Chapter 71: GUCCI [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The waves are raging!
Whale waves and alligator waves!
Waves surged and roared!
At this moment, Shen Tang's heart was filled with a thousand words that could not be described, her shock causing her to overload her CPU. She blinked blankly, her urge to complain bursting forth.
"Ah... it's very difficult to get an offer for the scholar's path."
"Oh...what?"
Qi Shan was misled by her unconventional response.
"It's just an offer letter, but that's not important." The offer isn't the point; the point is—"Forgive my lack of imagination, but I just can't see what use your scholarly ways have. Who would bother hiring a strategist or retainer to kill them?"
He prayed for good without uttering a single word.
He didn't speak, but Shen Tang's mouth never stopped: "Let me think—that's right, being a spy is like being an informant. By planting yourself under someone else's command and using your scholarly ways, wouldn't the enemy leader die without a sound?"
Qi Shan's face darkened: "You even came up with this kind of approach, Young Master Shen. Should I praise you for your quick wit?"
Seeing his expression, Shen Tang gradually fell silent.
Embarrassed, she also realized that the "murder of the master" that Qi Shan mentioned was not the same as the "murder of the master" she thought it was, and that the path of planting a spy in the enemy was not feasible. She subconsciously sat up straight, adopting an attitude of listening attentively, which made Qi Shan both amused and exasperated.
Qi Shan didn't want to go into details, but seeing how well-behaved Young Master Shen was, the pent-up frustration in his chest seemed to ease by about 70-80% with a sigh. He said, "Actually, it's not that difficult to explain in detail. As long as you are loyal to your lord and he trusts you, it's a win-win situation. If your lord is suspicious, then it's 'killing your lord'."
Shen Tang: "...What kind of win-win situation is this?"
He pondered: A monarch trusts his subjects, and subjects are loyal to their monarch; this is how the relationship between ruler and subject should be. He wondered if this code of conduct for scholars only constrained the monarch or both. Otherwise, if a monarch unilaterally bestows trust while a subject harbors ill intentions, no one would feel at ease.
Seeing that Shen Tang's attention was on the "win-win" situation rather than the latter's "killing of the master," a complex emotion flashed in Qi Shan's eyes.
He bent down and sat down, his posture more relaxed than usual.
"The way of the scholar will improve and grow, and what will happen in the future is still unknown, but the current 'win-win' situation is more beneficial to me. If a lord recruits me, I will serve him as my lord, and I can borrow his literary spirit from him to obtain a part of the 'way of the lord' and merge it with my own 'way of the scholar' to gain new abilities. The price is that I cannot betray my lord. If the lord becomes suspicious, it is tantamount to breaking a promise and will backfire on the lord's literary spirit."
Shen Tang: "..."
Qi Shan smiled and asked, "Young Master Shen, don't you have anything to say?"
Shen Tang said sincerely, "This way of the scholar is truly domineering."
Qi Shan's price was unwavering loyalty; she couldn't betray her lord before he became suspicious, or she would suffer the consequences. While the severity of the backlash from Wen Xin is unknown, since it constitutes "lord regicide," she would likely be crippled or killed. No wonder she was feared—
Which company would dare to hire someone like that?
If the boss becomes suspicious, the company will go bankrupt...
Qi Shan then asked, "Young Master Shen, don't you find it terrifying?"
Shen Tang said, "It's not scary."
These are all things that Qishan's future lord should worry about. Whether she knows them or not doesn't matter, so she naturally won't care.
but--
Shen Tang winked at him teasingly, with an expression that said, "I've discovered your big secret: Yuan Liang really craves the trust of others."
That makes it sound like a child yearning for recognition.
Qi Shan's expression changed abruptly, and she said sternly, "You're talking nonsense!"
