Chapter 216 Intelligence Commission
These two great scholars, who are already quite old, with their two children, seem to have become a group of four young children.
In a sense, this kind of going back in time as they grow older is not a bad thing, but their attempt to cover up their mistakes made Qiao Yan wonder if she looked a bit like the evil guy who came to check on her.
She reached out and touched the side of his face. Receiving her gaze, Lu Ji subconsciously reached out to wipe his face.
During this action, he suddenly realized that he had not completely eliminated the traces of stealing the Su Shan.
I don't know whether I should say it or not, but this child already shows the courage he will have in the future.
Faced with this situation of being caught, he tried to straighten his chest, wiped the marks on his face and acted as if nothing had happened.
It's a pity that he is still young, and this look seems a bit weird and funny no matter how you look at it.
Qiao Yan found it funny, but did not intend to expose them in person. He was just thinking about whether he should have someone record all the anecdotes and interesting things happening in Leping Academy.
There is no need to put this in the miscellaneous section of the Leping Monthly, but can we wait a few years until these second-generations have served under her and then write a memoir of Leping Academy?
Whether it is dark history or not is another matter, but it is definitely an interesting source of historical materials for later generations.
She pondered the feasibility of this matter in her mind, but did not say it directly. She just bowed to Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan, and mentioned her intention to bring Xun Shuang here.
Zheng Xuan replied, "Among the Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan, Ciming is unparalleled. I have heard of Xun Ciming's name for a long time, but because I was in Beihai and he was in Hanbin, one was imprisoned and the other lived in seclusion, and we didn't have the opportunity to meet for many years. I never thought that I would have such an opportunity in my old age."
Qiao Yan said with emotion: "It's just that Mr. Ciming is concerned about the current situation and his health is not very good. I want to invite him here, but I'm afraid he still won't move..."
After hearing what Qiao Yan said, Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan had nothing to understand.
All it took was for them to write a letter inviting Xun Shuang to come.
The two of them were old acquaintances of Qiao Yan, and they couldn't help but laugh at this time: "Ye Shu, your method of leading one person at a time, I'm afraid you want to bring all the great scholars in the world into your pocket."
She had a very undisguised plan.
Having said that, they were not unhappy about being asked to do this thing of "tricking" people to come.
The fact that Cai Yong's kingfisher poem received such an alternative interpretation in Leping Monthly is a true reflection of his inner emotions.
In the past few years, he has also reflected on his past experience and has more or less realized one thing: his earlier wanderings were closely related to his low emotional intelligence in giving advice and dealing with people.
But it may not be easy to make any changes to this kind of temperament in a short period of time.
Fortunately, of his two daughters, the younger one learned directly from Qiao Yan.
As Qiao Yan's influence expanded from the mere territory of Leping to Bingzhou, and even to nearly three states today, the child gradually became a talented person who could stand on his own.
The older one was forced to grow up amid worldly difficulties, and now he can be considered to have been healed and reborn here.
For Cai Yong, this was already his greatest gain here, not to mention that he also completed the revision of Dongguan Hanji.
For Zheng Xuan, living here for a year was enough for him to realize that Leping was indeed a suitable place for people like them to further their academic studies.
His disciples who wanted to become officials also found places to work.
Guo Yuan had both good character and ability. He was first appointed by Qiao Yan as the captain of the military garrison in Liangzhou, and later transferred to Guanzhong, as if he was entrusted with an important task.
His promotion and appointment provided a model for Zheng Xuan's disciples.
Then this place should be a good place for Xun Shuang.
Although Qiao Yan did not mention it, Zheng Xuan had already thought of another person, who was from the same hometown as him, had always lived in seclusion, and was also a good scholar.
In Zheng Xuan's opinion, it would be better for him to live in seclusion in Leping than to continue living in Qingzhou and Youzhou. Just in terms of having enough paper, he was better than anywhere else.
If you feel that staying here for a long time is just a waste of pity, then you should leave more words for writing books and articles.
