Chapter 166 - Emperor Yuan Feng’s Revenge, A Promotion
Zhou Shu was a little depressed. In order to avoid being discovered by Yin Wuyou, he couldn’t resist forcefully.
Why did she pull him away? He wanted to see what weapons the Forging Masters had forged.
Ever since he came to this world, he hadn’t had the chance to interact with other Forging Masters.
This was such a good opportunity.
But now, you pulled me out just like that. If I go back, wouldn’t it seem too deliberate?
Yin Wuyou turned to Zhou Shu and said with determination, “Zhou Shu, don’t worry. What is yours is yours. No one can take it away!”
Without waiting for Zhou Shu to speak, she carried the wooden box containing the Three Swords of Yin Tianzi and fled.
Zhou Shu was confused. What should I do?
Speaking of which, Grand Minister, why did you bring me out?
Couldn’t you say this at the military parade ground?
What should I do now?
Return to the residence or return to the venue?
The grand minister doesn’t have any shortcomings. It was just that she occasionally does incomprehensible things.
Zhou Shu shook his head. He had just come out, so it was not appropriate for him to return to the venue.
Since that was the case, he might as well go home and sleep.
He regretfully walked towards the You Marquis’s mansion. He hadn’t walked far when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.
“Divine Constable Yang!” Zhou Shu shouted loudly and waved his hand.
Yang Hong, who was patrolling the streets, heard someone call out to him and subconsciously turned around. When he saw Zhou Shu, his face revealed a pleasantly surprised expression.
“Greetings, Marquis!” Yang Hong turned around and bowed.
“You’re too polite, Divine Constable Yang. We’re old friends. There’s no need for such formalities.” Zhou Shu smiled.
This was the first time he had seen Yang Hong since their last meeting in You Prefecture.
But he heard that after Yang Hong and the rest returned to the capital, they were placed under house arrest for a period of time. Looking at him now, he probably didn’t suffer any abuse. “Divine Constable Yang, you are already a divine constable. Do you still need to patrol the streets?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“You don’t know, Marquis.” Yang Hong smiled and explained, “Patrolling the streets is also the daily work of the Divine Constable Bureau. The defense of the capital city used to only rely on the Country Protector Army. Only a small portion of the palace guards are ranked martial artists.
“However, the capital has been in trouble one after another. His Majesty has decided to reorganize the guards for the sake of the capital’s security, so we have to patrol the streets now.”
Zhou Shu nodded. He wasn’t too interested in these things. But then again, there really weren’t many guards in Chang’an.
“Divine Constable Yang, do you still need a ranked weapon?” Zhou Shu’s gaze fell on the saber hanging on Yang Hong’s waist. It was a Spring Embroidered Saber.
“Marquis…” Yang Hong was stunned. “I haven’t saved enough money…”
He felt a little embarrassed.
Thinking back to the time when he first met Zhou Shu, he was just a mere Forging Apprentice. In the blink of an eye, not only did his cultivation base surpass his, but even his status far surpassed his own.
He was truly incomparable to him. Although he was lucky enough to enter the ranks, he could not even afford a ranked weapon…
But the last time he had returned from You Prefecture, he had made some contributions. When the Imperial Court rewarded him, he should be able to buy a ranked weapon.
Yang Hong and the others were different from Zhou Shu. Zhou Shu’s status was special, and whatever rewards he received were directly given by Emperor Yuan Feng.
If Yang Hong and the rest performed meritorious deeds, they would be rewarded following a whole set of procedures. It was normal for them to receive their reward only after a few months.
“Forget about the money. Just tell me if you need one,” Zhou Shu interrupted him.
“Of course I need a ranked weapon,” Yang Hong said. “If I told you that there’s a ranked weapon worth one thousand taels of gold, but you only need to pay one hundred taels of gold and then pay another hundred taels every year until you have paid the full one thousand taels, would you be willing to accept it?” Zhou Shu asked. “There’s such a good thing?” Yang Hong said in surprise. “Of course.” If he had a ranked weapon, he would definitely have more opportunities to contribute. Earning money would be a piece of cake.
“Marquis, where can I get such a good deal?” Yang Hong asked.
“Right here, before your eyes,” Zhou Shu said with a smile.
“Marquis, are you joking with me?” Yang Hong smiled bitterly.
“Of course not. How about this? When you are off work, come find me at the marquis’s mansion, and we can talk about this.”
Zhou Shu was worried that he wouldn’t have enough workers. He naturally wouldn’t let go of anyone who could be of help to him.