“I’m rambling! As I said before, the way of the scholar is related to the scholar’s own character or certain qualities, and Yuanliang’s way of the scholar rigidly requires the absolute trust of the one he is loyal to, which is easy to understand. However, the best state between ruler and subject is mutual trust, so your demand is not excessive.” Shen Tang patted his shoulder, “It’s just that the power is a bit domineering, but I really don’t find it terrifying.”
Qi Shan sighed, "You're just saying this because it doesn't concern you."
It wouldn't be so easy if it happened to me.
Human nature is inherently complex, yet he desires a profession that is inherently prone to suspicion to be pure; fundamentally, this desire is contradictory.
Shen Tang chuckled and said, "That's exactly right."
Qi Shan snorted.
The atmosphere completely calmed down.
The discussion on the way of the scholar should have ended here.
but--
Shen Tang suddenly said, "Yuan Liang must have a trick up his sleeve."
"What?"
She said slyly, "The way of the scholar is so important that people are trying to hide it. Why would you confess to me for no reason? With your temperament, you must be hiding something else. It must be something that is detrimental to you but beneficial to those who are loyal to you, and it is also your Achilles' heel."
I remain silent on the matter of praying for good.
Shen Tang pondered to herself, "Did I really guess right? I've always felt that the way of the literati involves gains and losses, and the gains and losses should be roughly equal. For example, that Mr. Gu could hear the voices of others, but he himself was tormented by them, becoming emaciated and dying young. Yuan Liang's way of the literary mind, however, is so domineering, forcibly binding the monarch, so the gains and losses are not equal..."
Qi Shan's eyes flickered, a mixture of expectation and threat in them, a complex emotion he himself couldn't quite define: "So what?"
Shen Tang shrugged: "I was just talking nonsense, don't worry about it."
"Killing the ruler" uses one's life to bind the monarch's absolute trust.
This is what one gains from praying for good deeds.
So, is what he "lost" also his own fate?
Shen Tang speculated in his mind but didn't say anything.
Her focus is always rather off-topic.
"Yuanliang, I'm still curious—"
Qi Shan rolled her eyes: "Young Master Shen, just ask him."
"Can the way of the scholar also have two kinds of abilities?"
She hadn't forgotten that Qi Shan had said if he pledged allegiance to someone, he could gain new abilities by merging that person's "Way of the Feudal Lords" with his own "Way of the Scholar." He spoke with such certainty, it was clear he had experience. Besides "killing one's master," was there a second ability?
"There is usually only one, with exceptions in special circumstances."
Shen Tang nodded vigorously, taking notes carefully.
I learned something new! |ω｀)
Qi Shan took back the bamboo strips she was weaving halfway through and continued working, saying as she wove, "The 'Mr. Gu' you mentioned, if I'm not mistaken, that should be him. I didn't expect him to be in Xiaocheng too..."
Shen Tang was shocked: "You really know that person?"
Qi Shan said casually, "I wouldn't call it knowing each other. At most, we've met once and exchanged blows. There are so many scholars in the world with the surname 'Gu,' and I know quite a few, but only he fits all the criteria—he should be called 'Gu Chi.'"
Shen Tang misheard.
"Gu Chi? Gucci? GUCCI? This name..."
It has a certain magical quality.
Qi Shan assumed Shen Tang's pronunciation was off and didn't correct her, continuing, "Gu Chi, courtesy name Wangchao, is also a ruthless character. I only knew he was skilled at reading minds and using spiritual language, but I never imagined that was his way of the scholar... Humph!"
Shen Tang was still struggling with the name: "Wangchao, octopus???"
Qi Shan: "..."
How will he ever be able to look at this name again?
"Wangchao" is an elegant name for octopus, and it should be.
However, Gu Chi's name and courtesy name definitely have nothing to do with octopuses.
There will be another chapter later, everyone go to bed early.
Writing the transition chapters was a real headache; arranging the scholar's path was complicated, and it also had to fit the characters' personalities and the plot...
Whale waves and crocodile waves!
(End of this chapter)
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