Chapter 779: Wu Xian Seeks Help (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
The former officials of Xin State ate absentmindedly at the victory banquet.
Luan Cheng, who was standing next to Luan Xin, also lost his appetite.
"The food isn't to your liking?"
Luan Xin keenly noticed his nephew's unusual behavior.
Luan Cheng looked somewhat troubled, because those present were mostly scholars with refined tastes and martial arts prowess, possessing excellent hearing; whispering was almost indistinguishable from shouting. If they had something to say privately, they would use telepathy to have a private chat to avoid embarrassment.
Luan Xin said, "When did you become so displeased?"
Say what you think!
Even if he says something wrong, no one will hold it against him.
Luan Cheng was about to use telepathy to communicate when he was stunned.
His uncle refused to create a private group chat.
Luan Cheng felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, squirming on the mat. Finally, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Uncle, Lady Shen is indeed as legendary as the saying goes. I have admired her for a long time. Today, I finally get to see her in person. I am a little nervous."
The former officials of Xin State appeared to be eating with their heads down, but in reality, they were secretly listening to the conversation between the Luan family uncle and nephew, their hearts pounding with anxiety.
"No need to be nervous, our lord is a very kind person."
His seemingly calm eyes were full of approval.
My nephew has good taste.
Seeing that his uncle did not rebuke or correct the title "Lady Shen," they tacitly accepted that the title was correct. Luan Cheng and the group of former officials of Xin State felt even more complicated—this Lady Shen sitting at the head of the table, was she actually a genuine woman?
Xie Qi looked at the faces of those who seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and sighed deeply. His own reaction to learning the truth was no better than theirs. Just as he was about to pick up a piece of roasted meat, his heart trembled. Xie Qi took advantage of the moment when he lowered his eyes to receive the power of words.
A former colleague, with whom I had a close relationship, [sent a secret message].
Former colleague: [Shizo, did you know she was a woman?]
Xie Qi replied with refined and elegant tone: 【I understand.】
A long silence fell over his former colleagues.
Xie Qi smiled and asked, "What are you worried about?"
A former colleague uttered four words: "A hen crowing at dawn."
Little did he know that as soon as he said this, many eyes, openly or secretly, fell on him, but he was completely unaware.
A former colleague remarked: "This is an unprecedented omen!"
An unusual omen at birth is a sign of misfortune!
Xie Qi secretly wiped away cold sweat and said, "Why are you thinking so much? In terms of omens, can anyone be more eerie than Zheng Qiao? Alright, stop worrying unnecessarily. He saved your life, and now you're sitting in his place, spreading these manipulative words… repaying kindness with enmity is the least of your worries. If you can't accept it, continue living in seclusion, indulging in the beauty of nature."
When Zheng Qiao was in power, he simply did whatever he wanted to do.
Working under Zheng Qiao meant that if she said something she shouldn't, she wouldn't even know how she died; but under her lord Shen Jun, she would most likely ignore the pointless complaints of commoners and wouldn't risk being punished for her words. She should be grateful for that alone.
One private chat ends, and another one begins.
Xie Qi, with his good temper, managed to handle each situation.
In summary, in one sentence—
Nu Jiao was once the ruler of a nation, so what about women?
Those who are interested in taking a government position should take this opportunity to make careful plans; those who cannot accept this should continue to stay at home and lie low. This matter will not be forced.
One of his former colleagues asked him: "Does Shizang mean that you intend to wholeheartedly assist this queen?"
"Of course," Xie Qi readily admitted, adding, "My eldest and second daughters are studying under Ning Tunan, and my youngest daughter has also found a renowned teacher. Surely you don't not recognize Ning Tunan? They were classmates. I'm destined to have no sons, so the Xie family's reputation will depend on my three daughters. Hey, three! All three of my daughters have at least above-average talent..."
If it weren't for the rule, Xie Qi would have slapped his thigh in frustration.
The proportion of promising talents with cultivation potential is very low!
