Chapter 1200: Kangguo is the Toughest [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Tan Ting was surprisingly obedient.
If she were in school, she would be the teacher's favorite good boy.
Shen Tang sighed: "It doesn't suit his face at all."
Qi Shan has been in low spirits these past few days. Hearing the name "Tan Ting" makes him react, and he starts to bristle like a cat.
What doesn't fit?
Shen Tang said: [To use a stereotypical analogy, his appearance looks like he could stir up a bloodbath, but in reality—he's surprisingly quiet and obedient, only occasionally making some surprising remarks—]
She's so much more obedient than Qi Shan.
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Yuan Liang in person yet." She was very curious about what the real Tan Qu would look like, wondering how accurate the saying "appearance reflects the heart" was. "If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Qi Shan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
His molars ground together with a grinding sound: "The Master will be disappointed, and—could you please stop teaching him such strange things? It's hard to say about others, but Tan Mengyuan really will learn."
Qi Shan has been forced to stay at various places for several days.
Shen Tang reflected on herself: "I didn't teach him anything."
Qi Shan suddenly revealed an expression that was hard to put into words.
There are some things he doesn't dare to say.
Back then, Tan Ting used to bathe in the wild everywhere, but at least he bathed in remote, secluded forests. If someone happened to peek at him, as long as they meant no harm, Tan Ting wouldn't kill them. Now, with his improved cultivation, he seems less reliant on such activities; he's changed!
I've switched to just casually wearing a thin sheer shirt at home!
But the crucial point is that this is Qi Yuanliang's temporary residence!
As an unwelcome guest living under someone else's roof, shouldn't Tan Ting have at least a little self-awareness as a guest? Qi Shan went back to get something, and when she opened the door, she saw someone with their back to the doorway. Ru Zao's black hair was loose and draped over her shoulders. She leaned against the armchair, lazily gazing at herself in the mirror with self-pity.
The robe, being only one layer, wasn't very thick, and one could vaguely see the outline beneath the wide robe. Qi Shan was completely stunned on the spot.
【Tan Mengyuan! You—】
That's absolutely indecent!
He needs a more serious adjective than "the collapse of social order and morality"!
Qi Shan's movements interrupted Tan Ting's admiration of his reflection in the mirror. He lazily turned his head and said, "Shen Jun said that narcissism should prioritize comfort. Today, I felt my clothes were too tight, so I wore a few fewer layers. And this is indoors, not in broad daylight. What's wrong with that?"
Qi Shan: [You, you...]
For the first time in my life, I was so angry that I forgot what I was saying.
Tan Ting bent one leg, sat up straight, put down the mirror, and murmured to herself: "The person in the mirror is indeed worthy of pity."
Praying for good: [...]
This is all the Lord's doing!
If Tan Ting's mental illness were any more severe, it's hard to say he wouldn't have followed Mi Heng's example of playing the drum naked and running around naked. Qi Shan once again concluded that friends are more seriously ill than enemies.
Tan Ting's bright eyes saw through Qi Shan's thoughts, and she scoffed: "I'm not so idle as to needlessly invite the gossip of worldly people. Those who appreciate and understand will simply read it, but for those who don't understand to see it—"
His tone became laced with murderous intent.
Don't you want those eyes anymore?
Just because he looks good doesn't mean he's a weakling who can't even kill a chicken. His sword is sharper than Qi Shan's.
Praying for good: [...]
Faced with Qi Shan's series of accusations, Shen Tang reflected on himself.
Slightly hesitant, she made a promise: "Yes, I'll try my best."
Qi Shan knew that Shen Tang's promises were useless, but better than nothing: [I just hope his madness will pass soon.]
Every day he is not at peace, Qishan is tormented.
This is unbearable!
Adhering to the principle of "better to die for a friend than for oneself," Shen Tang avoided the topic and changed the subject: "Although Tan Mengyuan is your friend, he is also a prisoner of Zhen Kingdom. His whereabouts must be arranged after his seclusion ends. I don't know much about him, and if I treat him too poorly, it might be disrespectful. Uncle Qian also said his Word of Power is unique… I suppose he's the talent Wei Lou mentioned; he can compensate for Kang Kingdom's shortcomings in this area. However, he hasn't achieved anything yet, and giving him too much treatment wouldn't be convincing."
