Chapter 376: Jiang Sheng, Jiang Xiandeng [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Shao Xuan, you..."
Shen Tang turned around in surprise to look at Bai Su.
Yes, the response of "Father" just now was not from the youngest daughter that Prefect Lu longed for, but from Bai Su, who was feigning a voice. The latter squatted down, her usually clear eyes tinged with melancholy, as if explaining to Shen Tang, and also to Prefect Lu.
“He won’t make it until his daughter arrives…” Bai Su said.
When Bai Su rescued the girl, she heard the girl's voice. As a former elite professional thief, voice imitation, disguise, and stealth were all basic skills that Bai Su had to learn. She wouldn't say that she had mastered every skill to perfection, but she had grasped about 80-90% of the essence.
"My lord... his injuries are too severe."
Given the extent of Lu's injuries, the fact that he was able to hold on until now and exchange a few words with his lord is not only due to his own martial prowess and ability to protect his heart with his remaining martial energy, but also primarily due to his unwavering determination and indomitable will.
"But Lady Lu won't wake up for a while."
How long can a forced retention last?
How cruel it would be if one never received it before death.
Bai Su initially didn't want to get involved in this matter, but looking at Prefect Lu, she couldn't help but think of her deceased relatives. It would be better to let him hear his daughter's voice, and with his last bit of solace, return to the underworld with a smile, thus giving him a final moment of dignity and respect.
As a survivor, she knew all too well how painful it was to die with resentment, attachment, and regret.
“I didn’t mean to blame you.” Ignoring the dirt, Shen Tang gently closed the unopened eye of Prefect Lu. With her other hand, she patted Bai Su’s shoulder, offering her a comforting embrace. “It’s just that I’ve heard that after death, hearing is the last of the five senses to disappear, so for a period of time after death, one can still hear the cries of loved ones…”
Bai Su was initially taken aback by Shen Tang's action—her lord was several years younger than her, yet he comforted her in such a serious manner, as if she were an adult, which warmed her heart—but upon hearing the second half of Shen Tang's sentence, her face turned pale.
"My lord, I—"
Bai Su puts herself in the shoes of the governor of Lu County.
They worry that their good intentions might backfire.
The regret remains, he truly died with his eyes wide open.
"I only heard this, don't take it too seriously." She looked at the still-warm body of Prefect Lu and said solemnly, "I will take care of your daughter. I dare not promise her much wealth and glory, but at least I will ensure she finds a place to live in this world. As long as I, Chen Tang, have not fallen, she will be safe. You can go in peace. If there truly is a cycle of reincarnation, I promise you—when you return to this world, it will be a time of peace and prosperity..."
A gentle breeze caresses the face, like a sigh.
Shen Tang ordered people to retrieve the mutilated body of Prefect Lu and piece it together so that at least he could be buried whole. As for the other bodies, she ordered them to be collected and burned; she didn't have the manpower to bury them one by one.
After taking care of these, there are other things to do.
Although the refugees and bandits have been temporarily driven back, there is no guarantee that they will not make a comeback. The county of Lu is leaderless and the common people in the city have lost their backbone. If their emotions are not calmed down at this time, trouble may break out.
She ordered the officials of the Luxia County government to be summoned.
result--
Looking at the sparse, few, and trembling officials of Luxia County, she asked in astonishment, "How come there are only a few of you?" This small number of people is not much better than the former governor's office of the River Governor. "Where are the others?"
She remembered that Prefect Lu was quite wealthy when he was alive.
He doesn't look like a poor wretch at all.
At this moment, a young-looking man stepped forward, presumably a newcomer. He answered truthfully, "The others... have either already escaped or surrendered, leaving only a few of us..."
Shen Tang: "..."
To be honest, she didn't know how the capital of Luxia County had been captured, and she hoped they could explain it to her.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Shen Tang noticed that they seemed hesitant to speak.
He then asked, "What, can't I say?"
The official said, "It's not that I can't speak, it's just—"
They were just worried that revealing it would damage the reputation of their late lord; Prefect Lu really lost this matter unjustly.
Shen Tang thought for a moment, looked at the guard Bai Su, and said, "There are no gossipy people here, so just say what you think."
The officials still looked troubled.
Shen Tang had no choice but to dismiss the guards on his left and right.
"There's nothing wrong here, you can all leave."
Bai Su and Lü Jue clasped their hands in greeting and withdrew.
The official then looked at the other officials on his left and right.
Shen Tang understood and told them to wait outside the door as well.
Only then did the official begin to speak.
Actually, this matter is not complicated.
This story begins with Prefect Lu himself.
As is well known, the former lord, the Prefect of Lu, was stubborn and different from ordinary people. When others appointed people, they would consider the background and ability of the talents. However, the former lord would first look at whether the appearance of the person was pleasing to the eye, and then consider the ability. He did not care much about the background.
This is one point.
