Chapter Eighteen
Zhou Yanqing's voice suddenly came from outside the door; it was unclear how long she had been standing there.
He walked in slowly, dressed in dark green, his gaze towards Sano carrying the oppressive aura unique to those in power. "You feel inadequate because you're not capable enough yet, but that doesn't mean you won't be in the future."
Sano was somewhat swayed by his words, "But...but I don't know anything."
"Do you want to join the army?" Zhou Yanqing tilted her head to look at him. "I can help you. If you join the army, you can go to the battlefield, learn martial arts, and even become a general. Do you think it's far from becoming a general and overthrowing the Khan?"
Sano's eyes slowly brightened as he listened to the other person's words, but quickly dimmed again.
"My family members are still in their hands."
Si Yanmo: "As long as you live, they will threaten you with your family. In order to threaten you, they will not kill your family."
The two sang in perfect harmony, their coordination seamless.
The more they talked, the more excited Sano, who was not yet of age, became. He nodded tremblingly, clenched his fist, and said seriously, "I want to join the army."
Zhou Yanqing nodded with satisfaction, "Come with me to the military camp tomorrow morning."
As the two were leaving, Sano called out to them, "Um... could we have two more bowls?"
——
In the East Courtyard, Si Yanmo, her throat dry from talking, quickly poured herself a cup of tea as soon as she entered. After drinking it, she asked, "Are you really going to let him join the Qin army? Aren't you afraid he'll turn around and bite you back?"
"Didn't you already look at his destiny?" Zhou Yanqing said, looking completely fearless.
"Does the King of Qin believe me now?"
"Why are you so vengeful?" Zhou Yanqing chuckled, glancing through the window at the west courtyard. "It's not just that I trust you; I think he's a lot like I used to be, so I trust him too."
In fact, the moment he saw Sano, he felt that he was very much like his stubborn yet confused self when he was a child. He always felt that this boy would achieve great things in the future.
"He's actually pretty good at judging people sometimes!" Si Yanmo thought to herself, then smiled slyly, "How about I tell you a secret?"
What is it?
“His destiny tells me that he will be the Khan of Sak in the future.”
Zhou Yanqing wasn't too surprised to hear this, he just smiled confidently. In fact, he had this feeling when the other party said that Sano should become a Khan.
“He is the ally I chose for you, what do you think?” Si Yanmo continued.
"Allies?" Zhou Yanqing raised an eyebrow. "Tell me why?"
"The Qin region has been provoked by Sak for many years, and it's a dilemma whether to fight or not. The best solution is actually for the two tribes to reconcile and establish diplomatic relations, but the current Sak Khan is a Uk people who have always been hostile to the Qin region. This hostage incident shows that he is determined to oppose you. Rather than trying to appease him or risking mutual destruction, the best solution is for you to choose someone and support him to take the position of Khan. These problems will then be solved naturally."
"But what if, as you say, he turns around and bites back?"
Si Yanmo curled her lips into a smile, her voice carrying a hint of danger: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Even if he is a Sawa, after being suppressed by the Khan for so long, without the support of the King of Qin, he is nothing!"
Zhou Yanqing smiled as he listened to the woman's words, "I don't know about others, but Madam is definitely the best ally I have chosen."
Si Yanmo gave a slightly smug hum, "Of course."
Having resolved the Sano matter, Si Yanmo devoted herself entirely to the divination academy's assessment, spending her days either at the academy or memorizing texts.
After Zhou Yanqing found her a tutor, he also specially asked Wu Guan to add a table to the study in the east courtyard. The two of them worked together harmoniously, one working and the other cramming on rituals.
Zhou Yanqing also took Sano to the military camp in the suburbs for training. In order to prevent any spies from Sak from reporting this matter to the Khan, he also sent Chen Wu to follow Sano every day and let him lead the training as much as possible. He also found a school for him.
Soon, under the dual guidance of Mo Wenzhong and the Junior Master, Si Yanmo quickly memorized the ritual in three days, and the day to go to the Ministry of Rites for the assessment arrived in the blink of an eye.
——
The towering Digu statue in the Buyuan Temple looks down with a divine aura, creating a powerful sense of oppression.
The four people standing below were Zhang, the ritual officer of the Ministry of Rites; Wang, the shaman; Qi Muchen, the astrologer; and Mo Wenzhong.
In the pavilion on the side, behind the woods, students dressed in moon-white robes were surrounded in layers.
They heard that Grand Tutor Mo, who was usually elusive, had actually appeared at the assessment site today, so they all gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Facing these seniors alone, it would be a lie to say Si Yanmo wasn't nervous.
Fortunately, Zhang Liguan only asked about sacrificial rituals, which was something she excelled at memorizing; Wang Wu's questions about witchcraft and medicine were also not difficult for her, and she passed smoothly.
Just when she thought the final hurdle of astrology would be a piece of cake, Qi Muchen rolled up his purple sleeves and picked up a brush to draw a lunar phase diagram.
Describing a picture isn't difficult, but the picture before us is the "Moon Occurring in the Heart Constellation" (or "Antares" in Chinese astrology). Ancient texts record, "When the Moon occupies the Heart, there will be rebellious ministers, and the country will perish. When it devours the Heart, there will be a great thief within the country."
It concerns the nation, and it's not auspicious; saying it wrong means failing to get admitted to the hospital, saying it right means committing a capital offense.
Si Yanmo didn't know why the man in front of her was making things so difficult for her.
