Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 40

Xiao Yan'er still needs the Rejuvenation Technique, and she is left alone at headquarters with her daughter, feeling helpless and alone.

Zhou He actually had some reservations about Lu Wei's decision to return to Yan. In his opinion, as the steward and the successor of the hall master, Lu Wei should not be running around aimlessly anymore. Daze Mountain is the main base of the peasant family.

Compared to when he first arrived, Lu Wei was much more confident after hearing these words. He chose to persuade the old hall master by saying that "there are still nearly 10,000 peasant disciples in the territory of Yan".

These Yan disciples will naturally have to retreat to Daze Mountain in the future, because among the six states of Shandong, only Qi will not be affected by war for a long time to come.

But the deadline isn't now; the Yan state can still develop for a few more years before the assassination plot against the Qin emperor takes place.

------

With three people and two horses, Lu Wei and Lu Ni, who was carrying Xiao Yan'er, entered Jicheng. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad, and they encountered a blizzard.

It was April, and such heavy snow was rarely recorded even in winter.

The entire city of Ji was covered in white snow, and visibility was extremely low due to the heavy snowfall. The gates of Luqiu Pavilion were tightly closed. Lu Wei and Lu Ni didn't have time to knock on the door and wait for someone to open it, so they simply left their horses outside and used their lightness skills to leap directly into the pavilion through the third-floor window.

This is Lu Wei's office, the same room where he previously received Gao Jianli.

Turning around, Lu Wei quickly closed the window and used his breath to shake off the snowflakes from his body.

I haven't been back for several months, and the office room is clean and tidy, without any dust. It seems that someone wipes it down carefully every day.

Sensing two familiar presences outside the door, Lu Wei smiled and sat cross-legged in the main seat: "It's me, you two come in!"

"Brother Lu!" "Boss!"

Lu Yu and Lu Ye, who were standing with their backs against the wall outside the door, drawing their swords and ready to stab out at any moment, were first stunned when they heard the sound, and then overjoyed: they had heard the unusual noise and thought that some thief had broken into Luqiu Pavilion, and were just about to teach him a bloody lesson.

In a flurry, they tossed aside their swords, pushed open the door, and went around the screen depicting Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs. When they saw that it was indeed their elder brother who had returned, they couldn't help but burst into tears of joy.

Then he saw a strange woman holding a child standing behind Lu Wei, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

"This is Lu Ni, just like you."

Understanding their thoughts, Lu Wei smiled faintly and introduced them briefly before saying, "The wind and snow outside are too heavy; Lu Ni's daughter may catch a cold."

"Ayu, take her to a good room to stay in, and also tell a few female disciples to boil some hot water and send it over... I'll send some over too."

"Ah Ye, our horses are still outside. Go and have a disciple bring them in."

"Go find Shan and Mu again. The four of you wait for me in the second-floor meeting room later."

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Master."

...

Luqiu Pavilion has changed quite a bit in the months I've been away.

For example, under Yu Ye's arrangement, the pavilion even had maids specially prepared to serve the guests, which was quite unlike the behavior of a farmer's disciple who farmed the land.

Enjoying the care and attention of Qianqian's delicate hands, and not having to lift a finger, Lu Wei didn't dwell on the matter too much. After taking a hot shower, he put on his coat and went downstairs to the second floor.

Shan Yu Mu Ye was sitting upright in the reception room. When he saw his boss enter, he quickly stood up straight.

Lu Wei waved his hand, indicating that the four of them should make themselves at home, and then walked to the bearskin seat opposite them and sat down comfortably.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got down to business:

"Thank you for your hard work these past few months!"

"Let each of you report on the current situation in the Yan Kingdom."

"Yes!" Lu Yu excitedly raised her hand first, "Brother Lu, Brother Lu, I'll go first..."

"I formed a secret team following the instructions in those books!"

"The identities of the members of the secret team are kept secret, and they come from all walks of life: from street vendors and tavern waiters to guards in Lord Yanchun's mansion..."

Chapter 56 Current Status of Luqiu Pavilion

At the Gonggongtang headquarters, Lu Wei saw in the logbook a record of a non-existent secret team with several hundred members, whose purpose was to swindle funds.

Unexpectedly, Ah Yu actually managed to create such an organization at Luqiu Pavilion by sheer accident...

"The Dark Team?" Lu Wei asked calmly, staring at Lu Yu. "What do you have them do on a regular basis?"

"Gather intelligence and monitor whether other Luqiu Pavilion disciples are betraying us!" Lu Yu said smugly. "At the same time, I also secretly have them supervise each other. Once they discover that a colleague has ulterior motives or is not working diligently, they will receive a triple reward as long as it is confirmed!"

"Did they know each other's identities?"

"Of course, otherwise how can we supervise each other?" Lu Yu sensed something was off about his boss's tone, so he honestly explained his thoughts: "I'm worried about their loyalty, that's why I made this arrangement."

While still trading in the State of Chu, Yu Ye and Lu Shan, who were cultivating a reliable reserve force for Lu Wei, had already planted spies in the caravan. These spies even monitored Lu Shan's secret learning of sword dance, and the organization was already taking the shape of a professional spy organization.

After returning to Jicheng, Lu Ye focused on nurturing the Chu orphans and the newly recruited Yan orphans, wholeheartedly serving as an instructor.

Lu Yu was quite lively. He occasionally participated in the teaching, but he spent most of his time staying at Luqiu Pavilion to guard the house for Lu Wei who had left.

When he was really bored, he would look for something to do: the trivial chores of Luqiu Pavilion were not his forte, so he naturally picked up the old pleasure of planting spies to monitor the whole city.

However, Lu Yu's education level was ultimately limited, and his involvement with the secret team was more out of interest than professionalism.

