The next morning, Cheng Qianye was practicing calligraphy in the study.
She had never been exposed to soft brush calligraphy before traveling through time, so she often took time to practice writing with a brush, but her writing was still unsatisfactory.
Xiaoqiu stretched out a paw to grind ink for her. There was a little ink on her little white nose, making her look playful and cute.
"See how your master's writing is doing?" Cheng Qianye asked as he wrote a piece of paper with horizontal, vertical, and diagonal strokes.
Xiao Qiu stared at it for a long time with her round almond-shaped eyes, then stretched out her short finger, pointed at one spot and said, "This one is well drawn, it's crooked like an earthworm."
"Ouch!" she cried, "Sister, why are you pinching me?"
Her sister Biyun blushed, squatted down to greet, and offered Cheng Qianye a cup of freshly brewed tea.
Cheng Qianye smiled and said while sipping tea: "Biyun, don't always restrain Xiaoqiu. I like her like this."
Xiaoqiu is only about ten years old, fair and tender, a simple and lively child.
Ever since Cheng Qianye got the golden finger that can see through people's hearts, he couldn't help feeling depressed when he saw the people around him hiding and deceiving each other to varying degrees every day.
Such a soul who is consistent in both appearance and reality is the one she likes to be close to the most.
Mo Qiaosheng stepped into the room.
Clear and charming, treat her sapphire with a sincere heart.
"How is your friend?" Cheng Qianye asked.
"The doctor said he has survived the most dangerous period."
"Master." Mo Qiaosheng knelt down beside Cheng Qianye's knees, "Will you not punish me?"
"Punish you?" Cheng Qianye raised his eyebrows, stopped writing and looked at him, "Why should I punish you?"
"I… "
"What are you feeling guilty about?" Cheng Qianye couldn't help but reach out and touch his head. "Do you think you have no right to make demands on me, even if that's a friend you value very much?"
Mo Qiaosheng raised his head and looked at Cheng Qianye. It seemed as if his master could read people's minds and always knew what he was thinking in one sentence.
"Well, now that you've said that, I'm going to punish you. It's going to be a severe punishment."
Mo Qiaosheng knelt straight, with a determined look on his face.
Cheng Qianye pulled him up and put him in his seat. "I'll punish you by making you copy books with me. We'll each write half of this set of calligraphy."
A pen was stuffed into Mo Qiaosheng's hand, and Cheng Qianye's soft hand grasped the back of his hand.
"If you know how to write, I'll teach you."
The lord's fair and handsome face was over his shoulder, close at hand, and his breath was as fragrant as orchid.
"Haha, I may not write as well as you."
Mo Qiaosheng suddenly felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart, as if a soft feather was brushing back and forth over the most vulnerable part of his heart, making him feel sore and numb, causing his skin to tremble slightly.
He slapped himself hard in his heart.
What are you thinking about in front of your master
"Qiaosheng, do you think I am a good lord?" Cheng Qianye held Mo Qiaosheng's hand and spoke softly while writing.
"In my heart, the master is the best master in the world."
Cheng Qianye knew that he was telling the truth.
She looked at the two people's clasped hands and the ink marks left by their hands, and said slowly,
"When I was young, the school offered interest classes, that is, learning skills. I wanted to learn Chinese painting, but my mother told me that playing the guzheng is very charming, and she really wanted to hear the sound of my playing the guzheng."
"So the master gave up his own interests and accommodated the lady?"
"Yes, my mother was very happy when she saw that I chose the guzheng, and she praised me repeatedly."
"I got my mother's praise, but I lost my hobby."
"I am just like that. I often give up my own persistence just to get recognition from others or to avoid others saying a good word about me."
Cheng Qianye loosened his hand and stopped writing: "I used to care a lot about the ideas of Zhang Fu, Xiao Jin, and those old ministers. I kept changing my ideas to cater to them, hoping to gain their approval."
"But now I realize that I was wrong. To be a qualified lord, it is not enough to just be a good person."
She looked at Mo Qiaosheng: "Qiaosheng, although you are a slave, you can also have your own ideas. Have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to be?"
"Do you want to serve me, or do you want to go to the battlefield and make achievements?"
Mo Qiaosheng's eyes gradually surged with emotions, "I want to be the knife in the master's hand. If the master wants to expand the territory, I will conquer cities for you. If the master has the heart to benefit the world, I am willing to fight for you on the battlefield."
Cheng Qianye looked at the glittering sapphire in front of him, stretched out a hand and held his palm: "Okay, then follow me."
