Chapter 32 Lü Buwei: You threatened me before the campaign? (Tears welling up) ...
Taishu Jiu didn't think there was anything wrong with him splitting the wooden stake in half with one sword. He even turned around excitedly to look at Lü Buwei, as if to ask him if it was too much to ask him to join the army with his martial prowess.
"You saw it with your own eyes, Prime Minister Lü, Jiu will definitely not hold us back!"
Seeing Taishu Jiu turn around with his sword, looking quite agitated, Lü Buwei instinctively took a half-step back, then said, "Grand Chancellor, calm down. Don't get agitated. I didn't say you couldn't go. You... put your sword away before you speak."
With you standing here with your sword, who can tell the difference between you and those military generals who specialize in leading troops? He was being careless.
They also practiced swordsmanship, but they hadn't reached this level. After recalling the entire court, Lü Buwei couldn't remember anyone who could cut a wooden stake in half with a single sword stroke like Taishu Jiu.
His gaze shifted to the bronze sword in Taishu Jiu's hand. He knew that the sharp iron swords that only the elite soldiers in the army possessed were invented by this man. Perhaps there was some story behind the bronze sword in this man's hand?
Taishu Jiu, who had simply followed the trend and had a bronze sword forged because no one dared to sell the improved iron sword at the moment, said: "Thank you, Prime Minister Lü. I knew that Prime Minister Lü was a reasonable person and would never refuse to let me join the army because he looked down on my martial prowess."
Lu Buwei's lips twitched. He really was unreasonable before; he just wanted to use your lack of martial prowess as an excuse to refuse you.
"Sir, is there any special significance to this bronze sword?"
Taishu Jiu didn't understand what Lü Buwei meant by asking this. He asked with slight confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
"Has this bronze sword been improved? Is this a new bronze sword that you forged yourself, sir?"
Taishu Jiu found it strange; he couldn't understand why Lü Buwei thought he could forge bronze swords, just as he would never think there was anything wrong with him splitting a wooden stake in half with his sword.
He glanced down at the bronze sword in his hand, first sheathing it as Lü Buwei had requested, before replying, "No, it's a bronze sword forged by the most renowned swordsmith in Xianyang. You should know him, Prime Minister Lü? He's the swordsmith, Zhu."
Lü Buwei certainly knew that his favorite sword was also forged by this swordsmith, but...
"Haha, it's nothing, I was just a little emotional. I was really impressed by your incredible strength, Dai Ryozao."
Well, there's no need for further instructions. Lü Buwei felt that he had faced far more danger than his opponent on the journey.
"Prime Minister Lü is too kind. I was just practicing haphazardly."
Lü Buwei: ...
I didn't tell you to be humble at a time like this...
He said politely, "Your Excellency is too modest. Your bravery is unmatched in the court!"
So don't come and destroy his wooden stakes!
After praising Taishu Jiu, Lü Buwei immediately found a way to send the guest away. If he kept this Grand Chancellor any longer, who knew what might happen?
And he had an idea...
He dismissed the servants around him and stood alone in the courtyard.
After glancing around out of the corner of his eye and confirming that there was indeed no one around, Lü Buwei drew his bronze sword and swung it forcefully.
The wooden stake, already broken in two, was struck again by a sword, but the blade got stuck just halfway into the stake; judging by the depth, it was at most two fingers deep.
Normally, this would be considered an exceptional performance for him, but compared to Taishu Jiuyi today, he felt that he was really too 'bad'.
After Taishu Da Liangzao left, Prime Minister Lü was still questioning the meaning of life.
****
As it turns out, people's joys and sorrows are not the same. At this moment, Taishu Jiu was in a good mood and even sent a private message to Zhu Qing'ai to show off:
[Host, Taishu Jiu: Qing'ai, this time I convinced them on my own!]
[System 99 (Zhu Qing'ai): Oh? That's amazing! *praise*
[Host Taishu Jiu: Actually, it was nothing. I just demonstrated how to split a wooden stake with a bronze sword for Prime Minister Lü, and he didn't say anything more.]
