Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 85

"A marriage alliance..." Yan Dan's attempt to soothe her teacher's emotions faltered...

...

"His Majesty is not satisfied with His Highness the Crown Prince. Is there any need for this marriage alliance?"

Upon learning of the intelligence from the palace while at the General's mansion, Yan Yi hesitated again, as if the Crown Prince's future was not so bright after all.

"General, you should host a banquet for His Highness the Crown Prince and discuss this matter further!" Seeing Yan Yi hesitate, the quick-witted steward said, "It is precisely at this time that you, General, should pledge your allegiance to him, so that you may gain the Crown Prince's favor in the future!"

"But what about the King..."

"His Majesty is old, but His Highness the Crown Prince is in the prime of his life!"

The steward gritted his teeth and uttered the most disrespectful line: "General, at most you can only maintain your current position with the King, but if you add a layer of kinship with His Highness the Crown Prince, then you could be appointed as a prince and prime minister, which would be a great opportunity!"

"Oh~" Yan Yi listened to the butler's words, and upon closer examination, she couldn't figure it out, but it seemed to make some sense.

"If I ally with the Crown Prince, even the King would find it difficult to harm me?"

"Exactly!" The steward knelt and kowtowed: "General, you may very well enjoy the power and influence of Lord Yanchun after His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne!"

"Good!" Yan Yi was eager to hear this, clapping his hands and laughing heartily: "Go to the Crown Prince's residence again and tell him that this general will be hosting a banquet for His Highness the Crown Prince at the Golden Terrace in three days. I hope His Highness will do me the honor of attending!"

"As ordered!"

The quick-witted butler dashed out, glanced furtively in a certain direction within the mansion, and then headed straight for the Crown Prince's residence.

Upon arriving at the destination, he entered through a side door and found... Ju Wu in a side room!

"Grand Tutor, Yan Yi has made up his mind to arrange a marriage between his son and the Crown Prince!"

The butler knelt down and kowtowed swiftly, smiling obsequiously.

"You've done very well!" Ju Wu stretched out his right hand, which was behind his back, and tossed a piece of gold in front of the steward: "If this succeeds, you will be rewarded handsomely!"

"Thank you, Master Taifu! Thank you, Master Taifu!"

Without even checking, the steward quickly stuffed the gold ingot into his pocket, beaming with joy: "The Grand General will be hosting a banquet for His Highness the Crown Prince at the Golden Terrace in three days. I hope the Grand Tutor can convey this message to His Highness."

"Okay, you can go back now. If anything changes, come and let me know."

"Yes, sir!"

Watching the meddlesome man retreat with his head bowed, Ju Wu stroked his long beard, feeling utterly delighted.

This young man from the Lu family is indeed effective. I've wasted so much time learning from him over the years. Now that I've learned it, the results are immediate!

He walked slowly to the outside of the main hall of the Crown Prince's residence, looked at Yan Dan inside whose expression was constantly changing, shook his head, and thought to himself: "Your Highness, this plan is not something this old minister intentionally concealed from you."

"Although Yan Yi is a villain, he has cultivated deep roots in the army for many years and has many confidants and followers. Joining forces with him would be of great help to Your Highness's grand plan!"

"This Yan Yun is the surviving daughter of the former General Yan Xing. She is of upright character and, in terms of family background and social standing, is a far better match for that mysterious woman from the Yin-Yang School..."

The clever butler returned to the General's Mansion, but did not immediately go to find Yan Yi. Instead, after carefully observing and making sure no one was paying attention, he quietly went to the backyard.

"Miss Yun, this matter is most likely settled!"

He gently knocked three times by a slightly dilapidated window.

"Thank you, Master." A soft female voice came from inside the room: "If A-Yun is able to marry into the Crown Prince's household this time, please mention Master's name to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Miss Yun, you don't need to be so polite. This is just my duty. You are being bullied so much in this mansion, and I really can't stand by and watch."

As he said this, the butler subconsciously touched the gold ingot in his pocket, a sly smile inadvertently appearing on his lips...

