Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 61

Although there are many hooligans and scoundrels among the farmers, there are still many honest and law-abiding people, and the boy clearly belongs to the latter.

Thinking of this, the two shrine guardians nodded, supporting Lu Wei's arms, and dared not accept his bow:

"Zhang Er and Chen Yu are just nameless people, unworthy of such a great gift from you, young hero."

The older of the two was Zhang Er, who offered words of comfort, while the younger one was Chen Yu, who had initially called out to Lu Wei.

Two famous people, it would be great to befriend them! The steward immediately began to scheming in his mind.

“You two seniors have voluntarily chosen to guard the shrine for Lord Xinling, truly loyal and trustworthy men. It is not an exaggeration for me to bow to you.” Lu Wei gathered his strength, unexpectedly shaking off the two men who were supporting him, and forced himself to bow.

"What a strong internal force!"

Zhang Er and Chen Yu, who were knocked back two steps by the shock, were amazed but not angry. They thought it was a lucky thing that such a chivalrous young man also had extraordinary skills: power was in the hands of the benevolent!

After completing the prayer, Lu Wei looked up again, but now he looked hesitant.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Er and Chen Yu immediately asked, "Young Brother Lu, is there something you're having trouble saying?"

"Although we two are not particularly famous, we can still help you out!"

"It's not a difficult thing to say, it's just that this matter is of great importance!" Lu Wei looked at the two people in front of him, as if he had made up his mind, his expression changing from hesitant to firm:

"You two have stood guard in front of the Xinling Temple for many years, and I trust you as your predecessors."

"I don't know, seniors, do you know that Lord Xinling had a green jade pendant with the words 'Yan Wuji' engraved on it?"

"This!" Zhang Er's expression changed drastically, while Chen Yu seemed somewhat ignorant.

"This matter is indeed of great importance, please come with me!"

Zhang Er clapped his hands, and two wandering knights wearing bamboo hats suddenly appeared, taking their place as shrine guardians.

...

"Yan Wuji's jade pendant was given to Lord Xinling by King Zhao of Wei before his death."

Arriving at a house near the ancestral hall, Zhang Er activated a hidden mechanism, leading Chen Yu and Lu Wei into a secret chamber in the rock wall.

"I once served Lord Xinling, who treated me with great courtesy and once told me this story..."

As Zhang Er spoke, he lit the candles in the secret room: "He also displayed the jade pendant in front of me and the other guests."

Is that so? Then I don't need to make up a story~ The steward listened to his words with a solemn expression, feeling pleased inside.

Chen Yu was young and a follower of Lord Xinling, but he never had the chance to meet Lord Xinling in person, so he knew nothing about this story.

According to Lord Xinling, he was young at the time, and King Zhao gave him the jade pendant, presumably partly to express the idea that children speak without thinking, and partly in the hope that he would become an upright and outspoken minister in the future!

"Lord Xinling has done it!" Chen Yu exclaimed excitedly upon hearing this.

Zhang Er ignored Chen Yu's interruption and turned to look seriously at Lu Wei, who was bringing up the jade pendant again after many years: "This jade pendant was later given by Lord Xinling to one of his beloved concubines... Brother Lu mentioned this..."

“I heard it from an old man from Chu!” Lu Wei took over the conversation with clear eyes and spoke clearly: “At that time, I talked with that old man about my admiration for Lord Xinling and said that if I could see such a gentleman in my lifetime, I would die without regret.”

The old man chuckled and did not answer directly. Instead, he said that he had seen a beautiful woman holding an infant in a certain place in Chu. The infant had a jade pendant with a green color and the character "Yan Wuji" hanging on its chest.

*Snap!* Upon hearing this, Zhang Er suddenly stood up, his face flushed. His lips twitched for a long time. Lu Wei met his gaze but did not stop speaking:

After the old man finished speaking, he left.

"At first I was very puzzled, but the old man was a man of great wisdom, and his every word and action must have a profound meaning."

"By combining what he said with my question, I unexpectedly came up with an astonishingly brilliant idea..."

