Chapter 120

The study.

Mo Yanyun hurried inside. As soon as he entered the study, he blurted out, "Bad news, My Lord."

Inside the study, besides Qin Shaozong and Nalan Zhi, there were two other men.

Both were dressed in the square hats and loose robes typical of scholars. One had just passed his thirties, with clear features and a handsome appearance. The other was older than Nalan Zhi, thin as a crane, with a long beard reaching his chest and bright eyes that concealed a sharp inner light.

The older man was from the prominent Cui clan of Hedong; his name was Cui Shengping, courtesy name Haiqing. It was said that when he was born, the Emperor of Han was committing absurd acts. His father, worried about the country and its people, angrily named his son Shengping, taking the last two words of a phrase meaning singing and dancing in celebration of peace, as a form of mockery.

The younger man did not come from a prestigious family. His name was Sheng Ran, courtesy name Zhongliang, and he had joined the Northern Army by chance.

"...My Lord, during the interrogation just now, those two captives suddenly spat out black blood, tilted their necks, and died. I had specifically checked their teeth after catching them and kept them under strict guard," Mo Yanyun said, feeling utterly frustrated.

It had been hard enough to catch them, especially since they were Bai Xiang's trusted aides. They must have known a lot of things, but in less than a day, both of them were dead.

Hearing his subordinate's report, the man sitting behind the desk did not even twitch a brow; he simply turned his head to look out the window.

Outside the window, the sunlight was perfect, casting bright dappled shadows beneath the trees. It was now afternoon, and several hours had passed since the curfew was lifted and the city gates were opened.

Assuming the real Bai Xiang was not found last night, he could have left the city by now or moved to another inn within the commandery. By cutting off this lead in the afternoon, even if they noticed something, they would have lost the opportunity and never be able to catch him again.

Those people were abandoned pawns from the very beginning.

"It was to be expected. If they are dead, so be it. Interrogate that fat shopkeeper; he might know quite a bit," Qin Shaozong said calmly.

As if remembering something, Qin Shaozong added, "A merchant surnamed Zhao in the east of the city has visited the Laimo Bookstore several times. Have someone investigate him as well."

Mo Yanyun cupped his hands and accepted the order.

After he left, the few men returned to their previous topic.

Cui Shengping continued, "My Lord, selecting talent through examinations is indeed highly promising. However, I personally believe this method is not suitable for implementation in the North for the time being. The Emperor of Han is still on the throne, and all new policies should be issued by the imperial court to be fully justified."

He stood up, bowed deeply to Qin Shaozong, and said solemnly, "If the North raises its own banner, it will be easy for those with ulterior motives to make a fuss about it, perhaps even rallying other provinces to crusade against the disloyal. Therefore, I believe we should wait on this matter."

What they were waiting for, Cui Shengping did not explicitly say, but everyone present knew.

They were waiting for Qin Shaozong to ascend the throne and take that supreme position.

Sheng Ran pondered for a moment, truly reluctant to give up such a novel selection method. "My Lord, why do we not try another approach, pretending to advance along one path while secretly taking another? Nowadays, all the great warlords are widely recruiting talents, and some even keep three thousand retainers. Many people have come to serve you before, but because they failed to meet your requirements, they all returned in defeat. This time, we can leak word to the public that we are recruiting a teacher for the Third Young Master Qin, thereby attracting talented scholars from all over the world to the North."

Anyone who paid even the slightest attention to current affairs knew that the Marquis of Wu'an in the North was extremely generous.

Whether it was the military generals who followed him into battle or the strategists who plotted behind the scenes, as long as he recognized them, they would receive many rewards every time they rendered meritorious service. These rewards were not limited to money and jewels, houses and servants, or fertile land and fine horses.

Such high treatment naturally attracted many famous scholars. Unfortunately, the Lord had high standards and was a very opinionated person himself, so very few could catch his eye.

Therefore, compared to the military generals, the number of people in his brain trust was pitifully small.

Nalan Zhi nodded. "Zhongliang's method is worth a try. Tell the world that you are recruiting a teacher for the Third Young Master, and let it be known that you do not require someone who knows everything about astronomy and geography, as long as they excel in a specific field. When they arrive, we can test them specifically on the field they claim to be good at. If they are deemed suitable in the end, we can keep them and let them become pillars of that field in the future."

