Chapter 531: The Fat Fish Takes the Bait (Part 4) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

It was called a collective morning meeting, and everyone was present, but in reality, it was mostly Shen Tang's original staff, with at most two military officers transferred from Chu Jie's side. The original officials of Longwu County weren't allowed to attend. Before completely eliminating any potential threats, she could use these people, but she couldn't trust them to do so. And it was even less likely that they would attend such a secret meeting. Who knew who had bribed them?

I've made too many enemies lately.

In the past few days, Shen Tang ordered a violent investigation of tenant farmers not registered in the local household register. This move undoubtedly touched the vital interests of the local gentry and powerful figures, and the conflict between the two sides became so sharp that it was irreconcilable, making a violent conflict inevitable. As a ruthless person, Shen Tang had the upper hand and was ruthless enough to proceed with the confiscation of property and the execution of all those involved. The bloody and cruel scene could be described as "heads rolling everywhere."

The original staff of the prefectural government had been heavily infiltrated.

Better safe than sorry.

Even so—

The number of people is quite considerable.

The civil and military groups lined up on either side of each other, and as for seating arrangements... they had a tacit understanding, and the hall was orderly.

Before the meeting officially began, the scholars were either resting with their hands tucked into their sleeves and their eyes closed, or their brows were furrowed. In contrast, the warriors were much more relaxed, and their conversations mostly revolved around how much they had drunk and eaten at the farewell banquet the night before.

Among them, the two Yonggu Pass generals who took over Zhao Feng's mission were the most enthusiastic. The border was bitterly cold and supplies were scarce. In addition, the war was intense. They rarely got to eat hot wheat porridge, let alone fine wine. By the time it was served, it was already cold.

Last night's meal was delicious and satisfying.

As Shen Tang took his seat, everyone fell silent.

"Greetings, my lord."

Good morning, everyone.

Shen Tang greeted them.

The meeting can now officially begin.

Shen Tang's solemn expression was noticed even by the generals, who were not adept at reading people's expressions. Their hearts skipped a beat, worried that the meeting would not go well. Unexpectedly, their lord began with a seemingly absurd question: "I suppose you all know my gender?"

The two men at Yonggu Pass: "???"

What kind of strange question is this?

They noticed the various expressions on the faces of the others, and the white-haired old general looked around blankly, muttering, "Shen Jun isn't a true, upright man... is there another possibility?"

Although it was said as a whisper, everyone present heard it clearly and distinctly, and their expressions became strange and distorted. Shen Tang naturally heard it as well, and laughed, "Although I am not a man, I can still stand tall and proud."

The two men at Yonggu Pass: "!!!"

Shen Tang straightened up and explained to the two of them.

"There is something I have never discussed in detail with General Chu and the other two. It is not that I am unwilling to say it, but I really do not know how to convince everyone that I, Shen Youli, am still a woman. And that I, a woman, wield the sacred weapon of the nation."

The two already knew that Shen Tang possessed the Imperial Seal.

He had personally witnessed that farming could also bring martial prowess, without hindering the training and strength of his troops, which is why he stopped complaining.

But gender—

They really don't know.

But we really can't blame her for this.

She insisted from the beginning that she was a woman, almost wanting to unbuckle her belt to prove her gender, but no one believed her...

Is she beautiful and radiant?

That's a boy with feminine features.

The voice didn't sound like a man's deep, resonant voice.

That's because they were young and their voices hadn't changed yet.

Occasionally, she would wear women's clothing and stroll down the street?

That's because Shen Jun has a fetish for cross-dressing.

Shen Tang can't exactly have the words "I am a woman" engraved on her forehead, can she? As long as Wen Xin's signature is revealed, the outside world will automatically find reasons to justify it—for example, that Shen Tang is actually a man with a woman's heart and fantasizes about being a woman all day long.

The only person she didn't mistake upon first meeting was Gong Xichou, which made Shen Tang's frustrated heart feel a little better.

Listening to Shen Tang's long string of inner monologues and complaints, Gu Chi almost couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the corners of his mouth kept turning up.

Pfft! Looking at it this way, our lord is indeed in a sorry state.

