Chapter 1372: He's a Captain, and Also a Poisonous Spectator (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Hahaha—Wangchao really got beaten by Shaoxuan?"

The moon is bright and the stars are few; the full moon hangs high in the sky.

Shen Tang, inside the palace, laughed gleefully.

"Is Lady Xiahou so cunning and mean-spirited, always looking for someone to suffer misfortune?"

In any case, that sharp-tongued young man was still her subject.

"I bet when you were making things difficult for Wangchao, he definitely said something like 'My lord is at the palace' or 'The grievance has its source, the debtor its debtor'?" Shen Tang's smile softened, and she said righteously, "How can you say I'm being mean and petty? It's clear that Wangchao himself got into trouble for his own words and suffered a beating. Now he can stay here and recuperate. Shaoxuan hitting Wangchao is just a bit of fun between lovers. She's already 'sacrificed family for the greater good,' so why would Marquis Luo hold a grudge against a younger man?"

Upon hearing this, Luo San remained silent for a long time.

"The Queen has outmaneuvered all three of us."

Gu Chi's careless words gave Luo San an excuse to vent her anger, allowing her to shift the blame to Bai Su. This resulted in Gu Chi suffering an extra beating and also gave him a sick leave to recuperate. Bai Su, understanding the implied meaning, took the initiative to deal with Gu Chi. Luo San, watching the spectacle from the sidelines, had no reason to hold Gu Chi accountable for his momentary rudeness.

How could someone his age possibly argue with a young man?

If this gets out, it will damage the reputation of Marquis Che.

Shen Tang shook his head: "If it weren't for Luo Hou's magnanimity and willingness to lift things up high and let them go gently, no amount of scheming would have worked."

This was only possible because Luo San was an emotionally stable old man. If it were someone else, arrogant and conceited, they wouldn't have bothered to sneak in and eavesdrop on what was going on; they would have flown right up to the palace and started kicking down the doors. Shen Tang thought he was telling the truth, but Luo San heard it differently: "I thought it was just that young man's eloquence, but I never imagined the root of the problem was you."

It's no wonder these two, ruler and minister, get along so well; they're birds of a feather, and their sweet talk is enough to make anyone swoon. Shen Tang has praised him so highly in just a few words; if he were to pursue the matter further, he'd only appear petty. On the other hand, Lady Xiahou has indeed stated several times that she has no intention of rebelling; it's just that he's been overthinking things…

From this perspective, both Lady Xiahou and himself should be held equally responsible; neither can blame the other. After some internal struggle, Luo San's last bit of resentment dissipated. He didn't forget his other purpose for this trip, and took out the item he was escorting, tossing it to Shen Tang: "Lady, please keep it safe. Returning it intact means I have fulfilled my mission."

Now it was Shen Tang's turn to be surprised. She only knew that Luo San was emotionally stable, but she didn't know he was so understanding. The same thought that crossed her mind as Gu Chi's surfaced—the power of the poison was terrifying!

Shen Tang tentatively asked Luo San where he was staying.

If we still don't have a place to stay, we might as well stay at the temporary palace for now.

If Luo San rejects Shen Tang's proposal, it means he still harbors resentment towards Shen Tang; if he agrees, it means the matter is completely over, and Luo San truly accepts the reality that Xiahou Li is Shen Tang, the ruler of Kang State, and his feelings for the two identities can be transferred without damage.

Luo San was fully aware of her probing.

However, Chehou was reserved and his expressions were subtle.

"In my life, I have never liked owing anyone a favor. When repaying a debt, I only look at the IOU, not who holds it." This statement not only expressed the old man's dissatisfaction but also reassured Shen Tang's worries.

Shen Tang: "..."

From any perspective, Luo San was a meritorious official. He had traveled a long way to deliver the message and even saved Miao Ne and her group. As a king who was fair in rewarding and punishing, Shen Tang naturally could not be stingy. So he invited Luo San to the night market: "Tell me what you want, Lord Luo, and I'll pay for it."

Luo San wasn't a materialistic person, but Shen Tang's stinginess really opened his eyes: "If you say Lady Xiahou is stingy, you spent a budget of 10 million to repair the damaged city wall of Shanyong County. But if you say you're generous, you invited this old man to a place like this?"

What good stuff can you find at a night market in a run-down place?

Sweeping everything up would only cost a pittance.

If it weren't for the fact that her former subordinates had genuinely received a considerable amount of military luck without any exaggeration, Luo San would have suspected that she was doing it on purpose.

Shen Tang stared blankly with dead fish eyes and said, “Lord Luo is only concerned with his own livelihood. If he wants money, a bunch of old subordinates and friends will rush to offer him help. How could they understand the suffering of someone like me? My private treasury… for a long time, even rats didn’t want to visit it. In Kang Kingdom, it is the highest honor for the king to pay out of his private treasury. Most of the time, it is the subjects who pay.”

Guang Wuhui and Yuan Liang posted quite a few of their own photos.

