The main hall.
Qin Yunce was receiving guests. This was the third batch of visitors today, and the arrivals were from the Cai family.
Cai Yuan came to the Qin residence this time not only to offer gifts and express loyalty, but also for another matter.
Cai Pei of the Cai family died at the hands of Wei Conglin. Cai Pei was the Commandery Commandant they had painstakingly trained. That was a Commandery Commandant, the right-hand man of the Commandery Governor, with immense real power.
And just like that, he was gone.
There was still no news on who would fill the vacant position of Commandery Commandant.
Today, Cai Pei's eldest legitimate brother, Cai Yuan, paid a visit, both to seek justice for his younger brother and to see if he could bring this "flower" back to the Cai family.
However, the Marquis of Wu'an was ill, and it was the Eldest Young Master Qin who received him. To be honest, Cai Yuan was unsure of the outcome, but he still had to cry and complain as necessary.
So Cai Yuan first solicitously inquired about the Marquis of Wu'an's "injuries," expressing his concern with utmost sincerity, and then, with tears streaming down his face, he tearfully recounted the crimes of the Wei family to Qin Yunce.
"...Eldest Young Master, that Wei Conglin is insane. He actually dared to commit insubordination and murder his superior! According to the laws of the Great Yan, an official who murders his superior should receive sixty lashes and be sentenced to head-shaving, wearing an iron collar, and pounding grain for five years." Thinking of his brother's death, two lines of tears ran down Cai Yuan's face.
"Originally, everything should have been dealt with according to the law, but the Wei family kept delaying handing him over, pushing it off time and again. Later, they were forced by the law and had no choice but to let Wei Conglin be imprisoned. But even so, they sent people to look after him in prison, making Wei Conglin comfortable, as if he were on vacation at a relay station."
"Eldest Young Master, there is a saying, 'A prince who violates the law commits the same crime as a commoner.' Besides, Wei Conglin isn't even a prince; at most, he's a royal relative! My Cai family has closely followed the Marquis all these years. Could the Marquis, for the sake of the Cai family's loyal service, ask the prison officials to handle this impartially?"
Midway through his speech, Cai Yuan could no longer sit still. He rose from his seat, lifted his robe, and knelt before Qin Yunce.
After finishing his words, he even knocked his head against the ground, performing a grand bow.
Sitting at the head, Qin Yunce looked at Cai Yuan below, remained silent for a moment, and seemed to sigh helplessly.
This sigh made Cai Yuan tremble with fear, afraid that Qin Yunce would later tell him to be forgiving wherever possible.
"This matter involves the Commandery Commandant and the Division Commandant. It is of great importance, and it is difficult for me to make a decision. It just so happens that my father is in good condition today. Why don't you come with me to see him?" Qin Yunce said.
Cai Yuan was stunned, and when he reacted, he was overjoyed. "Good, good, good. Thank you, Eldest Young Master."
"Follow me." Qin Yunce rose from his seat.
He led Cai Yuan out of the main hall, walked through a long corridor, and finally arrived at a courtyard with a very strong smell of medicine.
"Commandant of Agriculture Cai, please wait here for a moment. I will go in and announce you first," Qin Yunce told him.
Cai Yuan nodded repeatedly.
He watched Qin Yunce go inside and waited anxiously outside. After about half a cup of tea's time, Qin Yunce came out of the pavilion courtyard.
Qin Yunce gestured with his palm, "Commandant of Agriculture Cai, you may go in now. However, my father should not be exposed to the wind at this time, so please stand in front of the hanging curtain to speak with him, and do not enter the inner room."
Cai Yuan hurriedly straightened his clothes and hat, while saying, "Understood. I will definitely keep the Eldest Young Master's reminder in mind."
He went inside. As soon as he entered, he smelled a strong odor of medicine. The inner room was piled high with medicinal herbs. Some were placed in cabinets, some on stacked multi-tiered wooden shelves, and there were even nails on the walls in the four corners of the room, hanging packets of medicine that hung straight down.
Cai Yuan had long known that Qin Shaozong was seriously injured. Seeing this now, he was not surprised, only thinking to himself that the rumors outside were true.
