Chapter 362 Why bother with such pretense! (4000 words)
After returning to the palace, Xiao Mo took a bath and sat cross-legged on the bed once more.
With a thought, Xiao Mo once again entered the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
Upon returning to the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, Xiao Mo's first action was to try to recall some events from reality.
Xiao Mo could recall many things, but there were some things that seemed to be sealed away, and he just couldn't remember them no matter what he did.
This situation is indeed different from the previous three incarnations.
The first three lifetimes.
When I left the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, although the cultivation methods and other things in the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes were blurred due to the protection of the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes' divine consciousness, I still remembered the general people and the general events.
But in this life.
When he left the Book of a Hundred Generations, he remembered nothing.
Even when he returned to the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes, some of his memories from reality were stripped away by the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
Xiao Mo suspected that this was also a kind of soul protection mechanism of the Book of a Hundred Lifetimes.
"Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll talk about it later."
Xiao Mo shook his head.
Even if I keep thinking about it for another ten days or half a month, I still can't come up with a solution. I can only take it one step at a time for now.
Time passed day by day in the Book of a Hundred Generations, and Xiao Mo remained in the imperial city.
These days have been the most comfortable and pleasant period for Xiao Mo, apart from his childhood.
Xiao Mo spends his days reading or practicing marksmanship in the courtyard, and often goes back to the Xiao residence with Si Yao to have meals with his mother.
Qin Siyao would come to Xiao Mo's residence every day.
The decree of marriage bestowed by the King of Qin has been issued. Although Qin Siyao has not yet officially entered the family, she is no different from an ordinary wife and is already the rightful mistress of the Frost King's Mansion.
While Xiao Mo was reading and writing, Qin Siyao would serve tea and water, grind ink and brush, or sit not far away with a scroll and paint pictures for Xiao Mo.
Qin Siyao was forced to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting back then, just so she could leave the palace to find Xiao Mo. She never touched these things on a regular basis.
However, Qin Siyao discovered that when she slowly sketched the image of her beloved on the scroll, she never seemed to get tired of drawing.
Moreover, Qin Siyao felt happier and happier as she painted, and she felt that she could paint Xiao Mo for a lifetime.
However, Qin Siyao found that no matter how she drew it, it didn't seem to look as good as the real Xiao Mo.
Sometimes, Qin Siyao would also ask Xiao Mo to play chess with her.
Qin Siyao's chess skills were naturally inferior to Xiao Mo's.
He was often utterly defeated by Xiao Mo.
But Qin Siyao later realized that she could back out.
Whenever she made a mistake, Qin Siyao would puff out her cheeks and take her piece back.
Seeing the woman in front of him constantly taking back her moves, Xiao Mo didn't say anything, just smiled slightly and continued playing.
Even so, Qin Siyao found that she still couldn't beat Xiao Mo and lost many games.
In the end, Qin Siyao looked as aggrieved as a pufferfish, her big eyes brimming with tears.
At this point, Xiao Mo would usually let her have a plate.
Although Qin Siyao lost all day and only won one game, she was still as happy as a child.
During this period, Qin Siyao felt that traveling from the Princess's Mansion to the Frost King's Mansion every day was too far, so she simply moved to the Frost King's Mansion.
Qin Siyao originally wanted to move to Xiao Mo's courtyard.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Qin Siyao felt that this was not quite right, since she was not yet married into the family.
So Qin Siyao moved in next door to Xiao Mo.
Qin Siyao can also cook.
However, Qin Siyao never gave Xiao Mo any of the food she cooked.
Xiao Mo asked for his reason.
Qin Siyao blushed and said, "I'm not very good at cooking, these dishes don't taste good. I'll cook them for you once I've mastered them."
After saying that, Qin Siyao ran out of the courtyard and took the food to her two older brothers.
But Xiao Mo felt that Si Yao had too high expectations of herself.
After all, in Xiao Mo's opinion, the dishes Qin Siyao made looked very good and smelled delicious.
To encourage Siyao, Xiao Mo secretly tasted a bite of the dish she made one day.
As a result, even though Xiao Mo was a Golden Core cultivator, his stomach felt uncomfortable for a whole day after taking that bite.
Xiao Mo couldn't understand why she could make the dish look like this, even though she only used ordinary spirit beast flesh and blood and didn't use anything strange.
Xiao Mo suddenly felt that the eldest prince and the second prince were both quite pitiful.
The Frost King's Mansion was not originally decorated much, but after the King of Qin bestowed the marriage upon her, Qin Siyao would often have people bring over artificial mountains made of spirit stones and some spirit flowers and herbs.
Some spirit fish were also raised in the pond of the Frost King's Mansion, happily decorating everything in the mansion.
That is to say, there is still a long time before the wedding. Otherwise, Xiao Mo felt that Si Yao would definitely be decorating the wedding room properly.