[System 99 (Zhu Qing'ai): Whatever makes you happy.jpg]
[Host Taishu Jiu: Sorry, scratching his head.jpg]
****
Zhu Qingai, who was wearing the 'Qin' alias to work, chuckled, her expression a mix of helplessness and barely suppressed amusement.
Ying Zheng put down the bamboo slip in his hand and asked curiously, "Why did Mother suddenly laugh?"
“I just happened to see something interesting. Look,” Qin waved her hand gently, and a mansion appeared in the shadow. She tapped the house, and the building suddenly enlarged. From an overhead angle, she could see a person standing alone in the courtyard. “I don’t usually pay attention to anyone, but I just happened to see him doing this. This Taishu is really interesting.”
Ying Zheng's autotranslation suggests that he paid little attention to others in order to visit them frequently, or that he paid attention to everyone but not to anyone in particular, except for him.
As she finished speaking, the people inside moved backward, quickly rewinding to the moment when Taishu Jiu insisted on demonstrating his swordsmanship to Lü Buwei.
Ying Zheng watched this scene in astonishment; he had never seen his motherland use this ability before.
He thought this ability was really useful; if there was a case that couldn't be solved, he could just work backwards to find out who the perpetrator was.
Unfortunately, only he could see his motherland. While he felt regret, he also felt a secret joy. How could this not be considered evidence of his close connection with his motherland?
The illusory image made everything seem unreal, but after Taishu Jiu swung his sword in the image, it suddenly became real. Ying Zheng asked in surprise, "Is this really the Grand Master of Ceremonies?"
It's not that I doubt Tai Shu Jiu's strength, it's just that the strength he showed in the video just now was different from his usual image.
He knew that Taishu Jiu was skilled in swordsmanship, but he thought that Taishu Jiu was just like other nobles, and that his sword was just for decoration. He also thought that Taishu Da Liangzao's real job was farming.
"Yes, but Lu Buwei probably felt threatened, right? Hahaha."
Qin laughed for a while and then stopped: "It's been a long time since I've seen something this interesting."
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement: "...Prime Minister Lü must have been quite surprised. After Mr. Taishu's sword strike, no one dared to say anything more."
Indeed, when Taishu Jiu was demonstrating his swordsmanship to Lü Buwei, Lü Buwei did not dismiss his attendants; both of them were accompanied by people.
While Lü Buwei was debating whether to suppress the news, the story of Taishu Da Liangzao (Grand Tutor) cutting down a thick wooden stake in the Prime Minister's house with a single sword had become increasingly outrageous.
What started as cutting down a wooden stake escalated into chopping down a pillar belonging to the Prime Minister's family, and then into a heated argument between the two, which led to Da Liang getting angry and drawing his sword to chase after the Prime Minister.
In the end, some even said that the current prime minister was seriously injured, bedridden, and would not live much longer.
Before his subordinates could even report what had happened, Lü Buwei received various versions of rumors: ? ? ?
No, he's really fine. The Grand Marshal didn't chase after him to kill him, and he's not bedridden or dying!
Left with no other choice, Lü Buwei not only had to handle various military supplies and dispatches before the army set off, but also had to hold a banquet to clarify and dispel the recent rumors that he was going to die.
He no longer had the energy to have his subordinates investigate how Taishu Jiu had learned that he was going to lead troops to conquer the Zhou state.
To dispel the rumors, he specially invited Taishu Jiu, exchanged pleasantries with him at the banquet, and even gave him gifts, so that Taishu Jiu could not only eat at the banquet but also take things away, trying to convey the impression that the two had a good relationship.
After the banquet, although Lü Buwei was glad that Taishu Jiu cooperated and he received Taishu Jiu's "good guy" card, he felt a sudden pain in his heart as he looked at the final expenditure, and his 'feelings' for Taishu Jiu became more and more complicated.
So how did something that was so simple in the beginning end up like this?
****
Unlike the chaos on Lü Buwei's side, Taishu Jiu's preparations before the expedition went much more smoothly.
