Professional Ethics of a Concubine

"Wow! Great victory! Great victory! Father and our army are so awesome!" Mingyu immediately jumped up with joy and cheered.

Mingyan showed a bright and beautiful smile. She looked across at the Chu State from afar, her heart was filled with excitement.

It won't be long before the State of Chu becomes history, and the territory of their Great Zhao will double.

She was very glad that at this moment, she was standing here to witness this scene with her own eyes, instead of learning about it through reports of victory in the capital city thousands of miles away.

The emperor who is far away in the capital,...

My dear granddaughter, are you talking about me?

Xie Hongbao and Xie Niankang were also very excited. They said in unison,

"I should be able to see Daddy soon!"

After they finished talking, they looked at each other and started laughing again.

As two "left-behind children", only each other understands their feelings at this moment.

"This, have we taken down Yancheng of Chu?!" Zheng Xiangyang and the others widened their eyes and asked in disbelief.

Because ever since they were old enough to understand, they had heard a lot about the wars between Chu and Zhao, and knew that Chu was stronger than them. Of course, they also understood their responsibilities and missions, and always regarded Chu as an invincible existence.

He was so interested in Mohist mechanical engineering partly because he knew he would have to defend and attack cities in the future, so he wanted to be a useful person.

But, is the State of Chu going to be destroyed now?

Zheng Xiangyang felt like a huge mountain pressing down on him was shattered.

Although I was pleasantly surprised, I also felt confused and unbelievable.

"Master, where do you want to go?" Xie Liuyuan asked Ye Qingzhi again with a smile, "Or should we go to His Highness's tent and wait?"

"Mingyan, where do you want to go?" Ye Qingzhi asked her, "Your father brought you here so that you can see more and grow."

Ming Yan thought for a moment and said to Xie Liuyuan, "Take us to the place where the soldiers are buried first. Let's go and pay tribute to them."

Xie Liuyuan frowned immediately and said hesitantly, "The tombstone hasn't been completed yet. If the princess wants to pay tribute to the soldiers, she can go in a few days."

"Right now, lead the way." Mingyan's pretty face was stern, and she said without allowing any rebuttal.

Xie Liuyuan's skin suddenly tightened and he agreed subconsciously, but he regretted it and looked at Ye Qingzhi, asking her for help.

The pit over there is probably not even dug yet, with a pile of tattered, bloody corpses lying there. Xie Liuyuan is afraid that the princess and others will have nightmares for several days in the night after seeing that scene.

"Listen to the princess." Ye Qingzhi said directly to Xie Liuyuan, "Lead the way."

-

It was indeed as Xie Liuyuan guessed. The corpses moved from the battlefield were piled up near the big pit, one on top of the other. The scene was so bloody that it was extremely challenging to one's optic nerves.

Inside the big pit, there were still more than a dozen soldiers working hard to dig and transport soil.

When Ye Qingzhi saw the scene of piled corpses from afar, she felt a little unwell. Her stomach began to churn, her legs felt weak, and her scalp felt numb.

"I won't set an example this time. I really can't stand seeing this scene." Ye Qingzhi immediately stopped and turned to Mingyan and the others and said,

"I have to admit that I am useless in this area, and I don't want to force myself, because it is completely unnecessary for me to go through the beatings and training in this area.

When you read history books or heard people say that thousands or tens of thousands of people died in a war, you would just think that it was a number and not have any real feelings.

But if you look today, there are less than a hundred corpses behind, and when they are piled together, it is already shocking.

If there were tens of thousands of them, what kind of hell would that be?

I hope you remember that the death toll in war is not just a string of cold numbers, every number represents a person of flesh and blood!

I also hope that after watching it, you will not just feel scared by the blood, but recognize that this is the cruel nature of war. I also hope that you will have more compassion for soldiers and civilians in the future.

Okay, I have said everything I need to say, you can go and see for yourself, this is also the compulsory course that the prince asked you to take this time."

After listening to Ye Qingzhi's words, Mingyan looked into the distance, calmed down, and said to Mingyu and others,

"You all follow me to worship. This is a compulsory course given to us by our father, not by our master. Your master can choose not to go, but you cannot back down."

Xie Niankang immediately cast an envious look at Ye Qingzhi; he didn't want to go either.

Ye Qingzhi winked at him, clenched her fists, and encouraged him, not feeling the slightest bit ashamed of her retreat.

