Yellow plumes of sand covered the sky as the neighing of warhorses and the roars of soldiers resounded throughout the Northern Desert.

Jiang Shuoye’s attention was originally on the “High Priest,” but when the column of cavalry burst out, he could no longer think of anything else.

The cold gleam of their weapons reflected in his clear black pupils. The horses raised their front legs high, and the soldier’s spears clanged.

His heart pulsated violently. The scene Jiang Shuoye had rehearsed countless times in his mind was actually playing out at this exact moment.

The cavalry phalanx before him was still a little disorganized, but it was much stronger then before.

Jiang Shuoye felt that even if the current Mobei cavalry were to fight against the Tatar army, they would not be defeated. If they were trained well in the future, the Mobei Army may even be able to launch a counterattack. 

–You only need to protect the people of the Northern Desert.

This was the High Priest’s expectation for Jiang Shuoye. But now, there seemed to be a fire burning in his eyes.

He felt that with such an army, not only could he protect the people of the Northern Desert, but he could even push the border of Great Ning out hundreds of li.

If only they could be bolder…..

Jiang Shuoye looked toward the far north, which contained lush grasslands, Tatar tribes with their strong horses and soldiers, and the vaster world beyond.

The cavalry formation had already galloped a great distance. The commander stood up straight with the help of his stirrups and waved the fluttering Mobei Army flag in his hands.

At the command, the cavalrymen turned their horses around and rushed back toward the military camp. 

The team now seemed to be running with the momentum of thousands of troops. Watching them rush toward them from afar, the blacksmiths and other soldiers standing in place felt their blood boil.

This was the new cavalry, the new Mobei Army!

The blacksmiths’ eyes welled up.

They had lived in this town on the desert border for generations, and it went without saying how deep their feelings were for the army guarding this place.

The army stationed here had always protected the common people diligently, never allowing them to see a glimpse of Tatar swords.

This was the case with the Qin Family Army after Emperor Wuzong, as well as with the Mobei Army that had arrived here several years ago.

Unlike the blacksmiths, the soldiers who had yet to receive the equipment were eager to try it out. If they could also be equipped with saddles and stirrups, they would certainly be as valiant as these soldiers before them.

Chu Jiubian was also quite satisfied.

Although these soldiers didn’t seem very strong now, they were being trained by the outstanding General Jiang Shuoye, who also had modern training methods in his possession. In time, the Mobei Army would definitely be a super powerful force.

It was just that 80,000 soldiers might not be enough. They were still too few.

The armies of the two vassal kings who appeared in [Alternative Believer Cards] were 50,000 and 80,000 respectively. The Qin Family Army was divided into smaller sections such as the Imperial Guard and the City Defense Force, but there were still 50,000 people total.

Qin Xiao also had 10,000 private soldiers that were unknown to the public.

Compared with these numbers, the border army of 80,000 soldiers was really not sufficient.

Jiang Shuoye would definitely need to recruit more soldiers later. Right now, the other party was so poor that they had to patch their pillows, and recruiting soldiers was too difficult.

Plus, the Mobei Army was not “unknown.” Everyone in the Imperial Court was watching them. If Jiang Shuoye recruited soldiers, he certainly wouldn’t be able to hide it from them, which might bring some trouble to his doorstep.

Even things like the stirrups and saddles would likely become known to the powerful and influential people in the court in short order.

But Chu Jiubian had considered this when he handed those things out. Improving yourself and making others fear you was far more effective than hiding your abilities.

What’s more, neither the Mobei Army nor Chu Jiubian himself possessed the capital to play the pig to eat the tiger. They would be under the spotlight from the very beginning.

Therefore, they all had to become stronger so that when others wanted to take action against them, they would have to weigh the cards in their hands.

“A silver saddle shines on the white horse, which gallops like a shooting star.”

The corners of Chu Jiubian’s lips twitched. When the news that the Mobei Army possessed stirrups and saddles was passed back to the capital, those powerful people would know what this “silver saddle” was.

He had just finished reciting this verse at the auction when the soldiers far away in the Northern Desert had already equipped themselves with saddles.