He stopped in front of the hanging curtain of the inner room. Regardless of whether the person inside could see him, he bowed deeply to the hanging curtain. "This humble official, Cai Yuan, pays respects to the Marquis, congratulates the Marquis on his triumphant return, and wishes the Marquis peace and good health. This humble official shouldn't have disturbed you during your recuperation, but some people are truly using the Marquis's prestige to bully others. It's too much..."
He appropriately brought a crying tone into his words, as if he had been driven to a dead end and was filled with grief and indignation.
"Yunce has already mentioned a thing or two to me about this matter just now." A deep male voice came from inside.
Cai Yuan was slightly startled. Judging solely from the voice, the Marquis of Wu'an's vitality was still quite strong.
Could he be forcing himself despite his illness?
The man whom Cai Yuan thought was struggling to hold on was currently sitting boldly and confidently in front of a long desk, holding a booklet that had just been sent back from another province.
Outside, when Cai Yuan heard Qin Shaozong say that he had mentioned a thing or two, he suddenly felt it was highly necessary to recount the matter again.
So he tearfully complained to Qin Shaozong.
In the room, Qin Shaozong was doing two things at once. After the crying and complaining outside finished, he said, "It is indeed wrong for Wei Conglin to murder his superior..."
A bright light burst forth in Cai Yuan's eyes, but just as he was looking forward to what would follow, a coughing sound suddenly came from inside.
Cai Yuan's heart suddenly hung high.
A moment later, the person in the inner room stopped coughing, followed by a period of silence, seemingly trying to catch his breath.
Inside the room.
Qin Shaozong picked up a wolf-hair brush, quickly wrote a reply, and then set the small booklet aside.
After dealing with two letters in a row, the man finally spoke. "The Wei family has indeed been somewhat carried away in their actions these past few years. Cai Yuan, as the Commandant of Agriculture, you are in charge of military agricultural colonies and grain cultivation. The Northern Army has consumed a great deal of grain and fodder in the campaign against the salt smugglers and the battle in Sizhou. Pay close attention to this year's autumn harvest."
Cai Yuan's pupils slightly contracted.
In officialdom, many things were not stated too clearly; a hint was enough. If there wasn't the first sentence about the "Wei family," just hearing the second half, Cai Yuan would have thought the Marquis of Wu'an was urging him in his work.
But connecting the context, Cai Yuan immediately understood the implied meaning. The Marquis of Wu'an wanted him to start with the military agricultural colonies and cause trouble for the Wei family.
The amount of information contained here was too large, making Cai Yuan's head spin.
The Qin and Wei families were related by marriage. The Marquis of Wu'an had been a widower for fifteen years without remarrying. Outsiders, out of respect for this connection, usually yielded three points to the Wei family.
However, now, the Marquis of Wu'an himself had revealed a different intention.
It seemed the relationship between the Qin and Wei clans was not as good as it appeared. It made sense; as the Third Young Master Qin grew older, the Wei family had indeed become somewhat arrogant and conceited over the years.
Qin Shaozong continued, "As for the matter of Cai Pei, let's put it on hold for now. I will deal with it after a while when my condition improves. You can go back first; I need to rest."
The order to leave had been given, and Cai Yuan did not dare to stay. He could only cup his hands again, say some auspicious words, and then leave the room.
Cai Yuan had entered with joy and excitement, but came out weighed down by anxiety.
The Marquis of Wu'an said that the matter of Cai Pei would be put on hold for now and dealt with later?
Combining the two sentences, did whether the outcome after the delay depend entirely on his effectiveness as the Commandant of Agriculture?
...
Inside the room.
The man who had just said he needed to rest finished processing the small booklet on the desk, got up, and left, showing no intention of resting at all.
He headed towards the main courtyard. After walking a distance, just as he reached the entrance to the main house's courtyard, he suddenly heard a high-pitched voice drifting out from inside—
"What's the difference between this and summoning wind and rain? Lady Dai, you are too amazing!"
The drake-like voice was highly recognizable, both loud and emotionally excited. It was the voice of his youngest son.
Qin Shaozong raised his long eyebrows and quickened his pace. Just as he entered the courtyard, he heard that gentle female voice:
"The difference is still quite big. I have no way of summoning wind and rain."
