Chapter 1550 Extra: We're Brothers After Landing, Why Must We Be Blood Brothers? (Part 2)

Shen Tang handled this farce decisively and efficiently.

She had her own ideas on how to deal with the ten audacious students from the Central Academy. Deliberately lowering her expression, she said, "Your courage is commendable, and your actions are aimed at exposing evil and eliminating harm. However, while you are spared the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment. If you all rely on your lack of knowledge to challenge the imperial banner, where is the dignity of the royal court?"

Duke Yi felt his hair stand on end.

He hurriedly stepped forward: "Please, my lord, have mercy on my child..."

He originally wanted to suggest that Shen Tang have pity on these ten unruly kids, since they were at most thirteen years old, an age when they were disliked by cats and dogs and didn't know the immensity of the world. It was normal for them to be a bit unruly, since they hadn't caused any real trouble yet. He suggested gently picking them up and putting them down.

It's just out of consideration for the old friendships of our parents.

It just sounds outrageous coming from him.

They've reversed the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

Shen Tang: "..."

The young swordsman looked at the seemingly unremarkable Duke of Yi with surprise, never expecting such kindness from him, and his goodwill towards him skyrocketed. However, despite his recklessness, he knew the seriousness of accidentally shooting down the imperial banner. To put it bluntly, it was only because Shen Tang was good-natured that he was spared; if it were any other ruler in a chaotic era, all ten of them, his sworn brothers, would have been hanged on the banner.

He said he didn't know he was shooting at the dragon banner, so everything's fine? If everyone did what he did, wouldn't things get chaotic?

The majesty of the royal court also served as a guarantee to intimidate those in power and to govern subordinates.

If the royal court's authority were to vanish, how could the local people fear it? How could they meticulously execute its decrees? The young men's minds raced, and they belatedly realized the enormity of their mistake. The leader, a young swordsman, pursed his lips, his eyes gleaming.

He stepped forward.

He said, "This is my fault. They were all following my orders and at most can be considered accomplices. I can bear the consequences alone."

Others stepped forward to take the blame upon themselves.

Taking advantage of their argument, the young swordsman launched his attack with zero frames!

The Duke of Yi immediately cried out in agony, "No!"

Other officials were even more astonished—

All because the young swordsman acted decisively, drawing his sword and committing suicide.

Shen Tang: "..."

Speechless, she gripped the blade the young swordsman held to her neck. This brat, though young, possessed considerable strength, using all his might to commit suicide with the sword drawn. If he had succeeded, it wouldn't have been as simple as just cutting a gash; half his head would have been severed.

This is truly not leaving themselves any way out.

"What are you doing?"

The young swordsman tried to break free from Shen Tang's control, but the others had already reacted and snatched the weapon from his hand. The Duke of Yi was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, almost crying out in pain—it was just too exciting.

The young swordsman was stubborn: "I'll take responsibility for my own actions."

Shen Tang: "I haven't finished explaining how I'm going to deal with you yet."

The young swordsman tried to speak, but one of his sworn brothers covered his mouth with a hand. When everyone realized what was happening, they saw the young swordsman covered in unruly children trying to stop him from committing suicide and taking the blame. Shen Tang's forehead veins throbbed, and he immediately ordered his men to come in and tie up all ten of them—birds of a feather flock together, and if the young swordsman was going to commit suicide at the slightest provocation, the other nine wouldn't be any different.

If we're going to defend against something, we'll defend against everything.

Shen Tang's smile was somewhat sinister: "Is there too little homework? Ten sets of summer homework for each person, and the Duke of Yi will supervise their completion."

Duke Yiguo hurriedly accepted this special assignment.

When one's backside is on fire, it's like taking ten ancestors down to be punished.

Unexpectedly, the ten people reacted much more intensely than before.

The intermediate court they entered was one of the top three in the country. These key intermediate courts are characterized by a heavy workload. Each assignment could be overwhelming, but they worked together and had a plan – each person was responsible for one-tenth, and they copied each other's work in the end.

Are they now going to write ten sets?

They even made the Duke of Yi personally supervise their writing?

Doesn't this mean the original method is no longer feasible?

"Waaaaah—"

Who will make peanuts for them!

After recovering from the shock, the Duke of Yi looked at his brothers with murderous intent. As he walked, he ordered a few guards, "Find something to gag them! They're all a handful. What era are we living in that they're still so quick to commit suicide?"

I was so scared I almost cried.

Even after the Duke of Yiguo had gone far away, people could still hear him cursing: "What Gongxi Chou Childcare Association? It's a cult! It's clearly a cult! I'm going to report him to the authorities and make sure he corrupts the children!"

Upon hearing this, the young swordsman unleashed a powerful burst of strength.

It's harder to press than ten pigs for the Lunar New Year.

He shouted hoarsely, "How dare you, you scoundrel!"

Whoever touches the wings of his idol, he will destroy their paradise!

The Duke of Yi was so angry that he wanted to take off his wooden clogs and hit someone.

I almost burst into tears: "What a tragedy!"

Shen Tang: "..."

Other officials who were watching the spectacle: "..."

