Chapter 420: A Marriage of Convenience (Part 10) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Su Shiyilu was seething with anger.
Just then, a familiar face came in crying, which made him frown and feel very displeased.
He suppressed his anger and asked, "What happened?"
"...You must do me justice!"
If it weren't for the terrifying look on Su Shiyi's face, he would have wanted to go up and hug her leg and wail.
With tears streaming down her face, she accused Shen Tang and his men of being unreasonable and cruel, and of killing ten of her personal guards without explanation!
Of these ten people, one or two were from the same tribe as Su Shiyilu. They weren't exactly relatives, but tracing their ancestry, they were related in some way. Shen Tang showed no respect and killed several of them; wasn't this a slap in the face?
As expected, Su Shiyilu's expression grew increasingly somber as he listened. The surrounding air, unable to withstand his overflowing aura, became thin and oppressive. The candlelight inside the tent flickered, and the weeping envoys of the Ten Crows gradually lowered their sobs, wiping away their tears as they stood at attention.
"Kill them all?" Su Shiyilu's words were filled with murderous intent.
"Kill them all!"
"Are you dead? Won't you stop it?"
The reprimanded envoy from the Ten Crows felt deeply wronged and harbored resentment. He and Su Shiyilu were both officials of the Ten Crows court, yet the latter disregarded his dignity and treated him like a grandson, but he dared not show it in the slightest.
He could only say aggrievedly, "I tried to stop them, but that man surnamed Shen went too far and forcibly killed them. He's so arrogant and domineering because he despises us as barbarians! This guy doesn't take the royal court seriously at all."
He knew that Su Shiyilu had a weakness.
This man prided himself on being a scholar-general who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, capable of fighting on horseback and governing the country on foot. He hated it most when others, especially those from the Central Plains of the mainland, slandered and despised him as a "barbarian."
If you step on this landmine, not only will Shen Tang be severely beaten, but even the princes under the Ten Crows King will be badly beaten.
He deliberately obscured the key points, but Su Shiyilu was not someone who could be used as a pawn in a few words.
He asked, "Why did you, surnamed Shen, commit murder?"
"This...this is because..."
"explain!"
Faced with Su Shiyilu's rage, he could only tell the truth. Of course, the fault certainly didn't lie with those few guards; they were simply acting legally and legitimately. The thousand women were originally offered to the Ten Crows, and the power to dispose of them lay with them.
Su Shiyilu frowned upon hearing this.
"because of this?"
Did the man surnamed Shen kill someone because of a few tribute girls?
"It's because of this..."
Su Shiyilu then sent someone to inquire, and upon learning of Shen Tang's account, his anger gradually subsided.
The atmosphere inside the tent became somewhat stagnant with the silence, while the Ten Crows messenger who had come to lodge the complaint waited anxiously in secret.
Is it good or bad? Give me a straight answer!
To everyone's surprise, the expected outburst of anger did not occur.
Su Shiyilu said with a stern face, "Let's put this matter aside for now and keep a close eye on the men. If they really crave women, let them find someone to take care of themselves when we reach the next tribe. Don't touch this group of women yet, lest we give them any leverage!"
"Why is that? We are not afraid of them!"
He couldn't understand Su Shiyilu's cowardly behavior. Ten of his personal guards had been killed for no reason. He didn't even want the man surnamed Shen to pay for his blood debt, but he could at least take twenty of their lives as interest.
So, this old guy decided to just let it go?
Su Shiyi Lu was too lazy to explain the pros and cons to him, and also felt uncomfortable with his arrogance.
This restless and impetuous atmosphere wasn't limited to this person; it permeated the entire Ten Crow royal court. Everyone believed that with Geng Guo's foolish ruler Zheng Qiao displaying a few weak and obsequious attitudes, Ten Crow would be invincible, able to easily break through Yonggu Pass, and march south.
But Su Shiyilu doesn't think so.
