Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 119

Li Shiqi was someone who knew how to curry favor with his superiors. Master Lu knew that this man had historically been known as the "Drunkard of Gaoyang" and had an excellent relationship with Liu Bang.

However, in front of Lu Wei, who rarely drank alcohol and preferred tea, Li Shiqi introduced himself as a tea connoisseur from Gaoyang and spoke eloquently about the art of tea to the head of the hall.

Regardless of the old scholar's level of Confucian scholarship, he was knowledgeable in a wide range of miscellaneous subjects from all over the country.

The last person Lu Wei felt was so learned was Tian Guang. This chivalrous peasant leader had indeed traveled through all seven kingdoms over the past few decades.

Li Shiqi had only lived in the lands of Qi and Wei, yet he was knowledgeable about the seven states, which made the head of the hall somewhat curious.

"The talented students studying at Little Sage Village come from the Seven Kingdoms, and Daliang City is also a place with many merchants from various countries. By talking with these people, even without experiencing things firsthand, I can learn about the affairs of the world."

Li Shiqi laughed heartily, his words and actions displaying arrogance.

He could tell that Master Lu Wei was very tolerant of those who didn't get in his way. And although he was ambitious, he was willing to work hard for his ambitions instead of just talking about them.

They can be selfish and self-serving, but when it comes to the greater good, they can be incredibly generous and magnanimous.

The phrase "ruthless" can be used to describe this young leader, and in order to win the hearts of the people, he is very concerned about his reputation in his actions.

Such a person certainly cannot be called a chivalrous person, but he has done many chivalrous deeds.

The more you demonstrate your abilities and show that you can be of use to Master Lu, the less you need to worry about other issues.

"Li Sheng is indeed a man of great talent," the Hall Master said with a smile, completely unconcerned about Li Shiqi's slightly impolite behavior. "In the current state of the world, the State of Zhao is on its deathbed, and the seven states seem poised to be unified soon. How should a peasant family survive in a unified country? Could Li Sheng teach me?"

"With Master Lu in charge of everything, farmers can survive in any environment." Without hesitation, Li Shiqi deliberately revealed this as his true inner thought:

“I have studied the Qin law. It is extremely harsh for us peasant disciples. Commoners are born with sins and spend their whole lives just to atone for their sins.”

"But if the monarch is willing to allow the people to recuperate and appropriately reduce the excessive exploitation of the people, unifying the country is not a bad thing."

"However... a great achievement that ended centuries of conflict could very well make even a humble king arrogant and conceited, and that King of Qin was by no means a low-key king."

Li Shiqi stroked his beard, constantly observing Lu Wei's expression: "I once told the Hall Master, 'To achieve great things, one must regard the people as paramount.'"

"Qin was able to conquer the six states because it took the interests of the majority of the people of Qin as its foundation. However, if the seven states were unified, the King of Qin would not have the time to extend the interests of the majority of the people of Qin to the interests of the majority of the people of the world. In that case, stability would be a pipe dream."

"If the world is in chaos, Daze Mountain is far away in Qi, far from Xianyang... The Hall Master will have a great future, and it is only natural that he will be ennobled and appointed as a prime minister."

Li Shiqi had a far-sighted vision, and some of his predictions even came true. There are many people in the world with such vision, and quite a few who are even more talented than Li Shiqi.

The Qin court was also filled with many wise men.

But some are beneficiaries of the existing system, some remain unscathed, and some have no voice...

What could be seen has become invisible for various reasons...

The most important thing is to see what choice the King of Qin will make.

Unfortunately, the King of Qin ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, and even when he was a hostage in his youth, he lived in the relatively prosperous city of Handan. What he remembered was the hatred for those who had humiliated him, not the hardships of the common people.

Before he assumed power, everything he learned was about political struggles in the court, how to seize power, how to unify the country, and how to leave behind a legacy of great achievements recorded in history.

The corpses beneath the throne, whether enemy or ally, were never seen by him, who held his head high, nor would anyone ever tell him about them, nor would he bother to listen.

As time goes by, even if he does see it, he won't feel anything anymore...

After all, at that time he was the First Emperor, whose virtue surpassed that of the Three Sovereigns and whose achievements surpassed those of the Five Emperors!

...

Compared to other states in Shandong, the State of Qi had fewer thieves within its borders.

