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“Oh, it’s him!” Feng Ming never expected Wu Qian would come. He had quite an impression of the man, hearing that the person had come to visit, he felt ecstatic. Hurriedly, he commanded, “Qiu Xing, Qiu Yue, quickly help me change. I wish to see our guest. Forget about Zhuang Pu. All he does is go on and on about military tactics and war novels. Every time he speaks, it makes me want to throw up my guts. But that Wu Qian is not bad and has quite the outstanding personality. Oh right, do you two want to go and have a look? This is your chance to see a rare good-looking man. It really is a pity that you girls did not get to go to last night’s banquet. Many of Tong’s influential people were there, but the one with the most outstanding temperament was him.”

Qiu Xing lowered her head in order to help fasten Feng Ming’s waist belt. Hearing his words, she chuckled and said, “Duke Ming… do not drag Qiu Yue into this. These days, no matter how good looking a man is, they do not exist in her eyes.”

“Oh?”

“She only has eyes for… aiyo!” Qiu Xing suddenly shouted and cursed, “Qiu Yue, you d.a.m.ned girl. How could you secretly pinch my arm in such a painful way?”

Qiu Yue smirked and ridiculed her. “If you did not treat me as a joke, how could you have provoked me enough to make me pinch you? It is as Duke Ming has said, ‘a crime you commit will have its consequences.” 

The two sisters glared at each other for a while, however, both of their hands were still nimbly fixing Feng Ming’s attire to look neat and handsome before allowing him to follow Rong Hu to see the guests.

It should be said that Qing Zhang’s treatment towards Feng Ming was quite good. Not only did he offer Feng Ming a beautiful and peaceful courtyard with the best view in the mansion, he had also generously set aside a large hall for Feng Ming to entertain guests.

For someone who held one of the highest positions in Tong, the treatment he extended could be considered the highest sincerity given to a guest.

It has to be understood that during this time period, the concept of hierarchy is incredibly strict. Even going the slightest bit overboard in generosity could not be allowed. Within Tong, Qing Zhang’s status was extremely important. Merely stepping into his mansion was not an easy thing to do.

Luo Yun naturally accompanied Feng Ming to see the guests.

Zhuang Pu and Wu Qian were drinking tea as they waited for Feng Ming. They saw him arrive in high spirits, accompanied by his two guards, Rong Hu and Luo Yun. Immediately, the two of them got up and offered their respects.

Feng Ming politely greeted them and asked them to sit back down. He then ordered the servant girls to bring many types of pastries to serve the guests.

Ever since Wu Qian expressed his views on the Grace Order and courageously proposed a toast as his way of supporting, Feng Ming’s interest in the man had clearly grown much stronger in comparison to his interest in Zhuang Pu.

After being asked about the purpose of his visit, Wu Qian leisurely smiled and answered, “It is quite strange, actually. After hearing the Young Lord’s speech, I found myself unable to sleep. I could not stop thinking about the idea that ‘all human life is equal, regardless of status.’ That is why, without even waiting for daybreak to arrive, I climbed out of bed and knocked on General Zhuang Pu’s door, requesting for him to take me to see the Young Lord.” He then continued in a slightly embarra.s.sed tone, “But… now that I have met with you, I realize that I actually do not have anything to say.”

His answer was calm and genuine, so much that Feng Ming and Zhuang Pu were left stunned before they both broke into laughter.

It was probably because they had experienced the battle on the Aman River together that Zhuang Pu and Feng Ming felt an affection similar to “brothers in arms” towards one another. His att.i.tude towards Feng Ming was even better than it was in the past. After ceasing his laughter, he emotionally said, “Not only Wu Qian, even I could not sleep because of the Young Lord’s speech. However, I am not troubled about the concept of equality. Rather, my concern is the way King Rong Tian is utilizing it as a selection method.”

Feng Ming nodded, understanding his concern. He secretly bore his words in mind.

For Zhuang Pu to refer to Rong Tian as Xi Lei’s king, the opinion he had towards the fake king, Tong Er, was clearly not great. With his position as a high ranking official of Tong, with control over the army, he may be inclined to a.s.sist Rong Tian to some extent in the future.

