Chapter 31: None of Them Have Any Shame
Chen Bai indeed did not make it out of the imperial palace, because he ran into Crown Prince Jiao’s mother, Lady Xiu.
By the time Qi Zheng arrived, Chen Bai had already rolled onto the ground.
Qi Zheng was just about to step forward when Chen Bai patted his hands, climbed up, and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble Lady Xiu to inform His Majesty that Zixiu has been injured and likely cannot participate in the competition with Crown Prince Sudan three days from now.”
Qi Zheng’s steps came to a halt, and the corner of his mouth twitched. It seemed there was no need for him to step out after all.
This Chen Zixiu was not someone willing to suffer a loss.
Lady Xiu raised her voice slightly. “Are you threatening me?”
The old maidservant who had pushed Chen Bai also said, “I didn’t use any strength at all just now. You fell by yourself. Who can you blame?”
Chen Bai smiled. “I am registered under the Hongwen Pavilion as a Grand Scholar and personally received the title ‘Grievance-Clearing’ from His Majesty. Could I possibly wrong you? No matter what you say, I cannot participate in the competition three days from now.”
Chen Bai really was not speaking nonsense. He truly did not want to participate in the competition three days later. Last time, his victory had not exactly been fair, and he had always felt somewhat uneasy about it.
But he also had no choice but to participate in the competition three days later. He had been wondering how to excuse himself from it when, look at that, an excuse had been delivered right to him.
Of course, most importantly, Crown Prince Jiao had set him up in the past, and now Lady Xiu had come too?
This whole family really was bullying him. Did they truly think he would not fight back?
As for him not participating in the competition, if His Majesty wanted to blame someone, he would have to blame Lady Xiu first. Just now, Lady Xiu had indeed ordered someone to push him. Whether the push was light or heavy, no one knew. In any case, he had “rolled” onto the ground, and even his robe had gotten dirty.
Lady Xiu said sharply, “Do you think I can’t deal with you just because of this? Men, seize him.”
Chen Bai thought to himself that such unreasonable people truly were hard to deal with sometimes.
Chen Bai glanced at the old maidservants preparing to step forward and showed no particular expression. “Lady Xiu is the birth mother of the current crown prince. His Majesty certainly cannot easily blame her. However… some people who don’t know whether they live or die may not survive.”
The several fierce-faced old maidservants who had stepped forward suddenly trembled.
Although no one knew whether this Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar could defeat that Crown Prince of Zhao, right now, he was indeed the only hope.
If His Majesty learned that they had made things difficult for the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar at such a critical moment, they would not escape death.
“Seize him,” Lady Xiu shouted again when she saw that they had stopped moving. The old maidservants were so frightened that they knelt down.
“Madam, spare us. If… if we touch the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar today, then His Majesty…”
There was plenty of time in the future. It would not be too late to deal with him after the competition.
Lady Xiu was so angry that her hand trembled. This Chen Zixiu had actually made it so that no one could do anything to him with just a few words.
But as long as she insisted, Chen Zixiu would definitely suffer a great disaster today.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came out.
Qi Zheng glanced at Chen Bai, then said, “Grandmother said your acupuncture was quite effective. Come more often in the future and take a look at her.”
After saying that, he looked at Lady Xiu. “I wonder what happened here. Grandmother asked me to escort the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar out of the palace. If there is nothing else, we will leave first.”
For some reason, when Lady Xiu heard Qi Zheng mention that old lady, her body could not help trembling. Then a smile appeared on her face.
“So it was Mother Empress who summoned the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar into the palace. In that case, I was overstepping.”
After saying this, she hurriedly left with her people. No matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be avoiding them as though they were snakes and scorpions.
Chen Bai froze. The person who had been so domineering and unreasonable just now had actually fled in such a panic. It seemed that old lady was not simple in this palace.
Chen Bai could not help asking, “Is Lady Xiu that afraid of the Empress Dowager?”
Qi Zheng replied, “The Empress Dowager Zhaosheng who, back then, guarded Great Qian alone with one person and one horse for ten years, preventing foreign enemies from invading. Never mind Lady Xiu—who isn’t afraid of her?”
Chen Bai: “…”
Empress Dowager Zhaosheng. He had heard that His Majesty’s ability to ascend the throne had owed no small part to this Empress Dowager Zhaosheng.
After saying this, Qi Zheng looked at the dust on Chen Bai’s clothes. “That servant must have been quite strong, to make you roll several times on the ground.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Was he not even allowed to be a little scheming?
