Chapter 100

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Liang Xiao was overjoyed: "Whose?"

Liu Ling avoided answering. "Is this military strategy only about two thousand characters long?"

"Yes, has the Lady seen this military strategy?"

"I have. What you have is just a fragment."

Liang Xiao became even more interested. "Has the Lady seen the complete text?"

"I don't know if it's the complete text, but I definitely know more than you do, about five to six thousand characters. The two thousand characters you know are just about cavalry tactics. The rest is about formations and sword techniques, and it also includes a breathing technique."

Liu Ling paused, then laughed silently, a bit strangely. "If you want to practice the archery technique to the divine level, you can't do without this breathing technique. From Huan Yuan's strength, he probably doesn't know this breathing technique."

Liang Xiao hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back. He knew Liu Ling was fishing and wouldn't easily reveal what she knew. He smiled and didn't ask further. "If I can reach the level of my master, I will be content."

"Hmph!" Liu Ling turned her head away.

...

A few miles south of the campsite, on a not very high but densely shaded hill, Liu Che stood on his horse, looking at the distant campfires, sighing for no apparent reason. Han Yan gently spurred his horse and rode up beside Liu Che. "Is the Marquis sighing because you can't share the joy with the people?"

Liu Che smiled bitterly. As the Son of Heaven, he knew that sharing joy with the people was a luxury. The狂欢 by the Jue River, he could only hear about it from Han Yan. "Prince, what do you think of Liang Xiao?"

"He is a talent," Han Yan said without hesitation. "In some aspects, he is stronger than Li General's three sons, even stronger than Li General himself."

Liu Che turned to look at Han Yan, his eyes filled with doubt, clearly thinking Han Yan was exaggerating.

"Marquis, according to what I know, Li General, like everyone else, chooses to defend when faced with danger, trying to minimize losses. He usually hits five or six out of ten arrows at a hundred paces, sometimes even seven or eight, but in a situation like today, he would hardly hit at all. To dare to take a risk and shoot an extraordinary arrow like Liang Xiao, he probably can't do it."

Han Yan paused for a moment and added, "I can't do it either."

"That's a true statement." Liu Che laughed. He turned his horse, descended the hill, and trotted along the forest path. "Let him go to Yanmen."

...

With the gates closed at night and unable to return home, Liang Xiao camped by the Jue River. Liu Ling provided three tents: one for Dongfang Shuo and Hu Xijun, one for Liang Miao and Li Rongqing, and one for Liang Xiao himself.

Liang Miao didn't seem to be feeling well, possibly from the cold. She didn't participate in the evening campfire and went to rest early in the tent. Liang Xiao and Liu Ling didn't get along, so he went to check on his mother, asking Li Rongqing to go out and play for a while. Li Rongqing refused but was pushed out by Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao closed the tent door, sat by his mother's bed, and touched her forehead. Her forehead wasn't hot, and she didn't seem to have a fever.

"Mother, where does it hurt?"

"Nothing," Liang Miao forced a smile. "I might just be too idle. I never got sick when I was weaving every day, but after a few days of idleness, I got sick. Xiao'er, when Deng Guobin finishes the new loom, get one for me."

Liang Xiao laughed. "Just because you didn't get sick before doesn't mean you were really healthy; you were just suppressing it. Mother, you're still young. Take this opportunity to rest and recover. There will be many good days ahead. Don't worry about money."

Liang Xiao recounted Liu Ling's new proposal. Liu Ling accepted Dongfang Shuo's offer of five hundred gold but couldn't pay it all at once. She wanted to pay in installments, starting with one hundred gold, then paying thirty percent of the profits to Liang Xiao each year. This would undoubtedly be a much larger sum than five hundred gold, so large that Liang Xiao was hesitant to accept it.

He understood Liu Ling's intentions. She was using this financial relationship to bind him. But he believed he was acting with integrity and wasn't afraid of criticism. Besides, he really needed the money and couldn't afford to be stubborn. He could find a way to refuse Liu Ling later.

"Xiao'er, a man can be poor but not lowly. If you are low in status, your words carry little weight. You shouldn't be content with just money; you should strive for advancement. In a few days, go find Li Danghu and report to the Lang Office. If you don't enter the government, you will always be a commoner."

"Mother, don't worry. I've already talked to Li Danghu and will report in a few days. Mother, I heard from Rongqing that you met General Li today?"

Liang Miao seemed a bit down and lacked energy. "Yes, I did."

"Do you know General Li?"

Liang Miao raised her eyelids, glanced at Liang Xiao, and smiled weakly. "I've seen him, but I don't know him. When we lived in the melon shed in the east of the city, he once passed by the melon field. We didn't speak then. Today, after introducing ourselves, I learned that he is the famous Li Guang."

"Are you very admiring of General Li?" Liang Xiao deliberately winked, trying to cheer Liang Miao up.

"You silly child, who doesn't admire General Li?"

"But I heard from Rongqing that Mother's admiration for General Li is extraordinary. Mother, if you really admire him, I can invite him to our home as a guest, so you can see him up close."

"Nonsense, a great general like Li Guang wouldn't casually visit a subordinate's home." Liang Miao was indeed amused by Liang Xiao's teasing. "If you want to invite him to a banquet, you need to be of similar rank. Xiao'er, wait until you become a general."

"Mother, rest assured. I can't promise anything else, but within ten years, I will definitely become a general. Then I will invite General Li to our home. Mother, take good care of yourself; the good days are just beginning."

"Xiao'er, I am very pleased with your ambition."

Seeing Liang Miao's lack of energy, Liang Xiao helped her lie down and tucked her in. It was autumn, and the nights were cold. Getting chilled could be serious. He sat by the bed, watching his mother fall asleep with a smile, feeling a warmth in his heart.

After struggling for over a year, he finally saw a glimmer of hope. But he didn't know when the old Dowager Dou would die. Only when she died could the young emperor take action, and people like him would have a chance to rise.

Unexpectedly, he thought of the struggle between the Huang-Lao school and Confucianism. Prince Liu An of Huainan had already compiled the "Huainanzi," and had Dong Zhongshu prepared to take the stage? The "Chunqiu Fanlu" and the "Huainanzi," one a Confucian classic and the other a comprehensive work of Daoism, both appeared almost simultaneously at the beginning of Emperor Wu's reign, which was probably not a coincidence. It was the preparation before the curtain of the great debate between Confucianism and Daoism was raised.

Who knew that this seemingly peaceful era harbored a major transformation that would influence the Chinese nation for two thousand years.

Liang Xiao walked out of the tent, sat in front of it, and drank alone, reflecting on the profound history. Just then, Tu Niu'er led Pang Shuo over. "Xiao'er, Da Hu found that person. His mother, Liu Jian is really persistent."

...

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