Chapter 279 The Fourth Talent
After receiving thousands of business cards, she still couldn't find the person she was looking for. Zhao Yuanxi knew that it was no longer possible to wait for Dacai to come to her in Xianyang.
Then we can only follow the clues and look for people according to history books.
The first person Zhao Yuanxi found was Li Shiqi, who happened to be traveling in Qin State and met the caravan under her command.
This man liked to drink and was on good terms with the people in the caravan. The person in charge thought he was talented and recommended him to his superiors.
Because he was not well-known and liked to drink, the steward did not take him seriously until the empress dowager came down with a list and asked them to look for some people. The steward found Li Shiqi's name on the list and hurriedly recommended him to Zhao Yuanxi.
When he heard that the person had been found, Zhao Yuanxi couldn't wait to meet him.
Li Shiqi was at the steward's house at the time and was dragged along to drink.
He didn't quite understand why this wealthy family was so polite to him, and the young man who brought him here was also respectful to him, as if he were a distinguished guest.
Although his family had some reputation in the State of Wei, by his generation, they could only make ends meet. Could it be that there was still anyone in the State of Qin who knew his family?
Since he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. He had nothing anyway, so he couldn't sell this old man out!
He was enjoying the food on the table happily. After three rounds of drinks, he was enjoying himself when a noble lady walked in.
Li Shiqi paused holding the wine glass and looked at the noble lady in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the rich man and the young man had stood up, and he knew that the person who wanted to see him today was actually the person in front of him.
He was looking at Zhao Yuanxi, and Zhao Yuanxi was also looking at him.
If Zhang Liang was Liu Bang's number one strategist, then Li Shiqi would be ranked second. He was inferior to Zhang Liang in strategy and not as good as Xiao He in governing the country, but he was a top debater. He went to Qi alone to persuade the King of Qi to surrender more than 70 cities. Unfortunately, he failed because of Han Xin and was finally cooked to death by the King of Qi.
Such talent, but such a tragic ending.
Li Shiqi drank the wine in his hand, and the whole person was lazy and rude, and the tone was very contemptuous, "You want to see me?"
Zhao Yuanxi waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
As a result, Li Shiqi straightened his sitting posture.
"I've heard of your great name for a long time, sir. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary." Zhao Yuanxi sat down opposite him.
You removed the food and wine from the table and prepared a new one, even replacing the wine with a better quality one.
Zhao Yuanxi poured him a glass, and Li Shiqi knew that the wine was extraordinary just by taking a sniff.
Although he was tempted, Li Shiqi was not likely to be moved by a glass of wine. He snorted, "I am just a country bumpkin. How can I expect the nobles in Xianyang City to hear of me?"
"Sir, you're not one to be modest. Why are you trying to hide yourself in front of me? I mean no harm." Zhao Yuanxi poured himself a glass, took a sip, and then put it down. "Sir, try it too! This is a fine wine that only I have. You can't buy it anywhere else."
Seeing this, Li Shiqi knew that if he didn't drink any more, he would be being mean-spirited. He picked up the wine glass and drank it all. His eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed, "It really is a good wine!"
The wine is bright in color and mellow in taste. I'm afraid that even the Wei Palace wouldn't have wine of this taste!
"As long as you like it, sir." Zhao Yuanxi only took a sip and didn't dare drink any more. She still remembered how drunk she was before! Although she didn't need to quit drinking, she should drink as little as possible!
"May I ask who the lady is?"
There are many noble women in Xianyang City, and he has not yet thought of anyone who would recruit people like this man.
"To be honest, sir, my last name is Zhao. You can call me Madam Zhao or Queen Mother Zhao."
Li Shiqi almost choked on his own saliva. He coughed twice and looked up at the woman in front of him to make sure she was not joking. He felt like he had become the joke.
He had done nothing wrong and hadn't broken any law, so why did the Queen Mother of Qin come to visit? Could it be because he stole a few bottles of wine from their caravan?
He looked strange, "What do you want from me?"
"Sir, you are eloquent and knowledgeable. I would like you to be my retainer. I can give you anything, including gold, silver, jewelry, fine wine and delicious food, as long as you ask for it. If you want to be an official, I can also recommend you."
"Of course, I know you're not interested in these material possessions, otherwise you wouldn't have given up on becoming Lord Xinling's disciple and chosen to travel around instead."
"Sir, you want to choose a wise master. Although I cannot be that master, if you don't give up, you can stay with me until you find a wise master. If you want to leave one day, I won't stop you."
The price Zhao Yuanxi offered was already generous enough. She didn't even ask Li Shiqi to be loyal to her. She just wanted him to stay.
Not to mention that Li Shiqi was not uninterested in treasures. Even if he really didn't care about these things, he couldn't help but be tempted by the conditions offered by Queen Dowager Zhao.
But how could such a good thing happen in the world?
"What does the Queen Mother not want me to do?"
"If you want to do it, I'll let you do it. If you don't want to do it, I'll send someone else to do it. I won't cause you any trouble."
Now Li Shiqi didn't know what to do!
If it were someone else, he would definitely think that this was a deception, but the person who spoke was the Queen Mother of Qin. A gentleman is trustworthy. The Queen Mother of Qin is also a monarch, so it is unlikely that what she said was false. There was no need for her to deceive a nameless person like herself.
"Then what are you trying to do?"
"Of course, I hope you're willing to stay and share my worries. That's what I want."
"Does everything really depend on me?"
"nature."
"So there's wine to drink every day?"
Zhao Yuanxi laughed, "Plenty of wine."
"If I want to leave, you really won't stop me?"
"If I can't keep you, sir, it's because I'm incompetent. How can I stop you from finding a better place?"
Li Shiqi laughed heartily, "You are quite interesting."
After saying this, Li Shiqi felt a little annoyed. He was used to talking like this on a daily basis, usually to peasants or drunkards, so he had no scruples. But the person in front of him was the queen mother of a country after all, so he was being too rude.
"Sir, you are also a very interesting person. It is my honor to make friends with you today. Please come in!" Zhao Yuanxi raised the wine glass with a smile, not caring about the offense in his words.
Li Shiqi's heart was slightly moved, and he truly felt some respect for Queen Dowager Zhao.
"Why did the Queen Mother find the villain?"
Zhao Yuanxi explained slowly, "This is where my caravan is resting. The young man you know is the leader of one of my caravans. He admires your talent and, knowing that I'm searching for talented individuals, recommended you to me."
Li Shiqi felt that something was wrong, but it seemed to make sense. Seeing that the empress dowager was indeed eager to recruit talents, he didn't care too much.
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