Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Chapter 277 The sandalwood desk and incense burner are warm; the forbidden scrolls, writing brush, a

First Red Leaf picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp: "I forgot what the fourth brother's friend's name is. He sent me a message through the fourth brother, saying that Xu Xiaoqiu is dead and buried in Wangyou Town."

"I'm going to Forget-Worry Town to personally pay my respects to Xu Xiaoqiu."

"After I told my mother about this, she agreed to let me out. I'll set off next spring."

Upon hearing this, Mao Erlang smiled broadly, overjoyed: "Xu Xiaoqiu? That mortal who kept bothering you, right? Haha, good riddance, a wonderful death, saves me the trouble of taking action."

Seeing this, the first red leaf raised her bare foot and kicked it.

Mao Erlang reacted quickly, grabbing his third sister's ankle and saying, "Third sister, jokes aside, it's going too far to kick me. I'm your second brother, not your enemy."

First Red Leaf turned her head and snorted coldly, casually retracting her foot: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll kick you again."

Mao Erlang's lips curled slightly, and anyone could tell that he was in an exceptionally good mood.

Ma Dalang said calmly, "Xu Xiaoqiu's death is actually good for both of you. There's no point in you continuing to entangle yourselves. If you want to go and pay your respects, then go. You've been imprisoned for so many years, it's a good opportunity to get out and relax."

"Understood, elder brother." First Red Leaf nodded slightly, then looked at the fourth brother: "Why isn't Fourth Brother saying anything?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, picked up the wine pot and poured wine for his eldest brother, second brother, and third sister one by one, adopting a respectful and humble posture: "Third sister is talking to your two brothers, how dare I interrupt? Besides, I'm just here to make a living, so you don't need to worry about me. You and your two brothers can continue chatting."

First Red Leaf glanced at Zhou Qingfeng with a smile and said, "Big brother, second brother, what do you think of our fourth brother? The more I look at him, the more he looks like my mother."

Mao Erlang took a sip of wine and smiled slightly: "Third sister, you're not the only one who thinks this way. There are rumors circulating among the people that of our four children, only the fourth one is the most like our mother in how he sits, walks, and behaves."

"Really?" First Red Leaf looked Zhou Qingfeng up and down and said, "Fourth brother, you're not my mother's illegitimate son who was raised away, are you? I've never heard my parents mention you. I'll have to ask you carefully when Mother comes later..."

Ma Dalang frowned, tapped his bowl twice with his chopsticks, and quickly interrupted First Red Leaf from continuing her nonsense, displaying the authority and demeanor of the eldest brother: "Third sister, second brother, enough with the jokes."

Mao Erlang didn't take it seriously: "Brother, it was just a little joke."

First Red Leaf said, "Brother, I was just teasing Fourth Brother. He's not even worried, so why are you?"

Ma Dalang said calmly, "This concerns the reputation of our parents, so it cannot be taken lightly. This is just something we family members are talking about. If someone with ulterior motives hears it, they might secretly fabricate even more alarming rumors."

First Red Leaf and Mao Erlang exchanged a glance, inwardly scoffing at their elder brother's feigned seriousness. However, they knew it wasn't good to continue discussing this topic, so they tacitly changed the subject.

First Red Leaf: "Second Brother, let's go dragon fishing together tomorrow."

Mao Erlang: "You can fish for dragons anytime, but you can only hunt the great demon Nian beast once a year. Right now is the perfect time to hunt the Nian beast. If you miss it tomorrow, you'll have to wait another year. Big brother, why don't you come along and have some fun? Fourth brother, you shouldn't go. If I really take you to hunt the Nian beast, even a little bit of the sound wave could kill you."

Zhou Qingfeng: "..."

Ma Dalang patted Zhou Qingfeng on the shoulder with a smile and comforted him, "It's alright, Fourth Brother. When you reach the Fifth Realm, you'll be qualified to hunt great demons with us. No rush, take your time."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly: "Okay, I understand."

"What are you all chatting about? You seem to be having a great time." The First Lady smiled as she brought out two dishes, and like an ordinary mother, she sat down and looked at her four little ones with a beaming smile.

Mao Erlang smiled and said, "Mother, we've agreed to hunt the Nian beast tomorrow. Is there anything you want? We'll bring it back for you when we come back from the hunt in a couple of days."

The First Lady chuckled and nodded: "Mother has everything she needs. You all go out to hunt and have a good time. Remember to bring some experts with you so that your fun won't be ruined by some ignorant fools."

The meal lasted for an hour, from noon to afternoon. Zhou Qingfeng ate and drank in silence, while the eldest, second, and third brothers had endless things to talk about, reminiscing about the past and picking out happy things to talk about. The festive atmosphere at the meal was very good, and the First Lady smiled from beginning to end, more often and for longer than in the past ten years.

