Chapter 18: Shame (Part 2)
Hearing that these soldiers had nothing to do with her, Shen Tang's tense nerves relaxed, and she raised her hand to lower her sun hat. Sitting in a corner, pretending to drink tea, she tried to minimize her presence: "Soldiers from Geng Kingdom... what are they doing here?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Shan nearly choked on her tea.
This young master Shen truly did not disappoint him; every question he asked was unexpected.
"Where are the soldiers of the Geng Kingdom if not here?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Her intuition told her that she seemed to have asked a stupid question.
Shen Tang tried to salvage the situation.
"But shouldn't this be Chongtai, no, Xin Kingdom? Why would soldiers from Geng Kingdom be here..."
As she was speaking, she stopped herself, covered her eyes with one hand with an indescribable expression, and refused to look at Qi Shan's idiotic gaze—she remembered that Qi Shan had mentioned the news that Chongtai, or Xin Kingdom, had been destroyed and that the national seal was suspected to have been hidden by the Gong family—at the time, her attention was focused on the national seal and the Gong family, and she hadn't thought about who the force that destroyed Xin Kingdom was.
Looking at it now, it's highly likely that it was the Geng Kingdom.
This question fully exposed her "naivety and ignorance," but fortunately, Qi Shan was used to Shen Xiaolangjun's "unexpected" behavior and did not delve into it further.
Shen Tang said awkwardly, "I... don't know much about these things..."
"It's not too late to understand now." Qi Shan smiled faintly, tapping her finger three times on the table. She silently recited the mantra "The law must not be passed on to six ears," and a faint, almost imperceptible scholarly air rose and then vanished. "Young Master Shen is obviously a noble scholar raised in luxury, which I can understand. You're alright; other spoiled brats are probably even more ignorant and fearless. They only know how to dalliance, indulge in pleasure, and play the field. How could they know anything about national hatred, family feuds, or the suffering of the people?"
Shen Tang: "..."
As long as she doesn't take it personally, Qi Shan isn't talking about her.
Shen Tang, shameless as ever, said, "Mr. Qi is right."
Qi Shan found it uninteresting; he had simply lost control of his emotions in a moment of passion.
The destruction of the Xin Kingdom by the Geng Kingdom is a fact known to even three-year-old children and farmers in the fields. Yet this young man, Shen, who has a great connection with the Gong family, is acting foolishly and claiming ignorance.
He didn't know whether to be angry or amused.
Shen Tang lowered her head guiltily and sipped her tea.
"However, Xin and Geng are cut from the same cloth, so whether they are destroyed or not makes no difference. To the common people, it's just that the mountain over their heads has changed from a foolish ruler to a tyrant..."
Shen Tang was surprised after hearing this.
She glanced at the Geng soldiers outside the teahouse, relieved to see they weren't paying attention: "Judging from what you're saying, Mr. Qi, you seem to have a lot of grievances about the destroyed Xin Kingdom, but didn't you say before..."
When the two first met, Qi Shan harbored ill intentions towards her because she was a member of the "Gong family," implying in her words that the Gong family was involved in the destruction of the Xin Kingdom and had hidden the national seal. Shen Tang initially thought Qi Shan loved her homeland, but now she realized that wasn't what she meant.
Qi Shan lazily raised her eyelids.
"These two are not contradictory."
Seeing that he had no intention of continuing the conversation, Shen Tang had no choice but to change the subject, subtly trying to learn more about this world. She pointed to the ceiling: "That gentleman from Geng Kingdom... has such a low opinion of him?"
The state of Xin was destroyed, and the vassal king was incompetent and deserves to be blamed. It is not an exaggeration to call him a "tyrant". However, the state of Geng was powerful and its vassal king expanded its territory during his reign. Qi Shan's evaluation of him was actually "tyrant".
Qi Shan sneered: "If that doesn't count as a tyrant, then which feudal lord can't be called a 'benevolent ruler'? Just watch, if the tyrant Zheng Qiao doesn't die within five years, the Geng Kingdom will surely bring about its own destruction."
Shen Tang's gossipy nature kicked in.
Where exactly is the 'violence' taking place?
Just as Qi Shan was about to give a lecture, a series of piercing curses came from the prison cart outside the teahouse. Soon, only the sounds of whipping and shrill screams remained. Shen Tang peeked out through the gap in the bamboo curtain of the teahouse and could vaguely see blood dripping from a corner of the prison cart.
Another prisoner angrily cursed: "Even if you beat me to death, I will still say that Zheng Qiao, you worthless scoundrel, you lowly bastard, making me wear mourning clothes and live the life of your ancestors! I'll beat drums and gongs to make you a cowardly coward who has to attend your funeral!"