But this person is now avoiding disaster in Liaodong, and is blocked by the war situation in Youzhou. I am afraid it will not be easy for him to come over.
At most, we can send the letter first and see what happens next.
He did not tell Qiao Yan about his plan to invite Bing Yuan here, because when he heard Qiao Yan ask what else they were missing here, he took the opportunity to talk about the new cotton-padded clothes distributed in Leping Academy.
In addition to the garrison soldiers, the students of Leping also received cotton-padded clothes.
However, because Leping is surrounded by mountains, the north wind has been intercepted when passing Mount Wutai. Overall, the temperature is not too low, and the daily diet conditions of Leping students are not bad. Considering that these young people have strong blood, the cotton-padded clothes are made thinner.
This was enough to keep them warm.
Zheng Xuan said, "I heard that when the prince distributed the cotton-padded clothes, he also issued a special decree, saying that they were strictly prohibited from giving the cotton-padded clothes to others, including the elders at home. This is a rather strange rule."
Qiao Yan didn't think this rule was strange.
She replied, "You can't blame me for insisting on emphasizing this matter. The cotton harvested this year is not enough to supply all the staff. It is inevitable that some people will give cotton clothes to their relatives in the name of filial piety. From a moral point of view, this is fine, but it is a manifestation of good character. But if the students of the academy come and go in winter, and see some people wearing cotton clothes and others still wearing single clothes, what will they think?"
Zheng Xuan thought thoughtfully: "I am afraid that those who wear cotton clothes will think that others have given clothes to their relatives, but I am still wearing them. Will people think I am selfish?"
"That's the truth. People tend to follow the crowd, especially when their morality may be questioned." Qiao Yan said, "But I would rather take some of the cotton-padded clothes from the soldiers guarding the border and send them to the academy, just to keep them warm in winter and learn knowledge well, not to let them use this to show that they are not stingy."
"If they really want to do this act of giving cotton-padded clothes to their relatives, why not exchange it for rewards after making achievements?"
Qiao Yan turned to Lu Ji and said, "Take your sister as an example. She has done a lot for me. Now she is going to Liangzhou again. I regard her as a trusted general. As such, I naturally have to respect her father. Therefore, more than a dozen of these cotton-padded jackets are being sent to Lujiang. But you can only wear yours. Do you understand?"
"I know." Lu Ji nodded solemnly, "I can't use the reward given by the Lord to fill my face. The reputation of filial piety and brotherhood must be earned by myself."
He then whispered, "But my father can't wear that either."
The others all laughed when they heard the sound.
Qiao Yan touched his head and said, "You will grow taller in a few years. Before that -"
She glanced at the faces of the people in front of her meaningfully, "Don't eat so much ice in autumn."
After she walked out of the house, she took the four bowls away.
Qiao Yan told the attendants in the courtyard, "Mr. Zheng and Mr. Cai are not young anymore. It's ok to have a treat once in a while, but be sure to control the amount of sweets and cold drinks they eat."
However, when she walked out of the yard, she thought that she might have to ask Hua Tuo to prepare some healthy snacks when he was free, because she couldn't really deprive them of the pleasure of enjoying delicious food.
But before she could search her memory for a suitable snack, she heard someone calling her from behind, interrupting her thoughts.
She turned around and saw Cao Pi catching up with her.
The child, who was only one year older than Lu Ji, stood in front of Qiao Yan. Seeing that she did not show any displeasure on her face, he asked, "I would like to ask you, my lord, if I want to buy cotton clothes for my father and mother, is there any other way?"
His situation is different from Lu Ji's.
Lu Yuan worked under Qiao Yan and was someone she relied on, so he could get some benefits for his father.
Although Cao Cao and Qiao Yan were good friends and peers, his title of Governor of Yanzhou came from the imperial decree of the Emperor of Yecheng.
This is a completely different stance from Qiao Yan's.
Although Cao Pi was young, after studying geographical atlases in Leping, he was able to roughly judge the difficulties his father was facing.
