Chapter 1104: Hair-Pulling Tear (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Bai Su looked at Shen Tang, and Shen Tang looked at her.

The two stared at each other for so long that Bai Su began to doubt herself: "Your Majesty, did I say something wrong?"

"That's right. I just suddenly realized something—why do so many founding emperors become senile as they age? It's because there are just too many temptations. No matter how self-disciplined and restrained they are, they can't resist the unbridled privileges granted by power." Anyone who can possess anyone they like—who wouldn't be confused?

Money, power, and beauty are all readily available.

This is probably the fundamental reason why the dragon-slaying youth eventually becomes a dragon himself.

Bai Su was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. She wasn't worried about Shen Tang reprimanding her, but rather that Shen Tang might be "enlightened" by her words, tasting the sweet pleasures of a life of luxury and gradually forgetting his original intentions. If that happened, she would be guilty beyond redemption!

He hurriedly tried to cover up his mistake, saying, "Your Majesty, what I mean is..."

Shen Tang smiled and gestured for her not to overthink it.

"Shao Xuan, don't take it to heart. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just expressing my feelings." Shen Tang imagined himself letting loose and indulging in pleasure, and sighed, "...Logically speaking, after fighting for so many years, it's only natural for me to enjoy myself for a few days now and then, but—I can't imagine that scene."

Bai Su noticed that Shen Tang seemed somewhat dejected.

"Can't imagine it?"

Shen Tang nodded: "Yes, even just imagining it makes me feel inexplicably guilty. It's like there's a voice in my head reminding me: Has Hanzhang paid off his huge debts? Have all the common people under his rule lived in houses that don't let in any drafts? Are they well-fed and clothed? Are they eating well? Are they dressed well? Do families still share a pair of pants when they go out? Are their clothes patched? Do they have new clothes all year round? Can they afford to see a doctor when they have a headache or fever? These questions keep popping up, and I feel completely drained... I just can't muster any energy!"

“I think I know why I’m immune to debt. The root cause is that I’m too indebted. It’s not just the huge debt that Hanzhang owes, but I, as the ruler, also owe my subjects.” She rested her chin on her hand, sighed deeply, and her eyes seemed to see through the essence of the world. “High housing prices are the best BYT for young people. Similarly, endless debt is the sterilization surgery for young people.”

No wonder she became impotent.

It has been more than eleven years since I awoke on the road to exile.

She has been in debt for at least ten years.

Animals know that reproduction requires a material basis, and it's clear that she doesn't have that basis, so subconsciously she has always rejected any activities related to reproduction? Shen Tang felt that she had found the truth: "...It's not enough to just be pleasing to the eye. If I take her into the inner palace, I'll have to support her, and I'll have to spend money. The ideal situation is that she is pleasing to the eye and she is self-reliant."

Oh, we can't let them into the royal court.

Imagine if the boss's spouse got the job through connections. What if they're incompetent and clash with employees? Would the employees dare to say anything? Over time, this could easily lead to chaos, mismanagement, and declining business. A family-run business that can't think straight would be lucky to stay afloat, let alone expand its business empire.

so--

From this, Shen Tang deduced that her ideal type should be someone who catches her eye, has a family fortune and can support himself, has no ambition to make a name for himself in the royal court, and is a rich and handsome man/beautiful woman who doesn't spend her money but even helps her pay off her debts. He must be a hopeless romantic at heart.

Bai Su listened in silence.

Lord, listen to your own words, are they even human?

Shen Tang scratched his head, also realizing that he had gone a bit too far.

If she were to distill her main criteria and post them on Zhihu or other platforms asking if she could find someone like that, her ancestors for eighteen generations would probably be cursed—even if her family actually had a throne to inherit. After much thought, she'll stick to being single.

It's not easy to find someone who meets the criteria for severe, late-stage love-obsessed syndrome.

"Aww—"

A distorted howl drew Shen Tang's attention.

She turned her head and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see that the Gong Xi Chou brothers were fighting for some reason, but their fighting style was completely like that of elementary school children. Ji Mo Qiu was relatively restrained, only using his wooden cane to hold Gong Xi Chou's cheek and then pressing him to the ground.

He applied considerable force.

Gong Xiqiu's face was squeezed and deformed.

In retaliation, Gong Xichou used an even less elegant method, casually grabbing the pearl at the end of his brother's braid.

That "howl" did not come from Ji Moqiu.

Ji Moqiu delivered a severe blow to his stomach.

With a gentle, skillful touch, Gong Xiqiu felt his undigested food churning in his stomach, forcing him to loosen his braid. Ji Moqiu's hair was now free, but the pearl on his braid was still pulled off. Without the pearl at the end to hold it in place, half of his hair was disheveled, looking quite unseemly.

Taking advantage of the opening, Gong Xichou seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack!

The two brothers looked in the same direction almost simultaneously.

"Who is it? Come out!"

