Chapter 1 Fortunately

Fortunately, this worry didn't last long. Not because the worry had disappeared, but because they had too much to do compared to worrying. The most important thing was to get the Jinglue Manor up and running under Ye Tao's command, so that Ye Tao's orders could effectively reach every location and be earnestly executed. To achieve this goal, the Dai family's verbal and actual cooperation was essential.

So, this time Ye Tao came to Yunzhou, and after arriving at Thunderclap Cliff, he didn't go northwest to Suiyuan, nor did he go north to Ningyuan City after bypassing Snow Wolf Lake. Instead, he turned southeast, heading towards Tianling Fort, where the Dai family's clan center was located.

Also a family's fundamental place, Tianling Fort and the Tan family's Jiangshan Fort had different styles. Jiangshan Fort was a typical military fortress complex, with other functions being merely auxiliary. Tianling Fort, however, was different. If Ye Tao could return to his original time, his architecture teacher would have unhesitatingly classified Tianling Fort as a typical feudal fortress complex mixed with Western Region styles. And in that original time, the few existing feudal fortress complexes, whether ruins or still in use, were all without exception cultural relics protection buildings and tourist attractions.

At the very top of Tianling Fort, what the Dai clan focused on protecting most was not the ancestral hall or temple, but a slightly small garden that had been expanded and renovated several times, with a three-story library as its core, surrounded by a circle of two-story houses—a place called Jinshitang (Hall of Metal and Stone). Here, in addition to various precious documents, geographical gazetteers, and military books, there were also the experiences and notes left by outstanding figures from all aspects of the Dai family's generations. These notes covered all aspects of what a person must learn or might need to learn, guiding and answering questions for future generations of the Dai family. Naturally, not everyone could enter Jinshitang. Entry required the approval of at least two elders, and this was always the case.

Surrounding Jinshitang were the Dai family's ancestral shrine, various clan schools, martial arts halls, and training grounds. Ye Tao listened to the introduction of a middle-aged man, nodding repeatedly. The Dai family's investment in education and their philosophy were indeed ahead of this era. Not to mention the clan school divided by grades, the combination of strictness and leniency in the promotion and demotion system, and the learning method that combined general teaching with individual guidance from teachers was quite advanced. Yunzhou was a place of constant warfare, and with a sense of crisis, the Dai family's disciples were even more diligent. No wonder almost every generation of Dai family descendants had figures who could shoulder great responsibilities.

The outermost circle was various houses and buildings. According to the Dai clan member leading the way, except for the young and young disciples studying in the clan school, few other Dai clan members lived on the mountain. More of them patrolled in the fortress belt on the hillside, and most of the ordinary Dai clan members lived in the villages behind the mountain.

The Dai family had considered rebuilding and renovating Tianling Fort, and they certainly had the money to do so. But since they had joined Dongping, many people had moved to Danyang, and more were preparing to move to Yunhai Villa, which was much newer and had much better living conditions. In the future, fewer and fewer people would remain in Tianling Fort. Perhaps there was also a fear of being gossiped about, but all in all, there was no need to renovate a feudal fortress complex like Tianling Fort.

From the foot of the mountain to the fortress area on the hillside, Ye Tao saw many Dai clan members doing various jobs in an orderly manner, especially gradually demolishing a large number of old buildings that seemed to be crumbling. Indeed, fewer Dai clan members would remain in Tianling Fort in the future, but because there were fewer people, they had the space to slightly change the appearance of Tianling Fort, using gardens and forests to fill those old and decayed, useless buildings. After a few years, when the flowers and trees grew, Tianling Fort would present a completely different look when spring blossomed.

In the middle of the fortress complex on the hillside, the tallest and most prominent building was the Dai family's administrative and military command center: Dingyun Pavilion. In front of Dingyun Pavilion, Dai Shikui and Dai Shiheng were waiting for Ye Tao. Behind them were more core or non-core members of the Dai family.

"Greetings, Lord Jinglue!" The Dai clan members saluted in unison.

Ye Tao quickly stepped forward, lifting Dai Shikui and Dai Shiheng up, repeatedly saying that he didn't dare, and his awkward appearance made the younger Dai disciples in the back row laugh.

"Lord Ye, your coming to be the Jinglue is truly a blessing for our Yunzhou. We were originally worried, not knowing who the imperial court would send to take over General Xu's position, and we were afraid that there would be many problems in communication, and there would inevitably be omissions. Now that you have come, we are all relieved." Dai Shikui said extremely politely.

"Uncle Dai, you are too polite. No matter what, there's no need to call me 'Lord,' right? It's too much for this junior. Uncle Dai, please just call me by my name," Ye Tao said politely.