Before setting off, he first made the table and chair set he had promised to give to Prince Qin, and then had the servants in the mansion sew a matching set of clothes for Prince Qin overnight.
Of course, Ying Zheng also had a share in all of these things. He still remembered that he had promised Ying Zheng first and then promised to give them to Ying Zichu.
When he finally delivered the table and chairs to Prince Qin, he also included a letter with them, emphasizing that the child should not wear open-crotch pants while sitting on the chairs, otherwise it would be easy to expose himself!
Regardless of what Prince Qin thought when he received the items and the letter, he at least got his first pair of non-open-crotch pants and sat in his first chair.
After using the table and chair set, Prince Qin fell in love with it. The reason was simple: sitting on it was much more comfortable than kneeling.
Prince Zichu of Qin immediately ordered the craftsmen to make a replica, replacing all the furniture in the Xianyang Palace, and then bestowing the extra sets of tables and chairs upon his trusted ministers.
This included Lü Buwei. When he received the item and heard that it was another invention by the Grand Master of Ceremonies, his feelings became complicated, but he did not doubt the item's usefulness.
Everyone in Xianyang knew that anything Taishu Da Liangzao (Grand Master Taishu) brought out was bound to be of high quality.
After using them, he discovered the advantages of those pants with a crotch. Wearing these pants meant he didn't need to wear a skirt over them, saving fabric and making it more convenient for ordinary people to work.
He immediately wrote a letter requesting that the method of making this kind of clothing be taught to the common people as a way of bestowing favors upon the world, and also asked Taishu Jiu for credit.
Unfortunately, the current military merit system only has a maximum of seventeen levels. Back then, the late king granted him the top-level title of Grand General, so Ying Zichu couldn't grant him any more titles and could only reward him in other ways.
At this point, Taishu Jiu's assets had increased even more.
****
Thanks to Lü Buwei (jpg)
That's not the point. The point is that he made a profit. With the points he earned, he could get Qing'ai a physical body sooner, so he was still very happy.
Zhu Qing'ai was also happy because her upgrade progress had started to move again. It proved that it didn't necessarily have to be a big event to make the upgrade progress move. Although the progress bar moved slowly, even a small mosquito is still meat. She believed that she would be able to upgrade to a level three system sooner or later!
****
On the day when the army was officially set off, Prince Zichu of Qin personally came to the camp to boost morale. He told Zhu Qing'ai that this was actually the leader's speech before the army set off.
On either side of Ying Zichu stood Taishu Jiu (Ying Zheng) and Lü Buwei; it could be said that all the top leaders were present.
Unseen by others, Qin also arrived, sincerely wishing and hoping that her children could return safely.
She would set off with them, and even if the Zhou dynasty on the other side, barely clinging to life, had lost all sense of national identity, she would still stand with them.
She was there when they were fighting on the battlefield.
Although it cannot directly affect the battlefield, it can prevent any country from suddenly coming over and causing trouble.
"How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields. We will fight alongside you against this common enemy!"*1
She joined in with a soft chant, its sound as grand as the tolling of bells and as cleansing as a stream washing over the soul.
"How can you say we have no clothes? We will share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and halberds. We will fight together with you!"
"How can we say we have no clothes? We will share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our armor and weapons. We will march together!"*2
She has sung this song countless times, and has watched countless people go to the battlefield for her sake. It is because of the countless people who never returned that she is who she is today...
"How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you!"*3
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Author's Note: *1, 2, and 3 are all war songs from the Book of Songs. Full text:
How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields. We will fight alongside you against this common enemy!
How can you say we have no clothes? We'll share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and halberds. We'll fight together!
How can you say we have no clothes? We'll share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our armor and weapons. We'll march together!
How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes.
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Trousers during the Warring States period did not have a crotch, and they were not the open-crotch type; they were practically just two pant legs tied to the legs, so they could not be considered trousers. Therefore, it was considered an insult for Jing Ke to sit with his legs spread apart against a pillar after his failed assassination attempt on the King of Qin.
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