Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

"You understand?" The woman sneered and asked, "What can you understand?"

"You know nothing except what others want you to know!"

"How much do you know about the mirage?"

Tianming was not intimidated by her. He spread his hands and replied, "I really don't know much. Maybe I don't know them well enough, but I don't know you even better."

"If others can't be trusted, then neither can you!"

"At least, I saved you." The woman replied calmly, playing the gratitude card.

Tianming didn't buy it. He would repay the favor, but let's be honest:
"I accept your kindness, but that doesn't mean you won't lie to me."

"You have to tell me some valuable information, otherwise I won't just believe you out of thin air."

"I can only tell you that whoever controls the Magic Sound Box will become the victim in the end." The woman hesitated for a moment and gave some incoherent information, then added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to verify it."

"As for who to ask for confirmation... I think you should know."

Tianming's thoughts were racing, his brows were furrowed, and he felt like his scalp was about to burst open.

However, before he could say anything else, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and then he fell into a trance. When he came to his senses, he had returned to the Zibei Water Pavilion.

"Huh?" Tianming was startled and looked around quickly. He immediately found someone standing behind him, a woman.

“Uh…” Tianming was startled when he saw the other person clearly, and almost jumped up. He immediately forced an awkward smile and greeted, “Um…um, hello, auntie.”

The person who allowed him to use this title was naturally Qian Long's mother, the former Dongjun Yanfei of the Yin-Yang Family.

Facing Tianming's greeting, Yan Fei did not exchange too many pleasantries and directly drove him away, "Leave quickly and don't come to see that woman again."

"Okay... uh..." Facing Qianlong's mother, Tianming subconsciously wanted to obey and do as he was told. Fortunately, he changed his words in time and did not leave. Instead, he scratched his head and smiled foolishly with embarrassment.

He wanted to ask something but couldn't say it too directly, so he could only play dumb and see if the other party was willing to give him a chance.

Yan Fei didn't chase him away directly. She asked calmly, "It seems you have some questions?"

"Uh... Hehe!" Tianming first chuckled twice, trying to make himself look non-aggressive, and then asked cautiously, "The woman in Yingyu said... that Qianlong would be in danger."

"Aunt, is this true?"

"Do you think I will put Qianlong in danger?" Yan Fei asked Tianming calmly.

Tianming was shocked and quickly explained with a smile, "How is that possible! You are Qianlong's mother!"

"I'm just a little worried about Qianlong."

"If you really want Qianlong to be safe, don't believe anything that woman says, and don't get too involved in the affairs of Mirage." Yan Fei didn't hold on to it, but just reminded Tianming clearly in words.

Tianming's expression became complicated when he heard this, and he was quite conflicted for a moment.

Emotionally, he was of course inclined to believe Qianlong's mother, but...what if?
What if there are omissions or errors in it?
No one is omniscient and omnipotent. He is willing to believe that Qianlong's mother has no ill will towards her child, but he cannot be sure that what she did is right.

But he couldn't openly go against Qianlong's mother, so he could only put the matter aside for the time being and leave obediently.

After leaving Zibei Water Pavilion, Tianming thought for a while and decided to go to Chan Palace to see if he could meet Qianlong.

However, just as he took a step, he suddenly fell into a trance, and when he came to his senses, he was already in the Fantasy Sound Box.

Then, Qian Long's clear and helpless voice sounded:
"Tianming, you didn't get into trouble, did you?"

"Qianlong!" Tianming suddenly turned around and called out, then asked awkwardly, "Why do you ask that?"

"How dare you ask!" Qian Long rolled his eyes, "If I hadn't asked Shao Yu, I wouldn't have known you were so bold."

"I just... came to take a look. There's no danger in Zibei Water Pavilion." Tianming first defended himself, then suddenly asked, "So you asked my aunt to help me?"

"What aunt?" Qianlong was stunned and didn't understand what Tianming said.

"Your mother, didn't you find her?" Tianming was also a little confused.

"No, I didn't tell my mother about this." Qian Long shook his head, and then immediately asked, "What did she do?"

"Nothing, just get me out of the Sakura Prison." Tianming explained simply, and then simply recounted everything that happened before, "I entered the Sakura Prison before, and met that strange woman, and then she said...your mother took me...and finally I got out."

