Chapter 24 Si Tu Zhao Ling

The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of appointing and evaluating officials. Chu Jiubian is both the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Tutor of the First Rank. These two positions are quite prestigious, so it is reasonable for him to be in charge of the imperial examinations.

In the world before him, the imperial examination system gave all scholars an opportunity.

However, if Chu Jiubian were to hold an imperial examination, he would not only focus on the assessment of literature, nor would he only recruit talented scholars.

He insisted on offering more subjects, including engineering, agriculture, mathematics, medicine, and embroidery and handicrafts, which women were better at.

The assessment should not be limited to academic level; professional skills, comprehension ability, and talent are all more important.

There are many professional books available for purchase in the system's online store. He can first train a few "teachers" in related fields, and then have them train students who have passed the imperial examinations.

I quickly organized these plans in my mind, and I already had a rough outline of them.

These pre-trained teachers must be relatively loyal to Chu Jiubian; it would be even better if they were believers.

In this way, when the students pass the exams later, they will also be influenced by these teachers and lean towards Chu Jiubian.

He doesn't want all his hard work and effort to cultivate someone else to benefit them.

Chu Jiubian unconsciously fiddled with the pen.

If things really develop according to his ideas, he will be able to recruit talents from all fields to work for him.

Replacing an official position in the capital might be more difficult, but it would be much easier in the provinces.

Local officials were mostly merchants who bought their positions or gained power through connections with powerful families, and had little to do with the aristocratic families at the center of power.

Like an inconspicuous screw in a huge engineering project, it would not normally attract any attention.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian had a lot of room to maneuver in gradually replacing them with his own people.

In this era when ordinary people had no understanding of politics, they did not know the emperor or the six ministers. They could only rely on their superiors, such as prefects and magistrates.

If these local officials were all loyal to Chu Jiubian, then more than half of the population of the entire Da Ning Dynasty would be under his control.

The common people are the easiest to be swayed. Whether they choose to peacefully farm and live in peace and prosperity or to launch an uprising that leaves the land in ruins depends entirely on Chu Jiubian's decision.

Chu Jiubian's eyes gradually deepened with emotion.

A fragile nerve in my brain seemed to be trembling slightly, and I experienced tinnitus.

Suddenly, a soft sound rang out, and Chu Jiubian leaned back in his chair, his chin lifted by a warm hand.

Qin Xiao looked down at him and saw the madness gradually fading from his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Chu Jiubian stared intently at him, looking up at him.

After a few moments, he smiled brightly: "Did I scare you?"

Seeing that Qin Xiao was still scrutinizing him with an inquiring gaze, Chu Jiubian's smile deepened.

He grasped Qin Xiao's warm hand with his cold hand and said meaningfully, "We're all the same, you can understand."

In that instant, Qin Xiao seemed to have returned to that day, the ninth day of the lunar month.

The person in front of him fell from the sky. At that time, he was holding the other person's vulnerable neck, and he could have killed him with just a little force.

At that time, Chu Jiubian also held his wrist in the same way, without a trace of fear, and even laughed and said some strange things.

Even now, what does he mean by "the same"?

Why is he able to understand?

Qin Xiao released his hand from Qin Lie's chin, grabbed Qin Lie's wrist, and said, "Qin Lie, get the medicine."

Qin Chaoyang immediately stepped forward, took a bottle of medicine from his pocket and handed it to Qin Xiao. He also gave him a brand new, clean white cloth strip, which he must have kept on him for backup because he was used to getting injured.

After delivering all of these, he disappeared back into the shadows.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and then noticed that there was a cut from his right thumb to his palm, with the skin turned outwards and half of his palm soaked in blood. Even Qin Xiao's hand was covered with large patches of crimson blood.

He glanced at the table and sure enough, there was a pen that had been broken in two.

Qin Xiao sprinkled some medicinal powder on his wound, and a burning sensation immediately spread throughout his arm, causing Chu Jiubian's hand to tremble instinctively.

Qin Xiao looked at his face, but saw no sign of pain.

"Nothing is as good as the pens from our immortal realm," Chu Jiu argued.

