Chapter 1311: You're Asking a Question (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"So...how much dirt do you have on them?"

Shen Tang pondered this question seriously.

Before meeting Gongyang Yongye, she had never imagined that urology could be used in this way. Using superb medical skills to relieve patients' worries, and then using slightly lesser martial arts to prevent patients from killing her. She said, "You must have never encountered a medical dispute in your career."

Who would dare to cause trouble for Gongyang Yongye?

Don't let Old Deng's dejected and listless state after retirement fool you; he must have been a formidable figure in his prime. Shen Tang's certainty wasn't mere speculation; it stemmed from Old Deng's penchant for the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled broadsword), and the weapons favored by martial artists often reflected their temperament and style. To unleash the full power of such a weapon, what kind of easygoing, kind person could the user possibly be?

"What leverage do you have over me? That's really rude of you."

It was clearly his superb medical skills that made the patient's dream come true.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would take advantage of someone's kindness?"

As I said before—

He's not some morally corrupt young man!

Shen Youli is judging others by her own petty standards!

"I understand, I understand."

Shen Tang didn't expose Lao Deng's little act of covering up his shame.

To avoid making people angry and causing them to confront her.

No sooner had Gongyang Yongye joined than Shen Tang spread the news, severely damaging the morale of the southwestern kingdoms and causing a visible decline in the strength of their resistance forces. She sighed, "Those who have lived to this age are truly not simple."

He didn't mind Shen Tang using him as a target.

The explosive news that the nineteenth-rank Marquis of Guannei, who had originally sided with the southwestern camp, had defected to Kangguo was initially met with disbelief. However, when Gongyang Yongye appeared on the battlefield, confirming the rumors, the morale of the defending soldiers collapsed like a house of cards. They were routed in a single encounter, and the army's advance accelerated considerably. Gongyang Yongye rarely left his post within the army, only occasionally appearing in the wounded soldiers' camp.

Earning military merits was as easy for him as breathing.

While it can't compare to personally leading troops into battle, it's enough.

"Are you sure you want to assign this to this person, my lord?"

This was the first time Qin Li had ever heard anyone make this request.

"Otherwise what?" Gongyang Yongye pointed to the person next to him dressed in a tight-fitting outfit. "I don't need this thing."

It's quite bizarre, actually.

Having worked in the field for many years, Gongyang Yongye had never heard of a country with such a healthy balance of power. They never defaulted on their officials' salaries, and even had a surplus for the country's borders. Thinking of his homeland's utterly chaotic deficit, he couldn't help but shake his head.

He received thirteen monthly stipends over a period of more than twenty years.

The other gaps were filled with gold and silver from the mortal world.

Kangguo, however, was a different story.

They preferred to use the nation's fortune to make up for the lack of gold and silver salaries.

For some reason, it gives off a feeling of being obsessed with money.

If he had encountered Kangguo when he was younger, he probably would have fought tooth and nail for it just like the civil and military officials of Kangguo. But the problem is, he's already at the nineteenth-rank Marquis level, and his bottleneck isn't due to insufficient resources, but rather his inability to break through his mental barriers. Giving him more wouldn't make a difference. It's useless to him, but extremely useful to the empress he's cooperating with. For him, it's a risk-free deal.

These salaries don't need to be credited to him anymore.

They opened an account directly for the woman, saving him the trouble of being a middleman.

"Is this request putting you in a difficult position?"

Qin Li said, "There is no precedent for this in our dynasty."

Managing the fate of a nation is also a science.

Most of the time, it is a resource that circulates only in closed environments. If officials can buy and sell it at will, it becomes quite troublesome to regulate, and the possibility of intrusion by external forces cannot be prevented. What officials receive is not purely national fortune, but rather a predetermined attribute of civil or military fortune; civil officials belong to civil fortune, and military generals belong to military fortune.

Gongyang Yongye was a military man, but the person he appointed was a civil official.

Gongyang Yongye: "I don't care about precedents."

Anyway, this matter needs to be resolved for him.

Even if it's just an exception for him.

Qin Li wanted to say that this special case was not easy to make. Once it was opened, other officials would also make many demands. They couldn't possibly treat everyone differently, could they? But he swallowed these words back: "Don't worry, my lord, I will report to the emperor for a decision."

Gongyang Yongye nodded and said, "If I make things convenient for you, you should make things convenient for me in return. That's the only way to be fair and just."

The internal competition among civil and military officials in Kangguo was severe, especially among military generals who hoped to gain military merit through war, who were relentlessly competing with their colleagues.

Military generals are ranked according to their strength and military merit. Under such industry rules, it is difficult for Gongyang Yongye to make arrangements. He cannot follow Luo Sha's standards because the two are completely different.

Luo Sha has something to ask of Kang Guo, hoping that Kang Guo will accept the island's people in the future. He is willing to lower himself in front of Shen Tang, and he also has a private retinue that he can command. As long as Shen Tang gives him a chance, he can rise to a normal position step by step.

In contrast, what about Gongyang Yongye?

