"My lord, news has arrived from the capital?"
Chen Ying found Chen Qing was observing the barrier at Great Azure Mountain, early in the morning.
When Shen Yuan left, he took a portion of the Azure Dragon Array's energy with him. Although the Azure Dragon Array's energy is now continuously replenished by the power of the Mountain God and is even stronger than before, Chen Qing was still somewhat uneasy about rashly extracting so much energy, after all, there were two very important figures imprisoned inside.
"Hmm," Chen Qing understood Chen Ying's anxiety and didn't keep her in suspense, saying directly, " Shen Laoqi sent a letter; the plan is progressing smoothly."
"What about the master?" Chen Ying asked quickly.
Chen Qing shook his head. " Shen Qi went to the Duke's mansion on his first day in the capital, but... no one was there!"
"Everyone's gone?" Chen Ying was stunned.
"Hmm," Chen Qing nodded, "The entire Duke's mansion is deserted. Those so-called man-eating flowers made from human flesh, which your master mentioned in the mistress's garden, have also disappeared. And then there's your master..."
"What happened to my master?" Chen Ying asked anxiously.
"Don't worry," Chen Qing comforted the other person and found a seat. "Your master has simply disappeared. According to Shen Qi, there's no trace of your master coming to the capital. He probably secretly returned to the capital, went to the Duke's mansion, and couldn't find his relatives. He probably went after the Lu Household."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ying felt a pang of unease, her heart tightening.
"Don't worry," Chen Qing quickly reassured him, " Shen Qi has already set up Thousand-Eye Grand Formation in the capital. From now on, our intelligence on the capital won't be as vague as it is now. A family as powerful as the Lu Household can't just disappear without a trace. I believe we'll have new clues soon."
Although Chen Ying was anxious upon hearing this, she could only nod and say, "Thank you, my lord."
"We don't talk about these things as family," Chen Qing said with a smile. "Besides, Shen Qi's grand formation is also to help us understand the situation in the capital."
The situation in the capital is very complicated now. There is no news of Wang Ye, the Lu Household is wiped out, and even Mu Hongqing has disappeared without a trace. Chen Qing does not dare to set foot there easily. He can only try to understand the situation there by infiltrating the area through his influence.
"By the way, my lord, when I came here I heard that many shopkeepers in Jiangnan are offering high prices to hire Neo-Confucian scholars to go to the capital."
In Jiangnan, divination, astronomy, medicine, astrology, and fortune-telling were collectively referred to as Neo-Confucianism, and there was no longer any talk of miscellaneous studies!
"Of course." Chen Qing relaxed a bit when the topic came up, and said in a low voice, "News has come from the capital that aristocratic families have started releasing goods from Jiangnan, Rune Stone have recently been driven to astronomical prices!"
"Why is that?" Chen Ying was taken aback. "Wasn't there a strict lockdown before?"
"The previous strict blockade was for two reasons: first, to expedite the research and development of our Jiangnan products; and second, to prevent Jiangnan from monopolizing commerce!" Chen Qing laughed. "But that makes sense. Jiangnan's technology far surpasses that of the Central Plains. Once trade is fully opened, it would be a game-changer, bankrupting countless businesses of those powerful families. But now it's different. They have the opportunity to learn from us, so naturally they're starting to pave the way."
"Pre-planned paving?"
"Hmm," Chen Qing nodded, "First, release a small quantity of goods, drive up the price to an astronomical level, recoup our initial investment, then warm up the market. Once our own disciples have completed their studies and returned, we'll begin to seize market share."
"I see." Chen Ying nodded, but then asked with a puzzled look, "Since the master knew this, why did he still allow the technology to be leaked out?"
"The cake is too big for one person to eat!" Chen Qing shook his head and said, "Compared to commercial value, the right path is for our Jiangnan scholarship to gain recognition from the world more quickly. This is called cultural invasion. Look, aren't the aristocratic families already scrambling to recruit Neo-Confucian scholars?"
"People are all driven by profit," Chen Qing sighed. "The reason why Jiangnan was able to promote science and engineering so quickly was twofold: firstly, because of the strength of the Divine Path Style, and secondly, because Jiangnan encountered the zombie incident, which overturned many established rules and gave me the opportunity to quickly establish new regulations. But this approach won't work outside. If I want the world to accept it quickly, I must offer substantial benefits. Those sorcerer families are now the reliance of scholars against warriors. Once even they accept the importance of Neo-Confucianism, the entire scholar class, even if they don't want to change, will have to!"
