Zhaoying Zhao spoke with utter directness, “The Zhao lineage of Yan Yun has been passed down to this day with one main house, two equal houses, and eighteen subordinate mansions. Just the number of listed descendants in our generation runs into the thousands. How could we possibly have the time to recognize so many brothers and sisters? Blood ties are not particularly valuable.”
Qian Ye frowned. Although he had no intention of returning to the Zhao clan, Zhaoying’s words still grated on his ears.
But Zhaoying paid him no mind and continued, “Setting aside entering the clan registry for now, being admitted to a subordinate mansion is a matter of status, honor, and more importantly, a vast pool of resources. Out of every generation of thousands of descendants, only about a hundred can be admitted to a mansion. Even if Xiao Si is strong enough to control one mansion alone, introducing someone without cause will not convince the masses. I heard that people went to protest, and you know Xiao Si’s temper; there were many unpleasant incidents, including a couple of brawls.”
Only then did Qian Ye understand that within the Zhao clan, power was determined by a naked meritocracy, half from bloodline, half from strength. The twelve positions in the eighteen subordinate mansions were not inherited from father to son; anyone capable had the chance to enter. And Jun Du Zhao, at just twenty-one years old, was already the master of one of these mansions.
Zhaoying said as a matter of course, “Others don’t know that you actually have Zhao blood, but it doesn’t make much difference. Within the Zhao clan, recognition can only be achieved through strength. Weaklings who can’t fight will eventually die on the battlefield. Who has the time to bother with them?”
Listening to this, Qian Ye felt a jumble of emotions and remained silent for a moment before asking, “Did Jun Du Zhao send you here?”
“Of course not! He is him, and I am me. I simply came because I was curious about you. But you’re quite impressive, to my taste indeed.”
Qian Ye, somewhat helpless, asked, “Does your ‘curious’ visit involve fighting?”
“Of course!” Zhaoying replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You are also my brother, how can you be weak!”
“But a moment ago, it seemed like you were trying to kill me.”
“If I truly wanted to kill you, I would have used my mountain-splitting cannon right from the start.” As she spoke, she pointed at her origin force cannon.
However, the force she had just used was sufficient to cripple an ordinary tenth-level general. Was this really just a test of strength? But thinking about it, perhaps this was the true way Jun Du and Zhaoying tested people. Without strength, one wouldn’t be recognized. As Zhaoying said, with thousands of kin in each generation, what was bloodline worth?
Seeing Qian Ye’s expression, Zhaoying, for once, became serious. “Xiao Si tested your strength and decided to bring you back to the clan. Otherwise, even if you entered the Zhao clan, you would only die. It would be better to keep you outside.”
Qian Ye was momentarily choked by her last words. However, compared to Zhaoying, Jun Du’s behavior in Jihuo Field could almost be considered gentle. The worst he ever did was try to shoot Qian Ye’s left leg. If it had been Zhaoying, at least a dozen bones would have been broken.
Zhaoying patted Qian Ye on the shoulder and spoke casually, “Don’t feel uncomfortable. Xiao Si and I went through the same. We fought our way up, subduing all who defied us, and that’s how we earned our places today.”
Qian Ye could only remain silent.
In fact, the Great Qin Empire followed the law of the jungle, where the strong were respected and the weak were preyed upon. However, after a thousand years of rule, they began to emphasize cultural refinement, often masking their actions under grand pretenses. But the geniuses of the Zhao clan were too proud to bother with such pretenses.
Qian Ye sighed, “Since Jun Du didn’t send you, and you’ve seen me now…”
Zhaoying cut him off with a laugh, “I’m free recently, and I can help you with a few fights. Look at the mess you’re in, a mere count’s son dares to attack your city! Don’t worry, from now on, big sister will protect you. Even if Old Man Dong himself comes, it won’t work!”
But Qian Ye instinctively felt that Zhaoying staying was not a good thing. In his eyes, this wild and free beauty was far more terrifying than a mere imperial count. Yet, Zhaoying had already picked up her cannon and was waving it at Qian Ye’s vital points. It seemed that if he didn’t agree, the mountain-splitting cannon might go off.
Qian Ye smiled wryly and called in Shiqi and his personal guards to arrange accommodations for Zhaoying and her two followers, then sat alone in his study.
He wasn’t sure what to do, so he took out the map of the westward advance. However, the lines and color blocks in front of him seemed to jump around, making him utterly distracted.
Before he knew it, the night had passed, and the sounds of Dark Flame warriors practicing their morning drills drifted in through the window. Qian Ye stepped out of his room and left the base, planning to chat with Zining Song.
Zining Song was staying in a luxurious mansion in the eastern part of the city, which would soon become the regional headquarters of the Ningyuan Group. Due to ongoing renovations and redecorations, the entire mansion was brightly lit early in the morning, with workers bustling about.
Zining Song’s residence was in a quieter area of the mansion. When Qian Ye arrived, Zining was sitting under a wisteria arbor in the courtyard, sipping tea and looking restless.
After greeting Zining, Qian Ye noticed that his face was pale and his breath was weak, with signs of instability in his origin force. Concerned, he asked, “Are you alright with your injuries?”