Former colleague: […]
Parents' aptitude doesn't guarantee their children's. The advantage of powerful families lies in their heritage and foundation. Each household possesses numerous books on spiritual power, along with cultivation insights left by their ancestors, allowing gifted children to avoid pitfalls. Furthermore, their extensive networks allow them to easily acquire the coveted teaching resources of ordinary people through resource exchanges.
Of course, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.
If a family cannot produce a single qualified member in a generation, life will be difficult. To prevent their family from declining, many aristocratic families either have more children, preferably sons, or they find one or two qualified children from the common people and send them to the side of an unqualified heir. The two grow up together, using affection and interests as bargaining chips to make the other willingly become their right-hand man.
Whether a child is a boy or a girl, or whether the child is gifted or not, these are not things that can be controlled by human power. Daughters are the bond for marriage alliances, the exchange of benefits, and the maintenance of kinship ties. When a family is at its peak, they add to its glory; when a family is in decline, they are used to delay its decline.
The worst fate was that of the Luan family. Not only were the main branch few in number, but their only remaining bloodline was a daughter, and the head of the family, the matriarch, died young. The other branches of the family would pounce on them like wild beasts smelling blood, devouring them completely. Lady Luan was relatively lucky; she decisively chose a suitable son, Luan Xin, to adopt, thus preventing the family line from being wiped out.
Xie Qi's wife was pregnant with three children, all of them girls. His former colleagues, who occasionally gathered to talk about him, all worried for him. Some of them, who were quite close and didn't lack sons, had considered adopting one of their children for Xie Qi—their family fortune was fixed, with the lion's share going to the eldest son, leaving limited inheritance for the other sons. Rather than letting the child become too powerful, they figured it would be better to give one to Xie Qi, whose future would be brighter.
Xie Qi naturally refused, and with Zheng Qiao, a powerful figure above them, the Xie clan members who harbored ambitions of exploiting Xie Qi temporarily refrained from reaching out. Who knew that Xie Qi would pull off such a stunning comeback—three of them!
How many blind boxes would I need to open to collect them all?
Hearing Xie Qi's smug tone, it was clear that the three beauties were definitely more talented than Xie Qi, and their colleagues' faces were contorted with envy!
No wonder he didn't hesitate at all and accepted it readily.
So you got such a huge advantage!
Several colleagues stared intently at the food on the table.
If their family could produce three qualified sons of marriageable age, they would gladly accept it! They would then have their daughters marry into the family, and if they were worried about the safety of such arrangements, they could also choose a few outstanding male concubines to prevent any possibility of the family line returning to its original state after three generations.
Since the son-in-law is always causing trouble, then we'll deal with him secretly.
The group glanced at Luan Cheng in unison.
We cannot allow a farce like the Luan family's to happen, which would make us a laughingstock.
Luan Xin: "..."
Ha, are these people using the Luan family as a stepping stone to explore their own path?
On the surface, the victory banquet was a lively affair, celebrating the hard-won achievements; behind the scenes, however, they were like gossipmongers, unable to keep up with all the juicy tales. Specifically, Shen Tang was gossiping about the private conversations of former Xin Kingdom officials, the content gradually shifting from "Queen Shen is an ominous sign" and "a hen crowing at dawn" to the younger female members of the clan. Aptitude is something you can roughly gauge at birth.
In the past, women were unable to cultivate, and their male offspring could at least receive a "blind box" (a reward for their cultivation), while daughters had no hope whatsoever. Even if they knew their daughters possessed talent, they could only lament why they weren't born as men, or lament why this talent wasn't found in their own brothers.
Now the situation is different.
Sitting at the head of the table, Shen Jun had clearly mastered the secrets of female cultivation, and her previous understanding was shattered by the undeniable facts.
Those who don't lack heirs aren't too keen on this, after all, their prejudice against daughters is long-standing, and the sudden reversal makes them subconsciously resistant; those who are so desperate for heirs that they're envious have a different idea, because they can profit from it, and it's easier for them to accept it.
Shen Tang did not interfere in this matter.
Firstly, these were not her subjects, and no matter how far she extended her influence, she couldn't interfere in their family affairs. Secondly, having too much ties to powerful families wasn't a good thing. Admittedly, securing their investment would save her a lot of trouble, but Shen Tang wanted them to humble themselves and beg her, rather than her shamelessly begging them. He who accepts a favor is bound to be beholden to it; relying too much on them would inevitably lead to being controlled by them.