Just from his description, one could sense the serious problems within this secret team: if even one member were exposed and severely tortured, the rest would immediately be tracked down and captured...

However, Lu Yu's idea of ​​setting up a surveillance team is still commendable. He hadn't bothered with this matter before because it wasn't necessary.

Now, we must make some preparations for when we rule Gonggongtang in the future.

Thinking of this, Lu Wei calmly said, "Tomorrow, compile the list of members of the Dark Team and the intelligence gathered over the past six months into a book and give it to me. I will teach you some new knowledge."

"Yes!" With his brother Lu's affirmation, Lu Yu's confidence soared.

"After Ah Shan returned from the State of Chu, he took over the administration of Luqiu Pavilion, right?"

Lu Wei turned slightly to look at Lu Shan and asked again.

"Yes, boss, the teacher cooperated very well in handing over the reins to me."

Lu Shan nodded. The "teacher" refers to the elderly deputy pavilion master who was appointed by Lu Wei after the Great Purge. He was placed in that position because he was sensible.

Without Lu Wei needing to speak again, Lu Shan continued to recount his achievements since taking office:

“Since September of last year, Luqiu Pavilion in Jicheng has added 894 new disciples, 65 of whom have impure backgrounds. I have given the list of these people to Brother Yu and asked him to send someone to monitor them.”

"Mmm!" Lu Yu nodded.

"In terms of fiscal revenue, doing business is still our main source of income, and the harvest from the land cultivated by our disciples is mostly only enough to sustain their own food."

"The Yan state has too little fertile land suitable for cultivation."

"As you requested in your letter, I traded the few surplus grains, except for those transported to Daze Mountain, to the State of Zhao."

"There are also some weapons being smuggled, and we are trying to contact General Li Mu of Zhao, hoping to meet with him."

Then, Lu Shan's expression turned serious: "The overall morale within Luqiu Pavilion is still quite good, but after Xu Qiu returned last year, all the Xu family disciples withdrew..."

“I’ll handle this.” Lu Wei waved his hand, indicating that he should skip the topic: “I will visit the Xu family in a few days.”

"Ah Ye, how's the training of those trusted followers going?"

Looking at Lu Ye again, Lu Ye immediately straightened his back. When he was training those subordinates, he himself was also subtly influenced by them.

"After Brother Shan returned, I asked him to mobilize his disciples in Jicheng and the surrounding towns to recruit seventy-five orphans from Yan State from the refugee camps and the famine-stricken countryside, and to train them together with the original Chu children."

“There are many people and many eyes in Jicheng. I borrowed a token from Yan Chunjun’s steward and requisitioned a piece of land in Shuzhen in Yan Chunjun’s name to build our branch there.”

"Over the past few months, thirty-three Chu'er and nine Yan'er have performed exceptionally well and have been temporarily borrowed by Brother Shan to take on some tasks in the pavilion."

At this point, Lu Ye complained, "They could have been even better."

“After the Xu family left Luqiu Pavilion, I need many literate disciples to fill the vacancies, there’s no other way…” Lu Shan explained in a deep voice.

“It’s alright, they can grow through their work…” Lu Wei made the final decision, and Yama and Ye fell silent: “Recruiting only a hundred or so orphans is still too few. Ye, is there any room for expansion in the branch?”

When Lu Ye heard his boss ask this, he shook his head: "It's difficult. If it's not illegal... we can only find so many orphans from Yan..."

"Besides, I can only manage to look after a hundred or so people by myself at most..."

"Is that so..." Lu Wei lowered his eyes in thought, and when he looked up again, Lu Mu spoke last:

"Boss, my research on mechanical arts also needs a lot of help..."

The first thing he said was that he wanted people.

Clearly, he wanted literate "highly skilled" people, not clumsy laborers.

Mechanical engineering is an advanced technology.

"You'll need to train the mechanical experts yourself. I have other uses for Lu Ye's disciples!"

After firmly shaking his head and refusing Amu's request, Lu Wei subconsciously made a promise: "I'm trying to find you a real master of mechanical arts to be your teacher. You'll have to overcome your current difficulties on your own for now."

"Yes..." Lu Mu could only shut up, but his mind was filled with endless fantasies about the 'true master of mechanisms' that his boss had mentioned.

Amu had been reporting his progress in mechanical arts to him through letters over the past six months, so Lu Wei didn't ask him about it anymore.

After finishing his conversation with his four younger brothers, Lu Wei looked at the growing Mountain Rain Leaf, took out four strings of Four-Star Bead Grass, and placed them in front of them:

"You've all done a great job over the past six months. I'll be visiting you in the next few days to see your individual results."

"Even within the entire farming family, the status of a four-star pearl grass is considered mid-to-high level, but for you, it is merely a starting point."

"Yes, boss!" The four men received the pearl grass, and before they could even rejoice, they heard Lu Wei speak up again:

"After the snow stops, I'll test your martial arts skills over the past six months."

Don't disappoint me in this regard either!

Chapter 57 Test

After finishing his meeting with his fourth brother, Lu Wei returned to the third floor.

Take the Jade Soul Sword from your waist and hang it on the wall of the room, and the most perfect 'Jade Sword Painting' is complete.

No matter how many times he looked at it, he was still amazed by the beauty of his sword. With a smile and a shake of his head, Lu Wei took out another famous sword: Hao Cao.

The identity of this trophy was revealed to her by Lu Ni. She didn't have much knowledge about famous swords, but Hao Cao was an exception; she remembered this sword very clearly: when Lu Ni was still Jing Ni, she had seen it inside the Luo Wang organization...

Six years ago, she officially earned the name Jing Ni, while another assassin from Luo Wang obtained the title of Hao Cao.

The two then collaborated on an assassination mission, during which Ren Hao Cao accidentally stepped on a trap and died on the spot.