Chapter 936 Chapter 936: Jinli County (Part 2) [Please vote for me]

Gu Chi said, "He didn't go to see anyone."

This answer exceeded Shen Tang's expectations.

He raised an eyebrow with a hint of interest: "Didn't see anyone? That's interesting. Is there anything wrong with this person's background?"

There aren't that many coincidences in the world.

He randomly chose a post station to stay at, and coincidentally, someone there knew all the answers? Someone must have set this up!

Gu Chi said in a low voice, "Although we haven't seen this tea drinker, his identity is indeed somewhat intriguing. He should be a middleman."

"A middleman? A pimp?"

Gu Chi nodded slightly: "Yes, a broker."

There was more than one broker involved in setting up similar schemes.

They would wait at the post stations for merchants from other places, coaxing and deceiving them into going to Qujiang Lake to find the pleasure boat, nod to the top courtesan, and then use the top courtesan to borrow so-called official debts from local high-ranking officials in secret.

"These people are interesting. They've really figured out the saying 'where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure.'" Shen Tang's eyes flashed with a chilling murderous intent, his anger turning into a mocking laugh. "I forbid officials from engaging in business, and they try to have their clansmen and trusted confidants take over. Block one path for them, and they immediately start playing the 'three rabbits hiding in three burrows' game. Official debt, haha, official debt! Nine out of thirteen, back to the source..."

Everyone has their low points in life, and borrowing money to get through tough times is normal. The borrower gets through the crisis, and the lender earns some interest. People lend money out of curiosity, primarily for the interest. Why would anyone lend you money if they don't offer interest?

It's not illegal to lend out money to earn some interest.

It's neither within the scope of business, nor can it be called corruption.

It was merchants struggling with business and lacking capital who proactively sought help, not officials soliciting bribes. The interest they received was a return on the principal they lent. If you really want to find fault with this behavior? Well, the only problem is the excessively high interest rates.

The high interest rate was offered voluntarily by the merchants.

It was a mutual decision, so what can outsiders say?

Shen Tang crushed the teacup in her hand, calmly watching the shards spill through her fingers. She sneered, "It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Now that the problem has been discovered, it must be solved. At the next court assembly, you write a memorial impeaching them, and we'll make an example of them. We'll use this incident to close this loophole. If anyone tries to exploit it again, I'll twist the heads off their entire family!"

Let the Censorate stir up trouble, and then use that as a pretext to legislate.

It can also serve as a warning to the officials.

They probably haven't had a chance to get involved in the government debt issue yet.

After all, Fengluo was her stronghold, with the Seven Guards and Four Commanders under her control, and Gu Chi overseeing the Censorate. No matter what happened, it couldn't be kept secret for long. The fact that Gu Chi didn't know meant that the trend of official debt was only spreading at the local level, which was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Gu Chi watched as the light in his lord's palm flickered, and sighed repeatedly—it's been five years already, and these people still haven't learned their lesson? Then he thought, human nature is inherently greedy. Reason tells him he shouldn't do it, but he can't control his actions.

Otherwise, where would so many corrupt officials come from?

Which corrupt official wouldn't understand these profound principles?

Knowing and doing are two different things.

Shen Tang flicked her sleeves, creating a gentle breeze that swept all the spilled teacup ash out the window. Gu Chi was about to bow and take his leave when she raised her hand to stop him: "Wait, Wang Chao, the broker should keep an eye on things."

Gu Chi: "Does the master suspect that he has another identity?"

Shen Tang took down the forked pole, lowered the window, and watched as the moonlight spilling onto the ground was abruptly cut off: "I do have this concern. The knowledge he possesses seems to exceed the scope expected of a broker. If brokers have different levels of expertise, he must be the broker among brokers."

Gu Chi bowed and accepted the order: "Your subject takes his leave."

Shen Tang said, "Be careful."

Despite the fact that Kangguo has become increasingly prosperous in the past two years and appears to be a peaceful and prosperous place, there are undercurrents beneath the surface, and discordant movements occasionally emerge in various places.

It's only been a little over a year since Kunzhou was completely recaptured, so some chaos is understandable. But the disturbances in other places are a different story. This means that those secretly displeased with Shen Tang have never disappeared. They are like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike decisively. Shen Tang spends three months each year on inspection tours, and the Seven Guards and Four Divisions have secretly suppressed countless assassination attempts.

"Being a king is no human thing!"

She was alone in the room, and she kicked over a low table.

She kicked and shoved the low table until it fell apart.

Looking at the corpse on the low table, the surging waves of anger in her heart were barely suppressed. She closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and said to the beam, "Bring a new one."

Shen Tang turned around to move the folded documents that had not yet been processed.

When I returned, it was brand new, just like before.

It was as if the "evidence" of her capricious outburst had never existed.