Before they knew it, it was January 1, 1093. Today, the area in front of the Zhou Mansion was bustling with activity. People lined up to give gifts and congratulate the New Year, stretching from the front of the gate to the end of the street, but they could hardly see each other.

Some high-ranking officials and dignitaries symbolically sent New Year's gifts.

These people basically just left their visiting cards and gifts and left.

Meanwhile, all the officials who belonged to Zhou Qingfeng's camp came to his door with gifts to congratulate him on the New Year, and the gifts were not expensive.

Because everyone knew that Zhou Qingfeng was "honest and upright" and "clean-handed," refusing to accept gifts, especially valuable ones, many officials were tactful and only sent him fruits, snacks, wine, and tea.

The officials who truly knew the ropes had already delivered valuable gifts to Jin Wei, earnestly requesting that Jin Wei arrange a meeting with Zhou Qingfeng. As for what they wanted from the meeting, everyone knew perfectly well: it was nothing more than using connections to pull strings and pull strings for relatives and friends, trying to get them into the Plum Blossom Division as Plum Blossom Guards.

With the major reshuffle in the five departments, a large number of valuable positions have become available in the Plum Blossom Guard. There are plenty of positions but a shortage of manpower, so now is the easiest time to get into the Plum Blossom Guard. Many people with connections, backgrounds and powerful backers have already entered the Plum Blossom Guard.

After arranging for their own people to be loyal to the Zhou family, a large number of their relatives and associates were brought in, followed by a group of second and third generation members with powerful connections and backgrounds. In the end, only 10 spots remained to go through the normal recruitment process.

As long as a cultivator in the common folk reaches the Food Fiend Realm, they can have a normal interview. Thousands of Food Fiend Realm cultivators come for interviews, and even Food Poison Realm cultivators come for interviews, fighting tooth and nail for the 10 extra positions.

These ten spots were a minimum requirement that Zhou Qingfeng specifically instructed Jin Wei to leave for cultivators from the common people, so that they could also have a path to advancement. Even if the competition was fierce, it was still a loophole and the door was not completely closed.

Otherwise, they would simply absorb the talent internally; there would be no way they would go through the normal recruitment process.

Jin Wei noted down the people who gave gifts and the gifts themselves, but did not arrange for them to meet with Zhou Qingfeng. He simply asked them to state what they wanted to see the young master about. If the matter could be resolved, the gifts could be accepted and the people could leave. If it could not be resolved, the gifts could be taken back. Meeting was completely unnecessary.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside the study, it was warm and cozy.

In the center of the study stood a large desk made of fine rosewood, with a smooth and glossy surface and intricately carved patterns along the edges. The legs of the desk stood firmly on a soft fur carpet.

Several ancient books were scattered on the desk, next to an exquisite inkstone, and next to that a writing brush, its tip lightly touching the edge of the inkstone, as if it had just been used.

The fireplace is located on the left side of the study. It burns specially made spiced charcoal, which emits a faint fragrance. It not only provides warmth to the room, but also helps people to calm their minds and concentrate.

A small tea table sits beside the stove, upon which rests an exquisite tea set. A pot of freshly brewed tea is warming in the teapot, its steam rising gently and releasing an enticing aroma.

Zhou Qingfeng leaned back at the junction of the chair back and armrest, leisurely sipping his tea, holding a banned book and looking down at it, one leg bent at the knee with his bare foot on the chair, his posture relaxed and unrestrained.

Three steps in front of him, Jin Wei stood tall and straight in a bright red official robe. He took out a small notebook and said, "Young Master, there are two people I think you need to meet. The former is Yang Tianqing of the Yang family, and the latter is Gu Huanian of the Gu family. Both of them have presented you with treasures worth tens of millions of magic coins."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't even look up, and gave a soft "hmm": "Why do they want to see me?"

Jin Wei continued after receiving a response: "Yang Tianqing from the Yang family came here with generous gifts to thank you for hiring twenty members of the Yang family. As I have already said, the Yang family is an affiliated family of the Zhou family, so they will definitely get a share of any benefits. However, Yang Tianqing insisted on meeting you."

"Gu Huanian is the head of the Gu family. Over the years, the Gu family has not only gained a foothold in Jianta by using your name, but has also thrived. Restaurants, gambling dens, pharmacies and brothels have sprung up everywhere. For the past ten years, the Gu family has been secretly paying tribute to you every year. This year, the head of the Gu family heard that you were in the mansion and repeatedly requested to see you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng raised his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and tapped the book: "Let Yang Tianqing come in first."

Jin Wei asked respectfully, "Young Master, where is Gu Huanian?"

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Let him wait a while."

"Yes." Jin Wei clasped his hands in a fist salute and stepped back, then pressed down on the sword hilt with one hand and strode out of the study.

