Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

In his mind, he thought about what he had learned about the scandals surrounding the Kuiwei Hall.

The more you think about those things, the stranger they seem.

The head of the hall and the steward have both run into trouble.

Despite being the victim, Tian Mi has become the biggest beneficiary and now even wants to compete for the position of hall master. This shows that she is not a weak woman, and her scheming is probably deeper than imagined.

Chapter 202 The waters of Kuiwei Hall are too deep; Tian Mi can't handle it!

Xu Qing naturally noticed that Situ Wanli had ulterior motives when he mentioned the big iron hammer, but he did not point it out. Instead, he said gently, "Thank you for telling me about the current situation of the big iron hammer, brother."

Situ Wanli quickly replied, "I know that Big Hammer and you are close friends, so when I see relevant news, I naturally think of you first."

He then changed the subject and solemnly declared, "No matter what the leader of the Heroes decides in the end, I, Situ Wanli, will always stand by my brother's side. Since Da Tiechui is your friend, he is also my friend. If he needs anything, I will definitely lend a helping hand."

"You're too kind, brother," Xu Qing replied casually, though he didn't really care about Da Tiechui's situation in the farmhouse.

Back in the Yan Kingdom, upon learning that Da Tiechui had been imprisoned by Yan Chunjun, he stormed Yan Chunjun's residence and beheaded Yan Chunjun, causing a sensational incident in the Yan Kingdom. However, in terms of the cause, it was ultimately Yan Chunjun who broke the rules first, and at that time, he happened to be in the Yan Kingdom, and Da Tiechui was caught up in the turmoil because of him.

After taking the giant iron hammer away from the Yan Kingdom, he had already done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

Later, Da Tiechui joined the farm at Tian Guang's invitation. Logically, if anything happened, Tian Guang should have been the one to handle it, and Xu Qing would have been blameless. Besides, Da Tiechui was an adult, not a naive child. He should be prepared to bear the consequences of his own choices.

The two chatted casually about farming matters for a few more minutes. Seeing that Xu Qing remained indifferent, he didn't say anything more. Situ Wanli also wisely stopped mentioning the sordid aspects of farming and instead started talking about business: "Brother Xu, you must have made a fortune recently, right? I heard that the Qi Kingdom's Qianlong Hall branch has recently auctioned off many treasures and is riding high."

"It was just a lucky coincidence that I acquired a batch of treasures." Xu Qing said calmly, but then added, "If you're interested, brother, I'd like to ask you to help me sell these things."

He knew in his heart that constantly selling treasures in the State of Qi, coupled with the frequent appearance of those unique swords in the land of Qi and Lu, would inevitably arouse suspicion in the long run.

Previously, contacting Qianlongtang and using the Nongjia connections was to avoid suspicion. Now that Situ Wanli has come to Linzi in person, it has saved a lot of trouble. After all, as the head of Siyuetang, Situ Wanli is in charge of the Nongjia clan's business affairs and can provide him with great convenience.

Upon hearing this, Situ Wanli readily agreed: "If my brother asks, how could I not help?"

He couldn't wait for Xu Qing to hand over the business to him. In the early years, it was through cooperation with Xu Qing that Siyuetang made a fortune. Now, many years later, Brother Xu's sword-making skills must be even better than before, and the origins of those treasures are probably not simple either.

Before coming to Qi, Situ Wanli had already figured out the details of Qianlong Hall. Apart from those unique swords, all the treasures auctioned were actually from the royal palace of Han.

Farmers were already concerned about the fall of Korea, since the destruction of one country could affect the entire world.

Before the fall of the Han Dynasty, Xinzheng City was already in chaos: officials had fled, the Han King had been assassinated in the palace, and there were even rumors of the theft of the royal treasury. Some said that these were rumors deliberately spread by Han Yu to take the opportunity to plunder the people's wealth, but considering the treasures that Xu Qing had entrusted to Qianlong Hall for auction, Situ Wanli knew very well that before the fall of the Han Dynasty, this Brother Xu must have done something incredibly audacious again.

He had known Xu Qing for a long time and knew his younger brother's personality well.

There is nothing in the world that he dares not do. He dared to act recklessly even when the state of Han was at its peak, let alone when the state was about to die. His killing of Lord Yanchun in the state of Yan back then had already proven Xu Qing's courage.

During the meeting, the two talked about many things, but Xu Qing was also careful not to mention his other identity.

However, besides selling his treasures, he did have something else he needed Situ Wanli's help with. He wanted to find a suitable island in the East China Sea to build a "Sword Dao Holy Land." This required a lot of manpower, and the Farmers had no shortage of people, not to mention countless top-notch cattle and horses. Furthermore, the Master of the Four Mountains Hall was in charge of the Farmers' business and could help him find all kinds of skilled craftsmen.