Ever since she ascended to the throne, she sleeps later than a dog, gets up earlier than a rooster, and works harder than a donkey... Despite all her hard work, a bunch of idiots are still dragging her down and trying to kill her. On the other hand, Zheng Qiao is living a very comfortable and carefree life as the ruler. Anyone who dares to displease him will face the wrath of his ancestors for eighteen generations.

The candlelight inside the room never went out.

Until the early hours of the morning—

A bodyguard suddenly appeared.

She did not look at the king who was busy reviewing memorials, but instead walked behind the screen, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head to receive orders.

Behind the screen was a chaise lounge.

A figure in a carefree sleeping posture lay on the chaise longue.

This figure was also Shen Tang, or rather, her true self. She had woken up when the guards appeared: "How is it?"

"We have news from Prime Minister Gu."

The "Prime Minister" mentioned by the guards also refers to Gu Chi.

On the surface, he was her Imperial Censor, but behind the scenes, he also managed a personal guard for her, with the authority to deploy and command it. This guard was small in number but absolutely trustworthy. Matters that couldn't be handled openly were dealt with by them in secret.

Chu Yao and his group turned a blind eye to this matter.

Shen Tang sat up abruptly: "What do you mean?"

The men they sent kept an eye on the broker for a long time.

He was fine throughout the day and the first half of the night, but in the latter half, he crept up, put on his clothes, and made his way to a patch of wasteland outside the administrative office. It was more of a mass grave than a wasteland. Everywhere he looked, there were graves. The broker looked around furtively, finally stopping in front of a desolate grave and lingering for about fifteen minutes, muttering a lot of trivial things to the grave.

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow: "What did you say?"

The guards responded truthfully.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang's brows furrowed even more deeply instead of relaxing. According to the guards' account, the person buried under the grave was merely a middleman's friend, and the ramblings were all trivial and worthless, having no connection to the two major cases.

The broker talked for a while before going back to sleep the way he came.

His behavior and mannerisms made him seem more like he was sleepwalking.

"Aside from that, are there any other unusual occurrences?"

The guard said, "There's also will-o'-the-wisp."

Shen Tang sat up straight: "Will-o'-the-wisp?"

When they tracked it to the mass grave, they saw several eerie green flames floating in the air, but upon closer inspection, they found no trace of them. Shen Tang, hearing this, lost interest: "In this weather, and in a mass grave with so many graves, it's normal for will-o'-the-wisps to appear. I'm more afraid someone's playing tricks..."

So-called will-o'-the-wisps are nothing more than phosphorescent lights.

Shen Tang carefully sorted out the clues in her hand.

As his brows relaxed, a cold smile appeared on his lips. He waved his hand and said, "No need to keep an eye on the brokers anymore. Get rid of them."

A mere middleman, yet he's quite adept at playing hard to get.

She wants to see—

Who is really behind this charade?

The guard clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."

Shen Tang rubbed her throbbing temples, hugged the blanket, and leaned back onto the chaise lounge, ready to continue the dream she hadn't finished.

The next day, on the banks of the Qujiang River.

Shen Tang was still dressed in her meticulously crafted "widow's makeup," accompanied by her "accountant" and several "servants and guards," standing guard on the shore. She had received word from the Zhechong Prefecture that the pleasure boat would appear nearby in half an hour.

She sat on a small stool, her elbows resting on her knees.

His gaze never left the Qujiang River.

Just as she was getting impatient, a blurry outline finally appeared on the lake—the weather wasn't good today; the sky was overcast, and there was a lot of fog on the lake. As the pleasure boat drew closer, everyone could barely make out its true form.

This flower boat is quite impressive, with five decks.

Carved beams and painted rafters, magnificent and splendid.

Bright red flags fluttered in the wind on the lake, and every now and then, slender figures could be seen appearing and disappearing; just looking at the scene, one could almost smell the rich scent of perfume. Thanks to her excellent hearing, she could also hear the music and laughter coming from the pleasure boats.

As the flower boat docked, Shen Tang and the others went forward to greet it.

Several burly men, their bodies shrouded in martial energy, came to stop them.

One of the men looked Shen Tang up and down and said in an unyielding tone, "Please leave, Your Majesty. We do not entertain female guests here."

Because the authorities in Zhechong Prefecture frequently engage in entrapment tactics, the pleasure boats are very resistant to female guests who suddenly appear.

Shen Tang smiled and said, "I have an invitation."

The person who spoke exchanged a glance with his companion.

He asked, "Where is the invitation?"

Chu Yao took out the grain permit document he had prepared beforehand from his sleeve. Merchants had few restrictions on doing business in their place of origin, but if they wanted to do business in other regions, they needed to report to the government and obtain permission through official channels. This document was stamped with the seals of both places.

