Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

30

"My apprentice is exceptionally magnanimous; he doesn't care about your attitude at all. It's you who can't get over your own mental hurdle."

These words left Zheng Xuan speechless.

This is indeed the case.

"Could it be... that he's scared?"

Seeing Zheng Xuan remain silent, Cai Yong deliberately provoked him.

"What?"

Zheng Xuan's eyes widened immediately: "Me, Zheng Kangcheng, afraid?"

You can lose face, but you must never back down.

"Of course they're afraid of losing to me!"

Cai Yong smiled like an old fox.

Suppressing the urge to punch Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan suddenly overturned the chessboard and sneered, "You think I'm afraid of you? Who's more capable, your disciple or your apprentice?"

"Guoyuan and Xilu both hold important positions under Lu Xiaozhi now. What about your students?"

Cai Yong stroked his beard and laughed, "Lu Feng was taught by me."

Zheng Xuan's forehead veins bulged: "Cui Yan, Zhao Shang, Wang Ji—aren't they all outstanding talents of our time?"

Cai Yong smiled as before: "Lu Feng was taught by me."

"I have been writing books for twenty years and have a collection of thousands of volumes. What do you have to compare with me?"

"Lu Feng was trained by me."

"You bastard!" Zheng Xuan slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "What else can you do besides picking up a good disciple? With that kid's talent, he'd be a gem even if left to his own devices!"

"A ten-year-old who can train soldiers and repel the enemy? Does such a prodigy need you to teach him?"

"Nonsense!" Cai Yong glared and stood up. "I created the Feibai style of calligraphy and am revered as a master of calligraphy, and my qin (a seven-stringed zither) skills are even more..."

"Stop!" Zheng Xuan turned and left. "I'm too lazy to argue with you. We'll have plenty of time for another day!"

Just then, Guoyuan rushed over.

Seeing his mentor arguing heatedly with Master Cai, he couldn't help but step forward and bow, saying, "Sir, Master Cai, Elder Tong, Elder Li, what's going on here...?"

"It's nothing, it's just Brother Zheng and Master Cai exchanging scholarly ideas," Tong Yuan and Li Yan said with smiles, stroking their beards. "It's quite a unique occasion."

It was a rare and delightful experience to witness such great Confucian scholars as Zheng Xuan and Cai Yong debating in court.

Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan glared at the two men simultaneously, clearly displeased that they were standing by and watching.

Zheng Xuan's face darkened as he asked, "The governor's office is very busy; what brings you here?"

"I've heard that you often mention your desire to run an academy..." Guo Yuan said respectfully. "As the state academy is being built, we would like to recommend you for the position of headmaster, and that's why we've come to inquire."

Zheng Xuan was speechless for a moment. He suddenly realized that he had fallen into Lu Feng's trap. This elaborate scheme had put him in a difficult position—if he refused on the spot, that old fox Cai Yong would definitely take the opportunity to slander him, saying that he was cowardly and timid.

Despite his inward annoyance, he maintained a stern face and replied, "The rules must be set by me. Apart from the basic regulations, the government shall not interfere in the internal affairs of the academy—this is no different from Donglai Academy. However, matters involving the government shall be discussed separately."

Guo Yuan hurriedly agreed: "Sir, you can rest assured. The state school and the state government are clearly separate. I understand this matter." He thought to himself that his mentor often visited Donglai and must be well aware of the procedures involved.

Since the cement road connecting Huangxian to Beihai and Zhengxiang was built, the carriage and horse company under the Lu Clan Chamber of Commerce launched a comfortable carriage with shock absorption device, and Zheng Xuan often came to Huangxian.

"Alright! It's settled then! Find out when the academy will be completed and report back!" Zheng Xuan nodded in satisfaction, glancing at Cai Yong out of the corner of his eye, his expression seemingly saying: We'll see who is better at teaching and educating people.

"Congratulations, Brother Kangcheng!" Cai Yong stroked his beard and smiled. No matter the outcome, he was a winner—that old fellow Zheng Xuan had finally joined in helping Lu Feng cultivate talent. As the teacher, he had no problem losing out, so let Zheng Xuan be smug for a while.

"Ha!" Zheng Xuan snorted coldly, sitting heavily back down in front of the chessboard: "One more game, let's see who's truly superior!"

"You old scoundrel, do you have any shame? I was clearly going to win that game, but you deliberately flipped the chessboard!" Cai Yong sneered.

"Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me if you dare to come or not!" Zheng Xuan directly challenged.

"Afraid of you? Come on then!" Cai Yong sat down angrily, and the two fought fiercely again.

