Chapter 96: Three People You Have to Watch Out For
“I know that Grandpa Luo of Beckon of the Red Sleeve taught you a little, and His Majesty has a good impression of you when you went to Smooth Spring Garden last time, but it doesn’t mean you will enter the Martial Arts Academy for sure. Since you came from the military of Fangu, you should know that Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy is unique. He might not like the people who His Majesty likes, and His Majesty wouldn’t interfere with the affair of the Martial Arts Academy.”
Wu Yidao beckoned his hand and signaled a maid to change the tea. These expensive tea leaves were only used to make three pots of tea even though they would still be fragrant after making nine pots.
Such a lifestyle was too luxurious, and Fang Jie’s lips twitched when he saw this.
Wu Yidao smiled and said, “I don’t want to throw these tea leaves away as well since I bought them with silver, but there are things that you have to be mindful of once you reach a certain height. Even if I don’t want to, I need to act cool and unworldly. If others learn that I made nine pots of tea from these tea leaves, some would laugh and mock me.”
Wu Yidao walked to the lotus pond and smelled the moist air. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered what Fang Jie did earlier, so he instantly walked back and said, “I’m not concerned about mockeries, but my business needs to worry about it. You probably know that at my level, any negative news would affect my business. If others learn that I made nine pots of tea with these tea leaves, some people would say with confidence that I don’t have enough silver taels. What will happen then?”
Fang Jie replied without thinking, “Those people who gave you merchandise but haven’t got paid yet would all come over to probe. Also, some people would believe rumors and try to get their money out of Worldwide Trading Company. Even though Worldwide Trading Company is big, if many ants dig holes in the foundation, it will collapse eventually.”
“Smart,” Wu Yidao said with a smile while pointing at his yard. “Since I have a noble title, I need to act lowkey. However, it depends on the situation. If I can be high profile in the small things, it would only be beneficial.”
Fang Jie nodded and said, “I always feel like businesspeople are terrifying.”
“Why is that?” Wu Yidao asked.
“Although businesspeople don’t have a high status in Great Sui, and they need to make way for poor farmers, this is on the surface. In the dark, the businesspeople could easily wipe out such farmers.”
“This is too dark.” Wu Yidao shook his head; he didn’t want to stay on this topic. “I heard that you somehow even stunned the reputable grand scholars. When I drank tea with Grand Scholar Niu Huilun and Grand Scholar Zhuang Chuyu, they praised you repeatedly.”
“Such pure scholars are way cuter than officials,” Fang Jie said with a smile.
“How come your perspective on people and things is so dark?” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and said, “But you are right. Although those few grand scholars are from big families, and their haughtiness makes people a little uncomfortable, they are the people who care the least about people’s backgrounds. Since these grand scholars’ status is high, they no longer need to compete with others in the common fields. Except for knowledge, they could only compete on temperament. They like to pull young talents to their sides to add to their influence.”
Wu Yidao added with a smile, “You haven’t seen the times when these grand scholars sat together and argued about whose disciples are more talented, more knowledgeable, have higher official positions. It is boring until they try to fight each other.”
Wu Yidao summarized, “However, they are the same with others in one regard. They are willing to help juniors, but they wouldn’t sit and watch juniors get on top of them. Of course, if they could make others unable to get above their levels after they die, they would do it as well. Therefore, regardless of how powerful you get, you need to be humble and respectful toward them. Although these scholars don’t have high official positions, their biggest assets are their disciples. They are heads of ministries and great generals!”
“Thank you for your advice!” Fang Jie said as he bowed sincerely.
Wu Yidao waved his hand and said, “I’m in a good mood, so I’m chatting with you. If you thank me so sincerely, it would be boring. I wouldn’t charge you for knowledge, and you don’t need to say thank you. Of course, if you truly want to repay, I wouldn’t reject any silver taels even if there is only one silver tael.”
Fang Jie smiled and felt warm inside. He knew that as the richest merchant in Great Sui, Wu Yidao wouldn’t waste time and energy on a small figure. However, Wu Yidao was giving him a great piece of advice, which was a great favor.
“On top of that, I’m a merchant,” Wu Yidao said with a smile, “I only focus on profit. I see great potential in you, and it would be much easier to give you favors now compared to when you become more influential.”
Wu Yidao was being very honest and straightforward, which was hard to see on people like him.
“I might not be able to become that influential,” Fang Jie replied honestly.
