Qian Yong's enthusiasm made Li Wan especially uncomfortable.
She humbly declined. How could she take all the credit?
If Qi Zhongshu hadn't given her the opportunity, if her lord hadn't employed her, if her colleagues hadn't supported her in every way, and if she hadn't had Kang Country's national strength backing her up, she wouldn't have had the courage to throw her weight around in other countries. She might have seemed to enjoy herself at the time, but inside, she'd been terribly nervous.
She'd been afraid things wouldn't go as she expected.
Qian Yong furrowed his brow. "You're so young, so why do you talk like an old hand at court? What's all this thanking this person and that person? If you don't stand straight and don't have the guts, even if someone holds your hand and teaches you, you'll still never get anything done. What's yours is yours."
Old Qian was well versed in the ways of surviving at court himself, but he admired young people who burned with the spirit of "daring to make the sun and moon shine anew" even more. Let them be a little rash. When it came to war, you either went all the way into the shadows or fought with courage to the death. There was nothing more off-putting than pretending to be friendly while hiding your true intentions. Qian Yong had seen right through her act, leaving Li Wan awkward.
Zhao Wei clearly wasn't fazed by Qian Yong's approach.
She teased him bluntly. "I'm only afraid that 'the right time matters more than an early start.' Quite a few people have their eyes on the credit for Zhen Country."
Zhen Country was only a small state being used to test the waters.
It wouldn't take much effort to conquer it.
Any commander