Luo San naturally didn't believe it.

What kind of ruler in the world is so poor?

That's not how you play the victim.

Shen Tang sighed softly, "It doesn't matter if you don't believe it now. You'll believe it when you meet someone named Xun Hanzhang in the future."

Before coming to Kangguo, Luo San had done some research and had a basic understanding of the civil and military officials of Kangguo. He had an extremely good impression of Xun Zhen.

I've heard that local officials in Kangguo serve five-year terms, with a minor exam each year and a major exam every five years. A similar system exists for officials in the capital, even the ministers of the Six Ministries must follow it. While others faced some difficulties in their re-election, the position of Minister of Revenue was universally accepted. It's well known that the Ministry of Revenue is notoriously lucrative, and Xun Zhen's uncontroversial re-election as Minister of Revenue speaks volumes about his abilities and character.

But judging from Lady Xiahou's words...

There's some resentment, more or less?

Shen Tang sighed: "Don't mention Hanzhang, it hurts my heart."

Luo San: "..."

Luo San had a basic understanding of the situation in the surrounding prefectures and counties. First, there were warlords who carved up the land, and then the Kang Kingdom sent troops to conquer it. In the past two hundred years, the number of years that had been peaceful was less than one-tenth. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the area was extremely poor. What kind of people could be in the night market here?

Surprisingly, there were more people than expected.

The night market offers a wide variety of goods.

"Where did all these people come from?"

"We invited them down from the mountain." Shen Tang was dressed in a light, round robe. Apart from the fine, skin-friendly cotton lining, everything else was of a moderately wealthy family's standard. There wasn't a single piece of silk or satin. Luo San looked more like the head of a large family than she did when he walked next to her.

"Up in the mountain?"

"Some fled into the mountains to escape the war, while others have lived in the mountains for generations. The revitalization of the southwest region requires a large population, and there is a shortage of able-bodied men everywhere, not just here. There is no time to encourage women to have children right now, so we can only look to other avenues. As long as we address their problems in the right way, we can relocate people from the mountains."

The reasons they fled into the deep mountains were nothing more than war, forced labor, their ancestors committing crimes, and the fact that they had no land and needed firewood to survive. Since the mountains near the city were all owned, they could only go to the unclaimed deep mountains to cut timber...

Over time, the population hiding in the mountains became quite considerable.

"It took a lot of effort to bring them down." They had to register the population, allocate land, settle them in, consider their future livelihoods, and also send people to educate them. Living in the mountains for so long had unleashed the evil within them, causing them to revert to their wild nature. Shen Tang glossed over all the hardships, saying, "Fortunately, everything is moving in a positive direction."

Luo San has served as the Commandant of Shanyong County for so many years, focusing solely on training and managing troops, without paying much attention to local administration. These are the duties of the prefect and the county government, but that doesn't mean he is completely ignorant of them.

Just hearing a few words is enough to imagine the amount of work behind it.

If land is distributed to people, where does the land come from?

The arable land had long been divided up by local gentry and wealthy families. Even if they were given back from these households, it wouldn't be enough; the remaining vacancies needed to be reclaimed by people, and then distributed fairly to ensure the livelihood of the common people while satisfying everyone.

Commoners couldn't live without firewood, which came from the mountains. These mountains were the private property of wealthy landowners, and each owned mountain had guards patrolling the area. For commoners to cut firewood without permission was considered theft, and being beaten to death was considered their own fault. They were forced to cut firewood from remote, unclaimed mountains. But where were the roads to these mountains? The firewood had to be carried on their backs and on foot. How could they overcome these difficulties?

These questions were hanging in Luo San's mind.

The two of them sat down at a restaurant and had some late-night snacks.

They chatted while enjoying some local country dishes.

When he heard that after Shen Tang registered people, she actually assigned people with different surnames to different areas to live in, he was stunned for a long time: "Isn't Lady Xiahou a little too bold?"

This is something that even Governor Suginaga wouldn't dare to do in his wildest dreams.

Putting everything else aside for now—

Luo San moved the mat forward and leaned closer to Shen Tang to discuss in detail: "Leaving aside other matters, does Your Majesty know that many poor commoners in the countryside use large stoves to save firewood? People with the same surname share a stove for cooking?"

Each household using firewood for cooking consumes far more firewood than several households cooking together. How much firewood and charcoal can be saved over a year? Although there may be infighting and exploitation among people of the same surname and clan, there is also mutual assistance. If a member of the clan is a little more kind and shares a few more mouthfuls of wheat porridge, perhaps one more child in the family can survive...

If Lady Xiahou does this, those poor people will have no way to survive, and they will even have difficulty getting firewood from their own clansmen and villages to cook a meal.

When he arrived, he noticed that the trees in the area had been severely cut down.

The cost for ordinary people to cut firewood would be much higher. Even if Lady Xiahou opened up the mountains owned by commoners to logging, it would be like drinking poison to quench thirst, as the growth rate of trees could not keep up with the rate at which commoners consumed them.

