Xun Kuang eventually took in Zhao Zheng as his disciple.
"Congratulations, Master Zheng, on finding such an excellent teacher," Duoyu said, genuinely happy for him.
Zhao Zheng was beaming with joy, rarely showing a childish demeanor as he spent every day by Xun Kuang's side, listening closely to his teachings.
Lian Po was quite jealous. "I originally found that fine teacher for you, only for this brat Zhao Zheng to steal him away."
Duoyu prepared a bowl of tea soup for Lian Po, the fragrance curling up from the small charcoal stove. "I already have the best master in the world. Why would I need to seek another?"
Lian Po curled the corner of his mouth and couldn't help offering unsolicited advice: "You should brew this tea a bit thicker and add more mutton fat."
Duoyu's hand trembled. "Why won't Master just try the original flavor of the tea soup?"
Brewing tea into a porridge-like consistency was the greatest compromise she was willing to make.
Absolutely no dried meat flakes in it. Absolutely no mutton fat. Absolutely not!
Lian Po said with dissatisfaction, "How is this any different from eating tea dregs? Let me do it! You're so unsuited for domestic chores; you'll need to prepare a massive dowry and attendants when you get married in the future."
Duoyu stepped aside to make room for him. "Why must I get married? Even if I do, I won't have concubines or attendants."
Lian Po sneered, "Let's see if your Master Zheng can even pull that off."
Duoyu ignored him, refusing to take the bait he constantly dropped between her and Master Zheng.
"Did you read the letter your grandpa sent?" Lian Po took a sip of the plain tea soup and winced bitterly, baring his teeth.
Duoyu busied herself making trouble by adding dried apricots to it. "I read it. Grandpa told me not to cause mischief or be unruly while at Master's house."
Lian Po's eyes widened. "Hear that? If there's a next time, I'll write to your grandpa and have him send someone to drag you back home."
Duoyu didn't argue back. Instead, she said quietly, "Master, trust me. If King Huiwen of Zhao were still on the throne, the outcome between Qin and Zhao would still be up in the air. But this current King of Zhao is narrow-minded, pushing Grandpa and you—"
"Duoyu! Hold your tongue!" Lian Po hastily interrupted the daring young girl.
Duoyu lowered her gaze. "Master, if one day I return to Qin with Master Zheng, please take Madam, your eldest son, and leave with us."
Lian Po stroked the top of Duoyu's head with a soft sigh of pity. "Silly girl, how can I leave? Once I'm gone, who will protect the State of Zhao?"
"Report!" A soldier galloped at full speed, dismounted outside the gate, and rushed into the courtyard.
Lian Po's expression turned serious. "What is it?"
"The Qin army has attacked Shangdang in Han State!"
Lian Po cast a barely perceptible glance at Duoyu, who remained as calm as ever, before summoning his retainers to the study to discuss the major crisis.
It had finally come.
Duoyu chewed the remaining tea soup, swallowed it down, and stood up to go find Heitun.
Heitun led Duoyu to a humble civilian cottage. Lou Sheng was in tattered clothes, disheveled and unkempt—where was his arrogance from when they first met?
"Envoy, it's been a while," Heitun said, pulling over a chair for Duoyu. It was made by Mao Ying according to Duoyu's exact specifications.
Duoyu sat down and straightened her robes. As the sunlight streamed into the room from behind her, she looked as though she were draped in a myriad of golden rays.
Lou Sheng covered his eyes and fell to his knees in kowtow. "Little Lady, Sheng knows he was wrong, and he promises never to scheme against Master Zheng again."
Duoyu toyed with the riding crop in her hand. With a single flick, she swept up a clay pot, sent it flying into the courtyard, and—*crack*—it shattered into pieces.
Lou Sheng trembled all over, keeping his head lowered, too terrified to look Duoyu in the eye.
"Envoy, you have disappointed me greatly."
"M-My Lady, what do you wish of me? Sheng will surely give it his all," Lou Sheng stammered, snot and tears streaming down his face, paralyzed with fear.
Duoyu's voice was crisp as pearls falling on a jade plate. "Envoy, you accepted bribes from Zhao Kuo. Did you inform your elder brother, Lou Chang?"
"N-No, I didn't," Lou Sheng answered haltingly.
"Your brother Lou Chang has close ties with the State of Qin. If he found out you were secretly trying to harm a Qin prince, how do you think your brother would react?"
Duoyu looked down at Lou Sheng, who was cowering like dust, feeling both a sense of relief and disappointment.
