An Old Acquaintance Sends Fragrant Silk [Second Update, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!]

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman walked in.

Although the woman was dressed as a scholar, gently fanning herself with a folding fan, she made no attempt to conceal her feminine demeanor, making it immediately clear that she was a woman disguised as a man.

Upon hearing the voice, Kong Sanwei's eyelids twitched. He turned around and his expression softened. "So it's Sister Tang Household. What brings you here? Did you hear I'm back and come to visit?"

The woman ignored the smiling Kong Sanwei and went straight to Qiu Yan, cupping her hands in greeting, "Young Master Qiu, we meet again. I've always remembered your kindness in saving me last time, and I'll repay it eventually. However, you are now a renowned Confucian General, and people in Hebei Circuit often talk about you. I wonder if I will still have the fortune to help you."

"So it's Miss Tang. I didn't expect to meet you here." Qiu Yan stood up and returned the greeting.

This woman's name is Tang Qing. She had crossed paths with Qiu Yan in the Scholar Forest World. He was ambushed and almost became a puppet, but Qiu Yan intervened and saved him from danger.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan returned to the Mortal Realm, and she helped him, but the two have not seen each other since.

It is worth mentioning that Tang Qing Scholar Forest with Bei Xuan, a younger generation successor of the Bei Household, along with Bei Ming, an old servant of the Bei Household.

The Bei Household was a prominent clan in Yan-Zhao, while the Tang Household, to which Tang Qing belonged, was also considered a powerful force in Hebei Circuit Province.

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan asked again, "By the way, has Brother Bei Ming returned yet?" He remembered that when he left Scholar Forest, Bei Xuan was immersed in the sea of stars in the Hall of Book Mountain, and he wondered what had become of him.

Mentioning Bei Xuan, Tang Qing's expression changed slightly, then she shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about that for now. I came here specifically because I heard about Young Master Qiu."

"You came here specifically?" Upon hearing this, both Qiu Yan and Kong Sanwei were startled, their expressions differing. The latter's face had already darkened somewhat.

Then, Kong Sanwei leaned closer and said, "What? Sister Tang Household and Brother Qiu are old acquaintances? As far as I know, Brother Qiu wasn't very famous before he became the top scholar in the Northern Lands. How did you two meet?"

"These things are none of your business," Tang Qing glanced at Kong Sanwei, then laughed. "However, I've said before that one shouldn't just focus on studying without understanding human relationships. If it were anyone else, they would never have commented on Young Master Qiu like you do."

The Tang Household behind Tang Qing has some connections with the Kong Household behind Kong Sanwei, but in terms of power and background, the Kong Household is inferior to the Tang Household.

However, the Kong Household was, after all, a family that valued poetry and literature. Kong Sanwei, the third son of the Kong Household, had not suffered much hardship since childhood and had focused on his studies. He was also quite simple-minded. Gradually, he developed a compassionate nature. Although he lived a wealthy and comfortable life, he became somewhat idealistic in his thinking and his impressions of others were not affected by his reputation. That's why he showed that kind of attitude in front of Qiu Yan.

"Hmm?" Kong Sanwei frowned slightly, about to speak, but was silenced by Tang Qing's next words.

"I overheard what you said when I came in. You're trying to manipulate public opinion and blackmail court officials," Tang Qing said calmly.

"How can you call it coercion?" Kong Sanwei immediately retorted. "Doing something for the disaster victims is a good deed, and everyone should be happy to do it."

"Do something for the disaster victims? I think the one who hasn't done anything is you, Kong San!" Tang Qing retorted. "As far as I know, Young Master Qiu distributed a lot of food and water along the way, even disregarding the potential chaos, and remained true to his original intention. But you, Young Master Kong, upon returning to Yan-Zhao, haven't done anything substantial. You just talk about running around and getting others to donate, but you yourself only contributed a few taels of silver from beginning to end. How dare you criticize others?"

"Not just a few taels, but eleven taels!" Kong Sanwei's face flushed red. "I have the will but not the means. My elders in the family are unwilling to donate the house, so what can I do? But I have taken out all the money I have and gone out of my way to make connections and do my part! My contribution is better than that of someone who has the capital but is stingy!" He glanced at Qiu Yan subconsciously.

But Tang Qing shook his head and said, "Since you believe that disaster relief is the right thing to do, why don't you even have the determination to go against your Lineage? With your personality, even if you become an official, how could you possibly have the determination to disobey orders and uphold morality? I think you've been deceiving yourself with all your books. You've learned the knowledge in books, but you haven't learned the spirit of those books!"

After saying this, Kong Sanwei's face suddenly turned from flushed to deathly pale, his lips trembled, and he was speechless for a moment.

Tang Qing ignored him and turned to look at Qiu Yan. Feeling that sharp gaze, even Qiu Yan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, thinking that this woman was truly sharp-tongued and had grasped the crux of the matter in an instant.

But then, Tang Qing, whose face had been frosty just a moment ago, smiled broadly the next moment, "Young Master Qiu, judging from your expression, you must think I'm a sharp-tongued girl?"

"I wouldn't dare." Qiu Yan shook his head subconsciously.

Tang Qing, however, didn't seem to care. Seeing out of the corner of her eye that Kong Sanwei was about to speak again, she said, "I know that you, Young Master Qiu, are carrying out an imperial decree. His Majesty has summoned you to the palace, and you cannot afford to waste too much time on the journey. Therefore, I will make this brief. I came here this time..."