Regardless of whether Feng Ming was willing to admit it or not, when Rong Tian was not by his side, he was more capable of using his brain and make efforts to consider things more properly.

“A good general is hard to find.” As expected of Zhuang Pu, the moment he opened his mouth, something about military affairs would be mentioned. He raised the topic of Xi Lei’s implementation of the Grace Order while Feng Ming listened with his rarely found patience.

Zhuang Pu responded, “What the Young Lord said is not wrong. In fact, among the soldiers who are commoners, there are many who possess the courage and talent to become one. However, due to their humble origins, they cannot be appointed by the kingdom to become a general. Instead, the positions of importance are mainly occupied by n.o.bles who were spoiled from birth. I have been in the army for many years and have witnessed plenty of battles that should not have been lost… however, because of the commanding general’s lack of ability… alas… many soldiers’ lives were wasted.”

Feng Ming made a sound of agreement, nodded his head, and asked, “Since General Zhuang understands, why did you not suggest for Tong’s king or the Royal Uncle to change this system?”

Zhuang Pu smiled bitterly and answered, “That kind of change is dangerous. All of Tong’s n.o.bles would treat me as the biggest enemy. Even the capable and bold king of Xi Lei was unable to suppress the internal strife, which has led to the situation you are currently in…” His remaining words did not need to be said.

The hall fell into silence.

Wu Qian seemed to have thought about the problem in the past. After a short pause, he gravely mentioned, “In fact, within the 11 kingdoms, only Dong Fan has managed to grab hold of a successful way to cultivate talent.”

“Ah?” Feng Ming blinked his eyes in confusion. “Dong Fan?”

Feng Ming, of course, had a good grasp on Dong Fan’s situation. However, to say that Dong Fan cultivated many talented high ranking officials, he would not agree. Even though Lu Dan was powerful, he could not be considered a talent.

Wu Qian explained, “Most high ranking officials in Dong Fan’s military come from a certain family of military background. Generations upon generations of them control the army. Their knowledge of tactics and other aspects of the military are pa.s.sed down through generations. This knowledge is the most important part when it comes to selecting officials. To put it simply, they have been utilizing the Grace Order’s selection method for a while now.”

Feng Ming was shocked, “Really?” He had believed that the Grace Order was a newly introduced concept in this era, but it turned out Dong Fan already had someone talented enough to come up with it.

Zhuang Pu inserted himself halfway into the conversation. He smiled and said, “Of course, this certain military family holds a lot of power in the kingdom. Because of that, many n.o.bles do not dare to oppose them. They rely on strength to choose a commanding officer, but also mix it with the backing of a strong family background. This is the method they use to strike a balance.”

“There is a way to balance things?” Feng Ming frowned and questioned. “Do not tell me that half of them rely on family background, and the other half relies on strength in order to get promoted.”

“Haha… it looks like even the Young Lord cannot figure it out. This makes it clear that the person who came up with this method that resembles the Grace Order was truly clever.” Wu Qian’s eyes betrayed a slight trace of respect towards the unknown individual. “They will first choose the most outstanding talent from within the army regardless of their status and family background. As long as they have the talent, they will be taken in and trained as a personal guard. They test the individual over a period of time, and if it is determined that he possesses the proper capabilities, his surname will be changed to that of the military family. They thus become a member of the family. Someone who changes their surname will gain a higher status than ordinary soldiers. In the future, it would be a lot easier for them to be promoted.”

“So there was such a method.” Feng Ming paused thoughtfully before continuing. “However, just changing their name, such a method cannot be hidden after a while. Getting promoted to an ordinary post is not hard, but moving up to the position of general, I am afraid it would not be as easy.”

“Of course it is not simple. If a person of humble origin were to have enough talent to qualify as a general, a decisive action will be made, and that individual will be pulled into the militant family’s clan. They will also be pushed into the n.o.ble’s social circle.”

Feng Ming looked at Wu Qian in confusion.

Wu Qian laughed and explained, “They are brought into the family through marriage with the daughters of the family. Once they are married into the house, their status is elevated from that of a commoner to a n.o.ble. Like that, the problem of ident.i.ty is solved.”

Feng Ming was enlightened. “So that is how they do it.”