Words Strategize for the World

Fang Wei was also very happy to be able to learn from Wang Yunzhi, after all, Wang Yunzhi was the highest-ranking scholar in the Chi Kingdom, which would be of great help to him.

The teacher said we're going to the Prince's Mansion tomorrow morning. How are we going to assess the six refugees? Also, these six refugees are the starting point for building up my own power. Should I tell the teacher?

Fang Wei thought about it carefully for a while and finally decided not to tell the teacher.

After thinking it through, Fang Wei told Qu Zheng that he had important matters to attend to in the morning and would go to the Prince's Mansion with his teacher in the afternoon.

As soon as Fang Wei finished speaking, Qu Zheng stared at him, thinking, "What important business could you possibly have in Kyoto so soon after arriving?"

When Qu Zheng pressed for answers with doubt, Fang Wei racked his brains and finally managed to give a perfunctory reply.

After leaving the study, Fang Wei returned to his room and began to think about tomorrow's assessment. Once he had devised a plan, Fang Wei peacefully went to sleep.

The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, Fang Wei went to the inn. He needed some time to complete the assessment of the six people.

Due to time constraints, Fang Wei did not make the assessment too complicated.

When they arrived at the inn, Ding Sheng and the others were already up.

Knowing that the assessment would be conducted today, the six men were very nervous. None of them wanted to be eliminated. Yesterday, after Ding Sheng received 100 taels of silver, he had given each of them a settlement allowance of 15 taels of silver when recruiting them. This was no small sum for the six men.

Because of the money offered so readily, all six people looked grim when they heard about the assessment, worried that they wouldn't be selected.

Fang Wei actually wanted to keep everyone, because he had no one else available. No matter what you do, you can't do it without someone.

Fang Wei led the six people out of the inn and headed towards the most bustling street in the city.

Upon arriving at a teahouse on a bustling street, he took out 30 taels of silver and divided it equally among the six people. He then said, "Today's test is about spending money. You can spend these 5 taels of silver as you please; I have no restrictions. The only requirement is that you must return to the teahouse to find me within one hour. Ding Sheng and I will be waiting for you there."

After saying that, Fang Wei led Ding Sheng up to the teahouse. Once he left, the six of them started whispering among themselves. They had assumed the assessment would be extremely difficult and related to physical strength, but they hadn't expected it to involve spending money.

The six people did not understand Fang Wei's intentions, and even Ding Sheng, who was following Fang Wei, did not understand. At this moment, he was full of questions.

When Fang Wei gave them money to spend as they pleased, they all thought they had misheard. Wasn't this a performance review? Why would he give them money to spend? Is this how performance reviews are conducted?

The six men accepted the silver with some confusion and left with a sense of unease.

"Young master, there is something I do not understand."

After arriving at the teahouse and ordering tea, Ding Sheng began to speak.

"What is it? Tell me."

"Young Master, why is your assessment set to cost money?" Ding Sheng wasn't trying to save Fang Wei money, but rather because he had given him a settlement allowance yesterday. If they were to spend money, it should be their own.

Fang Wei's idea was to give these mostly poor people a large sum of money for free, which they could then spend as they pleased, just to see what their inner desires were.

Some people, upon receiving unexpected wealth, will indulge in pleasure; some will lose control and become self-indulgent; others will be unsure how to spend their money and remain confused and unwilling to spend it. Of course, there are many other different reactions, all depending on individual personality.

These things are actually easy to understand, but it's difficult for someone without similar knowledge or experience to comprehend them.

It's normal that Ding Sheng doesn't understand, but Fang Wei won't tell Ding Sheng that this is necessary for maintaining the position of the leader.

Therefore, Fang Wei simply smiled mysteriously and offered no explanation.

The pot of tea he ordered on his way upstairs was quickly brought over by the waiter. Smelling the fragrant tea, Fang Wei suddenly thought of Cao Cao's famous "discussing heroes over wine."

Cao Cao, though a warlord, is admired by countless people for his great talent and strategic vision.

Will Yongping Continent descend into chaos? If it does, should I also become a warlord?

This is a difficult question to answer, because the current world is still dominated by powerful nations. If the world descends into chaos, perhaps there would be a chance to contend for the Great Cauldron, but that's impossible now.

Sipping his tea, Fang Wei pondered his thoughts. His mind slowly drifted away from the assessment and wandered off somewhere else entirely.

After enjoying several pots of tea, an hour quickly passed, and the group returned to the teahouse one after another.

After all six people returned to the teahouse, Fang Wei stopped sipping his tea and looked at each of them one by one.

"Alright, you're all back now. Have you spent all the money I gave you?"

After exchanging glances, none of them dared to speak.

"The young master is asking questions, why are you all silent?" Ding Sheng asked, seeing that none of the six people spoke.

"Oh, it's alright." Fang Wei extended his hand, signaling Ding Sheng not to rush, then turned and continued, "The five taels of silver I gave you are enough for you to spend as you please. Haven't you bought anything?"

As soon as Fang Wei finished speaking, the man who was dressed the cleanest yesterday stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Young master, I bought some things here."

"Oh, what did you buy?"

The man showed off what he was carrying, saying, "I bought some books and a few outfits."

Fang Wei asked curiously, "Why did you buy these things?"

"Young master, there must be a reason why you're giving us money. We're buying books so we can study them ourselves. We're buying clothes so we can better serve you."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wei realized that his judgment was indeed correct. He had felt yesterday that this person might have some ability, but today he saw that this person was very meticulous and dedicated, and was someone worth cultivating.

"What's your name?" Fang Wei asked.

"My name is Lai Fengwu," Lai Fengwu said, clasping her hands in greeting.

"Good, Lai Fengwu has passed the test."

Upon hearing that he had passed, Lai Fengwu was taken aback. He hadn't expected to pass so easily. After a moment of surprise, he immediately showed a joyful expression before returning to his original position.

Of the six, Fang Wei favored Lai Fengwu the most. If there were any other capable people among them, that would be better, but if not, Fang Wei wouldn't be surprised.

He was in no hurry to finish what he had gained.

The remaining five were definitely all rather ordinary. They either went out for a meal or visited a brothel. One of them was even more bizarre; he actually brought back all the money intact.

Fang Wei had a premonition about these people's behavior. The war had just begun, and there were few refugees; finding these six was a remarkable achievement for Ding Sheng.

Now that we have one talented person, the others are optional. It's fine to keep them around for now; they won't cost much anyway.

After handing the remaining five people over to Ding Sheng, Fang Wei led them away from the teahouse.

As for how to settle Ding Sheng, Lai Fengwu, and the other five people, Fang Wei has already figured it out.

He took out three hundred-tael silver bills and gave them to Ding Sheng, instructing him to find a good house and buy it. He told Ding Sheng that money was not an issue, and that he must buy a good house.

Ding Sheng was deeply moved as he accepted the silver notes. He hadn't expected the young master to trust him so much and entrust him with so much money.

Ding Sheng then left with his men. Lai Fengwu originally wanted to follow Ding Sheng, but Fang Wei stopped her.

"Feng Wu, you'll come with me from now on."

Having finally found a usable person, Fang Wei must first get to know him thoroughly.

After bringing Lai Fengwu back to the Qu residence and into her room, Fang Wei told her not to wander off before leaving to find her teacher.