She took a deep breath and calmly said, "The moon's opposition to the heart signifies the appearance of treacherous traitors and threatens the rise and fall of the nation. Fortunately, I have never seen such a celestial phenomenon before, which suggests that the entire Great South is united and the country is peaceful and prosperous. The Qin region is also thriving."
Qi Muchen listened to every word, a smile playing on his lips, but his eyes scrutinized the person before him. He didn't say much, simply silently affixing his official seal to the assessment document.
The official in charge of ceremonies handed the orchid talisman to Si Yanmo, signifying that she had officially become a member of the divination academy.
The girl ran excitedly to Mo Wenzhong's side, waving the orchid talisman in front of him, "Master, see? I told you I could do it!"
In the past few days, Mo Wenzhong had been diligently explaining the ritual to her, so she simply started calling him "Master," and Mo Wenzhong didn't refuse.
"Didn't you want to become a sorcerer? Becoming a diviner is just the first step. Don't be arrogant or impatient!" Mo Wenzhong raised his fan and gently tapped her head. His tone was calm, but she still caught a hint of relief in his voice.
She tugged at Mo Wenzhong's sleeve and said with a smile, "Master, would you like to come to my residence for dinner today? Today is the Flower Festival, and we can celebrate my triumphant start!"
She leaned closer to the other person's ear and whispered, "Zhou Yanqing also went to Yunjianxuan to ask for some pear cakes!"
Mo Wenzhong remained outwardly calm, but the gradually rising corners of his mouth betrayed him. He coughed lightly, turned and left, leaving behind a cheerful "Go."
Si Yanmo understood and followed eagerly, while the people from the Bu Academy behind her began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Hey, did you hear that? That newcomer actually called Grand Tutor Mo 'Master'!"
"Doesn't Grand Tutor Mo accept disciples? How come a disciple suddenly appears?"
“I know, I know!” a wizard squeezed in. “I heard from the guards at the door that he saw the King of Qin personally escort this diviner here three days ago!”
"It's even related to the King of Qin?"
"Just who is this woman? I think I just heard Grand Tutor Mo say that she wants to be a shaman!"
"With both the King of Qin and Grand Tutor Mo involved, could the divination master have already been chosen?"
As everyone chattered excitedly, no one noticed a figure in a purplish-brown robe silently slipping away from the crowd...
——
The Flower Festival was a traditional festival in the Southern Dynasties. In the southern capital, people would gather to admire flowers, enjoy pastries, compose poems, and worship the Flower Goddess. However, the Qin region was located in the north, and at this time, not even the trees had sprouted buds, let alone flowers.
Even so, the people of Qin had a way. Some carpenters would carve all kinds of flowers out of wood, then paint them with colorful paints and sell them.
Wealthy families would also invite painters to their homes to create paintings on-site, and then have lyrics added and the paintings framed, which was quite enjoyable.
The Qin Prince's Palace clearly did not have these romantic and elegant activities.
The master and mistress of this mansion, one had been on the battlefield since childhood and had no time to appreciate flowers and compose poetry, while the other had never seen anything more elegant and interesting than the song and dance performances at Hechun Tower.
The once-prosperous Flower Festival has been reduced to nothing more than a hurried worship of the Flower Goddess and a meal.
After offering sacrifices to the Flower Goddess, everyone sat in the front yard chatting.
"Wow, so many people!" A figure in pink stepped across the threshold, and upon seeing Mo Wenzhong sitting in the main seat, turned to leave.
"Hey! Sister Lin!" Si Yanmo quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm, smiling as she took Lin Niang's arm. "Where are you going? It's time to eat!"
"Are you doing this on purpose?" Lin Niang playfully tapped the little girl's forehead. "I'm not eating with this old man."
"Lin Niang~ Sister Lin~ Master~" Si Yanmo hurriedly shook her arm and acted coquettishly, "Today can be considered my teacher appreciation banquet. You and Grand Tutor Mo are both my teachers. How can there be a teacher appreciation banquet without my teachers present?"
She had heard Zhou Yanqing talk about some things from the past few days.
Lin Niang used to be friends with Grand Tutor Mo and Zhou Yanqing's master. If it weren't for that incident, they wouldn't have stopped communicating with each other to this day.
Si Yanmo thought that the pear cake that Grand Tutor Mo had been longing for must be the source of their awkward interactions.
Lin Niang was persuaded to stop and sat down next to Mo Wenzhong, but she didn't look at him.
Mo Wenzhong, his eyes fixed on the food box in her hand, swallowed hard. "Um... I can..."
"No!" Lin Niang said, but took out the pastries from the food box and placed them on the table.
Grand Tutor Mo quickly "stole" a piece, enjoying a sip of tea and a bite of pastry.
Wu Guan and Chen Wu also sat to the side, enjoying their meal.
At this moment, Si Yanmo, who had returned from fetching the fruit platter, looked around and found that Sano was nowhere to be seen.
She asked Wu Guan and the others, who also said they hadn't seen anyone, and she immediately felt a little panicked.
Is this kid still figuring out how to run?
She quickly looked around for him, and after circling around, she finally found him in a corner of the west courtyard.
The boy, barely a teenager, squatted under a tree, drawing on the ground with a twig in his hand.
Si Yanmo breathed a sigh of relief and walked to his side, asking softly, "Why are you hiding here all by yourself? Why don't you go and eat with them?"
Sano did not answer, and continued to poke at the pebbles on the ground with his twig.
Si Yanmo knew that the little girl probably had something on her mind again.
She lifted the hem of her dress, squatted down next to him, and reached out a hand to touch his head: "What's wrong? Tell me."
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