Chapter 101: The Fake Woman's Deceptive Acts as an Accomplice to Chaos in Beichen [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Shen Tang couldn't help but utter a profound sigh from the depths of her soul.
"Zheng Qiao is truly a contradictory character."
Qi Shan: "Full of contradictions?"
There's something about him that I don't understand.
Chu Yao: "Does this puzzle Wu Lang?"
"To say Zheng Qiao is foolish is an understatement. He endured hardship and humiliation, and without a bit of brains, he wouldn't have survived the old officials of Xin, let alone escaped the inner court. But to say he's clever is also an understatement; I can't see where his cleverness lies. He managed to squander such a favorable situation. Xin's own national fortune was already waning, so Geng's conquest of Xin didn't cost them much. If they had been able to settle down and recuperate, and hadn't done those foolish things like allowing their troops to massacre and plunder cities and humiliate the Xin royal family, they might have been able to conquer the entire northwest..."
Perhaps it was his nature, or perhaps it was because he grew up in the inner palace and was accustomed to the intrigues and backstabbing in the harem, so he was influenced by what he saw and heard and also liked to use those low-class and vicious methods. But no matter what, he won and climbed to a position above all others.
They had such a great opportunity, but they had to ruin it.
A winning hand was completely destroyed.
Chu Yao smiled and said, "Because Zheng Qiao is quite arrogant. He is very smart and extremely talented when he was young. Otherwise, why would famous scholars and masters disregard his background and be willing to teach him everything they know? If he hadn't been taken into the inner court by the King of Xin, with his talent, he might be a famous scholar who is renowned throughout the world and highly praised by everyone. But the more that is the case, the easier it is for him to trap himself after being ruined."
Shen Tang murmured, "Arrogance? Self-imposed bondage?"
Chu Yao seemed to be thinking of something, a hint of sarcasm flashing across his face: "He may not be unaware of what he's doing. Whether they are former officials or remnants of the Xin Kingdom, they are nothing but ants under his feet. Even if all the ants came out of their nests, they would be no match for him. He could burn them all down with just a single fire. Like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, he is overestimating his own strength."
"Everyone in the world knows about his disgraceful past in the Xin Kingdom, so in order to cover it up, he wants to show the whole world his methods of wantonly humiliating and toying with his enemies..."
Today he exterminates three generations of this family, tomorrow he confiscates the property of that family and exiles them, the day after tomorrow he rewards his unruly confidants and indulges their evil deeds. No matter how much the ants whose interests are harmed protest and struggle, they are all crushed into mincemeat under the chariot of his power.
and--
Chu Yao saw things clearly: "Although we don't know who spread the rumor that 'there is a mob rebellion near the temporary palace,' judging from Zheng Qiao's frantic and hysterical reaction, he may also realize that his situation is precarious, so a baseless rumor can make him see threats everywhere. However, Wu Lang thinks that Zheng Qiao has come to this point, is there any possibility that he can turn back from the brink?"
After pondering for a moment, Shen Tang shook his head: "Letting anger and hatred dominate reason will cut off his own path to survival. Even if he wants to turn back, he'll have to see if the people he offended are willing to give him a chance to reform. He understands this, so he might as well go all the way insane?"
Chu Yao said calmly, "Be cautious and self-disciplined, cultivate yourself and bring peace to others. When you are upright, the world will follow you. Zheng Qiao is the one who turned his back on the world."
Therefore, it was destined to end badly.
At this moment, Shen Tang noticed that Lin Feng was unusually silent, so she asked her softly if she was feeling unwell or sleepy.
Eight- or nine-year-old children have limited energy.
Lin Feng snapped out of her daze and looked up to find everyone staring at her. She lowered her head and stammered, "I suddenly remembered a folk song I heard in my hometown. One of the lines is, 'A fake woman acts as an accomplice to disrupt the North Star, and twenty streams of smoke and dust rush into the Purple Palace.'"
Qi Shan and the other person had never heard of this news.
After all, Lingzhou is not close to here.
only--
Qi Shan quipped with a half-smile, "The person who spread these lyrics doesn't give Zheng Qiao any face at all."