This is not something you can discuss with others; Qi Shan is the best candidate.
If Tan Ting were not a prisoner, he would not be made to suffer.
Historically, it has been difficult for surrendered generals and soldiers who joined later to get along with the original veteran groups, and they often disliked each other.
There aren't many promising prospects on Shen Tang's side, but we still need to take them into consideration.
Qi Shandao said: "This isn't difficult."
Because that's Tan Ting's personality.
He said earnestly, "If Your Majesty wishes to give him an important position and hone his skills, starting him in a local post is fine. If he were to go directly to the capital and serve in a position in the capital, a post in the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Observatory would also be acceptable. If the Ministry of Revenue is short-staffed, he could also be placed there first..."
The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War are not mentioned.
Shen Tang frowned and asked, "Can't I go to the Ministry of War?"
The Ministry of War is currently managed by Jiang Sheng. With numerous battles raging these past two years, the Ministry is quite short-staffed. Tan Ting's family's incantation of words has proven uniquely effective on the battlefield, making her an extremely sought-after talent within the Ministry of War. Given Xian Deng's temperament, he wouldn't resist Tan Ting, making her the ideal buffer for Tan Ting to integrate into Kangguo. Shen Tang prefers the Ministry of War.
Qi Shan said: 【Don't you know?】
Shen Tang asked inexplicably, "What do you know?"
Qi Shan's expression was strange.
[Tan Mengyuan is war-weary; he cultivates the path of non-contention.]
Sending Tan Ting to the Ministry of War wasn't a big problem, but it would be difficult to expect him to love the job. If it weren't for his war-weariness, he wouldn't have been able to master the family's spiritual practices so well.
Shen Tang: [...]
After a long pause, she managed to utter the word "6".
Shen Tang scratched his head: 【How can you tell? Previously, when Gong Xi Chou knew I was recruiting Tan Meng Yuan, he said that Tan Meng Yuan's aura was repulsive and that he disliked him. This shows that Tan Meng Yuan did indeed use a special incantation to suppress Gong Xi Chou's performance.】
That was on the battlefield.
Tan Ting appeared on the battlefield, and then he grew weary of war?
Qi Shandao said: 【These don't conflict.】
The literati of the literary world were a group that was both extremely contradictory and logically self-consistent, and Tan Ting was just a typical example of them.
Shen Tang: [...]
Qi Shan's considerations are not without reason.
[Tan Mengyuan's state of mind is not yet completely at peace, so it's not very safe for him to stay in the Ministry of War. Staying in a place like the Ministry of Rites is fine; it won't affect the overall situation and will allow him to gradually adapt.]
Shen Tang considered it seriously for a moment: 【That works too.】
but--
She then remembered something else: "Is the Minister of Rites still concurrently in charge of this position? Are you sure you have a chance if those two run into each other?"
Although Qin Li and Qi Shan had reconciled, he wouldn't let any opportunity to kick Qi Shan when she was down go unpunished. When the Censorate was attacking Qi Shan, Qin Li also delivered a few more blows, albeit not the most severe. To be precise, Qi Shan's enemies seemed to be on the same wavelength, taking turns to deliver the final blow. This time it was Qin Li, next time it would be Jiang Sheng, Xun Zhen…
The apparent harmony of the Kangguo court can be partly attributed to Qishan.
He alone attracted 30-40% of the hatred.
Occasionally, things would get out of hand, and Shen Tang would fear that they would draw their swords and fight in the court, and that they would secretly put each other in sacks and never speak to each other again.
Obviously, this is impossible.
No matter how loud the argument gets, it won't affect our vacation and trip together.
