Chapter 125
Helian Cheng was a military general, so the reason he first realized how unfathomable Jiu Tian Yi's power was was because he discovered that even the waiters who served tea and water at Jiu Tian Yi were skilled in martial arts.
—The safety of Jiu Tian Yi Restaurant has been renowned throughout the capital since it opened. A row of muscular, powerful men in uniform always stood outside the shop. They didn't do anything, just stood there with their hands behind their backs, yet their mere presence was enough to instill fear. It's said that they initially stood inside, but after the incident involving the Rong and Di envoys causing trouble, they began standing outside.
Helian Cheng noticed these burly men when he first arrived, but he could tell that they were just intimidating in appearance. In reality, they were mostly skilled in martial arts, and if they really got into a fight, they might not be as tough as the dockworkers. They were just there to scare off local thugs, so he didn't take them seriously.
It wasn't until he took a closer look that he discovered that while the ones outside were indeed just for show, many of the waiters inside the shop were actually quite skilled, and some were even top-notch experts.
Nine Plus One is always packed with customers and the restaurant is always busy. But Nine Plus One is also known for its excellent service. As long as customers pay, they can get you any kind of citrus fruit they want, even if it's just from a garden in the suburbs.
When Helian Cheng saw an ordinary waiter using his light-footed skills to walk on the roof to buy osmanthus cakes for a customer, he almost choked on his tea on the spot.
Besides, Helian Cheng also discovered that Jiu Tianyi owned his own bookstore, which produced cards all day long and didn't do much business with the public, nor did it print any books anymore. After all, Jiu Tianyi had to produce the cards himself, so having a bookstore for printing would save time and money—that was his original thought, until he went to the bookstore himself.
This bookstore doesn't operate much to the public and basically doesn't print books, only selling various cards. However, it opens its own book storage warehouse. As long as you buy a set of cards, you can get a reading card and enter to read books for free. It also provides paper and pens for copying. You could say it's completely doing charity.
"Is His Highness planning to recruit impoverished students?" Helian Cheng was slightly startled. He had only come to take a casual look, but now he really had to go in and see for himself. He found the clerk at the counter and prepared to apply for a reading card.
The reading card requires personal information registration, similar to the household registration process, to prevent fraud. Before registration, the staff specifically explained that the reading card cannot be lent out, and if discovered, the card will be permanently disqualified.
Helian Cheng said he understood, and casually picked up a set of cards to pay for the card. However, as soon as he gave his name, the shop assistant said, "Wait!"
Helian Cheng thought the shop assistant knew his identity and didn't intend to give him a chance to investigate. He was already thinking about how to figure out the bookstore without alerting the Seventh Prince when the shop assistant reached into the counter and took out a booklet with "Member Information Form" written on the cover. He flipped to the latest page, pointed to one of the names, and said, "Yes, yes, you are a member of our Nine Plus One. With your membership, you can enter the bookstore for free and receive a free book. You can choose any book you like."
The bookstore only allows copying books, not taking them away. The shop assistants would take stock of the bookshelves every day before closing.
Hearing this, Helian Cheng's thoughts sank even further: "Can all members participate?"
The shop assistant, unsuspecting, replied with a smile, "Yes, and it's not just our bookstore. This membership card is valid at all of our Jiu Tian Yi stores, and you'll receive corresponding benefits. However, the benefits will vary from store to store, so please stay tuned."
"Is it the same for real-life PUBG?" Helian Cheng pressed.
The waiter wasn't surprised that this guy would mention the new store under construction in the suburbs. Rather, ever since Jiu Tian Yi became one of the top stores in the capital, all of his businesses have attracted attention. Not to mention that the real-person PUBG restaurant is backed by the imperial court and jointly built by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War. Even students who only study the classics will ask about it in their spare time and sigh, "I wonder when it will be completed and if we can go and experience it."
Most of the students who came to the bookstore were poor students who were going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. They had very few resources available to them. Even if they received financial assistance from wealthy merchants from their hometowns, which allowed them to live comfortably in the capital, that was all they could do.
