Chapter 1558 Extra: Mother's Most Beloved Subject (Part 2)
Gong Xiqiu's safe is stored in the Kangguo Bank, which is currently in trial operation. Its main purpose is to facilitate transactions for merchants throughout Kangguo, eliminating the inconvenience of carrying gold, silver, and copper coins for large transactions and the risk of being robbed on their journeys. The bank is connected to the Imperial Seal Register, making its fund management relatively safe and transparent, and subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Revenue.
Of course, the most important thing is to make tax collection easier.
Small merchants are fine, but these big merchants are all easy prey.
Xun Zhen would not allow them to evade even a single penny of his taxes!
Shen De went to the capital's main branch to open the safe, intending to steal Uncle Qiu's secret stash of money. Well, calling it a safe isn't quite accurate; it should be called a vault, filled with mountains of treasure chests. Shen De ordered his men to retrieve them and discovered something unusual.
"Huh? Why is it so light?"
It wasn't as heavy as I had imagined, not like a box of precious metals.
Although the box wasn't light, its weight was far greater than expected. Shen De opened one of the boxes with a puzzled look and fell silent.
"Open the others as well."
Then they opened the boxes one after another.
Shen De fell silent, and the whole world fell silent as well.
The box was filled with all sorts of strips of fabric, the materials of which were quite luxurious and exquisite. Samples of the finest craftsmanship from all over the country could be found here. Dazzling and lifelike embroidery was just the most basic; many strips of fabric were also inlaid with magnificent gemstones.
Shen De blinked: "I didn't expect Uncle Qiu to have this hobby."
At first glance, it seemed a bit strange, but compared to the several antique shelves in Chiwu Gong's house filled with human heads, Uncle Qiu's collecting hobby seemed perfectly normal and wholesome. Shen De couldn't understand how these boxes of cloth strips were related to the "connections" Uncle Qiu mentioned.
Soon, Shen De noticed something amiss.
As she picked up a long strip of cloth, its ends hanging down, one end bearing a name, next to which was a Martial Tiger Talisman imbued with intense martial energy. Shen De paused, immediately recalling a mysterious social organization in the Phoenix Court that had existed for over twenty years—the Gongxi Chou Conservation Association. This civilian organization had been revered as a sacred place by the wandering knights for many years, and its internal code of conduct had become the doctrine they studied and worshipped. The code advocated against indiscriminate killing of innocents, and that a defeated martial artist could use their trousers as a substitute for their head.
Shen De: "..."
She threw away the trousers as if she had been electrocuted.
Although it's impossible for a loot of calf-nose trousers to be secondhand, she didn't want to be carrying around someone else's calf-nose trousers. Shen De smiled wryly and rubbed her forehead, realizing she had spoken too soon—compared to Chiwu Gong, Uncle Qiu's collecting hobbies were incredibly shady. She also noticed that each box had a note indicating the place name attached to it: "Hmm, good storage habits."
Shen De directly used the token to retrieve the "connections" that he could use in the future, including the location of his business trip and the vicinity of the location.
"Uncle Qiu, where do you get so many 'connections'?"
As far back as she can remember, she often saw Uncle Qiu.
Uncle Qiu's daily routine consisted of either taking care of the children or cultivating. His aura was calm and upright. If it weren't for the string of martial arts titles on his head and his standard martial arts courage and physique, Shen De would have suspected that Uncle Qiu was a scholar.
Gong Xichou: "Naturally, I 'befriended' them personally."
Shen De: "When?"
Gong Xichou said, "Don't they all have time up there?"
To prevent the ink evidence from becoming blurred over time, apart from the Martial Tiger Talisman and personal signature, other details such as the time and location were all embroidered on by the embroiderer. Shen De naturally saw the time, but recalling several key dates, she realized she could see Uncle Qiu around that time, meeting him every three to five days. Where did he find the time to "befriend" him?
"But I always see Uncle Qiu."
"A lot can be accomplished in three to five days."
Some battles were initiated by Gongxi Chou, who sent people to designated locations to fight; others were initiated by Gongxi Chou himself. Besides, a rank 20 Marquis is naturally efficient at traveling, and with his elder brother giving him special treatment, he can complete a round trip and return home in three to five days.
Since breaking through to the twentieth rank of Marquis, Gongxi Chou had beaten up all the martial artists of the twelfth rank and above in Kang State, forcibly demanding their trousers as spoils of war. At first, he thought collecting other people's trousers was a bit perverted, but his obsessive-compulsive disorder meant that once he started, he had to collect the complete set. His elder brother even helped him collect the trousers according to the hometowns of the defeated, which made Gongxi Chou even more uncomfortable.
Kangguo has so many prefectures, counties, and districts; none of them can be missing.
