Chapter 1589 IF Scenario: What if Shen Tang woke up earlier (Part 3)
Unlike the others' boorishness, Wei Lou's mind was clearly not on these large, white meat buns. He was just casually peeling the skin off the buns and listened for a while without hearing anything further. When he looked up, Ji Sunyin was stuffing meat buns into her mouth with both hands, her cheeks bulging and her mouth dripping with oil, looking as if she hadn't eaten for ten days or half a month.
However, considering the previous food standards and the current meal standards, Ji Sunyin's previous complaints about the poor quality of the government office's food were not entirely due to his pickiness; it really wasn't very tasty: "Is that all?"
Ji Sunyin quickly swallowed: "What do you mean, 'just like this'?"
"The clan elders of our lord only asked about the situation outside?"
Ji Sunyin: "Yes, but there was just so much to talk about. It was getting late, so the High Priest let me go to sleep. I miss my bed and blankets at home so much. I slept soundly without even having a dream."
The ancestral lands were an absolutely safe haven for him.
Just smelling the air here makes me feel at ease.
This long-lost relaxation was something the mundane world could not provide for him. He was awakened by the sunlight when it was already bright daylight. As soon as he woke up, he subconsciously looked for A-Yu to have breakfast. Only after A-Yu reminded him did he remember his subordinate whom he had forgotten. He hurriedly took more than a hundred meat buns from the cafeteria.
Wei Lou frowned slightly, remaining silent.
Ji Sunyin said, "You seem to have something on your mind these past two days?"
Although Wei Lou was usually not talkative, this silence was unusual. Ji Sunyin, unaware of Wei Lou's thoughts, mistakenly assumed that Wei Lou was worried that she would be blinded by the stability and wealth within the clan and would not return with them: "Are you worried that I'll come and not leave?"
Wei Lou replied indifferently, "That's not true."
Ji Sunyin was completely baffled by his attitude and secretly wondered if she had offended Wei Lou recently.
A hundred or so fist-sized meat buns could only fill these military officers to about six or seven-tenths full. Ji Sunyin was about to invite everyone to the main dining hall to eat some more when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He quickly stood up and bowed, and the other subordinates naturally followed suit.
"Greetings, High Priest."
Ji Mo Cong only accepted Ji Sunyin's greeting, but turned away from the others—these outsiders respected A Sheng as their master, but they were not vassals of the Gongxi clan, and therefore had no obligation to greet her. She could clearly see that these outsiders were neither friendly nor accepting of the clan.
However, Ji Sunyin was clearly unaware of this.
He smiled and leaned forward: "What brings the High Priest here?"
Ji Mo Cong gently rubbed Ji Sun Yin's forehead, which was leaning closer to her, feeling quite gratified. She had thought back then that this child would run away and never come back. It was good that he was back. She flicked his brow with her finger: "If you've finished eating, come with me to the meeting."
Ji Sunyin said "Oh" and followed.
Ji Mo Cong turned around and looked at the crowd who were standing still, and said with a smile, "The distinguished guest brought back by A Sheng, please move over as well."
Ji Sunyin's eyes flashed with confusion, while Wei Lou calmly refused, "This is a family matter within the lord's clan, and it is inconvenient for us to interfere."
Ji Mo Cong remained calm and composed: "Today's matter concerns the lives of all people. If you are among them, how can you not intervene?"
Wei Lou and the others exchanged subtle glances.
They couldn't guess what Ji Mo Cong was up to.
But since they'd put it that way, it wouldn't be appropriate for them not to go. They figured they might as well go see what these people were up to. The meeting place was set up in the center of the clan, beneath a giant plant that had lived for countless years. The plant was hollow inside, its roots crisscrossing, creating an extremely spacious area used for all clan events, large and small. It had now been converted into a meeting room.
There were only about twenty mats in the entire conference room.
One image is placed in the main position, and the rest surround it in a large circle.
Ji Mo Cong: "Sit wherever you like."
He then randomly picked a spot to sit down.
Ji Sunyin sat down next to her, Wei Cheng next to Ji Sunyin, and the others in order. After sitting for a while, no other attendees came over, but Gong Xiyu brought them fruit. Ji Sunyin picked the biggest and reddest apple and crunched it down.
Wei Lou: "..."
I really don't see how this has anything to do with the common people.
Yunda picked up a bunch of grapes: "They're so sweet."
Freezing the grapes before eating them gives them a unique flavor.
Qin You leaned over and stole a piece.
Wei Lou: "..."
Before his patience ran out, the other attendees arrived one after another. Wei Lou carefully observed them; they were all women dressed similarly to Ji Mo Cong, only their hair color was slightly different. Ji Sunyin explained in a low voice, "They are the high priests of the clan in the past. The one with the shawl flying from her arm is the previous high priest. She has the most explosive temper and hits the hardest... Just call out to them when you see them."
