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After the succession dispute at Chongyuan Hall, the matter temporarily came to an end with Guo Wei directly bestowing the titles of Prince of Qin and Prince of Jin upon them.

However, Zhao Pu clearly sensed that their King of Qin had changed.

It's not that I've become anxious, nor that I've become gloomy.

On the contrary, the King of Qin was calmer and more taciturn than before.

He still gets up at dawn, reads at 7 am, goes to inspect the military camp outside the city in the afternoon, returns to the mansion to handle documents at 5 pm, and turns off the lights at 9 pm.

But Zhao Pu knew that the King of Qin was thinking about something.

The King of Qin did not tell anyone about those things.

Even in the confidential documents copied by Li Fang, no trace of it could be found.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) on this day, the King of Qin suddenly summoned Zhao Pu into his study.

"close the door."

Zhao Pu turned around and closed the door.

Only one lamp was lit in the study, casting a dim, yellowish light.

The King of Qin sat behind his desk, with a wooden box in front of him.

Zhao Pu had seen that wooden box a few times. It was made of camphor wood, about the size of a palm, with very simple decorations. He didn't know what was inside.

"Zhao Pu, how long have you been by my side?" King Qin asked Zhao Pu meaningfully.

“One year and four months,” Zhao Pu replied.

“One year and four months,” the King of Qin repeated. “That seems long enough.”

Then he opened the wooden box.

Zhao Pu saw that a manuscript was neatly stacked in the box.

The cover was blank, the paper was very new, and the edges were slightly curled from being flipped through many times.

The King of Qin pushed the manuscript in front of him.

"This is for you."

Zhao Pu took it with both hands and turned to the first page.

What comes into view is a line of neat and elegant small regular script...

Intelligence Guide.

He was stunned.

The King of Qin did not speak, but simply gestured for him to continue watching.

Zhao Pu lowered his head and turned the pages one by one.

This was a book he had never seen before, or even imagined.

It is not a military treatise, not a historical record, not any kind of knowledge circulating in the world.

It's about...

How to identify spies hidden in a crowd.

How to estimate the number of troops stationed based on the rice shop's purchase volume.

How can we predict when a war will break out by observing changes in grain, cloth, and fodder prices?

How to win over lower-level and mid-to-high-level officials of the enemy.

How to subtly extract information in teahouses, taverns, docks, and carriage shops.

How to leave secret codes on the city wall that only your own people understand using the simplest symbols?

How to transmit a piece of intelligence in three separate routes to prevent it from being intercepted en route.

How to determine the authenticity of a piece of intelligence.

How to... become a true, qualified person who can walk in the dark.

Zhao Pu turned page after page, his palms gradually becoming sweaty.

He suddenly understood.

For more than a year, the King of Qin has never expressed any opinion on the succession struggle, never gotten too close to military generals such as Wang Jun and Wang Yin, and never participated in any social gatherings that could be interpreted as "forming factions".

He was just doing his own thing.

They trained troops, opened trade routes, sheltered wounded soldiers, and supported the poor.

as well as……

I wrote this booklet.

"Your Highness..." Zhao Pu raised his head, his voice slightly strained, "How long has it been since you...?"

The King of Qin did not answer directly.

"Ever since I climbed out of the well, I've been thinking about one thing."

“My enemy died in the capital, killed by the mutinous army. But his accomplices are still here, his old friends are still here, and the seeds of disaster he sowed are still buried in the ground.”

“I can’t rely on my father to protect me for the rest of my life.”

"I need to know for myself who in this world is trustworthy, who is suspicious, who should be guarded against, and who should be used."

The King of Qin paused, his gaze falling on the manuscript beside Zhao Pu.

"But I can't look it up myself."

"Too conspicuous."

"So you come."

Zhao Pu lowered his head, gently closed the manuscript, and placed it back into the wooden box.

He was silent for a long time.

The King of Qin did not urge him.