She is just a favored concubine who got to the top by talking nonsense, not a female general who will go to the battlefield, so why should she endure the hardship?

Mingyan and the others had gone over, and Zheng Jiarong fell behind, moving forward slowly, step by step, even slower than a snail's pace.

Ye Qingzhi saw that he had his eyes closed, was trembling all over, and looked scared to death. She remembered that last time he said that he was afraid of the sound of the gears turning, so he didn't want to enter the Qibao Tower.

Then letting him watch the bloody scene ahead would probably be like sending him to the eighteenth level of hell.

"Jiarong?" Ye Qingzhi walked to his side, called him and patted his shoulder gently.

"Ahhhh!" Zheng Jiarong suddenly screamed in shock, terrified to death, and also scared Ye Qingzhi and everyone else.

"...You guys continue, don't worry about it." Ye Qingzhi quickly waved to the others, then grabbed the frightened Zheng Jiarong and said gently and firmly,

"Jiarong, if you are so scared, you don't have to go and see it."

When Zheng Jiarong heard this, he opened his tightly closed eyes and asked in surprise and joy,

"Really?! Master, do I really not need to go and see it?"

"Of course it's true." Ye Qingzhi nodded with a smile, "You see, I didn't go either, just stay here with me."

"But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..." Zheng Jiarong said worriedly again.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince only cares about the performance of Mingyu and the others, not your performance. Your parents are the ones who care."

Ye Qingzhi touched his head and told the truth.

Zheng Jiarong thought about it and nodded. He felt even more depressed, tears streaming down his face. He choked and said,

“Wow… I saw a man beaten to death before. That was a long, long time ago, but I still remember clearly how he died. I had nightmares about it for a long, long time at that time, and then I slowly stopped having them.

There are so many dead soldiers in front of me, I, I am really scared, wuwuwu... I think they are pitiful, but I am also really scared to see them die.

Wuwuwu... Master, am I too weak and timid? I also look down on myself. My parents will scold me again if they know how I behaved in the military camp today..."

"Wipe your tears first." Ye Qingzhi handed him a handkerchief and said to him with a smile.

"I don't think you are weak or timid. You said they were pitiful and you would never forget their miserable plight. I think it's because you have such strong empathy and perception.

You sympathize with them, you are kind, and you have a strong observation and memory.

You notice details that others don’t, and it lets your imagination run wild, which is why you can’t forget it and why you’re so scared.”

Zheng Jiarong forgot to cry or be afraid after hearing this. He just kept nodding his head, and then asked in confusion,

"Master, is this also the reason why you don't dare to go? Why do you understand my feelings so well? My parents don't understand at all. They only blame me for being timid and say that I was born into a wrong man."

"Because the Master can read your mind, I know what you are thinking." Ye Qingzhi teased him deliberately.

"Wow, Master, you really are a fairy who has descended to earth!" Zheng Jiarong actually believed it and looked at her with starry eyes.

Ye Qingzhi,...

Now Ye Qingzhi has no idea what to do.

She smiled and patted Zheng Jiarong's head, "The master just read more books, but he is not a fairy."

Zheng Jiarong's eyes suddenly dimmed. He really thought that the tutor was a fairy who had descended to earth, but his idea was shattered.

"Taifu, can we really destroy the State of Chu this time?" Zheng Jiarong asked again.

"Really." Ye Qingzhi nodded.

"Then we don't have to guard Funing City or resist the State of Chu anymore. What should we do now?" Zheng Jiarong was silent for a moment and asked in confusion.

"You can use your brush to paint what you like, and then pass it down. Your name will go down in history, and your paintings will be treasured by future generations and become cultural treasures."

Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.

"...Ah?" Zheng Jiarong looked at Ye Qingzhi in even greater bewilderment. "Am I, am I that powerful?"

"Of course you can." Ye Qingzhi said affirmatively, "You have a great talent for painting, and you are still so young, your achievements are limitless."

Zheng Jiarong was so overwhelmed by Ye Qingzhi's praise that he didn't even know he was so capable.

Both their great-aunt and great-uncle told them to listen to the Taifu and not to care what their parents said. If they felt that their parents' criticism was wrong, they could complain and ask the Taifu to judge the case.

"Master, my parents don't like me painting. They think painting is useless and can only be used to cultivate sentiment. It can't be done full-time. It's lowly."

Zheng Jiarong frowned and said with a bitter face.