Chapter 380: A Young Man in Bright Clothes and on a Spirited Horse (Part 1) [Two-in-One]

What sins did I commit in my past life?

Shen Tang often feels like questioning the meaning of life.

They can't even concentrate on their work.

Qi Shan came over to deliver something and happened to overhear her rambling. Thinking that she had encountered some troubles, she casually inquired about it. Her lord was still a sapling that was developing. As her subordinate, she should occasionally care about her lord's physical and mental health. She couldn't just become abnormal without saying a word.

Shen Tang looked at Qi Shan with a resentful gaze, unblinking for a moment, leaving the latter completely bewildered. She asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong with how you look at Shan, my lord?"

Could it be that he didn't wash up properly this morning?

Is your appearance damaged?

Before Qi Shan could speculate further, Shen Tang said softly, "I'm wondering how many years of life I have left on the King of Hell's list. Or perhaps, if I were to encounter a powerful enemy and be driven to the brink of despair, could I persuade you all to feign surrender? Maybe then we could launch a counterattack and turn defeat into victory... Sigh, what a worry..."

Qi Shan: "..."

He suppressed the slight tremor at the corner of his mouth, unable to suppress a smile yet saying helplessly, "My lord, please don't make such an unlucky joke. Besides, whether it's literary scholars or others, with so many people, there are bound to be one or two exceptions. My lord just..."

Or was she just incredibly lucky?

Or was she just really unlucky?

Honestly, Qi Shan has never encountered such a "luxurious" lineup, one that would make any lord tremble at the mere mention of it, despite having fought countless battles and taken down seven lords over the years. In a sense, this is an unreplicable and extraordinary talent.

From the side—

Doesn't this also prove that our lord is exceptional?

Shen Tang wasn't comforted at all and became even more emo, but she wasn't someone who would be easily defeated.

Hey, always try to look on the bright side.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

While Jiang Sheng and his companions were indeed a drain on their lord, the value they created was considerable. Each of them was equivalent to several laborers, and each was skilled in both internal and external affairs, capable of governing internally and fighting externally, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, complementing each other.

In this chaotic world where status, background, and cultural heritage are highly valued, if it weren't for the fact that their scholarly ways were too demanding for their lord and made it difficult for them to find jobs, and that Shen Tang was tough enough, she wouldn't have had the chance to take them back to her nest.

It's not that Shen Tang is underestimating herself, but rather that her starting conditions make it difficult to find enough excellent and hardworking workers, let alone manage a small piece of land, build good relationships with her neighbors, and lay a solid foundation for future development.

After this self-consolation...

Shen Tang has figured it out and is no longer emo.

I regained my spirits and started working at my desk.

Qi Shan's mission this time was to deliver grain. After finishing the accounting and handover work, he would take his men back. The reservoir in He Yin's area was under construction in full swing, and the river channel had been dredged for several miles. Everyone was very busy.

"Going back so soon?"

Shen Tang still wanted to keep Qi Shan on as a worker.

Qi Shan said, "If my lord wishes to keep them, I would not mind, but Wang Chao might cause trouble."

Shen Tang: "..."

Now, only Gu Chi remains in charge of the He Yin affairs.

The thought of the entire workload of Heyin County falling on him and a group of government officials made him laugh awkwardly. Gu Chi was someone he had kidnapped while drunk; if he really angered her, she could simply quit, and she wouldn't care what she said about it.

Qi Shan left with his men around noon.

Actually, there was one more thing he didn't say.

It's true that only Gu Chi, a scholar, is left to manage the affairs of the River Governor, but there are still outside helpers like Qin Li. If he's really too busy and overworked, bringing them over to lend a hand wouldn't be a bad solution. _(:з)∠)_ Yes, because of their lord's style, those below him don't care whether these people are his own people or not; as long as they can get the job done, they can be used.

As for how Qin Li and the others were cursing and swearing?

If you don't hear it, you can pretend you don't know.

Although the capital of Luxia County was recaptured, the surrounding counties and towns had been ravaged by displaced people and bandits. Although Shen Tang organized the opening of granaries and the distribution of relief grain as soon as he arrived, more than half of them still became bandits, either burning, killing, looting, plundering, or gathering in groups to become bandits in the deep mountains, or following the displaced people and bandits to other enemy territories. All living beings suffer, all for a bite to eat.

Shen Tang sympathized with them, but also had to consider the well-behaved commoners. He consulted with the other three families and allocated some troops to suppress the bandits in Luxia County.

Propaganda and appeasement are paramount; silencing and eliminating witnesses is the next best course of action.

If they are willing to lay down their weapons and become ordinary citizens again, give them that chance. If they are unwilling and resist violently, kill them directly. Under no circumstances should they be driven to neighboring counties to harass the common people there.

Shao Chong and the others naturally had no objections.