Secondly, Prefect Lu deeply loved his wife, and he also extended his affection to his brothers-in-law, who did not quite fit his aesthetic standards. Although he did not give them any important positions, he was always kind and gentle to them and would listen to their opinions when he was indecisive.
Whether or not it is adopted is another matter.
Shen Tang couldn't help but recall the eloquent subordinate from last night, and her suspicions were confirmed by the official's subsequent reply. That subordinate was the most beloved brother-in-law of the Prefect of Lu. He was eloquent and had some real skills, so the Prefect of Lu entrusted him with the care of the Lu Xia Prefecture's treasury, and usually didn't pay much attention to it. This man took advantage of this trust to secretly engage in illicit activities, forming cliques and factions.
Prefect Lu was a rough man, obsessed with cultivation, and dreaded anything complicated about domestic affairs. As long as the final figures matched, he rarely interfered. His subordinate's brother-in-law successfully evaded the issue for several years, and the deficit in the accounts grew larger and larger.
This time, it was a raid by displaced people and bandits.
Given the temperament of Prefect Lu, he naturally wanted to defend to the death and not yield an inch. However, the enemy was numerous, and defending alone would consume more money and supplies than attacking. The treasury, which had been able to keep things running smoothly in the past, could no longer sustain the situation. His subordinates and brothers-in-law panicked. If it were any other time, out of consideration for his deceased elder sister, he would at most be beaten so badly that he would be bedridden for ten days or half a month.
It hurts, but at least I'll survive.
But now it's wartime!
A lack of food supplies would sacrifice the lives of countless ordinary people in Luxia County.
This brother-in-law will definitely kill him!
For the sake of his life, he racked his brains to find a way to survive, and even tried to subtly probe the governor of Lu County to coax him into having pity on the refugees and bandits, opening the granaries to provide relief, and taking in the refugees, just as if he were spending money to buy peace.
He was severely scolded for just trying to probe!
The subordinate's brother-in-law panicked and had murderous thoughts.
Behind the back of the governor of Lu County, he secretly colluded with the leaders of the displaced people and bandits, and the counties and towns of Lu County, except for the capital city, quickly fell. After the capital city was captured, it was again the brother-in-law of a subordinate who gave the enemy a vicious idea.
Prefect Lu looked down on everyone in his life, but he was especially fond of his two sons and two daughters born to his deceased wife.
He practically spoiled his youngest daughter, who bore a striking resemblance to his deceased wife, granting her every wish. He even allowed her to dress as a boy and study literature and martial arts alongside her two older brothers. If it weren't for his eldest daughter's gentle nature and preference for feminine attire over military uniforms, she would likely have been spoiled rotten, becoming the second most domineering woman in Luxia County. With these women under his control, and by using the commoners of the city as leverage, he would surely surrender without a doubt!
My brother-in-law is not fighting alone.
If he only wanted to curry favor with another powerful figure and that stepping down his brother-in-law wouldn't pose a threat to him, then the scoundrels who embezzled and pocketed benefits with him were after Prefect Lu's life. After all, once everything was settled, if Prefect Lu couldn't touch his brother-in-law, why couldn't he touch these people?
Strike first and you'll have the upper hand; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences.
Let's just go all the way and go all the way.
They took the lives of their entire family!
The youngest son of the Prefect of Lu was guarding the city with his father when he was struck in the heart by a stray arrow that came from nowhere and died.
Hearing this, Shen Tang sighed deeply. Apart from his poor judgment in choosing people, Prefect Lu was a fairly upright and honest man, yet he died at the hands of a villain. She had previously thought that Prefect Lu's claim of his son's death was an excuse, but she was wrong.
Where is that young man's body?
The official raised his hand as if to wipe away tears.
"They should be settled in the side wing of the government office now."
"Send people to collect them all and give them a proper burial..." Shen Tang couldn't help but think that if they had arrived earlier, the outcome might have been different. But there are no "what ifs" in this world, leaving only regret.
She continued to listen to the official's detailed explanation.
Not long after the city fell, reinforcements arrived.
Prefect Lu was threatened into luring Shen Tang and others in.
He naturally refused to do so; if he did, how could he stand in the world in the future? But he couldn't stop the common people in the city from being in someone else's hands, his family members from being controlled, and his subordinates and brothers-in-law from stirring up trouble. So Prefect Lu had no choice but to leave the city with a dark face.
Shen Tang also learned about what happened afterward.
Prefect Lu probably never imagined that those petty people he had never paid any attention to would actually commit the heinous act of taking advantage of the situation to massacre his family. He asked himself honestly, he had treated them well, and he had also been very kind to his brother-in-law.
The result was nothing but utter betrayal.
He learned from Bai Su that only his youngest daughter remained of his entire family, and he lost his mind, killing his brother-in-law, a subordinate, as the first person he killed. Upon hearing this, Shen Tang tapped the table with her finger and asked curiously, "I can understand killing your brother-in-law first, after all, Duke Lu didn't know that this brother-in-law had only betrayed them but didn't intend to kill them all. But why—why did you have to be the second one killed?"