Dai Li thought to herself that these two were not on the same level at all.
Calling the wind and summoning the rain, artificial rainfall.
The earliest artificial rainfall was in the mid-twentieth century. The gap between then and now was merely an airplane that could soar up to nine thousand meters and some dry ice.
From the corner of his eye, Qin Qinian caught a glimpse of a dark figure walking in from outside. He turned his head to look, and his eyes immediately lit up. Grabbing a fire stick, he ran out happily.
"Father, look at this!"
Qin Qinian held the object up in front of Qin Shaozong. "The fire stick Lady Dai just made. It's quite magical; it only takes a single breath to ignite. When we are marching and fighting outside, lighting a fire will be so much more convenient."
Although flint wasn't hard to use, if they encountered wet wood or cloth, it definitely wouldn't light.
A fire stick was different; it could ignite with just a blow.
"Father, watch." Qin Qinian pulled off the cap and blew a long breath at it, demonstrating for Qin Shaozong right then and there.
The charred head of the bamboo tube slowly turned red, and finally, under Qin Shaozong's gaze, a ball of fire burst forth with a whoosh.
Astonishment flashed through his brown eyes. Qin Shaozong took the fire stick from his son's hands. He had just seen Qin Qinian remove the cap and then blow air, so he put the bamboo cap back on and took it off a moment later.
The flame had disappeared.
But when a current of air brushed past, the sparks suddenly reappeared and quickly grew into a small flame.
Qin Shaozong abruptly raised his head to look at the main room.
The doors of the main room were wide open. She sat by the desk, currently talking to that boy Qin Yanzhou.
Sunlight slanted into the room, sweeping an extremely beautiful stroke of color onto the floor. That touch of color stretched all the way until it touched the woman's skirt, which spread out like flower petals, painting it with brilliant, multicolored hues.
Seeming to sense his gaze, the woman in the room turned her head.
Her eyes were pitch black, like black pearls soaked in a cold spring, clear and translucent, even more moving than the light diffusing on the floor.
Dai Li only felt an exceptionally burning gaze land on her. She tilted her head and met those brown eyes. She paused for a moment, then looked away as if nothing had happened, simply pretending she hadn't seen the emotion in his eyes.
Dai Li was talking to her son.
Today was the eighth day since they had returned to Yuyang Commandery. On the very day they returned, they had gone to the Ding family to seek medical treatment.
On the second day, Ding Luying came to perform acupuncture on Zhou Zhou.
Not counting the acupuncture session they were going to have later today, since arriving in Yuyang, her son had already received acupuncture from the old gentleman three times.
Dai Li asked, "You've already had three acupuncture treatments. Compared to before, Zhou Zhou, did you feel a bit more comfortable on the night the Gu worm acted up?"
She remembered her son saying that every ten days, there would be one night where he felt particularly unwell, with dizziness, ringing in his ears, and abdominal pain, making it completely impossible to sleep.
Qin Yanzhou nodded. "It's a bit better. My head isn't as dizzy, and the sound of the insects chirping and fluttering their wings is much softer."
He didn't mention any improvement in his abdominal pain. Dai Li knew that this aspect had likely not changed. Her heart ached, yet she was helpless.
"Mother, acupuncture can't achieve results overnight. It's already better than before," Qin Yanzhou comforted his mother.
"The fire stick you made is quite ingenious," Qin Shaozong said as he entered the room.
Just as Qin San had said, when used in marching and fighting, this item could prove immensely valuable on rainy days. Moreover, being just a small stick, it was very light and extremely convenient to carry.
Dai Li said casually, "Did you think I was lying to you before? It is naturally much more convenient than flint."
Only replying to Qin Shaozong with this single sentence, Dai Li's topic shifted back to her son. "Old Mr. Ding should have arrived at the manor. Zhou Zhou, I'll go over with you."
The previous times, Dai Li had also escorted her son to get medical treatment, and today was no exception.
Dai Li had initially thought that Qin Shaozong returned to the room because he had business, but after she and her son left the main courtyard, she heard footsteps behind them.