...

Lu Wei was unaware of the changes at the Crown Prince's residence. At this moment, he was drinking with Tian Guang at the Dragon Gate Inn.

"Luqiu Pavilion is located in Jicheng. Why has it recently shown signs of a large-scale retreat?"

After two years of self-management, Tian Guang's reputation in Jicheng has soared, and several passing drinkers have taken the initiative to greet him.

Tian Guang returned the greetings with a smile, but his gaze finally settled on the new sword at Master Lu's waist.

“The State of Yan is not safe. As the head of the hall, I naturally have to take precautions and make early interventions.”

Following his gaze, Lu Wei took off his Devouring Sea Sword and placed it on the table. This action immediately attracted the attention of several nearby wandering swordsmen: What a fine sword!

Tian Guang's eyes sharpened: "What information have you obtained?"

Three months ago, the Qin state dispatched its chief minister to Nanyang in the state of Han to prepare its troops for battle.

"The purpose is self-evident: the war is about to resume."

"The six states are either ruled by incompetent rulers, lack wise ministers and capable generals, or have no fighting spirit in their armies. Whatever Changping Jun's plan may be, it will fail under such circumstances."

While they chatted, they kept a close eye on their surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention to what they were saying.

"You have such a low opinion of the six kingdoms, yet you still urge me to help Li Mu?"

"I only ever help myself and the farmers." Lu Wei stroked the Devouring Sea Sword, feeling the patterns on it. "As for Li Mu, helping him is helping the Heroic Leader's plan, isn't it?"

"Your killing of Lord Yanchun has indeed greatly helped my plan, and Li Mu..."

Tian Guang paused abruptly, and only continued after a fellow drinker passed by: "In the State of Zhao, the plan is to select Zhao Jia."

"The result will be the same. In any case, the flames of war will spread across the seven kingdoms, and Mount Daze will become the last refuge for the farmers."

Lu Wei disregarded the dignity of the Xia Kui and spoke out of turn: "If the Xia Kui still wants to postpone the plan, then it would be best to establish a relationship with Prince Dan as soon as possible. Time is never on the side of the Six Kingdoms."

"I will remember this advice." Tian Guang stared at the boy in front of him for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, chugging his drink. The force of the action caused a large amount of liquid to leak out, wetting his shirt.

The hall master's eyebrows twitched slightly as he noticed a swordsman dressed entirely in black robes descending from the second floor of the inn, his right hand gripping a rather distinctive longsword.

A jet-black hilt and a jet-white scabbard.

The man in black robes sensed that someone was probing him with internal energy. He turned around and immediately locked onto Lu Wei and Tian Guang's table, discovering that both of them were people with profound internal energy.

The three did not engage in combat, but instead withdrew their inner energy and missed each other.

"Has today's events served as a lesson for you?"

After the man in black robes left the inn, Tian Guang put down his wine cup, his eyes unusually clear.

“That’s right. Since I started growing up, most of the people I’ve met are not as good as me.” Lu Wei nodded frankly: “None of the enemies I’ve fought have been true masters.”

"In addition, my skills have improved recently, so it's normal for me to become arrogant and complacent. Therefore, I'm inevitably less cautious in my daily actions than before."

When criticizing himself, Master Lu was unsparing: "With my mentality, it's fine if I don't suffer losses, but once I do, I'm afraid I'll have to pay some unexpected price."

"Fortunately, today we met the Six-Fingered Black Knight of the Mo Family, who is an upright person."

"Did you only make a mistake today?" Tian Guang pressed on relentlessly.

"As for other faults, they are not worth explaining to Lord Xia Kui."

Lu Wei shook his head, smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and wrestled with the other person for the few remaining peanuts on the plate.

------

The woman Yan Dan brought back from Qin was none other than Dongjun Feiyan of the Yin-Yang School.

Ju Wu knew her identity, but Prince Yan Xi did not.

Yan Dan was the crown prince of a country, and everything he did was of great importance to the country.