Over time, he collected all the maps of Kangguo in the calf-nose version. Apart from a few 18th-rank Grand Masters who could warm him up, and a few 19th-rank Marquises and 20th-rank Marquises who could keep up with him, the others collapsed before he could even put in any effort.
Ugh, this is so boring.
Because he found it boring, Gongxi Chou stopped going out much.
Both his mother and elder brother, who could defeat him, were in the capital. He could go find them whenever he felt itchy to fight. If they were too busy to take care of themselves, Gongxi Chou could go find Wei Cheng, Gongyang Yongye, or Luo San to cause trouble. Yun Ce and Luo Sha were also barely acceptable.
Shen De: "..."
Seeing that she was quiet, Gong Xichou raised his hand and flicked her brow.
"Ru Gui, what are you daydreaming about?"
Shen De'ao said, "Uncle Qiu, I want to tell Mom."
"Only children like to tattle; isn't Ru Gui an adult?"
Shen De: "..."
She does say every day that she's grown up. If she were to complain to her mother about this, she would be being very childish.
"...I just didn't expect Uncle Qiu to be so powerful." One pair of trousers represented a defeated opponent, and twenty or thirty pairs of trousers filled a box, which could be stuffed full into a vault. This was a number she couldn't even imagine.
Gong Xichou: "..."
He vigorously rubbed Shen De's head.
Shen De slapped his hand away: "Did I say something wrong?"
Gong Xiqiu sighed, "I'm just lamenting that children these days don't know my fearsome reputation for stopping children from crying at night. It's clear that the world has been peaceful for too long, but... it's all good in the end."
Not only Gong Xichou, but many other valiant martial artists who were active in the chaotic world have gradually fallen into obscurity. They still possess strength that ordinary people cannot match, but this strength is no longer the poison that everyone fears. More and more people regard valiant martial artists as ordinary, believing that the most active place for valiant martial artists is on the construction sites of various large-scale projects, a scene that Gong Xichou could not have imagined in his youth.
Shen De: "..."
Gong Xiqiu gently patted the back of her head: "Be careful when you go out."
Shen Dedao said, "I am my mother's only child."
Anyone could get into trouble, but she's the only one who won't be in danger.
Gong Xichou said, "Your status is naturally precious in the eyes of those who revere Mama, and they are willing to go through fire and water for you. But in the eyes of those who regard Mama as a major threat, you are someone they want to kill as soon as possible."
Shen De: "Who in the world does not obey my mother?"
Gong Xiqiu said calmly, "A person who doesn't follow the rules."
Anyone who can profit from chaos and enjoy the process is always at odds with Shen Tang, who maintains order. Since they can't strike Shen Tang, they naturally turn their attention to the relatively weak Shen Rugui.
Gong Xiqiu didn't really agree with Shen De going out on business.
"Not all the officials of the royal court are dead." Giving them such high salaries and such great power is just to let them solve the problems of the royal court, isn't it? In Gongxi Chou's view, the lives of all the officials of the royal court combined are not as important as the life of Ru Gui alone.
"There are indeed many people who could do these things better than Ru Gui, but none of them are Ru Gui. A crown prince who has lived in an ivory tower since childhood cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility of continuing peace. The common people need a ruler who can see their needs, hear their voices, and empathize with their suffering, not a monarch who knows how to enjoy himself. Who doesn't know how to eat, drink, and have fun?"
Shen Tang had long planned to hone Shen De's skills.
The potential dangers are also something Shen De must face.
Shen Tang spread his hands and raised his eyebrows slightly: "There's nothing I can do. Ru Gui really has a throne to inherit. I have high standards. If Ru Gui fails to meet my expectations in the end, even if I have to fight against all the civil and military officials, I will still make Ling De the one to ascend the throne."
Gong Xichou was not happy to hear this.
He always felt that the children he raised were the best.
However, Lin Xiaoma is also very outstanding.
"...Can't there be two emperors ruling together?"
Gong Xichou had barely finished speaking when Shen Tang successfully ambushed him, giving him a solid tap on the forehead: "If you can't speak, you don't have to."
Shen Tang only dared to mention to her confidants that she had considered Lin Feng, rather than letting Ru Gui know, naturally because she was worried that Ru Gui would become estranged from Lin Feng if she knew. Even though Ru Gui's original form, the little red flower, was a creation of the Mountain and Sea Holy Land, formed by seizing the previous human's fortune, it was still essentially a "human" with emotions and desires.
As long as one is a "human being", one will have greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, evil, and desire.
"You clearly started it, but I ended up getting beaten up."
"...Please bring me that stack of memorials."
"You only have eyes for me, you think about me. Mama, reflect on when was the last time you sparred with me?"
"I'm busy, so please help me reflect on this and tell me the answer."
Gong Xichou angrily said, "I'm going to tell my elder brother."