As for matters concerning the imperial court.
There was no news from the imperial court.
The Qin king seemed not to have heard Xiao Mo's talk of reforms, and there was no word of it in the officialdom.
However, the King of Qin still sought ways to reform, but he was not satisfied with any of the memorials submitted by his ministers.
In fact, most of the court officials knew what kind of memorials the King of Qin wanted to see; after all, no one who could enter the court was a fool.
But how could they possibly tell?
Xiao Mo could understand it too.
The reforms he proposed involved far too many powerful forces.
If we are not careful, those nobles could unite and cause trouble, and the entire Qin state could be destroyed, and other states could take advantage of the situation.
However, the King of Qin issued an imperial edict to recruit guest ministers from other states.
Based on the three-tiered system of guest ministers described by Xiao Mo, the ruler of Qin formulated more specific regulations.
In summary, there are three points.
First, the principle of meritocracy applies to all, regardless of background. Whether you are a fallen nobleman, a commoner, or a foreign spy, as long as you have real talent and skills, you may be hired.
Secondly, merit was paramount, and empty fame was disregarded. The only hard currency for promotion was "merit," especially military merit and substantial policy results. Those who merely talked about benevolence and morality would find it difficult to gain a foothold in Qin.
Third, the ruler of Qin deliberately intensified the competition among his guest advisors.
Because of the high mobility of guest advisors, their positions and titles were not hereditary, and today's high-ranking officials might be dismissed tomorrow due to failure.
Therefore, Xiao Mo could already imagine the brutal competition among the guest advisors: "the capable rise, the average step aside, and the mediocre fall."
Of course, the Qin state would never be stingy with its capable advisors, and would give them sufficient rewards and respect.
As for the methods of recruiting guest advisors, there are two main approaches.
Whether it's through introductions from others or self-promotion, either way is acceptable.
The ruler of Qin granted special permission for some officials to assess guest ministers.
Those who pass the assessment will be granted the status of "guest minister".
Then he would be introduced to the ruler of Qin.
The ruler of Qin would assign him specific administrative tasks to test him, such as sending him on missions to other countries, serving as a military advisor or leading troops in battle, or being in charge of a specific project.
If one performs meritorious service in the test, one will be granted a real position and a noble title.
The highest rank one could attain was prime minister.
certainly.
If a guest retainer performs meritorious service, the person who recommended him/her will also be rewarded.
After the edict was issued, news of Qin recruiting guest ministers spread far and wide.
In the Qin capital, some capable individuals from various states wrote directly to the Frost King's residence, expressing their desire to visit the Frost King.
Xiao Mo naturally did not refuse.
Xiao Mo did indeed discover a few decent people.
The first person was named Bai Qi. Bai Qi was originally from the Qin state. He was strong from a young age, but lost his father at a young age.
When he was thirteen, Bai Qi killed a rich young man who had humiliated his mother. He and his mother then fled to the State of Qi, where they remained in hiding for seven years.
A few months ago, I risked returning to Qin to attend the funeral because a relative had passed away.
Upon hearing that the Qin state was actively recruiting foreign advisors, Bai Qi decided to give it a try.
Although Bai Qi's current cultivation level is only Qi Refining, his talent is not bad; he just lacks resources. Moreover, he has great ambitions and is well-versed in military strategy.
However, this person is too aggressive and needs to be tempered.
However, unsurprisingly, he achieved great success later in life.
The second person's name is Zhang Yi.
This man is eloquent and was born in the State of Chu. He is now three hundred years old.
Zhang Yi is a descendant of nobility, a master of the Dragon Gate realm, and a student of the art of diplomacy and strategy under Guiguzi.
In his early years, Zhang Yi traveled to various states to persuade the feudal lords, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He was humiliated in the State of Chu and even framed, causing his entire family to flee. Zhang Yi also left Chu and came to the State of Qin.
Zhang Yi knows when to advance and retreat, understands the proper measure, is courageous and resourceful, and has an extremely keen judgment of the situation.
The third person's name is Baili Xi.
Baili Xi was born in the State of Yu, and came from a poor family. He was even a mortal without spiritual roots and was unable to cultivate.
He is now sixty years old.
In this world, a sixty-year-old who is unable to cultivate is basically buried up to his neck.
When the maid reported to Xiao Mo that "an elderly man over sixty years old wants to be interviewed as a guest minister," Xiao Mo was stunned.
But Xiao Mo still felt he needed to see him, so he invited him into the mansion.
As a result, Xiao Mo discovered that this person was well-read, knowledgeable about people's hearts and minds, and adept at understanding human nature, especially possessing profound insights into domestic affairs! He was a capable minister for governing the country.
After Xiao Mo appointed him as a guest minister, Baili Xi strongly recommended Jian Shu.