Qin Xiao scoffed lightly and skillfully bandaged his wound.

"Thank you," Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao grunted in agreement, then had someone bring over another pen, asking, "Can you use it with your left hand?"

Many memorials were simply circled to indicate "read," and Chu Jiubian nodded: "That's fine."

He looked at his bandaged hand, then looked across the aisle.

Qin Xiao had already sat back down, not even wiping the bloodstains on the back of his left hand, and was already back to work.

That's really capable.

Chu Jiubian also picked up a new memorial.

The imperial examination system has touched the fundamental interests of aristocratic families. If it is brought up rashly, it will surely be attacked by the masses. Therefore, it needs to be planned carefully and Qin Xiao's assistance is required.

Chu Jiubian currently only has Jiang Shuoye as a follower. He hasn't even formally met the twins yet, so he doesn't have any suitable "mentors" to cultivate. Qin Xiao probably doesn't have any either.

So he wants to take advantage of this time to carefully select one.

The reason for needing Qin Xiao's help is that his influence has not yet penetrated to the local areas and is not known to ordinary people. Therefore, it is necessary to hold the imperial examination in the name of the imperial court so that the scope of influence can be widened.

Moreover, he has no subordinates. Even if someone with a clean background wants to participate in the scientific expedition, he cannot guarantee their safety. If other forces were to target them, it would be a greater loss than gain.

However, Qin Xiao has many secret guards under his command who can protect these students.

The problem with this collaboration is that students might favor Qin Xiao over him, who is an "unknown figure."

Therefore, the most important thing for Chu Jiubian right now is to rapidly expand his influence and not let "Young Master Jiu" only be active in the circles of scholars and nobles.

He wanted to make those ignorant but simple people know him and believe in him.

The population was large, and life was hard.

They didn't trust the imperial court, so they sought other forms of solace—such as gods and faith.

Therefore, what Chu Jiubian needs to do is to become the "god" in the hearts of the people who can truly help them.

An opportunity.

He just needs the right opportunity.

That opportunity may come in the near future, amidst the severe drought in the south.

Naturally, the drought could not only help him gain fame, but also become a bargaining chip for him to negotiate a deal with Qin Xiao.

He wanted to use the "solution to the drought" as a way to get Qin Xiao to agree to organize the imperial examination with him, and to get Qin Xiao to agree to let him take full responsibility for the matter.

Chu Jiubian suppressed his restless thoughts and resumed reviewing the memorials.

Many of these memorials concerned trivial matters, and quite a few were flattering the emperor and Qin Xiao. He circled them all to indicate that he had read them.

He opened another book, and his hand, which was drawing circles, paused.

This was actually sent by Baili Hao, the King of Southern Xinjiang. Isn't that the father of Si Tu and his sister?

Chu Jiubian suddenly froze.

Wait a minute, he had overlooked something all along: the King of Southern Xinjiang, as the sixth uncle of the young emperor, was surnamed "Baili," while the princess and the young prince were surnamed Situ.

“Qin Xiao.” He looked up at the person opposite him.

Qin Xiao was taken aback and looked over with some surprise.

Qin Chaoyang, who was wiping his dagger in the shadows, was also taken aback and glanced at Chu Jiubian.

Since the young master became the "Prince of Ning", no one has called him by his full name to his face. Hearing this suddenly, Qin Chaoyang was a little unaccustomed to it.

Chu Jiubian had always addressed Qin Xiao as "Lord" or "Prince Ning," but these were all somewhat teasing, just as Qin Xiao would call him "Young Master Jiu."

Behind his back, Chu Jiubian always addressed him by his given name.

Now that he's called out to him in person, he blurted it out without realizing it.

But since he had already said it, he didn't dwell on it and asked directly, "Does the King of Southern Xinjiang have children?"

“There are twins, a boy and a girl,” Qin Xiao replied.

"Then why doesn't the child take his surname?"

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow: "How did you know?"

"I am a god," Chu Jiubian said matter-of-factly.

Qin Xiao: "...Then how come you don't know the reason behind this?"

"My magical power is limited, and I don't want to waste it on these things." Chu Jiubian said without hesitation. He had now fully accepted his experience of "descending to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation".

