After dismissing the court officials, the King of Qin brought Lian Po and Li Mu to Zhu Xiang’s residence for a welcome feast and to wash away the dust of travel.

Zhu Xiang had already prepared a banquet. As soon as Lian Po and Li Mu arrived, they could start dining right away.

The banquet was harmonious and lively. The King of Qin clinked cups with Lian Po and Li Mu, chatting about family matters and exchanging personal stories—it almost looked like an ordinary family gathering.

Zhu Xiang quietly sipped some hot rice wine. To be honest, the scene made him feel a bit overwhelmed. His stomach hurt from the pressure.

Over the past year in Qin, Zhu Xiang had often felt this way.

If not for his attention to healthy eating and regular exercise, he might’ve developed chronic stomach issues by now.

Zhu Xiang had thought that after arriving in Qin, he could simply shut the door and live a quiet, peaceful life. Surely, it would be better than his days in the outskirts of Handan.

But reality proved otherwise.

After moving to Xianyang, his living conditions did improve significantly. With the King of Qin’s support and protection, he was able to take out things he never dared reveal in Handan. His social standing had also risen considerably.

At his home in Xianyang, there were elders, friends, and there were Xue and Zheng’er. Zhu Xiang’s daily life seemed not so different from what it had been in Handan. Yet within that “not so different” was a subtle shift, like spotting the slightly crooked trees in a “spot the difference” picture—small details that stood out glaringly.

It wasn’t that the elders now were unkind, or that his friendships had changed. It was just that ever since the house had been outfitted with surveillance everywhere, everyone’s behavior had subtly, instinctively shifted.

Zhu Xiang took another sip of the hot rice wine, letting the faint buzz of intoxication suppress his discomfort with the scene before him.

“Zhu Xiang, are you feeling unwell?” Li Mu had been quietly observing him and asked with concern.

Zhu Xiang shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I’ve just been wondering over and over—how come Zheng’er is about to turn into a chubby ball, and yet Lord Lian still insists he’s gotten thinner?”

Chubby-ball Zheng’er: ?!

Uncle, just because you’re my uncle doesn’t mean you get to talk nonsense like this!

Lian Po wanted to slam the table, but mindful of the King of Qin’s presence, he lowered his raised hand and used his eyes to silently warn Zhu Xiang: Just wait till the King leaves—I’ll deal with you then.

Ying Zheng pinched the flesh on his own arm and asked solemnly, “Uncle, am I really that fat?”

Zhu Xiang nodded. “Yes. Starting tomorrow, Zheng’er goes vegetarian.”

Ying Zheng: “…No!”

Alright, so Uncle wasn’t really saying he was fat—he was just bullying him.

“Don’t listen to your uncle’s nonsense,” the King of Qin said kindly. “Zheng’er should be even sturdier. Your cousins are all more robust than you.”

Images of his few, rarely-seen, round cousins flashed through Ying Zheng’s mind. He quickly shook his head to chase them away. “I’ll work even harder at sword practice!”

In the dreams he’d had, his memories of those cousins were vague, but they at least looked quite impressive. So how come, in childhood, every one of them was a little chubby ball? Panting after just a few steps? He definitely didn’t want to turn out like that.

Crown Prince Zhu glanced at Zhu Xiang, then at Ying Zheng, and softly said to the King of Qin, “Father, you stood in the cold wind for quite a while today and went to bed late last night—perhaps it’s time to rest? Lord Lian and General Li have also had a long journey and may be tired.”

Zhu Xiang didn’t look too well, and Zheng’er had been sneaking in yawns behind his water cup for some time now. Crown Prince Zhu was clearly offering an excuse to bring the banquet to an early close.

The King of Qin nodded. “True enough. Lord Lian, General Li—please rest early. I’ll call again in a few days.”

Lian Po and Li Mu both responded quickly, “We wouldn’t dare.”

As soon as the King of Qin left, Lian Po and Li Mu’s shoulders slumped. They were so exhausted they couldn’t even get out of their chairs.

“Xue, take Zheng’er to bathe and go to bed. Lord Lian, General Li—the bath has already been prepared. A soak will help ease your fatigue,” Zhu Xiang said.

