Chapter 1157: This is tricky (Part 2) [Requesting monthly votes]
"Got a small job?"
The fact that Shen Tang had two avatars traveling around hadn't been officially made public yet, and very few people knew about it. Even Xun Zhen didn't know what Shen Tang [Zi Xu Wu You] was doing. Upon hearing that [Wu You] had created a secondary account and gone to work for an enemy state, Xun Zhen immediately thought of his lord's rise to power, his eyes shining brightly, "That Wu You earned..."
Xun Zhen was interrupted by Shen Tang before he could finish speaking.
"Hanzhang, please leave some for me."
It's shameful for a ruler of a country to not even have a little personal savings.
Xun Zhen awkwardly stopped chuckling.
He earnestly tried to salvage the situation: "That's not what I meant."
Chen Tang, clutching the ledger, retorted, "So what do you mean by that?"
Xun Zhen adopted an upright and righteous demeanor: "Whether it is a fabrication or a complete fabrication, both are manifestations of the Lord. Isn't the accumulated foundation also the Lord's? Aren't the officials and subordinates we take in later also subjects of Kang State? In that case, shouldn't the Ministry of Revenue be involved in the salaries and the fate of the nation? Your Majesty, I will handle official business impartially and with absolute fairness, without a trace of personal grudge!"
Every word he spoke was powerful and resounding.
If Shen Tang hadn't always been unmoved by this kind of thing, she would have been completely confused long ago.
She countered, "Can the Ministry of Revenue even afford to pay salaries?"
The branch company's accounts are separate, and Xun Zhen can't be allowed to squander the money in those accounts; otherwise, how will the new company get off the ground? Shen Tang's few words left Xun Zhen speechless. He had no choice but to give up for the time being.
Xun Zhen also knew that haste makes waste.
No matter how much money [Zixu] and [Wuyou] make, or how much power they wield, as the territory of Kangguo expands, they will all be annexed and integrated by Kangguo. The accounts and treasuries of both places will eventually fall into his hands. Thinking of this, his eyes gleamed even more eagerly.
He seemed to have already envisioned a future of endless squandering.
Shen Tang: "..."
Xun Zhen snapped out of his reverie, remembering that his lord was still by his side, and hurriedly asked with concern, "What task has the lord devised?"
Is there anything you need help with to solve your problems?
Shen Tang said, "Not bad, just a minor county magistrate."
"You mean the county magistrate?"
Given Xun Zhen's current status, the position of county magistrate is indeed insignificant. However, [Wu You] has no roots in Qi State, yet he was able to take office solely through the recommendation of the Cui family… This demonstrates the Cui family's considerable influence and connections in Qi State. Shen Tang synchronizes her daily experiences with her two avatars before bed each night, which is a bit mentally taxing, but the timely information prevents misjudgments.
She said, "It's a poor, small county in the southernmost part of Qi State."
Thinking about the situation there, she sighed, "It really has nothing. Even the Heyin County back then was better. At least Heyin County was a poor and remote place with unruly people. If reasoning didn't work, you could use your fists, and even unruly people could be turned into good citizens. That place was terrible. There were hardly any households within a hundred miles... It was full of miasma and mosquitoes. Those cockroaches were as big as my palm!"
The small number of local commoners mostly make a living by fishing.
With many mountains, abundant water, and little arable land, the area was prone to floods and plagues every few days! The common people under its rule were all suffering from malnutrition.
【无有】They keep clamoring to send people over.
This start is even more difficult than during the time of He Yin.
During the He Yin era, the area was impoverished, but at least they had their own people helping them. On the first night after arriving at their destination, [Wu You] checked into an abandoned inn. As soon as they opened the door, several cockroaches swarmed towards them. Shen Tang updated [Wu You]'s memories, and that night had a terrifying nightmare of being crushed by countless palm-sized cockroaches.
Not fatal, but disgusting.