The night outside the window was deep, and the distant sound of bugles signaling military exercises could be faintly heard from outside the city.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Pu finally spoke, “I dare to ask a question.”

"explain."

"Where did Your Highness learn the contents of this booklet?"

The King of Qin did not answer.

He simply looked at Zhao Pu, his gaze calm as still water, yet unfathomable.

After a long silence, the King of Qin said meaningfully, "All you need to know is that this is the right thing to do."

"Follow these instructions, and you will survive and win."

Zhao Pu met his gaze and did not ask any further questions.

He closed the wooden box, held it up with both hands, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Your subordinate obeys."

The King of Qin nodded.

"I intend to establish a secretariat under the Qin Prince's banner, with Wang Pu as the secretary-general, primarily responsible for the Chengxin Trading Company; Li Fang and you will serve as deputy secretaries-general, and the 'Mingli Hall' will be established under the secretariat."

“From this day forward, you will be the person in charge of ‘Minglitang’.”

"Mingli Hall?"

"To clearly discern the principles of things is called 'enlightenment,' and to understand the hearts of men is called 'reason.'" King Qin said, "This name will only be passed down by word of mouth from now on. In public, you will still be the Chief Secretary and Deputy Secretary-General of Zhao, assisting me in handling official documents and general affairs."

Zhao Pu lowered his head and said, "Yes."

"First thing," the King of Qin said, taking another booklet from the table. "This is the list of managers that Chengxin Trading Company has sent to various countries this year. Three from Southern Tang, two from Western Shu, one from Jingnan, two from Khitan, and one from Northern Han."

Zhao Pu took it and quickly glanced at it.

“These people…” He looked up.

“They are all from the first batch of companion students who graduated last year,” said the King of Qin. “Wang Pu personally selected them. They are quick-witted, tight-lipped, and of average appearance; you wouldn’t notice them in a crowd.”

“They have settled in various places, each with their own cover: merchants, accountants, warehouse managers, dock brokers.”

"But we're missing someone to string these scattered threads together."

The King of Qin looked at Zhao Pu.

"You can make the skewers."

Zhao Pu gripped the thin booklet tightly in his hand.

He recalled that when he first came to the study camp a year ago, he was just an unknown and down-on-his-luck scholar from Jizhou.

His parents died early, and his family had no savings. He taught elementary school children, worked as an accountant, joined the army, and deserted.

He applied to be a tutor just for a meal.

The King of Qin selected him from among two hundred men, took him under his wing, and personally taught him to read, write, do accounting, and recognize people.

Now he knows why.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Pu lowered his head, his voice somewhat hoarse, “I will certainly not fail in my mission.”

The King of Qin did not say anything like "I believe you".

He simply stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open half of the window.

A night breeze swept in, stirring the remaining candle on the table.

"The expenses of Minglitang will be covered by the profits of Chengxin Trading Company." King Qin's back was to Zhao Pu, and his voice was very calm. "The accounts will be kept separately. I will give instructions to Wang Pu. You will be directly responsible to me, and no one else needs to know."

"Yes."

"The staff will be selected from the upcoming reading sessions. The criteria for selecting staff are outlined in the booklet."

"Yes."

"You need to know when the first intelligence network can be deployed. Three months, six months, or a year—it's up to you. Once you've decided, let me know."

"Yes."

The King of Qin remained silent.

He gazed at the deep night outside the window, his back motionless.

Zhao Pu held the wooden box and stood there, suddenly feeling a heat rising in his chest.

He thought of the old locust tree at the entrance of his hometown village in Jizhou.

When I was young, I heard from the elders that locust wood is hard, rot-resistant, and can be used to make wheels and house beams.

On the day he left home, he looked back at that tree one last time.

At that time, he thought that there would never be a place where he could put down roots again in his life.

"In addition, personnel will be assigned to the areas around Wang Jun and Wang Yin first."

"Your Highness, could it be..."

