Chapter 1596 IF Scenario: What if Shen Tang woke up earlier (Part 10)
Shen Tang left decisively, leaving a group of people looking at each other in bewilderment.
Luo San's deputy cautiously sought instructions.
Do they want to do this job?
The group that followed Luo San were themselves from poor backgrounds. Because Luo San stood up for them and gave them a way to survive, they followed him without hesitation. What poor family hasn't done farm work? It's just that since they started making a living by fighting, they really haven't done it.
Even the lowest-ranking low-ranking nobleman is still a brave and courageous warrior.
How can a brave and courageous warrior be treated like a human disciple and forced to clear wasteland?
However, their lord had signed contracts with each of them and treated them kindly, providing them with lavish food—who else could receive such treatment? From this perspective, she absolutely had no intention of belittling or humiliating them: "General, what's your decision?"
Luo San's expression changed repeatedly, a truly fascinating display.
Finally, he exhaled a deep breath.
He was slightly annoyed: "Let's do it first, and talk about it later when things calm down."
With Luo San's formal statement, the others naturally had nothing to say, except for one question: "Where do we get the farming tools for clearing land?"
We can't exactly make them dig the ground with their bare hands, can we?
Luo San went to ask Wei Lou, who was someone he knew fairly well.
"Sir, did the master say where to get the farm tools?"
Wei Lou was focused on writing large characters for teaching purposes, one character per sheet of paper, with a lifelike drawing next to it to help students understand. Luo San interrupted him, and he was naturally displeased: "What farm tools? Are you martial arts masters?"
When farm tools break, you can only wait for someone to come and fix them.
If a warrior's weapon breaks, he can just summon another one.
This can save a lot of money on purchasing and repairing farm tools.
It's a mystery how bold Shen Youli was; not only did she come up with this idea, but she also dared to voice it, reacting as if it were perfectly natural. This only made Wei Lou, who raised the question, seem like an oddity. When Wei Lou pointed out that this was inappropriate, she innocently asked, confused: "Why wouldn't it work? I've learned recently that martial artists with a strong sense of courage have this ability."
They certainly have the ability, but no one does it.
"Why? Are they all idiots?" Shen Tang stroked her chin. "The world's intelligence has decreased ten thousandfold, but mine remains unchanged?"
Wei Lou: [...]
He stormed off in anger, too lazy to argue with Shen Tang.
Still seething with anger, when Luo San came to ask about farm tools, he didn't bother to polish his answer before dismissing him. Whether Luo San would be furious or not was none of his concern.
He even wished that Luo San would overturn the table and quit.
Wei Lou continued writing large characters.
After selecting over a hundred of his most satisfying works, Wei Lou straightened up and rubbed his slightly sore wrists. Looking out the window, he saw the cafeteria bell ring. He strolled over, thinking that Shen Tang was probably in a complete mess right now.
Unexpectedly—
The hundred-plus people Luo San brought were queuing in the canteen, some reserving seats, others eating dry food, their faces, hands, and feet covered in dried mud. Wei Lou carefully observed their expressions and listened to their conversation for a while, then couldn't believe his eyes.
Why didn't these people get angry and cause a scene?
"Sir, you're dining here too?" Luo San's voice came from behind him. "I thought someone would deliver it to you."
Wei Lou said indifferently, "I don't deserve that treatment."
This treatment is only given to Shen Tang.
"How could this be? Isn't the lord's right-hand man, sir?"
He could see clearly that his lord valued the other party quite a bit.
If they don't value you, why are they frequently being sent on assignments?
If they don't value him, why would they think of Wei Lou every time something happens?
They only sent someone to deliver meals, and they didn't even offer that small favor? After spending a few days with him, he felt that his lord might have some mental issues, but he wasn't exactly harsh in his actions. There was no reason why he wouldn't even treat his chief strategist with any special consideration. Something was wrong!
Was it because I failed to see my lord's true colors?
Or was Wei Lou deliberately messing with him?
Wei Lou: "...I'm not."
His righteous lord would cry if he heard this.
Luo San: "???"
The two chose a quiet corner to sit down, and after some casual conversation, Luo San learned about Wei Lou's relationship with the lord. Simply put, the lord paid Wei Lou to do work, and he was paid for each job completed, with no emotional involvement.
Luo San stammered out, "Is this... temporary work?"
Wei Lou fell silent.
Luo San realized he had offended someone and lowered his head sheepishly. But Wei Lou added, "Luo Jun is also a temporary worker."
Now, Luo San is also unhappy.
How did he and his retinue become unofficial temporary workers?
Wei Lou reminded Luo San: "Didn't Mr. Luo sign the contract?"
