Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 215

These things were ultimately for repairing his own mirage, so they were practically his own. After examining and memorizing their shapes and appearances, the lord left the area quickly without disturbing the convoy.

They hadn't walked out long when suddenly dark clouds gathered and a torrential downpour began. This was good news; such rain would wash away more subtle traces from the crime scene.

When the shipyard sent people to investigate, it became even more difficult to find the murderer.

Lu Wei had no interest in visiting the shipyard of the Mirage now. In any case, whether it was the Moon Goddess or the Star Soul, they could take him on board in the future, so he just needed to wait.

...

I entered the city soaked to the bone from the rain.

After Master Lu had taken a comfortable hot bath at Gonggong Hall's Sanghai stronghold, the rainstorm came and went quickly, and the weather cleared up again in an instant.

After sending a disciple to deliver a visiting card to Li Shiqi, who was chatting with his colleagues at the academy, and instructing him to inform Xiaoshengxianzhuang in advance of his visit to Fu Nian, Lu Wei waited patiently at the stronghold.

Recently, Prince Jia, the younger brother of King Jian of Qi, arrived in Sanghai. He has been staying at Xiaoshengxianzhuang for several days and it is unknown when he will leave. Before Tian Jia leaves, Fu Nian, as the head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, certainly will not have time to see him.

However, just as he had expected, Zhang Liang returned with Li Shiqi shortly after the visiting card was sent.

"Brother Lu, how have you been?" Zhang Liang greeted him with a gentle smile and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Our sect leader is busy with important matters and cannot get away for the time being, so he specially sent me to keep him company for a few days."

"Zifang, you're too kind." Lu Wei gently invited Zhang Liang into the house: "I only learned of your visit after arriving in Sanghai. Brother Fu Nian, as the head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, is naturally very busy. It was my unnecessary act of sending a visiting card at the inopportune time that I have to trouble Zifang to make the trip."

“Not at all, Brother Lu came at the invitation of the Sect Leader, but something came up at Little Sage Manor and he was delayed.” Zhang Liang sat down in the hall next to Lu Wei. “The royal family’s visit to Little Sage Manor this time was extremely troublesome, which is why the Sect Leader had to deal with it for several days.”

Zhang Liang politely accepted the tea from the attendant, took a sip, and continued under the curious gaze of Hall Master Lu: "Besides the young master who is ostensibly visiting, the grandson of the current King of Qi, 'An,' has also come."

"Gongsun An?" Lu Wei gave Li Shiqi a look, and the disciples serving in the hall all withdrew, leaving only the two of them to talk alone: ​​"Does the King of Qi intend to entrust Tian An to the Confucian school?"

“That’s right. If nothing unexpected happens, Gongsun An will enroll in Xiaoshengxianzhuang this year.” Zhang Liang nodded. Xiaoshengxianzhuang has enrolled princes from various states before. For example, Han Fei, the ninth prince of Han, studied under Xunzi. However, the timing of his enrollment was quite delicate.

Fu Nian didn't react particularly to the idea of ​​Xiaoshengxianzhuang recruiting more members of the Qi royal family to study there. After a little thought, he quickly agreed.

Xiaoshengxianzhuang is not the Mohist school, so the situation where the position of sect leader was usurped by the royal families of the six kingdoms, as happened in the Mohist school, will not occur.

The reason for the long delay is another issue:

Tian An is not young anymore, a few years older than Zhang Liang, and they have been discussing for the past few days which master he should study under.

According to Fu Nian, the Little Sage Manor has been passed down to his generation. The previous generation of teachers and elders have basically retired, and the highest-ranking student is his disciple, who is the sect leader.

Fu Nian himself did not see anything wrong with his newly accepted "young disciple" who was a little older. In the past, Zilu, a student of the Confucian sage Confucius, was only nine years younger than him and had even bullied him. They were both disciples of Confucius.

Even though his disciple was a prince of Qi, Fu Nian was still confident that he could be his teacher.

But Tian An was unwilling. He believed that he was about the same age as Yan Lu and Zhang Liang and wanted to be Fu Nian's junior brother, not Fu Nian's disciple.

“My senior brother’s face didn’t look good at the time. Although he didn’t show it obviously, my second senior brother and I know him quite well and could tell.” Zhang Liang shook his head and sighed, “Our master passed away last year. Our senior brother, the sect leader, has great respect for our master and is still grieving. But this Gongsun from Qi wants our senior brother to take on a disciple on our master’s behalf.”

Confucianism emphasizes respect for teachers and the Way, and Fu Nian is an outstanding example of this. Tian An's request would not have been a problem under normal circumstances, but it was obviously inappropriate at this moment.

