Chapter 1342: The Bait is Salty, the Hook is Straight (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The die is cast, and no matter how angry Shen Tang is, she can't change the fact that the difficulty has increased. She tried to calm herself down, and Gong Xichou keenly sensed that the crisis had passed. He carefully observed Shen Tang's expression and was only relieved when he was sure that she wouldn't strike him again.
Gong Xiqiu apologized softly: "...It was my fault."
Wei Cheng rolled his eyes back, vividly demonstrating what it means to roll one's eyes: "Hmph, is that all you've got?"
It was just a mistake made by chance, not something intentional. Besides being impotently furious, what could Shen Tang really do to Gong Xichou? Gong Xichou's appearance was unpleasant to look at; he had no manliness whatsoever and was too weak.
Gongxi hated Wei Cheng so much that he wanted to sew his mouth shut.
You think the old man's skin will itch if you don't add fuel to the fire every day?
Shen Tang was always one to respond to gentle persuasion but not force. Since Gong Xi Chou had apologized first, what could she really do? She bent down impatiently to pick up the wig, dusted it off, and skillfully combed through the messy strands with her fingers before putting it back on. Turning her head, she saw him with his head bowed, biting his lower lip tightly, his cheek muscles suspiciously taut. He covered his face with one hand, trying to hide his embarrassment, which only fueled Shen Tang's anger.
"Why should you tolerate it? You have the guts to cause trouble but not the guts to laugh?"
Gong Xichou calmed himself down and only dared to loosen his grip when he felt the smile had subsided, leaving only a clear tooth mark on his lower lip.
"What happened to Your Highness's hair?"
Realizing the current situation, Gongxi Chou tactfully changed his form of address.
"...Hair won't grow in this body." Shen Tang sighed. Heaven knows how hard she'd tried to grow hair over the years, but all sorts of magical incantations were ineffective, and folk remedies couldn't save her. She had no choice but to accept her fate. Wigs were convenient, but they were prone to falling out.
The situation just now was quite awkward.
Upon hearing this, Gong Xichou felt a pang of sympathy.
Having always had thick, full hair since childhood, he couldn't understand the pain of baldness. To avoid making a mistake, he secretly remembered that if he ever had a conflict with his mother, he must never pull her hair.
"Then—" Despite Gong Xichou's honest physical reaction and his barely audible breath when he spoke, his outward expression was one of righteous indignation, as if he weren't the one who caused the trouble. "What should we do with that Luo San? His strength should have a limit; it's impossible for him to increase indefinitely. At most, he'll return to his original level. He's all alone, while we outnumber him. We can just use a tag-team strategy!"
Wei Cheng spoke up before Shen Tang could.
He strongly condemned this despicable act, which utterly lacked any sense of martial ethics, and declared emphatically: "The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be! How could you utter such shameless words? I am ashamed to associate with you!"
Gong Xichou retorted, "Otherwise what? Knowing that one person can't win, why do you still send them all to their deaths one by one? That's a very old-fashioned way of doing things. Would it sound better to be told that you died stupidly when you get to the King of Hell? However, I don't blame you for doing this."
Wei Cheng was nothing but a skeleton.
Forget about a brain, it doesn't even have brain matter.
Wei Cheng cursed, "...You brat!"
Shen Tang interrupted their argument, saying that Gong Xi Chou was not much different from Wei Cheng: "What's there to deal with? Knowing that he's at the peak of his power, are we going to go and get beaten up? Shan Yong County isn't so important that taking it a few days later would mean national ruin. If that's the case, then continue the siege and ignore everything else. The 20th-rank Marquis Che is just good at fighting, not an immortal who can survive on air and dew. Even if he can survive, he's the only one alive in Shan Yong County. Everyone else still needs to eat and drink to stay alive. People will die if they don't eat!"
What happened before, and what happened after.
Weighing the pros and cons, Shen Tang chose to avoid direct confrontation to minimize losses: "Anyway, I'm not the one who's short of supplies, so why should I panic? The only thing to guard against is Luo San taking the initiative to attack and intercept supplies... If we can withstand that, we don't need to worry about anything else."
Gong Xichou: "..."
Wei Cheng: "...Let them starve to death?"
Surround them without attacking, and cut off their supplies.
To be honest, this strategy reminded him of some unpleasant memories from his youth. Nearly two hundred years had passed, and the methods of conquest in chaotic times were still the same old ones. Back then, in Wei City, he had personally witnessed the defenders surviving on the corpses of civilians and both friend and foe, barely holding out until the very end. The victorious side described this as "a last-ditch resistance," but for the besieged, it was a truly horrific nightmare.
Shen Tang said, "Then it depends on what Luo San chooses."
Wei Cheng's eyes dimmed slightly, his emotions heavy.
