Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 69

After carefully examining Xiao Yan'er's pulse to check for any excess medicinal effects, Lu Wei raised an eyebrow, met Xiao Yan'er's innocent, blinking eyes, and asked:

"Her congenital weakness has been largely restored, but the medicinal effects haven't accumulated over the past six months. Who gave her the internal energy to circulate the Rejuvenation Technique?"

Before Lu Ni could answer, Xiao Yan'er spoke softly, "I made it myself!"

“The internal energy of the Rejuvenation Technique is peaceful, and even with the medicinal power, it is not violent.” Lu Ni added from the side, “When Yan’er told me at the beginning of the year that she could mobilize the internal energy, I was also surprised, but after the examination, I found nothing wrong.”

"Is that so..." Upon hearing this, the steward stood up, walked to the table, sat down, picked up a book of intelligence about Yan Chunjun's mansion, and after thinking for a while, said emotionlessly, "It's because she is naturally intelligent, and the Rejuvenating Qi in her body, which contains the medicinal power, attracts each other and forms a resonance with the medicinal power that replenishes her physical weakness."

"Xiao Yan'er is out of danger, so I don't need to worry about her anymore."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ni's expression changed slightly, and she immediately knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty's kindness will never be forgotten by your subordinate and Yan'er."

Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan'er's big eyes darted around. She skipped off the bed and imitated her mother's posture: "After I turn six, I will follow the Lord to learn the cultivation methods. When I grow up, I will also contribute to the Lord's cause, just like my mother!"

"Oh?" Seeing the little girl, who was only a few years old, speak like this, Lu Wei looked up from the intelligence report, glanced at Lu Ni, and noticed that she was also somewhat surprised. He couldn't help but find it amusing, staring at the little girl who was struggling to stay on her knees:

How did you come to know this principle?

“Ayan is not in good health, but he can see the Lord’s care for his mother and Ayan.”

Ji Yan raised her head, meeting the head steward's gaze without fear.

"I hope your intelligence continues to be like this." With a slight smile and a soft laugh, Lu Wei lowered his gaze and looked back at the booklet in his hand: "Get up."

"Thank you, Lord!"

"How is the situation with Jueying now?"

With that matter closed, Lu Wei asked about the important matter after Lu Ni carried Xiao Yan'er back to the bed and sat her down.

"After Hao Cao presented the sword to Lord Yan Chun, Lord Yan Chun only glanced at it before bestowing it upon Jue Ying."

Lu Ni returned to the table and answered in a deep voice, "The Net discovered this, but instead of rushing to retrieve Hao Cao, they contacted Jueying, hoping that he could become the new Hao Cao Sword Master."

"What is Jueying's choice?"

"He agreed, but also reported the matter to me."

Do you think he's still loyal?

Lu Wei put down the booklet in his hand and turned to look out the window.

“Jueying has always been loyal only to himself.” Lu Ni shook her head and replied thoughtfully, “We, Luo Wang, and Yan Chunjun are all ways for him to survive.”

"He doesn't know your identity yet, but you are still a potential threat."

The steward tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes slightly narrowed. Jueying's life was tied to Yanchunjun's.

The question is when to play these two chips.

Yan Chun-jun was originally an external helper for me to subdue the Snow Woman, but now, I no longer need that help.

His remaining value lies in ensuring that Luqiu Pavilion's business can continue unimpeded in Jicheng.

In other words, whenever Luqiuge decides to withdraw from the Yan state, Yan Chunjun will become worthless to him.

Then, the net will be closed!

Thinking of this, Steward Lu stood up, walked to the door, and turned his head: "Have you been monitoring those new Luo Wang assassins?"

"My subordinates understand their way of thinking."

"Very good." Lu Wei walked out of the room, his voice drifting out, only reaching Lu Ni's ears: "You continue to be in charge of this matter. If there are any unexpected events, you can act first and report later!"

"Yes!"

The Sword Master of Jingni was startled: His master's strength had improved rapidly again...

Chapter 91 Meeting with Yan Dan

The imperial court is the imperial court, and the martial world is the martial world. The struggle between Lord Yanchun and Prince Dan has already broken this line in the open, but for the time being, it seems that it has not yet affected Lu Wei.

