Why do I have so many masters?

After passing Sanshan Pavilion, the view suddenly opened up. The scenery around Guan City in Danyang County was different from that on Jiangnan Road; it actually had some magnificent sights. There was a famous line by an old acquaintance, "The Zhou child hides behind the mountains, opening his door to the corner of the city," referring to this very city.

Yuchi Jie rode alongside Wang Anfeng, describing the geographical situation of Danyang County. He wasn't familiar with the scenic views of cities, but he was surprisingly well-versed in the topography useful for military strategy. In front of Wang Anfeng, he didn't hold back at all and slowly shared everything he knew.

"Danyang used to be known as the old Zang County. To the south of Cang River, west of Great Zhou Mountain, and Tianmu Mountain, and north of Wuqiang River, it sits surrounded by mountains and encompasses a river. Back when the various states were in conflict, whoever occupied this place had the mighty mountains at their back, and controlled the two great rivers on either side. The water was deep enough for ships carrying armor to sail downstream directly into the enemy's heartland."

"Dividing the southern and northern territories, during the times of strife between states, soldiers and armor were often stationed here. Although now it's a time of unity under heaven and the seas and rivers are clear, there's no need to station a large army. Yet, it has become a critical path for trade."

"These two great rivers can be said to be one of the eight major merchant routes of Great Qin, connecting south, north, east, and west. The value of goods flowing through here each day could drain the savings of a hundred-year-old noble clan in a day and could, in a very short time, build a new strong power in the area; they can indeed be called the lifeline of Great Qin."

Wang Anfeng, looking at the travelers lined up outside Guan City, said,

"By that reasoning, there must be many noble clans here."

Yuchi Jie laughed and said, "With willows like smoke and bridges like paintings, curtains green as jade, amid a million varying homes, since it is a place rich in fish and rice, a treasured land of abundance, naturally many noble clans have settled here. With the daily flow of goods, just by revealing a slight portion, they could feed many people."

"Jiangnan Road can be considered the region with the highest concentration of noble clans and scholarly families in the entire world. Frankly speaking, there are even more here than in Heaven Capital City, and the situation is much more complex."

"At least Heaven Capital City is under The Emperor's feet, with a great deity to keep things in check. Any small movement has to be done covertly, and one has to be extremely cautious. But here, this truly is the realm of the noble clans."

"If one offends these noble clans here, it's likely that within a few days, the whole world's scholarly families will unite against you. Scholars kill with pens instead of knives, without shedding blood, and countless proud and arrogant individuals have fallen to these verbal assaults."

"Back in the day, General Wang Tiance of the Divine Martial Mansion set many strict rules in Jiangnan Road, seizing many benefits from the noble clans for the national treasury."

"For expanding the borders of Great Qin nearly twofold, he was fit to be posthumously entitled 'Wu' [Martial], yet within a few days, he gained a terrible reputation. That shows the power of these scholarly families, and even now there are scholars writing criticisms against him."

Wang Anfeng nodded.

The city was graced with river branches and occasional arched bridges and pavilions; even a Guan City could have its charms added to it. It was completely different from Fufeng's rough and bold vigor; indeed, the differences between the north and south of Great Qin were truly this vast.

Today, the travelers were in high spirits and spend quite some time wandering the city before finally settling down in an inn.

While ordering their meal, they discussed the itinerary ahead. This journey to Jiangnan Road was primarily for sightseeing, and Wang Anfeng was not in a rush to find Jiu Zizai.

Yuchi Jie dipped his finger in wine and drew several crude lines on the table, saying, "If we leave from Guan City, there are three good routes. The rest are quite dull. One goes directly towards County City of Danyang, another direction is Stone City, and Wanling, both considered to be State Cities."

"The route to County City of Danyang is the smoothest. If we're talking about speed, taking a detour to Stone City before turning towards Danyang is the fastest. The scenery along the way is also quite good, but the places passed are fewer compared to the former route. If one wishes to take in the full view of Danyang County in one go, then going directly to County City of Danyang is the best choice."

Lin Qiaofu looked at the simple patterns on the table and asked,

"What about Wanling...?"

"Wanling, huh..."

Just as Yuchi Jie was about to reply, Wang Anfeng, who had remained quiet, spoke up,

"The scenery of Wanling isn't bad, but historically it has suffered several wars, leading to a sharp decrease in its population. Currently, seventy percent of the population in the four counties under Wanling's jurisdiction have been relocated there from other regions of Great Qin, creating a somewhat complicated situation."

"However, there is one Mei Family in Wanling with a particularly high reputation that has lasted for a hundred years, known for the saying 'the blossoms of plum trees all over the city'..."

Yuchi Jie raised an eyebrow and said,

"I hadn't realized, Brother Wang, that you also had an interest in noble clans and scholarly families?"

Wang Anfeng shook his head, looking towards Yuchi Jie, and said,

"Libai once told me about it..."

Yuchi Jie paused for a moment.

Lv Baiping frowned and said, "Plum blossoms everywhere? Does it mean the place is filled with plum trees? But it's not winter now, and the plum blossoms aren't blooming, so it doesn't seem very interesting..."