Xun Zhen asked worriedly, "Is this the only place?"
Since we've already gone through the back door anyway, we might as well choose a better place to take up the post. The emperor rarely complains; he prefers to suffer in silence. Now he's pouring out his grievances, which shows that the place is truly unpleasant. Even Xun Zhen felt sorry for him.
Shen Tang said, "Sigh, we can't trouble Ke Wu too much."
Who wouldn't want a cushy job?
The fatter it is, the more people will try to steal it, and the more eye-catching it becomes.
Shen Tang just wanted to develop quietly for two years, the less noticeable she was. Dealing with her ex-husband wasn't easy for Cui Hui either; if she were to secure her a lucrative position, who knew how many troubles awaited her later? She had plenty of experience starting from scratch; she just needed to get through the initial stages of her business.
Xun Zhen was not familiar with the situation in Qi State and did not want to offer much advice. He said, "Domestic merchants have dealings with various countries. We can plant people in them and secretly send some people to the lord."
No matter how much experience you have when starting from scratch, you still need manpower.
Shen Tang said, "That's what I meant too, but we can't make it too obvious. We'll talk about it after I've made the arrangements on my end. Ke Wu's ex-husband, that man named Cui Zhishan, is also a shrewd one..."
Shifting the blame to Qi Shan won't solve the problem once and for all.
"...Pearls are in high demand in Kangguo, and supply can't meet demand. That area is suitable for pearl farming, and the quality is quite good. I plan to wait until things stabilize there before arranging for domestic trading companies to contact them and make purchases, secretly." Cui Zhi was, after all, a busy patriarch of a powerful family. Even while keeping an eye on [Utopia], he couldn't monitor it every single moment. Pearl farming boosted the local economy and attracted people; it was a normal business transaction, with one party selling and the other buying. Cui Zhi couldn't find anything wrong with it.
certainly--
The merchants who go to buy pearls must be their own people.
Shen Tang already had a plan in mind regarding the candidate.
Xun Zhen said, "We also have our own to raise."
Isn't this stealing business from our own people?
Shen Tang smiled and said, "That's why we need to explore more markets."
If renowned officials and scholars could ignite the passion for diamonds, they could certainly use similar methods to ignite the passion for pearls. Thanks to the Gongxi Chou brothers, pearls have always been in high demand and short supply in Kangguo. If markets in other countries were expanded, Kangguo could also trade pearls.
They could make a profit while using the pearl business as a cover.
Shen Tang tapped the table with her finger, pondering her plan as she slowly explained, "That place is also suitable for growing rice, but clearing the land is quite difficult, and cultivating high-quality seeds takes time. Sigh, I even thought about having Lin Feng change his identity and come help me."
If you want to eat your fill, you can't do without Lin Feng, this precious little darling.
【Utopia】at least got things started, while 【Zixu】was much more unrestrained, a complete bully's nemesis tour group, going wherever they went to right wrongs and specifically targeting local bullies and rogues. They also recruited a group of people through their fists, but it's unclear what their customs were like there, but after a victory, more than one of them would pull their hands to their crotches and tuck out a corner of their trousers.
The unrestrained and bizarre scene stunned Xiahou Yu and Gu De.
This is an insult to civility!
You have disgraced civilization!
Xiahou Yu reacted and nearly drew his sword.
In his view, the defeated party not only did not beg for mercy and submit, but instead pulled out their filthy trousers, clearly showing their resentment and wanting to humiliate others with such disgusting things! It's no wonder that Xiahou Yu would misunderstand. Trousers are used to cover the anus and the penis. One is stained with urine, and the other with feces. If one's personal hygiene is poor, the trousers are murky in color and have a strong odor. Just looking at them is disgusting!
Before Xiahou Yu could even draw his sword, the defeated were dumbfounded.
He quickly stopped what he was doing and waved his hands repeatedly.
No, no... It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding...
Shut up, what misunderstanding is there?
