Lord Ye muttered incessantly.
"If Emperor Qin had thought the same way you do, where would we have gotten this majestic sight?" the woman in the climbing gear laughed.
Ye Tingxuan didn’t get angry, having indeed found the climb anything but easy; even with his constitution, he couldn’t help but let out a breath, "So it goes, the crime is of this age, but the benefit remains through the ages."
These people were naturally Jiang Chen’s group.
The one dressed for climbing was Cao Jinse, and the one who caught the most attention was undoubtedly Lan Peizhi. She wore the seldom-seen satin plain clothes of the time and white cloth shoes on her feet, a look that isolated her from the era yet exuded an indescribable ethereal aura amid its peculiarity.
On the steep mountain path, she walked as if on level ground.
The so-called ethereal transcendence from the mortal world could hardly be more than this.
By comparison, the most miserable one was probably Miss Shi.
Even with the foresight to prepare for the Great Wall by switching to sports shoes, the task of climbing was still a formidable challenge for someone as pampered as she was. By the time she reached the Wall, her forehead was covered in fragrant sweat, and she gasped for breath while her back had long been soaked through.
But she had one thing in her favor, even if she was utterly exhausted, she had never asked to stop from beginning to end, nor had she ever complained, giving no indication of who she might be competing against.
It was Jiang Chen, on the other hand.
He was the one who suggested they stop and rest.
Miss Shi wasn’t oblivious to this kind of silent tenderness.
Having known this guy for so long, she was accustomed to his temperament.
Did he really think she was a fawning sycophant?
No matter how strong she acted, he had already given her a place in his heart.
Cao Jinse, Lan Peizhi, Jiang Chen, Shi Qianxi... This trip to the Great Wall was naturally about cooperation.
As for Ye Tingxuan, he was purely there to join in the fun.
"With my sword, I dispel the floating clouds, and all the lords come from the west."
Standing on the Great Wall looking out, the endless lands coming into view inspired a surge of emotion in Ye Tingxuan, "No matter what, Emperor Qin still earns my admiration. He truly was one of the greatest emperors in history."
"If you were born in ancient times, you would certainly have been greater than Emperor Qin."
Even Ye Tingxuan faltered upon hearing these words, turning to look at the speaker, Cao Jinse, "Sister, you really know how to recognize a hero. If I were born in the Warring States period, there would be no tale of Emperor Qin. Not just the states, the entire world would have been kneeling at my feet."
The statement was as lofty as the sky and as stirring as a mighty river.
"Indeed, under the whole heaven, there is no land that is not the king’s, and within the bounds of the land, there are no people who are not subjects to the king," Cao Jinse nodded.
Completely exhausted, Shi Qianxi couldn’t hold back her laughter at the back-and-forth between this "brother-sister" duo.
She was an authentic socialite, while the other was a true princess.
This was her first time officially dealing with Cao Jinse, and she had prepared herself thoroughly before the meeting.
But she never expected the other to be so witty and humorous, completely without pretense.
As if not hearing Shi Qianxi’s uncontrollable laughter, Ye Tingxuan continued with conviction, "Sister, if you were born in ancient times, you surely wouldn’t be any less remarkable, at the very least a figure akin to Shangguan Wan’er."
The scholarly credentials of those present were not low.
Naturally, they all knew who Shangguan Wan’er was.
A court lady during the era of Empress Wu Zetian, a favorite of the empress, an informal but actual prime minister with no official title but with real authority.
"Are you saying I could only be a maid?"
Cao Jinse seemed to smile but not really.
Despite being extremely favored by the empress, Shangguan Wan’er indeed didn’t hold high official rank; describing her as Empress Wu’s maid wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
"Sister, that’s not what I meant," Ye Tingxuan said awkwardly, quickly explaining, "I meant that you surpass the ancients and moderns with your wisdom, not like Shangguan Wan’er. Sister, if you were born a few hundred years earlier, there would definitely be more than one empress."
Shi Qianxi wiped off her sweat.
Indeed, there was a solution for every problem.
Even the defiant Lord Ye, who feared nothing, had his moments of unctuous flattery.
"And what about Aunt Lan?"
Cao Jinse didn’t intend to let him off the hook, continuing to inquire, "If Aunt Lan lived in ancient times, who would she be?"
This was truly a challenge for the young lord, Ye Tingxuan. He looked toward Lan Peizhi, who stood just a step away yet seemed worlds apart, racking his brain but utterly unable to think of a historical figure who could match her.
