Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 201

"If we don't discuss conditions, even if I verbally agree to cooperate with you, do you really think Hall Master Lu can trust me?"

Yan Fei snorted coldly and asked a question in return.

Her situation is indeed precarious, but precisely because of this, even if she acts arrogantly, she won't make her situation worse.

Yanfei can act as if she doesn't need to consider the big picture; it's always the higher-ups who have to. They get more from the plan, so they have to share some of their profits with the people acting below.

Yanfei understood that if she didn't intend to die now, this would probably be her only chance to negotiate.

Rationally, although she was not afraid of death, she was also unwilling to die easily. This was the basic reason why Lord Dongjun expressed his willingness to cooperate after talking with the Moon Goddess for a few days.

Moreover, Yanfei's Yin-Yang Retribution technique for revenge against Yan Dan for his past betrayal was only halfway complete. If she were to die in Shouchun like this, allowing that person to live freely and carry out his plans, it would be utterly disgusting!

Lu Wei's humiliation of her that night was at most a matter of the martial arts world, but it was nothing compared to Yan Dan's behavior!

Yesterday, the Moon Goddess personally demonstrated a higher level of Yin-Yang Arts to her "good sister," allowing her to see the possibility of pursuing the "Great Dao." This is a further guarantee that Yan Fei can take the initiative to cooperate.

The Moon Goddess had told Lu Wei all these reasons before she sent him over, but he still pretended not to know and listened to Yan Fei recount the other party's conditions in person.

Since it's a negotiation, both sides need to make concessions, but the degree needs to be carefully considered: if Yanfei is fed to her fullness now, it will be difficult to control her later.

Lady Dongjun absolutely does not want to be controlled; she wants to ensure she has the freedom to do as she pleases. The Hall Master, on the other hand, naturally wants to maintain strict control over her, treating her like a subordinate he can command at will.

Both sides' ideas are understandable, but neither side's ideas are realistic.

Start with a high pitch, then gradually make room for compromises later on.

In order to maximize benefits, both sides will have to make appropriate concessions. In the final cooperation, there will be a maximum balance between control and freedom.

"So what kind of conditions does Lord Dongjun want?" Lu Wei looked calmly at the other woman's cloud-like hair hanging down to her chest, and raised his hand to signal her to continue.

"Nothing happened between us. Master Lu simply hit it off with the Yin Yang School and was willing to help them obtain the Azure Dragon Bronze Box from the State of Chu, as well as their subsequent attack on the Mohist School. I'm sure Master Lu has no objection to that."

Yanfei's first condition was a string of nonsense.

This was to create a favorable atmosphere for the harsh conditions to come, and Lu Wei could have easily agreed to them, but he didn't:

"Of course I have always been friends with the Yin-Yang School, but I also have many friends with the Mohists. How can I go against morality and participate in the attack on the Mohists? If it is only targeting Yan Dan, I have no objection to this."

"Okay!" This condition was originally irrelevant. Yanfei didn't need outsiders to participate in her revenge, so it was fine for the other party to change or delete it.

If the first point is changed, the other party will be more restrained when making further changes...

"Secondly, regarding Hall Master Lu's internal energy..."

...

Half an hour later, Lu Wei walked out of Yan Fei's room.

The imprisonment of Lord Dongjun of the Yin-Yang School is not yet over, but from the beginning, the doors and windows were not locked, and the Moon Goddess only reinforced the seal on his acupoints every day.

Without any Yin-Yang magic, Yan Fei didn't need a sturdy prison; even in an ordinary room, she wisely refrained from escaping.

Having secured reasonable terms for cooperation from the other party through her own efforts, Yanfei now needs to demonstrate her personal sincerity.

No matter how heavy Yan Fei's promise was, it was merely words. She had to ensure that she could not turn back and could not betray Lu Wei's camp again.

This is something that only the Moon Goddess can handle.

Yanfei's value is basically only within the Yin-Yang School. The issues concerning the Yin-Yang School's Sun, Moon, and Stars mainly involve the Yin-Yang School itself, which is an internal matter for them.

He unintentionally helped the Moon Goddess achieve harmony between the sun, moon, and stars in Shouchun. Although the chain reaction was beneficial to him, this was not Lu Wei's main purpose in coming to Shouchun. It could only be considered a side story that happened by chance.

However, when promising Yanfei the benefits, remember to give Xinghun the same amount as well, so that he doesn't feel that you are favoring one over the other.

Xinghun is proud and deserves respect; ignoring him could lead to potential problems...

Maintaining a 'friendship' relationship while pursuing personal gain is really troublesome; you have to pay attention to every single detail at all times...

------

Turning our attention back to Shouchun City, the young master of the Xiang family, who was wearing the Seven Seas Dragon Armor, had suddenly disappeared for several days, which aroused suspicion from various forces, large and small.