He didn't ask much of Shen Tang, so naturally he wouldn't truly lower himself to treat Shen Tang as a ruler and himself as a subject. Rather than a subject, he was more like a mercenary who temporarily provided convenience to Shen Tang.

The cooperative aspect between the two is greater than that between ruler and subject.

Gongyang Yongye also holds an immeasurable network of connections, the value of which is incalculable on the future battlefield... Considering all these factors, if Kangguo treats Gongyang Yongye too stingily and does not grant him real power, outsiders will grumble that Kangguo is acting unfairly, which is not conducive to a healthy competitive environment.

The nature of the matter changes when he actively declines.

All it takes is to give him a prestigious honor, and the problem will be perfectly solved. Even Qin Li and others respectfully address him as "Lord" because of his thoughtfulness, as Gongyang Yongye has indeed provided great convenience.

Shen Tang rubbed her temples: "This old man—"

Qin Li said, "If it's difficult, why not decline?"

We can't just disrupt the well-established and stable rules for distributing national fortune because of Gongyang Yongye. Gongyang Yongye is also clueless; he could easily exchange his military fortune with a civil official. The process might be a bit more complicated, but the result would be the same.

Shen Tang waved her hand: "No need to refuse."

Solving this problem is also simple.

"Write these two on the same household registration, let them decide who the head of household is, and let them fill in the relationship themselves."

Qin Li: "..."

It is indeed a way to exploit a loophole.

Three generations of direct descendants can inherit from each other in the same household registration, while marital relationships are shared, and the same applies to national fortune and salary.

Re-registering these two will solve the problem.

Qin Li personally handled this matter, showing Gongyang Yongye great importance.

Only when registering the name—

"Gongyang Ji, courtesy name Yongye, nationality Kang..."

I originally wanted to write about my homeland, but unfortunately, no such country exists.

Looking at the strong, powerful handwriting on the bamboo slip, Qin Li realized for the first time that Gongyang Yongye's real name was the same as his given name. He had assumed that Gongyang Yongye was his full name. Not all countries on the continent followed the single-character rule; in some places, two-character names were popular for a time.

Why are double characters no longer popular?

The reason is simple: the population has decreased.

When the population is large, single-character names are prone to being duplicated, so the government promotes two-character names, which can greatly reduce the problem of duplicate names. When a country is divided more often and the population decreases, the restrictions on names are relaxed accordingly.

Kangguo is now also experimenting with two-character names on a small scale.

In Qin Li's view, this was one of the characteristics of prosperity.

Member Xiang Zhao, whose name comes and goes.

The country in question does not exist; it is currently registered as Kang.

"Don't pronounce my name, it's unpleasant to hear."

Gongyang Yongye rarely revealed his real name to anyone, not to avoid enemies, but purely because the nickname he received as a child had left him with psychological trauma. He never imagined there could be someone in the world with a more casual name than his. Indeed, although the two had confirmed their cooperation, he did not proactively ask for the other's name.

This is the first time I've learned her name is Xiang Zhao.

Who gave you that name?

Can they be summoned at will and dismissed at will?

Or will we just keep recruiting?

Both of them sound ominous.

Xiang Zhao said, "I chose it myself."

However, they are not something you can summon and dismiss at will.

The two are registered as grandfather and grandson.

_(:з」∠)_

Xiang Zhao frowned: "Why grandfather and grandson?"

Won't the children of the future become her parents, uncles, and aunts?

Gongyang Yongye said, "That's the gist of it. Just deal with it casually. I won't force you to call me 'Grandpa'."

Calling him "Grandpa" would be considered lowering one's seniority.

After resolving the biggest problem, Gongyang Yongye enjoyed a period of peace.

It's not exactly peaceful.

Gongyang Yongye was, after all, a military general, and only had a superficial understanding of the literary and scholarly approach. He simply pushed the trouble onto Luan Xin.

Leave professional tasks to professionals.

Shen Tang couldn't help but peek out.

When did justice ever associate with him?

Mentoring students is no easy task. As a high-ranking official, Luan Xin already had a lot on his plate, and due to his own personal issues, he didn't like close relationships with others. So what exactly did Gongyang Yongye do to get Luan Xin to agree to guide Xiang Zhao in her cultivation?

In terms of experience, Chu Yao is more suitable.

Xiang Zhao had some connection with Chu Yao, making him easier to persuade.

Luan Xin said, "Each takes what they need."

In layman's terms, it's a resource exchange.

The only resources that could sway Luan Xin are those of a scholar who has perfected the way of the literati. Does this old Deng still possess such resources?

Is this the network of connections of a urology expert?

wrong--

How did he know that justice had these needs?

Luan Xin's way of the scholar was a secret known to only a few.

〒▽〒

I need to take a day off; it's my birthday today.

(_(:з」∠)_ Logically, October should have passed by then, but in Zhejiang, they only recognize the lunar calendar. My mom said we had to have a proper celebration, so the whole family went out for hot pot. My stomach is still burning from eating so much.)

(End of this chapter)