This fellow had a head of white hair, a muscular physique, and spoke with a strong, booming voice.
This is the first time Shen Tang has witnessed the world of swearing literature.
That's awesome!
The soldiers of the Geng Kingdom, of course, would not allow him to hurl insults.
He immediately lashed out with the whip, leaving a bloody welt with each swipe. The man stubbornly gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a single scream or beg for mercy. The harder he was beaten, the more enthusiastically he cursed.
The soldier, panting, spat at the prisoner in the prison cart after the man was nearly dead: "You damned old bastard!"
"Young Master Shen just asked, 'Where is the tyrant's tyranny?' And here we are!" Qi Shan pointed in the direction outside the teahouse, worried that Shen Tang might not understand, so he began from the beginning, "Zheng Qiao is the current ruler of Geng Kingdom. He entered the Xin Kingdom's harem as a hostage at the age of five with his birth mother. It is said that he was intelligent and studious from a young age, and also possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms. By the age of fifteen, he had become famous throughout the capital. The ruler of Xin Kingdom was overjoyed and bestowed upon him the name 'Nü Jiao'."
"Is the King of Xin seriously ill?"
Qi Shan said, "He is indeed ill, incompetent and lecherous. He happened to set his sights on a woman in the harem of another country, who is Zheng Qiao's birth mother. He seized her by trickery and force, and even gave her a hostage, Zheng Qiao, as a bonus."
"This Zheng Qiao is pitiful too..."
Qi Shan mocked her naivety, asking, "Do you think Zheng Qiao was forced into this by powerful figures and had no choice but to do it?"
"Isn't that right?"
Subconsciously, one would assume it was a tyrannical ruler who forcibly seized power, right?
Qi Shan shook his head regretfully: "If it were him, Zheng Qiao would be pitiful, but unfortunately he is not. He was extremely good at using others to do his dirty work. Over the years, he killed many loyal ministers and eliminated dissidents. Those who offended him, those who called him a sycophant or a favorite of the emperor, would soon suffer and be imprisoned. Regardless of whether they were innocent or not, they would have to endure the most severe punishment."
What is "the most severe punishment for breaking through the government"?
This was a cruel method used to destroy the Danfu (a martial arts institution). The Danfu's literary and martial spirit were destroyed and could not be restored, even if the case was overturned later. Zheng Qiao also bullied the weak and feared the strong, only targeting those from poor families with little background or weak foundations.
It has ruined countless promising scholars and warriors.
In its early years, the State of Xin was relatively stable and its national strength was not weak. Even when a foolish king emerged who did not attend court for 365 days a year, spent all his time in the harem, indulged in women, and secretly ordered people to search for beauties everywhere, the people's lives were not too difficult.
But after Zheng Qiao appeared, things became more chaotic day by day.
Afterwards, the Geng Kingdom was in turmoil, and they remembered Zheng Qiao, who was a hostage in another country. Zheng Qiao was also ambitious and unwilling to accept the status quo, so he used money and promises of a bright future to win over the officials in the Xin Kingdom court. After some maneuvering, he successfully persuaded the king of Xin Kingdom to agree to let him return to his country.
In just five years, taking advantage of Xin's years of drought and weakened military strength, Geng launched a surprise attack and swept through the country, marching straight to the capital. In each place he conquered, he allowed his soldiers to burn, kill, loot, and abduct women, while he humiliated the former officials of Xin in every way.
"Speaking of which, Zheng Qiao has a connection with the Gong family."
Shen Tang's scalp tingled when he heard this.
She really didn't know that.
But Qi Shan said it with a smile.
"Back then, the Gong family was the main force supporting Zheng Qiao's return to the Geng Kingdom. Interestingly, the Gong family was exterminated, the men were sent to the frontier to serve as laborers, and the women were sent to the Xiaocheng Music Bureau. This was the first order Zheng Qiao issued after conquering the capital of the Xin Kingdom."
The Xin Kingdom (renamed Chongtai) was destroyed, and it is currently the country of Tangmei and Qishan.
Of course, it has now been annexed by the Geng Kingdom, but its power is still unstable.
The entire world is set against a backdrop of utter chaos, with fierce battles fought between the various states.
Tangmei is only eleven or twelve years old and is still in the stage of understanding the outside world. She needs to develop further before she can truly embark on the path of applying for a position as a prince, and she also needs an opportunity to raise her banner and become a queen.
The saying "The law should not be passed on to six ears" refers to the power of whispering in secret, while the opposite is "the walls have ears," meaning eavesdropping on others.
The mourning rites for surrendering in ancient times, especially for scholars and officials, were roughly equivalent to wearing mourning clothes... or so it should be...
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(End of this chapter)
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