It would be difficult for these intelligent people in the capital not to connect the two things.

After realizing that Chu Jiubian might have a connection with the Mobei Army, there was no telling what those people would come up with.

Would they think that this “god” had contacted Jiang Shuoye right under their noses, that it was an unknown source behind him, or that he had already become socially involved with the wider world?

One could imagine the shock that would be brought on by this omnipresent, mysterious thing that left no traces.

That said, improving the Mobei Army was completely different from recruiting soldiers.

Those people in court, including Qin Xiao, could tolerate improving the strength of the soldiers because it would help maintain stability on the border.

But they would not allow Jiang Shuoye to recruit soldiers and expand the army.

Once such signs emerged, all parties would raise their vigilance and attempt to stop them.

Therefore, the issue of recruitment could only be put on hold for the time being. When the business in Nanjiang developed and Chu Jiubian had money, he would have a more stable position in court.

Then he wouldn’t have to be overly cautious about doing what he wanted to do.

Chu Jiubian gazed at Jiang Shuoye onscreen.

The other party was discussing the production of more equipment with the blacksmiths. This included horseshoes, which he wanted to see if they could create.

He was so busy that it was no wonder he didn’t have time for a nap.

Chu Jiubian felt relieved after seeing the progress, and put calling anyone else into the Divine Realm out of his mind.

He turned off the screen and opened the System interface again.

The total Faith Value was over 100, and the cumulative value was almost 300.

He didn’t know if it was all in his head, but Chu Jiubian felt that the speed of collecting faith points seemed to have slowed down, and wasn’t as easy as in the beginning.

[Host, as your reputation grows, the conditions for collecting faith points will become more stringent. This is a measure to ensure Host’s enthusiasm. Thank you for your understanding.]

Chu Jiubian’s reputation had spread. As his poems spread more and more widely, more people would know about him, and an increasing amount of people would believe in this “godly” deity. His Faith Value would increase even if he didn’t put on a performance.

The System was afraid that he would slack off, so the collection requirements would become increasingly rigorous.

It was understandable.

But this was not good news for Chu Jiubian.

He opened the System Mall again and took a look at the food column.

This column contained mostly basic necessities, so the prices were very cheap. Only one point was needed for one kilogram of refined grains such as rice and wheat, or 200 kilograms of brown rice.

Chu Jiubian frowned slightly.

It was currently time to harvest the early rice in the south, and many people were waiting to harvest the grain to fill their stomachs.

There had been no rain in the south during this time, and the common people would definitely suffer from poor harvests or no harvests at all. Drought was inevitable.

If that time really came, Chu Jiubian might be able to buy some food directly from the System and hand it over to Situ Zhaoling.

Nanjiang was also a drought-stricken area. If Nanjiang-wang had such a batch of grain, the grain prices in the region would remain stable and wouldn’t rise too much.

As a result, grain merchants would go to Sichuan, Huguang, and other places where prices were high to sell their grain.

But when they were gone, there would be more food in these places and the prices would go down.

At that time, those with extra money would be able to buy food.

The Imperial Court could also purchase more grain from these grain merchants and open the granaries to release grain. By around October, the grain in the north could be harvested, the Imperial Court could collect the grain tax and send it to the south, and the drought would basically be over.

It was only that to accomplish this, Chu Jiubian needed more points. His current total of around 100 points wasn’t nearly enough.

It seemed that he still needed to find a way to expand his influence.

With this, he would also be helping Qin Xiao and the young emperor.

When the time came, he would do business with Qin Xiao and let him do the work of expanding his influence.

Thinking about it this way, Chu Jiubian felt that the drought wasn’t a very difficult matter to solve, and could feel at ease.

Then he looked at the weapons column.

From the simplest knives and stun batons, to pistols and other heavy weaponry that he didn’t even have the authority to click on, the required Faith Points were very high.

After looking around, he set his sights on a K19 pistol.

When he was filming a police drama, he went to the army for two months to train to use this gun.

It had low recoil and could hold 15 rounds of ammunition, making it suitable for the use of an ordinary person.

Chu Jiubian had good accuracy, and could hit at least nine rings with this weapon.

