When a person is speechless to a certain extent, they really just want to laugh.
Dai Li sneered, "Do you think being a captain is that easy? Strictly speaking, if you, Qin Changgeng, went to the selection, you would be eliminated in the first round."
"Absolutely impossible. If he can be one, why can't I?" Qin Shaozong said without a second thought.
Dai Li: "Pilot recruitment is extremely strict. With your body full of scars, you couldn't be a pilot."
Qin Shaozong didn't understand what "captain," "pilot recruitment," and "pilot" meant, but that didn't stop him from understanding that his scars were the reason.
If it were anything else, he would definitely argue. But to a man who bathed in blood and killed enemies on the battlefield, scars were nothing less than medals of honor.
Thus, Qin Shaozong remained unfazed.
He said slowly, "So he wasn't an official. I thought my wife would marry an official."
As someone in power, Qin Shaozong knew well that power could only be concentrated in the hands of a few administrators. Those who entered officialdom would ultimately be different from the common people, regardless of whether they served the country and the people, or corrupted the nation and harmed its citizens.
Dai Li was pulled into her memories by his words, unable to help but recall the past.
Actually, it wasn't that she didn't have the chance. It was just that after carefully weighing the pros and cons, she eventually gave up.
Back in her junior year of college, she had her third boyfriend, who was also her senior at the time. Only later did she find out that his family background was incredibly good, almost beyond her expectations.
He was an only child, and both his parents were civil servants. His father was in a department with real power, and his uncle's family ran a massive business. As for himself, he secured a job in a great unit right after graduation, strictly following in his father's footsteps. If he had a first major hurdle in life, it was probably... her.
He was dead set on marrying her, but his family unanimously opposed it. His domineering parents agreed that her background was too complicated and that she wouldn't be able to help their son's career.
Even though her boyfriend was very determined at the time—even putting on an attitude of fighting the whole world and refusing to marry anyone but her.
But she was tired.
She was exhausted by his relatives constantly seeking her out in secret, saying things that seemed peaceful but actually hid needles in the cotton. She was also keenly aware that if they really got married, as an only child, he could never completely cut ties with his family.
Unless it involved a necessary turning point in her destiny, she never compromised herself. Therefore, she initiated a breakup with this senior, the one she had chosen from a crowd of suitors and the one who suited her heart the most.
It was a cliff-like breakup; they broke up three times before it was truly over.
Although she later heard from friends about how he couldn't forget her, Dai Li never regretted her decision.
If it wasn't a good fit, it meant they weren't fated.
Life, after all, held many other possibilities.
Qin Shaozong astutely sensed that Dai Li's silence was somewhat unusual. He couldn't help but call out, "Madam."
His voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet night, it was impossible not to hear.
Yet she didn't react, as if she were zoning out, her soul having drifted off to heaven knows where. Qin Shaozong instantly thought of her previous remarks about "cutting losses in time," his brow twitching as a sudden guess formed in his mind.
She had said that being lovers didn't equate to marriage.
Could it be that before she married the biological father of that boy Qin Yanzhou, she had another man?
Perhaps, even more than one.
This fox had eight hundred schemes in her heart. She was the best at assessing situations, always wanting to slip away at the slightest sign of trouble. If the general environment of Peach Blossom Spring was so... unique, it was highly likely she had been picking and choosing.
After all, even a man holding great power like him, she looked down upon. If he hadn't held onto her so tightly, she would have run off to who knows where to live a carefree life long ago.
Qin Shaozong's face gradually darkened.
Dai Li pulled back her thoughts, unaware that the person beside her had let his imagination run wild. She just felt that his earlier remark, tinged with hypocritical regret, was very punchable.
How could the officials here be the same as those in later generations?
So Dai Li said, "Here, you enter officialdom through the system of recommendation for filial piety and incorruptibility. This path is basically monopolized by the aristocratic groups. If the father is an official, through some maneuvering, the son can inherit his father's career. In their thirties, or even twenties, they can hold official positions with real power."
Take Qin Shaozong himself, for example. He went to the battlefield in his teens, and when he received the title of Marquis of Wu'an bestowed by the imperial court, he hadn't even reached his thirties.
This path paved with military merit was very swift. But putting aside this dangerous route, he could have also taken the path of inheritance, inheriting the official position of his father, who was the Governor of Youzhou at the time.