In this era of contention among the seven states, countless heroes had emerged, yet this man possessed not an ounce of integrity.
Lou Sheng hesitated. It was true that his brother favored Qin, but did he maintain private contacts with them as well?
"The King of Qin has been on the throne for many years and, aided by Qin Prime Minister Fan Ju, has spent nearly a decade implementing the strategy of befriending distant states while attacking neighbors. Do you have any idea how many scholars within the borders of Zhao hold Qin in their hearts?"
Lou Sheng shook his head. Within Zhao, the attitude toward Qin wavered constantly, shifting between appeasement and resistance.
Duoyu waved her hand as a signal, and Heitun placed a wooden chest before Lou Sheng.
"Open it."
With trembling hands, Lou Sheng lifted the lid. Gleaming gold cakes filled the chest to the brim, their brilliance making his eyes ache.
"What is the Lady meaning by this?" Lou Sheng grew even more terrified; this gold was far too hot to handle.
Duoyu said amiably, "I have long admired your elder brother and Lord Pingyang. As long as the envoy is willing to introduce me to them, not only will I grant you your freedom, but this chest of gold shall serve as my token of appreciation—a thank you for letting go of past grudges and lending us your utmost support."
"And if I refuse to make the introduction..." Lou Sheng had no desire to meddle in this affair; it was painfully obvious that this young lady harbored massive ambitions.
Duoyu's tone grew even softer. "It is a long journey from here to Handan, and the roads are crawling with wandering swordsmen. Should a violent conflict accidentally break out, I am sure the King will understand."
Lou Sheng wiped the endless cold sweat from his brow and stammered, "A mere trifle! Sheng will certainly not fail your expectations!"
Duoyu ordered Mao Ying and Mao Xue to accompany Lou Sheng back to Handan, under the armed escort of the swordsmen.
On the way back to Handan, Lou Sheng no longer brought up the idea of taking Zhao Zheng with him, knowing full well that the King of Zhao had never cared about Zhao Zheng in the first place.
Besides, giving half the gold to his brother should be more than enough to smooth things over with the King.
Lou Sheng's personal attendant watched Mao Ying and Mao Xue, and offered Lou Sheng a suggestion: "My lord, why don't we..."
The attendant made a throat-slitting gesture.
Lou Sheng glanced left and right. Seeing no unusual movement, he let out a long sigh of relief and cursed the attendant angrily: "Use your brain! Do you even know who those swordsmen are?"
The attendant was clueless. "They're just wandering swordsmen, ten a penny in Handan City."
Lou Sheng's heart plummeted. "That's precisely what I'm afraid of! The swordsmen under the Lady's command are Chu Mohists!"
Cold sweat broke out all over the attendant. "The Mohists who walk through fire and tread upon blades, dying without a backward glance?"
Lou Sheng said with a sour tone, "Exactly. I don't know what kind of luck this young lady stumbled upon to actually win the assistance of the Chu Mohists."
The attendant clamped a hand over his mouth, not daring to utter another word.
The Mohists shared a single mind; though divided into three factions, the Chu Mohists had a heavy presence of wandering swordsmen and formidable martial prowess.
While they might not be able to easily depose the King of Zhao, dealing with him—or even the entire Lou family—would be as easy as slicing vegetables.
This young lady was truly too low-profile. Had she shown this hand earlier, who would have dared to bully her?
---
Seeing that the envoy Lou Sheng had finally departed from his fief, Lian Po called Duoyu into his study and fished a small clay jar out from the cracks between the floorboards.
"Master, what is this? So mysterious," Duoyu asked with a curious tilt of her head.
Lian Po gestured for Duoyu to keep her voice down, then spread out a quilt and dumped the contents of the jar onto it.
One, two...
They turned out to be gold ingots of various sizes, occasionally accompanied by strings of copper coins and a couple of pearls.
Lian Po picked up the copper coins and jutted his chin. "Take all of these."
Duoyu was stunned, her mouth agape. "I—I don't lack money. Before I left, Grandpa gave me travel funds."
Lian Po glared, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. "I told you to take them, so take them. Why are you acting so uncharacteristically hesitant?"
Duoyu hesitated, but ultimately couldn't help asking, "Does Madam know about this?"
Lian Po deflated like a punctured balloon, looking deeply guilty. "I am the head of this household. Must I report every single matter to your Madam?"
"Master, is this... by any chance your private stash?"
Lian Po shameful hesitated for a moment. "Don't tell your Madam."
The door was suddenly pushed open, and a slender, elegant figure appeared in the doorway.
"What is it that you cannot tell me?"