According to rumors, this "Young Feather" was accidentally injured while handling a brawl involving wandering swordsmen at "Tianxiang Tower," causing him to fall from the seventh-floor window...

Fortunately, the Xiang clan sent experts to protect their young master and caught him in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Even though the young master of the Xiang family was not injured that time, he was greatly frightened and may have developed a fear of heights. Therefore, he needed to recuperate, which is why he did not go out for a long time.

The Xiang clan's special status in the Chu state attracted considerable attention. After investigating the peasants, Shadow Guard Zhang Han planned to send his men to attack the young Xiang clan member, but unfortunately, the young man encountered an accident.

There was nothing that could be done. Even though Xiang Yan was leading troops outside and not at home, it was wishful thinking for twenty Shadow Guards to infiltrate the Xiang family's General's Mansion.

Having no choice but to modify the plan and have the Shadow Guards only investigate and record information about the Mohist school's actions, Zhang Han casually strolled through the streets of Shouchun, hoping that clues might come to him by chance.

Suddenly, a figure sitting by the roadside caught his attention: a child around ten years old with tattered clothes and messy hair.

He was none other than Han Xin, who was ordered by Chu Nan Gong to squat at the crossroads and observe the pedestrians!

Like Lu Wei, what Zhang Han noticed first was the child's eyes: those were not the eyes one would expect at this age.

It's not the look of an ordinary person who spends all their energy trying to survive.

'He's a talented individual; perhaps we can recruit him into the Shadow Guard!'

Zhang Han noticed Han Xin, and Han Xin also noticed Zhang Han.

Although they were far apart, the way the wandering knight suddenly stopped on the road looked at him for a moment made Han Xin realize that this person's true identity was definitely not just a wandering knight!

The two looked at each other intently for a moment, then looked away together.

'It's worth sending secret agents to investigate the background.'

'This is what Master Nan meant by: shouldering a special mission and objective.'

With their own thoughts, they walked away in opposite directions for the first time.

Chapter 225 Li Xin's Defeat

"A gentleman who is not dignified will not command respect, and his learning will not be solid. He should uphold loyalty and trustworthiness, not befriend those who are not as good as himself, and not hesitate to correct his mistakes."

In the Little Sage Village, Fu Nian listened to the disciples below reciting the text with their heads swaying. He glanced at them casually, and the students immediately raised their voices to become even more forceful and resonant.

He gave a satisfied "hmm," picked up a scroll of bamboo slips from the corner of the table in front of him, and began to browse through it.

The use of paper was already widespread in Xiaoshengxianzhuang: half of the collection in the library had been copied into volumes using high-quality snowflake paper made by farmers, and ordinary disciples were also given a fixed allocation of coarse paper.

Although there are some imitations of this writing tool available on the market, most of them are small workshops with lax quality control.

The cost of imitation by the Qi state's government artisans was also relatively high, making it impossible to mass-produce at a relatively low price, and the products they produced could basically only supply the capital city of Linzi.

Regardless of cost, quality, or moral considerations, Xiaoshengxianzhuang's official paper procurement is still handled by the Gonggongtang Sanghai branch.

Fu Nian is the head of the Confucian school. He rarely uses bamboo slips in his daily life anymore. The bamboo slips he is holding now were sent back by Confucian disciples who are away from home.

The content concerns matters related to Taoism.

The opening statement was brief: Master Beimingzi's last disciple, Xiaomengzi, has officially gone into seclusion.

According to seniority, Bei Mingzi is an elder of the same generation as Master Fu Nian. Therefore, this eight-year-old Xiao Mengzi is of the same generation as Master Xun of Xiao Shengxianzhuang and is Fu Nian's senior.

Given the course of events, as the leader of the Confucian school, Fu Nian will inevitably have to interact with the elites of the various schools of thought in the future... regardless of whether they are friends or foes.

In the midst of chaos, Fu Nianbenjue Xiaoshengxianzhuang faithfully fulfilled its duties. Whether or not it served the soon-to-be-unified empire, it would not face any major crises.

However, ever since Li Si, who had become increasingly trusted in the Qin court last year, returned only to be expelled from his school by Xunzi, Fu Nian felt a sense of crisis.

Whether Xunzi's expulsion of Li Si was right or wrong is something Fu Nian will not comment on. But as the head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, he must nip problems in the bud and ensure the survival of Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

Li Si is an exceptionally capable man, but he is also prone to jealousy. After such a humiliating defeat, even if he seems indifferent on the surface, we must be prepared for the possibility that he might retaliate.

After Xiaomeng, the bamboo slips also mentioned the results of the Taoist debate on swordsmanship between heaven and man.