Yang Hong scratched his head as he watched Zhou Shu’s back. He didn’t quite understand what Zhou Shu meant.
Since he couldn’t figure it out, then he wouldn’t think about it anymore. He would find out once he went to the marquis’ mansion later.
After parting with Yang Hong, Zhou Shu directly returned to his mansion.
Since he couldn’t observe the weapons forged by other Forging Masters, he could only return home to study the Legendary Armament Canon.
He was discovering more and more things that he had yet to understand about the usage of the Legendary Armament Canon. He was still unsure when the Legendary Armament Canon would add a new weapon.
After completing certain forging tasks, new weapons would be added to the Legendary Armament Canon. The Legendary Armament Canon would record the other weapons that he forged. The forging formulas for other weapons that he came into contact with would also be recorded by the Legendary Armament Canon.
In short, there was more than one way to add new weapons to the Legendary Armament Canon.
But Zhou Shu didn’t know if there was any other way.
To him, the easiest way to add new weapons to the Legendary Armament Canon was to come into contact with the secret forging formulas of this world.
But he didn’t really like it. He didn’t really like the weapons of this world…
He might as well design weapons based on his memories from his previous life…
Zhou Shu was studying the Legendary Armament Canon in the residence. He was engrossed in his research when Mi Ziwen suddenly came.
“Big Brother, aren’t you attending the military parade? Why are you here?” Zhou Shu asked curiously. “You didn’t run out like me, right?”
With Mi Ziwen’s status, he had the right to follow Emperor Yuan Feng. He definitely couldn’t be as carefree as Zhou Shu…
“No.” Mi Ziwen’s expression was a little serious as he said in a low voice, “I’m here on a decree.” “A decree?” Zhou Shu felt a little strange Didn’t the emperor kick me out of the competition?
Wasn’t Eunuch Zhao the one who issued the decree in the past?
Why is Big Brother here this time?
“It’s actually His Majesty’s oral edict,” Mi Ziwen said. “The official appointment letter will come in a few days.”
“Appointment? What do you mean? I’m going to be promoted again?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“That’s one way to see it.” Mi Ziwen nodded. “His Majesty has decided to appoint you as the official ambassador of Great Xia. In a few days, you will lead the Great Xia diplomatic mission to Great Qin!”
“Great Qin?” Zhou Shu raised his eyebrows. Not long ago, he had heard the name of this country from the Demon Executing Army’s Yin Chengshan.
He didn’t expect it to be related to him so quickly. Come to think of it, shouldn’t it be proper officials for the diplomatic mission?
He was not a diplomat!
“Big Brother, are you joking?” Zhou Shu said. “Lead the diplomatic mission to the Great Qin? I don’t even know where Great Qin is, so wouldn’t it be nonsense for me to lead the diplomatic mission to Great Qin?”
He really thought so. Zhou Shu had never felt that he was as omnipotent as the protagonist in the transmigration novels he had read in his previous life.
He knew that there were many things he didn’t understand.
He knew nothing about diplomacy.
Besides knowing that there were more demonic beasts in Great Qin, he knew nothing about Great Qin. Most importantly, he didn’t want to know about it.
He just wanted to forge weapons quietly. No matter if it was Great Qin or Great Wei, it was best if they didn’t provoke him.
“I’m not joking. His Majesty’s attitude is very firm.”
Mi Ziwen said in a low voice, “Even the Grand Chancellor’s doubts were dismissed by His Majesty.
“It’s been decided that you will be the envoy. There will not be any changes.” Zhou Shu frowned. What’s wrong with Emperor Yuan Feng? Isn’t he afraid that I won’t be able to properly lead the diplomatic mission to Great Qin? “It really can’t be changed?” Zhou Shu frowned.
“His Majesty’s words are to be taken seriously.” Mi Ziwen shook his head.
Zhou Shu was a little unhappy. He wondered if he should sneak into the palace at night and teach Emperor Yuan Feng a lesson.
But he immediately rejected this thought.
It was unknown how many first-rank experts were hidden in the palace. He wasn’t even confident about defeating Emperor Yuan Feng and Eunuch Zhao, both of whom were first-rank martial artists.
Emperor Yuan Feng treated him quite well, so there was no need for him to fight to the death. If he really entered the palace, there was a high chance that he would be given the cold shoulder.
“Actually, this is a good thing.” Mi Ziwen looked at Zhou Shu’s frowning face and ever-changing expression.