The leaf shattered by Zhaoying, which had transformed from the Three Thousand Floating Leaf Technique, was clearly not simple, and Zining was clearly badly injured.
Zining smiled bitterly, “It was… quite troublesome. But fortunately, I didn’t impulsively agree to Zhao Er’s proposal. Otherwise, I would have been killed by him!”
“Thankfully?” Qian Ye was a bit confused.
“Thankfully, I didn’t marry Zhaoying. Anyone who marries her is doomed. Not only is she eccentric, but she also comes from a high noble family and is overwhelmingly strong. Such a woman has no weaknesses, how can one get along with her?”
Zining glanced at Qian Ye and poured him a cup of tea, then asked, “Qian Ye, you seem to have something on your mind?”
Qian Ye sighed, “Yes, it’s still about the Zhao clan.” He briefly recounted the information he had learned from Zhaoying.
Zining frowned but didn’t comment, only asking, “What do you plan to do?”
Qian Ye was silent for a moment before saying, “Continuing like this isn’t a solution. I plan to go to the Zhao clan once the situation here stabilizes.”
Zining swirled the tea in his cup and smiled, “Alright, when the time comes, call me. I’ll accompany you.”
Qian Ye frowned, “It will be dangerous.”
Zining still smiled, “At least officially, I’m the second in line to inherit the Song clan. With me around, they won’t go too far. The old ancestor is still alive.”
They weren’t afraid of open challenges, but hidden plots were another matter. With Zining and Qian Ye together, those with ill intentions would at least be more cautious.
After all, the Song clan, while internally weakened, was still the wealthiest of the four major clans, with the support of the Duchess of Anguo. If a high-ranking heir mysteriously died in the Zhao clan, it would be hard to explain away.
Qian Ye shook his head, “Your interference in the Zhao clan’s internal affairs, even if the Duchess of Anguo supports you, will surely be displeasing afterward.”
Zining laughed, “I don’t want to be the head of the clan. Whether she is pleased or not doesn’t matter. Moreover, to me, your matter is not an internal affair of the Zhao clan, but an internal affair between us.”
Qian Ye could only sigh, “This isn’t urgent. Let me think about it some more.”
Zining nodded, “Be careful with Zhaoying. I’ve heard that the two branches, the Duke of You and the Duke of Yan, are very unfriendly towards the Chengen Duke’s branch.” After reminding him, he said no more.
After drinking two cups of tea, Qian Ye stood up to leave. Before he left, he turned and asked, “Zining, are you really alright with your injuries?”
A suspicious red flushed across Zining’s face, and he snapped, “Qian Ye! You’ve gone bad!”
Qian Ye was taken aback. He genuinely cared and hadn’t thought too much, but seeing Zining’s intense reaction, he realized this topic should not be brought up and quickly left.
Returning to his residence at the Dark Flame base, Qian Ye unexpectedly found Po Tian Wei waiting for him.
“Po Tian, why are you here? It’s strange that those noble ladies let you off so easily. How was last night?”
As soon as he mentioned it, Po Tian’s anger flared, “If it weren’t for my legendary drinking ability, I would have been laid low by those wolves and tigers last night! Damn it, whoever came up with this lousy idea, I’ll skin them alive if I find out! A celebration banquet? Celebrate what? Those young misses didn’t even fire a single shot!”
Qian Ye played dumb, knowing full well he had watched the incident but hadn’t intervened. Now, he certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to admit it.
Po Tian cursed the mastermind for a while. Seeing Qian Ye’s strange expression, he suddenly had a revelation and jumped up, shouting, “I know! It must have been Song Qi, that effeminate guy! He dared to backstab me! I won’t let this go!”
Qian Ye quickly grabbed Po Tian, “Wait! Settling scores can wait. You came to me early, there must be something important, right?”
Asked by Qian Ye, Po Tian suddenly became uneasy and stammered, “That, Qian Ye, wasn’t there a woman who came to see you recently? The one with the origin force cannon?”
Qian Ye was puzzled, “Yes, what about it?”
“I… I met her in the Far East.”
“She’s been to the Far East? Oh, that’s possible. I only met her for the first time yesterday. Is there something wrong?”
Po Tian scratched his head, hesitated, and finally mustered the courage, “I… I didn’t know who she was…”
“Zhaoying Zhao, the granddaughter of the Duke of You of the Zhao clan.”
Po Tian exclaimed, “Ah!” His expression changed, and after a long while, he said, “So that’s it! I thought she had come to discuss a marriage. Now it seems unlikely…”
Looking at Po Tian’s expression, Qian Ye suddenly understood, “Do you like her?”
“No, no!” Po Tian’s voice rose sharply and then dropped, “Just… there’s a feeling I can’t explain. She’s different from other aristocratic ladies…”
Qian Ye’s expression became both amused and exasperated. Zhaoying was, of course, different from other aristocratic ladies. Her unique personality made her a rare flower, and compared to her, Po Tian was a model of obedience.
“What exactly happened between you two?” Qian Ye’s curiosity was piqued.
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