“So fake.” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and asked with a smile, “Do you know what the biggest secret in my success is?”
Wu Yidao had mentioned something along this line before. Fang Jie remembered Wu Yidao telling him that he failed three times before relying on experience and not gut feel.
“Your ability to see through things?” Fang Jie asked.
“BS!” Wu Yidao laughed, “I befriend many people. Who knows which person would become big? It is beneficial to do things that don’t need much investment but offer good returns. Don’t be afraid of trouble and don’t look down on young people. Even if these young people don’t make it, they would always be grateful toward me, right? Now, I didn’t give you any money, and I didn’t bet anything on you. I’m only chatting with you and didn’t invest much, but there might be great returns. Therefore, I like chatting with young people. Out of the ten managers in Worldwide Trading Company, four of them were young men who I talked to like this.”
Wu Yingyu was feeling deep hatred right now. When she first encountered Fang Jie outside Chang’an, she felt like this young man was special, so she was curious; she even wanted to tease him for fun.
After coming back to the Capital, she didn’t run into this young man, and she was bothered by other things, so she forgot about Fang Jie.
However, she was enraged by what that young man did today.
After thinking back to what happened at the lotus pond, she couldn’t be angrier. She couldn’t take off her shoes and play with fish and shrimps in the pond anymore! She was bored to begin with, and now she had fewer options!
As a 15-year-old girl, she wasn’t as logical to begin with, and how could a spoiled girl like her tolerate this?
“Azalea!” she asked while clenching her teeth, “Do we still have any leftover laxatives after pranking that guy? The son of the Marquis of Yuyang who was dull and chased after me when they came over to visit?”
“We probably have some… Miss, what do you want to do?”
“Later, you should bring some snacks to them and put laxatives in there.”
“Huh?” Azalea gasped, “Are you going to do that to Master as well?”
“Stupid!” Wu Yingyu said with a pout, “Dad only eat savory snacks; he doesn’t like sweets. Just bring all the sweet snacks later.”
“Oh, I forgot about that!” Azalea was also angry about Fang Jie’s hooligan-like behavior, so these two girls instantly got to work. Azalea went to the kitchen to grab snacks, and Wu Yingyu used a small hammer to turn the laxatives that Azalea found into a fine powder. When Azalea brought back the snacks while panting, the two girls looked at the powder on the table with evil smiles.
Wu Yingyu closed her eyes and imagined that damn young man running into the washroom again and again.
-Beside the lotus pond-
Wu Yidao pointed at the sky and said, “The sky you see at Fangu is no different from the sky you see in the Capital, but you should know the sky in the Capital is lower. Perhaps when you grasp onto an opportunity, you might soar into the sky.”
“However, because of this, it is also more dangerous. The sky could be clear in one second, but lightning bolts might run rampant in the next. You only wouldn’t fell to your death from a high point if your foundation is solid.”
“The Martial Arts Academy is a good foundation; don’t waste it.” Wu Yidao turned around and said to Fang Jie.
After pondering for a bit, he added, “I wouldn’t bribe the supervisors of the entrance exam for you. Although many people are angered by the fact that the professors and supervisors are too unworldly, I know that none of them is that way; they accept more money than anyone else. Of course, there is a difference in officials being bribed and the Martial Arts Academy accepting money. You know that 80 percent of the people who the cities recommend are not that talented. If participating in the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy wouldn’t help them show off, they wouldn’t travel thousands of kilometers to the Capital.”
“Since many people want to make it into the Martial Arts Academy to add to their fame and resume, many of them would gift silver taels. Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy wouldn’t reject silver taels that are given to him in secret, and he wouldn’t mind opening the backdoor for those who give him the most. It is heard that His Majesty likes this as well. In the end, Principal Zhou gave all the money to His Majesty. I think that this amount of money could make His Majesty smile brightly.”
“Even though I’m rich and appreciate you, I’m not willing to spend tens of thousands of silver taels for you. I can’t help you much other than telling you who to watch out for.”
Wu Yidao sat down and said gently, “First, you need to establish good relationships with others who are recommended by the Ministry of War. Most of these people are from poor backgrounds, so these participants unite well, and it would be greatly beneficial to you if you befriend these people. Among these people, there are three you should watch out for. At least their resumes are much shinier.”
