Chapter 1489: 10 Billion Merits (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Know people well and assign them to suitable positions, so that everyone can make the best use of their talents."

These eight words are an essential lesson for any qualified ruler.

Shen Tang dares to say that if he is second to none, no one in the world can claim to be first: "No one else can use Ji Shou as a card at all."

Who says the plague god is bad?

Kang, the God of Plague, the King of Hell, and Shi are simply too authoritative!

"...Ji Shou is the bait. Once released, you can catch big fish without even needing to bait the area." Shen Tang leisurely carried a specially made umbrella with a frame of fine iron and a surface of cowhide, choosing to remain unchanged in the face of all changes. Even her almond-shaped eyes were filled with pride.

She was indeed quite pleased with herself at that moment.

Kang Shi was certain that this trip would be fruitful.

Because she has her own set of logic.

Every time Kang Shi went to pursue the enemy, he would get soundly beaten. What does this mean? It means that while others might lose track of the enemy, Kang Shi was guaranteed to encounter a large, elite enemy force! Only elite troops could pose any threat to Kang Shi!

It sounds dangerous and unlucky, but if you look at it from another angle, doesn't this mean that Kangshi can find the enemy's main force with 100% certainty?

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Using Kang Shi as bait to catch big fish, with Kang Shi leading the way and Shen Tang arranging for people to secretly follow, there's no way to avoid being caught off guard.

Gu Chi felt a heart attack for Kang Shi after hearing this.

At the same time, there was a hint of schadenfreude.

After being subdued by Kang Shi for over a decade, the Lord has finally learned to fight back and exploit. Not only does he know how to exploit, but he has also learned to anticipate Kang Shi's predictions, elegantly pulling out a specially made large umbrella—all that's missing is a deck chair for sunbathing. He's so leisurely that even Wei Lou can't stand it.

"Get out of the way! What kind of appearance is this?"

He doesn't look like a ruler of a country at all.

Wei Lou inexplicably felt that he was getting irritable lately.

“I am who I am, a firework of a different color! Who says I should look a certain way? Since there are no rules, how can I be considered out of place?” Shen Tang hugged the umbrella handle tightly, afraid that without the umbrella’s protection, she would be soaked in shit. “You’re too capable to do more.”

Instead of wasting time criticizing her, it would be better to focus on getting things done. The Central Allied camp still had a lot of supplies left behind, which brought back memories of opening blind boxes for Shen Tang. Even as the ruler of a nation, Shen Tang couldn't help but envy the wealth and power of the Central aristocratic families; the packages and chests plundered from their camps were overflowing with valuables, including but not limited to priceless rare books.

There are even rare copies of military treatises, spiritual texts, and battle formations.

Other gold, silver, and other valuables cannot be cleaned up in a short time.

Shen Tang's camp lacked a trade merchant commander and quartermaster, unlike the allied forces in the central region. The allied forces retreated without taking them, leaving behind piles of accounts that made Shen Tang's mouth water – this was true wealth! This inadvertently revealed glimpse of a fortune comparable to the Gongxi clan's legacy. The wealth the High Priest had bestowed upon her had instantly lifted her out of poverty.

If she were to plunder the central aristocratic families as well...

I can't imagine how happy she could be.

Not only could she pay off Xun Zhen's credit card debt in one go, but she also wouldn't have to worry about Xun Zhen's extravagant spending next time. The Kangguo treasury and her private treasury might even have a surplus. Just thinking about turning a loss into a profit made Shen Tang's heart pound; she was truly excited!

Tsk, she needs to find an excuse to kill all of them.

They robbed them of all their property.

Not a single inch of land was left.

Wei Lou almost laughed out of anger at her words: "Even the late lord never ordered me around like this, yet you take advantage of me so easily."

He wasn't senile, so he could naturally see that Shen Tang had taken advantage of him several times to do some heinous things, with her reaping all the benefits while he bore the brunt of the disgrace. Wei Lou didn't really care, but he couldn't stand Shen Tang's self-righteous attitude.

Shen Tang said, "Know people well and assign them to suitable positions, so that everyone can make the best use of their talents."

How can this be called exploitation?

Wei Lou was so angry at her shamelessness that he wanted to storm off, but a flying stone suddenly shattered the umbrella. Just as Chen Tang looked up, the stool under her bottom coincidentally broke its string. The shockwave from the ground collapsing the camp's tunnel, burying her alive inside.

Several things happened almost simultaneously.

Wei Lou and Gu Chi didn't even have time to change their expressions.

"Quickly, dig out the Lord!"

The second aftershock buried the opening back up. If it weren't for Shen Tang's formidable strength and resilient body, the two tremors would have sent her to meet her maker. She struggled to extend her hand from the ground, spitting out several times in a disheveled manner, gasping for breath as she felt the pain in her ribs.

"My lord, I pray that Zhongshu will—"

A perfectly healthy person suddenly broke their leg bone while walking.

While lying down, my ribs broke again.

