“A school?”
“A scholarly institute, similar to the Grand Academy.”
“Have the Soldiers and Generals go to school and learn to read and write?” Yin Qiubai couldn’t quite understand.
She found it hard to imagine such a scene—a white-bearded old man lecturing in class while a group of burly men sat below scratching their heads. Not all, but most soldiers were rough men who didn’t recognize a single character. And making the entire army attend school to read and write—clearly unrealistic. If such a grand spectacle truly existed, it would probably be mocked as ridiculous…
“Not all soldiers. All military officers. This would be a military academy! Also known as a military school!”
Yin Qiubai shook her head, “I don’t get it.”
“Do you know what makes an army worthy of the word ‘excellent’?”
Now that was the right question for her. In terms of leading troops in battle, no one in this world had ever bested her.
She barely needed to think before answering.
“Strict discipline. Orders carried out without fail!”
“Correct—but not complete.”
Yin Qiubai was unconvinced, “You think you understand leading troops better than I do? I may not speak as fancily as you, but when it comes to command, these eight characters say it all!”
Mu Qingbai simply smiled, saying nothing.
That irritating smile annoyed Yin Qiubai immediately, “Then you say it—what else?”
“Strict discipline. Cultural literacy. And most importantly…”
“What?”
Mu Qingbai sat up, took a sip of wine, “Belief.”
“Belief?”
“An army without belief has no potential. Without belief, it cannot unleash its greatest combat strength. Let alone maintain morale when facing defeat.”
Yin Qiubai fell into silence.
“Don’t understand?”
She shook her head.
“You dense? Since ancient times, people care about who they study under. If the female emperor establishes a military school and requires all officers to study there, won’t that make her their teacher? If they ever want to rebel, no matter how many reasons they have, would they dare kill their teacher?”
Yin Qiubai was stunned. She hadn’t thought of that. Once this was made clear, she was overjoyed.
What a brilliant idea!
“And belief! If they all firmly believe in the female emperor, and then return to their posts, even if the commander-in-chief has treasonous thoughts, with captains and lieutenants withdrawing their units, what could a lone general do?”
Mu Qingbai shook his head and sighed, “That’s the difference between you and me. Cultural literacy matters. I have high literacy, so I understand at once.”
Silence fell inside the prison.
The little monk suddenly broke it.
“Young Master Mu, you shouldn’t die.”
Mu Qingbai was startled, then quickly corrected, “No! I deserve to die!”
“The monk is right. Mister Mu shouldn’t die!” Yin Qiubai echoed seriously.
Mu Qingbai was stunned, “Why shouldn’t I? I deserve to die!”
Yin Qiubai said solemnly, “Mister Mu, I have offended you previously. Please forgive me!”
“Huh? Why are you calling me ‘Mister’ now?” Mu Qingbai was dumbfounded.
It felt like bragging to your buddy and suddenly he drops to his knees and calls you father.
“You possess great talent and are willing to enlighten me. Naturally, you’re a teacher! Don’t worry, sir. You’ve been wronged. I will get you out of this death cell!”
Mu Qingbai panicked, “No! Sis, I’m not wronged!”
Yin Qiubai said firmly, “Sir, there’s no need to deny it. I’m not rescuing you out of gratitude!”
Under Mu Qingbai’s stunned gaze, Yin Qiubai summoned the jailer, who opened the door for her.
She exited the dungeon.
Mu Qingbai snapped out of it and scrambled to the cell door, reaching out and yelling, “Don’t! Don’t do this!! I deserve to die! I really do! Please don’t save me—I’m due for execution in three days!”
The little monk looked at him with pity, thinking, ‘Young Master Mu must be too emotional… the madness is back.’
Amid all the cries of injustice in the prison, one voice rose in sharp, grief-stricken wailing. So tragic that the other cells went quiet just to hear it.
He was crying out that he deserved to die.
The other prisoners: …Impressive!
…
Outside the Ministry of Justice prison.
From the corner of his eye, the coachman of a luxurious carriage spotted someone appearing at the gate.