"Just after I came out, you dragged me here."

Although Tianming's explanation was not particularly detailed, he did not conceal anything, including the fact that the woman said Qianlong would be in danger.

After listening to this, Qian Long smiled and said, "Tian Ming, are you worried about me?"

Tianming rolled his eyes at her and replied unhappily, "How could I not worry!"

"Don't worry, my mother will protect me." Qianlong smiled again when he heard this, trying to reassure Tianming not to worry.

Tianming was not convinced. "But your mother is not omnipotent. What if something happens?"

"I think it's better to get to the bottom of this matter... By the way, you probably don't know, right?"

Qian Long shook his head. "If the woman you are talking about is not deceiving you, then I really don't know the details behind it. My mother doesn't tell me much about it."

"Then we really need to investigate." After Tianming confirmed that Qianlong was unaware of the situation, he immediately struck him with a hammer.

Seeing that Tianming was stubborn, Qianlong could only continue to persuade him, "Tianming, you should listen to my mother and don't take any risks."

"But..." Tianming was unwilling to give up and wanted to argue a few more words.

Seeing this, Qian Long interrupted and said, "Tian Ming, you are worried that my mother might miss something, but what if your unnecessary actions lead to bad things?"

"What if you harm me or even yourself because of your self-willed behavior?"

"What if that woman is taking advantage of you, and you really take it seriously and fall into her trap?"

After all, Tianming's unreasonable suspicion is totally unreliable. It is a bit like the slippery slope fallacy, forcing possibility to become necessity.

But once the slide starts, it can go on indefinitely.

If there is a possibility that Yan Fei cannot protect Qian Long, then the women in Yingyu are more likely to harm Tian Ming and Qian Long through lies.

When you have no idea what to do, you should always trust your own people first.

"Uh..." Tianming was unable to refute for a moment and fell into hesitation.

Seeing this, Qian Long quickly struck while the iron was hot, "Tian Ming, don't forget that you have your own things to do."

"As for my safety, I'll be fine with my mom and dad here." Qian Long's words further dispelled Tian Ming's thoughts - because of Gu Xun.

Although he still didn't know how to face Gu Xun, he had to admit that perhaps Qian Long's mother was not omnipotent, but Gu Xun, as Qian Long's father, was almost omnipotent.

If he can't protect Qianlong, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to help.

"Okay, okay, I won't meddle with my business." After some hesitation, Tian Ming finally chose to give in, feeling a little aggrieved.

Seeing this, Qian Long couldn't help but cover his mouth and laughed, "Okay, okay, I don't want you to take risks either. Mirage is too dangerous. You can't just act recklessly just because they don't dare to attack you for the time being."

Tianming saw that the goddess had said something soft, so he naturally stopped complaining. He smiled foolishly and replied, "What you said is similar to what Shaoyu said before."

"He doesn't want you to do anything reckless either." Qian Long rolled his eyes at him and said, "Okay, get off the boat quickly."

Tianming didn't want to leave, and replied with a playful smile, "No, it's not urgent, let's chat for a while."

"You are not in a hurry, but Shaoyu and the others are still worried about you!" Qianlong scolded him angrily.

This made Tianming, who valued women over friendship, a little embarrassed. He could only smile and nod repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I was negligent."

Qianlong shook his head helplessly and laughed.

Hearing her laughter, Tianming’s mind wandered and he returned to the mirage.

He stood there hesitating for a moment, then went straight to the edge of the deck without making any more trouble.

He did not completely give up his previous ideas, but he did not intend to act rashly.

It is better to take a long-term view, so as not to hurt yourself if you fail to achieve your goal.

………………

On the other side, in Sanghai City, Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

Like his son, the first place Ying Zheng chose to go after arriving at Xiaoshengxianzhuang was the library.

Just like when Fusu arrived many days ago, Fu Nian led Ying Zheng into the towering ancient building, but the situation inside the building was very different from before.

The library at that time stored a large number of original ancient books, and the air was filled with the rotten smell of old bamboo slips, which was neither bad nor pleasant.

Now, almost all the books in the library have been replaced with newly copied copies, and many bamboo slips have been replaced with paper copies. The building is filled with the fragrance of paper and ink, which makes people feel shocked as soon as they enter and smell it.

