Talking

Ming Shu humbly sought Magistrate Li's advice on managing and developing small towns within his fief.

Although he had not yet seen his own fief, judging from the farms he had passed along the way, their owners were probably small landholders like them.

Though he had crossed into a new life with some of his memories missing, he still remembered certain ideas from his previous life with striking clarity.

The importance of talent, for instance.

Even after witnessing the ugly behavior of some scholars just now, he still yearned to make contact with the scholars' circles.

Magistrate Li also offered a fair assessment. "Among the lower and middle ranks of the Immortal Dynasty, there are still many scholars who genuinely get things done and can be put to use. They come from poor backgrounds and have few opportunities to rise. You can choose several to assist you."

"I know you have the demonic spirit power of the Sky-Toppling Observatory within you, but when it comes to the overall tide of the world, don't become overly enamored with personal strength. You're still young and have never seen a large-scale military formation composed of tens of thousands of people."

"Population is a foundation supporting development. Without a quality population, or without sufficient numbers, development will hit a bottleneck. The academy offers specialized courses on all of this for its students."

"Your identity is rather special, so you can't enter the academy. Don't be too upset. The academy has an exceptional number of rules."

After receiving Li Jixu's guidance, Ming Shu found an opportunity to have a thorough conversation with Old Zhao.

"Uncle Zhao!"

"Young Master!"

"Don't call me Young Master anymore." Ming Shu had already raised this issue with Old Zhao several times. "I don't know why you've taken such care of me."

"But after traveling this road together these past few years, I truly regard you as family."

"On our journey to Donghai, we don't know what dangers we'll have to face. We should first sort things out within our own ranks."

"That makes sense. This old servant will also be frank with you. There are mainly three reasons. I don't know what arrangements the Sky-Toppling Observatory has made concerning you, but from the time you were in the Cold Palace, they were the ones who arranged for me to go there."

"Second, I'm actually a member of the Zhao Clan. I was sent into the palace to serve when I was a child. The last reason is you! You're right: after all these years, we've depended on each other to survive. In you, I saw a possibility—a completely different possibility."

"It was only a gut feeling. I can't say exactly why. Other people in the Cold Palace merely endured the days, suffering through them in despair. But you were different. It wasn't that you didn't understand, yet your heart always remained calm."

"That day, when I told you that testing the pill meant risking your life, you agreed without hesitation. There wasn't even a ripple in your heart. That composure won my sincere admiration."

"From that moment, I decided that I would definitely take you out of the Cold Palace, no matter where we went."

The Zhao Clan had likewise been handed down for a thousand years, growing prosperous alongside the imperial family. It was only natural that they would have people planted in the Imperial Palace.

He simply had not expected Old Zhao to have been secretly trained from childhood and sent deep into the palace as a spy.

"From now on, call me Young Master." Ming Shu did not know whether it was because he had never treated eunuchs as servants, but instead felt sympathy for them as one might for disabled people who remained steadfast despite their physical impairments.

They had weathered countless hardships.

Over these years, he had never put on airs. He did not know how the original owner had treated others, but presumably, upon first entering the Cold Palace, he had not possessed the spirit to bully anyone.

After opening his heart to Old Zhao, he also spoke with Little Zhao. From then on, Little Zhao would be Ming Shu's guard and study attendant, while Old Zhao would serve as the chief steward.

They first established their internal structure and clarified the division of everyday duties. That way, they would not be at a loss whenever something happened.

They had established a core team centered around Ming Shu.

As for Chong Li and Ren Yuan, they still did not know whether the two would leave after reaching Donghai Prefecture.

Little Zhao was more familiar with Ren Yuan, so Ming Shu had him sound Ren Yuan out first and try to recruit him. That would secure their safety during the early stages.

The entire team did not possess much wealth. Ming Shu had only the one thousand taels of silver Earl Ying had given him, and most of it was being kept by Old Zhao.

Moreover, this was also their startup capital after they reached the small town in Donghai. Until he had a concrete plan, Ming Shu had always restrained himself, not daring to touch it.

It was only because Magistrate Li's late-night urge and "talent" for teaching had erupted that day, allowing him to teach Ming Shu many truly useful things.

Only then did Ming Shu finally take action. Otherwise, he would have continued hiding away, waiting for trouble to come knocking first.

He did not know what the unfamiliar environment would be like, what enemies he would have to face, or what difficulties might arise, so he had always chosen to hide.

After all, he was still young. He was only a boy, a child who had never once left the Imperial Palace.

He had no experience, no ability, and no backing. He should have been a newcomer with no worldly experience.

In this world, he seemed to have no family left either. That new emperor could not be considered family. He was an enemy.

Even if the group of assassins before had not directly received his order to kill Ming Shu, they were still connected to him indirectly.

Judging from the new emperor's conduct from before his accession to the throne through this recent period after it, he did not look like a wise ruler.

Ming Shu sought out Magistrate Li again and asked him to recommend one or two scholars willing to accompany him in developing the small town.

Magistrate Li agreed to ask around.

Candidates like that could only be found among impoverished families from the lowest ranks, and they had to be households facing the threat of bankruptcy.

If an ordinary family could still scrape by, they would never go to a small town that was penniless and had lain derelict for years to make a living.

So they would probably have to bring their entire families along.

Ming Shu imposed no conditions. Age, learning, and strength did not matter. Any scholar who could hold a brush and write would do.

He could not possibly handle a mountain of clerical work himself. Daily cash disbursements and account-keeping, correspondence, registration, and other such tasks all required people with expertise in those areas.

Just as Ming Shu was making preparations to leave Qing Shui County and continue on to Donghai Prefecture, news from the south shocked everyone.

King Chu had raised an army.

That Prince King Chu, who had once fallen into a disadvantage outside the imperial city gates and consequently lost the throne, had finally understood that speed was the soul of war: between the two brothers, one of them had to step forward first.

If the new emperor were allowed to secure his hold on the throne, there would be even less chance of turning the tables later.

After urgently recruiting some men, he immediately seized several key fortified cities south of the Azure Dragon Great River, some of which had long been his bases of operation.

With the Han Clan of the Three Great Families offering its full support—providing men, money, and effort—and with the Southern School of the Dao Sect in the southern region of Xinzhou drawn in as well, all the necessary conditions had matured.

In truth, they had wanted to wait for the northern barbarians to make the first move. Unfortunately, the barbarians had only jostled the thorn that was Qing Shui County.

They had caused little damage, not even raising a ripple.

Now the ball had been kicked back to the south.

The northern and southern Dao Sects were also competing in secret. The Sky-Toppling Observatory, firmly seated in the Royal Capital, was instead making no move at all.