Undeterred by any trivial matters along the way, and with more and more Confucian scholars appearing in sight, Sanghai City came into view.

This lush, green coastal city, with its vibrant flowers, possesses a unique charm compared to the majestic and magnificent cities of Jicheng, Handan, Daliang, and Shouchun.

At this time, it was very close to the handover ceremony of the Little Sage Manor's leadership. The scholars in blue robes were elegantly arranged in groups, speaking eloquently and paying great attention to their appearance.

As one of the most discerning schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought, the atmosphere of Sanghai is sure to win people's hearts... provided that you only observe and never get involved.

Lu Wei and Li Shiqi led their horses to find an inn to stay in, planning to settle down first and then take advantage of the early morning to visit Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

Suddenly, Li Shiqi gently tugged at the sect leader's sleeve and pointed to the crowd in the distance:

"Master, that's the sword appraiser Feng Hu Zi..."

Chapter 141 Wind Beard

Feng Hu Zi was the most famous sword appraiser in the State of Chu.

The ancient lands of Chu, Wu, and Yue were famous for their swords, and the swordsmiths there were renowned throughout the land, as were the sword appraisers.

Feng Hu Zi's ability to stand out from the crowd speaks volumes about his exceptional skill.

Legend has it that this old man learned sword forging in his youth, and at the age of thirty, when he was young and vigorous, he began to travel to seven kingdoms. He was determined to learn about all the swords in the world and compile the most impartial sword manual to be passed down to posterity.

Every longsword that receives his personal evaluation gains a great reputation and its value skyrockets.

His appearance in Sanghai now must be for the Tai'a Sword, the new leader of the Confucian School. This majestic sword, after being handled by Fu Nian, has gained even greater fame.

The reputation of the Hall Master is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms, but it has never been for his swordsmanship.

Moreover, he has changed swords much more frequently than other swordsmen over the years, lacking the deep affection that most orthodox swordsmen have for their precious swords.

"The sect leader's sword is far beyond what ordinary weapons can match. Why not let that Feng Hu Zi appraise it and leave a few words of praise? That would make him famous throughout the martial world!"

Li Shiqi stared at the sword at the head of the hall and made a suggestion.

Watching Feng Huzi's thin figure slowly walk away into the crowd, Lu Wei shook his head:

"This sword appraiser came to Sanghai not for me."

"The longsword he now eagerly anticipates seeing is Tai'a, but my Devouring Sea doesn't like cutting in line."

"What the Hall Master said..." Li Shiqi immediately understood what Hall Master Lu meant: Feng Hu Zi came to Sang Hai for the Tai'a Sword. If Lu Wei Ruo were to rush to request a sword evaluation with the Tun Hai Sword at this moment, he would be at a disadvantage: "What the Hall Master said is very true. It was my short-sightedness that made me think this way."

He respectfully bowed to Lu Wei in apology. An ordinary swordsman, given the chance to have his sword appraised by Feng Hu Zi, would have crawled there even if it meant doing so.

But how could the head of the hall be like those commoners? If you don't care about your status, others won't care either.

Lu Wei reached out and helped Li Shiqi up, maintaining his smile: "We will have a formal meeting with this Master Feng Hu Zi later, let him go for now."

"Master's consideration is sound!"

Li Shiqi silently noted down the mistake he had made that day. He realized that his perspective was still not broad enough; he had lost his composure upon seeing a bearded man, which was not good...

The two found a mid-range inn in the city to stay at. However, all the mid-range inns were fully booked by distinguished guests who had arrived in this coastal area in advance, and they couldn't find enough rooms at several other inns they looked for.

After settling their luggage, Lu Wei took out a rolled-up gray-yellow picture book from the package, slung it over his back with a white cloth, and went out with Li Shiqi.

He had prepared this gift several years ago, and today he was finally able to present it.

The scroll inside is "Confucius Observing the Leaning Vessel," a work from later times, but it's not considered ahead of its time to present it now.

Its material is 'paper', a wonderful writing tool used only in farming households, which will be shown to Confucian disciples who aspire to 'pacify the country with literature and conquer the world with military might' for the first time.

"Should the sect leader visit Fu Nian as a farmer, or...?"

Controlling his gaze, Li Shiqi asked earnestly.