Therefore, when he escaped back and initially declared that he wanted to marry the true love he had met in Qin, King Xi of Yan did not care, but there were many opponents among the Crown Prince's ministers.

Even Ju Wu, who knew the woman's identity, had advised His Highness the Crown Prince many times.

The reason is simple: becoming the Crown Princess isn't something just anyone can do. Two key factors are crucial: noble birth and dignified demeanor.

No matter how many other advantages there are, without these two points, they are not worth mentioning.

The previous King of Zhao married a prostitute as his queen, becoming a laughingstock among the seven states. Zhao's power was also greatly diminished under the influence of this prostitute queen, enough to arouse the suspicion of other states.

Yan Dan remained unmarried until adulthood, and many of the Crown Prince's officials were eyeing this relationship. Even Ju Wu himself had several eligible women in his family.

But who knows how the Crown Prince, after going to the Qin Kingdom, got so bewitched by a witch from the Jianghu and started talking about true love?

Is this something a crown prince, or a nobleman, should say?

However, the Crown Prince insisted repeatedly, and the Prince of Yan did not object, so the wedding was still arranged for an auspicious date, which would be next autumn.

There are quite a few people who have reservations about this matter.

Ju Wu sighed, but he had already accepted it. He figured that Crown Prince Dan had never acted improperly since childhood, so letting him off this time... was acceptable.

Just recently, as he was learning from Luqiu Pavilion's methods and secretly plotting against the Grand General's Mansion in an attempt to surprise the Crown Prince, Yan Chunjun suddenly died, Yan Yi's attitude wavered, and the steward of his mansion inadvertently revealed that Yan Xing's daughter had been severely humiliated. This gave Grand Tutor Ju Wu a sudden idea:

Such a marriage alliance would not only cleanse the royal bloodline from contamination, but also extend the influence of the Crown Prince's residence into the army!

Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?

Ju Wu thought his idea was brilliant and approached Yan Dan again with a big smile.

Just then, Yan Dan was in the middle of negotiations with the Six-Fingered Black Knight of the Mo Family. He wasn't in a hurry and waited for about half an hour. He saw the Black Knight silently push open the door and leave without saying a word.

His Highness the Crown Prince walked out with a furrowed brow: "I've had too many worries these past few days!"

“Your Highness, Yan Yi’s banquet is tomorrow night. This old minister believes that no matter what decision Your Highness makes, you should go and meet this great general.”

Ju Wu strode forward lightly, his face solemn.

“Teacher is right.” Yan Dan’s voice was deep. He was never one to hesitate, but this was a difficult decision to make. “Then let’s cancel the other arrangements for tomorrow night. The General’s military affairs involve hundreds of thousands of troops of our Yan Kingdom. We cannot be disrespectful.”

"This old minister has already made all the arrangements!" Ju Wu chuckled. He knew that the most difficult thing in persuading his student was to make him waver, but once he did, His Highness's heart would always lean towards greater interests.

"I was originally scheduled to meet with Tian Guang, the Jiexia of Jicheng, tomorrow night, but I have postponed it to next week."

"Why next week?" Yan Dan asked instinctively, her mind still racing with questions.

"The General hosted a banquet for His Highness the Crown Prince tomorrow night. As a return gift, His Highness the Crown Prince should also host a banquet for the General."

Ju Wu raised his hand and explained with a smile: "Logically speaking, we shouldn't be in such a hurry, but Your Highness also knows that the situation in the court is changing rapidly. If the remnants of Lord Yanchun's forces were to pull the General back to that side, things would become a thousand times more complicated!"

"This matter..." Yan Dan closed her eyes slightly, then opened them forcefully: "Teacher is right, we really can't delay any longer!"

The two chatted as they walked to the council hall. Just after they left, a beautiful figure emerged from the next room. She watched the figure disappear into the distance with adoration, then her eyes suddenly hardened:

"The Six-Fingered Black Knight, huh...?"

Chapter 108 Competition and Guidance

"Why has the chivalrous leader come to Luqiu Pavilion again today?"