The thief wouldn't be thinking that pulling out his trousers meant he was surrendering, would he?
Hehehe, though not quite there yet, it's not far off.
The thug, who had dodged Xiahou Yu's sword but was kicked by a mule, cried out in pain and knelt on the ground, tearfully revealing the truth. He truly had no intention of humiliating Shen Zixu Tang. That's how it was among the chivalrous warriors; the victor received the defeated's trousers. Wasn't such a private item enough to represent the glory of the winner and the shame of the loser?
However, he was relatively poor.
He didn't have any clean, unused trousers on him.
All I could take out was the one that I had already used.
Wandering knights are mostly rough men who don't really care about being dirty.
As long as this calf-nose trouser carries the weight of a victory, that's enough.
Xiahou Yu was dumbfounded, Gu De was speechless, and Chen Zixu Tang said with disdain: "...Are you guys seriously ill?"
Collecting the trousers of defeated soldiers—what a perverse hobby!
The bully, however, said that this custom had a long history.
Yes, it came from one of the powerful nations in the Central Continent.
Its popularity proves there's a reason for it.
Along the way, Zixu relied on robbing the rich to help the poor and "collecting trousers" to gradually expand his scale. However, he became a mixed bag, with all sorts of people from different walks of life gathering together. Unaware people might think that they were a group of tyrannical bullies from somewhere! Zixu planned to find a foothold in the Qi Kingdom.
Alas, the illusory has people but no land, the fictitious has land but no people...
The only thing they had in common was that they were all broke; they were all equally poor.
Xun Zhen said, "Improvements can also be made in Kangguo."
The grain seeds were cultivated and taken to the State of Qi for planting.
Having learned from their experience in the Northern Desert, Kang Kingdom had already mastered the art of perfectly controlling the superior traits of exported grain varieties to prevent them from being passed on to the next generation, and the same applied to rice. Using Qi Kingdom's land to grow rice that could feed their own people wasn't a loss. Shen Tang thought for a moment and nodded.
"Well, that's all we can do."
Countless thoughts flashed through Shen Tang's mind in a flash.
Well, to be precise, it's countless scapegoats.
The origin of the grain seeds could be framed against Qi Shan. As long as Cui Zhi's side was deceived, the Qi Kingdom's court would not intervene further. To put it bluntly, Wu You was merely a county magistrate in a barren area, with no more than five hundred households under his jurisdiction, and a large portion of the land within his territory belonged to the Cui family. Why would the royal court have the energy to pay attention to this?
Even if it's managed well, it will benefit the Cui family and Cui Zhi.
Shen Tang and Xun Zhen chatted for a few more minutes.
Debt-free and carefree, the emperor and his minister were in high spirits. Xun Zhen even took out his finest wine, which he had kept for two years, and ordered a vegetarian feast to be prepared to entertain his lord. Without his lord, where would Ji Moqiu's sugar daddy be? Xun Zhen said, "It's a pity, there's only one Ji Moqiu."
Shen Tang rolled her eyes: "How many more do you want?"
Xun Zhen laughed heartily: "The more the better."
Shen Tang shook his head: "That wouldn't be good. One Ji Moqiu is enough. If several others come with this much wealth, we'll have to kill them all one by one. The Gongxi clan's wealth is the result of their ancestors' honest accumulation. As for the others, if there are too many of them, they're just insects!"
“What the Lord says is very true.”
He was secretly astonished and worried for Ji Moqiu.
Don't be fooled by the Empress's usual eloquent tongue, showering each minister with sweet nothings in different styles; this is merely a matter between ruler and subject. When it comes to the boundaries between men and women, she not only lacks this understanding but is also frighteningly decisive and rational. It's hard to say whether this is due to being sentimental or heartless.
The emperor and his ministers sat facing each other and drank a small meal.
After they had drunk their fill, someone outside the tent requested an audience.
"Daiyi and Wenshi came to see you? To urge you for military pay?"
