We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? - Chapter 362: Why Must You Put On Such a Show!
Returning to the imperial palace, after bathing, Xiao Mo once again sat cross-legged on his bed.
With a thought, Xiao Mo entered the Book of a Hundred Lives once more.
The first thing Xiao Mo did upon returning to the Book of a Hundred Lives was try to recall some things from reality.
Many things Xiao Mo could remember, but only some matters seemed to have a seal placed on them, and no matter what, he couldn’t recall them.
This situation was indeed different from the first three lives.
In the first three lives.
When he left the Book of a Hundred Lives, although things like the cultivation methods practiced inside the Book of a Hundred Lives were blurred due to the book’s divine consciousness protection, he still remembered the general people and general events but in this life, when he left the Book of a Hundred Lives, he remembered nothing.
Even after returning to the Book of a Hundred Lives, some memories from reality had been stripped away by the book.
Xiao Mo suspected this was also a type of soul protection mechanism of the Book of a Hundred Lives.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore. I’ll deal with it later.”
Xiao Mo shook his head.
Even if he continued thinking for ten days or half a month now, he wouldn’t reach any conclusion. He could only take things one step at a time for now.
Days passed one after another in the Book of a Hundred Lives, and Xiao Mo remained in the imperial city.
These days were the most comfortable and leisurely period Xiao Mo had experienced apart from his childhood.
Every day, Xiao Mo would read books or practice spear techniques in the courtyard, and would often return to the Xiao Manor with Siyao to accompany his mother for meals.
Qin Siyao would come to Xiao Mo’s residence every day.
The Qin Kingdom’s ruler’s marriage decree had already been issued. Although Qin Siyao had not yet crossed the threshold as a bride, she was no different from an ordinary wife, already the legitimate mistress of the Frost Prince’s manor.
When Xiao Mo was reading or writing, Qin Siyao would serve tea and water at his side, grind ink and prepare writing materials, or take out painting scrolls and sit not far away, painting pictures of Xiao Mo.
Regarding the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Qin Siyao had been forced to learn them all in the past, only to be able to leave the imperial palace to find Xiao Mo. Normally, she wouldn’t touch these things but Qin Siyao discovered that when she slowly outlined her beloved’s appearance on the painting scroll, she somehow never tired of painting.
Moreover, Qin Siyao felt happier the more she painted. She felt she could paint Xiao Mo for a lifetime. However, Qin Siyao discovered that no matter how she painted, it never seemed as good-looking as the real Xiao Mo.
Sometimes, Qin Siyao would also pull Xiao Mo to play chess with her.
Qin Siyao’s chess skills were naturally not as good as Xiao Mo’s.
She was often utterly defeated by Xiao Mo but Qin Siyao later realized she could take back her moves.
Whenever she made a wrong move, Qin Siyao would puff out her cheeks and take her piece back.
Watching the woman before him constantly taking back moves, Xiao Mo said nothing, only smiled slightly and continued playing but even so, Qin Siyao discovered she still couldn’t beat Xiao Mo and lost many rounds.
After losing so much, Qin Siyao looked as aggrieved as a pufferfish, her big eyes brimming with tears.
At times like these, Xiao Mo would generally let her win one round.
Although Qin Siyao had lost all day and only won one round, she was still as happy as a little child.
And it was during this time that Qin Siyao felt running back and forth between the Princess’s Manor and the Frost Prince’s Manor every day was too far, so she simply moved to the Frost Prince’s Manor.
Originally, Qin Siyao had wanted to move into Xiao Mo’s courtyard but after thinking carefully, Qin Siyao felt this was somewhat improper, after all, she hadn’t crossed the threshold as a bride yet.
So Qin Siyao moved in next door to Xiao Mo.
Qin Siyao could also cook and prepare dishes but Qin Siyao had never let Xiao Mo eat the food she made.
Xiao Mo asked her why.
Qin Siyao said with a red face, “My skills aren’t refined yet. These dishes aren’t tasty. Once I’ve fully learned, I’ll cook for you.”
After saying this, Qin Siyao would run out of the courtyard and take these dishes to feed her two older brothers but Xiao Mo felt that Siyao’s standards for herself were too high.
After all, in Xiao Mo’s view, the dishes Qin Siyao made all looked quite good, and they smelled fragrant too.
To encourage Siyao, one day Xiao Mo secretly tasted a bite of the dishes she made.
As a result, with just this one bite, even though Xiao Mo had a Golden Core body, his stomach was upset for an entire day.
Xiao Mo couldn’t figure out how, when she used only ordinary spirit beast flesh and blood and nothing strange, she could make dishes turn out like this.
For a moment, Xiao Mo felt quite sorry for the First Prince and Second Prince.
The Frost Prince’s Manor hadn’t been decorated much originally, but after the Qin Kingdom’s ruler bestowed the marriage, Qin Siyao would often have people move over some miniature mountains made of spirit stones and various spirit flowers and spirit grasses.
Spirit fish were also raised in the manor’s pond, and she happily decorated every item in the residence.