_(:з」∠)_
Shen Tang once suspected that the Censorate's report that Qi Shan had spoken frivolously to Qin Li was Qi Shan's way of retaliating; it really felt like a childish squabble. Qi Shan's suggestion that Tan Ting go to the Ministry of Rites—wasn't that just handing Gong Su a teammate in the "anti-Qi Yuanliang alliance"?
Qi Shan paused for a moment, then said, "What are you afraid of?"
Shen Tang shook his head helplessly, then chuckled and teased, "Tsk, even if the sky were to fall in Kang Kingdom in the future, Yuan Liang's mouth would be there to hold it up."
This is definitely one of the hardest things in Kangguo!
Praying for good: [...]
The matter of Zhenguo was finally settled before the end of the year, and Shen Tang led his troops back to the capital Fengluo almost at the very end of the year.
"Phew—I thought I wouldn't make it and would have to spend the New Year on the way." Shen Tang didn't care much for material things and was fine with spending the New Year anywhere, but she couldn't ignore the demands of the court officials. She was a single woman who only had to worry about herself, but the others weren't.
I rushed as fast as I could and finally made it back.
Because they arrived ahead of schedule, Shen Tang specifically instructed his court officials not to make a fuss, but to treat it as an ordinary day, to enter the city quietly, and not to disturb the livelihoods of the common people. Given Tan Ting's special status, he was eventually arranged to stay at Qi Shan's house for the night.
Qi Shan: "...No, why should I?"
His demands were ruthlessly ignored.
After entering the city, Shen Tang made some simple arrangements and then dismissed everyone. Those who needed to take a vacation could take one, and those who needed to prepare for the New Year could prepare for the New Year. As the ruler, she still needed to deal with the accumulated political affairs. Although she had arranged for Qin Li, Gu Chi and others to oversee the country and assist in governing, there were always some things that they could not do for her.
The more important ones were all sent to the front lines for Shen Tang to handle, while the less important ones were left to be dealt with later.
In addition to these, Shen Tang also wanted to take a look at the New Year's gifts bestowed upon various officials and personally write some auspicious characters to reward important ministers.
There are still so many things to do at the end of the year.
"Sigh, the throne is no place for a human being."
These matters also required the involvement of the Ministry of Rites. As one of the key ministers overseeing the state, Qin Li also needed to report to Shen Tang, so he decided to do both things at the same time. Looking at the table full of red papers and the emperor's wrist aching from writing, he said, "The emperor is no ordinary person."
Shen Tang said, "That's true, I probably am not even a person."
Normal cattle and horses simply don't have her kind of endurance.
You should know that she's not just running one account now, but three – not only is Kang Guo a large and successful business, but she also has branch offices quietly operating in two other places, and none of this is a problem for Niu Ma!
Shen Tang gave Qin Li a heads-up in advance.
She wanted to place someone in the Ministry of Rites, and to focus on training and appointing them.
Qin Li silently noted: "I don't know his surname or given name?"
Shen Tang said, "His name is Tan Ting, Tan..."
Qin Li then followed up, "Tan Mengyuan?"
Shen Tang paused, the ink nearly ruining her "Fu" character, before continuing to write: "Gong Su, do you know Tan Mengyuan?"
Qin Li shook his head: "I don't know him, but I've heard of him."
Tan Ting's ancestral home is in the central continent, which is far from Qin Li's. In addition, Tan Ting has lived in seclusion for many years and has not been well-known in the literary circles. Even though he joined the Gods' Society, he had no interaction with Qin Li: "When have you heard of him?"
I asked the question, but I already had the answer in my heart.
Qin Li said, "Qi Yuanliang mentioned it back then."
Shen Tang remained expressionless, thinking to herself: [Just as I thought.]
She continued writing a calligraphy piece: "This person's temperament seems a bit unusual at first glance, but after getting to know them better, they are quite a wonderful person."
The fact that Tan Ting, like Qin Li, has a conflict with Qi Shan is enough to bring the two closer and form a united front alliance.
Hearing Shen Tang's high praise for Tan Ting, Qin Li didn't ask any further questions.
We'll soon be serving in the same court, so we'll be seeing each other all the time.
There will be plenty of time to get to know the other person later.