“Wang Wei from White Water City. It is heard that he is already a top-tier level 4 master. If his background is better, he would be a captain in the military already. White Water City is in the south, and there are many savage people there. Rebellions occur almost every year, and Wang Wei, despite his scholarly name, would lead soldiers to wipe out villages that rebel and killed many people. White Water City is under the jurisdiction of Yong State, so Wang Wei is under the command of Great General Luo Yao of Left Advance Guard.”
“Zhang Kuang from Anyuan City. This person seems milder than Wang Wei, but you must remember one thing. Anyuan City is in the northeast of Great Sui, close to 100,000 Mountains. Northern Liao is on one side, and Northern Man is on the other. Compared to the people of Northern Liao, the people of Northern Man are way more savage. Northern Liao is led by Khagan Wanyan Yong, but there is no leader among Northern Man; the people there are like beasts. Zhang Kuang lived in a tribe in Northern Man for a few years and even married the daughter of a tribe chief. After gaining the trust of those people, he instantly led the border soldiers of Great Sui and attacked Northern Man. Tens of thousands of enemies were killed, and the northern border of Great Sui got two years of peace. When the last entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy occurred, Zhang Kuang was still living cautiously in that tribe. He even killed that tribe chief and his own wife.”
Wu Yidao continued, “Mo Xidao from Phoenix Terrace, a border city in the east. His background is similar to yours, but his achievements are much bigger. Two years ago, a general of Eastern Chu was about to sneak-attack Phoenix Terrace due to his personal hatred. The general who guarded Phoenix Terrace somehow heard this news and sent Mo Xidao to sneak into Eastern Chu to investigate.”
“After Mo Xidao snuck into Eastern Chu, he wiped out the entire family of that general of Eastern Chu, which comprised of 116 people, in one night. In the next 13 days, he managed to escape from many soldiers of Eastern Chu and return to Great Sui. On the way back, he even drew the border defense map of Eastern Chu. Of course, Great Sui wouldn’t reward Mo Xidao in public and admit to this since it would harm the relationship between it and Eastern Chu.”
“The common thing about these three is that their cultivation strength is high. Especially Mo Xidao… perhaps he is already a top-tier level 6 master. They are also extremely smart. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to complete their missions alive.”
While Fang Jie was listening wholeheartedly, Wu Yidao was suddenly interrupted by a cute maid. This maid who only reached Fang Jie’s shoulder brought over a plate of snacks and said while shaking a little, “Master, Gongzi Fang, please eat some snacks.”
Wu Yidao beckoned his hand and signaled a maid to change the tea. These expensive tea leaves were only used to make three pots of tea even though they would still be fragrant after making nine pots.
Such a lifestyle was too luxurious, and Fang Jie’s lips twitched when he saw this.
Wu Yidao smiled and said, “I don’t want to throw these tea leaves away as well since I bought them with silver, but there are things that you have to be mindful of once you reach a certain height. Even if I don’t want to, I need to act cool and unworldly. If others learn that I made nine pots of tea from these tea leaves, some would laugh and mock me.”
Wu Yidao walked to the lotus pond and smelled the moist air. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered what Fang Jie did earlier, so he instantly walked back and said, “I’m not concerned about mockeries, but my business needs to worry about it. You probably know that at my level, any negative news would affect my business. If others learn that I made nine pots of tea with these tea leaves, some people would say with confidence that I don’t have enough silver taels. What will happen then?”
Fang Jie replied without thinking, “Those people who gave you merchandise but haven’t got paid yet would all come over to probe. Also, some people would believe rumors and try to get their money out of Worldwide Trading Company. Even though Worldwide Trading Company is big, if many ants dig holes in the foundation, it will collapse eventually.”
“Smart,” Wu Yidao said with a smile while pointing at his yard. “Since I have a noble title, I need to act lowkey. However, it depends on the situation. If I can be high profile in the small things, it would only be beneficial.”
Fang Jie nodded and said, “I always feel like businesspeople are terrifying.”
“Why is that?” Wu Yidao asked.
“Although businesspeople don’t have a high status in Great Sui, and they need to make way for poor farmers, this is on the surface. In the dark, the businesspeople could easily wipe out such farmers.”
“This is too dark.” Wu Yidao shook his head; he didn’t want to stay on this topic. “I heard that you somehow even stunned the reputable grand scholars. When I drank tea with Grand Scholar Niu Huilun and Grand Scholar Zhuang Chuyu, they praised you repeatedly.”