"Only children like to tattle."
Gong Xichou: "..."
"Damn Gong Xichou—" Shen De accompanied Xun Zhen on a business trip. Upon arrival at their destination, instead of contacting the local government officials, she used a alias she had chosen on the spot and visited Uncle Qiu's "connections" with a trousers, hoping that the other party could help her.
These "connections" were furious when they saw the deluxe version of the trousers; their faces contorted with rage, and they were overwhelmed with grief and indignation.
"How could you give my... to an outsider!"
Shen De: "Uncle Qiu and I are not outsiders."
Uncle Qiu's things are her things.
Why are we being so formal with each other as family?
Those "connections" didn't care about this at all. Far from feeling comforted, they felt like the sky had fallen. Was it not enough that Gong Xi Chou himself had leverage over them? Did he really want his nephews and nieces to inherit it? No, what did Gong Xi Chou consider them to be?
Aren't they opponents he needs to take seriously?
Despite their grief and indignation, they ultimately had no choice but to close their eyes and accept their fate.
Gongxi Chou gave such an important token to the woman before him, which shows how high she is in his heart. If he refused to do her a favor, who knows if Gongxi Chou would turn around and bring them even more unforgettable humiliation.
"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Shen De did not reveal his hand from the beginning.
He simply asked the other party to protect him secretly for the time being. Those "connections" were all surprised: "Why didn't you ask Gong Xichou to protect you?"
Shen De: "Uncle Qiu has been placed under house arrest."
Xun Zhen knew that Shen De had been traveling for several days in a row, and he asked worriedly, "Isn't Your Highness afraid that these people might have ulterior motives?"
Shen De: "Uncle Qiu said that those who hate me are people who disrupt order. A person who disrupts order will naturally not keep his promise because of a 'calf-nose trouser' token. Since he agreed, it means that no matter what his motives are, he will not stand against me."
At least they wouldn't kill her to undermine the Kang Kingdom.
Xun Zhen nodded in satisfaction.
"Your Highness's courage and determination are a source of great pride for this old minister."
"Planning" is the strategist's responsibility, but "decision-making" is the ruler's job. Shen De, at such a young age, possesses such courage and magnanimity, making decisive decisions when necessary, far surpassing the likes of Wu Xian. Even if it's a wrong judgment, it's better than hesitating and wavering.
Shen De smiled shyly: "I am unworthy of such a title."
In less than ten days, Xun Zhen had already investigated almost everything.
They pretended to have just arrived with Shen De.
The local officials behaved impeccably, treating Xun Zhen and his entourage, who had been sent down from above, with utmost hospitality. The hospitality was within the prescribed standards, without any extravagance or waste, and they appeared to be honest and upright.
"If it weren't for Lord Xun's promotion back then, would I be where I am today?"
Xun Zhen paused in his wine cup: "Promotion?"
The official said sincerely, "I'm afraid that you, sir, have a bad memory and don't remember. My ancestral home is the same as yours, and I served as your subordinate in my early years... However, the chaotic times are troubling, and my mother was seriously ill, so I had to resign and return to my hometown to take care of her until her death."
Xun Zhen really couldn't remember clearly.
Looking back, that was more than forty years ago.
As the official's account became more detailed, Xun Zhen gradually recalled scenes from the past. He carefully examined the man's appearance, slowly matching him with the person in his memory. He said, "Yes, you seem to be my wife's cousin."
The official hurriedly said that he dared not presume to associate with such a high position.
Xun Zhen disliked this formality: "Why be so polite?"
As time goes by, more and more acquaintances are erased from memory. Xun Zhen recently returned to his ancestral home and found that the buildings he remembered had long since changed their appearance. The new buildings were newer and neater, but they lacked the warmth he remembered. Most of the local elderly had passed away, and those of Xun Zhen's age were now in their sixties or seventies—children who met him did not recognize him and asked with a smile, "Where do you come from, stranger?"
Seeing a fellow townsman, and a distant relative of his deceased wife, Xun Zhen was overjoyed. He didn't show it on his face, but he was inwardly delighted and drank a few more cups. Shen De, concealing his true identity and accompanying him as a junior official in the Ministry of Revenue, could only drink in silence.
Fellow townsmen or something...
She didn't doubt his identity.
It's also possible that it was a cousin of the deceased wife.
But it just so happens to appear at this time, which seems a bit strange.
Taking advantage of a moment of drunkenness, Xun Zhen rubbed his forehead and secretly sent Shen De a [secret telepathic message]: [No rush, let's take another look.]
Let's see what's inside the gourd.
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I diligently used the freebies on Xiaohuangyu (a Chinese online marketplace) for a month and earned about a thousand yuan. Then I immediately ordered a custom aluminum lump. It's been over a month since I've had any new tools...
(End of this chapter)
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