“Although you are now the You Marquis, you do not have an official position. Although it is only a temporary position, when you return, His Majesty will definitely place you in an important position.” “Big Brother, do you think I need it?” Zhou Shu said. “My dream is to be a marquis who has a good life. I’ll forge weapons in my free time…”
I, the You Marquis, am doing well. Why do I need an official position?
From beginning to end, he had no intention of working in bureaucracy. He planned to be a technical talent, a Forging Master, a Grand Craftsman, and even a Divine Craftsman. Wasn’t that better than being a minor official?
“Even if you don’t look at it from this angle, it’s a good thing that you’re going to Great Qin.” Mi Ziwen shook his head and smiled bitterly. He didn’t know whether his second brother was unambitious or indifferent to fame and fortune.
But then again, at his age, he was already the You Marquis. Even if he didn’t do anything else in his life, it was enough…
“Do you know why we’re sending the diplomatic mission to Great Qin?”
“Big Brother, if you don’t tell me, how would I know?” Zhou Shu said unhappily. He never cared about national matters.
“This time, we’re sending a diplomatic mission to Great Qin for the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament,” Mi Ziwen said seriously.
“Next year will be the year of the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament. The last martial arts tournament was held in Great Qin, and the location for this martial arts tournament has yet to be decided.
“This time, the various countries will send their diplomatic missions to Great Qin to determine the location of the martial arts tournament!” “What does that have to do with me?” Zhou Shu had been a political idiot for two lifetimes. He couldn’t be bothered to spend more time on this.
He just wanted to forge. If anyone dared to look for trouble, he could just kill them with one strike. If one strike wasn’t enough, he would add another strike!
Mi Ziwen sighed helplessly. No wonder Teacher has always been unwilling to acknowledge Second Brother. It seems like he knows Second Brother’s character well and doesn’t want to involve him in bureaucracy.
With Second Brother’s personality, it is indeed unsuitable for him to go into bureaucracy to scheme against others.
Thinking about it, it is really a joke of fate. With Second Brother’s personality, he actually became a marquis at such a young age. This is simply unimaginable.
Perhaps this is a true genius, incomprehensible!
Mi Ziwen shook his head and explained, “Second Brother, if the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament can be held in Great Xia, we will have the upper hand as the host. At that time, we will naturally achieve good results.
“If we do well in the martial arts tournament, in the next ten years, Great Xia will be able to receive more resources. This will be of great benefit to the development of Great Xia!”
What Mi Ziwen said was much more reliable than what Zhou Shu had heard before. Previously, he had heard about the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament from storytellers. There were more stories than the truth. Most of it was simply fabricated by the storytellers.
Mi Ziwen was different. He came from an aristocratic family and was an important official of the Imperial Court, so he naturally had more insider news.
“I see,” Zhou Shu said in a low voice. “Big Brother, are you saying that the Imperial Court sent out a diplomatic mission to try and get the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament to be held in Great Xia next year?
“Who has the final say on where the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament will be held?”
According to Zhou Shu’s understanding, this Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament was like the Olympics. Could it be that there was an organization similar to the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games in this world?
Was it so easy for the venue of the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament to reach an agreement?
Furthermore, Mi Ziwen had mentioned the allocation of resources. This was something that he had never heard the storytellers mention before. What kind of resources would be allocated?
Who was responsible for the distribution? He didn’t think that the ten countries would come to a gentleman’s agreement. The Great Wei that he had come into contact with was not an honest country.
If one’s performance in the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament wasn’t good, would they receive fewer resources? Didn’t they know how to snatch?
Between countries, who would talk about virtue?
“The venue of the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament is naturally decided by the ten nations,” Mi Ziwen said. “I know what you’re worried about, but don’t worry. No country will violate the agreement between the ten nations.
“When the time comes, you just have to follow the rules. Whoever hosts the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament next year will not have any influence on you.”
Mi Ziwen did not elaborate. Zhou Shu didn’t know if he didn’t want to tell him or if he didn’t know.
The possibility of the former was not high, but how could Mi Ziwen not know the inside story?
Zhou Shu didn’t believe that the ten nations were all so particular about rules. Even on Earth in his previous life, countries couldn’t be so particular about rules.
… Unless there was some force that forced them to obey the rules!
But was there any power that could threaten the ten nations?
“Big Brother, is there really no way to reject this diplomatic mission?” Zhou Shu said with his head lowered.
“Second Brother, why do you keep thinking of refusing it?” Mi Ziwen replied with a question, smiling bitterly. “It will be very beneficial to you if you go to Great Qin. Just treat it as an exchange of forging techniques. Great Qin’s forging techniques are also quite good…”