It was only because there was still a long time before the wedding, otherwise Xiao Mo felt Siyao would definitely have properly decorated the bridal chamber already.
As for matters in the court.
There was no news from the court.
The reforms Xiao Mo had mentioned to the Qin Kingdom’s ruler, the ruler acted as if he hadn’t heard them at all, and there was no word of it in official circles either. However, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler still sought methods of reform, but was unsatisfied with the memorials submitted by ministers.
Actually, most court officials knew what kind of memorial the Qin Kingdom’s ruler wanted to see. After all, among those who could enter the court, there were no fools but how could they possibly say it?
Actually, Xiao Mo could understand.
The reforms he had mentioned involved forces that were far too powerful.
If not careful, if those nobles united to cause trouble, the entire Qin Kingdom might fracture, and other nations might take advantage of the weakness. However, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler did issue an edict to recruit guest ministers from various nations.
The Qin Kingdom’s ruler used the three-tier guest minister system Xiao Mo had mentioned as a foundation and formulated more specific regulations.
Overall, there were three points.
First was meritocracy regardless of background. Whether one was a fallen noble, a commoner in cloth, or even a foreign spy, as long as one had real talent and learning, one could be employed.
Second was achievement above all, not emphasizing empty reputation. The only hard currency for promotion was merit, especially military merit and substantive policy results. Those who merely spoke of benevolence and righteousness would find it difficult to gain a foothold in Qin Kingdom.
Third, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler deliberately strengthened competition among guest ministers.
Because guest ministers had strong mobility and their positions and titles could not be inherited, today’s high official might be dismissed tomorrow due to failure.
So Xiao Mo could already imagine the brutal competition among guest ministers where “the capable rise, the mediocre yield, the incompetent fall.”
Of course, for capable guest ministers, Qin Kingdom would absolutely not be stingy and would give sufficient rewards and respect.
As for recruitment methods for guest ministers, there were mainly two types.
Whether recommended by others or self-promotion, both were acceptable.
The Qin Kingdom’s ruler specially permitted certain officials to assess guest ministers.
Those who passed the assessment would be granted “guest minister” status then they would be recommended to the Qin Kingdom’s ruler.
The Qin Kingdom’s ruler would assign them specific governmental affairs as tests, such as serving as envoys to other nations, serving as military advisors or leading troops in battle, being responsible for certain specific projects, and so on.
If they achieved merit during the test, they would be granted actual positions and titles.
At most, they could be promoted to Prime Minister.
Of course, if guest ministers achieved merit, their recommenders could also receive rewards.
After this edict was issued, news of Qin Kingdom recruiting guest ministers spread wider and wider.
Some capable people from various nations in the Qin Kingdom’s imperial capital directly wrote letters to the Frost Prince’s Manor, wanting to visit the Frost Prince.
Xiao Mo naturally didn’t refuse.
Xiao Mo truly discovered several excellent people.
The first person was named Bai Qi. Bai Qi was originally from Qin Kingdom, strong despite his youth, but his father had died when he was young.
At thirteen years old, because a wealthy young master bullied his mother, Bai Qi beat that wealthy young master to death, then fled with his mother to Qi Kingdom, fleeing for seven years.
A few months ago, because a relative passed away, he risked returning to Qin to attend the funeral.
Hearing that Qin Kingdom was widely accepting guest ministers, Bai Qi wanted to try.
Although Bai Qi’s current realm was only Qi Refinement, his talent was not poor. He merely lacked resources, and he harbored great ambitions and was well-versed in military strategy but this person’s violent energy was too great and needed some tempering. However, barring accidents, his future achievements would be considerable.
The second person was named Zhang Yi.
This person was eloquent, born in Chu Kingdom, and was now three hundred years old.
Zhang Yi was a descendant of nobility, at the Dragon Gate realm. He had studied the art of persuasion with Guiguzi and was a strategist.
In his early years, he failed in persuading various lords and was humiliated in Chu Kingdom, even framed by others. His entire family scattered, and Zhang Yi also left Chu and came to Qin Kingdom.
Zhang Yi knew when to advance and retreat, understood propriety, had courage and strategy, and was extremely perceptive in judging situations.
The third person was named Baili Xi.
Baili Xi was born in Yu Kingdom, from humble origins, even a mortal without spirit roots, unable to cultivate.
He was now sixty years old.
In this world, a sixty-year-old man unable to cultivate basically had one foot in the grave.
When a maid reported to Xiao Mo that “an elder over sixty years old wishes to interview for guest minister,” Xiao Mo was stunned but Xiao Mo still felt he needed to meet him, so he let him enter the manor.
As a result, Xiao Mo discovered this person was well-read, understood human nature, good at analyzing personalities, and especially had extremely deep insights into internal governance! He was a capable minister for governing a nation.
After Xiao Mo appointed him as a guest minister, Baili Xi strongly recommended Jian Shu.
Xiao Mo had someone take Baili Xi’s letter to bring Jian Shu back to Qin.