The Taoist master Chisongzi is nearly seventy years old and has been in charge of Xueji for two consecutive rounds. Compared to his old rival Xiaoyaozi, Chisongzi has a psychological advantage that allows him to be much more at ease.

Xiaoyaozi's own life story is quite remarkable. Before the age of thirty, he lived a life of chivalry and adventure, earning the reputation of being the foremost hero in Guanzhong. Later, he attained enlightenment and entered the Taoist sect, becoming a disciple of the Human Sect. However, in the Snow Clearing Sword Competition, the Heavenly Sect held a significant advantage for nearly ten years.

In this year's Taiyi Mountain Guanmiao Terrace competition, the victor was ultimately Tianzong Chisongzi.

In the Taoist tradition of the Heavenly and Human lineages, the Heavenly lineage currently holds a dominant position.

This was a matter for the Taoists themselves. After understanding it, Fu Nian remained calm and composed, rolled up the bamboo slip and tossed it aside. Just then, the disciples below finished reading what he had marked, and so they continued their lesson.

Winter is approaching, and the temperature in Sanghai has recently shown signs of dropping.

After the class ended, Zhang Liang was waiting by the corridor outside the classroom, holding a bamboo scroll that looked 'travel-worn' in his hand, indicating that he was waiting for him.

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother!" Zhang Liang smiled and bowed respectfully.

"What does Zifang want to say?" Fu Nian nodded, and the two walked side by side from the corridor to the lake bridge that stretched out to the horizon.

Whenever any disciple sees these two elders, they will keep their distance and no one will disturb them.

"It's about the Qin-Chu war, which might affect Xiaoshengxianzhuang, so I came here specifically to report to my senior brother."

Zhang Liang spoke with a smile, his tone enthusiastic and unabashed, making no attempt to conceal his emotions. His senior brother knew his background, and given his position, being frank was the proper conduct for a gentleman.

"Did Chu win?" Fu Nian asked in a deep voice. Before taking the bamboo slip from Zhang Liang's hand, he could guess the result from his junior brother's emotional expression and the fact that he had come to find him.

"Yes, and it was a great victory." Zhang Liang looked up at the distant sky and felt that the blue sky was even more beautiful than yesterday: "The Qin Chancellor, Lord Changping, launched an uprising in Chenying City and defected to Chu, which forced Qin generals Li Xin and Meng Wu to change their existing offensive and turn around to quell the rebellion."

"The main force of Chu general Xiang Yan's Chu army has been subtly maintaining a distance from Li Xin, neither rushing into battle nor distancing itself, putting enormous pressure on Li Xin's Qin army. After Lord Changping raised his rebel army, he followed the direction of the Qin army and suddenly launched a counterattack."

"The two sides fought fiercely for three days. Li Xin suffered a great defeat and the losses were incalculable. However, according to the Chu army's intelligence alone, seven Qin army captains were killed."

"Oh?" Fu Nian had a shallow understanding of military command and was even more unfamiliar with military formations, but he knew that a captain was a mid-to-high-ranking military officer in the armies of various countries, and the next rank above that was a general. The fact that seven of them had been lost this time meant that the Qin army's losses were undoubtedly a truly disastrous defeat.

After unfolding the bamboo slip and browsing through the information recorded within, Fu Nian looked at Zhang Liang's bright eyes with his hands behind his back: "Lord Changping is the Right Chancellor of Qin, a man of high status. How could he rebel at a time like this?"

Fu Nian didn't know much about Lord Changping's character, but the title of "Right Chancellor of Qin" already spoke volumes.

“Giving up high position, power, wealth and honor, and betraying Qin to join Chu for the sake of righteousness, Lord Changping’s choice was indeed unexpected by the world.”

Zhang Liang sighed with admiration. A few years ago, after learning from Lu Wei about the cooperation between Yan Dan and Liu Sha, he had conducted an analysis of the anti-Qin forces of the various schools of thought.

When Zhang Liang first heard about the outbreak of the Xinzheng Rebellion, he did not approve of it. This uprising seemed empty and meaningless, merely a pointless sacrifice of precious anti-Qin forces, and it also caused the people of the former state of Han to suffer another round of war and persecution.

However, in retrospect, the Zhengzhou Rebellion was of great significance; it was the starting point of a long-planned anti-Qin campaign.

The one Qin sent to quell the rebellion that time was Lord Changping.

Because of this achievement, Lord Changping was assigned to Chenying, the former capital of Chu, to appease the people of the old Chu state. This led to his sudden rebellion against Qin, which resulted in the Qin army's disastrous defeat and retreat.

"Did Zifang just say that Lord Changping 'returned to Chu'?"

Fu Nian did not show much emotion. Changping Jun's behavior could be described as noble and righteous, as Zhang Liang described it, or it could be described as an unforgivable traitor.