The two men at Yonggu Pass: "..."

They glanced at Shen Tang, then at their colleagues. Those whose eyes fell upon them nodded in agreement. After a long pause, the old general finally found his voice: "This matter is of great importance. Do General Chu and the others... do they know about it?"

Chu Yao said calmly, "He probably knows."

The veteran asked, "What do you mean by 'approximately know'?"

If you know, you know; if you don't, you don't!

Chu Yao played a trick of misattribution, stating bluntly, "The blood relative Yu Zi, whom Registrar Yu found, is also a woman. Female scholars and writers are not unique to our lord. With Registrar Yu's meticulous mind, how could he not know the truth?"

The old general suddenly opened his tiger-like eyes wide. He naturally knew Yu Zi, the precious darling of Registrar Yu. For a while, that fellow was particularly fond of showing off his precious "grandson." So it wasn't a "grandson," but a "granddaughter"? This old man was also in the know?

His mind was a bit of a mess.

Once I calmed down, I realized it wasn't so hard to accept.

Chu Jie and Yu the Registrar knew about it, yet they remained so calm, as if nothing had happened. How could a seasoned veteran like him, who had fought countless battles and licked blood from the edge of a knife, be so surprised?

He's been made to look like he's never seen the world before...

Furthermore—

Shen Jun's frankness and openness were acts of trust and intimacy. Just because she's a woman, does that erase her achievements of leading a lone army deep into Shiwu, beheading 30,000, and causing chaos in the Shiwu capital?

She pursed her lips, her mind churning with a myriad of thoughts.

Gu Chi listened to their thoughts and smiled slightly.

The old general, experienced and composed, quickly regained his composure after several moments of shock, and sighed, "It's no wonder that Lord Shen didn't speak frankly about this... It was indeed unexpected. However, Lord Shen probably had more to say today than just this?"

It seemed everyone else knew except for the two of them, so Shen Jun didn't need to hold a special morning meeting just to inform them. The old general's intuition told him that Shen Tang's revelation of her gender was merely a prelude.

As expected.

"That's true..."

Shen Tang then brought up Shen Zhi...

The crowd gasped in astonishment.

This matter caught the literary figures off guard.

Chu Yao was also astonished: "When did this happen?"

Shen Tang: "I speculate that it's after the border barrier was reopened."

Women in this world are not incapable of sensing or attracting the energy of heaven and earth; those with talent can do it too. What they cannot do is refine the energy of heaven and earth that they have drawn into their bodies and store it there.

Without storage, there is no accumulation, let alone the subsequent development of the Dantian and the refinement of literary and martial spirit.

"I'm worried this isn't an isolated case."

Although Shen Zhi was just an unfavored concubine's daughter, she was born into an official family and could easily access some basic cultivation techniques. Perhaps when she suffered unfair treatment, she gritted her teeth in secret and tried countless times to change her fate.

Therefore, she was the first to discover it.

What about the other women?

Did those wealthy women who were merely sent back to their parents' homes out of pity for Shen Tang also suffer the same fate?

They probably wouldn't think of Shen Tang, but being scattered and in high demand means there's a high chance of exposure.

Although Shen Tang did not regret her decision, she was troubled by the current situation: "...These people are not the most troublesome. After all, cultivation talent has nothing to do with family background. Even if a few of them emerge, they are unlikely to become a big threat. What I am worried about are the young women in Longwu County... Their numbers are huge, and they are more likely to have literary and martial talents. If they are not properly managed and guided..."

You can imagine the scene for yourselves.

“I might not be exposed to the world because of this, but Longwu County might be… so…”

Shen Tang looked at everyone and spread his hands.

"Let's pool our wisdom and ideas to figure out how to gather these people together with minimal effort without alerting the outside world. Firstly, this will avoid the risk of exposure, allowing us to spend these next few years in peace and recuperate. Secondly, the earlier we begin our cultivation, the better. If we delay, our bodies will become less sensitive to the energy of heaven and earth, which would be a waste of our rare talent."

(╬▔盘▔)╯

Saying that mushrooms (a type of mushroom) lack the talent for sweet romance novels? We disagree. How can they not be sweet?

(End of this chapter)