Dai Shikui smiled. He also knew Ye Tao's quirk, liking to be called by his name regardless of position. Although Ye Tao had a courtesy name, Canghuai, he rarely used it, only signing this name on manuscripts such as carvings, paintings, and drawings.

As Ye Tao's future father-in-law, Dai Shikui wasn't too polite. He led Ye Tao and his party into Dingyun Pavilion and sat down in the hall according to their ranks. He was also a worldly and shrewd person, and he naturally knew Ye Tao's intentions: on the one hand, to further close the relationship between the two parties, and on the other hand, to be able to have an in-depth conversation with the Dai family in a non-official setting about the future of Yunzhou, so as to avoid some misunderstandings after various things unfolded in the future. Obviously, Ye Tao was a very careful and very considerate Jinglue, and he didn't take the Dai family's full cooperation for granted just because his marriage with Dai Yun had been decided.

After talking with Ye Tao, Dai Shikui and Dai Shiheng were both very satisfied. Ye Tao even earnestly requested Dai Shiheng not to go to Dongping to retire, but to take the position of Military Supervisor of the Yunzhou Jinglue Manor, to oversee the construction and development of the army. And because of his future father-in-law status, Dai Shikui, although not suitable for a specific position, had always been responsible for the Dai family's communication with other parties, and Ye Tao hoped that he could assist from the side...

After being pulled by Dai Xi to meet a large group of Dai family members in the small living room next door, Tan Weixin also joined this conversation. The things Tan Weixin was responsible for were much more practical, and they needed the Dai family's cooperation even more. Although the Dai family had proposed to gradually divert and transfer many of their assets, it was difficult to guarantee that those Dai family members responsible for the specific operations wouldn't have various resistant emotions. Naturally, the Dai family also found Tan Weixin's concerns very reasonable, and immediately decided to let Dai Qiong assist Tan Weixin. The Dai family was very interested in those preliminary ideas that Ye Tao and Tan Weixin already had for developing Yunzhou. These exquisite ideas made them feel that perhaps Yunzhou could really rise in a much shorter time than expected. Yes, rise.

Suddenly, Ye Tao thought of a very strange question, and he casually asked it: "By the way, where's Dai Yun?"

Ye Tao didn't expect that such a simple question would cause a cold silence. Dai Shiheng turned his head, picked up a teacup, and stared at the high-quality tea leaves floating in that small square of water, while Dai Shikui showed an awkward expression.

"This... my little girl left for Dalun Mountain this morning," Dai Shikui hesitated for a while before explaining. He thought that Ye Tao already knew what some parties had secretly discussed behind his back. If nothing unexpected happened, Dai Shining was now very specifically discussing this matter with Ye Tao's father, Ye Laogeng. Seeing Ye Tao ask about Dai Yun so unrestrainedly, Dai Shikui already understood that Ye Tao had calmly accepted the arrangements of those... those "adults," but Dai Shikui really didn't expect that his own daughter, Dai Yun, who had always been calm and composed, would run away on the morning of Ye Tao's scheduled arrival. You know, Dai Yun had always been very cool. When Dai Shikui cautiously asked her if she was willing to marry Ye Tao, Dai Yun just slightly raised her head, looked at her father somewhat helplessly, and said very coldly, "Okay, let's do it that way." Dai Shikui took his daughter's answer as some kind of cover for his own feelings, because as a very considerate father, he was sure that in Dai Yun's expression and answer, there was a hint of faint, almost imperceptible expectation.

"Dalun Mountain?" Ye Tao was stunned.

Dai Shiheng coughed and said, "The Northern Liao has begun to build fortresses on Dalun Mountain. Correspondingly, we are also starting to build some barracks and outposts on the side facing Dalun Mountain. Dai Yun probably went to check on those things."

Dai Shikui found it a little funny. His daughter had always been so opinionated. He had originally expected that there would be something interesting if Ye Tao and Dai Yun met under these circumstances. Dai Yun was not as shy as ordinary girls, but this morning, when Dai Yun got up early, tidied up and dressed with the help of her maid and orderly, put on a complete set of exquisite armor, and then calmly directed the clan members with her father and uncle to arrange things to welcome Ye Tao, Dai Yun's calm performance seemed to be just the result of her efforts to hide it. Suddenly, Dai Yun seemed to have thought of something else, or seemed unable to endure the increasingly hot complexion or being discovered by anyone. Suddenly, Dai Yun gave orders to her personal guard team, gathered and set off. She left so hurriedly, without even leaving a word, only saying that she was going to Dalun Mountain.

And from this, Dai Shikui suddenly realized that his daughter, beneath the gorgeous armor, still had a daughter's delicate and sensitive heart after all. And this discovery was really too interesting.