In a proper relationship, one party recruits the other, and the other joins them, with a clear hierarchy and a closer bond of interests. The contracts that Shen Tang signed with Luo San and the others were different; the other party was simply recruiting them to work, with one side providing money and the other providing labor.
Once the money and goods are exchanged, the two parties are theoretically no longer involved.
Luo San calling someone "master" is incorrect; at most, he should call them "owner."
Logically, Wei Lou pointing this out would give Luo San more freedom to leave later, and he wouldn't have to bear the moral burden of betraying his master when leaving with his troops. It would only benefit him, not harm him. But Luo San was still unhappy. It was like he was eagerly seeking something but was rejected.
With his abilities, how could he be looked down upon?
Why would the other party look down on him?
He served her as her subject, and she stumbled upon a great advantage by accident. She should be secretly happy about it. How could she dare to complain?
Even the daytime clearing of land didn't make him as angry as Wei Lou's words.
Luo San sneered, treating rice like an enemy.
Wei Lou: "..."
After Luo San finished eating and drinking, he suppressed his anger and reported the day's progress to Shen Tang, the question lingering on his lips. Shen Tang's bright eyes lit up: "So much? You've cleared so much land in one day?"
Luo San said with a stern face, "It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
Shen Tang: "No, no, no, how could it be anything but a concern? Bert has worked so hard, and his fellow villagers have also worked very hard. With you all so dedicated, next spring when the grain is planted, countless people will be spared from hunger. You have made a great contribution."
Luo San was so flattered that he forgot everything else for a moment.
In his meager memories, only his adoptive parents were generous with their praise when he struggled to learn to speak, showering him with love for even the smallest progress. Clearing land during the day was, in his eyes, no harder than eating a meal when he was hungry.
The lord, however, said that they had made the greatest contribution.
What merit do I possess to deserve this?
Luo San hesitated for a moment, then changed to a more tactful and formulaic approach.
“Our lord is kind and generous, providing us with enough to eat and wear every day. All we ask for is to cultivate some wasteland. This is truly frightening.”
Shen Tang naturally followed up with the question: "What are you so afraid of?"
"Even if we clear a hundred times more wasteland, the wasteland will be barren and the farmers will work hard every day. The annual harvest will probably be far less than our monthly salary." The lord also provides them with food and lodging. All the costs added up cannot be described as "a huge loss".
Shen Tang said, "That's different."
"How are they different?"
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The salary I give you will only alleviate the immediate suffering of refugees. They will still be adrift and homeless. But if we give them land, they will have hope for the future and can earn a living year after year through their hard work.” Shen Tang explained his intentions and patiently reassured Luo San, “For me, hiring you was one of the best decisions I ever made. Your salaries are earned through your genuine skills and abilities. Why should you be afraid?”
Be open and honest.
This is what they deserve.
Luo San's eyes flickered slightly: "What my lord says is true."
Shen Tang smiled and said, "You won't be scared now, will you?"
Luo San also relaxed his brow: "Mm."
The land reclamation and reconstruction here were in full swing. No secrets stay hidden forever, especially since Shen Tang had never concealed his murder of the entire wealthy landowner's family. Naturally, this would alarm the local county government. The county government sent someone over with a banquet invitation, inviting Shen Tang to a feast.
Shen Tang: "What are you writing in gibberish?"
Wei Lou said, "Even a three-year-old knows not to flaunt wealth. Shen Jun has been making too much noise lately, how can he not attract envy?"
I suspect someone leaked the cafeteria's meal allowance.
Anyone who heard this would know that Shen Tang had a large amount of grain and provisions in her possession. They just dared not take advantage of her ruthless methods.
Shen Tang said "Oh" and then said, "I understand, it's a trap."
Wei Lou added with a sneer: "The families whose land you forcibly killed and seized earlier also have many married-in-laws. They probably want to take this opportunity to rightfully reclaim their family fortune and get a share of the spoils."
"They want to share what they've already eaten? Did they even ask for my opinion?" Shen Tang wasn't going to tolerate these people's bad temper.
Luo San was not worried at all.
The temple is small but the evil spirits are strong; the pond is shallow but the turtles are plentiful.
What decent experts could a small place possibly have? No matter what kind of banquet it was, he could lead his lord out of there.
"Rest assured, my lord, I will protect your safety."
Luo San spoke sincerely, with a hint of expectation in his voice.
He was really looking forward to something going wrong at this "Feast at Hongmen" so that he could show off his skills and let his lord see how much of a bargain she had gained.
Wei Lou couldn't help but glance at him sideways: "..."
Shen Youli?
Protect her safety?
hehe.
Shen Tang held the banquet invitation and pondered for two seconds before nodding in acceptance. She actually wanted to have another way to understand this strange world.
"Don't be nervous, it may not be a bad thing."
Perhaps they really did invite her to dinner because they thought she was successful.