Shen Tang said softly, "Yesterday at the post station, a wise man pointed out that there was a way here, so I came to try my luck."

The group checked the documents over and over again.

Only after confirming that it was the real thing did he lower his hand.

"Please come up, Your Majesty."

Shen Tang said, "Thank you."

This pleasure boat was quite tactful; it didn't stop Shen Tang's "accountant servants" but allowed them to board as well. Calling it a pleasure boat was an understatement; it was more like a duplex mansion. As soon as she boarded, a beautiful maidservant came forward to lead the way.

They led us all the way to the flower boat and the flower hall.

There were more than a dozen dining tables set up inside the flower hall.

Each unfamiliar face, dressed in fine clothes, was accompanied by a courtesan. While their attire appeared complete, their hands, hidden beneath the folds of fabric, were far from at ease, playfully teasing and behaving intimately. The air in the hall was warm and restless, thick with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Shen Tang was speechless.

She should tell that the military commander that her crackdown was not severe enough, as the man was still doing his old business right under her nose.

Shen Tang and her companions seemed out of place in the atmosphere, drawing attention from others. Seeing that their leader was a simply made-up "beautiful widow," they frequently cast curious and wary glances their way. Shen Tang ignored them and went straight to the madam to nod to her as the top courtesan.

The madam said, "Our top courtesan here is no ordinary person."

"What makes him an extraordinary person?"

The madam chuckled, "To see her, you need money."

Shen Tang nodded: "I have money."

Yes, but not many.

After four or five years of frugal living, she finally paid off the huge loan Xun Zhen had incurred. Even though she was now debt-free, she dared not relax. There would be many opportunities to fight in the future, and Xun Zhen would inevitably spend a lot of money on her. His display of power would require Shen Tang to spend real money.

She is now working hard to save money.

The madam, twirling a garishly colored handkerchief in her hand, covered her mouth and chuckled incessantly: "Money alone isn't enough."

Shen Tang asked in confusion, "What else do we need?"

The madam glanced at the men Shen Tang had brought, gesturing for her to speak privately: "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but there's a rule to the path you're seeking—you need to bring enough money, and you also need to spend the night with our top courtesan."

Shen Tang: "..."

Chu Yao and the others: "..."

Shen Tang suppressed her wildly twitching brows: "I am a woman."

The madam said, "Our pleasure boat used to cater to female guests. It's alright if you don't know, our courtesans do."

Why are there such strange rules?

The madam laughed and said, "Naturally, it's to get on the same boat and tie the rope together. Since the lady has come here to find a way out, she should know that this matter cannot be publicized and she needs a 'pledge of allegiance'."

The so-called "pledge of allegiance" is actually "self-degradation."

Leave a small but significant handle on it.

It can be considered a test.

Having passed the test and crossed the threshold, everyone can rest assured.

Shen Tang, looking embarrassed, stuffed money into the madam's hand: "To be honest, my husband has only been dead for two months. His body is barely cold, and it would be really inappropriate for me to be with a prostitute."

The madam was astonished: "The queen has lost her husband?"

She knew that "widow makeup" was very popular outside, especially in the capital city of Fengluo, but those women weren't real widows. On the pleasure boats, even the courtesans wore this kind of makeup, but only for the sake of romance.

I never expected to run into a real widow today.

Shen Tang opened her innocent, moist almond-shaped eyes and said, "So... please be lenient, money is not a problem."

The madam stared intently at Shen Tang's appearance.

He weighed the amount of silver that Shen Tang had handed him in his hand.

After weighing the options, she said, "I can only pass on a message for you, but whether it works or not depends on their response."

Thank you!

The madam looked at the group of people she had brought.

Deep down, she didn't quite believe Shen Tang's explanation that her husband had just died.

He tentatively suggested, "Actually, these few are also suitable."

Chu Yao said, "No."

The madam became wary: "Why?"

Chu Yao said, "He is ill."

The other colleagues were shocked: "!!!"

Madam: "..."

Among the group, she favored Chu Yao the most. Upon hearing Chu Yao say "he has an illness," her face instantly darkened. She twisted her waist, strode up to the second floor of the pleasure boat, deliberately making a loud noise, and angrily cursed through gritted teeth, "He looks respectable, but he's all show and no substance, and he even has an illness. What bad luck..."

After a while, the madam came down.

His attitude was noticeably colder.

"Let's go up, we're lucky today."

Shen Tang and the others were led to a private room on the third floor of the flower boat.

The private room was exquisitely and elegantly furnished, with the scent of sandalwood filling the air.

The courtesan raised her hand and parted the pearl curtain, revealing her true face.

"How much principal does Your Majesty wish to borrow?"

Shen Tang countered, "How much would it take to guarantee the business's safety?"

|ω`)

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(End of this chapter)