Chapter 1598 IF Scenario: What if Shen Tang woke up earlier (Part 12)

Seeing Wei Lou's expression, Yun Da realized that he had said the wrong thing.

But words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back. So he simply said everything he wanted to say in one breath: "This Lady Shen has the full support of the Gongxi clan and abundant provisions. Even if she relied on provisions to recruit soldiers and horses locally, many people would be willing to respond to her. But she did not do that. Instead, she devoted her precious energy to the common people. I didn't quite understand this at first."

This is somewhat different from Ji Sunyin's attempt to persuade him to stop war with force.

With both food and troops, shouldn't she take this opportunity to strengthen her own power?

But she didn't do that. She didn't pursue the ambitions that the world admires, and as a result, there was a relaxed atmosphere under her rule that was extremely unfamiliar to most people. How long has it been since she took over this place? In such a short time, she has been able to bring about such a dramatic change in the spirit of this barren place that has been under constant pressure for so long. Yun Da was puzzled, but he had a spirit of inquiry and meticulousness.

If you don't understand, go find the answer.

He went to the government office, he went to the neighborhood, he went to the fields.

I've vaguely grasped a clue.

Wei Lou sneered, "So you understand now?"

Yun Da didn't seem to care about Wei Lou's reaction at all, and continued, "Actually, I still don't quite understand, but what a peasant woman said really touched me... Her newlywed husband went to make a living far away, and she had to take care of her disabled mother-in-law, as well as her poor parents and younger siblings. Because there were no able-bodied men in her family, they suffered a great loss when the land was distributed in the village. That peasant woman was as resilient as the women of the Northern Desert; she came barefoot to the county government to find someone, frankly saying that her family was struggling to make ends meet..."

[I heard from a woman from my village who went to apply for the job that the magistrate said only if the mother is healthy can she better care for the family. Although I am not pregnant, I have three elderly parents to support and two younger siblings to raise. I implore the magistrate to seek justice for me.]

Because of the activity of the Gongxi tribe, the locals gradually learned that the "Mama" they often call out is not a term used to address women within the tribe, but rather a term of address for women. When someone inquired about it, a young man specifically explained the reason—women naturally possess the ability to create life, and the Gongxi tribe has a fertility worship practice, where tribespeople nurture new life together with their blood relatives.

The clan places great importance on blood ties and beliefs.

They don't quite understand marriage patterns in the outside world, because whether it's a woman marrying into another family or a man marrying into the family, isn't it all about leaving blood relatives to live with someone with no blood relation? How awkward is that? People with blood ties are connected even if the bones are broken, but once strangers without blood ties break off relations, there's no possibility of repair.

Even people from other ethnic groups don't understand their peculiar way of thinking.

The peasant woman didn't understand either, but she could sense a strange kindness and an opportunity that would benefit her.

Sure enough, after she cried and complained, someone came to find her.

After clarifying the situation, they retrieved the land that had been seized and divided by the villagers from her family. Every member of the family, regardless of age, was counted and received their full share of land. Now, her biggest worry is how to manage these lands properly, and she sincerely hopes that Shen Tang's position will last a long time.

Yunda asked her: "Because she gave you the land?"

The peasant woman replied: "It's because the magistrate gave us land and promised that it wouldn't be taken away by anyone for any reason."

The field is the lifeblood of the family, their only means of survival.

Both families are inseparable from the fields, but the fields can't grow legs and run with them, so the two families can only stay in the village to make a living.

What does it mean to be unable to leave the village?

This means that the elderly, women, and children were utterly powerless against the large, strong, and young members of their own village and clan. If they were so vulnerable against their own people, they would be nothing short of helpless prey against armed bandits and thugs.

Lord Shen gave them a way out.

Or rather—

Yunda seemed to be deep in thought: "It gave the weak a way to survive."

Like a peasant woman, like Amuqing.

In a world where literary talent and martial prowess reign supreme, everyone is weak.

"And aren't the weak the most numerous in this world?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Lou looked at Yun Da with new respect, seemingly surprised that the stubborn man who had been easily fooled by his lord Ji Sunyin had actually learned to think for himself: "Weakness is only relative."

For example, ordinary people are weak in front of Yun Da, but Yun Da is also weak in front of Shen Tang, whose strength steadily suppresses him.

Yun Da said earnestly, "I'm thinking—in times of chaos and times of peace, whose feelings should prevail? What is a chaotic world? Is it a world in turmoil, a world in turmoil, a world where people are suffering and like us, where wealth and glory are easily attainable and a life of debauchery is within our grasp if we so choose? Is that a peaceful world for us? What is a peaceful world? At least it's a world where the common people have a way to survive, right?"