A short while later, Jin Wei brought Yang Tianqing to the study.

Upon seeing Zhou Qingfeng, Yang Tianqing immediately knelt down on both knees and performed a deep bow: "Yang Tianqing greets Young Master. I wish you a happy new year, all your wishes come true."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at him and slightly raised his hand: "Get up."

Upon seeing this, Yang Tianqing bowed and stood up: "Tianqing has come here specifically to thank you on behalf of the entire clan for your great kindness and virtue. If it weren't for your personal selection of them and the bestowal of a bright future upon them, how could they have had the fortune to enter the Five Realms? The young master's kindness is greater than mountains and seas. Our entire clan will forever remember it and remain loyal to the young master forever."

Zhou Qingfeng continued reading the forbidden book, a smile appearing at the corner of his eye. The Yang family was not lacking in talent, and they were the first vassal family he had subdued. When he was short of talent, he could make full use of these people. As long as they remained absolutely loyal, he would not be stingy in treating them poorly.

Today, Yang Tianqing has come to deliver gifts and express his loyalty, which suits Zhou Qingfeng's wishes perfectly.

He said casually, "Xiao Yang, are you happy with your work at the Privy Council?"

Yang Tianqing bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, young master. My work at the Privy Council is going smoothly. However, there has been no war in the Sword Tower for a long time, and I have no merit to show for it. I can only waste my time, and it is hard not to feel sad when I think about it."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly: "From what you're saying, you really want to go to war?"

Yang Tianqing clasped his hands in response: "Yes, I want to fight. There are many people who think the same way as me. Whether it is the military officers of the Privy Council or the soldiers in the army, they all want to fight. If we don't fight, how will we have the opportunity to be promoted and ennobled?"

Zhou Qingfeng was slightly taken aback. Through Yang Tianqing, he saw the desire for war among countless middle and lower-ranking military officers. This was a group of ambitious people who were eager to be promoted. For these military officers, there was only one way to get ahead, besides accumulating seniority: war, to make achievements on the battlefield!

Fortunately, the current city lord is not a warmonger and focuses on economic development and talent cultivation. Otherwise, he could have easily reached an agreement with these middle and lower-ranking military officers who are eagerly anticipating war, and a full-scale war could have been launched at any time.

Based on current predictions of the situation, the Sword Tower has established a puppet regime in the No Man's Lands, which will completely annex the No Man's Lands within the next ten years, and then set its sights on the Four Seas City to occupy the Coastline.

If this trend continues, war is inevitable; it will simply evolve from a local war into a full-scale war.

Of course, the Millennium Breakthrough Operation Plan is top secret and is overseen by several high-ranking members of the Privy Council. Zhou Qingfeng is not in charge of this part; he only knows the overall strategic plan and direction, but not the details.

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Wait patiently. Once the war comes, I will recommend you to fight on the front lines. That will be your best opportunity to make a name for yourself."

Yang Tianqing clasped his hands in a salute: "Yes, young master."

"Alright, let's go back." Zhou Qingfeng chatted with Yang Tianqing for a while, but then lost interest and continued to look down at the forbidden book. Seeing this, Jin Wei gestured to lead Yang Tianqing out of the study and out of the Zhou residence through the back door.

When Jin Wei returned, he saw Gu Huanian standing in the courtyard waiting for a long time. The fur coat she was wearing was covered with snowflakes. Gu Huanian took a few steps forward and blocked Jin Wei's way.

"Master Gu, is something the matter?"

"Manager Jin, please inform the young master..."

"Master Gu, please don't be impatient. The young master is very busy with many important matters. Please wait patiently."

"Okay, okay."

Gu Huanian watched Jin Wei enter the inner courtyard, and could only continue to wait in the outer courtyard. He waited from day to evening, and from evening to day again, until the flowers withered and bloomed again, and he was numb with waiting.

Jin Wei had just come to summon him: "Patriarch Gu, the young master requests your presence."

Gu Huanian was startled and quickly shook off the snow from his clothes. He asked with delight, "Fourth Young Master has time?"

Jin Wei said, "Young Master went to Yaochi Manor early this morning. He left in a hurry and forgot to tell you. I'm sorry to trouble Patriarch Gu to make the trip. Don't worry, it's not far. It's just twenty miles south of the city. You'll be there soon."

Gu Huanian: "..."

Twenty miles south of the city lies a private plantation covering 1320 hectares. This plantation originally belonged to Zhai Xingyuan and has now been officially bestowed upon Zhou Qingfeng by the city lord's mansion.

Zhou Qingfeng hadn't had the chance to come in before, but now that he had the opportunity, he came in to broaden his horizons and personally experience just how charming this place was that it could make so many dignitaries linger here.