Qi Zheng said, “I originally thought you would have to suffer a little. Now it seems you don’t need me to escort you out of the palace.”
Although he said that, he still accompanied Chen Bai all the way and brought him out.
At His Majesty’s side, someone was reporting what had just happened.
“Prince Zheng brought the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar into the palace and went to see the Empress Dowager. He said it was to treat the Empress Dowager’s leg.”
His Majesty raised his head and frowned slightly. “I wonder whether that is true filial piety or false filial piety.”
The listener’s body tensed. It was clearly a simple sentence, yet it felt as though his heart had been seized.
The person who came to report continued, “After the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar left the Empress Dowager, Lady Xiu stopped him. Fortunately, Prince Zheng stepped forward, allowing him to leave safely.”
His Majesty gave a faint hum but said nothing.
Only, he also did not know that such a small matter would become a point of eruption, or rather, a breakthrough point for Chen Bai’s counterattack.
“Withdraw.”
In the end, not long after, Lady Xiu came as well. Naturally, she had come to rebuke Qi Zheng for harboring filth and corruption. Chen Bai was merely the son of a powerful official, so she had not truly taken him to heart. Her target was Qi Zheng. If she said a few words, His Majesty would surely dislike him even more.
But His Majesty frowned and directly interrupted her. “Before the competition with Zhao, do not cause any more incidents.”
Compared with a city of Great Qian, what did these little matters count for? At such a critical time, she still failed to distinguish what was important.
Lady Xiu was just about to speak when His Majesty said in a gloomy voice, “Go back and take care of Crown Prince Jiao. Make him behave as well. If anyone truly ruins this competition, do not blame me for being heartless.”
He emphasized the word “behave” especially heavily.
Lady Xiu abruptly raised her head and looked at the man before her in terror. Then she hurriedly left in panic.
His Majesty’s face showed some exhaustion. “How can some people be stupid to this extent, to the point that they disregard both family and country? And some people are clever to the point that…”
No one knew what he was thinking. He sighed.
Then, after thinking for a while, he headed toward Empress Dowager Zhaosheng’s sleeping palace.
The old lady was still sitting there sternly, her eyes lowered.
They faced each other in silence.
After a while, it was still His Majesty who spoke first. “You should not have met him.”
The old lady opened her closed eyes. “It was only Zheng’er bringing a physician to examine this old woman’s leg ailment. Perhaps His Majesty is thinking too much.”
His Majesty said nothing and simply looked at the old lady.
In the end, the old lady sighed. “If it is truly for the good of Great Qian, then he still has to be seen.”
Some things only needed to be understood in people’s hearts. Why insist on saying everything so clearly? It took away some of the fun.
His Majesty opened his mouth. “…Mother Empress truly is…”
…
Now, all of the capital was waiting for Chen Bai and Crown Prince Sudan’s competition.
“I heard it will be in three days.”
“This concerns an entire city. Just thinking about it makes me so nervous I can hardly stand it.”
“I wonder how Young Master Bai has been reviewing these days. That Crown Prince Sudan is truly difficult to deal with.”
“On the other hand, Crown Prince Sudan doesn’t seem worried at all. Every day, he walks around with a snow-white exotic beast, as if he has taken the capital as his own home.”
Three days was neither short nor long, and it passed in the blink of an eye.
Then, a piece of news spread without warning. Young Master Bai had avoided the battle. The reason, it was said, was that he had been severely injured and simply had no way to compete.
This was a result no one had expected. Not only were the streets and alleys filled with discussion, even in the imperial palace, His Majesty frowned and summoned someone to ask, “That day in the palace, did Lady Xiu have someone injure him?”
“This…” The person who came did not know how to answer and said instead, “Lady Xiu’s servants only admitted that they pushed him lightly. Somehow, Young Master Bai rolled several times on the ground and got covered in dust. At the time… he did not seem to be seriously harmed.”
His Majesty: “…”
With Lady Xiu’s personality, was it really only a push?
“Should we send an imperial physician to the Tingwei Office to take a look?”
His Majesty did not comment either way. He remained silent. Perhaps delaying the competition might not necessarily be a bad thing. If there was no competition, there would be no victory or defeat. And if there was no victory or defeat, that city would still belong to Great Qian.
In the end, he still did not have complete confidence in Chen Bai.
At this moment, Chen Bai was in his own courtyard, playing with Chen Xiaobu and teasing Dalmatian with a cloth ball.
Now, quite a few sunflowers had been planted in Chen Bai’s courtyard, and they had all bloomed. They had been transplanted from Qi Zheng’s sunflower field.