After nightfall, the Snow Maiden lay still all afternoon and finally recovered. Through careful conversation with her maid, she finally learned that this Steward Lu was the steward of the Gonggong Hall of the Farmers.

He is the number two among the 20,000 disciples in the hall!

In the Zhao Kingdom, Xue Nu and Lu Wei's interactions were mostly limited to playing the flute and dancing; their occasional conversations were simply question-and-answer sessions. On their journey north, their brief chats revolved around martial arts techniques.

Therefore, she had no idea what Steward Lu was actually in charge of, and could only guess that he was also an important person based on Gongzi Yi's attitude.

When the topic of farmhouses came up, Xue Nu had an impression, but not a deep one. This sect, in theory, had almost no connection with places like music and dance halls.

She considered herself, now that she was under the command of Steward Lu, to be a disciple of the Farmer's School.

Although eager to know her ecological niche, the Snow Maiden did not show this urgency due to her nature. Instead, after dinner, guided by her maid, she went to the third floor of the Dew Autumn Pavilion and knocked on the door.

After being granted permission to enter, she lowered her eyes and bowed, requesting permission to visit the address of Feixue Pavilion so that she could arrange the decorations as soon as possible to facilitate its operation.

The Snow Maiden understood that this Steward Lu valued worth; only by creating more for him could he demand more in return!

When his subordinate volunteered to work overtime that night, Lu Wei naturally wouldn't stop her. After ending his meditation, he personally led her out to the eastern district of the city, stopping in front of a rather elegant, unmarked building.

This place was originally an official music and dance hall under the jurisdiction of the Yan State's Shaofu. Later, it was accidentally burned down, which was considered unlucky. Under Lu Wei's instructions, Luqiu Pavilion took over the place, decorated it with precious wood, and invited a feng shui master to perform a ritual to change its fortune. It cost a lot of money.

The original dozen or so dancers in the workshop were not simply discarded, but were taken in and prepared to be taught by Xue Nu, the Zhao dance teacher.

From the Snow Woman's perspective, the overall design of the attic met the requirements, and some of its structures even far exceeded the level of the altar. However, the decorations and the placement of the candles still needed careful improvement.

As for these Yan Kingdom dancers, she believed that their skill level was no match for Tantai's; they were only fit to serve as maids!

Steward Lu neither agreed nor disagreed with this assessment. After allocating a group of disciples and funds to Xue Nu for their transformation, he ignored everything else, only demanding that the costs be recouped by June of next year and that the target of 10,000 gold coins in revenue be achieved by the end of next year.

Otherwise, interest will be charged.

Snow Maiden bit her lip slightly and did not respond immediately. The next day, after personally inspecting the level of several other music and dance halls in Ji City in disguise, she readily agreed.

All the dances in the world originated from the State of Zhao. The Yan man, Han Dan, tried to learn the steps, but he only knew the basics. He had a great advantage!

After that, she was busy with the construction of Feixue Pavilion, and after the head steward finally brought this matter to a close, he received an invitation from the Crown Prince's residence.

The invitation was handwritten by Crown Prince Dan himself. A week later, he would host a banquet for Lu Wei at the newly renovated Crown Prince's residence to apologize for Grand Tutor Ju Wu's impolite behavior last year.

There's a lot hidden in this invitation!

First of all, I returned quietly, and the only time I went out was that evening when I accompanied Xue Nu to the East Market. How could the Crown Prince's residence know about my return so quickly? Was the problem caused by external or internal factors...?

The headquarters of Luqiu Pavilion is filled with carefully selected loyal disciples, and there are also secret guards hidden among them...

Secondly, the direct result of the "Ju Wu's rudeness" mentioned in the invitation was the burning of the Crown Prince's residence and the killing of all the loyal guards and maids!

Everyone knew that this was Yan Chunjun's doing, but no one was a fool.

This happened on the second night after Ju Wu targeted Lu Qiu Pavilion, and all the Crown Prince's spies who were reporting unfavorable news about the peasants in Yan Chun Jun's residence also went missing.

Yan Dan didn't believe that he, as the head of the Gonggong Hall, hadn't tampered with things behind the scenes.

Despite the animosity between the two sides, the Crown Prince's residence still sent an invitation. What was their true purpose...?