Xun Zhen, having money in hand, was calm and composed, a stark contrast to his previous anxious state. He smiled and invited the two men in. Just as he was about to reassure the two generals that the military pay was being prepared, he realized that these two weren't there to see him; they were there to see their lord.
Shen Tang tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then put down the wine cup.
"Looking for me?" he asked in surprise.
Zhao Feng and Xu Quan stammered, looking troubled.
Xun Zhen was very perceptive and could tell at a glance that he was present, so he tactfully got up and gave them space.
After Xun Zhen walked away, Shen Tang said, "Now you can speak."
Something's off about their expressions.
Xu Quan made up his mind, his eyes reddening, and presented the letter home with both hands.
Shen Tang skimmed through the text, her pupils dilating in shock. She looked up at Xu Quan in disbelief, asking repeatedly, "Wen Zhu's family letter?"
Xu Quan's eyes were brimming with tears: "Exactly."
He guessed that his cousin had committed a heinous crime, which was why he had to take such a risky move to protect himself, but this method was too reckless.
Given his cousin's many years of contributions to Shen Jun, aside from treason which cannot be forgiven, there is room for leniency in other matters. At worst, he can give up all his military merits to ensure the safety of the Xu family.
Shen Tang also thought of this.
She scratched her head: "I haven't heard that the Xu family has had any problems recently."
Although she fought on the front lines for more than a year, she never relaxed her control over the rear, and she knew everything about the movements of the court officials.
After resigning as the Prefect of He County, Xu Jie went to Fengluo to serve as a government official in the capital. However, to avoid suspicion and to facilitate the promotion of Xu Quan, he only secured a leisurely position despite achieving top marks in the Ministry of Personnel's assessment, and merely played a minor role in the Ministry of Rites. Although the Xu family business was handed over to others to manage, he was still the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, and he had helped Shen Tang a great deal over the years.
Everything Xu did was under Shen Tang's watchful eye.
Xu Jie, being a cautious man, feared repeating past mistakes and strictly disciplined his clansmen: "Unless you have the ability to deceive everyone, so that even the Censorate cannot find any fault with you, don't overstep your bounds. If discovered, you will be expelled from the clan!"
Even Gu Chi only had a few trivial criminal records to impeach Xu Jie, at most he would say that Xu Jie was not strict in managing his household and fine him a little as punishment. Could Xu Wenzhu, who cherishes his reputation so much, make a big mistake? If she made a big mistake, would she not know? Shen Tang's heart sank, and she began to worry about Qin Li's situation in Fengluo: "I'll go ask."
Xu Quan solemnly kowtowed and said, "This humble general is willing..."
"This matter isn't urgent. Let's find out the truth first... There might be some misunderstanding here. Even if there isn't, it's not too late to pull back from the brink." Shen Tang put away the letter, not in the mood for gossip. Xu Quan knew she was upset, so he requested to stay in seclusion and would not leave the house until the truth came out.
Because the "Dingding" system was too resource-intensive for holding court, and Shen Tang was away on military campaigns, far from the capital, Kang Kingdom had not used "Dingding" for remote court meetings for over a year. All official documents were delivered through local post stations, which was much slower but more economical.
When the unusual sound came from Wenxin's monogram, Qin Li didn't react immediately. Realizing it was a summons from his master, he responded instantly.
His avatar appeared in a void.
The Lord is already waiting there.
She asked, "Has the Xu family made any unusual moves recently?"
Qin Li was taken aback, then shook his head: "No."
Everything had been calm until now. If there was any unusual activity, it was just that Xu Wenzhu's troublesome cousin kept clamoring to marry into Gongxi Chou's family.
Alas, what a misfortune for our family.
|ω`)
Misfortune for our family, misfortune for our family, people are pointing fingers and gossiping.
P.S.: It's another year of college entrance exams. Wishing all candidates the best of luck and success!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
