Chapter 147: Operation (Part 5) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
That's the logic.
but--
"It's absurd that only three people went to intercept tax revenue!"
Shen Tang, Gong Shuwu, and Qi Shan: two civil officials and one military officer.
She felt this setup wasn't good enough; even the Liangshan heroes who robbed the birthday gifts had a more luxurious and impressive setup.
"Who said there were only three people? Wasn't it four?"
A male voice suddenly rang out.
"who--"
Shen Tang and Gong Shuwu both became more alert, their gazes fixed on the source of the sound. Only Qi Shan raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. As the footsteps drew closer, the newcomer brushed aside the branches and leaves, emerging from the woods.
A man.
To be precise, he was a man whose appearance was somewhat familiar.
With graceful bearing and refined elegance, he seemed like a celestial being banished to heaven.
Unlike most people, the man's hair color is a very special gray-white, which, combined with his young and mature face, makes him look like he stepped out of a painting.
She wore a silver-gray-white ornament at her waist.
Gong Shuwu lowered his guard, carefully identified the person, breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it is you, sir."
The man returned the greeting with a cupped hand.
Shen Tang: "...???"
Another acquaintance?
Of the three, she was the only one who didn't move. The newcomer was surprised, but then realized what was going on and called out familiarly, "Wu Lang."
Shen Tang: "???"
Among the people she knew, everyone addressed her slightly differently, but the one who stubbornly called her Wu Lang... Shen Tang suddenly widened her eyes slightly, raised her hand and pointed tremblingly at the young man who looked no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and after a long while: "Wu Hui?"
The gray-haired youth laughed and said, "Ah, I recognize you."
Shen Tang: "..."
Wait, which step was fast-forwarded?
After only half a day apart, Chu Yao had changed so much? Her question was written all over her face, and the man who claimed to be Chu Yao didn't bother to hide it either. He couldn't hide it in his current state.
"It's a long story, let's talk about it as we walk."
Shen Tang was greatly shocked.
In her memory, or rather, Chu Yao from half a day ago, was not like this. The original Chu Yao had suffered so much, working as a handyman in the kitchen of Yuehua Tower for five years, bending over to wash dishes and sweep. Even though he tried to straighten his back, he was still slightly hunched.
Before entering Yuehua Tower, he had been exiled several times, his country had fallen and his family had been destroyed, and he had been unsuccessful for many years... He suffered not only physically but also mentally. His hair had turned gray and his appearance had aged; he looked like an old man in his forties or fifties.
Even though he is only thirty-four years old, he is still in his prime.
Have you regained your youth after just half a day apart?
Shen Tang opened her mouth, countless questions swirling in her mind, unsure where to begin. Then, noticing a familiar accessory at his waist, she exclaimed in surprise, "Your Wenxin has recovered?"
Isn't it said that once you suffer the most severe punishment in the Broken Mansion, you can never recover?
etc--
She suddenly remembered that Qi Shan had also said there were exceptions.
At the time, they even said they would "exchange their lives for it."
"Yes, but time is short. A full recovery will require three to five years of arduous recuperation, but that's more than enough to handle the current situation."
Chu Yao spoke of it casually, but only he knew how painful it was to reconnect his long-depleted and decaying meridians, reopen his dantian, and condense his literary heart. Beneath his seemingly neat clothes, he was already soaked with cold sweat, his inner garment clinging tightly to his skin.
Every time he opened his mouth, every breath, even every step he took, the pain gnawed at his bones like maggots, making his skin tremble, but his face remained calm. It hurt, but compared to the "switching of beams and pillars" or the "extreme torture of breaking into the mansion" of yesteryear, it was nothing.
Instead, a renewed sense of literary talent filled this frail, aging body, as if all the youthful vigor of the past had returned.
He only feels pleasure now.
Shen Tang asked, "What...did you use to exchange it?"
Chu Yao: "Take your life."
Shen Tang murmured, "Fate?"
The image of Chu Meiren Yao making an evil exchange with a witch, losing his beautiful voice, and losing his life automatically flashed through her mind.
Shen Tang's understanding of the rules of this world all comes from the people in front of her. It's still early, and there are some more hidden and obscure things she hasn't had time to explore yet. This is a good opportunity to make up for it.