The capital city is vast, and living here is not easy. Just the daily accommodation alone is a considerable burden. I don't know how many students share a room with several others, and there are even more students who can't even afford to stay in a guesthouse and can only stay in dilapidated temples deep in the mountains. Temples like Wanfu Temple are not places that ordinary students can afford to stay in.
Lacking connections, influence, and talent, they couldn't even get into poetry gatherings. All they could do was bury themselves in their studies, which is why they cherished every opportunity all the more. Most of them came to the capital to take the imperial examinations just to make up the numbers. After failing, they didn't have time to grieve; they had to pack their things and go home as soon as possible, since even drinking water cost money in the capital.
Many of them will never return to the capital in their lifetime, hence these sentiments.
When Helian Cheng entered the bookstore, he was wary. He saw the students, some standing and some sitting, dressed in thin clothes. He noticed the free charcoal brazier, hot water, paper and pens provided by the bookstore. The only thing they didn't provide was food. However, when the shop opened its kitchen at noon, the waiter would come in and ask if anyone needed hot food. The students would then take out flatbread, steamed buns, eggs and other things from their pockets.
Helian Cheng saw everything, and his feelings were indescribably complicated.
When Helian Cheng discovered that every two or three days the bookstore would post things related to the imperial examinations on the wall that had been designated as a bulletin board—sometimes past examination questions, sometimes past examination essays, sometimes the "Ten Perfect Gentlemen" (a reference to a scholar who excelled in all subjects), and sometimes official court reports—his feelings became even more complicated.
When he wrote about this in a letter to Doctor Chang, Doctor Chang replied, "A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Regardless of whether the Seventh Prince truly wanted to gather together scholars from humble backgrounds to build his own power, at least his actions genuinely helped these scholars, which is a great virtue."
Helian Cheng agreed with this view, and at this moment he even felt that there was nothing wrong with the Seventh Prince ascending the throne.
If Xue Jin'an were to see this letter, he would definitely tell them that the bookstore's affairs really had little to do with him; at most, he had only helped to improve the bookstore's layout and furnishings.
It was Cui Zui's idea to turn the bookstore into a library.
Cui Zui knew best how difficult it was for poor students to study. He was lucky; although he had to raise money to go to the capital, he was of the Cui family bloodline. No matter how much the Cui family disliked or despised him, they would never really prevent him from reading.
A prominent family is not necessarily an academic clique, but an academic clique is definitely a prominent family. The reason why prominent families can stand firm is not only because of the land and wealth they possess, but also because they monopolize books and culture, and become the spokesperson for knowledge.
In previous dynasties, there were even instances of multiple translations of the Analects. In order to consolidate their own positions, scholarly cliques exclusively translated classic books through methods such as punctuation and interpretation, making it difficult for children from poor families to achieve success.
When Cui Pengfei followed Emperor Yuan in conquering the country, he could be considered to have come from a humble background. After becoming prime minister, he devoted himself to supporting students from poor families. This policy was continued during the reign of the Empress Dowager. However, now, several generations of officials have changed, and the peasants who followed Emperor Yuan in conquering the country have become the new powerful and wealthy, while the poor families have developed into new aristocratic families.
The wheels of history relentlessly rolled on, and class solidification and the exploitation of the lower classes by the upper classes were an inevitable trend in the development of a dynasty. Cui Pengfei was already old, and Cui Zui, who did not even have the title of Juren, could only provide a place for his past self to read books at will for free.
Since the bookstore had already switched to making trading cards, there was no point in keeping the inventory in the warehouse, and they couldn't sell it anyway, so they decided to make use of it. That's how Cui Zui came up with this idea.
When Xue Jin'an learned about this, Cui Zui had already drawn up the blueprints for the renovation of the bookstore under Cui Pengfei's guidance. Xue Jin'an only suggested a more comfortable layout.
Helian Cheng didn't know, but even if he did, he would attribute all the credit to the Seventh Prince, since it was standard practice in ancient times for a strategist to attribute the credit to his lord.