Chen Xiaobu was running around the courtyard, squealing, competing with Dalmatian for the cloth ball.
Chen Bai threw the cloth ball out. Why did it feel like he was raising two dogs?
“Brother, look, didn’t I teach him well? Now Dalmatian knows to carry the cloth ball back.”
The corner of Chen Bai’s mouth twitched. He had indeed taught well. Every time, he had personally demonstrated how to carry the cloth ball back in his mouth. How could Dalmatian not learn well?
The two of them carefreely played with the dog, while outside, the whole world had already been thrown into chaos.
“I don’t know whether Young Master Bai is avoiding the battle because he’s afraid of Crown Prince Sudan, or whether he’s truly injured.”
“He should be injured. I heard Lady Xiu…”
“Why does it feel like every time something happens, it has something to do with the crown prince?”
“Whether the injury is real or fake, the crown prince should not have made things difficult for him at this time. That concerns an entire city of Great Qian. Anyone should know which matter is heavier and which is lighter.”
“Exactly. They clearly know that the Grievance-Clearing Grand Scholar is the only hope right now, and yet…”
There were some things they truly did not dare say aloud. And on top of that, during the recent great illness in the capital, the crown prince had also been nowhere to be seen.
The only person who was probably happy was Crown Prince Sudan. If the competition ended, he would have completed his mission in Great Qian and would have to return to Zhao. Then how could his Samoyed still stroll around together with so many exotic beasts?
For some reason, the news spread for several days, but neither Great Qian nor Zhao actually mentioned this second round of competition again, leaving everyone confused.
The news spread more and more fiercely, but the real parties involved, or the true stakeholders, were instead unexpectedly silent.
Chen Bai stayed in the residence and could not go out, but the Mountain Lord could.
Sure enough, Qi Zheng sent him a voice message. “Someone came to report that the grapes on the mountain are somehow falling to the ground.”
Chen Bai was startled. Could there be something wrong? Why would perfectly good grapes fall to the ground?
It was truly too much of a pity. They were almost ripe.
Chen Bai had no choice but to personally go take a look in the identity of the Mountain Lord.
In the end, when he arrived on the mountain with Qi Zheng, he knew the reason.
Looking at the grapes that had fallen to the ground, he said, “They’re too heavy. The grapevines can’t bear their weight. We need to tie them to the trellises.”
Indeed, each bunch was far too large in comparison to the grapevines.
Qi Zheng: “…”
To tell the truth, he had never seen grapes so heavy that they could snap the grapevines this badly.
They hurriedly had people prepare hemp ropes and tied up the bunches of grapes one by one. This would keep them busy for quite a while again.
There was also the fact that there were far too many rabbits on the mountain. These rabbits had already begun giving birth to little rabbits one after another, and each litter had seven or eight.
Even Qi Zheng said, “They’re being raised too densely.”
Chen Bai shrugged. “There’s no helping it, unless you make use of the neighboring mountain too. But it seems there aren’t enough workers.”
By now, the refugees had mostly returned to their hometowns. The people remaining were all civilians who had moved their household registration into Qi Zheng’s fief.
Qi Zheng did not answer. No one knew what he was thinking.
“Actually, there is another method.” Chen Bai looked at the rabbits, each one fat beyond belief. “Sell some of them, and you’ll have space to raise the little rabbits.”
Qi Zheng was still somewhat reluctant to sell them. These rabbits giving birth litter after litter looked truly delightful.
This guy had previously been thinking about earning back his investment as soon as possible, but now he was reluctant to sell.
Chen Bai said, “Just sell the males and keep the females. Isn’t that fine?”
After saying that, he even picked up a rabbit and pointed at the rabbit’s little thing underneath.
Qi Zheng’s face turned black. He truly had no sense of shame. How could… how could any normal person be like this?
However, the mountain indeed could not hold any more rabbits. And each of these rabbits was so large it was genuinely frightening. If they did not sell them soon, he was really worried they would raise rabbit demons.
And so, the plan to sell rabbits was arranged in full swing. Not only that, Chen Bai saw that Qi Zheng was moving the little rabbits to another mountain and had also begun having people fence off other mountains.
Chen Bai was somewhat puzzled. First, there were not enough workers. Second, fencing off so many mountains did not seem like something Qi Zheng had enough money to develop, right?
In Chen Bai’s mind, even if Qi Zheng wanted to develop his fief, he could only do so slowly.