Shen Tang intentionally downplayed the incident of the dragon banner being mistakenly attacked, trying to minimize the damage, but she didn't hide it from those in the know. She even kindly sent a group message to Fang Yan and his two companions via DingTalk. After the reign title was changed, Chao Lian wanted to volunteer for garrison duty, but since Kang Kingdom had unified the entire continent, theoretically there were no more borders to defend, because beyond the borders lay the boundless sea. Who would he lead troops to defend against? Mermaids landing on the shore?

However, Shen Tang still agreed to his request.

The four continents have been unified, but there are still chaotic situations in various places that the royal court cannot reach for the time being. Chao Lian can go there if he wants. Fang Yan, who also serves as the Imperial Physician, stays in the capital, Huangting, with Thirteen Shao Chong. He spends half of the year practicing medicine and on duty outside, and the other half in Huangting compiling medical books and teaching materials. Among the three brothers, Shao Chong is the most leisurely. He also holds a sinecure as a guard of the royal court in the Four Guards Prefecture.

Of course, he is not a marginal figure.

The claim that guarding the royal court is a sinecure is purely because Shen Tang is a skilled fighter, leaving the other imperial guards with no opportunity to utilize their abilities. Many 20th-rank marquises have perished, but none have been assassinated in such a short time. If such a formidable figure truly exists, he is most likely a guard protected by the lord.

_(:з」∠)_

The three brothers are now scattered in different places.

Fortunately, they were not too far from the locations where the royal court was inspecting.

Of the three, Shao Chong was the first to arrive.

Thanks to Ji Moqiu's continuous treatment over the years and his own hard work, Shao Chong has gradually pieced back together the memories he lost during the disaster, and his mind has even matured to that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old. He can now appear more composed and reliable in front of strangers.

However, these illusions have completely collapsed today.

He rushed into the tent in a frenzy, leaving everyone inside bewildered. They only felt a gust of wind violently burst in from the outside, whipping up the long scroll of writing materials and knocking over the ink and brushes. The young swordsman, pen in hand, had no time to cry out in despair over his work before he was forcefully pulled into a tight embrace. His nose slammed against the warm, sweltering armor, and he was forced to bury himself in the majestic embrace, unable to breathe.

The mountains were rising and falling dramatically.

The boy felt as if all the bones in his body were about to be crushed by the other person.

I can't breathe...

Duke Yi rushed forward to rescue the young knight-errant.

Shao Chong realized what was happening and released the man. Seeing the young swordsman panting heavily, he burst into tears, soon becoming a sobbing mess. This sight made the young man's words of anger catch in his throat. He said helplessly, "Why are you crying? I should be the one crying."

The lord specifically instructed them not to attempt to cheat by dividing up the work.

These kids are all stubborn. Shen Tang said they couldn't divide the homework, and with the Duke of Yi supervising them, they really didn't dare look at each other's work and obediently did it all on their own. All their efforts for the morning were wasted like this. Before he could even lament his own homework, the other kid started complaining and crying first. Is there no justice in this world?

Upon hearing this, Shao Chong cried even harder.

The young swordsman and his companions were moved by his crying.

The same thought arose in my mind—

He seems like a fool, so I'll just let it go.

The young swordsman's heart softened, and he unconsciously raised his hand to stroke Shao Chong, who was crouching down and sobbing, and coaxed, "It's okay, don't cry."

Shao Chong let out a sob.

In the end, he never called out "Big Brother".

His current mental capacity allowed him to fully understand that the "elder brother" before him was not the "elder brother" he knew; the "elder brother" was no longer the Shangnan Gu Ziyi of the past. The past was gone with the wind, and the current "elder brother" had a completely new life. Thinking of this, Shao Chong raised his hand to wipe away the tears and snot on his face and try to say something more, but the young swordsman had already taken out a handkerchief and carefully wiped them for him.

Shao Chong started sobbing again.

I wish I could bury myself in the boy's chest.

The young swordsman patiently coaxed him into doing his homework.

Two days later, a strong gust of wind rushed into the tent.

The young knight's homework suffered a second major blow.

His curse was about to escape his lips when he was buried by an external force into an even more terrifying and expansive mountain range. The opponent was not wearing soft armor but cold, heavy armor, and the force of the impact made his front teeth ache.

Duke Yi rushed forward to rescue the young knight-errant.

Chao Lian was more composed than Shao Chong, and recovered his emotions much faster.

But it was precisely this restrained emotion that made the young swordsman feel uneasy. He then saw Chao Lian hug all the classmates who had gathered around him. Some tried to avoid this enthusiasm, but the difference in strength between them was as vast as an insurmountable chasm, and they couldn't dodge no matter how hard they tried.

The young swordsman lamented, "My homework..."

It's okay, he can endure it.

Three strikes and you're out!

This strange thing can't happen a third time.

Fang Yan arrived the next day. As a scholar who was proficient in both literature and medicine, he was naturally not as impulsive as Shao Chong and the other two. He simply forced himself to suppress his excitement and lifted the tent curtain, standing there in a daze, looking at the young swordsman in the center, his chest heaving with intense emotions.

After a long while, he moved.

He rushed forward in almost a single stride.