Whether it's a chaotic era or a peaceful one, it should be decided by those at the bottom.

At this point, Yunda's eyesight improved.

“My lord is right, but Lord Shen is on the right path as well. My lord seeks to eradicate the root causes of chaos, while Lord Shen strives to uphold the foundation of a peaceful world.” He became more and more agitated as he spoke, “This is the path we should take!”

Wei Lou's pupils visibly contracted slightly.

But he quickly restrained himself.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, turned away from looking into Yun Da's bright eyes: "Since you can think like that, you should know that the stability of the common people cannot be based on illusions."

"A mirage? You mean Shen Jun?"

Wei Lou's smile didn't reach his eyes: "Yes, it's her."

It looks beautiful, but ultimately it's something you can see but can't touch, including everything she brought. She is the god whom the Gongxi clan serves indiscriminately, a celestial being high in the clouds, while everyone else is just a person struggling in the mud beneath the clouds.

No, perhaps in her eyes they were just ants.

Ants could bring her momentary pleasure, so she condescended to lower herself to their level. But an ant's life probably wouldn't even occupy a single instant in her life.

What she brings, however beautiful, is nothing but a mirage.

These days, Wei Lou has been facing close temptations. He can only tell his heart again and again with reason that it can betray everyone but its own reason.

"Don't you understand? Her influence won't last! One day, when her patience runs out and she's satisfied, she'll discard her pampered child like trash." Wei Lou was impatient and agitated, like a trapped beast wavering between two worlds. "Even wild beasts that have been carefully raised will lose their wildness, let alone humans?"

Human beings have far too many flaws.

Once someone is raised to be lazy, they may become unable to survive independently.

Does Wei Lou have any objection to Shen Tang's actions?

He was simply terrified of the "heartlessness" of "God," and he simply did not want to become a pampered child, born to be someone's pet and to provide them with amusement.

Yunda was stunned, and it took him a long time to digest and absorb it.

Both shoulders are visibly sunken.

He sighed, "...Yes."

Yun Da knew that the Gong clan worshipped an unknown wild god, and when the Gongxi clan publicly acknowledged that Shen Tang was the "god" who had descended to earth, his first impression of Shen Tang was very bad. However, as they spent more time together, his goodwill towards Shen Tang gradually improved and eventually became friendly.

From "evil god" to "evil god", it gradually changed to "a not bad god" and "doesn't look like a god".

Perhaps he is just an ordinary person with a kind heart.

She was a human being, just like her lord Ji Sunyin, not some ethereal being: "Have you asked the lord? Or rather, have you found an opportunity to have an open and honest talk with Shen Jun? After all, none of us have ever seen a 'god.' The 'god' in the common people's understanding is just their imagination. Perhaps, He and the real 'god' are actually two completely different beings?"

Wei Lou's body trembled.

The look in Yunda's eyes grew increasingly shocked.

How could the other party utter such a resounding statement?

Yes, he hadn't really thought about that. Was the "god" that the Gongxi clan served, the "god" he had preconceived notions about, the same as the real "god"? Before he figured this out, any of his worries might be overturned.

Yunda asked, "Haven't you thought about it?"

Wei Lou: "I never thought of that."

Yunda: "...Actually, I hadn't thought about it before."

People tend to use their own perceptions to understand the world they encounter; they make this mistake, and so does Wei Lou.

Yun Da then asked Wei Lou, "If this is just a misunderstanding, given Wei Jun's struggles these past few days, have you considered leaving?"

Wei Lou: "..."

Why has the problem taken another turn?

Can't Yunda forget about this?

He immediately turned cold, turned and walked away, saying, "No."

He wouldn't easily betray Ji Sunyin unless it was a matter of principle.

Yunda: "..."

Wei Lou's answer sounded a bit unconvincing.

Because Shen Tang was a legitimate employer, and Ji Sunyin's subordinates were all paid to do things, they naturally did whatever their employer asked them to do. Even if some people complained that Shen Tang was using their talents for a waste, they didn't refuse to work. Some even comforted themselves, saying that Lord Shen was only asking them to do manual labor they looked down on, not that he was making them go through fire and water. Selling physical labor for money and risking their lives for meritorious service were not fundamentally different. At least the former didn't involve any risk to their lives.

The more I think about it, the more peaceful my mind becomes.

Gradually, I forgot the unpleasantness of being looked down upon.

Being able to eat one's fill every day, with meat, vegetables, and refined rice and flour at every meal—this is a life many small landowners haven't even dreamed of. Some people have even forgotten when they last ate so much good food. This fragrant rice, these steaming hot dishes, they smell so good!

Each person even gets two boiled eggs with each meal.

The boiled eggs were delivered directly to my hand.

