Gu Chi, being the impulsive person he is, asked, "What's strange about it?"

“I think I just smelled the fragrance that Shao Xuan usually uses.” Shen Tang said, sniffing again to carefully identify the scent and its source, confirming that she hadn’t mistaken it for something else. “I remember that fragrance was specially made for Shao Xuan by Yao He, and it’s unique in Kangguo.”

Shen Zhi and Bai Su have an excellent relationship.

How good is it?

Rumors circulated among the people that the two had a penchant for mirror polishing and were very close friends. When this matter first came to light, it even alarmed the Censorate. During the morning court session, the censors impeached the two, hoping they would be mindful of the boundaries of their interactions and refrain from tarnishing the image of Kang State officials.

Although homosexuality was not prohibited in society, Kangguo's post-war policies supported both men and women's reproduction, encouraging widows to remarry or take in sons-in-law. Women who gave birth, regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, received ten catties of sugar, six catties of meat, and three bolts of cloth from the government. If the child died, half of the compensation was given to the mother to help her recover. From a policy perspective, Kangguo invested heavily in increasing its population.

How can two men and two women have children?

Kangguo officials must set an example in supporting the union of Yin and Yang!

Upon hearing this, all the officials echoed his sentiments.

Shen Tang was really rife with gossip back then, and actually went to ask Bai Su and the other person what they thought. In the current social environment, it's not unreasonable for the officials to be worried. They can do whatever they want in private, but there can't be any solid evidence in public, and they can't use the excuse of deep brotherly and sisterly affection to cover it up.

Regardless of whether outsiders believe it or not, at least there should be an explanation.

Bai Su's face darkened: "[That's not true.]"

Chen Zhi was displeased: [General Bai saved my life. Does having a closer personal relationship mean I've overstepped my bounds? Who are these idiots spreading these rumors? If I catch them, I'll scatter their ancestral ashes and tear their mouths apart!]

A rumor offended both of them!

Shen Tang sent people to trace the source of the rumors, but in the end, it was the Censorate that found out the truth. The source of the gossip that was causing such a stir among the people was actually Shen Zhi's former lover, a scholar surnamed Li! This man was talking nonsense after getting drunk at an elegant gathering, and outsiders overheard him.

Bai Sutian rescues Shen Zhi, and Shen Zhi falls in love at first sight!

The scene is depicted with such vivid detail that it's almost lifelike!

Shen Zhi led about a hundred men to his ex-lover's house and smashed all the pots and pans! They even kicked over the guard dog's bowl!

No matter how much the man surnamed Li cried and begged, it was no use.

She was sobbing and crying, her face swollen from being slapped by Chen Zhi.

Because the incident escalated so much, Shen Zhi was impeached by the Censorate again. However, this time it was just a show for the public. A court official barging into someone's house, smashing things, and slapping people was indeed a bad influence, so he was only symbolically fined a little salary and made to reflect on his actions behind closed doors.

This punishment is insignificant to Chen Zhi.

Her job was already quite easy.

Going to the government office for roll call half the time a year is considered good.

The paperwork was mostly handled by other clerks.

She was one of the few officials who received a share of the government's profits; the few months' salary she was fined for was just a drop in the ocean, and her confinement at home was considered a period of rest. When her confinement ended, the gossip had already shifted. This incident didn't affect Chen Zhi and Bai Su's relationship. Whatever fragrances or cosmetics she researched, or any valuable items she acquired, she would give them to Bai Su first; the two were right next door neighbors.

The floral decorations in General Bai Su's mansion are always the most vibrant. Even when she is not there, Chen Zhi will replace them with a new batch every seven days, ensuring that there are seasonal flowers to adorn the place all year round.

Shen Tang had already tacitly agreed.

She doesn't mind as long as it doesn't affect her work.

but--

As they continued to smell, they discovered that the source of the scent was Gu Chi.

She glanced at Gu Chi, who looked at her nervously.

"How come the smell is coming from you?"

"Is there?"

"Yes, but the smell is faint, not as strong as Shao Xuan's."

Her sense of smell is still very keen; she won't mistake it.

Gu Chi raised his sleeve and sniffed it carefully, his expression calm. Then, as if remembering something, he smiled and explained, "I remember now. I found that the incense Yao He made helped me fall asleep, so I shamelessly asked her for some. I guess I took the wrong one back then?"

The excuse was a bit lame, but Shen Tang didn't think much of it.

Firstly, this matter was unrelated to important business, and secondly, Gu Chi had no reason to deceive herself for the sake of incense; she was more concerned with the details.

"Sleep aid? How effective is it?"

Even when Gu Chi sleeps, he is affected by the dreams of the living people nearby, and he never gets a full night's sleep all year round. His eyes are dark circles and his lips are bluish. He has to pay by the pound for any sleeping pills he takes, and after several years, the effects are minimal.

This became a knot in Shen Tang's heart that she couldn't let go of.

Gu Chi chuckled awkwardly, "It's alright."

"That's it? Excellent, excellent. After this battle, Yaohe can improve the incense recipe. All medicines have some toxicity. Although scholars are not afraid of ordinary poisons, taking medicine for years will harm your health. Using incense might be better..."