Somehow, he even thought of Bao Si, who had been the cause of princes’ wars for the emperor’s favor.
Even with his boldness, such a blasphemous thought was something he dared not voice out loud.
Lord Ye found himself at a loss for words.
Cao Jinse no longer pressed him, turning to look into the distance.
Even after being cleansed by the torrents of history, this Great Wall stood firm like an unseen dragon, steadfastly guarding the land of China.
Standing upon it, the insignificant individual seemed so trivial.
Ye Tingxuan suddenly said, his gaze directed toward the north.
Jiang Chen turned his head.
Wherever his gaze fell, the watchtower was bustling with people, making it exceptionally lively.
Many tourists were taking photos with their mobile phones, as if some important figure was visiting.
In the Great Wall, it wouldn’t be surprising to encounter foreign dignitaries.
"Aunt Lan, you have good eyesight, is that Bian Zaide?"
Ye Tingxuan squinted his eyes, looking towards the watchtower roughly two to three hundred meters away.
Lan Peizhi nodded, confirming he was not mistaken.
Mentioning this name in the land of Shenzhou would surely mean there was no one who did not know or understand it.
The Elephant Group he founded could be said to have started an era, deeply influencing the social development process.
Putting everything else aside, his contributions were indispensable in transitioning from cash to the era of mobile payments.
Naming the company after this animal reflected the wittiness of the entrepreneur who had topped the wealth charts multiple times,
and at the same time, vividly symbolized his ambition or grand aspirations.
The general public might not know their local officials, but there was no one who hadn’t heard the name Bian Zaide.
Even though he was semi-retired now, wherever he went, he was greeted with great fanfare.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that on the land of Shenzhou, Elephant Group’s renown was no less than that of Jiuding Group, and possibly even surpassed it.
When it came to actual influence, it couldn’t all be said in the same breath.
But that didn’t diminish the importance of Elephant Group.
E-commerce, logistics, finance, insurance, environmental protection, charity, corporate services... these were all areas it covered. Though it had only been established for twenty years, its market value had already surpassed one trillion!
"Tsk, enemies often cross each other’s paths,"
Ye Tingxuan clicked his tongue.
In Shenzhou, there were numerous enterprises like grains of sand, but those that had reached this level could probably be counted on one hand.
What’s more, Elephant Group was the undisputed leader in the field of small and micro loans.
Preemptive consumption, overspending the future—these concepts, originally from the West, were gradually becoming popular among the young people, and Elephant Group was the major driving force behind this.
Once Jiang Chen and his associates established their new company, Elephant Group would be their main competitor.
So, when Ye Tingxuan spoke of enemies on a narrow road, he wasn’t just talking nonsense.
"Brother, shall we go over and join the excitement?"
Ye Tingxuan suggested, his lips curving slightly as he turned his head toward Cao Jinse.
"Can you squeeze in?"
Cao Jinse joked, looking at the watchtower that was already impenetrably crowded, then shifted her gaze away.
Ye Tingxuan stopped looking as well, muttering softly to himself, "Bian Zaide, what a waste of a good name."
The young prince didn’t have a high opinion of this well-known entrepreneur.
Jiang Chen could roughly guess the reason.
It was said that when Bian Zaide first started his business and hit wall after wall, it was the capital from Dongying that extended a helping hand.
In other words, Dongying’s capital was a major shareholder behind Elephant Group,
"Brother, have you thought of a name for your company?" Ye Tingxuan asked, "How about Elephant Group? No matter how big a hippopotamus’s appetite is, when it encounters an elephant, it has to bow down and concede defeat."
Shi Qianxi couldn’t help but interject.
Ye Tingxuan glanced at her.
Shi Qianxi remained expressionless, not looking at him.
Really just speaking off the top of one’s head—could it sound any worse?
"Aunt Lan, how about naming it ’Great Wall’?"
Cao Jinse looked at the majestic mountains and asked softly.
Lan Peizhi also looked into the distance, indifferently saying, "I have no objections."
He only said one word, "Good."
Ye Tingxuan immediately gave Jiang Chen a thumbs up.
That was perfectly posed.
"Sister, you are indeed skilled," Ye Tingxuan said with a sense of inferiority.
Emperor Qin built the Great Wall to resist foreign invasions.
The passage of time had stripped this practical meaning away, but this land still needed people to stand guard and watch over it.