This sentence made Kong Sanwei's words catch in his throat.

The imperial edict summoning him back was something that seemed too distant to him, yet it was right before his eyes. He wouldn't even dare disobey his elders, let alone an imperial decree. As a result, his momentum immediately waned.

As for Qiu Yan, he was not surprised. With the Tang Household family's connections, it wouldn't be difficult for them to find out about the imperial edict.

Then, Tang Qing said, "Excuse me," took out a strand of green hair from his bosom, spread it in the air, the hair faintly tinged with red, spun in the air, circled Qiu Yan once, and then was taken back.

Tang Qing a light breath, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He then laughed and said, "Alright, it's a small matter, not worth mentioning. With your level of understanding, young master, you must have seen through the mystery. I won't explain further."

Qiu Yan nodded. Of course he noticed that when the silk thread swayed, it emitted a faint fragrance and brought a sense of fluctuation in Fortune. Then Tang Qing's aura rose slightly, which should be some kind of Cultivation Method ritual.

Ancient Cultivation Method often carry characteristics of worshipping deities, which gradually evolved over time. In the earliest times, before humans possessed extraordinary powers, they relied on divine gifts. This is similar to Qiu Yan's "Contemplating the Deity in the Heart" technique, which he developed in the Land of the Divine Remains, and the even more advanced "Treasure Edict Method.

In its later stages, although the Cultivation Method had broken free from the constraints of the Divine Path, it still retained some traces, requiring special movements and rituals to extract the strange power of heaven and earth.

"I've done what I needed to do, so I'll take my leave now."

Tang Qing gave Qiu Yan a deep look, clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Right now you have an imperial order to carry out, and I also need to rush to provide disaster relief. This time, Lord Lu is serious; all the powerful Aristocratic Clan he can mobilize have been requisitioned. We'll make up for it next time when there's an opportunity. By the way, in this land of Yan-Zhao, you don't need to worry about rumors. My Tang Household can handle any minor matters." After saying that, she smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling, and turned to leave. The whole process was decisive and efficient, showing her poise and grace.

They came and went in a hurry, leaving the eloquent Kong Sanwei uneasy. Before long, he also hurriedly took his leave, never uttering the words that Qiu Yan had spoken to advocate for him.

"Heh! You ungrateful brat, you can only act tough in front of us servants. You'll be a coward when you run into someone with real skills." Meng Wei stepped forward, watching Kong Sanwei's retreating figure with schadenfreude.

He was already inclined to argue after being reprimanded by Kong Sanwei. However, he was, after all, a servant born into the Meng Clan family. Even if the Meng Clan was powerful, it couldn't compare to Kong Sanwei's academic degree. He was seething with resentment.

Before he could finish speaking, Tang Qing, who had suddenly arrived, vented his anger for him.

A guard standing nearby couldn't help but say, "Commissioner Lu mobilized the Aristocratic Clan of Hebei for disaster relief, but the Kong Household isn't even on the list. How dare such a person speak so arrogantly in front of the compiler, trying to contact merchants for disaster relief without even knowing his own worth?"

Another guard said, "However, it wouldn't be good if he held a grudge; such a person is quite difficult to deal with."

Meng Wei shook his head and said, "Don't worry. People like him only bully the powerless. With his connections and status, he can only affect the area around the county town at most. He can't affect the Registrar at all. What is the Registrar's status now? It's only during special times, when there is a disaster in the Northern Frontier, that he has the opportunity to spread rumors. But with the Tang Household Yan-Zhao stepping in, he can't cause any trouble."

At this moment, Qiu Yan spoke up, "Kong Sanwei acts somewhat recklessly, but his initial intentions are good. Given his character, he won't hold grudges. Moreover, although he still has shortcomings, who knows if he won't achieve something great in the future?" Saying this, he looked at Meng Wei, "Ambition is not limited by age, and ability is not limited by background."

These words resonated with Meng Wei, who couldn't help but bow, and his opinion of Kong Sanwei even began to change slightly.

After having breakfast, the group packed up, checked out of their hotel, and continued their journey.

Crunch, crunch.

The carriage continued its journey westward, encountering fewer and fewer disaster victims. After passing Jingxing and entering Three Jin province, they disappeared altogether.

"We're finally leaving. To be honest, seeing that scene along the way made me quite uneasy. I hope the court can quell the disaster as soon as possible." On the way, Meng Wei and Qiu Yan chatted happily. Qiu Yan had no airs of an official. At first, Meng Wei and the others were a little reserved, but later they completely opened up and chatted about everything under the sun, secretly admiring Qiu Yan's extensive knowledge.

Qiu Yan also experienced another kind of Human Path from their words, a special way of survival.

Hearing Meng Wei's sentiments, Qiu Yan said, "It's good that you have the intention, and you should do what you can, but you must not interfere too much and disturb the person in charge." The person in charge he was referring to was the Commissioner Lu. Others may offer encouragement, which is to bolster the situation, but if someone thinks they are right and insists on interfering, it may cause unnecessary trouble.

"Yes, I've got it."

Soon, their conversation was interrupted by the rapid sound of horses' hooves.

"Is this Qiu Yan, the compiler? I am Meng Ting, and I have been waiting for you for a long time!" (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "God's Loneliness" and "Kunlun Nine Heavens" for their monthly votes!

Thank you to "zzll Scorpio" for the donation!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!

I'll add an extra image as a holiday greeting, but it will probably be later, I'll try to finish it before 11 o'clock!