She was clearly concerned about Gu Chi's health in her words.

Gu Chi's smile grew increasingly forced and stiff.

Just as his conscience was bothering him and he was about to confess, Qi Shan appeared. His appearance immediately diverted the master's attention. Shen Tang quickly pulled Qi Shan aside: "Yuanliang, how did things go? What did Shanxiao say? Did he give you any trouble?"

Shen Tang was still worried that Qi Shan would suffer a loss.

Although he sent a message saying "all is well," he didn't mention any specific details. Shen Tang suspected that he was only reporting good news and not bad news, and she wouldn't feel at ease until she heard it from Qi Shan herself. Qi Shan didn't mention in the letter that he didn't want to take up her rest time with trivial matters. Now that they were face to face and had some free time, he briefly described the details of that day.

"Miss Cui is broad-minded and deeply understands righteousness!"

Shen Tang sighed again.

If it were me, I would never let this go.

With the matter settled, Shen Tang finally felt relieved and patted Qi Shan on the shoulder: "This matter is over. Don't make things difficult for Shan Xiao later... But, alas, you can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet. I wish you good luck!"

Not every enemy has a kind and understanding daughter like Cui Hui, and Qi Shan can't always escape danger. Regardless, she's passed this hurdle.

Qi Shan: "..."

He and Gu Chi took their seats in their respective places.

As soon as he sat down, Qi Shan noticed the obvious mark on Gu Chi's neck. Looking at Gu Chi, then at his unresponsive master, he frowned. He immediately initiated a private chat via telepathy: "Gu Wangchao, you prodigal son, be more careful!"

I don't know where he came from, having a fling with someone.

Being a womanizer is one thing, but not knowing how to hide it is another.

Gu Chi replied lazily, "What do you know?"

Qi Shandao: [Discipline is in serious disarray!]

Most importantly, it will corrupt the Lord!

Gu Chi lowered his eyes, ignoring Qi Shan and turning a deaf ear to her.

In reality, I was already rolling my eyes inside.

Neither of them grasped his intention. He was clearly showing off, but the master didn't understand. Qi Shan said he was corrupting public morals and utterly boring. Gu Chi pulled his collar up a bit; what a waste of his deliberate effort to lower it...

The others haven't arrived yet.

Shen Tang picked up the documents on the table and glanced at them to pass the time.

Kang Shi was the third person to come in.

Shen Tang wasn't really keen on bringing Kang Shi along, but considering that leaving him in the still unstable Northern Desert might cause even greater problems—a potential fire in their stronghold could lead to serious trouble—she decided to take Kang Jishou with her after much deliberation.

Kang Shi did not accompany her into Fugu City yesterday.

There are two corpses at the main camp that need to be dealt with.

As soon as he arrived, Shen Tang hurriedly asked, "Ji Shou, how's the investigation going with Mei Jinghe's two spies? What secrets do they hold that would make her go to such lengths to destroy the evidence?"

They didn't hesitate to use any means against Lü Jue.

Although with Lü Jue's skills, she wouldn't be seriously injured by the explosion, but she might still be traumatized. She's ruthless enough.

Kang Shi didn't sleep a wink yesterday because of this.

He said, "We have indeed found some."

Shen Tang put down the document in her hand, gesturing for him to continue.

Kang Shou pulled a small scroll filled with records from his sleeve and presented it to Shen Tang with both hands. Shen Tang took it, unfolded it, and read it quickly, his brows furrowing and relaxing intermittently. Kang Shi, standing to the side, added, "Time is of the essence, and some intelligence has not yet been written down. Does Your Majesty recall that Zheng Qiao once had a powerful general named Qi Cang, courtesy name Yanqing?"

Shen Tang said, "Qi Yanqing? I remember him."

She had a fairly deep impression of this brave and courageous martial artist.

He stitched up Zheng Qiao's head and buried his body.

Since then, there had been no further news of Qi Yanqing's whereabouts, and Shen Tang hadn't paid any attention. Only now did she notice that the "Qi" in Qi Yanqing's name was the royal surname of the Qi Kingdom: "Is Qi Yanqing a member of the Qi royal family?"

Kang Shi said, "That's not it. The Qi in Qi State was the title of the founding monarch of Qi State. Among the people in the fiefdom, the Qi surname was the most common."

"He now serves the Qi Kingdom?" Shen Tang's energy was limited; in recent years, her attention had mostly been focused on the Northern Desert, the Gao Kingdom, and the governance of her own country. She had some awareness and precautions against the southwestern kingdoms, but not in-depth knowledge. As far as she knew, the Qi Kingdom had a relatively strong presence in the southwestern continent in recent years, but among the renowned military generals, there was no one named Qi Cang.

If he serves the State of Qi, another battle will be fought in the future.

Kang Shi: "Yes, the current ruler of Qi was also pushed to the throne by him. Perhaps he has the intention of avenging his former master."

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang smiled and said, "It seems that Zheng Qiao is not a complete failure as a person. There are still people who remember his good qualities."