Chu Yao suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Goro, don't you think there's something wrong with me?"
Shen Tang honestly complains.
"I feel like something's off about you..." The old man suddenly transforms into a handsome young man. Could this world get any more fantastical?
"To prevent future troubles, those who have suffered the 'Destroying the Palace' punishment are destined to be forever barred from the path of literature and martial arts, with only one exception—" Chu Yao, whether with emotion or helplessness, pointed at Shen Tang, "those who truly pledge allegiance to the ruler who possesses the Imperial Seal will, from this day forward, have the power of life and death over them."
Shen Tang: "..."
Completely stunned on the spot.
Qi Shan added, “If the ruler dies, all his subjects will die with him. Young Master Shen, if you die, it will be a double tragedy. If you harbor murderous intent towards Chu Yao now, he will also die. The principle of this method is roughly to use oneself as collateral to rent a large amount of literary fortune and forcibly restore the Danfu. As for the second condensation of the literary heart—in the past, it took at least one or two months, and at most one or two years.”
Chu Yao only took half a day
That's absolutely outrageous.
Qi Shan was so sour, it was like eating a lemon.
"...Is it...worth it?"
"It's quite worth it, and it also allowed me to see my own value," Chu Yao responded, explaining, "Not everyone who has suffered the 'Destruction of the Palace' can use it to restore their Dan Palace, nor does everyone mind being 'out of control of their own life.' They mind losing their literary and martial talents and becoming ordinary people. However, this method is demanding. First, one must find someone who possesses the Imperial Seal and be accepted by them; second, one must have value."
He used himself as collateral to lease Wen Yun.
If a person is worthless or of insufficient value, even a scarcity of literary luck would be insufficient to reopen their dantian, let alone use excess literary luck to condense their literary heart. Yet Chu Yao was able to complete the entire journey in most of half a day…
This only means one thing—it's really expensive!!!
Think about those pawnshops in the private sector; if they can pawn something worth 10,000 for 5,000, that's considered extremely ethical.
Shen Tang, having figured this out: "..."
She didn't see anything good about completely controlling another person's life; she only knew that it was impossible to avoid trouble and peacefully farm the land. The Imperial Seal was a bound item dropped upon death; killing her would yield an orange-tier weapon.
If she dies, Chu Yao will die with her.
It really was a case of two lives lost in one pregnancy |ω)
The only flaw—
"Why...do you not need my permission?"
Isn't she a pawnshop owner?
Chu Yao: "..."
Qi Shan: "..."
Gong Shuwu, who was learning for the first time that Shen Tang possessed the Imperial Seal: "..."
He hesitated for a long time, then looked at Shen Tang with a complicated expression.
“In the past, many rulers worried that their achievements would overshadow their own, so they used both soft and hard tactics, or even intrigue and trickery, in order to truly control the life and death of their subjects… Some succeeded, but others suffered the consequences.”
There are reasons why the country on the mainland changes so quickly.
This was a dream come true for countless rulers, but Shen Wulang's first reaction was to complain that he hadn't received his consent. He meant that if he had known beforehand, he might have refused Chu Yao's offer of his life.
It must be said that the person Chu Yao has taken a liking to certainly has something unique about him.
As for the origin of the national seal on Shen Tang's body?
He wasn't interested in knowing.
Shen Tang, who seemed to have been transported to Versailles: "..."
No, she didn't, she isn't!
She looked at the four-person lineup again and silently asked Gong Shuwu, "Half-step, do you feel that this configuration is extremely extravagant?"
Gong Shuwu: "..."
Three literary figures—that's certainly a luxury.
Some are dying of drought, while others are dying of flooding.
|ω｀)
Tangmei: I don't play the support role.
I've changed the plot order a bit. Originally, I planned to wait until Xiaocheng was massacred before having Chu Yao restore Wenxin (Wu Hui's original second-rank upper-level Wenxin had already been replaced. The crown prince who obtained Wenxin fell from power during the witchcraft incident and drowned in the toilet. The replaced Wenxin was a seventh-rank lower-upper-level, and it was also abolished because of Chu Yao's teacher's case, so it had to be re-formed). But I thought that wouldn't be enough time, so I moved it forward... about half a month.
(End of this chapter)
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