"Lord Xinling still has descendants in the world!" Chen Yu, who was not stupid, was also extremely excited as he listened and stood up to shout.

His loud voice echoed in the secret room for a long time.

Zhang Er was completely unaware of the ringing in his ears, his pale fingers gripping the table: "That old man?"

“He is a wise man from Chu, the Duke of Chu Nan!” Lu Wei said the name without stopping.

"It's him!" Zhang Er swayed, almost unable to stand, and had to sit down again: "What he says must be true!"

"I'll tell everyone this news right away!" Upon hearing this, Chen Yu had no more doubts and immediately ran out the door.

"No!" "No!"

But Zhang Er and Lu Wei called out to him almost simultaneously.

Chen Yu turned around, looking puzzled.

After Zhang Er and Lu Wei shouted, they looked at each other. Lu Wei spoke first frankly: "When I was talking with Master Nan, he said that he did not want to get involved in worldly affairs, so the content of our conversation should not be told to outsiders!"

"Today, standing before the Temple of Xinling, I was moved by my emotions and broke my promise. I am in great pain, but I do not regret it."

"If this matter spreads widely and Master Nan is disturbed by ordinary people as a result, I will have no choice but to commit suicide to atone for my sins!"

Chen Yu paused upon hearing this, but Zhang Er nodded in understanding. Since Lu Wei knew about the 'Yan Wuji' jade pendant, he couldn't be lying. The reason he wanted to stop Chen Yu was because:

"This matter must not be revealed. Otherwise, if Lord Xinling's enemies find out and the young master is harmed as a result, even if we are torn to pieces, we will not be able to answer to the lord in the afterlife!"

“The enemy…” Chen Yu calmed down now. He and Zhang Er clearly knew that there were other hidden reasons behind Lord Xinling’s death.

"This news can only be shared with trusted former retainers and colleagues of Lord Xinling, and we must secretly search for the young master; otherwise, it will lead to disaster!"

Zhang Er pulled Chen Yu over and knelt down directly in front of Lu Wei. Lu Wei hurriedly tried to pull the two of them up, but couldn't.

"Young hero, you have gone against your word to inform us of this news. Your kindness is immense, and we should bow to you in gratitude!"

"I also wish to pay my respects to the successor of Lord Xinling, though I have done nothing to achieve this!"

The steward 'tried hard' to pull the two men, but seeing that they wouldn't budge, he had no choice but to accept their greeting: "If you two find the young master, what will you do then?"

"The kindness that Lord Xinling has shown to us retainers is something that can never be repaid in ten lifetimes. If we find the young master, we will be willing to die for him!"

...

Yan State, Luqiu Pavilion.

As Lu Ni watched her healthy little Yan'er frolicking and playing with butterflies in the backyard, her cold expression softened slightly.

Even the efficiency of reviewing the daily chores at Luqiu Pavilion has improved considerably...

Chapter 83 Snow Maiden of the Sandalwood Terrace

The news that Lord Xinling's descendants were still alive was secretly spread by Zhang Er and Chen Yu, and the trip to Daliang was a success.

As for the loopholes in his statement, Lu Wei had no intention of fixing them.

This is partly because Chu Nan Gong is not easy to find, and he cannot easily turn back to the State of Chu.

On the other hand, the steward was not afraid of being exposed.

After all, Wei Yan, oh no, it should be Ji Yan...

It's really in his hands!

The reason why Xiao Yan'er was suddenly given a new surname was because he realized his past ignorance after talking with a true cultured person like Zhang Er: royal family members take the surname of the man and the surname of the woman.

Xiao Yan'er was a descendant of Lord Xinling. According to the royal family of Wei, she should have been of the Ji clan and the Wei family. However, since it was stipulated that women had surnames but not clan names, her real name was Ji Yan.

I must correct this mistake immediately upon returning to Jicheng, for if the name is not correct, the words will not be proper.

Let the news of Ji Yan's existence spread for a few years first, so that when I later "hold the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords," there will be fewer obstacles to questioning whether my identity appeared out of thin air.