Although the Prime Minister's mansion could be used to accomplish this, Hou Sheng is already in the eye of the storm, and his every move is being watched by all sides.

It's one thing for Xu Qing to use the Prime Minister's mansion to handle trivial matters, but if he were to actually start construction on the island, he would inevitably expose his weaknesses. It's not that he can't handle Hou Sheng, but dealing with all the spies would be too time-consuming and simply not worth it.

As his thoughts wandered, Xu Qing remembered the big iron hammer again.

Although I don't care whether he lives or dies, it seems like a worthwhile thing to make Big Iron Hammer the head of Kuiwei Hall.

He recalled Situ Wanli's earlier words. It was not surprising that Tian Guang valued Da Tiechui. Da Tiechui was straightforward and honest, and was by no means an ordinary person.

In the original work, he was the leader of the Mohist school. At its peak, the Mohist school was a more prominent school of thought than the Agricultural school. As the leader of the Mohist school, he was naturally qualified to be the head of the Agricultural school.

The Tian family was already quite powerful among the peasants, and now they control two halls. Further expansion would not be a good thing, especially since the likes of Tian Meng and his brothers are really not capable of being of great use.

In the original story, it was the actions of the Tian brothers that led to the peasant family being infiltrated by the Luo Wang network, turning them into a sieve. Tian Meng even went so far as to join the Luo Wang network. Such a fool would have been better off dead, but he dragged the entire peasant family into a mess.

Xu Qing has always had a pleasant working relationship with the Farmers, and it would be even better if he could make this sect a stable support for him.

However, the Tian brothers, as well as other members of the Tian clan besides Tian Guang, were clearly not up to the task; although the Zhu family and Situ Wanli were on his side, they only controlled two halls, and their power was ultimately weak.

Furthermore, he had promised Wu Kuang that he would help him find out the truth behind the old case.

However, he was ultimately an outsider to the farming family, and it would be improper for him to directly intervene in the clan's affairs. If Da Tiechui became the head of the Kuiwei Hall, it would be reasonable for him to help the former head and steward overturn the verdict in his capacity as the current head.

Having made up his mind, Xu Qing suddenly changed the subject: "How do you farmers conduct elections for hall masters?"

Situ Wanli was taken aback, not expecting Xu Qing to be so unconventional and ask such a question.

He quickly regained his composure and truthfully told Xu Qing, "Our Farmer's Clan is a very fair sect. Whether it's selecting the leader of the heroes or the hall masters, we use a fair voting method, which we call the Flame Emperor's Decree..."

Situ Wanli spoke eloquently, telling Xu Qing many stories about farming life.

Within a peasant clan, although the leader is Xia Kui, it does not mean that the entire peasant clan is Xia Kui's sole authority.

In important matters, the leader of the Xia clan would also consult the six hall masters before holding a vote.

Of course, voting is one thing, but as the leader of the peasant clan, Xia Kui could not be completely swayed by the six hall masters.

Therefore, he also has a "veto power," which means that even if the result of your vote is good, I cannot accept it, and therefore it is impossible for me to agree.

Of course, conversely, while the vote of the six hall masters can be rejected, it is also quite difficult for the leader of the knights to forcefully push something forward.

After all, the peasant family is divided into six halls, and the chivalrous leader does not belong to any of them.

The six halls are independent of each other, and their disciples only know their own hall master. Although they respect the leader of the chivalrous sect, when something happens, they will naturally take the orders of their own hall master first.

Therefore, the organizational structure of farming families actually has some problems.

It is somewhat similar to the enfeoffment system of the Zhou Dynasty.

The chief of the Xia clan is equivalent to the "Zhou emperor," and the head of the six halls is similar to a feudal lord.

A thousand years ago, this system would undoubtedly have been advanced.

But now, the world has long since fallen into chaos, and the Zhou Dynasty has been destroyed. So, this kind of sect that is similar to the Zhou Dynasty's system is naturally not much better.

If the leader of the Heroic Sect were still alive, although there would be some unsavory dealings within the Six Halls, on the surface, they would still appear to be a harmonious place.

If the leader of the peasant clan is not restored, the six halls will lose their overlord and will no longer maintain the harmony of the past. Just like the several countries in the world today, they will fight endlessly, unless one day a heroic figure emerges to unify the entire six halls of the peasant family.

Only in this way can we eliminate those conflicts at their root.

Back to topic.

Xu Qing had some ideas about the farming system, but he didn't voice them.