Xiao Mo sent someone with Baili Xi's letter to fetch Jian Shu back to Qin.
Seeing that the world-renowned Frost King had taken in guest advisors in such a short time, many people felt that they could do it too and went to the Frost King's mansion to recommend themselves.
But most of them are cunning and incompetent people who want to gain some advantage.
Xiao Mo finally decided to have Xiahou Nan "interview" him, and sent these people to Xiahou Nan's mansion in the west of the city.
If Xiahou Nan thinks someone is suitable, he will meet with them again.
After Xiao Mo introduced Bai Qi and the others to the King of Qin, the King of Qin was overjoyed and talked with Zhang Yi and Baili Xi all night long.
As for Bai Qi, the King of Qin also felt that the boy was too sharp and needed to be trained, so he sent him to the Northern Wilderness Army and planned to make him Xiao Mo's deputy general in the future.
Furthermore, the Qin king's decision to have Xiao Mo select his own team was also Xiao Shi's idea.
Xiao Mo knew that the King of Qin and his father intended for him to take over the Northern Wilderness Army in the future.
Since the Spring Festival was approaching, the King of Qin simply allowed those old acquaintances of Xiao Mo to return to the city.
This includes Xiao Yang, Xiao Fu, and others who studied boxing with Xiao Mo, as well as Xiao Mo's classmates from the Iron Tiger Army.
Among the Xiao clan, only Xiao Yang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Dashi caught Xiao Mo's eye, and he took them on as his subordinates.
As for Xiao Mo's contemporaries in the Iron Tiger Army, Zhao Wei, Xu Yongsheng, and others were soldiers who had left the Iron Tiger Army alive. Their cultivation talents and military skills were already quite good, and the training over the years had made them even more mature, so Xiao Mo naturally accepted them all.
They all lived with Xiahou Nan from Xicheng. Xiao Mo asked General Xiahou to give them lessons, and Xiao Mo would often go to them for drinks.
With only ten days left until the Lunar New Year, Princess Ji Yue of Jin had already arrived in the capital of Qin.
The eldest princess arrived six months early, firstly to learn about the customs of the Qin state, and secondly to demonstrate the sincerity of the Jin state.
With the arrival of the Second Prince's sister-in-law, Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao naturally went to visit the Second Prince's residence.
The Second Prince and his future Empress personally received Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao.
Although it is true that this princess's appearance is not as good as Qin Siyao's, only about 80% of Qin Siyao's.
However, Qin Siyao was hailed as the most beautiful woman in all the kingdoms, so Ji Yue, who possessed eight-tenths of Qin Siyao's beauty, was already a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
Moreover, this eldest princess is gentle and refined, and her way of dealing with people is like a breath of fresh air. Every move she makes is graceful and elegant. She has truly not disgraced the Jin royal family. She is more than qualified to be the second princess, and she gets along very well with Qin Siyao.
After Qin Siyao and Xiao Mo came out, Qin Siyao kept muttering, "How could such a good person like Sister Ji Yue end up with a piece of cow dung like my brother?"
Xiao Mo felt that the Second Prince was perfectly worthy of the Princess of Jin.
However, for some reason, Xiao Mo felt that the Second Prince and this Princess of Jin were somewhat distant.
Xiao Mo felt that this was not just because the Second Prince disliked the marriage, but more like a deep-seated aversion.
The Second Prince's Residence.
After seeing Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao off from the mansion, Princess Ji Yue of Jin returned to her courtyard.
"Siyao and the others left?"
In the courtyard, the Second Prince Qin Jingyuan picked up a wine cup and drank it down in one gulp.
Qin Jingyuan was not a heavy drinker, but since the engagement, he has been drinking alone every day, as if to numb himself.
"Yes, my lord, Her Highness the princess and the others have left." Ji Yue nodded.
"Mm." Qin Jingyuan drank another cup.
Seeing the snowflakes falling continuously on her husband's shoulders, Ji Yue took off her own cloak and walked behind Qin Jingyuan to cover him with it.
"Don't touch me!"
The moment the princess accidentally touched Qin Jingyuan's shoulder, Qin Jingyuan suddenly stood up.
Ji Yue's delicate body trembled slightly, her lips pursed, and she stood there blankly.
"You're nothing but a pawn, and this marriage wasn't your wish. Why put on this act? Get out!"
Qin Jingyuan roared at Ji Yue.
Ji Yue's hands trembled, her eyes filled with tears, and she slowly said, "The snow is heavy and the weather is cold; please take care of yourself, my husband."
Ji Yue bowed slightly, then took her cloak and retreated back to her room.
The snow falling from the sky is getting heavier and heavier.
Qin Jingyuan sat on the stone bench, drinking one cup after another.
Finally, the man simply threw away his wine glass, lay down in the snow, picked up the wine jug and drank straight from it until he was buried by the snow.
(End of this chapter)
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