"Master?"
This time, not only Xiao Ji, but even Xiao Muqian found it somewhat incomprehensible.
The status of a master in Da Jin was extraordinary. Hiring foreigners as masters might cause more Da Jin people to be dissatisfied.
After all, in the minds of many, Da Jin was the orthodox lineage, while foreigners were barbarians.
When would it be the turn of barbarians to teach the orthodox people? No matter how much it was explained, no one would support this logic.
Seeing the uncle and nephew fall silent, Elder Chen quickly said,
"Confucius said: When three people walk together, one must be my teacher. The position of a master originally existed to nurture people. Regardless of his origin or affiliation, as long as he has something to teach others, he can be respected as a master, can't he?"
His words made the uncle and nephew feel ashamed.
They then respectfully bowed to Elder Chen and said, "We thought too narrowly. Elder Chen, please proceed as you see fit. If anyone is dissatisfied, this general will speak for you!"
Elder Chen smiled with satisfaction, "With the general here, Liangzhou City will surely bring glory to the northwest in the future!"
Many years later, when Liangzhou City indeed became a dazzling pearl admired by the northwest of Da Jin, and even the entire Western Regions, Xiao Ji's monument was forever left there.
Every generation of prefects, before taking office, would visit the monument to pay their respects and commemorate the general who brought unprecedented glory to the northwest!
By the banks of the Lanshui River, the wooden bridge was built with great speed.
With about half a month left to reach the other side, the Ninth Prince's mood was both excited and unable to conceal his joy.
Just as he was happily anticipating, he received a letter from Master Du.
It explained many details about the Feng family's mine. Reading it, the Ninth Prince wished he could sprout wings and fly across the Lanshui River to see the mine!
The Ninth Prince's reputation for ferocity was well-known, and no one dared to approach him to inquire, so this matter was kept strictly confidential.
After helping the Ninth Prince put on his clothes, Long Guang began to change himself.
He had large bones and was naturally tall.
Wearing the soft armor, with his face relaxed, he indeed looked like a guard.
"Let's go, this king will go and see how the wooden bridge is being built?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
As they walked towards the courtyard entrance, the guards respectfully saluted.
Just as he was about to lead his men to find Shan Yan, Shan Yan walked over with a solemn expression.
The Ninth Prince frowned, not wanting to hear any bad news from him, such as the wooden bridge being delayed.
Unexpectedly, he spoke to the Ninth Prince and said,
"Your Highness, this is a disaster! General Xiao's extensive reconstruction in Liangzhou is one thing, but this subordinate has received confirmed news that they are not refusing even foreigners! Now, Liangzhou City is filled with all sorts of people. Not only that, but their demeanor suggests they intend to settle here permanently!"
These words were deliberately spoken to the Ninth Prince.
Xiao Ji's meritorious service in defending the city was certain to be rewarded, but if Liangzhou grew too powerful because of it, wouldn't it threaten his position as the Governor of the Northwest!
Ganzhou, in any case, should be the foremost in the northwest. If Liangzhou stole the limelight, his position as Governor of the Northwest would be quite embarrassing.
Therefore, he tried his best to discredit Xiao Ji.
"Your Highness, isn't this clearly trying to put you in a difficult position? First, he is arrogant due to his merits, and then he deliberately shows favor to those foreigners. Over time, I fear that in Liangzhou City, people will only know Xiao Ji and not the imperial family. This might be a sign of him harboring ambitions of independent rule, Your Highness must guard against it!"
His words struck a chord with the Ninth Prince's pain. It was precisely this opportunity he wanted to use to deal with the Feng family and seize the mine for himself.
After a moment of thought, he deliberately feigned anger and questioned,
"Was the Feng family involved in this?"
"Naturally, they were the ones who paved the way for General Xiao! Not only did they provide accommodation for those foreigners, but they also arranged livelihoods for them. I heard that Elder Chen was also helping, and... and they are widely recruiting foreigners to the academy as masters, saying they want to teach more people different languages between races. For future intermarriage!"
"Rebellion! Rebellion! Relying on the merit of defending Liangzhou, I see that this uncle and nephew from Prince Kang's mansion have forgotten their own names! My Xiao family's empire, the citizens of Da Jin, are of noble and orthodox lineage! How can foreigners be allowed to influence them, and even think of intermarriage! Pass down my order, immediately stop all matters related to foreigners, and drive them out of Liangzhou City! Then, Xiao Ji and Xiao Muqian are to be detained on the spot and await my judgment!"
"Your Highness, wait a moment!"
He thought Shan Yan would be the first to agree, but unexpectedly, he objected. He then said solemnly to the Ninth Prince,
"Your Highness's order this time might be futile and give them time to destroy evidence and cleverly argue. It's better to put everything aside for now. After the wooden bridge is built, bring the army over and catch them off guard. This way, the merit will still be yours, and you can also uphold the orthodox lineage of Da Jin, can't you?"
After saying this, Shan Yan's eyes were full of flattery, which greatly pleased the Ninth Prince.
He was just thinking about how difficult it would be to snatch the military merit. Now, wasn't this a gift to him to strike?
Xiao Ji was truly foolish!
Even the Feng family could be dealt with cleanly!
The Ninth Prince smiled, a sinister smile.
By the banks of the Lanshui River, General Su was still working day and night, overseeing the progress of the wooden bridge construction, not daring to slacken in the slightest.
However, he unexpectedly received news from a spy from Prince Ding's mansion who was embedded with the Ninth Prince.
"If that's the case, aren't General Xiao and the Feng family in danger!"
His expression was more solemn than the night sky.
"Time is short, I hope the general will make a decision soon!"
With his hands behind his back, General Su was quite indignant at this moment.
Although he had long known what kind of person the Ninth Prince was, he had previously only thought that he merely wanted to snatch credit. He never expected that he would also try to frame loyal officials!
The Northwest Governor beside him was no good either.
He constantly incited the Ninth Prince to deal with General Xiao and the Feng family. If he wasn't a traitor connected to the Northern Di, he was an out-and-out sycophant.
Therefore, he calmed his mind and began to think of a strategy to counter the enemy.