The broken ribs had unfortunately pierced a vital meridian, directly disrupting the flow of Qi (vital energy). Qi Shan couldn't even use her Word of Power to protect herself. What did this mean? It meant that Shen Tang had also suffered a cruel blow from fate! This was also why Shen Tang couldn't escape the collapsed ruins immediately; both martial and literary energy had to pass through this meridian. _(:з」∠)_

She pulled herself out for the third time, only to be buried again.

Shen Tang: "...Murder, Kang Jishou!"

So many elite troops under the Central Allied forces barely managed to touch her, yet Kang Shi alone drained half her health, leaving her with a mountain of health points. Sometimes, Shen Tang even suspected that Kang Shi was a spy sent by the enemy. She's only alive now because of her incredible luck.

After finally being dug out, Shen Tang looked as if she had fought eight hundred rounds with someone, and the blood she shed could be used to make mud.

Wei Lou was forced to swallow the words he wanted to say.

"...Never mind, I'll just take pity on you."

Shen Tang's arms were wrapped up like rice dumplings and hung around her neck, her fingers swollen two or three times: "...Then I should thank you?"

Wei Lou: "..."

Tsk, that sounds sarcastic.

Putting aside whether he was being sarcastic or not, Shen Tang just wanted to know how much luck Kang Shi had taken from her this time. Looking back on her turbulent life, filled with battles in the south and north, half of the few times she was seriously injured and on the verge of death were caused by Kang Shi. She must have had a really strong destiny to survive.

Just as Shen Tang sighed, her fingers inexplicably started to itch again.

She lowered her head expressionlessly, watching her several injured and swollen fingers struggle to make calculations. Each movement caused her pain, each two movements caused her pain again. The physician turned his head and saw this scene, almost bursting out in shock: "No, my lord, your fingers are still broken—"

Even the most skilled physicians in the medical field couldn't heal broken bones in a minute, especially since the master's meridians were damaged, preventing him from activating his own martial and literary energies for nourishment; the recovery time would be even longer. Shen Tang's smile was more like a grimace: "You might not believe it, but I—"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

The physician heard a few faint cracking sounds.

Gu Chi also heard the sound of his master's heart breaking.

The former was due to calculation, the latter was because Shen Tang had calculated the bill. Whether it was Xun Zhen's extravagance or Kang Shi's misfortune, Shen Tang, as the debtor, didn't know the exact amount and let the creditor deduct as they pleased. When her private treasury had a surplus, it meant she had paid off Xun Zhen's bill; when Shen Tang's luck returned to normal, it meant Kang Shi's Alipay account had ended. There was no specific figure.

This time, she "saw" the bill, not only every single expense, but also the repayment amount for each installment of her Huabei (a consumer credit service) and... interest rates that were practically usurious. Shen Tang blinked in disbelief, and on a whim, immediately pinched the bill with her other hand.

The calculation result was exactly the same as before.

Well, that makes matters worse for both hands.

"...No, the pain of the body is nothing compared to the pain of the soul!" Ignoring her injured leg, Shen Tang forced herself to her feet, her raging anger suppressing her perception of pain. She raised her hand, wrapped like a dumpling, to the sky, and screamed, "Fuck your grandpa—"

His anger surged to the top of his head.

Ji Moqiu arrived and heard this sentence.

He glanced at the furious prince, then at the clear sky where the dark clouds had inexplicably dispersed and the sun was shining brightly, and remained silent for a few moments—the prince was cursing so fiercely, yet the Heavenly Lord was not only not angry, but there were even signs of auspicious omens descending… This was really a bit abnormal, huh?

Shen Tang also noticed this and was momentarily stunned.

What followed was even greater anger.

"...No, what does this bastard mean? What the hell does he mean? He actually dared to clear up the sky?" Not only did it clear up, but it was a rare sunny day, and even the humid air filled with gunpowder smoke became fresh and invigorating.

Of course, the feeling of being relaxed and happy is limited to people other than Shen Tang.

She's about to explode with anger.

"You bastard, you got a good scolding from me, huh?"

Anyone who sees these receipts from the past few years would go crazy.

Shen Tang had always known that Xun Zhen and Kang Shi were spendthrifts, one greedy for money and the other for their lives. She also knew that their use of the scholar's way would deduct from her own money and luck, and that it would all be overdrawn. She just needed to make up for it later. The rules of Heaven lend money, and one has to repay it. The whole process may incur some interest, and Shen Tang was mentally prepared for that.

Good news: the lender did not charge extra interest in the early years.

The bad news is that it will deduct from one's "merit".

The number in the "Merits" column is astonishing!

Even worse news is that after the Central War began, bills and transportation costs increased, and the annual interest rate was hovering near the usury threshold.

Shen Tang only glanced at all the bills briefly.

Over the past ten years, the "merits" deducted have accumulated to more than 8 billion yuan.

Shen Tang didn't know what "merit" was or what its purpose was. She guessed it was something similar to national fortune, and normally she shouldn't be angry—national fortune was just a number to her; she didn't even feel bad about giving Yang Ying a "family card," so she should feel the same way about "merit." However, the moment she saw the accounts, she inexplicably lost control of her anger…

Instinct told her that this bill was intolerable! The value of the "merit" deducted far exceeded the money and luck she had overspent over the years!