Afterwards, Lu Wei made an agreement with Zhang Er and Chen Yu that they would each send people to search for the young master's whereabouts and contact each other when they had information, and then rode away from Daliang.

Next, he went to Lord Xinling's fiefdom and, to make the performance convincing, offered sacrifices there before preparing to leave Wei and enter Zhao.

At this time, the battle situation in Zhao remained deadlocked.

In this war, the Qin southern offensive, which involved the armies of Han and Wei, once again clashed with the Zhao army on the Zhang River.

The Qin state's northern offensive started from Taiyuan, heading straight for Fanwu. The plan was to take Fanwu and then move south to join forces with the southern army to attack Handan from both the north and south.

In his panic, King Zhao developed a path dependency and entrusted Li Mu with the full responsibility of defense.

Based on the battlefield situation, Li Mu decided to adopt a strategy of defending the south and attacking the north.

Sima Shang was dispatched to rely on fortifications and the natural barrier of the Zhang River to maneuver against the allied forces of Qin, Wei, and Han in the south.

He personally led the main force of the Zhao army northward and launched a fierce attack at Fanwu, defeating the Qin army on the northern route. He then immediately turned his army southward and joined forces with Sima Shang, forcing the Qin army in the south to retreat and thwarting another year of Qin's offensive to destroy Zhao.

However, despite Li Mu's extraordinary performance, he was limited by the decline of Zhao's national strength since the Battle of Changping. After several attempts to thwart the Qin army, he also suffered considerable losses and was unable to organize a long-range pursuit and large-scale counterattack against the Qin army. He could only barely hold the enemy within his territory.

After this battle, the King of Qin was furious, but he also understood that Zhao could not be easily destroyed. In comparison, while Han and Wei had shown loyalty, annexing them would be much easier...

The Qin state revised its unification plan and decisively changed its strategy. The Zhao state, despite being defeated by Li Mu, finally enjoyed a period of peace. However, this external peace did not mean that Zhao could catch its breath and recover its strength...

As for Han and Wei, compared to submission, what ultimately controls their own destiny is strength.

When the Grand Steward entered the State of Zhao, the war was not yet over. Li Mu was on his way north, the crisis in Handan was not resolved, and the capital was in a state of constant anxiety.

Because of the many hardships, there were quite a few peasant disciples in the Zhao state, but because of the many hardships, there were very few branches of the various schools in this area.

A war can destroy everything.

Lu Wei and the four younger brothers of Shan Yu Mu Ye were all from Zhao, but they could no longer find the small mountain village where they had lived. Most of their memories of the Zhao Kingdom were lost in the snowstorms of Yan Kingdom when they deserted as deserters in their early teens...

For him, Handan was another unfamiliar city, just like Daliang.

There are quite a few wandering knights in the city. In this time of war and chaos, the evil in many people's hearts has been awakened, and they have begun to do evil.

Lu Wei entered the city late at night with one or two taels of gold as proof of his innocence. While searching for accommodation, the steward encountered two groups of thieves in just three streets.

These people had their eyes on Lu Wei when he entered the city. After both groups were killed by Lu Wei with a few sword strikes during their probing attempts, the other gangs hiding in the shadows finally realized that this young man was not to be trifled with, and most of them chose to retreat.

However, some bolder individuals took the initiative to show themselves, hoping to earn money from the steward:

"Recently, most of the inns in Handan have closed down. Young hero, you are new to the city and must need a place to stay."

A young man with a gray headscarf tied around his forehead blocked Lu Wei's path from a distance of several meters.

"Our 'Crescent Moon' family owns numerous properties in Handan City, in almost every possible location..."

"If you are interested, young hero, why not take a look?"

The young man had a playful expression, but Lu Wei could sense that his legs were trembling slightly, proving that he was filled with fear!

He was nothing more than a expendable product pushed out by the 'Crescent Moon' organization.

The aggressive gaze made the young man's legs tremble even more. It took a good ten seconds before the steward's expression relaxed slightly, and he asked in a calm tone, "Do you own any property near 'Tantai'?"

Upon hearing the question, the young man paused for two seconds before quickly replying, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"