They discovered it, and Bai Su noticed it too.

Since the visitor seemed to have no ill intentions and could be a passing hunter or a local native, she did not issue a warning.

Unexpectedly, the other party was still approaching this place.

As Bai Su stood up, two swords materialized in her hands. Just as she was about to subdue the person, Shen Tang raised his hand to stop her: "Shao Xuan, don't be nervous, the person I'm waiting for has probably arrived."

"Yes, my lord."

The four of them originally planned to go to Shangnan County.

After leaving the camp, they headed in a different direction. Bai Su reminded Shen Tang that they were going the wrong way, but Shen Tang replied, "I'm not wrong. Before going to Shangnan, I need to meet someone. Judging by the time, they should be nearby soon. I hope I don't miss them."

Shen Tang led the three of them to wait here for most of the day.

Bai Su stood beside Shen Tang, ready to deal with any emergencies, her eyes fixed on the direction in which the person was approaching.

Gong Xichou and Ji Moqiu had stopped fighting at some point and were also staring in the same direction. Under the gaze of the four, a figure dressed as a wandering swordsman appeared. The person's exposed skin was almost brownish-black, not the black of years of sun exposure, but rather a deliberately disguised color. Her clothes were patched in several places, and her long hair was wrapped in a long gray cloth. If one ignored the sword hanging at her waist, one would mistake her for a peasant woman. Bai Su's eyes narrowed as she looked at the sword.

This sword is very simple and unadorned.

At first glance, the scabbard looks like a hollowed-out piece of wood. It has no grain or pattern whatsoever, and the guard shows signs of long-term gripping.

The newcomer clearly saw them too and walked straight over.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Bai Su vaguely felt that the other person's features looked familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before. Her intuition told her that this familiarity wasn't friendly—even if it was an acquaintance, it was someone she had a grudge against. She frowned, trying to remember where she had seen them before.

The visitor also knew his place.

She maintained a safe distance from Shen Tang and the other three.

Then he bowed to Shen Tang.

Bai Su keenly noticed the details of the etiquette. It was very standard; such manners and refinement were not something an ordinary wandering knight could possess.

The visitor said, "Greetings, Mr. Shen, and all three of you."

Shen Tang nodded: "Your Majesty is well. You must have had a long journey."

"It's not hard work, just something I did on the spur of the moment." The newcomer didn't give the Gongxi Chou brothers any extra attention, as if they were just ordinary guards. Instead, she spent more time on Bai Su than on Shen Tang. She looked at Bai Su, and Bai Su looked at her too.

Bai Su asked bluntly: "Have I met the Lady before?"

The visitor shook his head and said, "There shouldn't be any."

Bai Su was the Grand General of Tianquan Guard, one of the top military commanders, while she was merely an ordinary wandering swordsman. Under normal circumstances, the two would not have crossed paths. Bai Su was not satisfied with this answer: "You look familiar."

She was certain she had seen this face before.

Or, you have seen someone who resembles this person.

The visitor was slightly surprised: "General, you still remember? I thought that with your many military achievements throughout your life, you wouldn't remember."

Bai Su: "..."

She inexplicably felt that the person's words were somewhat strange.

The visitor first sought Shen Tang's opinion with her eyes, and seeing that the latter did not object, she smiled and said, "The reason why the General finds you familiar is probably because my family name is Miao. Do you remember me?"

Is my family name Miao?

The surname Miao is not very common.

The large women's camp only had three to five people, and Bai Su remembered them all, but none of them resembled the person in front of her. She could only trace her memories back further—the one surnamed Miao, the one she had some grudge against…

As these keywords appeared one by one, a name that had been buried for many years and almost forgotten by her surfaced in her mind!

Bai Su tentatively called out, "Miao Shu?"

The visitor said, "The General truly remembers."

Bai Su: "..."

She was certain that the person in front of her was not Miao Shu!

Miao Shu was killed by her own hands back then; she was definitely dead.

Miao Shu's body was left in the courtyard by Qiu Cheng and his wife for several days. If it weren't for a military officer whom Miao Shu had saved taking pity on her and collecting her body, it would probably have rotted and smelled terrible.

Bai Su scrutinized the newcomer: "What is your relationship with her?"

The visitor said, "We are sisters from the same clan."

Although the two share the same surname and clan, they are also cousins.

Upon hearing this, Bai Su looked at her master with concern.

It's important to understand that she only killed Miao Shu, but her master had given the Miao family a massive confiscation of their property, leaving almost no male members alive, only sparing a few female relatives. If this relationship is examined closely, the two sides could be described as having a blood feud.

Why was the meeting so calm?

Judging from the situation, this man surnamed Miao has done things for his master.

The other party saw through Bai Su's thoughts and said, "General, don't worry. Some things should be dealt with one by one. I'm not one to hold grudges. If we really have to settle this, I might as well thank you."

Bai Su was somewhat bewildered by this scene.