Xun Zhen spent billions of her money, which Shen Tang felt was well worth it.

Warfare is all about burning money; billions of dollars in gold and silver are quite normal.

Kang Shi burned through more than a billion of her fortune, which is acceptable.

As the saying goes, in war, nothing is left undone.

As long as we can win the battle, we'll have plenty of firewood to burn.

Nothing is more precious than life.

but--

Why are they still deducting from "merit"?

Why?

Baby, why!

Intuition told Shen Tang that this expense should not exist.

There shouldn't be this much. This isn't just usury anymore; it's a predatory loan compounded by interest, and she's reached her breaking point!

After Shen Tang finished cursing the heavens, auspicious omens descended from the sky.

Suddenly, flowers rained down from the sky and golden lotuses sprang from the ground—it was incredibly dazzling.

Shen Tang: "..."

The others were almost speechless at the sight.

Such auspicious effects are unprecedented. Even the sacred texts of the Mountain and Sea Holy Land only say that this only happens when a saint is born.

The Lord cursed the man who wanted to seduce the heavens, but the heavens not only did not become angry and strike him with lightning, but instead sent down auspicious omens.

No, was this really enjoyable?

Gu Chi, who knew Shen Tang's background best among them, was speechless.

This is indeed a bit perverted.

Before he could even process what was happening, his lord vomited a large mouthful of blood in full view of everyone. His face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed backward with his eyes closed. The physician took his pulse and was instantly terrified, his face turning ashen. His lord had suffered a stroke from extreme anger, and was on the verge of death.

Even those who survived the Kangxi era were nearly killed by the auspicious omens that descended from heaven.

When Shen Tang slowly woke up, it was already dark outside the tent.

Shen Tang raised her hand and touched her chest.

"The high priest's medical skills don't need to be this good."

Let her die! Shen Tang finally understood why she was so lucky and couldn't be killed. It wasn't that Kang Shi wasn't hardworking enough, nor that Kang Shi wasn't clever enough, but that someone in the dark was preventing her from dying. If she were to kick the bucket, how could they secretly deduct her "merit points"?

Ji Moqiu: "Your Highness, this is the will of Heaven."

Shen Tang: "..."

After a long while, clinging to her last shred of hope, she asked Ji Moqiu, "High Priest, don't you think... there's something wrong with these accounts?"

Ji Moqiu: "He takes every last penny, but uses it like dirt."

Earning "merit" is not easy.

But if you want to spend it, the Heavenly Lord has a thousand ways to rip you off.

Shen Tang still felt something was off: "...If they're just randomly deducting points, why do they have to make me so unlucky?"

This loan company is so unscrupulous.

Not only did they deduct her money and luck, but they also collected a huge amount of "merit" as interest, and in the end, they made her suffer all sorts of bad luck, making Shen Tang wonder several times if she was going to be cursed to death by Kang Shi...

Isn't this double-digging?

Ji Moqiu didn't know why, but he could guess a little: Heaven's way is both impartial and extremely stingy. For other living beings, every sin committed requires a corresponding amount of merit to repay. But if that sin involves insulting Him, the power to determine the price rests with Him.

Ordinary living beings don't have much merit to begin with.

Even if you deduct everything, you won't get much profit.

If it's someone with profound merit, then there's something to be gained from it.

In particular, His Highness's merits are exceptionally profound.

Ji Moqiu suspected there were hidden expenses in the accounts, such as deducting 10,000 or 100,000 merit points for each curse. Anyway, His Highness couldn't see the specific accounts, and even if she was plagued by bad luck, she wouldn't find out. Just then, thunder rumbled outside.

His heart sank suddenly, and he almost couldn't breathe.

Undoubtedly, this was a warning from heaven.

Ji Moqiu: "..."

No, did the Lord of Heaven really do such a thing?

A bolt of blue-purple lightning, about the thickness of a thumb, pierced straight through the tent and exploded at his feet. The others were used to this; their lord was often struck by lightning, burned, or pelted by hail when he was down on his luck, and even drinking water was a struggle. Shen Tang also assumed the lightning was aimed at her.

She rubbed her chest with her hand, which was wrapped like a wooden stick.

A hint of doubt crept into my mind.

"...Wait, why can I see the real accounts?"

If she were a ruthless loan shark, she wouldn't let borrowers see these things at all; letting them borrow and repay in a daze is in her best interest. Before this, Shen Tang had never suspected the loan company of having any problems. Even if she suspected the loan company of misappropriating funds, she had no concrete evidence, and even thanked God for allowing her to overdraft, making her feel that the overdraft was well worth it.

As a result, she saw the actual accounts from previous years.

Surely he wasn't doing this on purpose to annoy her?

Shen Tang looked up and gazed at the night sky through the large hole in the tent roof.

Or is it that Wu Hui's way of the scholar is so powerful?

ヾ(■_■)

Tang Zhen, the big-time dog, sister: Why do I feel like my bank card number is missing a digit?