"Qi Yanqing must have taken a piece of the national seal with him back then."

Based on the intelligence extracted from the two corpses, the Queen of Qi was able to take the final step thanks to the imperial seal. Without the seal's protection, she would have needed to serve as regent for at least two more years to eliminate opposition in the court and gain control of the situation. With the seal, her ascension to the throne was "legitimate," and the resistance she faced was much less.

This imperial seal helped the king a great deal.

Shen Tang's smile stiffened slightly as the image of Zheng Qiao entrusting the bird and fish stone carving to Qi Cang in front of him flashed through his mind. The corners of his mouth turned down: "Tsk, Zheng Qiao really did have a backup plan..."

Even after death, things don't stop.

She then asked, "Besides that, what else?"

As the Minister of Justice and a distinguished scholar, Kang Shi, when he acted, was unpredictable and decisive, stripping the two corpses naked. He also gleaned considerable confidential information from the bodies, such as the fact that the Qi Kingdom was hampered by the Eternal Life Sect, and the two sides' attitudes were ambiguous, seemingly both cooperative and wary. Currently, cooperation was the dominant factor, and the Eternal Life Sect had a large presence in the southwest.

"The Eternal Life Cult again?"

"again?"

“Yesterday I met a master and his disciple. They said they came from the southwestern country of Lu. Because the Eternal Life Sect eliminated dissidents and persecuted other sects, they couldn’t make a living in their local area and fled. The disciple even warned me to be careful of the Eternal Life Sect’s retainers around Wu Zhaode… It seems that the Eternal Life Sect is not satisfied with the southwest region and wants to spread its teachings to the northwest? Tsk tsk, they have quite the appetite.”

Shen Tang doesn't interfere with others' beliefs, but she also won't allow others to use their beliefs to interfere in politics. Although she doesn't know the content of the Eternal Life Cult's doctrines, just by looking at the name and its arrogant behavior, Shen Tang knows that this thing is no good, not to mention that the Eternal Life Cult is on the side of Gao Kingdom—it deserves to be taught a lesson! Kang Shi also agreed: "According to intelligence, Wu Zhaode has agreed to allow the Eternal Life Cult to preach in Gao Kingdom in order to obtain the Eternal Life Cult's help. If they can achieve a great victory and annex us, they can even make the Eternal Life Cult the state religion in the future."

Shen Tang: "..."

She was completely speechless.

Was Wu Zhaode so old that he lost his mind?

Does he know the consequences of allowing a cult to proselytize within his territory? And he even regards it as the state religion? Isn't he afraid that once it gains a foothold, it will turn around and overturn his position?

Kang Shi: "Wu Zhaode also harbored the intention to exploit him."

It's just a verbal promise, not something that will be fulfilled immediately.

We can turn our backs on each other after it's done.

Even if it's an imperial edict bearing the Wenxin seal or the national seal, if he doesn't acknowledge it, it's just a piece of cloth to wipe his mess, let alone fulfill. Moreover, Wu Xian probably also harbors the ambition to use this cooperation to uncover the secrets of the Eternal Life Cult, and then use it as a springboard to annex the Southwest Continent. Heh, quite the scheme.

After a long pause, Shen Tang finally uttered a single word: "6!"

Wu Zhaode is using the same tricks he uses to woo women on the Eternal Life Cult. He makes all sorts of promises to gain their trust, gets them to work hard and struggle alongside him to build his business, and then exploits them to the bone, only to dump them after they've achieved success. It's unclear whether the Eternal Life Cult believed him.

Kang Shi commented on this, saying, "They each have their own ulterior motives."

Both sides were all smiles on the surface, but secretly harbored a knife, ready to stab their ally in the heart at any moment. Shen Tang asked in surprise, "Why would two corpses contain so much information?"

Did the deceased know too much before death?

Kang Shi said, "Mei Meng has a cooperative relationship with the Eternal Life Cult."

Shen Tang: "..."

Kang Shi added, "She is still the vice president of the Southwest Branch of the Pantheon. Although she is not as successful as Yuan Liang was back then, she still has considerable influence in the Southwest Branch of the Pantheon. She was promoted by the King of Qi, and she is quite difficult to deal with."

Shen Tang: "..."

Kang Shi continued, "The leader of the Eternal Life Cult..."

He seemed hesitant about whether to continue.

Shen Tang glanced around. There were only four people in the tent. Including Gong Xi Chou, who was guarding her on the tent roof, there were only five people in total. The others were still on their way. "There are no outsiders here. You can say whatever you want without holding back."

Kang Shi glanced at the direction of the tent top.

"Mei Meng, along with the Eternal Life Cult and the Southwest Branch of the Pantheon, are all in cahoots but harbor different ambitions. She secretly uses the Pantheon to investigate the Eternal Life Cult's background. She discovers that the cult leader is suspected to be one of the five great generals of the Martial Kingdom, a contemporary of Yun Da, who was active on the Northern Desert battlefield..."

_(:з」∠)_

I just realized I got the title of my last chapter wrong!

P.S.: I went to see the local Puqi folk activity, Taige, today. There were so many people! I was almost squeezed into a human biscuit.