Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 50

Le Yi was not only a general who only knew how to fight, but he also had achievements in governing the country, making him a rare all-rounder.

The fact that Zhuge Liang, a later strategist, compared himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi among so many sages must have been because he valued this point.

The greatest value of Yongba's military treatise lies in its combination of military strategy and governance. After acquiring this book, Lu Wei felt that he was no longer just a simple wandering knight-errant, but had achieved a further improvement in his essential nature.

However, as of now, the Grand Steward has only scratched the surface of Yongba's military treatise, only occasionally glancing at it, and has not devoted his full attention to studying it.

Simply reading military books is not enough; practical experience is also essential. Although Luqiu Pavilion has many disciples, they cannot train troops within the city. The Shuzhen branch is too far away, so as the general manager, he must ultimately be stationed at Luqiu Pavilion.

The only thing we can do is arrange a small team of about 100 people to try practicing and have some fun when we return to Dazeshan in the future.

However, Lu Wei cannot stay in Daze Mountain forever. He will need a deputy to train troops in the future so that he can take command of the army when he leaves. Obviously, the Yan brothers are born to do this!

As the sons of a military family, Yan Bing was born with superhuman strength. Although Yan Shen could not match his younger brother in martial prowess, he was clear-headed. The two of them were in the same army and could complement each other.

They were to be groomed as future military talents, and the two could stay in Dazeshan to focus on their studies and military training.

There will always be a time in the future when we'll need them.

After finishing his thoughts, Lu Wei put away the Yongba bamboo slips and went downstairs, intending to go to the backyard to check on Xiao Yan'er and give her another boost of his Rejuvenation Technique internal energy.

But when he reached the second floor, his profound inner strength allowed him to overhear the discussion among several disciples in the first-floor hall, which made the head steward prick up his ears:

“Alas, Xue Ji of Zhao is truly pitiful, to be humiliated like that in public…” said a tall, thin disciple.

“Who says otherwise!” The short, stout disciple nodded vigorously: “The little girl is only twelve years old, but she is already quite famous. It is said that her debut performance of the ‘Lingbo Feiyan’ dance left all the guests in the audience speechless. It was truly a masterpiece!”

"Just a dancer, what's so great about her?" Hearing the discussion between the fat and thin disciples, the third disciple of medium build scoffed.

"No matter how beautiful the dance is, it is nothing but a showy but empty thing. Besides, in terms of its splendor, can it compare to our Chief Steward Lu's Butterfly Sword Technique?"

"Women only waste our time practicing swordsmanship. If I can learn even a move or two from the Steward, I would be willing to castrate myself if he asked me to!"

He shouted loudly, his eyes occasionally drifting towards the stairs.

"Tch, all you know is how to flatter!" The fat disciple shook his head: "Do you know why we, the people of Yan, know about Xue Ji's Lingbo Feiyan, who is far away in Zhao?"

Before the other party could respond, the tall, thin disciple answered first: "Because, after Xue Ji finished her dance, there was a prince of Zhao named Jia among the guests present. He is the elder brother of the current King of Zhao and is over thirty years old!"

"Young Master Jia was so moved by Xue Ji's dance that he publicly professed his love for her, saying he wanted to marry her!"

These remarks spread throughout the dance hall, causing an uproar among those present!

"This young master Jia has no wife?" The middle-level disciple, intrigued by the conversation between the fat and thin men, immediately forgot about the steward's swordsmanship and asked carefully.

"Hehe, of course." The fat disciple was satisfied with his 'reformed' performance and put his arm around the middle-aged disciple: "Then Xue Ji asked the same question as you."

"Guess what Young Master Jia said?"

"He wants to divorce his wife?" The mediocre disciple, with his vivid imagination and seemingly an expert in the subject, blurted out the answer.

“Exactly!” the tall, thin disciple eagerly chimed in, “It is said that Young Master Jia took a large gulp of wine and declared, ‘I will surely divorce the ugly woman in my household and make Xue Ji my proper wife!’”

"This...would the royal family of Zhao agree to this?"

"Never mind whether the Zhao royal family agrees or not, guess how Xue Ji responded!" The fat disciple, annoyed that the tall, thin disciple had stolen his words, pushed him aside and continued playing the 'guess' game with the middle-aged disciple.

"What do you mean?" This time, even the average disciple couldn't guess.

"Hehe, don't let Xue Ji's age of twelve fool you, she's got quite the big mouth." The chubby disciple mimicked a female voice in a high-pitched voice:

She said, "If what you say is true, young master, then Princess Xue will certainly respond sincerely."

“If, a week later, the prince is willing to inform the King of Zhao, he will prepare a grand banquet for guests, invite dignitaries from all directions, and send a four-bearer sedan chair to this place to welcome the bride…”

"Hime Yuki will surely wear red and serve her husband for life, without regret until death!"

"So arrogant? In the end, she's just a dancer..." a mid-level disciple exclaimed in surprise.