Seeing that the world-renowned Frost Prince had recruited guest ministers in a short time, many people felt they could do it too and came to the Frost Prince’s Manor to recommend themselves but most were crafty people without talent, wanting to gain benefits.
Xiao Mo finally decided to have Xiahou Nan help him with “interviews,” having these people go to Xiahou Nan’s residence in the western city.
If Xiahou Nan felt someone was acceptable, he would meet them himself.
After Xiao Mo recommended Bai Qi and others to the Qin Kingdom’s ruler, the ruler was also greatly pleased and talked through the night with Zhang Yi and Baili Xi.
As for Bai Qi, the Qin King also felt this young man’s edge was too exposed and needed training, so he sent him to the Northern Frontier army, planning to make him Xiao Mo’s vice general in the future.
Additionally, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler had Xiao Mo select his own team, which was also Xiao Shi’s intention.
Xiao Mo knew the Qin Kingdom’s ruler and his father wanted him to take over command of the Northern Frontier army in the future.
Because the Spring Festival was approaching, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler simply had those old acquaintances of Xiao Mo return to the city.
This included Xiao Yang, Xiao Fu, and others who had learned fist techniques with Xiao Mo, as well as Xiao Mo’s cohort from the Iron Tiger Army.
Among the Xiao clan members, only Xiao Yang, Xiao Fu, and Xiao Dashi made Xiao Mo’s eyes light up, and he appointed them as subordinates.
As for Xiao Mo’s Iron Tiger Army cohort, Zhao Wei, Xu Yongsheng, and others were, after all, soldiers who had left the Iron Tiger Army alive. Their cultivation talent and military skills were already good, and years of training had made them even more mature, so Xiao Mo naturally accepted them all.
They all lived together with Xiahou Nan in the western city. Xiao Mo had General Xiahou give them lessons, and Xiao Mo would also often go drink with them.
Ten days before the New Year, Jin Kingdom’s Eldest Princess Ji Yue had already arrived at Qin Kingdom’s imperial capital.
The Eldest Princess arrived half a year early, first to learn Qin Kingdom’s customs, and second to demonstrate Jin Kingdom’s sincerity.
Since the Second Prince’s bride had arrived, Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao naturally had to visit the Second Prince’s residence to pay respects.
The Second Prince and his future empress personally received Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao.
Although this Eldest Princess’s appearance truly didn’t match Qin Siyao’s, being only eighty percent of Qin Siyao’s beauty but Qin Siyao was hailed as the most beautiful woman among all nations, so for Ji Yue to have eighty percent of Qin Siyao’s beauty already made her devastatingly beautiful.
Moreover, this Eldest Princess had an elegant temperament. Her manner of treating people made one feel refreshed like a spring breeze. Her every movement showed the bearing of a great family. She truly did not disgrace the Jin Kingdom royal family’s reputation, was more than qualified to be the Second Prince’s consort, and got along very well with Qin Siyao.
After Qin Siyao and Xiao Mo left, Qin Siyao kept muttering, “How could such a good person as Sister Ji Yue be stuck on that pile of cow dung that is my brother?”
Xiao Mo felt the Second Prince was completely worthy of this Jin Kingdom princess. However, for some reason, Xiao Mo felt the Second Prince and this Jin Kingdom princess were somewhat distant.
Xiao Mo felt this wasn’t merely because the Second Prince didn’t like this marriage arrangement, but more like a disgust arising from deep within his heart.
…
The Second Prince’s residence.
After Jin Kingdom Princess Ji Yue saw Xiao Mo and Qin Siyao out of the manor, she returned to the courtyard.
“Siyao and the others have left?”
In the courtyard, Second Prince Qin Jingyuan picked up a wine cup and drank it in one gulp.
Qin Jingyuan wasn’t fond of alcohol originally, but since the marriage arrangement, Qin Jingyuan drank alone every day, as if numbing himself.
“Yes, husband, Princess and the others have left.” Ji Yue nodded.
“Mm.” Qin Jingyuan drank another cup.
Seeing snow continuously falling on her husband’s shoulders, Ji Yue removed the cloak from her own shoulders, walked behind Qin Jingyuan, and was about to drape the cloak over him.
“Don’t touch me!”
The instant the Eldest Princess’s hand accidentally touched Qin Jingyuan’s shoulder, Qin Jingyuan abruptly stood up.
Ji Yue’s delicate body trembled slightly. She pressed her lips together and stood there in a daze.
“You’re nothing more than a chess piece. This marriage isn’t your wish either. Why must you put on such a show! Get out!”
Qin Jingyuan shouted at Ji Yue.
Ji Yue’s hands trembled, her eyes containing tears. She slowly spoke, “The snow is heavy and the weather is cold. Husband, please take care of your health…”
Ji Yue bowed in courtesy, then hugging the cloak, retreated to her room.
The white snow falling from the sky grew heavier and heavier.
Qin Jingyuan sat on the stone stool, cup after cup.
Finally, the man simply threw away the wine cup, lay down in the snow, picked up the wine jug and drank directly, until he was gradually buried by the white snow.