Shen Tang said, "Of course I know."

She would take her officials out for walks whenever she had the chance.

Don't let those who occupy high positions in the government be unaware of the suffering of the common people.

"and you--"

Shen Tang remarked with emotion, "Literary and martial talents can change one's life."

"ah?"

Shen Tang said, "Didn't Lord Luo see before that using the high efficiency of martial arts warriors can avoid conscripting labor from the people?"

Given the scale of Suginaga County's city walls, if the burden were entirely placed on the common people, who knows how many able-bodied men would be consumed, how many years would the local livelihood be disrupted, and how many people would die from exhaustion! As long as warriors and scholars are no longer aloof and superior, everything can be easily resolved.

Luo San stared in disbelief: "I thought it was just a temporary measure."

"But I don't intend to treat it as a stopgap measure; it's a long-term plan." Even when facing Luo San, the Marquis of Che, Shen Tang didn't intend to hide anything. "Heaven randomly bestows powers upon all living beings. Some can become scholars with literary hearts, some can become warriors with courage and skill. If we include other Mohist schools, medical schools, etc., they are only one in a hundred living beings. The remaining ninety-nine are only fit to disappear into the dust of the world."

Luo San calmly looked at Shen Tang.

Shen Tang uttered a sentence: "This is unfair. It is fair that everyone enjoys the powers and abilities bestowed upon them by God."

Luo San didn't feel offended; he was just curious how she had survived until now.

That's what he thought, and that's what he asked.

Shen Tang laughed heartily, "Didn't Lord Luo see it?"

Gu Chi is a typical example.

Luo San: "..."

Thinking of the young man he had scolded as a treacherous minister, he was speechless. To say this ruler and his minister were unreliable was an understatement; they were perfectly in sync. But to say they were reliable was another matter entirely. One said, "The emperor is at the temporary palace," while the other said, "Wangchao was indeed beaten by Shaoxuan."

These two seem to have a grudge against each other.

He said, "They are all people of strong character."

Shen Tang clapped his hands and laughed, "Even more so, a clever person."

The descendants of martial arts masters/literary scholars are not guaranteed to inherit their parents' genetic advantages, while ordinary people also have the opportunity to give birth to exceptional talents with the aptitude of martial arts masters/literary scholars. After one generation, the roles of offense and defense shift, thus sowing the seeds of war.

Since that's the case, why not be fair and let everyone enjoy the powers bestowed upon them by God? Then, whether the next generation is outstanding or mediocre, we won't reignite the flames of war over this little conflict.

Luo San looked deeply at Shen Tang, his eyes filled with an indescribable infatuation and admiration, fervent and frank. He reminded Shen Tang, "With the Queen's current status and strength, you still have no regrets about your choice?"

Shen Tang said, "Time will tell."

Luo San drank the yellow wine in one gulp.

This homemade wine had little flavor and a slightly sour and bland taste. Luo San felt delighted, and even the taste of the inferior wine on his tongue was better than the nectar of heaven: "Long live the Empress Shen, I, Luo, toast you."

Shen Tang readily drank it down: "Lord Luo, may you live a thousand years."

It was enjoyable while drinking, but a bit awkward when it came time to pay the bill.

Even the cheapest wine is made from food, so it can't be cheap. Shen Tang lowered her head and opened her purse, her eyes almost touching the opening. No matter how she looked at it or counted the money, she didn't have enough to pay. Slightly embarrassed, she scratched her forehead. She couldn't very well dine and dash in front of Luo San, so she waved to the guards hidden in the shadows, signaling them to come and pay: "Pay up, go to the Ministry of Revenue for reimbursement later."

Luo San: "..."

Do we really need to go through the Ministry of Revenue for such a small expense?

Shen Tang grabbed his wrist and muttered, "Sigh, there's no good food or wine here. When Luo Hou goes to the imperial palace, there won't be any fine wine there."

Fine wine, and it's free.

Luo San was skeptical of this statement: "Don't try to fool me."

Shen Tang really didn't lie to Luo San.

The two men dug out a pile of fine wine from the palace cellar.

Unwrapping the red cloth seal, a tantalizing aroma of wine intoxicated Luo Sandu: "Is this the wine? My younger brothers have sent some as gifts, but the only problem is that there wasn't enough... How come you have so much?"

Shen Tang said, "It's a unique recipe."

Luo San then asked, "How many years ago?"

Shen Tang immediately replied, "Eighteen years."

Whether it's from the Shang and Zhou dynasties or last week, it's all eighteen years old. Even if you dilute this batch of wine with water, Luo San wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Her experience selling counterfeit wine is far greater than her experience as a lord: "Lord Luo, why don't you try some?"

Luo San still had to say something reserved.

"In that case, I shall respectfully comply."

He wasn't a big drinker, but no martial artist could resist this fine wine.

Uェ*U

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