It is said that the one with the most explosive temper gave him a cold glance.
Ji Sunyin immediately sat up straight, her smile flattering and ingratiating.
"Mommy~"
"Where is your mother?"
Ji Sunyin lowered her head, feeling uneasy.
He was terrified that his mother would hang him up and beat him in public.
Wei Lou and the others were slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting the two to have this relationship. If this woman was truly the lord's birth mother, even if she gave birth early, she should be around thirty-five or thirty-six now, right? But she looked to be at most in her early twenties, and there was no sign of aging from childbirth on her face.
You must know that women in this world are not favored by Heaven. They have no chance to cultivate their talents in their entire lives. The lack of material resources, coupled with the burden of childbirth, means that even with the best care, they age very quickly. Qin You was silent for a while, then quietly asked his lord.
[My lord, if I may be so bold as to ask how old the Dowager Lady is this year?]
Ji Sunyin secretly replied: "Over a hundred."
Qin You: 【……？？？】
If he's over a hundred, wouldn't the Dowager Lady have been eighty or ninety when she gave birth to the Lord? That would be considered a spectacle in the secular world!
Ji Sunyin secretly rolled her eyes at him.
[That's normal; Mom is the High Priestess.]
High Priest, what's wrong?
Having served the gods, mortals are beneath my notice. Ji Sunyin didn't know who her father was, and her mother never mentioned who he was either. She guessed he was some decent-looking, respectable man from the secular world. However, her clan revered procreation, and her mother...
Qin You: [...]
He couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
An ordinary woman could never live that long.
Is this long lifespan related to so-called "gods"?
At this moment, all five high priests were present, as were several respected elders, but the main seat remained vacant. When Shen Tang arrived, more than twenty pairs of eyes stared at her, making her want to shrink back: "I...I've come to the wrong place?"
No, the notice told her to come here.
Several high priests and elders rose one after another to greet him.
"No, Your Highness has come at just the right time."
Ji Mo Shuang invited her to sit down.
Shen Tang: "..."
I glanced at the seating arrangement and saw that the head seat was still empty.
No, these people don't intend to let her sit here, do they?
What's the difference between this and publicly executing her?
"Is this seat for me?"
No, isn't this inappropriate?
Shen Tang sat down stiffly, her gaze sweeping over the people at the table, and she saw a familiar face—Wei Lou, whom she had met briefly last night.
She breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It's good to have someone you know; that way it won't be too awkward.
She proved to be too naive; the meeting's agenda immediately stunned her, with several high priests and elders earnestly seeking her advice on how to quell worldly disputes. Ji Sunyin and the others: "???"
Shen Tang: "???"
In this scene, she could practically dig out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with her toes.
At this moment, she was thankful that she had learned a little about the outside world from the kind-hearted Wei Lou the night before, and knew that there were constant natural disasters and man-made calamities, and that various warlord forces were fighting each other. She said, "In my opinion, unification is the way forward!"
"Your Highness is right. How can we achieve unification?"
"He who has the strongest army and the most powerful horses will rule the world."
"Conquering the world by force?"
"No, no, no, that's just a poor strategy. It's not about not fighting, nor is it about fighting recklessly, but about fighting slowly, deliberately, and with a plan! I've heard the saying, 'Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king.' Let's follow that advice and fight step by step! How will we build high walls? How will we store grain? In my opinion, declaring yourself king is the least important step." Shen Tang initially felt she couldn't do this, but somehow, her mouth had its own rhythm, and she uttered a speech with a distinctly institutional flavor. "Do you agree?"
Ji Mo Cong and the others nodded and took notes.
Make sure to write down every word His Highness says.
Ji Mo Shuang asked her eldest son, "What does A Sheng think?"
Ji Sunyin, who was being called upon, said: "Huh?"
He subconsciously looked at his strategist, Wei Lou.
Wei Lou's mind was also a bit blank at this point; he hadn't expected the meeting to be about these things. It was all just empty talk, and the more he listened, the more he wanted to laugh. Ignoring his lord, he asked, "Since Your Majesty has put it this way, have you decided on the order?"
Shen Tang, unaware of the surrounding terrain and unable to definitively say where would be most advantageous to establish a foothold, vaguely stated: "Naturally, we should first find a place with good feng shui as our base, enclose it as our headquarters, and attract refugees and displaced people to increase our population. Once our foundation is somewhat stable, we can construct irrigation systems, reclaim wasteland, and build..."
Wei Lou shook his head: "This alone makes it impossible."
Which one is not acceptable?
"Construct water conservancy projects."
"Why not? Are you worried the project is too big and you won't have enough manpower?"