"Actually, if Young Master Jia really does as Xue Ji says, although it will attract criticism, a hundred years later, it might not be a bad story..."

The tall, thin disciple interrupted forcefully, wearing the expression of a talented but unruly young man, and sighed deeply.

"Does Young Master Jia regret it?"

“Of course!” The fat disciple pushed the tall, thin disciple aside again. “This was to be expected. It was just the drunken ramblings of those nobles. How can you take it seriously!”

"But...sigh!" He sighed as well: "Yuki actually believed it...Although I like Yukihime, I also think she is really naive, even a bit delusional!"

The day after that night, Yuki refused to dance again. She took her savings, personally selected red silk, wove herself a red dress, and then meticulously dressed herself, waiting only for the appointed date...

Before the middle-ranking disciple could ask again, the fat disciple took the initiative to continue: "When the agreed night arrived, Xue Ji stood on the stage where she had performed the Lingbo Feiyan dance last time, dressed in her finest attire, but what she received was not the Four-Pillar Bridge, but a reprimanding decree!"

"The decree was personally written by Prince Jia. It states that Xue Ji is delusional and has actually seduced the royal family, seriously damaging the dignity of the royal family. Her crime is unforgivable!"

"However, considering her young age, we do not wish to punish her further. We hope she will recognize her place and not go astray, nor engage in any more licentious acts..."

"This..." The intermediate disciple fell silent.

"At the time, the stage was surrounded by spectators, all eager to see how this would end. After the reprimand was read aloud in front of everyone, Yukihime was covered in red, but her face turned deathly pale..."

The fat disciple stopped there, saying that Xue Ji's reputation in Handan would be ruined after being called a harlot by the Zhao prince.

"In the end, it was all just wishful thinking, leading to this tragic end."

After listening to the disciples' discussion, Lu Wei didn't feel anything. There were several other versions of the story of Xue Ji from Zhao. Although the ending was the same—Xue Ji was reprimanded—the causes were completely different.

Some say that Prince Jia and Xue Ji had known each other for a long time and were truly in love, but were thwarted by King Zhao. King Zhao threatened Xue Ji's life, and Prince Jia, for the sake of his lover, had no choice but to write a harsh edict.

Some say that on the night Gongzi Jia confessed his love, he wanted to become Xue Ji's lover, but Xue Ji cleverly refused on the grounds that she wanted to marry him. Gongzi Jia was so angry and embarrassed that he wrote the rebuke as revenge.

Some say that Xue Ji is actually the daughter of Gongzi Jia, born to his first love. After recognizing her, Gongzi Jia wanted to bring his daughter home under the pretext of marriage, but his wicked wife blocked the way. The wife wrote a rebuke in Gongzi Jia's voice to prevent the father and daughter from recognizing each other.

With so many conflicting versions, Lu Wei was more concerned with when Yukihime, or Yuki-onna, would arrive in Yan than with figuring out which version was true.

The sooner Fei Xue Ge, this money-sucking beast, arrives, the sooner the head steward can achieve financial freedom!

Chapter 71 A Letter from the State of Chu

So far, the story of Xue Ji has only reached Ji City through various romantic rumors. Xue Ji's life in Handan will probably not be easy in the next few years: a twelve-year-old girl will need to work twice as hard to grow into a world-renowned dancer amidst all kinds of teasing and sarcasm.

By the time they arrive in Yan, the Zhao state will likely be in ruins.

As Lu Wei calmly descended the stairs, the moment his footsteps touched the first floor, everyone in the hall held their breath. The three disciples, who had been chatting idly, fell silent and stood up straight, watching the steward walk into the backyard before daring to breathe heavily.

Steward Lu is not old and does not come from a wealthy family, unlike the former Pavilion Master Xu Qiu who had an innate air of nobility.

However, the steward is highly skilled in martial arts and occasionally provides kind guidance to one or two disciples in his spare time. He is also fair in rewarding and punishing, and never stingy with rewards. Talented individuals under his tutelage are quickly promoted and placed in positions that suit their abilities to shine...

Thus, the disciples of Luqiu Pavilion couldn't help but feel both respect and awe for this person, and they didn't want to disappoint him...

The respected steward naturally knows how his disciples perceive him, after all, that's the impression he actively wants to give them.

As planned, I went from the backyard to Lu Ni's room. After completing the internal energy input for Xiao Yan'er, I had just finished when there was a knock on the door.

Lu Ni, who was standing by, opened the door. Standing outside was Lu Shan, who bowed his head and clasped his hands in a fist, not daring to look into the room: "Boss, a gift has been sent to you from the south."

"Oh?" The steward stood up, walked out of the room, and thought for a moment: "Is it the Xiang family of Chu?"

"Exactly."

...

Following Lu Shan, the two walked out of Luqiu Pavilion and came to a side courtyard. At the entrance of the side courtyard, a dozen or so disciples were carrying goods from a dozen or so carriages into the courtyard.