Ying Zheng stepped into the library and looked around quickly.

Although he didn't know what the Xiaoshengxianzhuang library looked like before, the current one must have undergone major changes.

Ying Zheng retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Has Fusu been here before?"

Fu Nian quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince did come to the library last time he visited."

"It was also the eldest son who discovered the many mistakes and shortcomings of Xiaoshengxian Manor and asked us to correct them in time."

"Oh, what did he say?" Ying Zheng seemed to have no idea about this. He asked casually while looking at the books around him and continuing to walk inside.

Fu Nian's eyes flashed with worry, but his face remained calm as always. He followed Ying Zheng closely and replied, "His Highness Fusu said that now that the world is unified and the people are of one mind, there should only be one country and one family. There are many originals of ancient classics stored in the library, all written in old characters, which are inconsistent with national policy."

"After His Highness Fusu's enlightenment, we were ashamed and immediately began to make comprehensive changes. Now all the books in the library have been replaced with the new small seal script books that the students of Xiaoshengxianzhuang have recently copied."

"Oh?" Ying Zheng's eyebrows moved slightly, he stopped, picked up a scroll at random, spread it out and took a look. Sure enough, it was all Qin Xiaozhuan, and it was obviously newly copied.

Ying Zheng didn't read the contents of the book and put the bamboo slips back.

"It seems that Xiaoshengxianzhuang agrees with Fusu's words."

"Of course." Fu Nian followed Ying Zheng who was taking another step and replied cautiously.

"In that case, how were they originally dealt with?"

"Uh... they're all sealed."

"Oh..." Ying Zheng snorted and looked at Fu Nian, "Since it is just one country's opinion, why do you still keep these books and not just destroy them?"

"This..." Fu Nian lowered his head and replied after hesitating for a while, "The original ancient books were all written by ancient sages and are of great commemorative significance, so..."

Ying Zheng refuted calmly, "The important thing about ancient sages' classics is the content. Books are just carriers. How can bamboo from a hundred years ago be more valuable than bamboo today?"

At first glance, what Ying Zheng said makes sense.

Be it bamboo slips or paper, they should not have value beyond their usefulness. What is truly valuable is the wisdom and thoughts behind the words on the carrier.

But in fact this is just looking for trouble.

Perhaps bamboo from a hundred years ago will not be more valuable than bamboo from a hundred years later, but the relics left by our ancestors are definitely more valuable than new things today.

Among the ancient books collected in Xiaoshengxianzhuang, there are many authentic first-hand originals written by ancient sages themselves. For them, the younger generations, they are no less than the relics of their ancestors. How can they be destroyed directly?
Fu Nian was not fooled by Ying Zheng and responded immediately, "Your Majesty, the ancient books in the library are indeed not valuable, but most of them were written and copied by Confucian predecessors and then preserved. For us, the descendants, they are no different from the relics of our ancestors and are of great significance."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Ying Zheng did not give in directly. The corners of his mouth seemed to raise a faint arc, and he asked with a faint smile, "Having the words of the saints to accompany you is not enough for you? Do you still need these meaningless external things?"

"..."

Faced with Ying Zheng's behavior of finding fault with others, Fu Nian and others including Master Xun fell silent.

It’s not that they have nothing to say in response, but that they don’t want to reply.

If someone insists on picking a fight with you, can you reply with one, two, or even ten or a hundred questions?

Fu Nian was silent for a moment, then he replied directly, "Your Majesty, it is because we are not well versed in academics and accomplishments, and we are obsessed with external things."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

In a nutshell, I just want to protect the relics of my ancestors, you can do whatever you want.

Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with Xiaoshengxianzhuang's behavior.

The empire can require the whole world to switch to Qin small seal script and abolish the old characters, but you can't require that people in the world cannot keep objects before the unification of the empire, and you can't prevent people from preserving the relics of their ancestors.

Of course, the emperor could issue an order to enact such a law, but at least for now, no such laws existed in the empire.

Ying Zheng did not pursue the matter relentlessly, forcing Fu Nian to destroy the old collection of books. Instead, he changed the subject and asked:
"The whole world is unified, the people are united, and the country is one family... Fusu's words are true, but has the empire achieved this today?"

"Master Fu Nian, what do you think?" (End of this chapter)