I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Qin Li stayed in the inner court until mid-moon before leaving, as he had some matters to discuss with Qi Shan—Tan Ting was a member of the Consortium of Gods, and happened to be a piece of territory that Kangguo most lacked—
Is there really no coincidence involved?
It's like finding a pillow after taking a nap.
He wanted to gauge Qi Shan's opinion to see whether to keep an eye on Tan Ting or completely trust her, so he could have a better understanding of the situation.
Although visiting late at night was impolite, Qin Li felt no remorse because the person he was visiting was Qi Yuanliang. The steward led Qin Li to the study to wait, but to his surprise, someone was already there.
Under the candlelight, someone was flipping through the scrolls with great interest. Qin Li had read these scrolls before; they had been read countless times by their owner, even the rough corners had been smoothed and polished, and there were many annotations and notes on them. Qin Li did not deliberately conceal his aura.
The person under the candlelight quietly turned around.
He chuckled and said, "This seems to be an important place, the study."
Qin Li took off his fox cloak, and the steward lit a few more lamps. The light made the cats that were resting on the bookshelves unhappy. They stretched and yawned, sharpening their claws on the bookshelves: "Who would allow a cat to make its den in such a prestigious place as a study?"
It would be strange if Qi Yuanliang kept important things in his study.
Qin Li never felt guilty whenever he came over.
He asked, "Tan Mengyuan?"
Tan Ting put down the letter: "May I ask who you are, sir?"
"Qin Li, Qin Gongsu, Minister of Rites."
He will also be Tan Ting's future boss.
Qin Li found a corner not too far away to sit in, not wanting to get too close to strangers. Tan Ting, however, took the initiative to start a conversation: "I've heard that Minister Qin is well-versed in the ways of the scholar, may I ask him a few questions?"
Tan Ting still disliked men, but Qin Li was an exception.
It is grand in style and elegant in taste.
Like a pine tree, like snow, like the wind, he was completely free of the filth of an ordinary man.
Qin Li frowned and asked, "I heard? From whom?"
Is it acceptable to casually claim that the way of the scholar is perfect?
Haha, Qi Yuanliang is such a dog!
Tan Ting was surprised that his first reaction, instead of agreeing or refusing, was to ask this question. She paused for a moment, her smile becoming somewhat awkward: "I didn't hear anyone say that, I just felt it."
"I heard" and "it is said" are just polite excuses.
Qin Li's expression softened slightly: "I dare not presume to ask for your guidance."
The first thing Qi Shan did upon returning home was to visit the cats in the yard. Seeing that each of them was glossy and healthy, she was pleased. She picked out her favorites and fed them dried fish. Then she asked the steward about what had happened at the mansion while she was away. After dealing with these matters, she took a quick bath, changed into new clothes, and prepared to go to the study to pet the cats.
"Parents, Minister Qin has arrived."
"Qin Gongsu? What's he doing here?"
Qin Li never brings anything good when he visits.
Pushing open the study door, he found Qin Li and Tan Ting sitting opposite each other, discussing Daoist principles and exchanging spiritual words, without giving him a single reaction to the noise...
Qi Shan took a step back and glanced at the plaque of the study.
No, this seems to be his home, right?
ヽ(ー_ー)ノ
Yesterday I said the King has no romantic storyline, which meant he has no personal romantic storyline. There are so many arrows pointing to him as a ruler, as well as friendships and enemies, that they could make you feel like you're being pierced through a sieve.
PS: Apart from the main couple, I only consider the possibility of watching the supporting characters if they have families.
Before Qi Shan's death, Tan Qu still longed for a normal family, but after Qi Shan's passing, that became virtually impossible.
In his heart, he felt he was carrying the burden of two people's lives, and he couldn't feel at ease getting married, having children, starting a family, or achieving what the world considered a perfect life.
This should have been Qi Shan's life, not Tan Qu's.
In addition, his extreme craving for trust makes him unbearable to others (including enemies and friends) _(:з」∠)_. Him getting married? That would be too much of a disaster.
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