"Step down! You know what you're doing," said the King of Qin.

"Yes." Zhao Pu bowed deeply, turned and left the study.

The door closed gently behind me.

Zhao Pu stood under the eaves, holding the wooden box, the night breeze brushing against his still slightly flushed cheeks.

The wooden box is not heavy, only about a foot square and weighing three or four pounds.

He felt that he was holding a weighty burden in his hands, a lifelong responsibility.

In the distance, the bugle calls of the troops outside the city gradually subsided.

Zhao Pu lowered his head and, by the dim light of the corridor, opened the manuscript with the blank cover once more.

On the title page, a line of neat small regular script—

“Minglitang began here.”

Without further delay, he turned and walked towards his small duty room.

He probably won't sleep tonight.

……

Three months later, the caravan of Chengxin Trading Company set off from Bianliang, passing through the Bian River and the Huai River, heading towards Jinling, the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

The caravan manager's surname was Chen, given name Zhang, twenty-six years old, one of the first batch of students to be sent to study with his family, and he always had the amiable smile typical of businessmen on his face.

No one knew that hidden in a compartment of his cargo box were more than a dozen letters written in coded language.

No one knew that the most important "business" deal he made on this trip was neither tea nor silk.

It means going to a deep alley in Jinling City, knocking on an inconspicuous wooden door, and exchanging a secret code with the person behind the door that only the two of you can understand.

"Mingli Hall".

"It begins here."

The man would invite him in, serve him tea, and then lower his voice, "How is Your Highness?"

In Bianliang, a thousand miles away, Zhao Pu sat at his desk in the duty room and wrote the first comprehensive intelligence summary since the establishment of Minglitang.

He wrote slowly, each stroke deliberate and solemn.

After writing the last character, he put down his pen and gently blew on the ink to dry it.

Outside the window, dusk was settling in.

It was just another ordinary evening.

He folded up the secret report and put it into the wooden box that was specially used to deliver it to the King of Qin for personal opening.

Then he got up, washed his hands, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the King of Qin's study.

……

On the opening day of the third session of the reading companion camp, another batch of three hundred young and unfamiliar faces arrived at the camp outside the city, which was no longer a military camp but was still called a "military camp" by everyone.

They came from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Huaibei.

In particular, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were now under the rule of the Liao Khitans, and many insightful people who were unwilling to serve the enemy went south to join the Great Zhou.

The study camp for the Prince of Qin, the eldest son of Emperor Guo Wei of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was naturally the first choice, and thus the study camp created a siphon effect on the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

There were children from farming families, children from small merchants' families, old students who had failed the imperial examinations for many years, and teenagers who had just finished elementary school and were sent by their families to "try their luck".

Sun Wu stood on the earthen platform, his single eye sweeping over the dark mass of people below.

"Listen up, all of you..."

The familiar opening remarks, and the same booming voice that could still lift the roof off.

"Once you enter this camp, you will no longer be scholars, students, or young masters."

"He is a soldier."

"Literate soldiers!"

Someone in the audience secretly swallowed.

Sun Wu's lips curled into a ferocious smile.

"Don't be afraid. We don't beat people here."

"But morning exercises, drills, memorizing regulations, and accounting are all essential."

"Once you get through a year, you'll realize that those clueless slackers outside are nothing but a fart in front of you."

These words were vulgar and offensive, yet a suppressed chuckle rippled through the audience.

Three years ago, when the first batch of students entered the camp, they were also scolded by Sun Wu in the same way.

Now, some of those people are centurions leading thousands of men, some are managers of reputable trading companies stationed in various prefectures, some have followed Wang Pu to Jiangnan, Western Shu, and Khitan, and some have been sent to another place by the King of Qin...

Every corner of the Great Zhou army.

The year the first batch of students graduated, the King of Qin conducted another selection process from among the one hundred soldiers.

It's not about choosing the strongest fighter, nor the most accurate archer.