In fact, they were getting impatient waiting for Shen Tang's words. They were busy with those tedious trivial matters all day long, and their excess energy had nowhere to go, making them lethargic. Shen Tang's request for them to allocate troops to suppress the bandits was exactly what they wanted.

Among them, Shangnan Shaochong was the most active.

Before dawn, he hurriedly led his men out, traversing mountains and rivers, chasing the bandits on horseback. Jiang Sheng used this opportunity to suggest to Shen Tang that commoners be encouraged to report the bandits' whereabouts to the authorities. The first commoner to report and whose information was verified would receive a pound of millet as a reward from the authorities!

As someone from Luxia, he was very familiar with the local customs and traditions, where villages and clans would protect and conceal each other's secrets. Many of the bandits were relatives who had left their villages, and they would even tip off Shao Chong and his men when they saw them leading their troops there.

Suppressing bandits isn't very efficient.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang found it reasonable and even made a modification—the first commoner to report a band of bandits would receive different levels of reward based on the scale of the bandits reported. The rewards weren't much, but they were incredibly attractive to the commoners! Apart from the capital, all the other counties and towns in Luxia County had been ravaged, and the grain harvested by the commoners in the autumn had been stolen.

Without food, many of them will not survive the winter, and even a little bit of food is extremely precious.

It was so precious that it was enough to make them betray the bandits from their own village and clan who had previously tacitly helped them conceal it.

Firstly, the local government stated that it would keep the secret and not reveal the identity of the informant. Secondly, this action was not an act of betraying one's own people, but rather an effort to protect more law-abiding citizens from banditry.

Through a combination of persuasion and coercion, the bandits in Luxia County vanished within seven days. Eventually, four martial arts families vied for a single bandit-suppression mission. The bandits were gone, but the mess they left behind didn't end there.

The letters sent to the other three companies also received responses.

Four families jointly governed the lower part of Lu County.

Until the Zheng Qiao royal court sent a new prefect.

But everyone knew in their hearts that this was unlikely; they were busy fighting with the Pig King's faction and had no time to care about such trivial matters. Little did they know, someone had indeed noticed, but it wasn't Zheng Qiao.

Instead, it was Zheng Qiao's senior brother, Yan An.

Yan An did not agree with Zheng Qiao sending troops to drive away the refugees and bandits. He believed that they should either be completely suppressed or incorporated into his own forces. Driving them away would not only harm the common people in other places, but would also allow the group to expand and eventually cause a great disaster.

But Zheng Qiao simply wouldn't listen.

Yan An was so angry that he didn't show up for roll call for half a month.

"Alas, why is Xingning doing this to herself?"

Everyone said Yan An was angry and threw a tantrum at Zheng Qiao, while others said he was heartbroken by Zheng Qiao's absurd behavior and was using this opportunity to retire gracefully. Only his wife knew that Yan An was truly unwell…

In his rage, he was then chilled by the cold wind.

He remained bedridden for half a month.

At this moment, Yan An seemed to have aged more than ten years. His once black and smooth hair had turned gray and white, and fine wrinkles had crept up around his eyes. His complexion was sallow, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His breathing was sometimes slow and sometimes rapid, which was heartbreaking to see.

Yan An sat up with his wife's help.

Drink today's dose of herbal medicine.

He suppressed the lingering bitterness on his tongue, like a fine needle piercing his heart, and said calmly, "Some things always have to be done by someone. If not me, then someone else."

Upon hearing this, the lady said nothing more, but her young eyes were filled with even deeper melancholy as she helped him put on his cloak.

The air remained quiet for a long time.

Yan An suddenly let out a soft laugh.

The lady looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Yan An said, "It's a message sent back by Zi Xu."

Upon hearing that it was "purely false," the lady's delicate eyebrows relaxed: "Alas, anything that can make you laugh these days must be a happy event."

Yan An struggled slightly to pull up his cloak, which had slipped down his shoulders, and said, "Whether it's a happy occasion or not is still hard to say. Zi Xu sent word that those commoners who were driven away by my junior brother ran into a brick wall while passing through Lu Xia County."

After thinking it over carefully, the lady was surprised: "Didn't Xingning say that the Prefect of Lu was fierce and belligerent, brave but reckless, and a nepotist, and therefore unfit for any important task? How could he actually defend Luxia County and make an enemy many times our size suffer a defeat?"

The scholar's way of Yan'an is quite useful.

He had basically gotten to know all the prominent figures in various places. His wife and he had been childhood sweethearts and fellow students, so they had a close relationship. Yan An had virtually no secrets from her. Naturally, his wife also knew Yan An's opinions of those people.

He didn't think highly of this Prefect Lu. He said that if someone has poor judgment, they will inevitably stumble because of their connections with the imperial relatives.

Could it be that they've turned the tide against all odds?

Yan An said, "The man surnamed Lu is dead."

"Dead? What do you mean..."