The official's face stiffened.
I almost thought I had misheard.
Shen Tang repeated with a half-smile, "I asked why, after killing his brother-in-law, Duke Lu wanted to kill you second. If you still don't understand, I can repeat it a third time."
She's a very easy person to talk to.
Official: "..."
Shen Tang smiled kindly, as if chatting with a friend, but the words she spoke were not so friendly.
"Don't you think you know too much detail? You asked me to dismiss the servants and other officials just because you were worried they would expose you, right? I may be young and look inexperienced, but I'm not stupid. I still have basic judgment."
She asked, "Are you Jiang Sheng, Jiang Xiandeng?"
Although it was a question, the tone was one of certainty.
The official remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking: "Are you judging me to be Jiang Xiandeng based solely on this?"
"No, but it's not a big problem. Even if we guess wrong, it doesn't matter. We can find out your identity by interrogating you slowly once we capture you." He said he would arrest someone and torture them, but his actions didn't reflect that. He even made a gesture of invitation.
"You can speak freely now."
The official was indeed Jiang Sheng.
Shen Tang almost laughed and said, "You really have guts to come up to me at a time like this!"
Jiang Sheng said, "Didn't Shen Jun say earlier that he wanted to poach someone from Lu Gong? That's why I'm here."
Shen Tang: "..."
She was joking.
Shen Tang naturally didn't believe Jiang Sheng's reason. Although she was a bit unrestrained in her use of people, and her subordinates were more and more wasteful than her, she was willing to do so.
With only one document and a single piece of evidence, all those who knew the truth were dead except for Jiang Sheng.
His words are not to be trusted.
As for the surviving young lady, Ms. Lu?
She probably knows no more than Prefect Lu.
Shen Tang wanted to hear how Jiang Sheng would convince himself, or rather, to see what Jiang Sheng was really up to!
Jiang Sheng said, "I have always acted according to my own will."
This has nothing to do with courage.
Shen Tang didn't want to beat around the bush, so she spoke frankly to him: "...It's clear you're not incompetent. I'm curious, which side are you on? You should be familiar with Prefect Lu, otherwise you wouldn't know the details from so long ago, but on the battlefield, you stepped in to protect those bandits and refugees, opposing us..."
Jiang Sheng's stance is quite intriguing.
She wanted to understand.
The reason behind this is actually quite simple.
Jiang Sheng was originally from Lu. For some reason, he could only stay in his hometown to make a living. However, the governor of Lu was a man who valued appearances and did not give him important positions, only giving him a sinecure. He discovered that the governor's brother-in-law had a problem and warned him, but the man did not listen.
Not long ago, a friend came to visit.
This man had secured an important position under the bandit leader and wanted to invite him to join him. Considering the current situation, Jiang Sheng agreed to wait and see what his "future lord" thought before making a decision.
Upon meeting the bandit leader, he immediately sensed that the man had no future. He also learned that their next target was Luxia County, his hometown, so he reminded the governor of Lu County to defend the area to the death.
The bandits didn't have much food, and they had many mouths to feed, so they couldn't hold out for long. If they couldn't conquer the area within a certain period, they would turn around and look for their next hunting target.
Unfortunately, Prefect Lu only listened to half of what he said.
Jiang Sheng has no morals.
With his friend watching him, he had no choice but to feign compliance and go along with it until the matter was settled, then flee with his family—he couldn't stay in this place any longer. However, what happened that night caught him completely off guard, and Jiang Sheng decided against fleeing.
He came to see Shen Tang.
Then the disguise was exposed.
But this was within his expectations.
If Shen Tang can't even see this, then Shen Jun's brain is no more than that of a bandit leader.
Shen Tang: "..."
Does she seem like such a shameless person?
Would they easily accept a Jiang Sheng who is even more unscrupulous?
Putting everything else aside, Jiang Sheng's final act of saving the refugees and bandits was unsettling; this guy is a pain to deal with!
Shen Tang deliberately wore her emotions on her face.
Little did he know that if he hadn't made a move then, it would have been his friend who would have. Kang Shi's "Flooding the Seven Armies" would have become the prelude to digging his own grave. By the way, Jiang Sheng could also demonstrate his professional skills, otherwise how could he conduct the interview?
Shen Tang: "...Do I look like a hot commodity?"
Talented individuals are proactively seeking out opportunities?
Haha, she dreams pretty fast.
She suspected that Jiang Sheng, like Qi Shan and the others, was disloyal to their lord.
Jiang Sheng countered, "How can the Imperial Seal not smell good?"
Shen Tang: "!!!"
(`)
To look beautiful this summer, Shiitake Mushroom started working out with Liu Genghong's live stream. This is her second day of the workout, and she seems to be resting tomorrow, but there's a pre-recorded video on Bilibili, so she plans to push herself a little harder!
No days off all week! Morning and evening!
The young man, not yet thirty, has less stamina than his 66-year-old mother-in-law.
Alas, this won't do.
(End of this chapter)
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