He shuddered and quickly shook awake the maid resting by the carriage door.
“Our general is back! Wake up!”
The coachman hurriedly placed down the footstool and bowed respectfully, “General, you’re finally out. Shall we return to the manor?”
“No. To Mirror Lake. Do we have brush and ink in the carriage?”
“Yes!” the maid replied promptly.
“By the way, Old Huang, is there someone in the martial world named Herzog?”
Old Huang shook his head, “General, that sounds like the name of a barbarian from beyond the border. This old servant has never heard of it. Where did you come across that name?”
“Ah… probably just mad talk…” Yin Qiubai sighed with regret. How could such a proper person go mad?
…
Mirror Lake.
The lake was so still it looked like a mirror.
Under the clear sky, the tower at its center was reflected in the waters, making it feel like one was walking among clouds.
This was the place where Grand Tutor Cen Qingfeng secluded himself in cultivation. It was also the highest sanctuary for scholars across the realm—the seat of Sacred Learning.
Yin Yunlan had successfully ascended the throne with the strong support of the Grand Tutor.
Inside the tower, rows of bookshelves stood filled with ancient scrolls.
When Yin Qiubai arrived, she saw the female emperor sitting alone.
On the table were two cups of tea—one had already gone cold.
“Your Majesty?” Yin Qiubai stepped forward and greeted.
“Sit,” Yin Yunlan said, unfazed by her arrival.
“Master Cen isn’t here?”
“The Grand Tutor just left on a journey.”
Nervous, Yin Qiubai cautiously asked, “Your Majesty… what did Master Cen say?”
Yin Yunlan rubbed her brows tiredly, “He left behind three questions.”
Yin Qiubai couldn’t help but mutter inwardly, ‘Why do all scholars love asking questions?’
“What are the three questions?”
“What to do if the northern barbarians march south?”
Yin Qiubai answered immediately, “I’ll lead troops to suppress them!”
“What about pirates raiding from the sea?”
Yin Qiubai opened her mouth but quickly realized—Master Cen clearly didn’t support the drastic stripping of military power either.
“And what if disaster victims across the land turn into bandits?”
Yin Qiubai slowly knelt and presented a memorial.
“Your Majesty, under our Great Yin Empire’s banner are countless elite warriors. A few petty bandits are no cause for concern!”
Yin Yunlan was stunned. She opened the memorial…
Her previously somber expression brightened, and even a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.
Yin Yunlan read silently. After a moment, she looked up at her sister, who watched with hopeful eyes, and chuckled softly, “You didn’t write this, did you?”
“No, I’m not capable of such scholarly writing.”
Yin Yunlan sighed, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her sister’s ear.
“I misjudged him. I thought he was just a slightly learned youth. I didn’t expect he possessed such brilliance.”
Yin Qiubai was overjoyed, “If Your Majesty is willing to admit fault, that is a blessing for all people! With such a wise ruler, prosperity is not far!”
Yin Yunlan smiled without answering.
The female emperor rarely admitted faults. But there was one exception—with her, she could never bear to be harsh.
“Let me also congratulate Your Majesty—for finding a peerless talent!”
“You’ve been working hard for me. Go home and rest early.”
Yin Yunlan gently patted Yin Qiubai’s back.
“Then… I shall take my leave.”
Once Yin Qiubai’s footsteps faded away…
Yin Yunlan’s warm smile vanished, replaced by her usual calm coldness.
“The Embroidery Division’s competency still needs work~”
A dull thud came from the shadows.
Yin Yunlan picked up a report beside her. On it was a simple summary of Mu Qingbai’s life.
“A plain young man, convicted of a crime not deserving death, with a rather ordinary life, even failing the civil exam—yet such genius…”
“And just happened to meet my sister in death row… Heh.”
She casually tossed the report into the air. It landed at the feet of the shadowed figure.
The figure hurriedly picked it up and backed out of the tower, glancing nervously behind.
Cursing inwardly: Who the hell is this guy?! Doesn’t he know General Yin is the female emperor’s reverse scale?!