Although he had not explicitly rejected the other forces, due to his identity as the Grand Tutor, he was basically standing with Qin Xiao on the surface.

He wasn’t as safe as before.

Who knew if someone would lose their patience and try to kill him if they couldn’t secure him for themselves, saving them the trouble of cozying up to him?

Thus, he needed to prepare some means of self-defense.

The pistol seemed a bit like overkill. Not to mention the lethality, even the sound of a gunshot would be enough to terrify these ancient people. After all, this was an era that even lacked fireworks.

But he was a “god,” so it was completely understandable that he had some supernatural means.

And if he could use a bullet to scare those people hiding in the dark into being too afraid to attack him again, it would be worth it.

Chu Jiubian looked at the price column and saw that he could buy it for 99 faith points.

A while later, he closed the System interface.

He would buy it when he needed it.

After emerging from the Divine Realm, Chu Jiubian opened his eyes.

He stood up from bed and was so dizzy that he held onto the bedframe to keep from falling.

He relaxed, exhaling slowly after the dizziness passed.

He really envied those who could astral project. The kind of time and space travel he had now caused him to suffer from low blood pressure.

There was a light burning sensation in his stomach. He rubbed his temples, picked up his robes and put them on, and walked out of the bedroom.

Just as he was about to ask Xiao Xiangzi to prepare lunch, he saw someone sitting at the desk in the outer room.

Qin Xiao had been resting with his eyes closed. When he heard a noise, he opened them and looked toward the bedroom door.

Their eyes met.

Qin Xiao’s gaze moved down to Chu Jiubian’s chest.

Spots of crimson were splashed across his pure white tunic, like plum blossoms fallen on snow.

It was blood.

Chu Jiubian followed his gaze and noticed the bloodstains. His eyelashes trembled slightly. “I’ll change my clothes.”

As he said this, he gathered his outer layer, turned around, and went back into the bedroom.

The collar of his inner layer lifted briefly as he moved, and Qin Xiao saw that there appeared to be several thin, shallow marks on the young man’s chest.

Like scratches.

Qin Xiao glanced outside, and Xiao Xiangzi, who had been standing guard in the corridor, immediately ran over.

“Serve the food,” Qin Xiao said.

It seemed the young master had awakened.

Xiao Xiangzi responded at once and turned to give the order.

Chu Jiubian heard the noise outside. When he changed his clothes and went out, Shui Qing and Shui Yun happened to have brought the food over.

The two of them silently placed the dishes on the table, then left the room with their heads lowered.

Chu Jiubian took a seat on a stool. Seeing that Qin Xiao had a bowl and chopsticks in front of him, he asked: “You haven’t eaten yet?”

“I’ve eaten.” Qin Xiao picked up his chopsticks. “I’ll eat some more with you.”

Chu Jiubian chuckled.

Qin Xiao looked up at him.

There was no emotion in Chiu Jiubian’s light-colored eyes, but they seemed to contain hooks that made it impossible to look away.

“Do you know why I fell into your arms?” His voice was very soft, with a slight rising tone. This sentence was abrupt, and even a bit out of nowhere.

Qin Xiao looked at him in silence, as if he was trying to see through his appearance to something deeper.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because…..”

Chu Jiubian deliberately prolonged his tone, staring at the man for a few breaths before saying with a smile: “Because you’re strong.”

Qin Xiao smiled as well.

“Eat.” He poured a bowl of soup for Chu Jiubian and placed it next to him. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Is this how you usually take care of His Majesty?” Outsiders probably didn’t know that this overwhelmingly powerful Regent was actually so good at taking care of others.

Qin Xiao gave a hum.

Chu Jiubian didn’t hesitate, and began eating.

“How was your shift today?” Qin Xiao asked casually.

“Not bad. Very leisurely.”

“Leisurely?” Qin Xiao raised his eyebrows and said, “If you have nothing to do this afternoon, come with me to Yangxin Hall to review memorials.”

Chu Jiubian paused as he was picking up food. His inquiring gaze fell on Qin Xiao’s face.

Did this person have the ability to read minds?