“Brother Fu Nian is resolute. Even if he agrees to accept Tian An into the academy out of consideration for the King of Qi, he will certainly not grant him any excessive requests.” Lu Wei nodded knowingly. He would agree to one request and refuse the other. Xiaoshengxianzhuang is a model for scholars all over the world, and the King of Qi would not have any objections.

"Just as Brother Lu said, the sect leader has been taking Tian An around visiting Confucian elders these past few days, in order to find a Confucian scholar of the same generation as the teacher to take him as a disciple."

Zhang Liang chuckled and said, "This is actually a way to train Gongsun An's character. Although I don't like his excessive words, he will eventually become a Confucian disciple. I will not be prejudiced against him in my teaching and will still do my best to help him achieve something."

The fact that Mr. Zhang San said this shows that Fu Nian had already found a teacher for Tian An, but before he could meet the real master, he first made the boy undergo a round of rigorous scrutiny.

"It seems that Brother Fu Nian will soon complete the King of Qi's request."

Lu Wei skipped that topic and, based on his understanding of Zhang Liang, tried to find common ground by discussing the affairs of the State of Chu, which he had researched. However, he was unexpectedly interrupted by Mr. Zhang with a smile as soon as he began:

"Recently, the 'Shark Fin and Bear Paw' dish at Haiyue Xiaozhu in Sanghai City has become overstocked, so Xiaoshengxianzhuang has reserved several. Since Brother Lu is coming, I specially asked my senior brother, the sect leader, for a spot. Brother Lu, how about we go and see this renowned dish, 'The vast sea reflects Mount Tai, shark fin cooked with bear paw'?"

“I had heard of the famous Shandong dish ‘shark fin and bear paw’ before. I wanted to try it when I first came to Sanghai, but I couldn’t because I was short of money. This time I really benefited from Xiaoshengxianzhuang.”

Zhang San, whose family had served as prime ministers of Han for five generations, suddenly lost interest in the anti-Qin cause.

Lu Wei pondered the reason in his heart, but smiled and agreed.

“I’m wrong, it’s actually because of Brother Lu that I’m benefiting from your kindness.” Zhang Liang stood up and gestured for him to go first.

...

Haiyue Xiaozhu is quite a distance from the main city of Sanghai, and most guests travel there by horse-drawn carriage. However, since we had a dinner reservation, it was still early.

Lu Wei and Zhang Liang were both martial arts practitioners and wanted to leisurely enjoy the scenery along the way, so they walked together.

Halfway there, when the head of the hall couldn't figure out why Zhang Liang had suddenly lost interest in the Qin state, he simply asked him directly.

“I know Brother Lu is curious.” Zhang Liang’s expression showed no surprise. He said gently, “The homeland is like a dream. As time goes by, people will eventually wake up.”

"My senior brother, the sect leader, has taught me a lot. I also understand that it is impossible to contend with the general trend of the world with the strength of a few people. At present, the trend of Qin's unification is unstoppable. Rather than futilely resisting, I want to see what a unified country is like first."

"After the world is unified, will the wars really end? Will the people truly live in peace?"

Does a time when the people are enlightened and all nations live in harmony truly exist?

"What kind of changes will that King of Qin bring to the world?"

"I want to see first, to understand what the people truly want, before making a decision about my future."

At this point, a rare flicker of confusion and anticipation crossed Zhang Liang's eyes: "Actually, compared to me, who has a firm reason to oppose Qin..."

"Or perhaps it was the Yan King Dan, whose country was destroyed, and the Mohists who advocated 'universal love and compassion for all living beings'."

"Even the quicksand that originated in old Korea."

"Brother Lu, as the head of the Gonggong Hall, the foremost branch of the Farmer's School, and unsurprisingly the next leader of the Farmer's School... what will be your reasons for opposing the Qin Dynasty?"

"Zifang really wants to know~"

When Zhang Liang turned around and stared intently at him, Lu Wei remained calm and unmoved.

However, his expression remained thoughtful. He stopped and pretended to stroke his chin, pondering for a few moments before calmly saying, "The reason I oppose Qin is simply because I know that Zifang's beautiful vision of a unified and stable country, and the people's peaceful and prosperous lives, will never appear within the framework of Qin."

"I knew the answer to the question about the uterus beforehand, so I naturally made all the preparations in advance and worked tirelessly towards it."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." Zhang Liang suppressed his smile and replied solemnly, as he could tell that Hall Master Lu's words were indeed sincere.

"This isn't something that can be explained in a few words or days. Compared to my explanation, Zifang should actually go out and study more." Lu Wei smiled and started walking again. "The unification of Qin will be achieved soon. Zifang can only find the answer himself and be firm in his choice, right?"

“Brother Lu is right.” Zhang Liang was taken aback, then smiled and said, “Having been hiding in Xiaoshengxianzhuang for so long, it’s time for me to go out and study.”

------

"Sharp swordsmanship. The enemy killed them quickly, and there was only one of them."

