lesser Master of Fate had previously been taken by the Moon Goddess, but she did not take them with her when she returned to the Yin-Yang School headquarters in Xianyang: the Grand Master of Fate needed to guard the Mirage Tower, and the Lesser Master of Fate was nominally clearing out the hidden dangers in Sanghai City, but in reality, she stayed in Daze Mountain.

Xiangjun and Xiangfuren, who rarely appear in Xianyang, also left Xiaoxiang Valley at the beginning of the year. With all the elders busy, they need to take charge of the daily operation of the Yin Yang School headquarters.

We can't expect His Majesty the Eastern Emperor to personally handle all the miscellaneous affairs of the Yin-Yang family.

It was also during a time when everyone was busy that the Moon Goddess's high efficiency made her more valued and gave her the opportunity to come into contact with the River God and the Mountain Spirit.

Even the First Emperor dispatched his eldest son Fusu, along with Chancellor Li Si and the new military representative Meng Tian, ​​to ensure the mirage's safety. Naturally, the Yin-Yang School devoted all its energy to this task.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the fact that Donghuang summoned his five-year-old disciple, Xu Mofu, who had not yet formally become his apprentice, and removed the character "Mo" from his name to change it to Xu Fu, became less noticeable.

The phrase "莫负" in Xu Mofu's name originally meant that the magistrate of Wencheng County wanted to "not fail His Majesty the Emperor's kindness"...

...

Lu Wei could easily subdue the Shu Mountain siblings. After Yu Ziqi agreed, he quickly returned to Shu Mountain to discuss some matters of 'treason' with the people of Shu.

The obedience of the Shu people was only temporary. In this region where clan consciousness was even stronger than in the Central Plains, the Yu Yuan Guardians had the absolute right to represent the people's will, and the Shu people also believed in the actions of the Yu Yuan Guardians.

Lu Wei calmly understood that Yu Ziqi would not disobey the Grand Elder's dying order to actively incite the people of Shu to rebel, so he generously stated that as long as Shu Mountain added to the chaos in the Central Plains by issuing a statement of submission to the peasant rule, that would suffice.

It was a very simple matter, but Yu Ziqi felt immense pressure.

Resisting the empire was the necessary path to bringing the Fusang Divine Tree home, and he had no concerns about that. What truly worried him was Lu Wei's promise to return all the treasures stolen from Mount Shu...

Yu Ziqi and the people of Shushan's minimum condition was simply for the Fusang Divine Tree to return.

To achieve this, Lu Wei is powerful and can make promises casually without any psychological burden, but Yu Ziqi himself cannot place all his hopes on a verbal promise.

He needs Shushan to make a contribution that can retrieve the Fusang Divine Tree. Ideally, the Fusang Divine Tree should be redeemed by them themselves rather than being a reward from the farmers!

This requires Shushan to take the initiative to do something...

After Yu Ziqi left, Lu Wei could theoretically have taken over the command of the wandering Shu people in Qi, but he did not do so: there were still many eyes watching the defeated Shu people, so he let Yu Ziqi's sister, Xiao Yu, go by the pseudonym Shi Lan, temporarily take charge as a third-party force in Sanghai.

The farmers are being watched by many, as are the people from Mount Shu. Once the clues of their cooperation are exposed, the gazes directed at them will be much sharper than before.

"Let's leave this black panther in Daze Mountain. It might be of some help to you, but the cost of hiding a panther of this size is far greater than what it can do."

On Mangzhong Ridge of Daze Mountain, Lu Wei looked at the majestic mythical beasts of Shu Mountain, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration.

A rare and exotic beast that can kill a tiger with a single swipe of its paw is not only handsome but also exceptionally intelligent and can serve as a mount. Such a beast is quite fitting for my status.

Unfortunately, its owner was Princess Xiao Yu of Shu Mountain, who was as agile as an elf, and he could not forcibly take it.