That makes perfect sense, and Qin Xiao couldn't refute it.

He chuckled and said, "The southern border region was divided among foreign tribes for nearly a hundred years. After Emperor Wuzong took it back, the local people were still fierce and didn't really recognize the imperial court, only the chieftain."

"The chieftain's surname is Si Tu?" Chu Jiubian instantly guessed something. "Could it be that this King of Southern Xinjiang married the local chieftain?"

"Pretty much. He married the current Holy Maiden, the next chieftain."

The old chieftain is still alive, but after he passes away, this holy maiden, St. John's An, will become the new chieftain.

"I see."

This relationship is equivalent to a son-in-law marrying into the wife's family, so the child took the mother's surname.

In southern Xinjiang, women can also become those who wield power, which shows that women there are not bound by so-called discipline.

If that's the case, then Si Tu Zhaoling can do even more.

Chu Jiubian felt incredibly lucky to have drawn her.

"What did the King of Southern Xinjiang say?" Qin Xiao asked.

"The southern border is suffering from a severe drought. We request the imperial court to allocate funds and send grain," Chu Jiubian said.

He hadn't expected that the King of Southern Xinjiang would also submit a memorial.

The princes ruled their fiefdoms and were essentially local emperors. They had their own government offices and armies, and each year they could collect a portion of the grain and money taxes from the people in their fiefdoms before handing over the rest to the imperial court.

In other words, the vast majority of matters on the fiefdom were the responsibility of the vassal king himself.

Currently suffering from drought, they should be more concerned about the people's livelihood than the imperial court. After all, the first to be affected by the life or death of the people in their fiefdoms or any unrest will be the vassal kings.

But now, the situation has become one where the imperial court is worried about the people in these fiefdoms, while these vassal kings are only concerned with asking the court for things.

Those believers selected by the system are of good character and ability, so he instinctively assumed that Si Tu and his sister's biological father would not be a greedy person.

Naturally, Baili Zheng, the Prince of Pingxi who previously appeared in the [Armed Cards] and was in charge of the Sichuan region, shouldn't have been a hands-off manager.

Chu Jiubian pondered for a moment and then understood, and couldn't help but look at Qin Xiao.

Now that Baili Hong has just ascended to the throne, and his ascension is not entirely legitimate, various forces in the capital, as well as the vassal kings, are all eyeing him with covetous eyes, waiting for an opportunity to criticize the emperor and Qin Xiao.

If the current drought were to cause large-scale unrest, these powerful and influential figures would surely unite with the vassal kings and blame everything on their common enemy—the young emperor and Qin Xiao.

Either the young emperor was immoral and his ascension to the throne was illegitimate, and Heaven sent down punishment upon him.

Or perhaps it was Qin Xiao's maternal relatives causing chaos in the government, and a divine revelation was sent down.

The common people are most easily swayed, and they are very likely to believe these statements. At that time, the emperor may have to issue an edict of self-reproach, and Qin Xiao may even be forced to atone with his death or abdicate in favor of a more capable person.

If Qin Xiao doesn't sacrifice himself, then he will truly become a treacherous minister who brings disaster to the country and its people.

Walking on thin ice, surrounded by wolves.

Chu Jiubian clearly saw the situation Qin Xiao was currently facing.

Qin Xiao himself was even more aware of this.

His eyes were deep and serious.

The drought in Sichuan and Hubei was already causing him a lot of trouble, and now the southern Xinjiang region was also pressing him for help. Where was he going to get so much grain and money?

He couldn't help but look at Chu Jiubian.

During the morning court session, he had considered cooperating with him.

Their eyes met, and Chu Jiubian smiled: "You want me to help you?"

"Do you have a solution?"

"have."

Qin Xiao felt a sense of relief: "What do you want?"

It was another transaction, and both of them were very familiar with the process, so there was no need for them to say anything more.

Chu Jiubian thought this kind of cooperative relationship was very good; it was an exchange of benefits, and both sides could get what they wanted.

"I'll owe you for now," he said. "I'll talk to you when I need it."