Lin Qiaofu tugged at her sleeve and whispered,

"Sister, it's not those kinds of plum blossoms..."

"It's a large noble clan with the surname Mei, which has produced talented individuals for three hundred years. People praise it as a city of plum blossoms; the plum blossoms refer to people..."

Lv Baiping's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

"There are flowers... available, though."

Yuchi Jie suddenly spoke up, saying,

"I have heard that although the Mei Family is most renowned for its talent, when it comes to wealth, the other big Noble Clans surpass them. Among them, the Wen Family has produced three Second Rank officials in the last hundred years, and with Chang Mountain as their support, their family foundation is indeed the most solid."

"The mountain is the Wen Family's ancestral home, and within ten miles from the mountain base are all their tenant farmers. They don't cultivate grains or vegetables, but flowers instead. At the mountain pass, there stands a stone carving of their ancestor's official seal. Looking down from the mountain, one can see a sea of flowers stretching for miles, swaying in the wind, a sight so pleasing to the eye."

"A sea of flowers..."

A look of longing appeared in Lv Baiping's eyes.

Yuchi Jie took a sip of tea, simply smiling.

He didn't mention the rest, that every year when the flowers bloom brightly, that was when the Wen Family's young masters were most notorious for causing trouble with the girls. With wealth and household, looking quite handsome, and the ability to play the zither and appreciate tea, they could say all sorts of things that resonate with a girl's heart. And with a gift of ten miles of blooming flowers, which girl wouldn't be enchanted to the point of dizziness?

Upon reflection, curious to see what a sea of flowers spanning miles would look like, Lv Baiping tentatively said,

"Shall we go to Wanling then?"

Yuchi Jie laughed, "Since you are interested, and Brother Wang is too, naturally it's possible. What do you think, Elder Gong Yu?"

Gong Yu did not speak, merely giving a faint nod.

Wang Anfeng set down the cup in his hand, his expression serene.

Li Bo...

..................

Great Qin · Heaven Capital City

Though it was early morning, with Heaven and Earth shrouded in mist, Great Qin's Heaven Capital remained unchanged, a city that had more than once stunned foreign merchants, who believed they had stepped into the Heaven Palace, this immense city had no strict divide between day and night, uniformly bustling, a place to linger.

A drunk Scholar once wrote a long poem, its opening four lines went: "The grand avenues of Chang'an connect narrow lanes, Ox carts and white horses, seven fragrant chariots. Jade palanquins crisscross passing grand residences, golden whips flow in a steady stream towards the noble families' extravagance."

Extravagance it was, the world was changing, but the Noble Clans always stayed the same, those in high positions had similar airs.

The carriages of various Capital officials rolled over the blue stone slabs, making noise, heading towards the Imperial Palace, which faced south. Today's Emperor was full of energy, starting court much earlier than former emperors, but often dragging the end of court at least half a stick of incense longer.

Especially after the Empress, who was pledged to The Emperor since childhood, passed away, it was even more so, as if beyond the empire, there was nothing else worthy of this young and vigorous Emperor's distraction.

Stalls and shops had already been set up on both sides of the street early in the morning. Even Jianghu people didn't dare to swagger through Heaven Capital City, only walking soberly. Men who had spent a night indulging in the brothel's seductions walked unsteadily back, covered in the sweet smell of greasepaint and powder.

The gates of the Emperor's Tai Chi Palace were pushed open by twelve Xuanwu guards standing on each side.

From the central axis, a white-haired and old-faced elder man dressed in a Scholar's robe entered through the main gate directly facing the palace door, walking unsteadily.

Heaven Capital City had eight smaller gateways and one central Heavenly Gate.

The Heavenly Gate was rarely opened, only when a General returned in great victory and the officials went out to meet him ten miles away, or when The Emperor personally went to battle. The eight smaller gateways, however, were closed every night, directly connected to the eight streets of Heaven Capital City.

The old Scholar with a stern look was girded with a Ceremonial Sword, stepping forward, and when he saw an old man dressed in grey and white clothes on the left side of the street, he smiled slightly and walked towards him, his movements making no sound.

As he passed by, he slapped the old man on the shoulder with a loud smack, yet the latter didn't react at all, and the bowl of tofu pudding he was holding didn't even tremble. Instead, he just sighed and said,

"If you've got something to say, wait until I finish eating."

"If you don't disturb my meal, I might consider listening to you later."

The Scholar said with a smile that in this world, food is most important to people, and he certainly wouldn't disturb an old friend. But he sat down beside the old man, placing his sword on the table and gazing at the bowl in the old man's hands with a smirk.

With slightly curved fingers, he picked up a pebble and was about to flick and shatter the bowl, aiming carefully before actually shooting the pebble out.

The old man's eyes twitched, but he just shifted his body, allowing the stone to hit him instead.

The old Scholar laughed heartily, toying with the pebble, clearly indifferent to the old man's words.

With a calm expression, the old man ate his tofu pudding, which cost five coins a bowl.

These words spoken from the mouth, the Heavenly Mountain Sword champion had once been dismissive while drunk. Then, the number one swordsman's sword was broken into a piece.

PS: Presenting the first update of the day…