Sensing a subtly aggressive gaze that made the giant black panther uneasy, Xiao Yu, dressed in sleek and cool combat gear, clearly understood that someone had designs on her little black panther. She decisively and swiftly moved to block the panther's path, adjusting her tone firmly as she said:

“Xiao Hei is my friend. If Lu Xiao Kui likes pets, I can write to my brother and ask him to bring some back as a gift for Xiao Kui when he comes back.”

"No need." Noticing the girl's wariness, Lu Wei felt no offense and said easily, "The cause of overthrowing Qin is the priority now. I am just a little curious about the 'Nian Beast' of Shu Mountain. Miss Yu can rest assured."

"Thank you for your physique, Xia Kui." One should never easily trust a stranger's promise, but given the vast difference in strength and status, Xiao Yu was powerless to question it: "Xiao Hei... has a large appetite; staying in Daze Mountain might be..."

“The farmer’s family is very powerful, so Miss Yu can rest assured.” Lu Wei could tell that although Xiao Yu was worried about him forcibly taking her black panther, she really didn’t want to take this giant black panther to Sanghai: whether from the perspective of concealment or safety, the presence of the black panther was a problem.

So he calmly said, "If you are worried about having to give a favor and feel guilty about Xiao Hei's expenses, then let's put it on the tab for now. You can pay for the food when you come to take it away."

"The farmhands who take care of its daily menu keep a record, and everything is priced according to market prices. The farmhands' reputation is known throughout the land as a promise worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Since the leader of the peasant clan had said so, how could Xiao Yu have any more doubts? "In that case, thank you very much, leader."

Ah Ye was called over and made arrangements for the care of Black Panther in front of Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu didn't think there was anything wrong and also gave Black Panther a few serious instructions. Although the very intelligent Black Panther was reluctant to part with her, he still had no choice but to obediently follow Ah Ye.

With a colossal creature beside him, A-Ye, the steward of Lieshan Hall, showed no fear. Recalling his leader's instructions, he glanced at the black leopard and understood: 'Should we feed it the most expensive meat and medicine...?'

Watching Xiao Hei being taken away, Xiao Yu relaxed slightly, knowing it would live safely in Daze Mountain. However, this relaxation quickly tightened again after Shao Siming's silent arrival. Even though she knew in her heart that Shao Siming was an ally, after the destruction of Shu Mountain, Xiao Yu's body had developed an acquired reaction to the Yin Yang School's aura.

The two girls, one in purple and one in black, were both taciturn or even silent. Their delicate faces and pure eyes ignored each other as they stared at Lu Wei, awaiting his instructions.

"Go to Sanghai first, according to the plan."

Having confronted too many heavyweight figures, he naturally felt no pressure facing the gazes of Shao Siming and Xiao Yu: "You know what to do, right?"

The girls nodded silently, then turned and used their light-footed skills to leave.

Xiao Yu was graceful and agile, but her skills were still shallow and far inferior to Shao Siming's. However, in Lu Wei's sight, the two figures disappeared at about the same speed, which showed that Shao Siming was intentionally cooperating with her new partner.

They didn't talk much, but it seemed that their overt and covert cooperation—one with the anti-Qin forces and the other with the Yin-Yang School—could continue.

Not long after the two girls left, Ji Yan appeared.

"Is Brother Lu waiting for Li Si?"

All sorts of talented people were gathering in Sanghai City, but Lu Wei himself remained motionless for a long time, so Xiao Yan'er accurately guessed that he was waiting for someone.

As for why this person was Li Si, the reason is that there are very few people that Lu Wei could wait for.

"Although the Prime Minister's main goal in traveling is the mirage, it is normal for him to take care of some miscellaneous matters along the way. If he comes and I am not there, wouldn't it be a waste of the Prime Minister's trip?"

Lu Wei smiled and nodded in agreement with Ji Yan's guess.

"Li Si is accompanied by Chu Nan Gong, Xing Hun, and Gongsun Linglong, and perhaps some experts from the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) as well." Ji Yan pondered, "These people aren't much of a threat, but he's the Prime Minister. If he comes to Daze Mountain to invite Brother Lu to deal with the Confucianists..."

"My relationship with Fu Nian is widely known in the martial arts world; it's no secret," Lu Wei said, his tone unchanged. "Li Si will invite me to Sanghai and also to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, but he won't let me directly confront the Confucianists, at least not this time."

