Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 65

In his opinion, the dance and music performances at Tantai, including the Snow Woman, were nothing special and not much more sensual than the shamanic dance.

But now, Lu Wei didn't think of any comparison in his mind when he saw this dance; he just subconsciously appreciated it.

Today, the Snow Woman is supposed to perform a musical piece on stage, so she is dressed as a musician, which is not very suitable for dancing.

Her lips parted slightly as she breathed softly, tiny beads of sweat appearing on the Snow Maiden's forehead. The Flying Swallow Dance was a grand, lengthy performance, difficult to complete even under normal circumstances, let alone now, when her heart was filled with a mixture of anger at being forced into this situation, relief at failing to assassinate and then commit suicide, the inherent joy and tranquility of dancing, the sorrow of subconsciously breaking her promise, and a touch of girlish shame...

These emotions were intertwined and kept pounding in her heart. Coupled with the fact that her body had just experienced a long period of tension and relaxation, her physical strength was greatly depleted.

After dancing two sections, Lingbo Feiyan could no longer continue. She made a mistake in her footwork, and her dance immediately became chaotic. The Snow Woman's body tilted to the side, and she was about to fall to the ground.

With a furrowed brow, Lu Wei flipped his hand and gently lifted it, using his inner strength to support the Snow Maiden's body from a distance.

"Is this all your ten thousand taels of gold?"

After regaining her footing, the Snow Woman immediately knelt down, looking extremely uneasy.

"Yukihime made a mistake..."

“It is worth it,” but before she could finish speaking, the steward changed the subject, interrupted her, and with a smile, filled a wine cup and lightly tossed it in front of the Snow Maiden with his inner force: “A cup of wine may be granted to you.”

"Thank you, my lord." Xue Nu barely suppressed the various emotions in her heart, still somewhat agitated. She stared at the white jade wine cup in front of her, knowing that she had no choice after her dance mistake. She picked it up, tilted her head back, and drank it all.

“Very good~” Lu Wei stood up, walked to her side, looked down at her, and saw a blush rising on Xue Nu’s ears:

"Since you claim you're worth a fortune, then earn a fortune for me!"

"After the war ends, Tantai will expand to the six states of Shandong. You will be in charge of the Yan state branch and establish Feixue Pavilion in Ji City."

"Do you understand?"

"Xue Ji knows." A slight pain came from her sprained ankle. This would not have been a problem, but with Steward Lu locking onto her at close range with his inner energy, Xue Nu felt as if an invisible hand was stroking her, in addition to the pain, leaving her mind blank.

“I never mistreat obedient subordinates.”

Leaving behind his last words, Lu Wei walked out of the private room with his hands behind his back. The moment he stepped out, the protective inner energy inside was instantly drained away. Xue Nu slumped to the ground, a flush spreading from her ears to her pale face as she gasped for breath...

The dance had stirred something within the steward, who had grown considerably over the past few years, but the Snow Maiden was not yet mature.

When her fame spread throughout seven kingdoms and she was admired by all, she could only bow and scrape before herself behind the scenes, serving tea and water—that must have been a completely different experience.

------

After Zhao Yi returned, he summoned the remaining fifty or so retainers in his mansion and announced that he was going to the front line of Zhangshui. Immediately, there was a chorus of voices asking to resign.

Lord Pingyuan felt a surge of sadness, but the thought that his future retainers would all be peasant heroes helped him feel better.

Dan Dan had an old retainer bring over a basin of gold, and after giving each guest who was leaving a seat a gold coin, only seven or eight people remained in the hall.

His gaze swept across the faces of these people, etching their features into his mind. Zhao Yi stepped forward, excitedly patted their shoulders, and personally gave each of them a jade pendant.

At this moment, he finally had the courage to see clearly how many of the hundred or so retainers he had recruited in the past were true heroes!

As Lu Wei had said, he sent his old retainer with generous gifts to visit Prime Minister Guo Kai. After receiving news that the Prime Minister was satisfied with the righteous act of "Little Lord Pingyuan", Zhao Yi had no more worries.

Lu Wei personally used his authority as the Six-Star Pearl Grass to gather fifty morally upright peasant disciples in Handan City and handed them over to Zhao Yi. This made Lord Xiaopingyuan extremely happy to see the guest rooms bustling with activity again.

As for sending goods and supplies to the front lines in Zhangshui, Zhao Yi originally intended to have his old retainer take the farm disciples to handle it, but the steward insisted that Zhao Yi do this matter of making a name for himself.

Only in this way will his name, Zhao Yi, be valued by Sima Shang and passed on to Li Mu later!