Otherwise, why had Qin Xiao brought it up himself this afternoon when Chu Jiubian had just thought about it that morning?

Chu Jiubian had originally thought that he might need to give something in exchange, but now it seemed that wasn’t necessary.

But that was Yangxin Hall, the most heavily-guarded place in the Imperial Palace

How did Qin Xiao dare bring an outsider like him in?

He hadn’t thought Qin Xiao trusted him.

“Another bowl?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian finished the last mouthful of soup and said: “No need.”

He rinsed his mouth and wiped it with a handkerchief.

Then, like a magic trick, he produced two white pills out of thin air and handed them to Qin Xiao.

Seeing the two pills suddenly appear with his own eyes, Qin Xiao’s heart was shaken slightly.

Was it magic?

He tilted his head back, swallowed the pills, and took a sip of tea.

These pills were indeed unusual. Qin Xiao had suffered many injuries before, many of which were actually less serious than the two cuts on his shoulders, but the pain that followed had been more severe than this injury.

He was certain that it was the medicine.

After taking it, the pain from his wounds would subside.

The Imperial Physician had also said that the wounds were healing well, and there was no sign of deterioration even on such a hot day. It couldn’t be that Qin Xiao’s body was different than that of a normal person. It could only be the effectiveness of the pills.

If such medicine could be used on soldiers, perhaps there would be fewer casualties.

“Is it really impossible to make these?” Qin Xiao couldn’t help but ask.

“Didn’t I tell you? If you treat me well, I have plenty of pills.”

Qin Xiao tapped the table with his fingertips, looking thoughtful.

“Let me teach you a second use for saltpeter,” Chu Jiubian said abruptly.

Qin Xiao stared blankly for a moment, then said: “What should I prepare?”

“Saltpeter, rushes, sulfur, rosin…..”

The process for making tinderboxes was more complicated than that of making ice. Chu Jiubian told Qin Xiao the necessary things to prepare, such as drying and beating the rushes, and asked him to order someone to do it.

In fact, it would be better to use sweet potato vines or cotton wool, but Great Ning didn’t have these two things yet, so they could only make do with other materials instead.

He must grow sweet potatoes and cotton later, which were the two most useful things to make sure that the common people had sufficient food and clothing.

The current preparations would take at least one or two days. Besides, there would be a little rain tomorrow, so the work of drying the rushes would have to be put on hold. It would likely be a few more days before it was all finished.

Qin Xiao was in no hurry. After all, Chu Jiubian wouldn’t go back on his word, so it would be fine to wait a few more days.

To him, Chu Jiubian possessed a high amount of credibility.

Qin Xiao didn’t have a habit of napping, and Chu Jiubian had just “slept” before, so the two of them went to Yangxin Hall together after their meal.

Qin Xiao walked leisurely along the way, and even dragged Chu Jiubian to the Imperial Gardens in the name of “digesting their food.”

Countless scrutinizing and inquiring gazes came from all directions.

It likely wouldn’t be long before the news that Chu Jiubian had come to Yangxin Hall would spread throughout the capital, and by then, there would be more people who wanted to get in touch with Chu Jiubian.

After all, he was able to enter Yangxin Hall, even though, like other high officials, he only entered the meeting hall through the eastern courtyard. There were also secret guards watching him at all times.

But what if?

What if Chu Jiubian, the “Grand Tutor,” was different and had access to the main hall where the emperor resided, or even the western courtyard where Qin Xiao lived?

Everyone knew that the secrets that truly concerned Qin Xiao’s trump cards were located in the western courtyard.

Since Qin Xiao even allowed Chu Jiubian to stab him twice, it wasn’t out of the question that he might take him there.

But this also proved how much he trusted Chu Jiubian. Many people probably thought that the two of them had reached some sort of tacit understanding and had a cooperative relationship.

And this cooperative relationship was stable – so stable that Qin Xiao had brought Chu Jiubian into Yangxin Hall.

This being the case, if those allied with other forces were to rashly approach Chu Jiubian with conditions for cooperation, wouldn’t they just be giving Qin Xiao their information in return?