Instead, they choose those who seem the least noticeable, speak the most amiably, and are the best at dealing with people.

“You are not going to be generals,” the King of Qin told them. “You are going to be military officers.”

"In charge of grain and fodder, military pay, roster, and merit and demerit records."

“Make sure every account is clear, every bushel of grain is recorded, and every soldier’s name is written neatly.”

"Can it be done?"

Of the young people selected, some were bewildered, some were disappointed, and some felt that the King of Qin was wasting their talents. But they still went.

One of Zhao Da's former squad leaders, now serving in the Imperial Guard, was shoved into the ranks.

Wang Pu's distant cousin and a relative who worked as a clerk under the Xuanwu Army military governor introduced three people into the scheme.

Sun Wu's old comrade-in-arms, who had shared a knife with him back then and was now a desperate outlaw serving as a captain in the Holy Guard, patted his chest and took two of them in.

One, two, three...

Three years.

Unbeknownst to many, several young people had quietly joined the sixteen armies, hundreds of commanders, and thousands of garrisons of the Zhou Dynasty.

They wore the same armor and ate the same food as ordinary soldiers, but they did not have to practice formation drills every day.

They squatted in the storeroom to take inventory of the grain and fodder, sat in the corner of the tent to silently record their military achievements, and followed behind the captain to help fill out those tedious and boring merit and demerit books that no one had wanted to fill out before.

Nobody thought they were anything special.

They are amiable, hardworking, quick and accurate at accounting, and never compete with others for credit.

The officers liked them very much... Since these people came, when the higher-ups came to inspect the grain and military pay, they no longer had to be sweating profusely from those tricky questions about the accounts.

The generals were also very satisfied... These people never got involved in factional struggles, were respectful to everyone, and worked diligently for whoever they were assigned to.

Even the seasoned and prudent officials in the Privy Council felt that this Prince Qin was indeed capable of handling affairs.

Sending some scholars to the army as clerks is not a big deal, it's not like they're installing their own confidants to command troops.

It's a good deed that someone is willing to calculate the meager military pay for the soldiers.

Wang Jun was one of the first military officers to accept this group of people.

His Crane Control Army, stationed west of Bianliang City, was an elite force protecting the capital region.

When the first batch of study companions were assigned to him, Wang Jun met those young people in person.

He had assumed that the King of Qin would take this opportunity to plant some spies.

When the young men met, they simply handed over their rosters, hometowns, and resumes, and then asked, "General, where is our warehouse?"

Wang Jun sent men to follow them for three months.

The report stated that these men, starting at dawn each day, would take stock of the provisions, check the accounts, record the soldiers' military merits, and assist the captain in handling paperwork.

Lights out at 9 PM, never go out alone, never conspire in private, and never inquire about anything unrelated to my job.

He simply enjoyed mingling with the lower-ranking soldiers and helping them write letters home.

Within three months, the accounts were accurate to the last penny, food and fodder losses decreased by half a percent, and the soldiers' resentment caused by errors in the military merit registration almost disappeared.

Wang Jun had nothing to say.

Later, the King of Qin sent a second and third batch.

Wang Jun stopped staring at them.

All he knew was that the army now had the clearest information on the supplies and provisions of the Crane Control Army.

During each Privy Council inspection, his troops never made a mistake.

This is enough.

Does it matter whose people these young people work for?

Wang Yin's attitude was more complicated than Wang Jun's.

He was a founding meritorious official of Guo Wei when he raised his army, and his seniority was even greater than that of Wang Jun, yet he was always subordinate to him.

Unlike Wang Jun, he was not arrogant and domineering, but he harbored more schemes in his heart.

When the King of Qin's men were sent to his Fengguo Army, King Yin neither refused nor warmly accepted them.

He just watched coldly.

Let's see what kind of trouble these people can cause.

Several months have passed.

A year has passed.

These young people didn't make any waves.