The matter of the imperial examination cannot be discussed now, and Qin Xiao would certainly not agree to it.

But once the drought is resolved, Chu Jiubian's reputation will spread, and he will accumulate more points, which may allow him to find suitable believers to participate in the imperial examinations.

Then, based on the promise Qin Xiao owed him, he would offer to help Qin Xiao recruit people for the imperial examinations, on the condition that he would take full responsibility for the examinations.

Qin Xiao will definitely agree.

In this way, it would be easy for him to cultivate a group of teachers who were close to him and to place his own people in the imperial examinations.

Previously, Chu Jiubian would always speak directly when he had the means, but this time he was being secretive, which must mean it wasn't easy for him.

It would be strange if Qin Xiao couldn't see through such an obvious little scheme.

However, he agreed without much hesitation, saying, "Do you want me to write you a written agreement? You can use it to threaten me if I go back on my word later."

Chu Jiubian said speechlessly, "Isn't it enough if you don't go back on your word?"

Qin Xiao smiled, took a new piece of paper, and neatly wrote down a document on it.

Qin Chaoyang, with his keen eye, walked over and handed the written agreement to Chu Jiubian.

The handwriting on the document was strong and vigorous, consisting of only a few short lines—

Now, Qin Xiao owes Chu Jiubian a promise.

If I don't keep my promise, may I be struck by lightning.

The sixteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Jingrui.

Or is it a poisonous oath?

Chu Jiubian accepted it with a smile.

He put the document into his sleeve pocket and then transferred it into the system space.

"Make an oath before the gods." He looked at Qin Xiao with great interest. "The oath really will stand the test of time."

If Qin Xiao breaks his oath, he will shock him a few times with a stun gun.

Chu Jiubian thought maliciously.

Qin Xiao nodded, though it was unclear whether he took it to heart.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Greetings came one after another from outside the hall.

Chu Jiubian looked outside and soon saw a small figure walking over from a distance.

Upon reaching the doorway, the child stopped, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and carefully lifted his short legs, struggling to step over the threshold that reached his knees.

Chu Jiubian almost laughed.

Qin Xiao remained seated, and Chu Jiubian did not move either, but both of their gazes were fixed on that small figure.

Hong Fu quietly reached out to support Baili Hong from behind, afraid that the young emperor might fall or bump into something.

After successfully crossing the threshold, Baili Hong turned around and smiled happily at him.

Eunuch Hong smiled and said softly, "Your Majesty is truly remarkable."

Baili Hong chuckled, turned and walked into the house, calling out in a childish voice, "Uncle, I can step over the threshold by myself now!"

After saying that, he noticed that there was another person in the room besides Qin Xiao.

His eyes lit up when he recognized Chu Jiubian.

It's the immortal Chu Jiubian!

However, his uncle had told him that morning that he could no longer call Chu Jiubian by his full name, but should address him as "Sir".

My uncle said that the teacher is an elder, someone who, like my uncle, needs my respect.

So the child quickly straightened his expression, bowed in the direction of Chu Jiubian, and said in a clear voice, "Greetings, sir."

Chu Jiubian was somewhat surprised.

Then he stood up and returned the greeting to the child: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Baili Hong then turned to Qin Xiao and bowed again: "Hello, Uncle."

Qin Xiao: "......"

He reluctantly got up and returned the greeting.

Baili Hong was happy.

However, he quickly noticed Chu Jiubian's hand, which was bandaged, and hurried over to ask with concern, "Sir, is your hand injured?"

Chu Jiubian squatted down to meet his gaze and said, "I accidentally cut myself."

"Does it hurt a lot?" The child's face scrunched up. "You can let your uncle blow on it for you."

Chu Jiubian: "?"

Baili Hong said earnestly, "I burned my hand while drinking porridge before, and it was my uncle who blew on it for me for a long time before it got better."

"Your Majesty," Qin Xiao asked, "have you finished writing the large characters today?"

"Write it right away." Baili Hong winked at Chu Jiubian cleverly, then quickly went to the desk and stretched out his short arm to Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao lifted him up and put him on a chair, making him sit down.