"How's the situation in Qu Kingdom? Did you encounter any difficulties on the road?" Shen Tang skipped over the troubling questions and inquired about Lin Feng's experiences in Qu Kingdom. Since the last message, she hadn't received any further news from Lin Feng. Even though she had made what she thought were thorough preparations and had enough backup plans, she was still worried that something unexpected might happen... If fate insisted on her failure, all her calculations would be in vain. "Look at you, you've gotten thinner."
"Although there were many twists and turns during the process, fortunately, we escaped danger without any real harm."
Lin Feng took out a palm-sized booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Tang. It contained a written report and an oral account. It carefully listed the important things he had seen and heard during this period, especially the two things: the Queen Consort of Qu Kingdom being framed and Zhai Xiaofang sending people to intercept them.
"Xiaofang's daughter?"
The image of the girl he had seen years ago flashed through Shen Tang's mind.
The other party left a deep impression on her.
"...In the blink of an eye, Xiaofang's daughter has reached this age. These noble families in Qu Kingdom, they wouldn't do anything a decent person would do, but since they can't touch Zhai Xiaofang, they deliberately corrupt other people's daughters, tsk—" Shen Tang closed the booklet, then said with relief, "...Xiaofang was bragging to you about raising children, right? He shouldn't embarrass himself by showing off his parenting skills. If anyone really wants to learn, it should be from me, I'm much more farsighted than him..."
Lin Feng: "..."
She always felt that the Lord's focus was a bit off.
Why do we have to compete with each other when it comes to parenting?
Seeing her confusion, Shen Tang smiled and brought up old stories: "Many years ago, well, when you were about eleven or twelve, Wu Hui gradually let you handle things independently. At that time, you had to deal with some poor and hungry people, so I mentioned to him that he should send people to keep an eye on them more."
Lin Feng searched his memory, but he really couldn't recall it.
"Lingde was still very young at the time, and looked quite innocent, but in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, she was already quite old, so naturally they had to be wary of unscrupulous people. Some people are evil at heart, they are just wearing a human skin. Given the opportunity, they would not hesitate to harm not only eleven or twelve-year-old girls, but also one or two-year-old children. Human nature is inherently evil. What these people want is not sex, but the power to do evil and the thrill of doing evil. If they can't beat the strong and healthy, they turn to plunder the young and weak."
Chu Yao and the others weren't initially very concerned about her worries, feeling that Shen Tang had underestimated the power held by a scholar-official. This power separated scholars/martial arts practitioners from ordinary people by an insurmountable chasm.
Even though Lin Feng is young, he still has the ability to use words of power.
Killing an ordinary person is no harder than killing a chicken.
But they would do their best to fulfill their lord's wishes. In particular, an unexpected event occurred later, which completely changed their initial understanding—this incident first alarmed Ning Yan, and then was brought to Shen Tang's desk.
The first batch of students at Longwu County Academy all came from impoverished backgrounds, including many orphaned girls. One of the female students asked for leave to go home and help her aunt with the autumn harvest. In the middle of the night, an old widower broke into her house. In his youth, this widower had bullied the village by currying favor with the local landlord. After the landlord fell from power, he behaved himself for a while, but soon reverted to his old ways. This time, he had his eye on the pretty young girl. He had a set procedure for dealing with people—he would strike first, hitting her hard in the face twice with a stick, and while she was seeing stars, he would use his fists and feet to beat her until she was powerless to resist before committing his bestial acts.
After all, it was the strength of an adult; even if the person hit didn't die or faint, it would be difficult for them to fight back. This female student was luckier than the other victims. She carried a dagger and had a sword under her pillow. Her body, tempered by the energy of heaven and earth, was stronger than that of an ordinary person. The widower, seeing that she was motionless, thought she wouldn't wake up anytime soon and lowered his guard, taking a stab from her.
The widower's pig-like screams startled the other villagers from their sleep, who rushed over and rescued the girl. Her face was covered in blood, one eye was bruised and swollen, and blood was gushing from a wound on her head. She fell unconscious as soon as she was taken to the clinic; her eyeball had been removed. She stayed with Dong Dao for over half a month before finally recovering.
It wasn't until the Temple of Healers opened and the physician Dong Dao achieved mastery of his skills that her sight was restored. However, the premature loss of her eyeballs and the resulting facial deformities due to abnormal eye socket development were irreparable. They could only wait and see if there was any hope in the future.
Such aggression often begins with violence. Given a significant disparity in strength between individuals, even a scholar with literary talent may not be able to protect himself. Ning Yan personally visited the student and returned still shaken, keeping a closer eye on him thereafter. Ironically, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the academy became particularly attentive to this matter. [My lord, could this person be dealt with severely and swiftly?]
Shen Tang agreed: [Let him die!]
