Imaginos wrote:Had Yan Guang, Jian's advisor, addressed the guard he would likely have tried to smooth things over with a ingratiating apology and probably would have offered to buy the guard a drink when he was off duty later. However, Danli held no such feelings. He bristled at the guard's anger over such a trivial matter of using the king's common name in a simple address. Mei Si stood down, holding her halberd casually at one side, listening carefully to the exchange between the two, ready to move if it became hostile.
I am Commandant Shi Jian, former officer of the Qi military! Victor of a hundred battles since I was a stripling - I am Danli, the feared power of the Qi! I was removed from service due to what they call 'crimes'! If His Majesty is unable to deal a resounding blow to those Qi backstabbers, then he holds no respect with me!
Jian spoke with a voice tempered by years of training and leading men, a throaty yell that could bring a man to his knees just as easily as it could drive him into a vigorous fervor. He quieted down, fixing the guard with a gaze.
I have come to show his troops what it means to taste victory - what it means to be a soldier.
Quan Shao gave Shi Jian a cold look. It was evident that the man had no idea who served the King of Qin. "I don't give a shit who the hell you are," he said with a sneer. "The name you've given is unfamiliar and foreign to a man who has been a soldier for years innumerable."
He paused, gesturing for his subordinates. With a voice dripping with disdain, he continued. "You forget that His Imperial Majesty possesses the services of Meng Tian, Conqueror of your kingdom. I have served under the Supreme Commander for many years and we know well the taste of victory against Chu, Yan, Qi, and the Xiongnu. We don't need some Qi loser pup to teach us anything."
Charlemagne wrote:Li Ning bowed when the minister enterred, and he pulled a copy of a text from his satchel. "Greetings Minister Chunyu. Thank you for your time. I shall not bother you with flowery introductions, or proposals. Quite simply," he said, "I wish to petition his majesty to help restore the methods of learning with which we were accustomed before Li Si and Zhao Gao perverted the educational system."
Setting the book before the minister, Li Ning continued. "I feel that it would be beneficial for both of us to usher in his majesty's new educational policy with his own officers. I can produce texts that will greatly aid his commanders and ministers, and because I am eager to see a return to open learning, I am willing to do this at well below market value."
Ning seemed confident, or at least at ease, feeling confident that even if his proposal as rejected, he at the least would not have offended anyone.
Chunyu Yue frowned as the man spoke. The educational system that Li Si and Zhao Gao instituted? What was the man talking about? Was he talking about Legalism? Well, Legalism had long been the foundation of Qin's supremacy since its institution decades ago under the regime of Shang Yang. So then, what was he blabbering about?
Sipping some tea, the minister spoke. "What educational system are you referring? What exactly are you proposing?"
Adranis wrote:The search went smoothly, as it was obvious that she was true to her word, not having a purpose of ill-will in her visit. Justly so, she wasn't a woman of a sword anyway - not a physical one, at least. Nonetheless, Qiao Lin nodded her head once protocol was finished, and she quietly followed the lead of the servants into the chambers. The look of the place was as she remembered, with so much formality to worry about being in the presence of His Majesty Ying Fusu. With rehearsed composure, the young woman thanked the servers and sipped at her tea with the dainty mannerisms that she had learned and mastered as she waited patiently.
And soon, the figure of the man that she had been awaiting appeared in the chambers, and Qiao Lin's head turned at the sound of the footsteps. A smile was on her lips, and she placed her cup down carefully before rising from her seat and moving closer to the general. When near enough, she tucked her hands within the sleeves of her robe and rested them against her right hip. Keeping her eyes and head down, she curtsied in front of him in formal filial greeting. "Dearest Uncle, I thank you for recieving me, I am glad to see you so well," she said, the fondness in her voice apparent and hard to keep at bay as she kept her position, waiting for his acknowledgement.
Meng Tian ignored her curtsy, instead sweeping her up into a warm, loving embrace. Though they were not related by blood, the relationship they enjoyed was a special one. The daughter of one of Meng Tian best friends and fellow generals who had died of illness a few years before the passing of the First Emperor, the general had taken the young girl under his wing and raised her as any doting guardian would. He had probably spoiled her rotten, but he didn't really care. All he saw was the same beautiful girl that he had taken into his household to raise.
"How are you doing, my little Qiao?" questioned the general, releasing her from his grasp and planting a warm kiss on her forehead. "I hope you've been well since we last parted. So, what brings you to Nanzheng?"