Wei Lou's answer surprised Shen Tang. He said that it was not feasible because of insufficient funds or labor, but because the local landowners would not allow it, and it might even provoke them to resist with armed force.
Shen Tang found it all very strange.
"What reason do they have to resist? Since they own land, building water conservancy projects can greatly benefit agriculture and ensure a good harvest regardless of drought or flood."
Wei Lou laughed mockingly, finding Shen Tang increasingly naive: "Your Majesty, since you ask why I oppose the construction of water conservancy projects, I would like to ask you, Your Majesty, why do you want to undertake such large-scale construction projects? If everyone can farm, every family can have a good harvest, and the whole family can work together to make a living, wouldn't there be surplus grain every year? Sooner or later, each tenant household will be able to save enough money to buy land. Tell me, isn't that right?"
"yes."
"If tenant farmers can save enough money to support their families and buy fertile land, then who will cultivate the land of landlords and gentry? If self-cultivating farmers are not driven to desperation, how will local gentry buy land at low prices? If farmers are not driven to the brink of desperation, how will they sell their land at low prices? How will they sell themselves and rent land as tenant farmers? Where will the huge number of tenant farmers come from? While building water conservancy projects is beneficial to agriculture, it is not beneficial to the wealthy and powerful."
Whether it's a bumper harvest or a poor harvest, people won't starve.
When times are bad, they can take the opportunity to seize land.
Once the famine is over, the common people who survived the famine but lost their land can be allowed to cultivate the land for us and become our tenants.
If everyone can have enough to eat, where will the tenants come from?
Local tycoons were not happy to see such a loss-making business.
These local tyrants all have armies to rely on. Shen Tang, all alone, thinks he can carve out a territory under their noses, build irrigation systems, and reclaim wasteland? He's simply dreaming!
Has Shen Tang considered the resistance from these forces?
Wei Lou expected Shen Tang to show an embarrassed and embarrassed expression, but to his surprise, after hearing Shen Tang's words, her expression instantly turned icy cold, and her words were full of murderous intent: "Those who know what's good for them can be used. Those who don't, slaughter them all! Has your sword become dull, my lord?"
It's fine if they don't know what's good for them.
Wouldn't that bring in an angel investment?
Angel investors who are so considerate as to offer their heads up for her to chop off are rare indeed. Shen Tang doesn't even need to find an excuse to plunder their money; she has every reason to plunder every inch of their savings and can rightfully chop off their entire family.
Wei Lou's expression turned to one of astonishment: "Slaughter them all?"
"Of course, what else? Those who obey me prosper, and those who defy me perish! My sword is constantly being honed, and it remains as sharp as ever!"
The natural killing intent emanating from that voice sent a chill down one's spine.
Ji Moshuang and the others had no doubt about this—as long as Shen Tang gave the order and told them what to do, they would do it; the warriors of the Gongxi clan did not need to ask His Highness the reasons behind his actions.
Wei Lou: "Can the wealthy and powerful be killed, and the elite families also be killed?"
Shen Tang calmly replied, "My lord, I thought that all people's bodies are the same. If a gentryman's neck can be cut off with one stroke, then the neck of a noble family naturally doesn't need two strokes."
"Does the Queen believe that the root of the chaos in the world lies with those above, not those below?"
While warlords fought each other, they also suppressed various social unrest. The main methods were to conquer higher authorities and lower-level officials, annex other warlords, and suppress popular uprisings.
The use of force was used to deter civil unrest from resurfacing.
Shen Tang gave him a look as if he were a fool: "Your Excellency's question is rather unprofessional. Where else could the root of chaos lie if not at the top? Or does Your Excellency think that the common people can mobilize thousands or tens of thousands of troops for a chaotic war? Aren't wars always decided on a whim by those in power? Dealing with the common people is simple: just give them a few acres of land to support their families, and they will lay down their weapons and pick up hoes. Give them a stable working environment, and they will worship their lord as heaven. Why would they think of rebelling?"
Shen Tang said, "Just give them a way out!"
Who would choose to die instead of living?
But they had no way to survive! The wealthy landowners and gentry who, in Wei Lou's words, would obstruct water conservancy projects for their own personal gain, were not giving them a way to live!
"My lord, obstacles should be smashed and kicked away!"
"In that case, does Your Majesty still think that water conservancy projects are not feasible? Ask around, who agrees and who disagrees? Hehe, I think the living will all agree, and those who disagree, the dead, should go to where the dead belong, or become fertile soil for my land."
Wei Lou: "How could the Queen possess such a powerful weapon?"
Ji Mo Cong's voice came through clearly.
She said, "The Gongxi clan is Your Highness's weapon. All the warriors of the clan are willing to clear away obstacles for Your Highness and exterminate all the enemies."
─=≡Σ(((つω)つ
I'll post some drafts tomorrow, do you want to see them?
(End of this chapter)
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