The current discussion revolves around the election method for the six hall masters of the farming family.

The method is similar to that used for selecting the leader of the knights.

Candidates are first selected through various methods, and then the disciples of their respective halls vote on them. After the voting results are released, they are reported to the chief of the sect for formal appointment.

There's no need to go to the Tomb of the Six Sages to meet the six elders of the Farmer's Clan.

After all, he was just a hall master, not a chivalrous leader, so there was no need to trouble the six elders.

After Situ Wanli explained the situation, Xu Qing finally understood.

In the original novel, Tian Yan became the head of Lieshan Hall in just this way. As long as the higher-ups of Lieshan Hall agreed, the disciples below would naturally be coerced into agreeing as well. Although Tian Yan was a woman, at that time, there was already a female head of the Farmer's Clan named Tian Mi, so her becoming the head of the hall did not encounter much resistance.

As for how the candidates were selected?

It relied on the method of recommendation.

The recommendation can be made by the leader of the sect or the heads of other sects.

Then, the most suitable person is selected from among these candidates.

The current situation is that Tian Guang is supporting Da Tiechui and entrusting him with important responsibilities, seemingly intending to cultivate him into the new head of the Kuiwei Hall.

Tian Mi also had designs on the head of the Kuiwei Hall and actively sought to associate with the Tian brothers.

Even without the recommendation of the Xia Kui, as long as the Tian brothers are willing to recommend her and persuade some of the Kui Kui Hall disciples, there is a high probability that she will become the new hall master.

In addition, Tian Mi has deep roots in the Kuiwei Hall. As a member of the Tian clan, she grew up in a farming family and her former husband was the steward of the Kuiwei Hall. She is very familiar with the Kuiwei Hall, which gives her a significant advantage.

But as long as she hasn't become the head of the Kuiwei Hall, Big Iron Hammer still has a chance.

"The waters of Kuiwei Hall run too deep. The previous hall master and steward have all run into trouble. Tian Mi is a weak woman, and she can't handle it."

"Let's leave things like the hall master's duties to a rough guy like Big Iron Hammer!"

"He's quite resilient; he should be able to handle it!"

Xu Qing spoke eloquently, expressing his attitude towards the matter of the head of the Kuiwei Hall.

“Brother Situ, you said earlier that you would stand by my side. Now, I need your help to do some things and give Big Hammer a hand.”

Xu Qing spoke earnestly to Situ Wanli.

Situ Wanli did not expect Xu Qing to suddenly express his desire to interfere in agricultural affairs at this time.

Sure enough, Brother Xu valued the heavy iron hammer highly.

He had already stated his position, so there was no way he would change his mind now. "Brother, what do you want me to do? Just tell me!"

Two things!

Xu Qing said calmly, "The first thing is to do everything in my power to help Big Iron Hammer run for the position of leader of Kuiwei Hall."

“I will provide you with enough money. When the time comes, brother, you should try to win over the disciples of Kuiwei Hall. Tell them that in the past, Big Iron Hammer had done a favor for a certain wealthy merchant. The merchant knew Big Iron Hammer's whereabouts and, out of gratitude, donated all his wealth to Big Iron Hammer before his death.”

"Then, because the lower-level disciples of the Great Iron Hammer Hall were poor and lacked compassion, he decided to provide some relief..."

"Of course, if there is a more suitable reason, we can use another reason."

"Anyway, I need you to help Big Hammer win over the people as much as possible, brother!"

Xu Qing stated his requirements, and Situ Wanli felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing them.

Brother Xu, that's quite a generous gesture!

Tian Mi's desire to become the head of the hall is merely an attempt to win over the higher-ups of the Kuiwei Hall. It's mostly about building relationships, and the actual benefits she can offer are probably not much.

Xu Qing, however, targeted the lower and middle-level disciples of the Kuiwei Hall, directly spending a large sum of money to bribe them.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to be loyal to his master." Even if Da Tiechui's influence within the peasant community is weak, once these disciples receive this tangible benefit, they will definitely choose to support him.

Ultimately, why do these people want to join the farming community?

It was precisely because the world was engulfed in war that many families were torn apart, people were displaced, and various countries imposed all sorts of exorbitant taxes. In order to survive, these people had no choice but to join the peasants, firstly because they could get enough to eat, and secondly because they could seek refuge.

However, life was not easy even for the lowest-ranking disciples of the farming family.

At this time, if someone were to help them, they would be extremely grateful.

"The Farmer's School is not the Farmer's School of one person, but the Farmer's School of many disciples. Since we are choosing a hall master, it should naturally be the one that is popular and respected."