Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

Mr. Zeng slowly stretched out his hand and took the poem handed to him by Marquis Wu'an at a leisurely pace. Just when everyone was looking forward to hearing the comments of this highly respected scholar on the poem, something unexpected happened.

He merely glanced at the paper casually before tossing it back to the Marquis of Wuning without hesitation, like trash. He then mercilessly retorted, "How can a warrior like you, who spends all day wielding a sword on the battlefield, write any good poetry? You'd better go back and lead your troops! Don't embarrass yourself here!"

Marquis Wuning was somewhat dumbfounded: "No, take a closer look, is it really that terrible?"

Zeng Lao snorted coldly and pointed at Su Qin: "Your level is barely on par with my granddaughter. What level are you at?"

Now everyone present looked at Marquis Wuning with strange expressions. Everyone knew that Zeng Lao's granddaughter was a refugee before. Even if she was not from a farming family, she was not from a farming and reading family. What kind of literary talent could an ordinary household have? This was simply criticizing Marquis Wuning as worthless.

Master Xu gloated over the misfortune and pushed Marquis Wuning aside, then handed over his own poem with a smile: "Master Zeng, take a look at my poem. Isn't it much better than his? He still refuses to accept it."

This time, Zeng Lao didn't even answer. He just glanced at him and snorted mercilessly: "You are just like him. At least the Marquis of Wuning's calligraphy is more elegant than yours."

Mr. Xu's expression froze. He felt a little embarrassed and a little angry. Everyone here was of noble birth. Being criticized by Mr. Zeng like this, he immediately felt ashamed and resentful towards Mr. Zeng. An old man respected him by calling him Mr. Zeng, and if he didn't respect him, he would just be a lousy teacher.

The atmosphere at the scene was a little awkward. Wu Ninghou was the first to break the silence. He pulled Zeng Lao over and said to Su Qin, "Since Zeng Lao said that our levels are the same, let's go and have a competition."

After saying that, he took Mr. Zeng away.

Watching them go, Master Xu spit out a sigh, "Comparing yourself to an orphan girl who can barely read, you don't even think you're cheap."

Many people present were of lower status than Master Xu, and they praised him, saying, "Well, everyone knows Zeng Xian has a bad temper. If he had known how to talk, he wouldn't have been so poor for so many years, to the point where he had to rely on an orphan to support him in his old age. Master, don't bother with him. Let's go on and continue talking about poetry and painting."

......

Marquis Wuning took Zeng Lao and Su Qin to the room where he was resting for a while.

After entering and sitting down, Wu Ninghou's servant brought tea and snacks. Wu Ninghou couldn't wait to ask Su Qin: "But what happened?"

It’s not a big deal, Su Qin can’t come here directly.

Su Qin smiled and said, "Don't worry, my Lord. Nothing happened. It's just that my daughter wants to discuss something with you."

Marquis Wuning asked curiously, "What's going on?"

Su Qin: "I want to set up a caravan and travel to foreign countries. I want to ask the Marquis if he has any suitable martial artists."

Marquis Wuning was puzzled: "Why would they set up a caravan to go to foreign lands for no reason?"

Su Qin repeated the reasons she had given Zhao Liangchen, but this time she went into more detail: "Besides not wanting to be controlled by others, I also want to prepare a way out for myself. Since ancient times, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Even if we help the emperor secure the throne, we cannot guarantee that he will not be suspicious of us in the future.

If the emperor wins by then, and in a few years the emperor becomes more powerful and no longer needs the Marquis' Mansion, then the Marquis will not be able to hide away from worldly affairs. No matter whether he is the crown prince or the second son, as long as he is still in this land, he will inevitably be suspected by the emperor.

If the Emperor loses, we should prepare a retreat in advance. We can no longer stay in this country. We need to use the name of a caravan to find a place to settle down where the Emperor and King Liang can protect us."

After hearing this, Marquis Wu Ning looked at Su Qin with admiration and praise: "You've thought so far ahead?"

Su Qin: "I am just timid and afraid of death. I want to think of a way out in advance."

Marquis Wuning: "You are not a coward, you are preparing for a rainy day, which is a great wisdom. For so many years, I have only thought about withdrawing from the power struggle, thinking that this would save the lives of the entire Qiao family. But after listening to your words, I realized how superficial my thoughts were. Our Marquis Mansion has been passed down for so many years. No matter whether it is King Liang or the Emperor, there is no way they will let us go. It is only a matter of time.

I originally thought that by secretly submitting to the Emperor, I had found the best way out for the Marquisate, and that I could rest easy from now on. Now it seems that my thinking was too superficial."

Su Qin explained, "I just wanted to prepare a place like this. I may not need it, so it would be better if I don't need it. I don't want to be far away from my hometown."

Marquis Wuning nodded and said, "You are right to worry. The emperor's mind is unpredictable. No one can guarantee what will happen in the future. It is better to think of a way out in advance than to be left with nowhere to go later.

Don't worry, I will help you find the right candidates. My old subordinates gradually withdrew from the army after I retired, and many veterans did not live well after returning to their hometowns. Although I often helped them, it was always a drop in the bucket. I wanted to find a job for them before, but I could never find a permanent solution.

People who come out of the army are all rough men who can't do anything except fighting and killing. They either work as guards or farm, but they can't earn much money.

Having these people form a caravan is a good way to make a living and can help them earn more. However, having them form a caravan to protect the goods is fine, but having them negotiate business, or even deal with foreigners, is definitely not a good idea. You need to find reliable people who are both smart and understand foreign languages, which is difficult to find.

Su Qin: "I know that besides looking for someone with good skills, you can also buy some smart servants and shopkeepers to sign a death contract. As for the leader, I plan to go myself after the caravan is established."

Marquis Wuning and Mr. Zeng looked at her in surprise at the same time: "You're going?"

Su Qin nodded, and Zeng Lao's face instantly darkened. "No, it's too dangerous. You can't take the risk. I have no objection to setting up a caravan. As for the candidates, you can train them yourself if you are not sure. But you are a woman traveling so far, over such a long distance. What if something goes wrong?"

Marquis Wuning also advised: "Miss Su, tell me what kind of person you want. I will do my best to find him. If you are not satisfied with him, you can teach him yourself, but there is really no need to risk your life."

Su Qin remained noncommittal: "Grandpa, I am looking for my future home. If I don't choose it myself, I won't feel at ease. Don't worry, I will be fine. Wasn't it okay when I carried my grandmother's ashes to Shangjing City alone?

Besides, don’t I still have the people the Marquis has hired to protect me? So many martial arts masters, can’t they protect me?”

Mr. Zeng was still worried: "That's different. You walked from Chanzhou to here, and you were still with so many refugees. There wouldn't be much danger. But it's different when you go to a foreign country. You are unfamiliar with the place and don't know the rules and social customs there.

That's someone else's territory. If something goes wrong, let alone the few people the Marquis has sent, even if the Zou family's army is sent there, it may not be effective."

Su Qin knew this, but she was not blindly going to other countries. She had inquired about it when she came into contact with those foreign businessmen, so she naturally would not go to a particularly dangerous country.

Based on the description of the foreign merchants, she already had several options in mind. She couldn't build her retreat in someone else's country, as that would still constrain her. She wanted to build her base in the lawless border area between countries, but such places often had harsh environments and were not suitable for human life.

The reason she wanted to go with them was that she wanted to see it with her own eyes so that she could have a clearer idea of ​​what was going on.