After several days of communication and the acquisition of the precious Gongli Pill, Zhao Yi had become extremely devoted to Steward Lu. Although there was a certain degree of danger involved, and the young master had never left Handan City since birth, he still chose to follow Lu Wei's instructions.

Lu Wei himself was also unwilling to give up this boastful experience that could earn him respect in the anti-Qin camp in the future, so he went along under the pretext of accompanying Zhao Yi.

Halfway there, the brutal scenes of "frozen corpses on the road" and "not a rooster crowing for a thousand miles" were still vivid in my mind, unbearable to look at...

On the north bank of the Zhang River lies the iron wall of the Zhao state!

This army, which was rewarding its troops, was discovered fifty miles away from the rear.

Even with Prime Minister Guo Kai's written order and the slight boost from the title of "Lord of Pingyuan," it was extremely difficult for them to enter the military camp.

After layers of questioning, Lu Wei and Zhao Yi didn't even get to see Sima Shang. They only heard a junior officer in armor say:

"The general has remembered your kindness, young master, but he is very busy inspecting the troops on the front line day and night and cannot come to see you. I hope you will not blame him!"

After he finished speaking, he didn't bow and left.

Gongzi Yi had always stayed in his comfort zone in Handan. This was the first time in his life he had witnessed such a brutal scene. A wave of sorrow washed over him. Remembering that this was only the rear guard, the true front line must be an unbearable hell, making Zhao Yi's face turn even paler...

Surprisingly, he didn't blame the junior officer for his rudeness. He looked up at the blazing sun and said, "What grass doesn't turn yellow? What day doesn't we travel? What person doesn't lead? We manage affairs in all directions."

Lu Wei has killed quite a few people so far. Among them are bad people, and some are not so bad. Except for the first time when he killed thieves, when he needed to use the Soul-Sweeping Technique to influence himself, he could handle the rest of the time with ease.

But he still took the front line of the Zhang River seriously: "What grass is not dark? What person is not proud? Alas, my soldiers are alone among the bandits."

Silently completing the next line that Zhao Yi hadn't uttered, he followed the group back the following day...

On the way, they met those "crystal-white bones" again. The group dispersed at the gate of Handan City. Zhao Yi wanted to go back and wash himself properly, while the disciples and retainers of the Farmer's Family wanted to take advantage of the excitement and turn the story of "Young Master Yi's fearlessness in the face of danger and his personal trip to the Zhang River to comfort the troops" into a story to be sung in the city.

The steward is always practicing his martial arts when he has nothing to do, so he can't stay idle.

...

In her secluded chamber, the Snow Maiden gently applied medicine to her swollen ankle, her expression serene.

In any case, he was lucky to have survived another round of greed from the powerful and wealthy.

As for the "Jicheng Feixue Pavilion" mentioned by Steward Lu, she didn't think too much about it at the time due to her unusual physical condition. But now that she has calmed down, Xue Nu immediately realized that this was an opportunity!

Running her own dance studio was a dream Xue Nu had had since the first day she started learning to dance as a child.

Normally, she would also calculate how much money she needed to earn before she would have the courage to leave the dais and recruit dancers and musicians herself, so that she would no longer have to put up with the whims of the incompetent managers.

As long as one can earn enough gold and silver, even if one is just a dancer, one can still control one's own destiny... right?

"Ten thousand gold..." Remembering the enormous goal set by Steward Lu, she wasn't too afraid: as long as a hundred people were willing to pay a hundred gold to watch her dance, the goal of ten thousand gold could be achieved!

The problem is, the entrance fee to the altar is one gold, plus two or three gold for internal expenses, and occasionally ten gold for nobles who request a performance. This is already a daunting price tag. How can I get people to be willing to spend a hundred gold...?

She was frowning in worry when a maid knocked on the door: "Miss Xueji?"

"What is it?" The Snow Woman's voice was icy as her thoughts were interrupted.

"The VIP guest from the second floor last time sent a gift."

"!" The snow woman's eyes flickered, and she subconsciously lowered her gaze: "Bring it in."

"Yes," the maid replied softly, pushing open the door and presenting the sandalwood tray to her with her head bowed.

Above is a jade flute with a bright green willow pattern.

"The person who delivered it said that the steward hopes that when he comes again next time, Miss Yukihime can use this flute to play a song called 'White Snow' for him."

Her snow-white, unadorned wrist stretched out, her fingertips just touching the jade flute, when the Snow Maiden felt a renewed throbbing pain in her ankle, where she had just applied medicine...

Chapter 87 Sleepless

As the commander-in-chief of the Zhangshui defense line, Sima Shang was under immense pressure. He might only get a little over an hour of sleep a day, and his brain had to process all the information and intelligence from the entire front, making it an extremely grueling period.