They could naturally try to recruit Chu Jiubian with conditions that didn’t reveal the extent of their power, but this would make impressing him difficult.

Should they take a gamble, or should they proceed with caution?

This choice had become a difficult one.

Chu Jiubian looked at Qin Xiao, having pretty much guessed the other party’s purpose in bringing him here.

It was to completely cut off the possibility of him allying with other forces.

He had pretended to be magnanimous during the auction, giving him the opportunity to get to know others, but now he was attempting to exert his sovereignty.

Qin Xiao’s clumsy performance might have been useless at a different point in time, and others would still seek Chu Jiubian out. But it was just a gamble. If he succeeded, the rewards would far outweigh the disappointment. 

But during this “ambiguous” time, Qin Xiao’s trick was very useful.

At present, the capital was at a critical juncture where chaos was imminent but not yet at full throttle; it was the calm before the storm.

So everyone was on edge, and thought twice before committing to any action.

Because they had no way of knowing if their words and actions would become a sword in the hands of others and come back to stab them.

This had led to all parties becoming risk-averse and favoring a slow, steady approach.

What Xiao Huaiguan pulled off at the auction was a test, and everyone had seen the results.

It was likely that before long, the conflicts within the Imperial Court would all come to light. By then, there must be a clear result as to whether Chu Jiubian would remain with Qin Xiao or join someone else.

Originally, Chu Jiubian had thought to make a name for himself and collect more Faith Points before completely falling out with the other forces.

But now it had all gone to waste.

It could be presumed that the leaders of several major families harbored murderous intentions toward him at this very moment.

He needed to spend those 99 points.

Chu Jiubian unobtrusively gritted his teeth. He was going to make Qin Xiao compensate him for all those points!

After entering Yangxin Hall, the two went straight to the meeting hall in the eastern courtyard.

Two rows of wooden chairs faced each other on both sides of the hall, with an aisle in the middle. There was a side table beside each wooden chair.

At the end of the aisle, facing the door, was a desk. And behind it was a mahogany chair with a high, soft cushion.

Chu Jiubian took a seat on the chair closest to the desk, and Qin Xiao sat down opposite him.

Very soon, Qin Chaoyang led in a handful of young eunuchs, who carried in two tables and placed them in front of Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao respectively.

Qin Xiao would usually sit directly behind the desk. Only when he brought in other ministers to discuss state affairs would he sit below, and the seat behind the desk would be given to Bai Lihong.

But after today, he would likely continue sitting in this spot.

The young eunuchs prepared writing brushes and ink on the tables before departing.

Qin Chaoyang divided the memorials piled up on the table into two stacks, then handed them to both Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian. Then he vanished into the darkness, as if having popped out of existence.

Chu Jiubian really wanted to peer up toward the ceiling beams to see if secret guards were hiding there like they had in the novel.

But that would make him look too ignorant, so he held himself back.

Chu Jiubian selected a memorial and opened it.

Memorials had prescribed formats and requirements, and were all in paper form, which was much more convenient.

However, with so many memorials each day, and with many people submitting them repeatedly, they must have spent a lot of money to buy paper. He wondered if it was all money embezzled from the court.

Chu Jiubian carefully read through the memorial’s contents.

This one had been submitted by Lu Yuan, the prefect of Hexi Prefecture. It began by asking about the well-being of the emperor and Ning-wang, and then brought up the construction of the dams.

Throughout the entire article, there was praise for Jiannan-wang.

He was praised for his gentle character and decisiveness in handling matters, for how smoothly the construction of the dams went under his guidance, and how happy the common people were.

This was the beginning of a secret effort to help Bai Lihai make a name for himself.

But starting to properly repair the dams was a good thing. Heavy rain would begin soon, and the repairs needed to be finished before that.

Thinking of this, Chu Jiubian looked up at Qin Xiao and said: “Heavy rain will begin in Northern Zhili on the twelfth day of the sixth month, and will last for at least four days.”

His weather forecast currently only showed heavy rain for four out of the next thirty days, and there was none to be seen after that, but he thought the rain would probably last longer.

Qin Xiao looked away from the memorial, his brow furrowed.