Now he did not know what Qi Zheng was thinking. Let him do as he pleased. In any case, the fief was his own.
Chen Bai sighed. These civilians would have more work to do again. Qi Zheng really was a Huang Shiren [1] who squeezed labor dry.
However, Chen Bai saw that those civilians still looked delighted, so Qi Zheng had probably promised them some benefits.
In truth, Chen Bai might consider the problem of these civilians being overly exploited, but to these civilians living difficult lives, having work to do and having gains to earn was far more important.
Was this not also a collision between different ways of thinking?
Chen Bai thought to himself that now that the rabbits had grown fat, Qi Zheng could not possibly fail to show some appreciation.
So, during one lesson, Chen Bai suddenly said, “Prince Zheng, it seems you haven’t paid tuition for attending my class.”
Qi Zheng was stunned. This fief was his. The schoolhouse had been built by him. What tuition did he still need to pay? Besides, he was not a student. He was a teaching assistant. He had already asked around clearly. A teaching assistant was also a master.
Chen Bai continued, “How about this? Aren’t the rabbits on the mountain fat now? Why not treat us students to a meal of roasted rabbit?”
The group of students were all stunned.
It could be done like that too?
They immediately smiled brightly.
“Exactly, exactly. Prince Zheng, you haven’t paid tuition, so treat us to roasted rabbit.”
“Your rabbits even snuck out and ruined a lot of our sunflowers.”
There was a burst of cheerful laughter.
Qi Zheng: “…”
Chen Bai had asked Qi Zheng to treat these students to roasted rabbit for a reason.
He needed these students to act as plants. Only by letting others see how good the rabbits they raised were could they sell them, right?
Chen Bai specially planned a barbecue area in a conspicuous spot on the mountain.
Coming to barbecue was free, but the rabbits and firewood had to be bought with money, right?
It just so happened that selling firewood could give these commoners some extra income too. In the past, they had to take their firewood to the capital to sell. Now, this saved them both effort and time.
And so…
When the people of the capital who came for outings to see the rabbits and the peacocks on the mountaintop suddenly discovered that a new area had appeared at the foot of the mountain, with piles of bonfires lit one after another.
When they walked over to take a look, they saw groups of students sitting together in small clusters, roasting rabbits.
Each rabbit weighed eight or nine jin, enough for several students to eat.
The lively atmosphere made it hard for people to look away. The students laughed and played with one another while roasting rabbits themselves. No matter how one looked at it, it felt delightful.
At this moment, the people Qi Zheng had arranged began promoting it.
“Would you like to roast rabbits together with your family or friends? This is a free barbecue area. You only need to buy the rabbit, firewood, and seasonings yourself. There’s a special stall selling them over there, and they can even help you prepare the rabbit.”
It was actually this thoughtful?
It seemed that all they really needed to do was gather around and roast it.
They had come out to play in the first place, seeking some fun. Quite a few people were tempted. Of course, they still had to go over and look at the price of the rabbits first. If the price was outrageous, they definitely would not be willing.
In the end, once they asked, the price was actually a little cheaper than the wild rabbits usually hunted.
These rabbits were so fat that they had thought they would be more expensive. The price really fit their expectations.
Chen Bai smiled when he heard this. Things were expensive because they were rare. In the past, wild rabbits were scarce, so their prices were not cheap. Now that they had raised so many rabbits, they naturally had to adjust the price appropriately.
“There are rabbits all over the mountain. Just point to whichever one you want, and we’ll help you catch it. Of course, the ones that are too small won’t do. It would be a real pity to catch those.”
“They’re lively and jumping around, so you don’t have to worry at all about eating a bad rabbit. Think about it—when you normally buy wild rabbits, who knows how long ago they were killed?”
The rabbit sellers were quite professional too.
Choosing the rabbit themselves, and even being able to catch it themselves, then roasting it themselves—no matter how one thought about it, it was rather fun.
Chen Bai glanced at the families who were gradually entering the barbecue area, carrying rabbits and firewood, then asked Qi Zheng, “How is it?”
Qi Zheng: “…”
He did not know how Chen Bai had thought of this method. Although he was providing people for free to help catch and slaughter the rabbits, compared with transporting the rabbits to the capital to sell, this saved quite a lot of manpower and resources.
They could sell the rabbits right at the foot of the mountain without any effort at all. It really was a good method.
Looking at these people from the capital happily roasting rabbits, once the news spread back to the capital, a large number of people would definitely come.
And the fun of it…
Qi Zheng looked at the rabbit he was roasting over the fire. Even he felt that it was quite nice.