The chair had a high cushion, so Baili Hong could write normally on the desk after sitting down.

Baili Hong touched Qin Xiao's hand, which had dried bloodstains on it. He guessed that it was Chu Jiubian's blood, and the little boy looked at him worriedly.

Qin Chaoyang came over, spread out the paper for him, and ground the ink, which conveniently blocked his view.

The child looked up at Qin Chaoyang, and when the other looked over, he smiled and showed off his white teeth.

Even the most aloof man can't hide his emotions, and Qin Chaoyang's eyes also showed a smile.

Chu Jiubian sat back down and saw that the child quickly straightened his face and began to write, stroke by stroke, very seriously, without any impatience.

As expected of the male lead, he was so diligent even in his childhood.

He turned his gaze away and looked at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao had already resumed reviewing the memorials and only looked over after noticing his gaze.

Chu Jiubian raised his injured right hand, brushed aside his bangs, and gently blew on his palm, his gaze remaining fixed on Qin Xiao.

This refers to Baili Hong asking him to help with "snoring".

Qin Xiao smiled silently, then lowered his eyes and continued working.

Chu Jiu was in a good mood after teasing the other person and started drawing circles again.

The three of them spent the afternoon doing their own thing.

It wasn't until dinner time, when the sky gradually darkened and the light became insufficient, that the group finally calculated their duty.

Baili Hong invited Chu Jiubian to have dinner together in the main hall. Qin Xiao did not stop him, so Chu Jiubian did not refuse.

On the dining table, there were still some stews.

The young emperor probably didn't like eating these things much, only reluctantly drinking the porridge, but he looked somewhat pleased.

I have no idea what the kid is laughing about.

Chu Jiubian glanced at Qin Xiao again and saw that the other party only picked out one dish of braised cabbage to eat, and didn't touch the others much.

These two uncle and nephew seem to be picky eaters.

Of course, Chu Jiubian himself didn't like eating these things either, and he couldn't help but think of his precious iron pot and stir-fries.

Previously, I had always thought that iron ore was precious and the smelting technology was poor, so I didn't pursue it.

But actually, he sells iron pots in his system space. Since they are daily necessities, they are very cheap and only require two points.

We can't skimp on our own stomachs anymore. Besides, the little emperor is such a picky eater, what if he becomes malnourished and doesn't grow tall?

Why don't he buy two iron pots for himself and the Hall of Mental Cultivation to use first?

Let's do it tomorrow, and let the ancients taste what "food" really is.

A light drizzle will continue from tonight until tomorrow night. The sky is already somewhat overcast, and a damp wind is blowing into the room, causing Baili Hong to shiver.

Qin Xiao noticed this, but before he could give any instructions, Hong Fu had already hurriedly run to close the window.

The group had finished eating and rinsed their mouths.

Chu Jiubian got up, walked to the door, and looked outside.

The system indicated that it would rain in twenty minutes.

"It's going to rain," Qin Xiao said, walking to his side. "I'll take you home."

Why give it to him?

What could he possibly give away, a grown man with so many bodyguards protecting him?

Chu Jiubian felt that something was strange.

Without thinking it over, he refused, saying, "I can go back by myself."

Qin Xiao didn't insist on delivering it.

Chu Jiubian bid farewell to the young emperor and left.

Qin Xiao followed him to the entrance of the Yangxin Hall.

The sky was overcast and gloomy, with faint flashes of lightning and thunder in the thick clouds, and a damp, cool wind made people's robes flutter.

Qin Xiao watched the young man's slender figure walk along the long, secluded palace path. The deep, dark vermilion walls on both sides made his figure appear even thinner.

A cool breeze ruffled his disheveled hair, and his long, silvery-white hair fell to his shoulders. Chu Jiubian then smoothed it out and held it in his hand, which was wrapped in a cloth.

He carried a deep sense of loneliness.

Qin Xiao suddenly understood what Chu Jiu had said at noon.

They are all the same.

The rain came suddenly, and the weather was much cooler at night, so Qin Xiao changed to a thicker quilt when he went to sleep.

The sound of rain in bursts masked the sound of footsteps.