Everyone knows that Zheng Qiao was once given the name "Nü Jiao" by the King of Xin. Bei Chen refers to the "Emperor Star" or the "Imperial Residence," and Zi Gong also means "Imperial Palace." The first sentence scolds Zheng Qiao for doing all sorts of bad things and disrupting the inner court, and for her illegitimate accession to the throne. The second sentence is rather intriguing.
The smoke and dust of war symbolize powerful forces. The fact that twenty "forces" were attacking the Purple Palace was news that would make Zheng Qiao sleepless and restless... no, perhaps she already couldn't sleep.
Qi Shan: "You come from Lingzhou, what's the situation there?"
Lin Feng clutched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, looking sad: "I don't know, I only heard the servants talking about how the war has started again outside."
That is why the Lin family chose to flee south to avoid disaster.
Looking at the disheveled bandit leader and the afflicted Lin family, Qi Shan understood—the lyrics that had appeared in Lingzhou had led to internal strife, rumors of a mob near the temporary palace, and it turned out that a real rebellion had broken out…
Zheng Qiao has lost the support of the people, and all factions want him dead. However, Sibao County is relatively quiet, and there is no news of war.
He and Chu Yao exchanged a glance.
This was indeed the situation they wanted to see, but they hadn't expected it to come so soon. They had thought Zheng Qiao's empire could last another five years, but the seeds of war were sown in Sibao County. Five years was enough time for them to plan and strategize, and also time for Young Master Shen to grow.
Unexpectedly, the others were even more adept at handling things than the two of them.
Just by looking at a part of the picture, one can see the whole leopard. The timing and place where these lyrics and rumors appeared also show that there are quite a few "bad guys".
Shen Tang patted the little girl's head reassuringly, then suddenly remembered something and took out a few candies to hand to her.
"Here, it's sweet."
Kids love sweets, and Lin Feng is probably no exception, right?
Looking at the candy lying in his palm, Lin Feng's eyes welled up with tears.
Zhai Le sighed, "Whether there is a war or not, it is the common people who suffer."
When the states of Geng and Xin went to war, the battlefield was in the state of Xin, and one can imagine the suffering of the people there. The war ended, and less than half a year later, war broke out again. Who knows how many years this war will last, and how much time will it take for the people of this land to recover?
On second thought, it's not just the State of Xin that's like this.
The people of Xin Kingdom are just a microcosm of the entire continent.
Seeing everyone's sorrowful expressions and somber mood, Shen Tang felt uncomfortable. Just as he was about to speak up and try to lighten the mood, Gong Shuwu suddenly said, "Fifth Brother, I have a favor to ask."
"What kind of request is it? Just say it."
He pointed to the bandit leader and several captured bandits: "There are some things I want to talk to them about."
"Let's talk?"
A cold glint flashed in Gong Shuwu's eyes: "That's right."
Shen Tang understood his meaning after a moment's thought.
He said seriously, "You can chat as you like."
She wouldn't object to sending them down to chat with the King of Hell.
It also saved her from having to feed a few mouths.
Although the officials escorting prisoners was considered "official business," and they were acting impartially, the torture inflicted on the road to exile was not within the scope of "official business." Countless members of the Gong family, including women and relatives, died at the hands of these officials, making Gong Shuwu's demands reasonable.
The bandit leader was puzzled. After all the bandits were pulled to a secluded corner to ensure that the commotion would not disturb Shen Tang and the others, Gong Shuwu asked the captured bandits with a cold smile, "Which of you served as constables and participated in escorting the Gong clan members?"
Upon hearing this, the bandit leader's heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't help but ask, "Who are you...?"
Gong Shuwu continued to sneer: "My name is Gong Wen, Gong Yili!"
The bandit leader only knew that the Gong family had a fugitive, a ninth-rank, fifth-grade official, but he didn't know his name. He didn't even think of that when he heard Gong Shuwu's real name. Even so, just hearing the surname "Gong" made him feel a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
The few surviving constables trembled with fear.
Gong...
The Gong surname?
|ω｀)
The original lyrics were supposed to be "A beautiful woman acts as an accomplice to disrupt the North Star," but considering that Tang Mei's gender is now public knowledge, the so-called "prophecy" would be used to smear her, so it was changed.
(End of this chapter)
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