“It would be best if the dam construction in Hexi Prefecture is completed before then,” Chu Jiubian said.

“En.”

Qin Xiao had no doubts as to this forecast’s authenticity: “Send that in your reply.”

Chu Jiubian picked up a brush and wrote a reply on the first page of the memorial.

Replies were written on the first page of each memorial, and Qin Chaoyang would later take the eunuchs of Yangxin Hall to copy them onto new sheets of paper before sending them back to the original sender.

Chu Jiubian hadn’t used a brush in a long time, and the combination of brush, ink, and paper was not easy to handle. The process of writing was very rough, and his handwriting deteriorated somewhat.

When he was finished, he set the memorial aside to let the ink dry.

This series of movements flowed smoothly and naturally.

After doing this, he raised his eyes and unsurprisingly met Qin Xiao’s gaze.

Starting moments ago, Qin Xiao’s attention had never left him.

“What, having second thoughts about bringing me here?” he asked.

“No.” Qin Xiao smiled. “I just want to apologize.”

An apology?

Chu Jiubian was a little surprised.

“I’m sorry for taking advantage of you again.” Qin Xiao still had a slightly awkward smile on his face, but his eyes were sincere, just like the time he asked Chu Jiubian to stab him.

Chu Jiubian understood.

This was about him taking Chu Jiubian for a stroll through the gardens before going to Yangxin Hall.

Qin Xiao continued: “Rest at ease, I have prepared twenty secret guards to protect you at all times.”

Chu Jiubian was surely the target of many people by now. Everyone wanted to go all out, but then there was him, the new variable.

As the instigator, Qin Xiao naturally bore responsibility.

What was the point of apologizing now when he already got what he wanted?

Chu Jiubian inwardly cursed him as a hypocrite, but he wasn’t too angry.

He and Qin Xiao had originally been engaged in a relationship of mutual exploitation. He was able to use Qin Xiao’s connections to enter the court, and the other party naturally found a way to secure this “talent” for himself.

This sort of interest-bound relationship could be strong, but it could also fall apart at the slightest touch.

But at least for now, they were both on the same boat.

If they fell out in the future, they would definitely not have mercy on one another.

This was good.

Meeting Qin Xiao’s gaze, Chu Jiubian smiled and said: “Twenty people at the outset. Ning-wang is generous.”

Qin Xiao said: “I believe you have the means to protect yourself, but if you feel this isn’t enough manpower, I will give you another two hundred people.”

“No need.” Chu Jiubian would have to be crazy to want two hundred people staring at him day and night.

But Qin Xiao was indeed very generous, and Chu Jiubian fully believed that he was capable of sending two hundred men to protect him.

It could be seen that the other didn’t lack capable fighters, but lacked those who could get things done.

Otherwise, for matters such as writing reply letters to officials, Qin Chaoyang and the palace eunuchs wouldn’t have to bother with copying the replies off the memorials. They could just have some Imperial secretaries do it.

The more insignificant memorials also wouldn’t have to be addressed by Qin Xiao himself. 

Of course, these memorials were sent to the Six Ministries first. After the ministries selected a batch of memorials for approval, they would send over the ones that needed approval from the emperor or Qin Xiao.

But there was currently almost no one within the Six Ministries who supported Qin Xiao. These officials seemed to hold a grudge against him, and were willing to use such matters to annoy him.

In any case, it wasn’t a big deal. At most, they could explain it away with a simple statement such as “this subordinate didn’t review it strictly enough” or that they “really couldn’t make such a decision themselves.” Qin Xiao was unable to do anything to these people. 

So in the end, he still lacked manpower.

It would be great if the Great Ning Dynasty had an Imperial Academy. A secretariat that served the emperor with full authority would be much more efficient than Qin Chaoyang alone.

But where could he find so many capable, obedient people who weren’t part of the ruling class?

The Great Ning Dynasty didn’t have an Imperial Examination system…..

Chu Jiubian experienced an abrupt shock, and his heartbeat quickened.

He was now the Deputy Minister of Personnel, the one responsible for this very sort of thing, ah.

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Chapter 22 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 24