“Such pure scholars are way cuter than officials,” Fang Jie said with a smile.
“How come your perspective on people and things is so dark?” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and said, “But you are right. Although those few grand scholars are from big families, and their haughtiness makes people a little uncomfortable, they are the people who care the least about people’s backgrounds. Since these grand scholars’ status is high, they no longer need to compete with others in the common fields. Except for knowledge, they could only compete on temperament. They like to pull young talents to their sides to add to their influence.”
Wu Yidao added with a smile, “You haven’t seen the times when these grand scholars sat together and argued about whose disciples are more talented, more knowledgeable, have higher official positions. It is boring until they try to fight each other.”
Wu Yidao summarized, “However, they are the same with others in one regard. They are willing to help juniors, but they wouldn’t sit and watch juniors get on top of them. Of course, if they could make others unable to get above their levels after they die, they would do it as well. Therefore, regardless of how powerful you get, you need to be humble and respectful toward them. Although these scholars don’t have high official positions, their biggest assets are their disciples. They are heads of ministries and great generals!”
“Thank you for your advice!” Fang Jie said as he bowed sincerely.
Wu Yidao waved his hand and said, “I’m in a good mood, so I’m chatting with you. If you thank me so sincerely, it would be boring. I wouldn’t charge you for knowledge, and you don’t need to say thank you. Of course, if you truly want to repay, I wouldn’t reject any silver taels even if there is only one silver tael.”
Fang Jie smiled and felt warm inside. He knew that as the richest merchant in Great Sui, Wu Yidao wouldn’t waste time and energy on a small figure. However, Wu Yidao was giving him a great piece of advice, which was a great favor.
“On top of that, I’m a merchant,” Wu Yidao said with a smile, “I only focus on profit. I see great potential in you, and it would be much easier to give you favors now compared to when you become more influential.”
Wu Yidao was being very honest and straightforward, which was hard to see on people like him.
“I might not be able to become that influential,” Fang Jie replied honestly.
“So fake.” Wu Yidao rolled his eyes and asked with a smile, “Do you know what the biggest secret in my success is?”
Wu Yidao had mentioned something along this line before. Fang Jie remembered Wu Yidao telling him that he failed three times before relying on experience and not gut feel.
“Your ability to see through things?” Fang Jie asked.
“BS!” Wu Yidao laughed, “I befriend many people. Who knows which person would become big? It is beneficial to do things that don’t need much investment but offer good returns. Don’t be afraid of trouble and don’t look down on young people. Even if these young people don’t make it, they would always be grateful toward me, right? Now, I didn’t give you any money, and I didn’t bet anything on you. I’m only chatting with you and didn’t invest much, but there might be great returns. Therefore, I like chatting with young people. Out of the ten managers in Worldwide Trading Company, four of them were young men who I talked to like this.”
Wu Yingyu was feeling deep hatred right now. When she first encountered Fang Jie outside Chang’an, she felt like this young man was special, so she was curious; she even wanted to tease him for fun.
After coming back to the Capital, she didn’t run into this young man, and she was bothered by other things, so she forgot about Fang Jie.
However, she was enraged by what that young man did today.
After thinking back to what happened at the lotus pond, she couldn’t be angrier. She couldn’t take off her shoes and play with fish and shrimps in the pond anymore! She was bored to begin with, and now she had fewer options!
As a 15-year-old girl, she wasn’t as logical to begin with, and how could a spoiled girl like her tolerate this?
“Azalea!” she asked while clenching her teeth, “Do we still have any leftover laxatives after pranking that guy? The son of the Marquis of Yuyang who was dull and chased after me when they came over to visit?”
“We probably have some… Miss, what do you want to do?”
“Later, you should bring some snacks to them and put laxatives in there.”
“Huh?” Azalea gasped, “Are you going to do that to Master as well?”
“Stupid!” Wu Yingyu said with a pout, “Dad only eat savory snacks; he doesn’t like sweets. Just bring all the sweet snacks later.”
“Oh, I forgot about that!” Azalea was also angry about Fang Jie’s hooligan-like behavior, so these two girls instantly got to work. Azalea went to the kitchen to grab snacks, and Wu Yingyu used a small hammer to turn the laxatives that Azalea found into a fine powder. When Azalea brought back the snacks while panting, the two girls looked at the powder on the table with evil smiles.
Wu Yingyu closed her eyes and imagined that damn young man running into the washroom again and again.