Tong Yuan and Li Yan continued to observe. Guo Yuan chuckled to himself at his teacher's childlike demeanor. He hadn't seen his teacher so relaxed in years; it seemed his inner turmoil had been resolved, which was a good thing. So he quietly withdrew.

Not long after, Guo Yuan reported to Lu Feng at the Wu Marquis's residence: "My lord, I have not failed in my mission! My teacher has agreed to serve as the headmaster of the Yanzhou Academy."

Lu Feng's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he exclaimed in admiration, "Zini, you are truly efficient and decisive! Excellent! The academy is nearing completion. Please convey to Lord Kangcheng that we should first build momentum and widely issue recruitment notices. In a month or so, I believe that talented individuals from all over the country will gather at the Yanzhou Academy."

"If needed, Kang Cheng Gong may consult with Gong Da and Zhi Cai at any time."

Zheng Xuan's arrival truly relieved Lu Feng's immediate crisis. The Yanzhou Academy is about to get back on track, and this cradle of talent is finally taking shape—a truly cause for celebration.

Compared to Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan was perhaps more capable of attracting many talented scholars to study and lecture. This was precisely why Lu Feng went to great lengths to persuade Zheng Xuan to take up his post; otherwise, wouldn't it have been easier to simply appoint a trusted confidant as the dean?

"I wonder how many aristocratic youths I can recruit this time," Lu Feng pondered, stroking his chin.

Guo Yuan smiled wryly upon hearing this: "Given the discord between our lord's new policies and the aristocratic families, even if they admire the great reputation of Duke Kangcheng, I'm afraid few will respond."

"Not necessarily," Lu Feng waved his hand and said, "The gentry of the world have always been good at planning ahead. Even if they don't understand the benefits of the new policies, they should be able to see our potential. If I were to take power one day, those families who haven't made any plans in this area would probably truly become ordinary people."

"Even if you don't send your direct descendants, you can choose the most outstanding members of your clan to enroll. My family welcomes all; everyone is free to come and go. As for whether or not one takes up an official post, that's entirely voluntary; I never force anyone."

"Besides, these illegitimate sons don't have many opportunities for advancement in the family. If they could serve under me, wouldn't that be a rare opportunity for them? Perhaps even before the family heads express their opinions, the discerning members of the clan will see that following me will lead to a better future!"

In aristocratic families, opportunities have always been reserved for the eldest son.

How much of the inheritance can a son born out of wedlock receive?

Even if their abilities are equal, the right of firstborn son always prevails.

Even if you are more talented than the eldest son, you are nothing more than a supporting character, using your abilities to pave a bright future for the eldest son.

Not everyone is willing to become a stepping stone for others' progress.

To be honest, his plan was indeed for the benefit of the gentry.

It provided an excellent way out for illegitimate children and even legitimate children from the second wife's family.

Unfortunately, there are always some people who don't know what's good for them.

Looking across the world, who treats the gentry better than Lu Feng?

"My lord is wise! Perhaps our subsequent recruitment strategy should focus on these aspects?" Guo Yuan stroked his beard and pondered.

He couldn't help but admire that his lord was indeed the creator of the new policies, and his grasp of their essence was truly thorough.

These were all things he hadn't expected.

"Let's do it this way! I believe it will be very effective. Our business will continue to expand, and we urgently need a large number of capable leaders."

"If we rely entirely on training from childhood, the progress will be too slow. It's always good to recruit more ready-made talents."

"Moreover, the more aristocratic sons we have serving, the less resistance we will encounter when we go to war in the future."

His original intention was not to exterminate the aristocratic families.

Why not do something that can both alleviate conflict and bring benefits?

"Yes!" Guoyuan bowed solemnly. "I only hope that there will be more reasonable people among the gentry. Alas!"

He truly did not want to see his lord forced to raise the butcher's knife against the gentry in the future.

"I hope so." Lu Feng nodded slightly.

If given a choice, he would naturally prefer to commit fewer acts of killing.

Of course, according to his plan, he might not really have to exterminate them all in the future. He could let Cao Cao lead these stubborn aristocratic families on an expedition to the Western Regions!

Those who are willing to make trouble can start anew in the Western Regions, establish their own school of thought, and make a name for themselves.

If someone is truly capable, it's not impossible for them to conquer a territory and establish themselves as a king.

Even those who are slightly less capable can still easily become local tyrants.

There are plenty of ways—killing them all would be a waste.

After Lu Feng pacifies the Central Plains, it will take at least several years to implement new policies and revitalize people's livelihoods.

During that period, the emperor was too busy to manage affairs outside the borders, but Cao Cao and his powerful families were not idle.