The young swordsman instinctively bent down to save the table.

"My homework—"

Duke Yi rushed forward to rescue the young knight-errant.

Fang Yan hadn't expected the young swordsman to make this sudden move. He couldn't stop in time and collided with the others who were rushing to help, seeing stars. The young swordsman watched helplessly as the inkstone spilled, soaking his homework.

He took a deep breath and crushed the brush with one hand.

He said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly: "This is the third time!"

Summer homework was already overwhelming and frustrating, and now his lord said he'd check it personally, making it impossible for him to just scribble something down and get away with it—after all, the school teachers only checked one set of summer homework from the Central Academy; the rest were punishments from his lord. Over the past few days, he'd also noticed that the Duke of Yi and the others treated the ten of them very differently, even to the point of being indulgent. The young knight-errant decided to use this indulgence to get them to turn a blind eye when checking his homework.

However, the devil is one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall.

The lord seemed to have seen through his thoughts and cut off his escape route.

"...School starts in two weeks..."

He hadn't finished his summer homework yet.

Fang Yan felt guilty: "..."

The unexpected event quickly calmed him down, and he said, "Please forgive me, young man. I felt an instant connection with you and lost my composure for a moment."

The young swordsman raised an eyebrow: "Feeling like old friends at first sight?"

He was not surprised.

He and his friends all came from ordinary rural backgrounds, with no connection whatsoever to these important figures. There was no "no wonder he has the air of an old friend; he's the son of an old friend" scenario. Seeing themselves so flustered, they probably thought he resembled her.

“I look so much like the late Ziyi Gong?” In just a few days, he could extract information about their identities from them.

Duke Yiguo was the eldest son of Gu Ren.

Shao Chong, Chao Lian, and Fang Yan were sworn brothers of Gu Ren.

There seems to be only one possibility that could cause all four of them to lose their composure at the same time: that they really do look alike with Gu Ziyi.

Before Fang Yan could answer, the boy said, "If you want to look, then look, but don't ruin my homework like this again."

He also didn't feel anger at being used as a substitute.

A face is meant to be seen; if it can alleviate the grief of those who have lost a sibling, then that's a good deed. The boy's smile, though gentle, held a hint of menacing threat: "Don't...rule...my...homework...again! Do you all understand?"

Damn it, he's really going to never finish his summer homework!

Fang Yan closed his eyes and opened them again, his expression returning to normal: "Hmm."

In an attempt to atone for his sins, he offered to tutor the young wandering knights. He, a man of letters and literary talent, he—

Everyone stared at Fang Yan, who was holding up his homework and sweating profusely.

Shao Chong and Chao Lian urged in hushed tones, "Sixth Brother?"

Sixth Brother, say something!

Their silence made them all feel awkward.

Fang Yan: "..."

He can't help with this stupid homework at all.

Damn it, who wrote the textbook? Who assigned the homework?

His older brother was still staring at him. In order to save face, he calmly put down his homework and stood up: "I'm going to take the master's pulse and find an opportunity to plead with her to spare you from punishment."

Tearing up homework is much easier than doing it _(:з」∠)_

Young swordsman: "..."

Before the start of the school term, the royal court's inspection tour concluded, and they returned to the capital.

Three or four more groups of people arrived during that time.

They were all adopted children of the Gu family who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. The last to arrive was the old lady of the Yi State Duke's household. The old lady had received an imperial decree and was serving her elderly father in the capital. Although she was called an old lady, she was actually not very old, only a few years older than the Yi State Duke.

No matter how well you take care of yourself, fine wrinkles will still appear on your face.

She looked at Gu Ren without saying a word, only silently shedding tears.

The young knight-errant recalled that the widow of Lord Ziyi had never remarried. He had heard that Lord Ziyi had left a will for her to remarry, but she had refused. Whether it was due to considerations of the situation or the bond between husband and wife, she must have suffered greatly all these years.

He was stunned, feeling an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

When he came to his senses, he had already raised his hand to wipe away the other person's tears.

It seemed someone was using his body to evoke guilt. In those chaotic and turbulent times, the hardships faced by women and children who had lost their family's breadwinner are unimaginable. If it weren't for their lord remembering their past friendship and providing shelter for these orphans and widows, their fate would likely have been...

In an instant, countless fragments of memory surged forth like a tidal wave.

Seeing that the still-childish boy had calmed down, she spoke in her familiar gentle tone, "Don't cry, you're back now, aren't you?"

(︶.︶)

After twelve years of dreaming, Shiitake Mushroom has finally collected the highest achievement for a Yuewen author—Platinum!

ヽ(°▽°)ノヽ(°▽°)ノヽ(°▽°)ノ

P.S.: I was planning to release my new book today, but I had to cancel. Then Yuewen announced a new platinum author today... Ugh, I'm so upset!

This is such a meaningful time! If I had known this would happen, I would have gritted my teeth and finished the beginning of the new book. (I wrote an beginning before, but because the setting changed, the beginning also had to be changed, so the previous one had to be discarded _(:з」∠)_)

P.S.: I just posted the application for the fan title event. Once the review is released, please read the participation requirements carefully before participating.

(End of this chapter)