Although the State of Zhao was large, they had Handan behind them, leaving them with no way to retreat.

We must keep the enemy at the Zhang River; otherwise, once the Qin flag appears outside the capital, chaos will surely ensue within the city.

Before Li Mu left, he told him: As long as you can stall for time, I will return with victory!

Sima Shang firmly believes in this, and it is precisely because of this belief that he has been able to persevere to this day.

After all, since he became famous, Lord Wu'an Li Mu, like another Lord Wu'an, had never suffered a defeat!

The Qin state, though powerful and aggressive, defeated the Zhao state, but never defeated Li Mu!

Today, when he learned that a young nobleman from Handan City had volunteered to come here to reward the front lines with supplies, Sima Shang was very pleased: the resources of one family may not have any real effect on the front lines of tens of thousands of people, but as long as this matter is publicized and the soldiers know that their families and people at home are still thinking of them, the soldiers' determination to defend their country will surely increase!

In military campaigns, the importance of morale is self-evident.

"Zhao Sheng's youngest son, 'Little Lord Pingyuan,' Zhao Yi..."

Muttering the name, Sima Shang lifted the tent flap, gazed at the cold moonlight, and led his personal guards to continue inspecting the night defense line.

The news of Zhao Yi's reinforcements spread quickly not only among the army but also among the common people of Handan City within two months, thanks to the deliberate propaganda of the peasant disciples. This unusual news was immediately discovered by the secret agents of the Prime Minister's Mansion and reported to Guo Kai.

Guo Kai waved his hand dismissively, signaling to stop the investigation: "It's just a young man seeking fame; the Prime Minister doesn't care."

As a man of his word, Guo Kai always did what he was asked for, never engaging in any underhanded tactics, and never caring who the money belonged to. He was widely praised by corrupt officials, bribe-takers, and spies from six countries.

He knew his reputation was bad, and he was well aware that he was essentially a treacherous official, but so what?

Given his position, as long as the King of Zhao was alive, he would always be the Chancellor of Zhao. If the State of Zhao were to fall, he could become a high-ranking official in another state.

In Guo Kai’s mind, in this world, only by constantly making money can he live a stable retirement in his later years.

...

The protagonist of all these events, Zhao Yi, has been in a very good mood for the past two months and has even stopped liking to go out in a sedan chair.

Lord Pingyuan now often walks alone in white robes on the street, feeling extremely comfortable when he hears common people occasionally praising him for being "concerned about the country and its people, generous in his wealth, aiding the Zhao army, and much like his father."

After giving a bribe to Chancellor Guo Kai a few days ago, he received a written praise from the current King of Zhao, making him a well-known and influential figure in Handan City.

Only now did Zhao Yi realize that all the incompetent guests he had kept in the past were far less effective than sending money to the Prime Minister's residence.

The steward recently sent word that he should spend more time with Zhao Cong, a member of the imperial clan, and the young master immediately complied.

This matter is very much in line with Lord Xiaopingyuan's taste, as the two are of equal status.

This Zhao Cong is a relatively capable military talent among the royal family members. He went to the battlefield a few years ago and served as the deputy to Lord Wu'an, Li Mu, helping Li Mu to defeat the Qin army at Feixia last year.

Fan Yuqi fled to the State of Yan after that.

However, after the war began this year, Zhao Cong unfortunately caught a cold, which prevented him from joining the army in battle, a real pity...

However, when the somewhat famous Lord Pingyuan visited Zhao Cong's residence, Zhao Cong was in high spirits. The two members of the royal family shared similar interests and a love of fame, and their conversation was incredibly lively, their relationship quickly growing closer...

While Zhao Yi was busy, the chief steward on the other side of the capital was naturally not idle either.

He was also very busy; at this moment, he was listening to Xue Nu playing the flute on the Tantai Terrace.

Tantai is generally not open for business during the day, but this is naturally not in accordance with the rules for Lu Wei, who has Zhao Yi's token.

In the same private room, accompanied by the music of "White Snow," Lu Wei flipped through the letters Lu Yu had sent from Jicheng, which reported on various matters in Jicheng since his departure.

Overall, there were no major incidents within Luqiu Pavilion. The number of disciples from the Farmer School was steadily increasing, and the pavilion's income had also been further improved.

The main reason for the increase in income is that the 'Snow Wolf' organization, which they rejected last year, somehow angered Lord Yanchun. In a fit of rage, Lord Yanchun sent troops to uproot the 'Snow Wolf' organization, and all thirty-one members were sent to the mass grave outside the city.