"The man died, but he had already sought help from the surrounding areas. Shen Youli, whom I have never been able to understand, actually sought help from Shangnan, Tianhai, and Yiru, gathering troops to rush to Luxia. The man surnamed Lu died on the day the city fell, and his whole family was killed by villains, leaving only two survivors..." Yan An sighed slightly.

"Is this all that makes Xingning so happy?" Ever since Yan'an took up a post in Zhengqiao, she hadn't seen him smile much. When he did smile, it was faint and fleeting, so quick it was almost unbelievable. "Could it be that Shen Youli has done something again?"

Yan An recounted everything he knew.

There are two people in this world that he cannot see through.

One is Zheng Qiao.

One is Shen Tang.

If his junior brother Zheng Qiao was completely black inside and out, obsessive, radical, cruel, and bloodthirsty, then Prefect Shen was the other extreme. If the latter were consistent in word and deed, it would be a great blessing for the common people, but he worried that this was just a facade.

There is a truth beneath the surface.

The lady said, "Isn't this good?"

Yan An sighed, "Perhaps."

Seeing the deep weariness between his brows, the lady told him to lie down and rest, and not to worry about anything.

Meanwhile, inside the palace.

Zheng Qiao was carefully reviewing the information related to the banquet.

The leader of the secret agents on one side looked puzzled.

Yan An's loyalty was known throughout the court. People despised Yan An's blind loyalty and stubbornness, that he was so devoted to someone like Zheng Qiao. At the same time, they also pitied Yan An for wasting his knowledge on someone like Zheng Qiao. He was both pitiful and hateful.

But Zheng Qiao doesn't seem to think so.

Seeing that the head of the secret service seemed hesitant to speak, he chuckled and lightly tossed the report onto the desk, saying calmly, "Ask whatever questions you have. Are you perhaps worried that I'll kill you too?"

"Your subject does have one question—clearly, Lord Yan is utterly loyal to His Majesty..." The head of the secret agents lowered his head even further as he spoke, fearing that Zheng Qiao might suddenly behead him in a fit of rage. Fortunately, this did not happen.

He also heard Zheng Qiao sneer.

"Loyalty?"

It was as if I had heard something funny.

He then asked, "You say Yan Xingning is loyal to me?"

The head of the secret service asked, puzzled, "Isn't that right?"

Whether it was him or the other ministers, everyone believed that Yan An was utterly loyal to Zheng Qiao. Even knowing that his junior brother was beyond redemption, they never gave up on him. Time and time again, they cleaned up Zheng Qiao's messes, but Zheng Qiao was much faster at making things worse than they were at fixing them, and he often refused to listen to advice, which led to the situation becoming increasingly unfavorable.

Perhaps only Zheng Qiao in this world can't see this point.

Zheng Qiao shook his head, a mocking smile on his face, and said, "You all still don't understand my senior brother..."

The leader of the secret agents fell silent.

He thought to himself: [One person might be mistaken, but how could millions of eyes be wrong? Yan An's loyalty...does it even need doubting? If that person, confined to their sickbed, heard their junior brother say these words, wouldn't they feel a chill in their heart?]

On second thought.

How many times has Zheng Qiao done things that chilled Yan Xingning's heart? Previously, out of suspicion and threat, he even allowed Yan An's wife and daughters to visit the palace for a day—ostensibly as guests, but in reality, as hostages. If Yan An hadn't been so blindly loyal, he would have rebelled long ago.

Zheng Qiao waved away the head of the secret agents and burned the report under the candlelight. Finally, he drew his sword from his waist and carefully wiped it. Looking at the blade reflecting a cold white light in the candlelight, he sneered and pushed the sword back into its sheath.

"Loyalty?" he murmured to the candlelight, "But in this world there are only treacherous officials who want my life!"

"Senior brother, you mustn't let me down."

Two days later, Zheng Qiao urgently summoned Yan An back, citing busy affairs of the court, and the latter happened to have recovered from his illness.

Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Shen Tang and others, Lu Xia County finally stabilized. Seeing that the time was right, Shen Tang prepared to return. After all, she was the Prefect of He Yin County, and the three families of Tianhai had sent people to take over. The seventh day after the death of the Prefect of Lu County had long passed, and it would not be good for her to continue to delay.

So she left Kang Shi and a thousand soldiers behind.

They led the remaining people back.

Hehehe, in another month or two it will be the first month of the lunar calendar again.

Shen Tang is planning to hold a larger-scale second Fugu City New Year Games, inviting the three other cities to send some "athletes" to compete against each other. Well, the real reason is to attract these local spenders to come and spend money in their territory.

_(:з」∠)_

On the way back, she dawdled.

The journey was doubled.

Gu Chi and the others were eagerly waiting.

"Why is my lord so late in returning?"

Shen Tang whispered her plan: "Isn't this just to delay things for a few more days and get three companies to work for us for free? As soon as I get back, they'll definitely resign..."

(End of this chapter)