Zhao Shu hurried to the study in the main courtyard, where Wei Tingsi was already waiting, holding a book in his hand. Zhao Shu approached and took a closer look; it was a book from the Prince's mansion.
This book is a treatise on the strategies for governing the Qin state during the Warring States period. This book has resonated throughout history. Later, it fell into the hands of Gu Chongxuan, who presented it to Zhao Bi, which is why she remembered it so clearly.
“Lord Wei certainly knows how to choose books,” Zhao Shu said.
Wei Tingsi put down the book and bowed respectfully.
"Is there something you need from me, sir?" Zhao Shu went straight to the point.
"The garrison soldiers caused trouble today, and I suppose the princess is unaware of it yet."
Zhao Shu was startled; the fact that the soldiers dared to cause trouble truly frightened her. She quickly asked seriously, "Why are you causing trouble?"
“These past few days I have been working on selecting centurions, but several men in the garrison each have their own supporters and are dissatisfied with the person I am going to choose. So today I beat them up.”
The person Wei Tingsi was referring to as "the one to be chosen," rather than "the one chosen," is like having a piece of candy in your hand, but many children want to eat it. The children fight over the candy, and the adults will also show favoritism. The favored person isn't ruthless enough, so they end up getting beaten.
Moreover, the Weiting Division seemed to be experimenting on these soldiers. Not only did they handle everything with the same rigor as those who handled important military and national affairs, but they also had their own unique style of doing things. The soldiers were used to being lazy and were not young, so they were much more difficult to manage.
However, Zhao Shu believed that this was not the main reason; perhaps someone had some ulterior motives.
"Go and see who's so bold as to cause trouble under your nose," Zhao Shu said sarcastically, alluding to Wei Tingsi's fearsome reputation, which was likened to a ravenous demon from hell.
Wei Tingsi did not refute, seemingly unaware of what she was talking about, and went to the training ground with Zhao Shu.
At this moment, the training ground was densely packed with more than 700 soldiers, some of whom were covered in blood, while dozens of soldiers angrily faced the blood-covered soldiers.
Seeing Zhao Shu and Wei Tingsi arrive together, he merely glanced away, still displaying an arrogant and indignant demeanor, defying any attempt to control them.
"Princess, Princess!" Uncle Fu rushed over after hearing the news. He was sweating profusely from chasing after her in the sweltering heat, and his large and stout body made his cheeks even more covered in sweat.
Zhao Shu turned around, somewhat puzzled, "Uncle Fu is here too, what brings you here?"
Uncle Fu nodded hurriedly, "Yes, I heard that the man I brought in a few days ago beat someone up, so I rushed over to see what was going on." He briefly explained his purpose.
Zhao Shu glanced at the beaten man and the assailant with interest. "Oh, I wonder who Uncle Fu brought into the mansion?"
She knew that new guards had arrived at the manor, but she didn't know all of them. Moreover, she would absolutely not get close to these guards until they were confirmed by the Weiting Division.
Such a move is actually quite reasonable. No one would think that a princess would go to see those soldiers. Most people thought that she was just acting on a whim after hearing the story and had no patience for such things.
However, Zhao Shu had her own considerations. Wei Tingsi was very good at judging people, and she trusted him. He was an upright man who would repay a hundredfold for the slightest offense. He was definitely a ruthless person, but by the same token, he would handle matters impartially for those who had not maliciously harmed him. He was a good official.
Moreover, she could tell that Wei Tingsi was also using this selection of soldiers to experiment with something. If she guessed correctly, a bloodbath would soon sweep through the army.
Emperor Mingde had reached his limit of patience.
Uncle Fu hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Why don’t you all come and pay your respects to the princess? If it weren’t for the princess, you would still be begging outside. The princess doesn’t expect you to repay her great kindness. Just don’t cause her any trouble.”
He talked for a long time, and as Zhao Shu listened, she realized that Uncle Fu was actually a wonderful person, but he was rather clumsy with words.
As soon as she finished speaking, dozens of soldiers came over to salute and prepare to kneel, but Zhao Shu stopped them with a wave of her hand.
"Greetings, Princess."
Among these people were burly, rugged men and delicate, scholarly-looking young men. Zhao Shu took a closer look and noticed that some of them seemed to have once lived a life of wealth and luxury. They had fair skin, and their eyes were neither humble nor arrogant, yet they exuded an air of despair.
The two slender boys, in particular, were quite different from the others.
She pointed to the two boys, the oldest about seventeen or eighteen and the youngest about thirteen or fourteen, and said, "Come here."
The two young men exchanged a glance, their steps steady and unhurried, yet not at all impatient. They approached Zhao Shu, cupped their hands in a respectful bow, and greeted her as "Princess."
"What are your names?" Both boys were much taller than her, but fortunately they were polite and didn't stand too close, forcing her to look up at them. The distance between them wasn't too far, so she couldn't see their subtle expressions.
"This humble citizen is Fei Chi, and this is my younger brother, Fei Peng."
Zhao Shu looked at the two people more closely and indeed they had some similarities. However, the two women shared the same surname, Fei. She remembered her maternal grandmother, who also shared the surname Fei. It was said that she was a descendant of Fei Chang, a calligrapher from the previous dynasty. Her family had fallen on hard times, and she ended up living in poverty. Later, she was married by her maternal grandfather.
She used to think that her maternal grandmother was her maternal grandfather's first wife, but later she found out that she was actually his second wife.
They both have the surname Fei, could they have some connection? Perhaps they are spies for someone? She quickly dismissed the idea. There are many other families in the Prince's mansion, and she knows them, and roughly knows who they are. These thorns need to be removed slowly.
Fine, whoever it is, let's test the waters first.
"Can either of you write?" Zhao Shu composed herself, her expression revealing nothing.
However, the brief, fleeting look of unease in her eyes did not escape Wei Tingsi's notice. He scrutinized the two boys, who were actually not performing well and always hid in the background, seemingly not wanting to be noticed by him.
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