“He comes from a Confucian family and has a good reputation. Even if he were to target Confucianism, he would not use force; it would be more likely to be a battle of wits.”

"I am the leader of the Farmer's Clan. This time, simply following Li Si's caravan into Sanghai will have already achieved Li Si's goal."

"It's still a tactic to divide the martial world." Ji Yan blinked her beautiful eyes, and suddenly changed the subject to a lighter tone: "The Prime Minister's convoy hasn't left Guanzhong yet. I had Mi Lian prepare a banquet at the hot spring resort and invited Sister Xue Nu and Sister Rong. Brother Lu has been working too hard these days. Would you like to relax?"

"A large heated pool was recently built at the resort..."

"Since you've made all the arrangements, then let's proceed as you've planned."

Chapter 333 Li Si Finally Arrives

The Prime Minister's entourage encountered no obstacles along the way, so it traveled at a very fast speed.

However, even after the convoy entered Dongjun, the people of Dazeshan had not received any advance notice of the Prime Minister's arrival. It seemed that Li Si was planning a surprise attack, or that Lu Wei had misjudged the other party's intentions.

Lu Wei, however, was not in a hurry.

No matter what the other party wants to do, Dazeshan has made ample preparations. The reason why the other party came was because he had assumed Li Si's actions with the utmost malice. If the Prime Minister came and he, the leader of the knights, was not there, it would cause some minor troubles for the farmers. Now is a critical moment, and the less trouble there is, the better.

It would be better if he didn't come. Although Li Si's historical ending was that he was tricked into becoming a clown by Zhao Gao, his ability to transform from a minor clerk in the State of Chu into the Prime Minister of Qin was not to be underestimated. It is not good news to be coveted by such a person.

But what's meant to happen will happen eventually. After being informed by a disciple sent by Liu Ji from the foot of the mountain, Li Si arrived.

The Prime Minister, being of such high status, would certainly not condescend to come to Daze Mountain in person. Instead, he rested briefly in Licheng and summoned Lu Wei down the mountain to pay his respects.

Liu Ji was the head steward of Shennong Hall. After the Zhu family went to Taihang Mountain, he temporarily took charge of the affairs of Shennong Hall.

However, this was only in name. The six halls of the Farmer's Family had gradually split since the scandal of the Kuiwei Hall nearly twenty years ago. After Lu Wei became the leader of the Knights, they were reunited. Therefore, although they were nominally six halls, most affairs were gradually managed by a unified organization.

For example, Ayu's Lieshan Hall's internal supervision includes every hall.

Liu Ji is a straightforward and generous person, but he loves to gamble and has a strong scoundrel vibe. He likes to make friends with all kinds of people, and his strengths and weaknesses are obvious.

However, his most useful quality is that he is both pragmatic and courageous. He knows exactly what to say to different people: he can act as timid as a mouse or as righteous as a tiger, depending on who he is dealing with.

After Situ Wanli's death, he preferred to spend time with ordinary disciples in casinos rather than with Chen Ping, A Yu, Ji Yan, and other chivalrous leaders within Daze Mountain.

Therefore, Lu Wei decisively entrusted him with the miscellaneous tasks of managing the towns surrounding Daze Mountain, while A Yu's supervisory role was solely responsible for oversight.

Liu Ji is very satisfied with his current life. Nowadays, he spends his time in casinos and brothels indulging in debauchery and making friends with all sorts of people. At the same time, he has not forgotten his responsibilities: to be flexible and adaptable in dealing with different targets who enter Daze Mountain.

The atmosphere at Dazeshan was usually relaxed yet proper, but after Li Si's envoy arrived, it immediately became casual and lax. After the envoy delivered the Prime Minister's order, he truthfully reported on the conditions of the farmers that he had observed, which caused Li Si to lower his opinion of the farmers considerably.

This is something Liu Ji could do but Dian Qing couldn't; knowing how to properly position subordinates is an important skill.