Lin Zhi added, “I won’t join you—I’ve got court early tomorrow.”

Xia Tong cupped his hands and said, “I’ll take my leave as well.”

Xun Kuang, Fan Ju, and Bai Qi also said their goodbyes to Lian Po and Li Mu, saying they’d stop by again once the two had rested up.

Zhu Xiang, Lian Po, and Li Mu first rinsed off their bodies and washed their hair to clear away the alcohol before entering the bath to soak.

The rice wine they drank was low in alcohol, and seated next to the King of Qin, they hadn’t dared drink much anyway. By the time they reached the bathhouse, the effects had nearly worn off—just right for bathing.

If this had been modern times, with stronger alcohol, soaking after drinking would’ve been out of the question.

Bathing was a habit Zhu Xiang had brought with him. After his arrival, Lian Po and Li Mu even had a bath pool dug at their own homes, and would soak in it from time to time.

The three of them let out a long sigh of relief, finally feeling their spirits relax.

“How many of the King of Qin’s spies do you think are in your house?” Lian Po asked bluntly.

Zhu Xiang forced a bitter smile. “Lord Lian, I brought very few servants with me; my entire household is filled with people assigned by His Majesty.”

Lian Po said, “So every move you make is right under his nose? Does he really have someone reporting every tiny detail?”

Zhu Xiang replied, “It’s much better recently. They haven’t been rifling through my study every day.”

Lian Po was silent for a long time, then sighed. “You’re just an idiot. Is it really necessary for him to monitor you like this?”

Zhu Xiang said, “His Majesty is probably just very curious about me. I heard from the Crown Prince that whenever the King is tired from handling state affairs, he calls someone to ask about me, and after hearing the updates, he feels much better.”

Crown Prince Zhu understood the King well. The King of Qin wasn’t worried about Zhu Xiang plotting rebellion; he just treated the happenings in Zhu Xiang’s household like stories to listen to.

For some reason, a modern 24-hour reality TV show popped into Zhu Xiang’s mind. The only difference was, the guests on those shows volunteered, but he was a passive actor.

“Thank you for your hard work.” Li Mu was only now beginning to understand the conversation between Lian Po and Zhu Xiang.

After all, he was young and from Yanmen Commandery—a faraway place under a distant ruler—and he hadn’t anticipated Zhu Xiang’s predicament.

Zhu Xiang smiled, “It’s okay. What I show His Majesty is always the most genuine version of myself. Once you get used to it, it’s not too uncomfortable—just avoid mentioning anything related to His Majesty too often. You don’t have to worry about His Majesty spying on you while you’re staying at my house. You brought your own servants, and His Majesty won’t interfere. Master Xun, Lord Fan, and Lord Bai live quite freely.”

Lian Po cursed under his breath, “He’s just bullying you because you’re an idiot!”

Zhu Xiang’s mouth twitched. Is the “idiot” Lord Lian keeps calling him the same as “gentleman”?

“Stop asking me all the time. Lord Lian, Li Mu, why don’t you talk about yourselves?” Zhu Xiang changed the subject.

Lian Po rolled his eyes. “What’s there to say? We were just sold out by the King of Zhao.”

Zhu Xiang wanted to say that maybe it wasn’t the King of Zhao who sold out Lian Po and Li Mu. But the words caught in his throat.

He worried that if Lian Po and Li Mu found out, they might regain confidence in the King of Zhao and risk returning to help him.

Zhu Xiang wasn’t a saint; he cared more about the people around him. Since Lian Po and Li Mu had finally escaped the quagmire of Zhao and changed their fate, he wouldn’t give them another chance to fall back into it.

“Where do you want to go next?” Zhu Xiang continued. “I proposed to His Majesty that Lord Lian teach students at the Xianyang Academy, and Li Mu continue to guard the northern border against the Xiongnu. But that’s just my personal opinion… Ah! Lord Lian, be gentle! My head isn’t made of stone!”

Lian Po cursed loudly, “I really want to ask you—was it your idea to teach troop training and strategy at the Xianyang Academy?!”