The title of Governor of Yanzhou was easily obtained. With the advantages accumulated in Dongjun, it was not too difficult to take over other places in Yanzhou. Now it has been almost completed. However, it is impossible for him to talk about welcoming the emperor as easily as Qiao Yan, or change his position easily.
Under the current circumstances, it is not possible to rashly change sides, otherwise there will inevitably be war from the north.
It was precisely because Cao Cao and Qiao Yan were not serious allies at that time that Cao Pi felt a little uneasy when he asked this question.
Cotton-padded clothes are good things, and even a kid like him knows this.
Although he had not yet imagined that with the popularity of cotton-padded jackets, the power gap between the various parties would become more and more obvious, he still wanted to give one to his parents.
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "You don't need to ask more about this. Your father is a smart man. He will send someone to find me before winter."
Once she spreads the news of Yecheng, Cao Cao will definitely send someone to visit.
But she could give away her farming skills as New Year gifts, but she didn't know how to make cotton for cotton-padded clothes.
This is not a question of whether or not to take into account past friendship, but a necessity of the situation.
At most, the beneficial effect brought by the previous action can be applied to the next transaction.
Since cotton-padded jackets are still a unique product, the transaction limit can be set within the range acceptable to the other party.
Isn't this also a way of using other people's fields to supplement one's own military rations?
But there is no need to say this to Cao Pi.
Let’s wait until Cao Cao’s envoy arrives.
Cao Pi nodded as if he understood, then bowed to Qiao Yan and then retreated.
Looking at the child's back, Qiao Yan couldn't help but sigh at the precocity of children these days. She then went to her courtyard in the academy and asked someone to invite the Qiao sisters over.
When they arrived here, they saw a gray pigeon in front of Qiao Yan, pacing back and forth on the table in front of her.
This carrier pigeon was trained in Leping and was sent to Qiao Yan by a pigeon breeder. At this moment, it did not show any sign of wanting to escape. Instead, it pecked a few grains from Qiao Yan's hand and then made eyes at her.
Seeing this scene, the Qiao sisters, who were originally a little nervous about seeing Qiao Yan again, suddenly relaxed a lot, and the more lively Xiao Qiao even smiled.
Qiao Yan noticed her expression from the corner of his eye and asked, "Have you adapted well to the past three months in the academy?"
Qiao Ting quickly straightened his expression and replied, "My sister and I both like this place very much."
She felt that she agreed with her sister's judgment and that coming here was the best decision she had ever made.
In the study atmosphere of Leping Academy, people are judged by their talent rather than their wealth. In addition, because Cai Zhaoji topped the list in the first two years of the academy, and Qiao Yan, the founder of the academy, laid the tone that gender differences are not so important here.
What’s more interesting is that although there are different development tendencies among the civil, military, medical and agricultural departments, they are not as clearly divided as oil and water, but more like complementing each other.
The two sisters love this place.
In his spare time, Qiao Ting learned some self-defense martial arts from Lu Lingju.
Qiao Lan went to learn some first aid medical knowledge from the female doctor in the college.
This might be because they realized the knowledge they still lacked on their way to Bingzhou, but when Qiao Yan heard about this choice, it made her more certain that these two sisters might really be useful to her and could take over the intelligence organization.
After listening to Qiao Ting talking about his college life in the past three months after he sat down in front of her, Qiao Yan inadvertently changed the subject and asked, "When you came in just now, did you seem to be a little surprised by this pigeon?"
Hearing Qiao Yan's tone sound like gossip, Qiao Ting replied without hesitation: "I don't think it's strange for you to raise pigeons, I'm just a little curious why you chose a gray pigeon."
According to the aesthetics of today, pure colors are naturally the most popular.
White doves are bright and have auspicious legends, but black doves are also acceptable. After all, everyone knows that Marquis Qiao has always liked to wear black clothes.
Placing the gray pigeon in front of Qiao Yan made it seem that there was a disharmony between this handsome and elegant prince and the gray pigeon.
Qiao Yan did not directly answer Qiao Ting's question, but reached out and picked up the gray pigeon.