It wasn't a swift death by a single blow to the neck, but rather slow slicing. Many commoners, having heard the news, came to watch the spectacle, and the screams of the condemned prisoner echoed from dawn till dusk. The commoners dispersed only after they were satisfied with the spectacle, dividing up a considerable amount of flesh and organs as they left.
We were poor back then, and we could only eat meat a few times a year.
This kind of human flesh search also requires a fight to be held.
"...It seems it didn't serve much of a warning or educational purpose." Shen Tang watched for a while, and seeing the commoners happily taking the meat home, her stiff face showed no joy. "Everyone is more concerned about the man's flesh than why he died... Sigh, Yuanliang, we still have a long way to go."
One day, my lord will get what he desires.
Although it cannot be completely eliminated, even some results are considered a success.
Lin Feng felt a warmth in his heart. Only now did he realize how much thought his master had put into things behind her back. He also felt a deeper sympathy for the Crown Princess of Qu Kingdom—the Crown Princess had not suffered physical violence, but mental abuse.
Isn't psychological abuse a form of violence?
They are essentially the same.
Both methods exploit the opponent's weakness and use their superior strength to inflict harm. One is physical, the other is spiritual, and the other is intangible.
"The Lord is the best!"
Lin Feng unconsciously adopted a coquettish tone.
She had been with Shen Tang for a long time, practically growing up by his side, and in some ways could even be considered his daughter. This closeness sometimes made Lin Feng forget their relationship as ruler and subject, acting coquettishly and silly. Shen Tang was happy to indulge her: "It's good that you know."
The warm atmosphere did not last long.
With the two groups joining forces, there are many trivial matters to handle.
Both the head office and the branch office were aware of each other's existence, but this was the first time that multiple senior executives from both sides had met. Shen Tang introduced themselves to each other to facilitate future collaboration. Initially, the atmosphere was relaxed and enthusiastic. Both sides had heard of each other, and Shen Tang introduced them one by one, with everyone else happy to oblige. Lin Feng, in particular, was the center of attention!
"My lord, is this Lady Lin Chu Jun's disciple?"
The second volume of the Biographies of Famous Officials and Scholars lists Chu Yao at the top, and Lin Feng is among his connections. The volume specifically mentions that Lin Feng, like her teacher, was a second-rank official, a scholar of letters, and was considered the foremost among female officials in Kang State. Rumor has it that this person will appear in the third volume!
Gu De and his colleagues had studied and learned about the people mentioned in the biographies of famous officials and scholars. Lin Feng was exceptionally remarkable in terms of age, ability, and everything else, naturally becoming the goddess in the hearts of many young scholars. The sudden sight of her in person was incredibly impactful—
They weren't prepared at all!
Shen Tang proudly declared, "That's right!"
Gu De and the others didn't react much, but a few of them quietly lowered their heads or avoided eye contact, looking somewhat shy and uncomfortable.
Shen Tang: "...???"
You guys are shy as radishes and bananas!
Don't they even look down at their own age!
Shen Tang subconsciously still assumed Lin Feng was young, but upon closer inspection, he wasn't actually that much younger than the others. Seeing that their eyes held only admiration and longing, and no other intentions, Shen Tang refrained from making a mental note of them. Wei Cheng, who considered himself a free man and would rather die than serve Shen Tang, had already withdrawn. Shen Tang didn't care where he went and skipped over Wei Cheng to introduce the others.
No one had any impression of Luo Sha.
The biographies of famous officials and scholars make no mention of a military general surnamed Luo. All that is known is that he joined the campaign in the southwest and had previously lived in seclusion on a remote island with his clan, only recently coming ashore. Judging from his appearance, his personality shouldn't be difficult to deal with. However, they have a strong grudge against Gongxi Chou!
Especially when Gongxi Chou removed his face armor.
The air seemed to freeze as several pairs of eyes shot towards them.
Her eyes held a mixture of confusion, shock, astonishment, bewilderment, rage, and violence... even the air temperature seemed to rise. Shen Tang's gaze swept over them, and she suddenly remembered some details she had overlooked—these military generals had been recruited by the Dubi Kun.
But where did the calf-nose trousers come from?
Shen Tang's gaze fell on Gong Xi Chou, who hadn't yet reacted.
"Cough cough cough—you two, know each other?"
Gong Xiqiu replied without hesitation: "Know what? I don't know anyone."
Immediately, someone stood up, their cheeks flushed with anger, a mixture of shame, indignation, and disbelief on their face, as if accusing a scumbag who had taken advantage of them and then walked away: "What do you mean you don't know him? Strange Hero Chou, tell me what you mean by not knowing him? Tell me—you bastard!"
The breastplate made a loud thud when it was slapped.
Gong Xichou opened his mouth: "Who are you?"
Honestly, I have no recollection of it.
|ω`)
Gong Xiqiu has never liked remembering people, except for a very few.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