After signaling that he understood and dismissing the messenger, Lu Wei turned to look at the sword rack on the table: Logically speaking, he shouldn't have brought a sword when meeting Li Si, but he estimated that he might not be able to return for a while after this trip down the mountain, so he simply took the Devouring Sea Sword and tied it to his waist.

It's highly likely that I'll be heading east to Sanghai directly with the Prime Minister's entourage.

"Master Nan is a great sage of our time, with profound knowledge. I wonder what his opinion is on this farming family?"

Li Si dismissed all irrelevant people at the Licheng County government office, leaving only Chu Nan Gong and Xing Hun, two representatives of the Yin-Yang School, to accompany him. Even Gongsun Linglong was dismissed.

The 100,000 disciples under the leadership of the Farmer's Hero were indeed extraordinary, but they held almost no power in the imperial court. This gave Li Si a reason to look down on Lu Wei, but he would not actually humiliate him.

Since the peasants never seemed to pose a threat to the Legalists or Li Si's own power, it was naturally better to make friends with them than to make enemies.

His attitude toward the peasant school was completely different from his attitude toward the Confucian school: although the Confucian school was not valued by His Majesty the Emperor, it still remained in the court.

However, the eldest prince is somewhat biased towards Confucianism. If the eldest prince succeeds to the throne, Confucianism may still be firmly suppressed by Legalism in the short term, but it is hard to say whether the situation will reverse in decades or even centuries.

The conflict over the orthodox tradition, coupled with Li Si's personal feud with Confucianism, led him to suppress Confucianism whenever he had the chance.

There's no need for the Farmer Clan to do this, as their paths are different, and it's impossible to wipe out all 100,000 Farmer Clan disciples.

"Ahem," Chu Nangong coughed before he could finish speaking, looking extremely old: "Farmers talk about strength, scholars talk about conduct, artisans talk about skill, and merchants talk about numbers. Farmers value the people's food and are one of the most important families of the hundred..."

This is a very official statement: since Chu Nan Gong joined Li Si, he has offered very few useful suggestions and advice.

However, Li Si only kept him around because of the name 'Lord Chu Nan'. Even though he knew that Lord Chu Nan was mostly fooling him, he didn't care at all and nodded with a smile: "Then what about Lu Wei?"

“Lu Wei, I have heard some stories about him. He does bear some resemblance to the Prime Minister.”

Although Chu Nan Gong had told Han Xin a few years ago that he did not want to come to Daze Mountain, he had helped Lu Wei many times, so he would not dislike Lu Wei. Moreover, the anti-Qin forces had suffered heavy losses in the Mechanical City, and Daze Mountain could not be attacked again.

In front of Li Si, he chose to say some good things about Lu Xiaozi.

"Oh?" Li Si exclaimed in surprise, "I would like to hear the details."

“I do know the story of Lu Wei.” When Li Si asked, Chu Nan Gong coughed violently again. After a long time, he seemed to finally recover, but Xing Hun took over the words: “He was conscripted into the army of Zhao when he was young and attacked Yan. However, because he was unwilling to fulfill his military duties, he led his fellow soldiers to escape into Yan as refugees.”

At this point, Xinghun glanced at the quiet Chu Nan Gong with a strange smile, his eyes filled with a strange sense of mockery: "He infiltrated the Farmer's School's branch in Yan State among the refugees. In just a few years, he not only became the branch manager, but was also chosen by Zhou He, the Gonggong Hall Master of the Daze Mountain headquarters, to be the general manager."

"It was from that time that Lu Wei earned the qualifications to become the current leader of the martial arts world."

"I see, he does sound like a talented individual." Li Si didn't mind that Chu Nan Gong's conversation was interrupted by Xing Hun.

Xinghun is one of the two great guardian mages of the empire and the left guardian of the Yin-Yang School. Now that the Yin-Yang School is favored by His Majesty the Emperor because of the Mirage, Li Si would not offend him for no reason: "If the guardian says so, Li Si understands why Nan Gong said he is like me."

"I also come from a humble background and am not very talented. It was only because His Majesty appreciated and favored me that I was fortunate enough to obtain my current position, which is similar to Lu Wei's."