As she raised and pushed her arm, the carrier pigeon flew straight out of the window and headed towards the fortress in Leping Mountain.
In the eyes of the three people, the silver-gray track that quickly broke through the air merged with the environment almost in an instant, and disappeared from their sight at a very fast speed. It was even more difficult to capture its trace than the white dove.
Qiao Yan replied: "Gray is easier to survive in, that's why I chose it."
What the two sisters Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting had never expected was that after saying this, Qiao Yan suddenly withdrew his gaze from the window, and in his gaze towards them, there was a hint of serious business: "It's the same for pigeons, and it's the same for people, right?"
This sentence seems to have a deeper meaning.
Qiao Lan immediately realized that Qiao Yan had called them here not just out of the idea of an elder taking care of the younger generation and wanting to know about their living conditions here, but because he had other arrangements.
Thinking that one of the reasons they chose Qiao Yan before coming here was that they could be cultivated by her as her confidants, Qiao Lan's heart skipped a beat.
This seems to be a sign.
She asked carefully, "Your Excellency hopes that my sister and I can learn how to survive like this gray pigeon?"
"Not exactly." Qiao Yan shook his head and replied, "Do you know what this gray pigeon is used for?"
She didn't intend to let the two sisters guess, and continued, "They are used to send letters."
"The ground is rugged and hilly, so even the best horses can only carry messages at a speed of 200 miles a day. But pigeons are different. The rumor that they can travel 800 miles a day is possible for them."
"These pigeons can even fly through wind and rain until they deliver the message to me."
Facing their slightly surprised looks, Qiao Yan asked, "If I say I want you to help me manage this information channel, would you be willing?"
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to. These pigeon outposts have corresponding operation codes and hidden channels. Just knowing their existence doesn't affect..."
It does not affect her selection of another person in charge.
So there is no intention to force them to make a decision.
But before she could finish her words, Qiao Lan interrupted her and replied, "I do!"
It was not difficult to hear the decisiveness in her words.
This is indeed a true reflection of her decision at the moment.
While in Leping, or in Bingzhou, she saw Qin Yu in charge of farming, Lu Yuan assisting with general affairs and handling diplomatic affairs, Zhao Ji in charge of cultural propaganda, and even female generals under the command of Qiao Yan. If she had any desire to control her own destiny, she would not refuse this appointment.
Moreover, if she was willing to go with the flow and pin her future on the current situation, she would not have thought of the decision to join Qiao Yan.
She had been thinking that there were quite a few people in Leping Academy who could assist Zhaoji in the monthly report work. They were not as good as some old farmers who had been engaged in farming for many years, not to mention their martial arts. Although Lu Lingju was young, she could easily beat both of them with one hand. From this point of view, they could probably follow Lu Yuan's path.
However, Qiao Yan now provides another way.
A path that is special enough and suitable enough for both of them.
Qiao Lan thought so, and Qiao Ting was no exception. She replied, "I am willing to do so too."
Qiao Yan glanced at the two sisters' faces and saw that their words were indeed from the bottom of their hearts. Then he said, "I will not hand this matter over to you easily. After all, this is a matter of life and death for me. Before I officially take over, I need you to pass an assessment."
"Of course, I will have someone give you lessons before the test."
The next day, someone knocked on the door of Jia Xu's courtyard while he was in Shangjun.
When he opened the door, he saw the Qiao sisters appear outside his door.
Qiao Lan bowed to him and said, "Your Excellency has asked us to come and ask you for advice on farming. We will live in the yard next to you until the beginning of spring."
Learn farming?
Jia Xu glanced at the cotton fields outside.
Since following Qiao Yan back to Bingzhou until now, the cotton in these cotton fields has long been turned into cotton-padded clothes, quilts and cotton cloth, and there is not a single bit left in the fields.
If you really want to learn, you should choose between April and May next year, and you should go find those old farmers.
Come learn farming from him in this season...
When he thought of this, he glanced at Li Ru who lived in the other courtyard and couldn't help but sigh.
My Lord, can't you find a reason that doesn't sound so fake?
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