They were literate, so they could conveniently transmit the culture, education, and etiquette of the Central Plains to those barbarians and help them become civilized.

Wouldn't it save Lu Feng a lot of effort when he takes over in the future?

This move kills three birds with one stone; it's very cost-effective.

******

Jingzhou, Xiangyang, Cai Mansion

Cai Feng and Cai Mao had just finished reading the secret letter delivered by the secret guards.

Seeing the two men put down the letter, Lu Shier, the commander of the Jingzhou secret guards, smiled and asked, "Now that you two have read my lord's letter, what is Lady Cai's opinion?"

Cai Feng stroked his beard and said, "There are generally no objections. Just have Ying'er's marriage to Marquis Wu formally documented in writing, and I will ask for nothing more."

"Exactly!" Cai Mao echoed.

"Absolutely not!" Lu Twelve waved his hand, saying, "Such actions are bound to leak secrets and sow the seeds of disaster. In my opinion, it would be better for the Cai family to openly declare that they are severing ties with Lady Cai, and then spread the word that Lord Cai originally intended to marry Lady Cai to Liu Biao. This would be more convincing."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "To be on the safe side, we might as well choose another noblewoman from the clan to marry Liu Biao, to appease the various powerful families in Jingzhou—otherwise, the Cai family may become the target of everyone's criticism."

This is by no means an exaggeration. There are quite a few powerful families who hate Lu Feng right now.

The Cai family of Jingzhou, a prestigious clan, has openly formed a marriage alliance with Lu Feng. Isn't this a betrayal of the local powerful families?

It's hard not to suspect that this is a pawn that Lu Feng planted in Jingzhou.

Moreover, the Cai family's power and wealth in Jingzhou were indeed enough to tempt other prominent families.

Liu Biao was no exception to this custom.

Since taking control of Jingzhou, this governor has been trying to eliminate the local powerful clans and bring their power under his own control.

It was only after the initial plan failed that they switched to a strategy of winning over and dividing each other.

"this..."

Cai Feng and Cai Mao were both startled upon hearing this.

This plan was truly unexpected!

"Second sister really won't get angry? What if she cuts off all ties with us because of this...?"

Cai Mao was still somewhat hesitant.

If the Cai family pays such a price, but Cai Ying and Lu Feng are unwilling to accept it in the end, wouldn't that be a losing proposition?

"Haha! Absolutely impossible!"

Lu Twelve smiled and said, "This plan was devised by my lord and Lady Cai after discussion. Lady Cai not only knew about it, but also wrote a letter as proof. Here are both her handwritten letter and my lord's written promise; you two can see for yourselves!"

He then took out two letters and handed them to Cai Mao.

Cai Mao took the letter and read it together with his father, Cai Feng.

After confirming that the handwriting was indeed Cai Ying's and that the other letter bore Lu Feng's private seal, the two men's expressions softened slightly.

"Since Lord Wu has already made his plans, we should cooperate. It's just that we're sorry to trouble Ying'er."

Cai Feng has always been decisive in his actions.

He has always spared no expense for the sake of his family's future.

"good."

Lu Twelve nodded and said, "Allow me to introduce myself again—I am Lu Twelve, the commander of the Jingzhou secret guards under Lord Wu, specializing in monitoring the movements of Jingzhou. From now on, if there are any important matters, you can contact Lord Wu through me; there are special channels to ensure the swift transmission of information."

(

The Cai family of Jingzhou was the most powerful clan in the area. For ordinary matters, they wouldn't need to deploy their secret guards, but in difficult situations, such covert forces could certainly prove useful. If that proved insufficient, they could seek assistance from the Yellow Sea Fleet and the garrison in Lujiang—after all, they weren't far apart.

"The Commander of the Jingzhou Secret Guard?"

Both Cai Feng and Cai Mao were shocked upon hearing this. These titles clearly belonged to the secret agent system under Marquis Wu, Lu Feng, and the fact that it had been subdivided down to the prefecture and county level showed that the power he had secretly cultivated far exceeded everyone's expectations. What was even more alarming was the extent of his infiltration into the various prefectures and counties! The shrewd and calculating Cai Feng secretly pondered: even if the Cai family had not chosen to submit in the first place, with such hidden power, wouldn't Lu Feng have been able to take Jingzhou as easily as taking candy from a baby?

Thinking of this, Cai Feng couldn't help but feel fortunate that his decision had been wise. Now that Cai Ying and Lu Feng were married, the family's future was assured. When Lu Twelve left the token and drifted away, not a single guard in the Cai residence noticed his whereabouts.