In the cafeteria, someone suddenly broke down in tears while eating: "It's neither steamed egg custard nor egg drop soup, it's just two eggs..."

As he spoke, he became emotional and cried even louder.

Others were also infected, evoking a sense of resonance.

Shen Tang was immediately struck by the scene upon arrival: "Who died?"

Why are you crying so bitterly for no reason?

Upon asking, it turned out she was crying while boiling eggs.

Shen Tang: "...Besides chicken eggs, there are also duck eggs and goose eggs, and soon there will be ostrich eggs, but the ostrich eggs will be split in half...Are they going to cry too? Is it really necessary to be so moved?"

The high priest of the Gongxi clan is truly a treasure.

Use the worms you raise to raise chickens, ducks, and geese; they'll be ready for market in a few days.

This is even more outrageous than injecting hormones.

Shen Tang hesitated to eat, but remembering the bland, watery broth she had seen in ordinary people's meals, she fell silent. Even if the chicken, duck, and fish produced by the Gu worms were comparable to excessive hormones, at least she wouldn't die from eating them for a while, whereas without them she would starve to death in a few days.

Of course, this news was kept secret from the public.

Shen Tang didn't want someone to dig up this history years later and say that she was the first person in history to raise hormone-treated poultry; that would be too ridiculous.

[Since they're so good at urging people to work, urge them to eat more eggs to supplement their protein intake.] The rule is that those who do the work must eat two eggs per meal.

Ji Mo Cong asked, puzzled: "Why not just make it into soup?"

Shen Tang: [Make it into soup? How many bowls of egg drop soup would they have to drink to get the protein from two eggs? They'd be busy taking off their pants to pee all afternoon, let alone doing any work. Be careful they don't burn the ground.]

Her reason was simple and unpretentious.

However, Wei Lou heard a different story.

He felt that Shen Tang was a deep and meticulous man, and that his tone was sarcastic and unsettling: "Is Lord Shen worried that someone might embezzle funds? Indeed, we must be vigilant and take precautions; we cannot demoralize the soldiers."

Shen Tang's Zero Frames starts with a string of scumbag quotes.

If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do.

Just as she couldn't understand Wei Lou's thought process, she also couldn't understand the thought process of the people in the cafeteria who were crying over two boiled eggs. However, they were indeed moved to tears. To fulfill Shen Tang's promise of two boiled eggs per person per meal, the High Priest Ji Mo Cong's flock of hens suffered a great deal of punishment: "These hens are laying eggs until their butts are smoking, these great hens are the only gods."

Upon hearing this, Wei Lou paused in his steps.

If the hen is the only god, what is his struggle?

Shen Tang looked up and saw Wei Lou standing there motionless. Ji Mo Cong, who was taking a break to report on the breeding of chickens, ducks, geese, and ostriches, stopped the conversation. Neither of them offered to invite Wei Lou to join them at the table.

Finally, Wei Lou came by himself.

Ji Mo Cong looked at him: "Does Lord Wei seem to have a worried look on his face?"

Wei Lou looked away from her, lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Well, the county government is currently severely understaffed. Has Lord Shen thought about recruiting talent? A large number of clerks are needed to keep the area running smoothly."

The county government's original clerks can also be used.

However, we simply don't have enough manpower to keep up with the skyrocketing workload.

Besides clerks and officials, a considerable number of proper civil servants are also needed.

Shen Tang said, "We'll borrow money and grain from your lord."

Wei Lou: "I can't lend it."

Shen Tang: "It's not like I'm robbing him, why won't he lend it to me? Isn't he afraid I'll tell his parents? Let Priestess Frost go over and give him a good talking to."

Wei Lou: "..."

That would be a terrible injustice to our lord, Ji Sunyin.

Where is the stinginess in not lending?

It's clear there's nothing to borrow.

Wei Lou said, "Our lord doesn't have many scholars to use."

Ji Sunyin's forces are somewhat unbalanced, with an imbalance between civil and military officials, but they are still relatively healthy compared to Shen Tang's side. Manpower is tight in winter, and he can't spare any extra staff. If he could, he wouldn't have been away on business for so long without anyone to relieve him.

Shen Tang: "..."

Hearing this, she felt too embarrassed to ask anyone for help.

He sighed deeply and said, "Why are there so few scholars? Don't they say that those families and aristocratic clans like to cultivate multiple offspring to gamble everywhere? Why don't they see me, this hidden gem? Why do they have to force me to resort to such extreme measures?"

Ji Mo Cong: "Ungrateful."

Shen Tang nodded: "Yes, they just don't know what's good for them!"

(σ)σ:*☆

Some people: They're just sitting at home when trouble comes knocking on their door.

(End of this chapter)