The commoners tying up grape bunches on the mountain would occasionally raise their heads to glance over. Their children were over there, gathered together and roasting rabbits. Such large rabbits, one for several people—it looked as if they could eat until they were full and still not finish it.
No, they had really misjudged. Such a large rabbit really could be finished, because they ate from noon until afternoon.
Smiles also appeared on the people’s faces. In the place where they had lived before, who would ever have treated their children to meat for free? Perhaps this was also a kind of happiness.
Whether it was the Mountain Lord or Prince Zheng, to them, they were both good people. Who was it that had said Prince Zheng was cold and heartless? Look at him now. He was so good to their children.
“Master, Master! When Chen Xiaobu was roasting the rabbit, he accidentally dropped it into the firewood. Then he hung it back up and kept roasting it, and he even shared it with me.” Gan Xin ran over to complain.
Chen Xiaobu opened his little mouth and defended himself. “I picked off all the dirty parts. Why couldn’t it be eaten? Didn’t I eat it just now too?”
A group of students chimed in, “Actually, we also accidentally dropped the rabbit into the firewood just now. It’s all because the rabbit was too heavy.”
Chen Bai: “…”
They were so happy they were beside themselves, and they even ran around tasting how other people’s rabbits had been roasted.
This kind of atmosphere really was infectious. Happiness could spread.
By the time the barbecue ended, every one of them had oily little mouths and faces like little painted cats, and they still laughed at others.
Sometimes, activities like this were truly necessary. For example, right now, these students, whether they were young noble boys from meritorious families or students from commoner households, were getting along much more harmoniously.
Chen Bai glanced at Qi Zheng, only for Qi Zheng to say, “It would be even better if there were wine.”
Chen Bai: “…”
It seemed that even someone as cold as an ice block quite liked this kind of activity.
Chen Bai looked at the distant mountains. “It’s one thing for you to move the rabbits to the neighboring mountain, but why did you also fence off the other mountains?”
“To raise rabbits and grow grapes, of course,” Qi Zheng replied.
Now that the effects of raising rabbits and growing grapes could already be seen, he was preparing to increase the investment.
Chen Bai was somewhat puzzled. “The expenses for one mountain alone are already not small.”
It was not that Chen Bai looked down on Qi Zheng, but this investment truly was not a small sum.
Qi Zheng replied, “Naturally, someone will pay.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Using the rabbits on this mountain as the foundation, if their breeding was not restricted, they could indeed very quickly fill several surrounding mountains.
Grapes were also propagated through cuttings. Cut off a section, and it could become a new plant.
But who was that rich?
Moreover, wasn’t Qi Zheng worried that developing things so openly and on such a large scale would provoke jealousy?
For example, Crown Prince Jiao. In the past, Crown Prince Jiao had not been merciful when dealing with Qi Zheng. Although Crown Prince Jiao had recently seemed to disappear without a trace, who knew whether he would suddenly pop up again?
A few days later, Chen Bai finally understood why Qi Zheng had such confidence.
When he received the news, Chen Bai was stunned for quite a while.
Qi Zheng was actually preparing to do business with the imperial court, and the court’s side was being led by Lu Qingqi, one of the Three Dukes and the one in charge of Great Qian’s finances.
Chen Bai swallowed. This was preparing to go big. If he was truly doing business with the court, then he really did not need to fear others causing trouble.
Chen Bai secretly sent Qi Zheng a voice message.
“Tech… technology investment. Ten percent of the profits.”
Actually, less than ten percent would be fine too. How much money would that be? Only now did he realize that everything he had done before was just small-time play.
Afraid Qi Zheng would hesitate, Chen Bai added, “Right now, the rabbits are being allowed to reproduce freely. In truth, that’s very unscientific. It will be affected by weather, temperature, humidity, and even noise. If they don’t go into heat, there’s nothing you can do, right?”
Professional breeding really was very different.
On Qi Zheng’s side: “…”
Go… go into heat?
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned. Otherwise, his face would already be red.
Things like this were enough for everyone to understand in their hearts. How could… how could someone say it so boldly, and even specifically say it to him?
Chen Bai did not care about any of this and continued, “There is also the matter of grapevine cuttings. It’s not as if you can randomly cut off a piece of vine and plant it alive. There is a lot of knowledge involved. It is very reasonable for me to take ten percent of the profits. Technology is the primary productive force.”
Qi Zheng: “…”
Even planting a vine involved a lot of knowledge?
Chen Bai had thought he would have to bargain back and forth for a while.