Zhu Xiang held his head. “Ah, yes… what’s wrong? Stop hitting, stop hitting! Lord Lian, please speak calmly.”

Li Mu looked puzzled. “What’s wrong with that?”

Lian Po scolded Li Mu, “You’re from a military family too, don’t you see the problem?! Troop training is a military family secret. He’s digging up the roots of the military families!”

Li Mu thought hard about whether his family had any such “secret” that was never passed down.

Then he hesitantly said, “Training soldiers isn’t really a ‘secret never to be passed down,’ right? My family does have military books about marching and training, but when I first looked through them, I found so many mistakes and omissions that I just set them aside and didn’t read further.”

Zhu Xiang held his head and tried not to laugh.

Lian Po snorted coldly, “You are you, others are others. Zhu Xiang, you should know what I’m talking about.”

Although he often called Zhu Xiang an idiot, he knew Zhu Xiang was very smart—sometimes as sharp as Lin Xiangru in seeing through things. But what made him more frustrated was that Zhu Xiang would see the traps and still jump right in.

Zhu Xiang said, “No, this time I really didn’t know.”

This time Zhu Xiang was truly unaware. Because during the Tang and Song dynasties, there were military imperial exams, and training in troop drills and maneuvers was taught. The most detailed and comprehensive military training manual was Qi Jiguang’s Lian Bing Shi Ji (Record of Military Training).

Only now, with Lian Po mentioning it, did Zhu Xiang recall from some corner of his memory a vague evaluation of Qi Jiguang’s Lian Bing Shi Ji he had read somewhere but didn’t remember where.

Qi Jiguang was the first to compile a detailed and separate manual on military training ideas. Before that, military books focused more on “strategies and schemes.”

Many people think this was because, starting from the Song dynasty, scholars despised generals, so they only valued “strategic planning” and looked down on practical troop training, which was needed by mid- and low-level officers.

But when Zhu Xiang heard Lian Po, he realized there might be another reason: ancient training methods were the “prized secret” closely guarded by military families, so they wouldn’t pass it outside the clan lightly.

“I saw that Qin already codified simple training methods into their laws, and I overlooked this,” Zhu Xiang said. “But Lord Lian, don’t worry. As long as the King of Qin still sees value in me, even if the military families of Qin have complaints, they won’t harm me.”

Looking at Zhu Xiang’s calm expression, Lian Po got even angrier and grabbed Zhu Xiang’s face, saying, “You focus on farming your land. What does training soldiers have to do with you? Why do you want to propose such plans?”

Zhu Xiang slurred, “I just said it casually, didn’t think much about it.”

Lian Po got even more furious.

Li Mu quietly moved aside, afraid Lord Lian would accidentally take his anger out on him.

In the end, Lian Po couldn’t bring himself to hit him hard.

Seeing Zhu Xiang’s hair even whiter than his own, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Finally, Lian Po just slammed Zhu Xiang’s shoulder hard and said, “I’m going to teach at the Xianyang Academy to those brats. I want to see who dares hold a grudge against me!”

Li Mu quickly said, “I can do that too!”

Lian Po cursed, “You’re not old yet. What are you doing at the Xianyang Academy? Go and make achievements first. I don’t think you should go north either. Didn’t you say the Xiongnu won’t launch a major southern campaign for at least a decade? You’d be better off going south, to Chu, to find opportunities.”

Zhu Xiang had a bright idea. “Right, you can go south!”

Li Mu definitely didn’t want to go to the eastern battlefield now. Even if they didn’t fight Zhao, Zhao would send troops to rescue their allies who were hostile to Li Mu. But fighting Chu would be no problem. With Zhao’s current strength, they can’t bypass Chu.

Li Mu hesitated. “I’ve never been south, I’m not used to the climate there. I might need years of training before I can fight there. But I don’t think the King of Qin is patient; he won’t wait for me to train for years.”

A thought sprouted in Zhu Xiang’s mind.

Now that both Lord Lian and Li Mu had joined Qin, and he had no one left to worry about back in Zhao, he could find a chance to leave Xianyang to catch his breath—maybe even take Li Mu along.

He had originally wanted to go south to plant rice but worried about young Zheng’er being too young to travel far.