The training ground was densely packed with people. All non-commissioned officers and generals above the rank of centurion, all civilian officials, and attendants and guards serving the lord were lined up in their positions.
Everyone looked up at the young master sitting on the podium.
The news that the lord was nearly killed at the banquet the day before had already spread throughout the army and beyond.
Now that so many people have gathered here, I'm sure they need to be reprimanded and cleared out.
Some people had something to hide and were feeling uneasy, while others were gloating over the misfortune and waiting to see the show. The crowd gradually began to whisper.
Cheng Qianye looked at the crowd leisurely while writing and drawing on the scroll in his hand.
No one noticed that the scroll in her hand had horizontal and vertical grids, which corresponded to the number of people arranged in formation on the parade ground.
Cheng Qianye put down his pen and called Mo Qiaosheng to his side. "Qiaosheng, look, the horizontal lines represent rows, the vertical lines represent columns, and each grid corresponds to a person. Bring a few people with you and bring up all the people I picked."
Then he whispered in his ear, "The contents of the notebook cannot be shown to others. Once you catch the person, burn him in the furnace."
Mo Qiaosheng took the order and went forward.
Soon, more than twenty people knelt in front of Cheng Qianye.
These people looked at each other, bewildered.
Some of them were generals in the army, and some were servants of Cheng Qianye.
The only thing they had in common was that no matter what image they presented, in Cheng Qianye's eyes, when these people looked at him, there was a sinister malice in their eyes.
Cheng Qianye sat on the high platform, looked at the people in front of him for a moment, and said loudly: "Who sent you all? What is your purpose in lurking around me? What have you done wrong? Do you have any accomplices?"
"Those who tell the truth will be spared and driven out of the camp. Those who resist will be executed immediately!"
More than twenty people started shouting their complaints of injustice.
The people in the audience also started to buzz with discussions.
Cheng Qianye ignored them and pointed at the first man in the front row who was surrounded by black mist.
Two soldiers came forward and escorted him out of the crowd.
The man looked simple and honest, and was a manager in charge of purchasing. He kowtowed repeatedly, crying out for injustice.
"This is your last chance. Tell me. If you don't, you will die." Cheng Qianye said coldly.
The man burst into tears and shouted, "My lord, I am an old man by your mother's side. I have served you and your wife for more than 20 years and have always been loyal to you. Your wife specially asked me to accompany the army to serve you. You can't listen to the malicious slander of some people and wrongly accuse me!"
Cheng Qianye lowered his eyelashes and waved his hand.
Two strong soldiers took the man down from the platform. The executioner was waiting below the platform. No matter how the man cried and struggled, he raised his sword and slashed, and a good man's head rolled to the ground in an instant.
The whole place suddenly fell silent.
Cheng Qianye looked at the person ranked second.
The man was trembling all over as if he had the hiccups. He was dragged out of the crowd by the soldiers. He collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering.
"I confess. I was arranged to come in by Madam Wan... Madam Wan, who was beside the former Marquis. I inquired about the master's situation and passed it on to her privately."
Cheng Qianye waved to Xiao Xiu and said, "Record it and check his residence. If there is no major offense, give him 20 military sticks and drive him out of the camp."
The remaining people saw that if they did not confess they would be killed, and they thought that telling the truth would indeed save their lives, so they began to confess fearfully one after another.
Some were spies arranged by other vassal states, and some were spies planted by aristocratic families in Jin to gather information.
Cheng Qianye made corresponding punishments and would not easily take anyone's life unless the crime was extremely heinous.
A non-commissioned officer in the army was brought forward. He knelt down and kowtowed: "I confess. I was sent by Li Wenguang to hide in the army. I have done nothing wrong. Please forgive me, lord. I have an accomplice, who is..."
He raised his head and glanced at the line of generals standing behind him, "My accomplice is General Helan Zhen."
The crowd was suddenly in an uproar.
Helan Zhen was furious and almost rushed forward. Yu Dunsu held him back and said, "Brother Helan, don't be impulsive. The lord will make his own judgment."
Helan Zhen's face flushed red, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "My Lord, please understand, this man and I have always had a personal grudge, and he is venting his anger. I am truly wronged."
Cheng Qianye looked at him and didn't speak for a long time.
Helan Zhen was filled with fear and trepidation. So many spies had been caught today and people were in a state of panic. It was normal for his lord not to believe him.
I come from a noble family. If I were to suffer such an unjust accusation and be driven out of the army, I would have nowhere to go.