Don't talk about it being non-compliant. As long as the local tyrant Qin family was strong enough, he was the local emperor of the region. Not to mention that nowadays the sovereign was weak and the ministers were strong, and the imperial court's control over the local areas was almost non-existent.
Qin Shaozong hummed in agreement, acknowledging that what she said was a fact. He wanted to say something else, but was struck by a different kind of curiosity. "Madam, doesn't Peach Blossom Spring select officials through recommendation?"
Dai Li: "Of course not. The recommendation system overly emphasizes moral character, but their actual governing ability remains to be seen. The probability of producing incompetents is very high. But Peach Blossom Spring is different. There is a very complete and rigorous system there, and everything is determined by exam scores. Whether you come from an aristocratic family or a commoner's home, as long as you want to enter officialdom, you have to take an exam. Only by relying on real talent and practical knowledge can one be selected based on merit."
Pausing for a moment, Dai Li added, "Of course, because the procedures are complicated and the population is large, promotions are not very fast."
At the very least, you couldn't find a single man in the modern world like Qin Shaozong, who had firmly grasped the entire northern region before even reaching the age of forty.
Qin Shaozong let out a chuckle, a mix of sarcasm and smugness. "I personally think that your last sentence is the most important."
Dai Li: "..."
"You'd better have only heard the last sentence." Dai Li mimicked his sarcastic tone, and then used her other foot to kick his calf. "I'm going to sleep. Qin Changgeng, let go of me."
"Really sleeping? You're not going to keep tossing and turning like a pancake?" Qin Shaozong released her leg.
Like a swimming fish, Dai Li pulled her leg back. Without answering his question, she rolled over to face away from him and buried her head to sleep.
Perhaps because they had just bickered a little, the pent-up frustration in her chest had found an outlet. Dai Li fell asleep much faster than expected, soon sinking into a deep slumber.
She was fast asleep, but the man beside her had lost all sleepiness and could even be described as fully energized.
Dai Li's recent words churned in Qin Shaozong's mind.
He chewed over every sentence over and over again, repeatedly refining them, until they were forged into a massive, nascent mace that smashed open the stubborn rock covering his mind above.
A brand-new, unprecedented, brilliant radiance fell into his eyes.
Everything is determined by exam scores.
Aristocrats and commoners are screened layer by layer, with the superior winning and the inferior eliminated. Appointing people solely on merit, fishing for talents from the lowest impoverished families.
That night, Qin Shaozong didn't sleep for a single quarter of an hour. Before dawn, he got up for his morning practice and then entered the study.
Everyone was very busy today.
Ding Luying was busy extracting the Gu worm, while Qin Shaozong, Nalan Zhi, and the other advisors stayed behind closed doors in the study. Wei Qing and several garrison chiefs led a team to the prominent families in the commandery, secretly searching among them for a servant with a black mole on the side of his neck.
Qin Qinian led men to post notices to reassure the public; Mo Yanyun was ordered to interrogate the survivors captured last night.
Some proceeded steadily, some were still ongoing, and some ended in disappointment.
Meanwhile.
After Qin Hongying and her daughter Shi Rongyue entered the manor, they resided together in another courtyard.
Last night, Qin Shaozong personally led troops out to make arrests, causing quite a commotion. Qin Hongying guessed that something major had happened in the commandery, but she wasn't worried in the slightest.
Her second brother had braved the wind and rain and seen all kinds of storms; he would definitely be able to handle it well. Right now, she was more concerned about other things—for instance, her daughter, who was sporting dark circles under her eyes.
The young girl sat opposite her eating breakfast. Her porcelain spoon stirred the porridge several times back and forth, but she hesitated to bring it to her mouth.
Qin Hongying's heart ached over her daughter's brush with danger yesterday. "Rongrong, how about going to Doctor Ding for some soothing medicine after breakfast? You can take it and get a good sleep."
Shi Rongyue slowly shook her head. "Mother, I'm fine."
Qin Hongying's thoughts turned a thousand times before she finally decided to cut the Gordian knot. "Rongrong, there is something Mother needs to tell you in advance. There has been a change in your marriage arrangement."
Shi Rongyue was scooping her porridge. Hearing this, she raised her head listlessly. "What change? Did something happen to the Zheng family that forces a delay?"