Trade between Luqiu Pavilion and the Xiang Clan has continued uninterrupted since the last caravan. Strong liquor, fine horses, and some unique northern herbs from Yan have been continuously transported to Chu in small, frequent shipments, providing a powerful boost to the Xiang Clan's cavalry.

Correspondingly, precious flowers and plants, hard wood, and gold and iron minerals from the Chu region also flowed into the Daze Mountain.

Both sides got what they wanted, and their relationship grew closer.

Xiang Bo, one of the Xiang generals who had the best relationship with Lu Wei, would occasionally exchange letters to maintain their friendship.

However, this is the first time they have specifically asked a caravan to deliver gifts; I wonder why.

The leader of the small caravan saw the chief steward and the steward arriving together from afar, and quickly took out a copper box from the carriage, presenting it with both hands.

Inside were bamboo slips containing letters.

After taking the copper box, Lu Wei habitually checked it from top to bottom to make sure it hadn't been opened beforehand. Then, using a special technique, he rotated both ends of the copper box left and right. After a while, the box split in the middle, revealing a scroll of bamboo slips.

This is the mechanical art of the Chu state. When Lu Mu was researching it in Shouchun, he received some help from the Xiang family and learned some basic Chu-style mechanical art techniques.

Although Lu Wei didn't quite understand the principles behind these mechanisms, under Lu Mu's guidance, he could solve some simple mechanical objects using only muscle memory.

The copper box he has in his hand is generally used for relaying orders in the Chu army. It's not difficult to open, and it can be opened if you really want to, but it doesn't have a self-destruct mechanism inside.

However, if the copper box is not opened in a specific way, it will no longer function properly, and the leak will be discovered.

This most basic type of secure box wouldn't contain important military orders, so it wouldn't be a big problem for the Xiang family to spread their secrets. The more advanced secure boxes would be difficult for even Lu Mu, who specializes in mechanical arts, to crack.

Open the bamboo scroll and look first at the last two lines of the gift list: two chests of gold, ten pieces of Shu embroidery, a top-quality sword, two sets of fine iron armor, and two deer.

Nodding, Steward Lu then turned his attention to the main text.

Just as he had guessed, it was indeed a letter written by Xiang Bo:

The general first wrote a long, flattering passage about Lu Wei's succession as the head of the agricultural bureau, then briefly described his own hunting adventures, and finally mentioned that the heir of Xiang Dong, the young master of the Xiang army, was expected to be born next year. He hoped that Lu Wei could go to Chu to witness the birth of the young master and then go hunting together afterward.

"Xiang Yu will be born next year, and the gears of history will turn another step forward..."

Lost in thought, Lu Wei closed the bamboo scroll and handed it to Ashan, who was standing to the side. He personally inspected the gifts and found that, apart from the two fawns looking wilted from the long journey, everything else was intact.

After instructing his disciples to take the fawn to the kitchen and the others to his study, Lu Wei returned to the third floor of Luqiu Pavilion, took a roll of silk, and personally wrote a reply to Xiang Bo, expressing that he would definitely visit Chu next year.

He entrusted the next caravan to deliver the silk scroll to the Xiang clan's camp. Immediately afterwards, Lu Wei summoned Shan Yumu Ye Ni and the Yan brothers to prepare for their return to Qi.

This arrangement was originally scheduled to be made in the next few days, but Xiang Bo's letter happened to involve next year's plans, so he simply made preparations in advance.

In April, Lu Wei brought Lu Ni back to Jicheng. After several busy months, Luqiu Pavilion was basically stable and improving. Among the potential external enemies, neither Yan Chunjun's Mansion nor the Crown Prince's Mansion would have any other ideas about the Farmer's Family in the short term.

Since Xu Qiu left, the position of Pavilion Master of Luqiu Pavilion has been vacant. Lu Wei naturally promoted the obedient old deputy pavilion master to pavilion master, continuing to play the role of a potential scapegoat in that high position.

Shan Yu and Mu Ye were originally in charge of the Three Star Pearl Grass. From a fair perspective, Lu Wei promoted them all to the fourth rank this year: Lu Shan was promoted to the position of deputy pavilion master, and Lu Yu and Lu Ye were promoted to the position of general manager.

As for Lu Mu, the workshops he oversees hold special positions and cannot be easily dismissed. Lu Wei's return to Qi this time requires Amu to accompany him to rebuild the mechanical arts workshops in the Daze Mountains to ensure their safety.

Jicheng is ultimately a rural area, while Dazeshan is the home base.

The Yan brothers were also going to return to Qi. They had long been identified as the future commanders of the general's army. After joining the peasant family, they were given many military books and studied them diligently.

Since they joined so recently, their level is still only one-star Pearl Grass. This doesn't matter. After returning to Daze Mountain, they can be promoted to two-star Pearl Grass for their meritorious service in escorting the Grand Steward back to Qi. That will be enough for a while.

Finally, only Lu Ni remained.

After careful consideration, Lu Wei decided to keep her at Luqiu Pavilion as a trump card for defense.