Chapter 157

"Oh?" Ye Tao, who was busily setting questions with a large group of people in Zheng Yuan, heard So Zheng, who was on duty at the military headquarters that day, mention this strange young man that evening, and asked with great interest about this seemingly interesting fellow, "What did you guys do with him later?"

So Zheng picked up the completed questions and looked at them, laughing as he said, "According to what we said beforehand, we threw him in jail for an hour and then let him out, what else could we do? But this guy is really strange. He wasn't nervous or scared at all in jail. He took out the sets of papers he had taken earlier and started reading them, smiling. Later, I really had someone give him a set of the papers he hadn't done, and in that hour in jail, he finished the first two questions on all the test papers."

Ye Tao was stunned. Once you master the knack of Sudoku, and have strong thinking and logical abilities, it's really not a problem, but crossword puzzles are different. As one of the question setters, he knew very well how difficult these mock exam crossword puzzles were. He had gathered a large group of people and used a huge amount of book data as a backing to create these twelve sets of questions. Without search engines, without reference books designed for laymen such as *Tang and Song Poetry Appreciation Dictionary*, and without convenient classification materials such as *Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Couplets*, it was not easy to create high-quality crossword puzzles. A good crossword puzzle shouldn't simply allow everyone to fill it out without thinking, nor should it deliberately use extremely obscure entries to increase the difficulty. A good crossword puzzle is not only a balance between these two, but should also have rich contemporary characteristics and popularity. Choosing entries is certainly extremely difficult, but how to explain these entries so that the person doing the puzzle can get enough information from them to guess the entries, without clearly handing over the answer, and even showing the question setter's views on specific people, places, events, and articles in subtle ways, is truly a science. And it is precisely because of these factors combined that make this kind of word game so fascinating.

While the question setters faced such difficulties, the people doing the puzzles were by no means relaxed. After all, without search engines or even reference books, being able to complete seven crossword puzzles in a short hour, and also doing seven Sudoku puzzles, was beyond just being quick-witted. It couldn't help but arouse great interest.

"That guy has rented a courtyard in the new district, one of the small courtyards that Boss Dai asked you to design." So Zheng seemed to have anticipated that Ye Tao would be interested in such a person, and directly said the answer, "I had someone send him back. That guy seems pretty easy to get along with."

Ye Tao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, you lead the way, we'll go see what this guy is all about."

So Zheng said noncommittally, "Young Master, you don't have to be so humble. If you want to see him, I'll just send someone to call him over. You're the Governor-General now, the Grand Canal Governor-General. Being too approachable can be a little scary."

Ye Tao scratched his head and said, "Why does that sound so awkward?" The modern people's concept of hierarchy is too incompatible with this era. The hierarchy of modern society may be even stricter, but the gap for a person to cross from one level to another is not as big as in this society, and the expressions of the differences in levels are also very different. Now, he could understand what So Zheng meant by being too approachable being a little scary. Now, the Grand Canal Governor-General's office was at a critical moment of building its framework. While he could show some special talents a little intimacy, if he was too enthusiastic, it would easily convey the wrong information to those watching around.

"Okay, then you arrange it. ... By the way, where did Lu Dan go?" This kind of thing should have been handled by Lu Dan, the chief steward of his Ye residence. Although Lu Dan had been internally appointed by him as the Grand Canal Governor-General's military overseer, bearing the title of Qinghe General, he suddenly had many things to deal with. However, this guy had not clearly handed over the work of the Ye residence's chief steward. Now, the messy pile of things at the Ye residence were all being handled by him making some rough arrangements in his spare time, and then letting the servants who did the work improvise. But this pile of things, with the increase in the Ye residence's status, could not continue like this for a long time.

"Brother Lu is busy looking for the next chief steward for the Ye residence. He used to hold the two jobs of chief steward and guard captain. Although Brother Lu originally came from a good background, now that he has jumped from the Ye residence's chief steward to the position of military overseer and Qinghe General, this position of chief steward is very valued. Heaven knows what interesting characters will be summoned this time." So Zheng said unhurriedly. He wasn't jealous of Lu Dan at all. With Lu Dan's background as a playboy, it was only a matter of time before he reached such a position. What's more, Lu Dan had been using various means, both openly and secretly, to maintain the Ye family and constantly strengthen the Ye family's influence in the capital in recent years. Ye Tao might not have noticed much, but people like So Zheng, who came from a craftsman apprentice background but found the opportunity to become a military officer of no small rank, and many people who worked in the Ye family's workshops, felt it very clearly. And So Zheng's own future was equally bright. He managed the logistics of the Blood Kirin Army during the time the Blood Kirin Army attacked, allowing the Blood Kirin Army to maintain mobile warfare for so long through intermittent battlefield supplies and the collection of various resources. This contribution was no less than that of the soldiers and officers who shed their blood on the battlefield. And after experiencing the benefits of digital management, he continued to communicate with Ye Tao, and took the opportunity of serving in the Blood Kirin Army to constantly try more advanced battlefield supply methods and plans. According to Ye Tao, So Zheng already had the knowledge to manage and control a large-scale logistics system for an army of less than 100,000 people in the age of cold weapons. And So Zheng was now training a group of professional logistics officers for the Blood Kirin Army, because he would become the second in command of the Grand Canal Governor-General's office in charge of economic affairs for both the military and civilians, and also had the title of Lianshui General, which sounded very good.