Zheng Qiao did indeed curry favor with Shi Wu, but he never suffered any losses. On the contrary, the elite troops that Shi Wu sent out were all used up by him as expendable resources. During the last marriage alliance, Shi Wu sent out 100,000 elite troops with the aim of placing them in Zheng Qiao's territory. They planned to seize an opportunity when Zheng Qiao was weak and launch a swift and decisive attack to gain a foothold for Shi Wu in the Northwest.
If successful, it would also reduce the troop costs of attacking Yonggu Pass, requiring only internal and external cooperation.
As a result, Zheng Qiao turned the tables on them.
If one plan fails, another must be devised.
Su Shiyi was certain that Zheng Qiao wouldn't be able to cause trouble for long, but he didn't dare underestimate this man, who was one of the rulers he had seen with the deepest control over the national seal. Who knew if this fellow might have a final burst of energy and bite them hard...
Before the situation becomes clear, we must not offend anyone too much.
Anyway, once these tribute women entered Shiwu's territory, they became Shiwu's people, and even if the man surnamed Shen was unwilling, he had no choice but to let go.
Otherwise, the day we arrive in the capital will be the day this boy dies! Even if Shi Wu doesn't kill him, he can still be killed through Zheng Qiao's hands!
"I'm not afraid, but now is not the right time."
Su Shiyilu frowned and dismissed the man.
The poor envoy of the Ten Crows was frightened by Shen Tang and then suffered humiliation at the hands of Su Shiyilu.
Shen Tang, on the other hand, slept soundly through the night.
"No one came to confront us last night?"
You just let ten of your personal guards get killed like that?
Gu Chi said, "Not only did they not come to accuse him, but Su Shiyilu even sent someone to apologize, ha..."
This surprised him.
Jiang Sheng ate his flatbread with the meat broth and said irritably, "In this situation, it's either cowardice or ulterior motives. This person has climbed to such a high position, so it's obviously not the former. The more patient he is, the less we should underestimate him; he's up to no good."
"No matter how much evil you harbor, you can't hide it from me."
Jiang Sheng remained noncommittal. Gu Chi's scholarly approach wasn't universally applicable; relying on it too much could lead to disastrous consequences. After a simple breakfast, the marriage procession set off again. Before noon, the familiar female historian arrived once more.
Shen Tang was already proficient.
"Did the princess summon you?"
What is that princess planning to do now?
Shen Tang rode her motorcycle toward the center of the marriage procession. The Ten Crows guards she encountered along the way all cast murderous glares at her. Clearly, Su Shiyilu had held back, but these Ten Crows guards had not and remained hostile.
They dared not act rashly, only because of Shen Tang's decisive and ruthless style of killing. Shen Tang ignored them and went straight to the princess's super luxurious carriage. Although it was called a carriage, it was actually a fully furnished 60-70 square meter mobile home.
The interior is fully furnished.
In addition to bedrooms, there is also a "living room".
The vehicle was covered with thick felt mats, making the ride smooth and the passengers barely felt any bumps.
Shen Tang saw Princess Wang for the third time.
The latter's gaze became noticeably different.
"It is said that scholars with literary talent can set up a barrier of words to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping?" Princess Wang dismissed the group of female historians.
"That's true."
Shen Tang didn't know what the princess was up to, but he still cast a spell, and the princess said, "I have heard about what happened last night. I apologize for any offense I may have caused you, Lord Shen." As she spoke, she placed one hand on her slightly protruding belly and bowed.
Shen Tang quickly stepped aside, refusing to accept it.
"What does Your Highness mean by this?"
Princess Wang Ji said, "I've been frank with Lord Shen. I have no ulterior motives, I just want to survive. I survived by lying that the child in my womb was Zheng Qiao's son, but lies always come to light eventually. Even if the child were real, given Zheng Qiao's cold-hearted nature, it wouldn't be a leverage he could use against me. Once Shi Wu realizes what's going on, how will I survive?"
(End of this chapter)
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