They simply and quietly checked the military equipment accounts that had been piling up in Fengguo Army for three years, accounts that no one else could sort out, one by one.

Then they found more than a hundred old weapons that had been reported damaged but were still in storage.

This alone saved the Fengtian Army thousands of strings of cash in procurement expenses.

Wang Yin summoned the head clerk and asked, "What's your name?"

"General, my surname is Zhou, and my given name is An."

"Who taught you how to check accounts?"

Zhou An was taken aback for a moment, then honestly replied, "It was Mr. Wang Pu from the tutoring camp who taught me."

Wang Yin remained silent for a moment, then waved for him to leave.

He never mentioned it again.

But after that, the number of times the Fengguo army "demanded people" from the King of Qin gradually increased.

What drew the most attention from both the court and the public was the attitude of Prince Guo Rong (Chai Rong).

Prince Guo Rong of Jin, formerly known as Chai Rong, was Guo Wei's adopted son and is now the most prominent name under the current emperor.

He had distinguished himself in battle and was deeply loved by the army. Although he was not the eldest son, he held a large army and his prestige grew day by day.

Everyone knows that if His Highness the Prince of Qin had not appeared out of nowhere, he would have been the only choice for the crown prince.

What would be the attitude of such a person towards the young clerks sent by the young master?

Cold shoulder? Rejection? Superficial compliance?

neither.

When Guo Rong met the first batch of companions assigned to his camp, he only asked them three questions.

"Can you write?"

"meeting."

"Can you do accounting?"

"meeting."

Have you read any military treatises?

"...I've read a little bit of it."

Which one?

“Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Wu Tzu’s Art of War, and… a small booklet compiled by the young master himself.”

Guo Rong did not ask any further questions.

He then had these young men assigned to various departments, serving as clerks, accountants, and quartermasters.

Before leaving, he said, "Do a good job."

That's all.

But this one sentence is enough to express our attitude.

When the news reached Wang Jun and Wang Yin, both remained silent for a long time.

King Guo Rong of Jin did not take the opportunity to suppress the King of Qin's people, nor did he deliberately try to win them over.

He simply handled the matter as a matter of official business, treating these young men like ordinary military officers and assigning them to their assigned positions.

This leaves one speechless more than any form of suppression or appeasement.

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin remained silent for a long time.

He did not comment on his brother to anyone.

However, later on, the number of companions sent to Guo Rong's camp increased from five to ten per term.

Guo Rong accepted it all without question, neither adding nor subtracting anything, remaining indifferent.

Treat it as you would any other task within your responsibilities.

The influence of the reading companion camp spread quietly and imperceptibly, without anyone deliberately pushing it or being able to stop it.

Three years.

From the first batch of one hundred people, to the third batch graduating and the fourth batch currently in training.

From initially training silently in abandoned military camps outside Bianliang City, to now having these young people coming and going in the 16th Army and hundreds of commanders of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

From initially being secretly ridiculed, to now, every time a new term of tutoring is about to end, people send out invitations and ask for favors months in advance to compete for a spot.

Guo Wei knew all of this.

He sat in the imperial study, listening to Guo Zhong report the latest roster of the companions and students, and remained silent for a long time.

"Yi-ge'er..." he began, his voice slightly hoarse, "Do you want to be the crown prince?"

Guo Zhong lowered his head, not daring to answer.

Guo Wei did not wait for his reply.

He looked out the window at the gray sky over Bianliang and suddenly sighed softly.

"He doesn't want to."

“If he wants to, he will come to me and cry, just like when he was a child.”

"If he doesn't come, it means he doesn't want to."

Guo Zhong still dared not answer.

But he knew that His Majesty was right.

Military camp outside the city.

The fifth cohort of students was doing their morning exercises. Sun Wu's cursing echoed through the twilight, still full of energy.

Suning stood by the earthen platform, watching the young figures run laps past.