At the location where Lu Wei killed the Ji family's convoy, Hebo Mountain Ghost, with a dark face, was investigating the scene.

These were all precious bloodlines of the Ji family of the Ji Dynasty, and they died here just like that.

"Nothing was lost, it wasn't a premeditated ambush... it must be that Yin'er's mischievous nature offended someone she shouldn't have."

The River God strode over the corpses and arrived at the carriage. It turned out that all the horses in the procession had been deliberately killed. Was this because the enemy was worried that the "old horses would know the way"?

"I told you Yin'er shouldn't have gone out and caused trouble; now she's only adding to the casualties!"

The mountain spirit narrowed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "In Sanghai City, the only one with such skills is Fu Nian from Little Sage Village."

“Tian Jia recently arrived in Sanghai, and he might be a master from the Qi royal family,” He Bo shook his head, adding to the possibilities.

"Should we investigate?"

"Complete His Majesty the Eastern Emperor's mission first!"

Chapter 242 Gao Yue

After the River God and the Mountain Spirit investigated for a while and collected as many clues as possible that remained after the rainstorm, their secret team arrived.

He ordered his subordinates to take away the corpses of the disciples of the Ji family bloodline along with the goods, and then the two Yin-Yang School elders lay in wait to protect them.

It cannot be ruled out that the enemy is still lying in ambush nearby, trying to lure them out with these things or secretly tracking them to the shipyard.

However, even after the items were transported out of the mountains near Sanghai City, the two did not notice anything unusual: it seemed that the murderer had indeed left after committing the murder.

With his high level of martial arts skills and lack of excessive curiosity, the image of this murderer had already been vaguely constructed in the mind of Hebo and Shan Gui.

Tracking down such a killer would be very difficult. Although the perpetrator didn't take anything with him, he witnessed the relationship between this team and the Yin-Yang School, as well as the Yin-Yang materials, which remains a potential threat.

The two only reappeared after the team carefully spent several days taking a detour back to the shipyard that Yun Zhongjun had inspected and identified a few years ago.

No exception.

"The two lords have finally returned."

After the attendant guarding the shipyard's outer outpost respectfully bowed to the River God and Mountain Spirit, he said, "The head of the Gongshu family has arrived. He and the Gongshu clan members personally verified the mirage blueprints again, and it seems there are some things that need to be modified."

"Send these materials to the warehouse."

“We will go find him.”

In the presence of outsiders, the two masters of Yin-Yang School reverted to speaking in a style where each person only needs to say half a sentence.

Gongshu Chou, the leader of the Gongshu family, is the most powerful mechanic in the world in terms of developing offensive capabilities for mechanical arts.

Large ships like the Mirage are not actually a good match for powerful mechanical arts. However, the Mohists were staunchly anti-Qin, and among the forces cooperating with Qin, the most top-level mechanical masters could only be the Gongshu family.

Gongshu Chou had close ties with the Qin military. This mirage was an important project personally overseen by the King of Qin, requiring his attention as well; he was destined to be busy.

Although the Qin-Chu war continued to be deadlocked, the mechanisms and assistance that the Gongshu family could provide had already been arranged, and the remaining tedious matters could be handled by the younger disciples of the Gongshu family. Therefore, Gongshu Chou himself came to the State of Qi to take care of the mirage.

"This can be modified further..."

A giant ship like the Mirage, the size of a city, could fill a palace with all the detailed construction plans of all sizes.

Gongshu Chou sat in the warehouse where the blueprints were piled up, and together with about twenty of the Gongshu family's descendants whom he had his eye on, he began to review the blueprints in order.

It will take at least six months to complete this task.

The mirage was the largest mechanical creation that Gongshu Chou participated in building in his lifetime.

When the River God and Mountain Spirit arrived, they saw the busy Gongshu people inside and wisely refrained from rushing in while the group of mechanics were most focused. Instead, they waited patiently.

These Gongshu people are so engrossed in their work that they forget to eat and sleep, but they can't go without food and sleep. Let's talk to Gongshu Qiu about the Yin-Yang school's requirements for mirages when he stops to replenish his energy.

...

A few days later, after enjoying the famous Shandong dish "Shark Fin and Bear Paw" with Zhang Liang at Haiyue Xiaozhu, Fu Nian finally resolved the issue of Gongsun An's apprenticeship and politely saw Gongzi Jia off. He could now meet with Hall Master Lu.

The seascape at Haiyue Xiaozhu is magnificent, but in terms of food, the chef here is still a level below the chef at Youjian Inn.

Even the main dish, which used the finest ingredients, was quite similar to the ordinary steamed lamb at Youjian Inn.

That day, after Zhang Liang temporarily abandoned his anti-Qin stance and decided to wait and see what this unified country would be like, Lu's carefully prepared topic about the State of Chu became meaningless.