Finally, could Lu Wei not go to the appointment? The answer is yes.

Since Luqiu Pavilion is openly under Yanchun Jun's control, what's there to talk about with the Crown Prince's residence?

However, the person who delivered the invitation was a disciple of the Mohist school dressed in conspicuous black and white attire.

This Mohist disciple also carried a message from Yan Dan: "The Mohist leader invites the chief steward of the Agricultural School to an appointment; please do not refuse."

The relationship between the Nong and Mo families is actually quite ordinary. Yan Dan's actions, besides blatantly revealing to Luqiu Pavilion that he is a disciple of the Mo family, also have the implication of positioning this meeting at the level of the martial arts world.

After careful consideration and analysis of Yan Dan's intentions, Lu Wei sent A Shan to deliver a letter to the Crown Prince's residence, instructing him to wait at the gate for a reply.

Since this is a meeting between martial arts practitioners, it is not appropriate to hold a banquet at the Crown Prince's residence. The Golden Terrace Restaurant is located in a bustling area and is a good place to meet.

The letter contained a lot of pleasantries, but the main point was just these few words.

After Ah Shan returned, he brought news of 'Ke'.

...

“Lu Wei of Luqiu Pavilion is clearly an accomplice of Lord Yanchun. Why should Your Highness condescend to meet him outside?”

Ju Wu listened to the guard's report: "The deputy head of Luqiu Pavilion at the gate has left." He then asked Yan Dan in a loud voice, puzzled.

Although he was Yan Dan's teacher, he was very particular about social hierarchy and usually treated Yan Dan with the respect due to a ruler and his subject.

Last time, he went to Luqiu Pavilion to meet Lu Wei in person, which led to the disaster of the Crown Prince's Mansion. On the one hand, Ju Wu felt very guilty, and on the other hand, he was extremely disgusted with the disciples of the Farmer's School.

"Teacher, the number of disciples of the Farmer's School has recently exceeded 100,000, making them a force that cannot be ignored in the martial arts world."

Yan Dan calmly helped his teacher sit down and personally brewed him a cup of tea. Ju Wu treated him with the respect due to a subject to a ruler, while Yan Dan returned the courtesy to Ju Wu as that of a student to a teacher. Each side maintained their own demeanor.

"Among them, the number of disciples recruited by Gonggong Hall in Yan State has exceeded 10,000. These disciples are very influential in the military, business and civilian circles."

"Although I am the Crown Prince, there are far fewer than ten thousand people in the Yan Kingdom who are willing to obey my orders. How can I not value this Chief Steward Lu?"

"But he is, after all, Yan Chun Jun's man."

Ju Wu took a sip of the tea brewed by Yan Dan with satisfaction, but after putting down the cup, he still frowned.

"Whether the head of the Farmer's Hall, the next head of the Gonggong Hall, is an enemy depends solely on our choice."

Yan Dan waved his hand and walked to the door, looking up at the overcast sky: "Luqiu Pavilion wields immense power in Ji City, yet Lord Yanchun has never used their forces against us in the past few months..."

"Sometimes I wonder, does my uncle even know that Luqiu Pavilion is under his control...?"

"Your Highness, the leader of the Mohist school has arrived."

Just then, another guard came in to report.

"Your Highness, in that case, I shall take my leave." Upon hearing this, Ju Wu stood up and cupped his hands in greeting, knowing what his disciple was doing.

"Teacher, please go to the side hall to rest first. I have arranged a banquet for you tonight."

Yan Dan raised her hand and flicked her sleeve, then nodded, her expression as serious as ever.

------

On the third floor of Luqiu Pavilion, Lu Wei was reviewing the intelligence gathered by his secret guards regarding Yan Dan's return. Tomorrow, he would have a face-to-face conversation with the Crown Prince.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

They called someone in, and upon hearing the distinctive clattering sound of her shoes, they knew it was the Snow Woman.

She was carrying a long sword, and her forehead was covered with beads of sweat, indicating that she had just finished practicing swordsmanship with Lu Ni in the backyard.

"Master Steward, Feixue Pavilion will be fully decorated this month, and it will be able to open for business before the New Year once the Feixue Jade Flower Terrace arrives."