In the end, Qi Zheng directly replied, “Fine.”
Chen Bai almost thought he had heard wrong and replayed it several times.
Then he happily prepared for his technology investment.
He definitely could not teach everyone by himself, so he might as well teach his students first, then have his students teach the people who would actually carry it out.
And so, new courses began.
“Rabbit Breeding and Care.”
“Grapevine Cutting Techniques.”
This ten percent profit would be shared between him and these students. When the time came, he would buy more valuable teaching materials and tools for them.
Chen Bai cheerfully began teaching his new classes.
However…
Within two days, news came from the imperial court. Qi Zheng’s proposal had been rejected by the court.
Chen Bai was stunned. His first reaction was that it was impossible.
The court could not possibly fail to see how much profit there was in that mountain full of rabbits. Now, people from the capital were going in groups every day to buy rabbits, so even a fool would know that cooperating with Qi Zheng would benefit both sides.
What was more, the one leading it on the court’s side was Lu Qingqi, one of the Three Dukes.
Even such a cooperation could not proceed?
Chen Bai’s class was forced to end early. When he found Qi Zheng, Qi Zheng was drinking alone in frustration.
“How disliked does a person have to be for not even a single chance to be given?” Qi Zheng had clearly drunk a little too much today.
Chen Bai fell silent. Looking at Qi Zheng, he could probably guess the reason. It was not unexpected that the king disliked Qi Zheng. He simply had not expected that dislike to have reached such an extent.
“Drink with me,” Qi Zheng said.
Chen Bai took the cup, lifted his sleeve to cover his face, and drained it in one gulp.
He was wearing a mask now, so to drink, he had to tilt his head upward. That was why he needed to cover his face with his sleeve.
Cup after cup.
Chen Bai was not good at comforting others. What he could do was merely quietly accompany him in drinking.
As for Qi Zheng, no matter how one put it, they could be considered friends, right?
From the beginning, when he had asked Qi Zheng to help him escape the court’s punishment, to later borrowing Qi Zheng’s territory to raise rabbits and grow grapes for money, to afterward having Qi Zheng provide a large amount of money to build the schoolhouse.
Although each of them had their own goals, in the end, they were not ordinary strangers. Calling him a friend was not too much.
Moreover, lambs had the grace of kneeling to drink milk, and crows had the feeling of feeding their parents in return. He really could not understand how the king could go this far.
The current Qi Zheng really did make one feel a little unable to bear it.
Besides, that was ten percent of the profits. How much money would that be? And now it was gone just like that.
Chen Bai was so angry his teeth itched.
Qi Zheng suddenly said, “Actually, there is still one opportunity. An opportunity even the king cannot refuse.”
Chen Bai froze.
Qi Zheng reached out and pointed toward the lush green potato field that had been opened up in the courtyard. “Originally, I was planning to offer this directly to the Emperor.”
Chen Bai: “…”
This really was a condition the king could not refuse.
Do not be fooled by how raising rabbits and growing grapes now seemed quite valuable. Compared with this potato field, they truly were nothing.
Rabbits or grapes would only allow a small number of people to profit, but potatoes could change the whole of Great Qian. They were an opportunity for Great Qian to completely escape hunger.
Although neither Chen Bai nor Qi Zheng could use all their money to buy enough potatoes as seed stock to feed all of Great Qian, as long as they harvested year after year, one day, everyone in Great Qian would be able to plant potatoes.
Of course, Chen Bai also did not dare buy an unimaginably large number of potatoes. They still had to expand the quantity through planting year by year.
Anything Chen Bai bought was now controlled within a scale that manpower could plausibly purchase. Although it felt strange, it was still within imagination. But if he truly acted without restraint, then it would not be surprise, but panic.
Chen Bai, this “monster,” would be exposed and become a real monster. Whether he would be burned to death or killed some other way, that would be certain.
Chen Bai understood what Qi Zheng meant. If he used potatoes as leverage to make the king have no choice but to give him a chance to develop his fief, then it would only make his relationship with the king even more rigid.
Chen Bai also smiled bitterly. Even Lu Qingqi could not change Qi Zheng’s current situation. Other than this, what other possibility was there?
He silently accompanied him through a round of drinking. As for how Qi Zheng chose, that would depend on Qi Zheng himself. In any case, the potatoes had already been given to Qi Zheng. The decision was in his hands.
Chen Bai did not have class today. After leaving Qi Zheng’s residence, he soon saw quite a few strange stalls set up on both sides of the street.
He could not help finding it funny, because…
All the people setting up stalls were his students.