Qin Xiao, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, drew the long sword from under his pillow, and looked out of the bedroom with sharp eyes through the darkness.

"My lord!" Qin Chaoyang's voice came from outside, unusually anxious.

Qin Xiao's heart sank, and he quickly walked over.

The two met at the entrance of the imperial bedchamber. Qin Chaoyang said urgently, "Your Majesty has a high fever!"

==

A clap of thunder startled Chu Jiubian, who glanced outside.

His head was a little dizzy, and he had a throbbing pain in his temples and the back of his head.

On his way back, he got carried away by the rain on the palace road and took a bath afterward.

As a result, I feel a bit dizzy and lightheaded now, probably because I have a fever.

He rubbed his temples and lay down on the bed.

Xiao Xiangzi is keeping watch outside tonight. He has a thick quilt and has also drunk ginger soup, so he shouldn't be cold.

He closed his eyes to calm himself before opening the system interface and entering the Divine Realm.

Perhaps because he entered this state of mind, he felt no discomfort at all.

He sat on the altar, looking down at the long table. There was only one chair there; he hadn't planned to call in two believers at the same time, so it was enough.

“Summon Si Tu Zhao Ling,” he said.

[The follower Si Tu Zhaoling has been detected to be in a dormant state; summoning is underway.]

Summoning successful.

As the mechanical voice faded, Chu Jiubian "saw" a figure in a crimson-purple dress fall out of the distant clouds.

At the same time, a cry of surprise echoed throughout the entire space.

In the afternoon, Si Tu Zhaoling was dragged to his younger brother's yard, who said he wanted to make a "waterwheel" for irrigation.

She also drew some messy blueprints, which she didn't quite understand, but she was already used to them.

My younger brother always manages to make some strange and wonderful things: a bamboo dragonfly that can fly, a self-heating rotating fan, and even a wooden chair that can be adjusted up and down...

Looking back now, it must have been the severe drought in southern Xinjiang that prompted my brother to think about making a waterwheel for irrigation.

But now the rivers are almost dry, and what they lack is not tools, but water.

My mother, a holy woman from the southern border, has been praying for rain every day, but to no avail.

As the King of the Southern Frontier, my father was so worried that his hair turned white every day.

Si Tu Zhaoling was also worried. This worry caused her to have nightmares for many days in a row, dreaming of parched fields, crops failing to yield any harvest, and people suffering and lamenting everywhere.

The people placed the saint's mother on the altar, saying they wanted to sacrifice her.

They also stormed the palace, burning, killing, and looting.

She always woke up crying.

She closed her eyes wearily tonight, afraid of having nightmares again, and sure enough, she did.

She dreamt that she was standing by a dried-up river, surrounded by withered, yellowed crops.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, she suddenly felt her feet slip and her whole body fall downwards.

Terrified, she couldn't help but scream.

It was fear, but also a release.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, and my vision was blurred by a misty haze.

Suddenly, a clear cry reached my ears, and the next moment, a huge golden bird flew down from the clouds, its long tail scattering golden specks of light along its path.

Si Tu Zhaoling blinked.

Is this a phoenix?

She watched incredulously as the golden phoenix rushed towards her, its halo making her tears flow even more.

A golden phoenix swept past her, and then she felt herself sinking into a ball of soft feathers.

The feeling of weightlessness disappeared, and accompanied by the ethereal cry of a phoenix, she was lifted upwards.

Si Tu Zhaoling felt as if she were in a dream. She sat up and found herself sitting on the back of a phoenix, traveling through the clouds.

Confused yet pleasantly surprised.

It's finally not a nightmare anymore.

She reached out and stroked the phoenix feathers; they were soft and warm to the touch, as if they were alive.

Before long, she suddenly noticed that the clouds in front of her were thinning, and vaguely she seemed to see the hazy eaves and corners in the sky, as well as a huge phantom sitting in the clouds in front of her, like the most magnificent statue in a temple.

After completely passing through the clouds and fog, a bright and clear view suddenly appeared before us.

Si Tu Zhaoling finally saw the illusory figure clearly, which looked like a man sitting on a wide white jade chair!