So Zheng quickly invited the young man whom everyone thought should at least have a photographic memory and be quick-witted. It was said that the process of inviting the young man was very interesting. The young man didn't know where he came from, but after all, his reputation was not well-known. In principle, with So Zheng's current status as Lianshui General, it was already giving that guy a lot of face. But the young man had a bitter face, saying that he didn't want to be an official, and asked if it was okay if he didn't want to see the Governor-General. This interest in not wanting to be an official made So Zheng speechless. He felt that this guy should be very congenial with Ye Tao, who didn't want to be an official either, so he explained that Ye Tao was the one who created those crossword puzzles. Now, that guy immediately put on a flattering face and enthusiastically followed So Zheng back.

And this young man had a very powerful name—

"Madman?" Ye Tao frowned, there were all sorts of names these days.

"A dignified Governor-General shouldn't make fun of my name. I'm not a madman, I'm Feng Zi. Feng meaning abundant, and Zi meaning willful." Feng Zi said dissatisfied.

"Hehe, it sounds like 'Madman'." It was Tan Wei Shi who spoke this time, who had just arrived at Zheng Yuan to ask Ye Tao for the crossword puzzle questions that had just been created. The Tan family, up and down, were now crossword puzzle enthusiasts, not one less. When she heard that there was such a crossword puzzle master, Tan Wei Shi ignored her identity as a princess and insisted on coming to see this powerful guy.

When Tan Wei Shi was running around outside, she naturally didn't always wear clothes that met the requirements of her status and etiquette, but the Panlong jade pendant tied around her waist and hung with silver-blue silk cords still allowed knowledgeable people to recognize her identity. Feng Zi frowned, as if he was struggling whether to argue with the princess. Looking at the expression in his eyes, he seemed to estimate that the princess was a little girl, and bullying a little girl was more of a concern than his concern for the princess's status. Finally, he said helplessly, "Alright... you can call me whatever you want. If you don't study hard and learn to read, you'll suffer in the future."

Tan Wei Shi smiled and wasn't angry. She said, "You can just say that I don't know how to read. Now that I know there's a madman like you, I'll find a chance to meet your father later to see what kind of person can give his child such an interesting name. You can laugh at me as much as you want, I'm not afraid that I'll complain to him then. We'll see who laughs last."

Feng Zi rolled his eyes, ignored the princess, turned to Ye Tao, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, why did you call me here?"

Ye Tao smiled and said, "I heard So Zheng say that you finished seven sets of crossword puzzles in less than an hour. I thought you were a very interesting person, and I just wanted to meet you."

Feng Zi rolled his eyes again. Obviously, he was a little resentful of being summoned like this for no reason, but in front of him was a princess and a future consort who was already a Grand Canal Governor-General, such a high-ranking official, and he really had nowhere to vent his depression. He said helplessly, "I really want to say that it's an honor to be favored by Her Highness the Princess and the Governor-General. But..."

Feng Zi's way of dealing with people really didn't live up to the homonym of his name, "Madman". If these words, with their strong sense of dissatisfaction, were spoken to someone who particularly cared about interests and the relationship between superiors and inferiors, they might explode. But he was facing Ye Tao. Ye Tao said apologetically, "It was indeed my rudeness to call you here so rashly. You are an undeniable crossword puzzle master. I happen to have some questions that have been prepared. Would you like to try them?"

When Feng Zi heard this, his face immediately changed to an exaggerated expression of pouring out his heart and soul, and he said loudly with half-true and half-false excitement, "I can't repay the kindness of the Governor-General, I'm willing to die for you..."

Hearing Feng Zi say this, So Zheng unceremoniously spat out a mouthful of tea. This Feng Zi, was really an interesting person.