-Beside the lotus pond-
Wu Yidao pointed at the sky and said, “The sky you see at Fangu is no different from the sky you see in the Capital, but you should know the sky in the Capital is lower. Perhaps when you grasp onto an opportunity, you might soar into the sky.”
“However, because of this, it is also more dangerous. The sky could be clear in one second, but lightning bolts might run rampant in the next. You only wouldn’t fell to your death from a high point if your foundation is solid.”
“The Martial Arts Academy is a good foundation; don’t waste it.” Wu Yidao turned around and said to Fang Jie.
After pondering for a bit, he added, “I wouldn’t bribe the supervisors of the entrance exam for you. Although many people are angered by the fact that the professors and supervisors are too unworldly, I know that none of them is that way; they accept more money than anyone else. Of course, there is a difference in officials being bribed and the Martial Arts Academy accepting money. You know that 80 percent of the people who the cities recommend are not that talented. If participating in the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy wouldn’t help them show off, they wouldn’t travel thousands of kilometers to the Capital.”
“Since many people want to make it into the Martial Arts Academy to add to their fame and resume, many of them would gift silver taels. Principal Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy wouldn’t reject silver taels that are given to him in secret, and he wouldn’t mind opening the backdoor for those who give him the most. It is heard that His Majesty likes this as well. In the end, Principal Zhou gave all the money to His Majesty. I think that this amount of money could make His Majesty smile brightly.”
“Even though I’m rich and appreciate you, I’m not willing to spend tens of thousands of silver taels for you. I can’t help you much other than telling you who to watch out for.”
Wu Yidao sat down and said gently, “First, you need to establish good relationships with others who are recommended by the Ministry of War. Most of these people are from poor backgrounds, so these participants unite well, and it would be greatly beneficial to you if you befriend these people. Among these people, there are three you should watch out for. At least their resumes are much shinier.”
“Wang Wei from White Water City. It is heard that he is already a top-tier level 4 master. If his background is better, he would be a captain in the military already. White Water City is in the south, and there are many savage people there. Rebellions occur almost every year, and Wang Wei, despite his scholarly name, would lead soldiers to wipe out villages that rebel and killed many people. White Water City is under the jurisdiction of Yong State, so Wang Wei is under the command of Great General Luo Yao of Left Advance Guard.”
“Zhang Kuang from Anyuan City. This person seems milder than Wang Wei, but you must remember one thing. Anyuan City is in the northeast of Great Sui, close to 100,000 Mountains. Northern Liao is on one side, and Northern Man is on the other. Compared to the people of Northern Liao, the people of Northern Man are way more savage. Northern Liao is led by Khagan Wanyan Yong, but there is no leader among Northern Man; the people there are like beasts. Zhang Kuang lived in a tribe in Northern Man for a few years and even married the daughter of a tribe chief. After gaining the trust of those people, he instantly led the border soldiers of Great Sui and attacked Northern Man. Tens of thousands of enemies were killed, and the northern border of Great Sui got two years of peace. When the last entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy occurred, Zhang Kuang was still living cautiously in that tribe. He even killed that tribe chief and his own wife.”
Wu Yidao continued, “Mo Xidao from Phoenix Terrace, a border city in the east. His background is similar to yours, but his achievements are much bigger. Two years ago, a general of Eastern Chu was about to sneak-attack Phoenix Terrace due to his personal hatred. The general who guarded Phoenix Terrace somehow heard this news and sent Mo Xidao to sneak into Eastern Chu to investigate.”
“After Mo Xidao snuck into Eastern Chu, he wiped out the entire family of that general of Eastern Chu, which comprised of 116 people, in one night. In the next 13 days, he managed to escape from many soldiers of Eastern Chu and return to Great Sui. On the way back, he even drew the border defense map of Eastern Chu. Of course, Great Sui wouldn’t reward Mo Xidao in public and admit to this since it would harm the relationship between it and Eastern Chu.”
“The common thing about these three is that their cultivation strength is high. Especially Mo Xidao… perhaps he is already a top-tier level 6 master. They are also extremely smart. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to complete their missions alive.”
While Fang Jie was listening wholeheartedly, Wu Yidao was suddenly interrupted by a cute maid. This maid who only reached Fang Jie’s shoulder brought over a plate of snacks and said while shaking a little, “Master, Gongzi Fang, please eat some snacks.”
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