Since class had not been held, he had let these students practice in the real world today.
They had studied with him for so long. They could slowly organize the theoretical knowledge themselves after class, but practical ability still depended on them. Of course, as their master, he had to arrange opportunities for them to practice hands-on skills.
For example, right now, at one stall, someone was shouting with great enthusiasm.
“Cupping! Cupping! Five wen for one cup! Direct disciples of the Mountain Lord, techniques personally taught by experts!”
“Those who feel tired or have poor circulation can come try it!”
“I also have acupuncture here. If you get five cups, I’ll give you one needle for free!”
“…”
Chen Bai found it funny just listening to it, but these traditional techniques did indeed have a particularly strong effect on relieving fatigue, poor circulation of qi and blood, and similar issues.
The techniques were only the simple ones. The courses Chen Bai taught were all designed at the level of expert traditional Chinese medicine specialists. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them.
Moreover, whether it was cupping or acupuncture, neither involved prescribing medicine or writing prescriptions, so the risk was also the lowest.
Didn’t some female celebrities even teach themselves these techniques? At least Chen Bai had found courses taught by professional professors.
One student after another shouted enthusiastically. Aside from those commoner students, even those young noble boys were shouting with great energy. Chen Bai immediately spotted Chen Xiaobu holding two cups in his hands, grinning so widely that his eyes could hardly be seen.
In the end, they really did attract quite a few people.
“They really are the Mountain Lord’s students.”
These students ran around the city every day with drawing boards on their backs, so more or less, there were still people who recognized them.
They knew about the Mountain Lord’s medical skills, so inevitably, someone asked, “You all don’t look very old. Have you really learned any real ability?”
In ancient times, twelve or thirteen years old already counted as adulthood. Although these students were all young, they were actually not far from twelve or thirteen.
Hearing the question, they puffed out their chests.
“Of course. We dare not speak of other skills, but we’ve studied cupping and acupuncture for relieving fatigue for a long time. Don’t worry, we’ve practiced for ages. We identify acupoints very accurately. Nothing will go wrong.”
“Do you know Prince Zheng? We’ve done cupping and acupuncture on him before. Very steady.”
In the end, someone really ran over to try it.
Chen Bai definitely had to watch over them.
Once they began, the students’ expressions changed. They looked quite proper and professional, as if they really knew what they were doing.
“Don’t say, it really does seem a lot more comfortable.”
No one knew whether it was psychological or not, but before long, someone spoke up in confusion.
Chen Bai smiled. The techniques passed down by the ancestors over thousands of years—could they be bad?
Drawing out the body’s internal fire toxins and clearing the whole body would naturally leave one refreshed and clear-headed.
“From now on, we’ll set up here for one hour at this time every day. If you need it, you can come find us.”
Those commoner students stared at the money they had received and were stunned for a long time.
They could actually earn money for their families now.
At the same time, a similar scene was also happening in the imperial palace.
The imperial palace, Sunset Pavilion.
Prince Ning was narrowing his eyes and saying, “Father, I’ve learned so many, many skills now.”
The king casually asked, “What have you learned?”
Prince Ning whipped out two cups from behind his back. “Father, would you like cupping? This is a secret technique personally taught by the Mountain Lord, not passed down to outsiders. Father works hard on state affairs every day. You only need to have some cupping done, and you’ll be full of energy. Then I’ll give Father two needles, and you’ll feel even more refreshed.”
The Emperor: “…”
Looking at those two expectant eyes, he ultimately did not refuse.
Then he truly became full of energy and refreshed.
There were several round marks on his back, and the needle in his hand was a little too long. Just looking at it was frightening. How could he not be full of energy?
The guards and attendants nearby had their hearts in their throats.
Prince Ning was still saying, “Not everyone has these needles. It’s because I studied well and passed teacher’s test that he gave them to me. Many students in our schoolhouse still don’t have them.”
“These acupoints are also the easiest ones to recognize. They can relieve fatigue.”
The Emperor: “…”
It seemed that aside from looking somewhat strange, it did not hurt. As for the effect…
It did seem somewhat useful.
If he could have this done from time to time, it seemed rather nice.
Prince Ning was especially happy today, because today, his Father listened to everything he said.
Then he led the dog, carried his things on his back, and returned to where he lived. He would come again next time.
Only, on the way back, he ran into several princes who had always bullied him before.
Prince Ning instinctively stood up straight, but immediately reacted. He was not the pitiful little thing he used to be.
He raised his little head.