"Just go with me as a regular guest for now."

Lu Wei had many purposes for coming to Sanghai, and befriending Fu Nian was just a side quest; whether or not he could complete it was not even important.

Fu Nian created the Holy King Sword Technique, advocated the rule of the king, and emphasized inner sagehood and outer kingship, which is the ultimate in 'rites'.

People who value etiquette naturally tend to act in accordance with the prevailing trend.

For Fu Nian, his greatest ideal was to promote and develop Confucianism and its ideas. But no matter how much he pursued this goal, the First Emperor would not grant his wish.

Moreover, regardless of the historical timeline, with Li Si, a 'former Confucian disciple,' in the Qin court of this world, the Qin Dynasty would naturally become an enemy of Confucianism.

Li Si will help Fu Nian to understand this clearly in the future.

Adding Zhang Liang, the third Confucian master who intended to restore the kingdom, Confucianism would undoubtedly be a solid ally for the future.

At this juncture, it would be better to discuss the anti-Qin plan with Zhang Liang, who had just recently lost his kingdom, than to cultivate a deep friendship with Fu Nian.

"If I were to visit as an ordinary guest, I would be of little influence among Confucian scholars and would likely find it difficult to have the opportunity to speak with Fu Nian."

Li Shiqi took the long white cloth roll that Lu Wei had taken off and handed to him, held it in his arms, and explained with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“It’s alright,” the hall master said, stepping on the blue brick-paved street and looking at the colorful flags of the shops fluttering on both sides. After crossing the Golden Water Bridge, he said with a hint of inquiry, “I heard that Fu Nian’s teacher has made an exception and accepted two junior brothers for Fu Nian in recent years.”

Do you know anything about his two junior brothers?

“I do not know that,” Li Shiqi said thoughtfully. “Although I have always maintained contact with Xiaoshengxianzhuang, I have never talked to them about Fu Nian because of my distant relationship with him.”

"When we get to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, I can ask my old friends about it."

"Yes, one of them is named Yan Lu, and the other is named Zhang Liang."

...

Yan Lu and Zhang Liang, whom Lu Wei was thinking about, happened to be together at this moment.

One was leaning against a pavilion pillar reading a book, while the other was practicing swordsmanship nearby.

A gentle breeze blew by, its silky touch gliding between the fingertips of the two men, who held the book and the sword hilt respectively, leaving them with completely different insights.

Their senior brother has been very busy these days; the two of them were supposed to be accompanying various guests and acting as their greeters.

However, just an hour ago, the world-renowned Master Feng Hu Zi arrived, and all the guests gathered around him, leaving Yan Lu and Zhang Liang with nothing to do.

So they decided to go to a secluded courtyard together and steal a half-day of leisure from their busy lives.

As the sound of his junior brother's sword dance grew louder and louder, Yan Lu's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly said, "Your heart is not here, so why force me to stay?"

With a clang, Zhang Liang sheathed his sword, smiled faintly, and deftly stepped over the railing with one hand to sit down next to Yan Lu: "If Senior Brother's heart is in the books, he wouldn't have said that my heart is not in the sword."

The two are close in age, but Yan Lu was admitted to the Confucian school when he was just over ten years old and has been studying poetry and literature for six years now.

Zhang Liang had only been accepted as a disciple last year and had not been studying Confucianism in the traditional sense for long, but Yan Lu knew that this junior brother was very intelligent, but he still harbored hatred in his heart, and Yan Lu wanted to help his junior brother to calm his mind.

"Empty valleys, wind blowing, transcending the world. The Lingxu Sword, though a sharp weapon, is devoid of any bloodshed, displaying only a graceful, ethereal air, making it a worthy choice among renowned weapons."

"The sword is a weapon of violence, and it is even more difficult to use it to express one's will or to clarify one's mind."

"Does the arrival of Feng Huzi make you unable to let go of those memories?"

Yan Lu closed the book in his hand, read the evaluation that Feng Hu Zi had made about the Lingxu Sword in the past, and pressed his junior brother for answers.

The Zhang family had served as prime ministers of Han for five generations. When Feng Huzi arrived at Xiaoshengxianzhuang, the significance of the Lingxu Sword, a weapon passed down through generations of the Zhang family of Han, resonated in his mind once again.

"What you say is correct, senior brother."