Dai Li turned her head and saw the father and son following behind. The man behind her quickened his pace upon seeing her look back, and in the blink of an eye, he was walking side by side with her.
The corridor wasn't narrow, so three people walking side by side couldn't be considered crowded. But as they walked, Qin Yanzhou fell behind and walked with Qin Qinian.
Qin Shaozong didn't speak, and neither did Dai Li.
Behind them, Qin Qinian was chattering away with Qin Yanzhou. No, it couldn't really be called a conversation; it was a long, one-sided output from him, asking about this and that. The latter was extremely annoyed by him, responding with a word or two as if they were made of gold.
As if encouraged, Qin Qinian continued to pester Qin Yanzhou with talk.
Dai Li's eyelashes slowly lowered.
The golden sun was behind them, casting the figures of all four forward. Walking in pairs, each pair had one shadow that was longer and the one beside it shorter, possessing a similar harmony.
When Dai Li arrived at another small courtyard, Old Mr. Ding had just arrived.
"Marquis." Ding Luying cupped his hands and bowed to Qin Shaozong. As he bent down, he concealed the astonishment in his eyes.
Counting today, he had come to the Qin manor a total of four times to perform acupuncture on that young master. And out of those four times, the Marquis of Wu'an had actually personally accompanied him three times.
"Old Mr. Ding, there is no need for such formalities." Qin Shaozong gently supported the man back up. "I leave Yanzhou in your hands."
Acupuncture required taking off one's clothes, and sometimes bloodletting was done depending on the situation. Having outsiders present would interfere with the doctor's work, so it was inconvenient for Dai Li to follow them inside.
"Father, what illness does Qin Yanzhou have?" Qin Qinian hadn't been able to figure it out for several days.
Previously, he thought those medicinal ingredients were for his father, used to sustain his life, but later he discovered that wasn't the case at all.
The one who needed the medicinal ingredients was someone else entirely.
Qin Shaozong cast a sidelong glance at his younger son, knowing that this boy's mouth had no filter, just like Mo Yanyun. Furthermore, he was naturally active, and it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't sneak out later, unable to bear the loneliness.
"He wasn't focused while practicing martial arts and accidentally sustained internal injuries," Qin Shaozong casually made up an excuse.
As soon as these words fell, Dai Li's dissatisfied gaze shot over.
Qin Shaozong: "..."
Fine, not a single bad word could be said about her precious son.
...
With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, Qin Qinian wandered aimlessly around the manor.
He was so idle that he was panicking, so idle that his entire body felt uncomfortable.
His father had issued a ban, forbidding him from leaving the manor. Fine, if he couldn't go out, he wouldn't go out. He would play inside the manor.
But after a few days of wandering around all the places he could, Qin Qinian gradually began to feel bored.
He thought to himself what a pity it was. It was a pity that Qin Yanzhou, whose martial arts were very impressive, had to be treated for an illness and couldn't fight him without holding back. Otherwise, he couldn't even imagine how thrilling it would be.
"If I don't spar with Qin Yanzhou, I can at least find those squad leaders of the Xuanxiao Cavalry, right?" Qin Qinian muttered. Immediately, he changed direction and headed towards another courtyard.
Most of the high-ranking military officers under Qin Shaozong's command had their ancestral roots in Youzhou.
They had their own houses in Yuyang, but everyone knew that it was currently a special period—the Marquis was critically ill, so everyone was temporarily staying here.
Even if they left the manor to return to their own homes, they generally wouldn't stay for long.
Qin Qinian went to two courtyards in a row, only to find them empty. He secretly thought it was strange; if Uncle Bai and the others weren't staying in their own courtyards, where did they go?
Qin Qinian continued walking forward and vaguely heard some movement ahead.
"Please save me! Ever since I moved in here, I haven't had a single peaceful night's sleep. Every day, as soon as I close my eyes, I start having nightmares, dreaming that the matter has been exposed."
"Lao Mo, you deserve it! Who told you to run your mouth?"
"I... I didn't know Lady Dai would take it seriously..."
Hearing this, Qin Qinian pricked up his ears.
Lady Dai took it seriously? Took what seriously?
Something wasn't right. Was there actually something in this manor that he, the future Great General, knew nothing about?