"I see."
"As for the issue of losses," Chen Qing smiled, "As long as we can keep up with the latest technology, we can continue to lead the market, and Jiangnan will become the new center!"
"Our lord has a far-sighted vision; we cannot keep up."
"Have you been spending too much time with that Zhou Hanyang kid lately? Have you learned how to flatter him?"
Chen Ying smiled sheepishly.
"Don't worry about your master," Chen Qing promised. "I'll follow up immediately with any news. If you need help, I'll do my best as long as it doesn't affect the overall interests of Jiangnan!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chen Ying quickly replied with a smile.
Chen Qing smiled and nodded, but he wasn't very optimistic.
Mu Hongqing valued Chen Ying highly. If he were to be tracking the Shen Family and doing something dangerous, he would definitely prepare something for Chen Ying in advance. He wouldn't have disappeared so decisively. Either Mu Hongqing judged that he could handle it alone, or he simply didn't have time to react!
To be honest, ever since Wang Ye disappeared, he's become increasingly wary of the capital. Even Wang Ye, with his Evening Elephant Technique, couldn't escape; that thing in the capital is probably more troublesome than he imagined. Mu Hongqing... he's most likely in trouble!
"What's going on at the door, sir?"
Bai Hua, along with his elderly wife and ten-year-old son, had just arrived at the Bai Family's gate in Beijing when they witnessed a surprising scene.
His son was Sixth Rank official in the capital, but neither his family's wealth nor his own salary was enough to support him buying a large house in a good location in the capital. He lived in Parasol Tree Lane in the western part of the city, in a very small house. Even in such a poor location, such a small house reportedly cost his son half of his salary a month.
This meant that the son's family had no money to hire a maid, which is why the elderly couple came to Beijing so quickly – they were worried that their daughter-in-law would have no one to take care of her during her postpartum period.
Why are there so many visitors outside the residence of such a minor official?
Bai Hua frowned. His own child was still young and had not been an official for long. It was impossible for him to have so many connections. The stewards who handed over the visiting cards were dressed in very luxurious clothes and were obviously servants of a great family.
"Shh, keep your voice down, let's go."
"Huh?" The wife was taken aback. "Sir, we're already at the children's house, where are we going?"
"Going in now would only make things worse for the child and his family." Bai Hua gave a wry smile; he had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
I heard halfway there that many places in the capital were recruiting tutors for miscellaneous studies, and I guessed that the Bai Family's reputation was being targeted.
"Where do we go now?"
"Go to the Shen Family!"
" The Shen Family?" The wife paused, then asked, "Is it Shen Yuan's family?"
"Hmm," Bai Hua nodded, "This time we've been outsmarted by that brat Shen Yuan!"
"What are you saying, sir?" The wife rolled her eyes at him. "How did they scheme against you? Knowing you were coming, they were worried you wouldn't have anything to eat, so they got you a job teaching the family's children."
"Oh, well then I really should thank him," Bai Hua rolled his eyes at his wife.
He had previously said that the kid was so kind, but it turns out he had planned it all along; what a sly fox.
Sighing, Bai Hua didn't know what to say for a moment.
He originally came to the capital intending to discuss with his eldest son about bringing his grandson to Jiangnan.
After all, anyone in Jiangnan with a bit of insight knows that Jiangnan has a bright future, and the students in the Jiangnan Academy will be the future leaders of scholarship. This is a great thing for Neo-Confucianism, and the Bai Family, as a family of divination masters, should have been very fortunate.
But this generation, unfortunately, has fallen short of expectations.
The eldest son was enthusiastic about the imperial examinations but had no interest in the miscellaneous studies passed down in the family. In the past, the imperial examinations were the mainstream, and he had not forced his son to study them. As a result, his eldest son was completely ignorant in this area. Now that he has an official position, he probably has even less time to study.
His younger son, however, was not naturally gifted. Despite his personal tutoring from a young age, his achievements were limited. When the academy expanded its enrollment last time, his younger son failed to get in, which truly shocked everyone around him and made him lose face.
But talent is something that you either don't have or you don't have. The art of divination actually relies more on talent than intention. After learning that his youngest son had no hope, he turned his attention to his newborn grandson.
However, it seems things are going to get complicated now. If these aristocratic families find out about me, it will be difficult for me to return to Jiangnan!
That brat Shen Yuan knew what was going on but didn't tell anyone; he really deserves a beating!!