Soon, Shen Tang took back what she had said.
He muttered, "Wei Lou's jinx really came true."
The county magistrate hosted the event, and besides Shen Tang, there were quite a few pretentious strangers among the guests, who spoke in a sarcastic and sarcastic tone.
Shen Tang could directly sense the malice emanating from them.
She took a sip of tea, tapped the table with her finger, and signaled to Luo San to wait for her to smash the cup as a signal. She had already annihilated a corrupt official who commanded the respect of the local officials; what chance did she have against others? Besides, she felt her territory wasn't big enough for Luo San to cultivate.
If these people don't know what's good for them tonight...
Shen Tang also took the opportunity to lash out.
As it turns out, good things often come with difficulties and twists and turns.
Before Shen Tang could even drop the cup in her hand, one by one, the people at the table suddenly began to clutch their stomachs, some breathing rapidly, others turning pale for no apparent reason, and some with faces as white as paper, their forehead veins bulging as they endured the pain, as if they were suffering inhuman torture.
"You, you...you are so vicious..."
Someone was the first to react, pointing at Shen Tang.
"They actually poisoned our food..."
As they spoke, someone coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
"Guards! Guards! Seize her! Seize her!"
He finished speaking, then his head lolled to the side and he stopped breathing.
Shen Tang, accused of being the murderer by everyone: "???"
She pointed to herself, her expression completely innocent: "Me?"
No, these people are trying to scam us!
With a thud, someone slumped onto the table, burying their face in the now-cooled, greasy meat dishes, and remained motionless.
"Who poisoned it?"
"Didn't I eat something too?"
"Bert, Lord, are you two feeling unwell?"
The two men shook their heads as they approached. Their food was perfectly normal; if it had been poisoned, they would have detected it as soon as it entered their mouths.
Relieved, Shen Tang turned back to continue arguing with the people who were framing her: "Hey, don't be so eager to die, take your words back first! Who's malicious? Who poisoned your food? Don't die, if you dare to smear me in front of the King of Hell, I'll twist your heads off. Damn it, what kind of poison is this, that you died so quickly?"
The servants had long since fled in terror.
Everyone at the table collapsed.
Those who aren't dead yet are barely breathing.
Shen Tang stood in the middle of the banquet hall, hands on her hips, staring at the corpses bleeding from all seven orifices on the floor. She was furious, wishing she could strangle them back to life and then kill them again. Luo San exchanged a glance with Wei Lou, reminding the still-angry Shen Tang not to rush into a rage.
"Someone's coming!"
Shen Tang also heard the clash of armor and footsteps approaching from outside the courtyard: "So the reason they didn't poison me was to frame me!"
Who is it that dares to be so bold!
She wanted to see things clearly before letting the other party die knowing why!
As mentioned before, this matter has been full of twists and turns.
Subsequent developments completely exceeded Shen Tang's expectations.
The soldiers who came to surround the county government were not there to arrest Shen Tang or frame her. After the leader entered, he first glanced at the corpses on the ground with satisfaction, then strode forward and knelt on one knee a few steps away from Shen Tang. The man clasped his hands in excitement and said, "Thank you for ridding the people of this scourge. We are willing to follow you, my lord."
The other people who brought in knives also knelt down on one knee in turn.
They said in unison, "We are willing to follow you, my lord."
Shen Tang: "..."
Wei Lou: "..."
Luo San was furious: "What sir?"
The leader burst into tears, pouring out his grievances.
He was a county magistrate who had only taken office at the beginning of last year, and he had only one daughter in his life. He had intervened because he couldn't stand the deeds of local thugs, which resulted in a premeditated revenge. Last year, his daughter went out with servants to see the lanterns when she was forcibly abducted by the son of a thug, raped, and then forced to become his concubine. He was filled with resentment but powerless to do anything about it, until Shen Tang came and avenged him.
The landlord and his brothers and nephews were all imprisoned in a prison cart and beaten to death by a group of angry tenants; their bodies couldn't even be properly gathered. Upon hearing this, he felt that his great revenge had been achieved. What pleased him even more was that his daughter, who had been taken from him, was also released and had not been implicated and lost her life.
After his daughter returned home, she kept urging him to find a way to make a living.
It is said that Shen Tang is powerful and has an amazing foundation.
He even explained to him that a person willing to waste precious food on the common people and distribute land to tenant farmers and refugees must be kind-hearted. Following a kind and wealthy lord is far more comfortable and promising than following a tyrant.
After listening to his daughter's words and considering it carefully, he made up his mind.
They offered the lives of the county magistrate and others as a pledge of loyalty, willing to serve Shen Tang as their master and recommend him as the new county magistrate. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
(`)
The new cover has already been released on Big Eyes.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