After investigating and learning just how powerful Jiu Tianyi was, Helian Cheng fell into deep thought: What is the Seventh Prince still missing from the throne?
Helian Cheng thought for a long time, and many things were on his mind. Various emotions were tangled and pulling at him. When he learned that the Northwest Army had won a great victory over the Rong and Di and pushed the border for hundreds of miles, the scales in his heart, which had already begun to tip, completely tipped to one side. Only one sentence remained in his mind: Even if we take a step back, can't the throne really be given to the Seventh Prince?
"No, I can't think like that. I'll just focus on guarding the border." Helian Cheng patted his face, pretending that he was still a pure royalist.
The emperor, who was drawing lots at the Qianyuan Palace, couldn't help but sneeze.
Helian Cheng completely sided with Xue Jin'an, but the others in Zhaoyang Palace who heard the news about Helian Cheng were wary. Shou Quan frowned and said directly, "I'm afraid they have ill intentions. It would be better to strike first."
Shouquan felt that Helian Cheng was a hidden danger. Even if he didn't know exactly what his master had done, he knew that his master and the emperor were not on the same side. Helian Cheng knew too much and was at risk of informing on him at any time. He should be eliminated as soon as possible.
General Helian's loyalty and bravery are well-known, and they don't think he would really side with the prince, since that would be considered a "betrayal" of the emperor.
Fu Lu pondered for a moment, but had a different opinion: "I have heard that General Helian has requested to return to Qizhou several times, which displeased His Majesty. Perhaps General Helian is trying to dispel His Majesty's doubts this time, so as to avoid the fate of being discarded after his merits are exhausted. We should be wary of this."
Fu Lu had a lot of faith in Helian Cheng's character, and given Helian Cheng's important position, it was best to try to win him over rather than act rashly.
Fu Lu and Shou Quan rarely disagreed with each other, and neither could convince the other. They secretly started competing with each other, and no one knows who started it first, but the two of them actually started arguing over the future position of general manager.
Shouquan said in a tea-scented tone, "You are so busy, you are His Highness's right-hand man, unlike me, I don't know anything, I can only stay by my master's side, it is already a blessing for a servant to be able to serve my master."
Fu Lu smiled arrogantly: "I was personally chosen by Consort Zhen for the sake of the master. I have been by the master's side since I was a child and know the master's preferences very well. You still have a lot to learn about serving the master. It is not good to be too eager."
The two locked eyes, sparks seemingly flying between them, before finally turning their gazes to Xue Jin'an: "Master—"
Xue Jin'an remained expressionless, his impartiality piercing through both of their hearts: "I choose Lingzhi."
"Your Majesty has discerning eyes; this servant will certainly do her utmost," Lingzhi replied with a smile.
May you have all the blessings of fortune, prosperity, and longevity!
The two were extremely aggrieved and exclaimed in unison, "Why?!"
Xue Jin'an: "Lingzhi is effective."
The two who were completely unable to fight: "..."
Xue Jin'an was well aware of his future situation. He wanted to destroy the Great Qi Kingdom, but he would not spare the emperor's life. His ascension to the throne was destined to be met with much criticism, and he wondered how many court officials would secretly plot a rebellion.
Xue Jin'an wasn't afraid of being assassinated, but having a martial arts master by his side would naturally be even better.
Lingzhi's martial arts skills are only slightly inferior to Fuling's, and she is also adept at social interaction and observation, with a natural demeanor that makes people lower their guard, making her the perfect candidate to be the head steward.
As for Fu Lu and Shou Quan, Xue Jin'an planned to place them together with Xuan Shiyi—well, if Xuan Shiyi is sensible, then it will be Xuan Shiyi; if Xuan Shiyi isn't sensible, then it will be someone else—in the Fengyi Department. This would also give the Fengyi Department a formal establishment, refining its power structure into three parts. As for why three…
A triangle is the most stable shape, and similarly, the separation of powers is the most stable political environment.
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