“If you… if you bully me again, I’ll go tell Father.”
This drew a burst of laughter.
Then they could no longer laugh.
“I’ve raised dogs for Father. I’ve done cupping for Father. I even pierced Father with needles…”
“…”
After Chen Bai finished supervising the group of students and saw that they had learned these things fairly well, he thought to himself that next time, he would arrange a lesson on cardiopulmonary resuscitation as well.
Something like CPR, which could save lives, should be something everyone knew.
Some things seemed complicated only because people did not understand them and had never tried them. For example, cupping and simple acupuncture—if one did not study and practice them, how would one know that some students could actually do them quite well?
The next day, Chen Bai was thinking of taking Chen Xiaobu out for a stroll, but the steward of the residence came to report that Qi Zheng had arrived.
Chen Bai froze. “Second Prince Qi Zheng?”
Why would he come to the Tingwei Office?
The steward had come to pass on a message. Was Qi Zheng here to find him?
That was somewhat surprising. Right now, he was Chen Zixiu, not the Mountain Lord.
Chen Bai went to the main hall, where Qi Zheng was already waiting.
“The king has ordered me to take you to meet someone.”
Chen Bai looked at Qi Zheng in confusion.
Qi Zheng’s face was expressionless, without any trace of yesterday’s gloomy drinking. “The envoys of Lu are about to arrive in the capital. This time, they have come because they wish to exchange for Great Qian’s weapons and armor.”
Great Qian’s military strength was powerful. Aside from the fierceness of its customs and people, another reason was its advanced weapon-forging craftsmanship. This was also one of the few things Great Qian could present proudly.
But weapons and armor were important instruments of the state. How could they possibly be exchanged with another country? Would that not be raising a tiger to invite disaster?
Qi Zheng only said one sentence. “What the envoys of Lu have brought is the Secret Records of Duke Lu.”
The Secret Records of Duke Lu recorded the methods for making many siege machines. It could be considered the most advanced weapons manual of this era.
Lu had also come prepared. This was yet another condition that would make the king hesitate.
Qi Zheng continued, “The king wants me to take you, before the envoys of Lu enter the capital, to go take a look and determine whether their Secret Records of Duke Lu are real or fake.”
Chen Bai replied, “How would I know whether it’s real or fake? I’ve never seen it before…”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Qi Zheng.
He had only just demonstrated his ability to remember something after one look, and now the king wanted him to go take a look?
And it was before the envoys of Lu entered the capital. In other words, the other side still did not know he had this ability.
Qi Zheng showed no reaction.
Chen Bai: “…”
As expected, few people in the imperial court were clean. Their hearts were all black.
Wasn’t the king asking him to…
Qi Zheng said, “Pack simply. We’ll set out immediately. The envoys of Lu are less than a day away from the capital. We cannot delay.”
Chen Bai nodded, because no matter what, he had no way to refuse.
As for why the king had sent Qi Zheng, it was probably because everyone knew Qi Zheng had helped Chen Zixiu back then.
On the road, the two of them did not say much.
Qi Zheng only said, “The one leading the Lu envoys this time is Zuo Qiu, one of Lu’s Four Young Masters. This person is best at strategy and schemes. You must be careful of him.”
Something unexpected happened on the road. A carriage was traveling almost side by side with theirs.
Chen Bai lifted the curtain and was stunned, because the person opposite him had also just lifted the curtain.
It was Crown Prince Sudan of Zhao.
Chen Bai looked at the other party’s route, and his face darkened. Most likely, these Zhao envoys had somehow learned that the people of Lu were bringing the Secret Records of Duke Lu, so they were also rushing over to take a look.
As for why Crown Prince Sudan was going personally—
Heh. They were all a bunch of shameless people, all thinking of taking advantage.
The speed of the two carriages was about the same, and they traveled side by side the whole way.
Chen Bai looked at Qi Zheng. “Aren’t we going to think of a way to stop them? That Sudan should also be able to remember the contents of the book after one glance.”
Qi Zheng frowned slightly. “We’ve already left the capital. They have quite a few people. If a conflict breaks out now, I’m afraid we won’t be able to complete our task either.”
That was true.
They understood each other without saying more.
Chen Bai and the others encountered Lu’s procession on the official road.
Chen Bai got off the carriage and exchanged a glance with Sudan. Both of them looked rather embarrassed.
After all, what they were about to do was truly a little shameless.
Footnote:
[1] Huang Shiren is a famous fictional villain and the ultimate archetype of the “despotic, evil landlord” in modern Chinese arts and literature.