Zhao Pu stood beside him, a secret letter to be sent that night tucked into his sleeve.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Pu said softly, “Li, the head constable of the Holy Guard, has sent someone to ask again if two more people can be sent next term. He said their commander thinks the accounts are too messy and wants to borrow someone who knows double-entry bookkeeping.”

Suning did not answer immediately.

He looked at the group of people doing morning exercises and suddenly asked, "Has my older brother sent any news like this?"

Zhao Pu paused for a moment.

"No. His Highness Prince Jin... has never asked for anyone."

"But he never refuses to accept them."

Yes. We never refuse to accept them.

Suning remained silent.

As dusk deepened, the last lap was completed.

Sun Wu's cursing turned into shouts announcing the dismissal and the start of dinner.

Su Ning turned around and walked towards the barracks.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

"Next time, send three more people to the eldest brother's side."

Zhao Pu was slightly taken aback. "Your Highness, the Prince of Jin has never requested any more people. Should we send more..."

“He won’t ask for it on his own initiative,” Su Ning said. “But he’ll accept it as long as I send it.”

"That'll do."

He did not explain what "this" meant.

Zhao Pu didn't ask.

He simply noted it down in his mind, intending to check with the accounting department later to see the current number of companions available to His Highness Prince Jin, as well as suitable candidates who could be added in the next term.

Through his control of intelligence via the "Mingli Hall," Zhao Pu realized the grand plan in the heart of the King of Qin.

The arrogance and domineering behavior of Wang Jun and Wang Yin were destined to lead to their demise, and it was clear that the King of Qin had already begun to make preparations in secret.

As night fell, lights came on throughout the barracks.

Steaming smoke drifted from the canteen, where some people were talking and laughing loudly, while others were arguing about an account that hadn't been settled during the day.

Suning walked into the canteen and sat down on a long bench.

Someone pushed a bowl of hot porridge in front of him.

"Your Highness, the porridge is thick today, please drink more."

"Ah."

The King of Qin lowered his head to drink the porridge, the steam obscuring his eyes and brows.

No one stopped eating, and no one suddenly became reserved.

Three years have passed, and they have long been accustomed to eating from the same pot with the King of Qin.

They all considered themselves to be His Highness the King of Qin's right-hand men...

After finishing his porridge, Suning put the empty bowl back on the table.

He suddenly thought...

Are those men he sent to various armies eating the same kind of food right now?
Will they squeeze together in the army mess hall with those captains who used to only know how to wield knives but now also know how to calculate and do accounts, drinking hot porridge?
Will they be accepted by others?

Will people trust me?

Will anyone realize that they weren't just there to settle accounts?

he does not know.

But he knew that the seeds had already been sown.

It was scattered into the storerooms, beside the account books, and next to the merit and demerit books of every army in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It was scattered into the mundane tasks that those rough and tough soldiers never cared about, yet couldn't live without for a single day.

Three years.

Some have been promoted to quartermasters, some have become trusted clerks by the head constable, and some have been selected by the general to stay on as officers, never to be "borrowed" back.

No one knew they were Qin King's men.

No, maybe someone knows.

But they didn't care anymore.

Because these young people were quick and accurate at accounting, they never missed filling out the merit and demerit books, and the inventory of grain and fodder was accurate to the last detail.

Because they never participate in factional struggles, they are respectful to everyone, and they do their best to serve whoever they are assigned to.

Because of them...

it works.

If it works, that's enough.

In this chaotic world, useful people always manage to survive.

Suning put down his porridge bowl, got up, and walked out of the dining hall.

The night was deep outside, with lights twinkling in the barracks.

He stood on the empty playground, looking up at the sky.

Three years.

The seeds have been sown, and the roots have taken hold.

Next, we just wait.

Let them grow into trees on their own.

He himself is a seed.

It just sprouts slowly and grows slowly.

But he wasn't in a hurry; he could afford to wait.

...(End of this chapter)