The Lord's ambitions would absolutely not stop at the North. When he ushered in a new era in the future, given the current state of impoverished people and exhausted resources, a hundred things would be waiting to be rebuilt.

Just taking the rivers that flooded from time to time as an example, someone would definitely need to be sent to control the waters then.

But where would the talents for water control come from? If they did not start gathering them now, they would inevitably be caught in a panic when the time came.

Qin Shaozong spun the jade thumb ring on his finger. "It is indeed worth a try."

The few of them engaged in a more detailed discussion regarding this aspect. By the time the matter was basically finalized, the warm glow of the setting sun had quietly slipped into the room through the window.

"...Let us slightly change the public excuse. Make it that we are recruiting teachers for all three: Qin Yunce, Qin Yanzhou, and Qin Qinian," Qin Shaozong said finally.

Nalan Zhi was slightly stunned.

Unless special circumstances occurred, a disciple would only call one person Master in his lifetime. This was the so-called principle of a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.

And the recruitment of teachers that Qin Shaozong just mentioned was for collective teaching, one teacher to multiple students, which was the model used in academies.

These two did not conflict.

But after having a Master, going to an academy was not impossible, but it had to be clearly discussed with the Master himself.

After all, eating at one house and suddenly smelling the food from another house, then silently taking your bowl to eat at the other house was inappropriate both in reason and in sentiment.

"It is just a cover. Wugong, would you mind?" Qin Shaozong looked at Nalan Zhi.

Sheng Ran was the youngest among them. Hearing Qin Shaozong's words, he hurriedly lowered his eyes to hide the astonishment within them.

Since the Lord had spoken to this extent, how could he, Nalan Wugong, possibly say he would mind?

Qin Yanzhou.

He had heard this boy's name many times, and each time shocked him more than the last.

First, the Lord acted as a middleman to have him take Nalan Wugong as his master. Then, he dispatched troops all over the country to collect medicinal herbs for him. Now, this boy's name was even added to this cover story.

The fact that the Eldest Young Master Qin recognized the Lord as his father had spread throughout the world. The Third Young Master Qin went without saying, as he was the Lord's biological son. Inserting Qin Yanzhou in the middle was clearly a subtle announcement to the world that this suddenly appearing Qin child was also his heir.

Nalan Zhi shook his head and said he would not mind.

Seeing this, Qin Shaozong smiled. "I thought so too. Wugong, you are the most open-minded and would not fuss over such trivial matters. Furthermore, the idea of selecting talents through examinations was first proposed by Madam, so by both reason and sentiment, we cannot leave Qin Yanzhou out."

"It was actually Madam Dai who proposed it first?" Cui Shengping was astonished.

Nalan Zhi immediately smiled. "She has always possessed extraordinary abilities. South of the Great Dipper, she stands alone."

Qin Shaozong nodded gladly. "Indeed."

Cui Shengping and Sheng Ran exchanged a glance, both seeing deep thought and solemnity in each other's eyes.

"My Lord, I heard that you had people renovate the Marquis's mansion. Please forgive my presumption, but are you planning to take a wife?" Cui Shengping asked.

What he mentioned was renovate.

But anyone with discerning eyes could see that he was picking the smallest detail out of Qin Shaozong's many affairs to speak of.

Qin Shaozong did not deny it. "I am indeed planning to."

Cui Shengping stared intently. He did not need to ask to know who his lord wanted to marry. My Lord, if you marry Lady Dai, what about Qin Yanzhou...

Naturally, he will have to call me father, Qin Shaozong cut him off.

He said it as a matter of course, making Cui Shengping's heart skip a beat.

My Lord... he wanted to say more.

But Qin Shaozong stood up from his seat, clearly indicating that the conversation was over. It is getting late. You should all go back and have your evening meal. If it gets any later, you will have to eat by lamplight.

Leaving these words behind, Qin Shaozong strode out of the study.

Three people remained in the study. After Qin Shaozong left, Nalan Zhi also got up and walked out.

Only two were left. Sheng Ran lowered his voice, Looking at our Lord's recent actions, that young master Qin will likely be treated no differently than his own sons in the future. He is older than the Third Young Master and looks about the same age as the Eldest Young Master, though I do not know his exact age. If he is older than the Eldest...