If an elder in the family passed away, the younger generation would have to observe a mourning period.
"No. Your second uncle had someone cancel your marriage to the young master of the Zheng family," Qin Hongying said.
"Clang—"
The porcelain spoon in Shi Rongyue's hand dropped into the bowl.
The meat porridge in the small bowl splashed out, and a little bit landed on the back of Shi Rongyue's hand.
The porridge had been stirred many times earlier and had long lost its original heat, leaving only a sticky, thick consistency.
"S-Second Uncle had it canceled?" Shi Rongyue was stunned. She stuttered slightly before finding her voice. "Why would Second Uncle..."
"He said he wants you to marry back into our family," Qin Hongying spoke openly with her daughter.
There was nothing to hide about this matter. Her daughter had already reached the coming-of-age and was no longer a babbling toddler. Moreover, it was better to tell her early so she could mentally prepare herself and start cultivating feelings with Qinian sooner.
Qin Hongying stroked her chin. "I guess he wants to marry you to Qinian. Although there is an order of seniority, you know Yunce's situation, not to mention his health has never been robust. He suffered a severe illness last winter and still hasn't fully recovered."
Speaking behind closed doors with her own daughter sitting opposite her, Qin Hongying spoke from the bottom of her heart: "He is your biological uncle, and he certainly wouldn't bear to see you end up with a sickly husband. Qinian is the same age as you. Even though he had an arranged marriage since childhood and is currently somewhat entangled with the Wei family, based on my understanding of your second uncle, since he has been frequently letting the Wei family visit recently, he must be plotting something."
This was also something Qin Hongying had pondered for a long time before she finally discerned a different meaning—
Her second brother probably wanted to take a wife!
Otherwise, why would he feign illness, make her come to Yuyang, and secretly put pressure on the Wei family?
This time, as he handled his old promises, he would most likely resolve Qinian's childhood engagement as well.
Qin Hongying continued to her daughter, "Rongrong, you were born into the Shi family of Nanyu. The Shi family has many military generals and was highly valued by your maternal grandfather in the past, and I am the biological sister of the Marquis of Wu'an. If you marry Qinian, the Shi family will become his wife's clan. With the Wei family's daughter having passed away from illness many years ago, we can completely suppress the Wei family. Now that your second uncle has taken charge and canceled the marriage between the Shi and Zheng families, I guess he should be paving the way for your younger cousin."
Yunce was sickly and weak; in terms of military achievements, he was inferior to Qinian. Furthermore, Yunce was her eldest brother's son. If the succession passed to Yunce...
Well, it wasn't impossible.
Her second brother had never been able to let go of what happened back then, always feeling it was his responsibility. Over the years, he had treated Yunce like his own son. As long as Yunce didn't acknowledge her eldest brother as his father when he reached adulthood, Yunce also had a great possibility of succeeding the title.
However, privately, Qin Hongying felt that her younger nephew had the biggest chance.
"...Rongrong, you can interact more with your younger cousin on regular days." Qin Hongying had said quite a bit.
After finishing, she was startled to realize that her daughter was spacing out.
Blank and dazed, she seemed to have not yet recovered her senses. Her expression was a bit strange, and it was unknown where her thoughts had drifted.
"Knock, knock—"
Qin Hongying curled her fingers and tapped the tabletop.
"Rongrong, did you hear clearly what I just told you?"
"Mother, when Second Uncle said he wanted me to marry back, did he specifically mention my younger cousin?"
Two voices sounded at the same time.
Seeing that her daughter was listening, Qin Hongying's brows relaxed slightly. "That he didn't. But your second uncle only has your younger cousin as his biological son, so he will inevitably plan more for him. You definitely won't go wrong listening to Mother. In all these years, when has your mother ever misjudged anything?"
The young girl let out an "mm," lowered her head to take a handkerchief, and slowly wiped away the specks of porridge on the back of her hand.
"Actually, it's best for you to marry Qinian. I've watched that child Qinian grow up. Although his temper is a bit rash, he is ultimately reliable and responsible. His looks aren't bad either; he's a good husband." The more Qin Hongying spoke, the more satisfied she became.
Shi Rongyue kept her head down; her thoughts had been wandering for a while now.