It seems unclear where the "thank you" came from.

"At least, you gave her a dignified death."

This statement may seem absurd, but it is true.

Seeing this, Bai Su didn't press for further details, not wanting to delay her master's important business. She watched as the other person took out a small bamboo tube from their sleeve and presented it to Shen Tang.

"The situation in Gao Kingdom is exactly as Shen Jun predicted."

Shen Tang crushed the bamboo tube with two fingers and took out the cloth.

She skimmed through it, then skillfully shattered it: "You've made it in such a tight timeframe, thank you for your hard work."

The visitor said, "A perfectly executed ceremony that has been disrupted is not something you can see every day, so it's worth the trip for that alone. Mr. Shen said there's another big show going on, but I wonder where it's being staged?"

"Naturally, it resides in the State of Qi."

"Is the target still Mei Jinghe?"

Shen Tang shook her head: "She was just a side trip."

Her true target is the Southwest Continent. She plans to use the Qi Kingdom as a weak point to break through the Southwest Continent's defenses and also to give the Southwest Branch of the Gods' Guild a good talking-to. Only by conquering the Southwest can she hope to unify the world. This move is extremely crucial.

As a general, Bai Su naturally knew the strategic plans for the next few years, and upon hearing this, she guessed that Shen Tang had entrusted the woman surnamed Miao in front of her with this important pawn. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something but then stopped herself.

Relying on enemies is extremely risky.

Shen Tang seemed oblivious to Bai Su's change in expression: "I plan to arrange for you to travel to the State of Qi with Cui Hui. Now is the perfect opportunity to sow discord within Qi. Although Cui Hui is an ordinary woman, her intelligence and shrewdness are no less than that of a strategist. I think you two will have many things in common when you meet. I have already sent someone to convey the specific arrangements to her beforehand..."

The visitor listened attentively.

Shen Tang gave her some more details.

Fifteen minutes later, the visitor bowed and took his leave.

Shen Tang said, "I wish you a long and successful literary career."

"I will certainly live up to Mr. Shen's high expectations. Farewell."

Bai Su watched the other person's figure disappear on the horizon. Once she was sure the person had left, she asked worriedly, "My lord, isn't it too risky to entrust such an important task to this person?"

There is a deep-seated hatred between the two sides.

“If you knew her, you wouldn’t have this worry.” When Shen Tang first learned of the other’s existence, she also had murderous thoughts, but in the end, she didn’t take action. Instead, she spent time getting to know the other, for one reason only: “She was recommended by Gongyi.”

"Recommended by Gongyi?" Bai Su tried hard to recall what connection the two could have, and she actually found it. "If I remember correctly, Gongyi seemed to have been Miao Shu's teacher for a period of time?"

The two were only known as master and disciple.

Luan Xin gave guidance to Miao Shu during the years he served as Qiu Cheng.

If the two had a good relationship, and his apprentice died at Bai Su's hands, given Luan Xin's temperament, he wouldn't have been without resentment towards Bai Su. His recommendation of Miao Shu, a member of the same clan, would have been unexpected. This matter has to start with Luan Xin's youngest daughter.

The youngest daughter was born after Luan Xin submitted to Shen Tang.

He was too busy to give his daughter an early education.

The lady wanted to hire a female tutor from outside.

Let your child learn more characters, and then send them to an academy when they reach school age. A solid foundation will make their future path easier.

Female teachers are easy to find, but female scholars are not.

Upon seeing that among the female teachers applying for the position were female scholars, Luan Xin's wife immediately made her choice. When Luan Xin returned after finishing his work, he wanted to meet his daughter's first teacher, but upon seeing that face, he fell silent.

Upon hearing the surname, the majority of the information was confirmed.

He ordered his men to secretly investigate the other party's background.

Bring the evidence and confront the other party.

[If I, a commoner, said this was just an accident, would the parents believe me?] She hadn't expected such a coincidence; she was just looking for a temporary job to earn some money. [To say she harbored no hatred would be a lie, but to say she sought revenge, she had no reason to.]

The Miao clan in Longwu County suffered a great calamity.

A group of women were granted an exception, and she returned to her maternal grandparents' home with her mother. Although life was difficult, the local security was relatively good under Shen Tang's management, and life was fairly stable. Just in case, her mother changed her name. At that time, the household registration system was still chaotic, so she took the opportunity to re-register. During a county-wide investigation, she was discovered to have cultivation talent, and thus entered the academy to study under a false identity.

She did not pursue further studies for fear of her identity being exposed.

After learning the basics, he chose to drop out and go out into the world.

He traveled around for many years before finally returning.

Now I'm ready to settle down and find a proper job.

Unexpectedly, his first job brought him a lot of trouble.

|ω`)

Yesterday, Shiitake Mushroom only mentioned having a bold idea, and before she could say anything, the comments section was so bold that it made her feel ashamed... You guys are too bold.