He did not finish, but Cui Shengping understood. So what if our Lord marries Lady Dai in the future? Even if Lady Dai possesses world-shaking talents, she does not come from a prestigious family; she is alone and lacks support. Young Master Qin does not have the Qin family bloodline, nor does he have a powerful wife's family backing him. The rule of succession by the eldest legitimate son will never apply to him. No matter how much our Lord plans for him now, his prospects are limited.

Sheng Ran hesitated a little. Are we certain that Young Master Qin is not of the Qin bloodline?

Young Master Qin was just about to reach adulthood. Counting backward, that would mean he was conceived nearly twenty years ago.

At that time, their Lord had indeed left the North, and the timeline barely fit. But given their Lord's cautious nature, he would absolutely not have produced an illegitimate eldest son before his legitimate heir was born.

Besides, Young Master Qin did not look like their Lord.

He could not possibly be their Lord's flesh and blood!

Cui Shengping shook his head and said, He shouldn't be. If he were our Lord's biological son, why would our Lord say what he just did? If he could call him father now, why wait until then?

Let us just wait and see.

...

The two chatted in low voices for a few more moments before leaving one after the other. Neither noticed a burly figure standing just outside the wall.

The study was guarded by personal guards. If an ordinary person lingered there, they would surely be questioned or driven away. But the man standing there was Qin Shaozong, the master of the entire North. Naturally, the guards would not step forward to disturb him.

There were windows on the east, west, and north sides of the study. Right now, only the east and west windows were open.

For an ordinary person, with the people inside lowering their voices and the nearby window closed, they certainly would not be able to hear a thing.

However, Qin Shaozong was no ordinary man. Those muffled yet discernible words drifted into his ears, and he heard every single one.

However long Sheng Ran and Cui Shengping talked inside, Qin Shaozong stood outside listening.

After the two left, he waited a moment longer before stepping out from behind the wall.

Qin Shaozong had not intentionally sneaked back to eavesdrop. He had been walking away when he suddenly realized he had forgotten something, which was why he returned to the study.

Hearing Cui and Sheng's conversation was a complete accident.

The man walked into the study with a calm expression. He took a thick stack of paper from a cabinet, fetched a brush, ink, and inkstone, packed them into a small cloth bag, and finally left.

There were only two days left until the Beginning of Winter. The closer it got to winter, the earlier the sky grew dark.

Qin Yanzhou was still undergoing treatment and stayed behind closed doors, not coming to the main hall for dinner. Qin Yunce and Qin Qinian did not come either today, not because anything happened to the brothers, but simply because they were ordered to eat on their own.

Tonight, only Dai Li and Qin Shaozong were at the dinner table.

As the weather turned colder, they were once again having hot pot.

The two sat facing each other across a table. A small stove was set up in the middle, surrounded by various meats and vegetables neatly arranged on small plates. A jug of wine rested by Qin Shaozong's hand.

The broth in the small stove was boiling, bubbling merrily, a perfect match for the dish's ancient name.

Without the younger generation present, Qin Shaozong was visibly more relaxed. Wielding his jade chopsticks, he fished a plump shrimp ball out of the hot broth, dipped it into a sauce bowl, and placed it into Dai Li's bowl.

Now that you have learned how to ride a horse, my lady, how about I take you hunting some day? Qin Shaozong knew she was from the South. Once winter sets in and the snow falls, the trees and the ground will be covered in white. It is stunningly beautiful. Moreover, the birds and beasts all store fat for the winter, making them incredibly plump and delicious.

Hunting... Dai Li's interest was piqued.

The modern world had its modern pastimes, and the ancient world had its own forms of entertainment.

Su Shi's famous poem about hunting, with lines like yellow hound on the left, falcon on the right and shooting the tiger to show the prowess of Sun, was well-known to later generations.

However, in her modern world, there were strict restrictions on hunting, and one could easily commit the crime of illegal poaching.

Therefore, even though Dai Li had tried scuba diving, skydiving, and surfing growing up, she had never gone hunting.

Seeing her keen interest, Qin Shaozong chuckled. There are tigers roaming the area east of Yuyang. Once I finish up a few matters at hand, I will hunt a tiger to make a winter cloak for you, my lady.