If you want to touch them one day, it won't be easy to do so.
Shen Tang had her own plan for making the right choice.
Following their conversation, Shen Tang also pieced together a fairly complete picture of their identities, family backgrounds, and connections. Overall, the celebration banquet was more fruitful than she had imagined.
Because Cui Xiao is a newcomer, Shen Tang has been paying more attention to him these past two days, taking him almost everywhere she goes. This is partly to get to know Cui Xiao better, and partly to allow Cui Xiao to interact more with her team. This inevitably drew sarcastic remarks from Gu Chi.
Gu Chi said thoughtfully, "[So alike! It's so alike! I've heard that every new concubine who arrives in the inner court is showered with favor for a while.]"
Shen Tang: [...]
Because of Gu Chi, the way she looked at Cui Xiao was different now.
On the third day of the celebration banquet, Shen Tang was still worried about the medicinal materials.
With Chaoli Pass as a natural barrier, she is under less pressure in terms of warfare. Her biggest worry right now is the epidemic in Yanzhou.
These days, the floodwaters have completely receded.
Shen Tang's troops are skilled in the dismantling and reconstruction of various buildings, and are adept at dredging rivers and reinforcing dikes. Once the situation in Yanzhou stabilizes, they can be dispatched to handle these tasks immediately. The only problem is the epidemic; she is desperately short of medicinal herbs!
Every day of delay would cost countless lives to the epidemic, and Shen Tang did not have enough medicinal herbs in reserve.
Previously, we could exchange medicinal herbs with Zhang He, but now—
The two sides have already broken off relations, and a battle is inevitable!
When she told the newcomer Cui Xiao about her predicament, Cui Xiao's reaction was a little strange: "My lord, please forgive my bluntness, but the most important thing right now is to deal with Huang Lie and the others, not to provide relief to the disaster victims."
Without addressing the root causes and stabilizing the situation in various places, no matter how much effort one makes, it can be easily destroyed by a war.
Shen Tang sighed, "How could I not know?"
The problem is that she has already taken in refugees and transferred them in batches to the Chao Le Pass, where the disaster situation is relatively less severe.
If we ignore this, even if Shen Tang takes over places like Yanzhou and Ganzhou in the future, it won't work if there aren't many survivors.
In addition to that, she had another consideration.
"...The Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces have poured their resources into this battle. How could they not know how much food they have? If we don't transfer all these people away, once Huang Xiguang and his men run out of supplies, they'll be forced to find military provisions from who knows where."
Because of more than two hundred years of chaotic warfare, moral bottom lines have been crossed countless times. At first, there was some psychological burden, but once there were many examples, people became even more self-righteous in their depravity.
Other factions within the Dragon Slaying Bureau are burdened by their family backgrounds and have some sense of shame; they wouldn't resort to such tactics unless absolutely necessary. But Huang Xiguang is different. He has nothing to lose.
Shen Tang said softly, "If I want to restore order, I must set an example and let everyone in the world know what order is."
Even if her persistence complicates simple matters.
Cui Xiao, standing behind her, did not respond. Shen Tang chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Sounds rather indecisive, doesn't it?"
Cui Xiao finally responded.
"No, absolutely not."
Compared to indulging in depravity and debauchery, it is far more difficult to stay true to oneself.
It was precisely because it was difficult that it revealed the lord's determination to establish order. This gave Cui Xiao a delightful surprise, like finding a treasure. If his expectations for Shen Tang were only seven points, then the latter's performance showed him a full ten.
However, ideals are lofty while reality is cruel.
Medicinal herbs, a scarce strategic resource, are rarely held in private hands; most are concentrated in the treasuries of individual families, such as the former officials of the Xin Kingdom. They were taken to Ganzhou as hostages by Zheng Qiao, and their family resources were mostly in their ancestral homes, where they were relatively well-preserved.
Shen Tang also had this idea.
Cui Xiao said, "Dealing with them is possible, but my lord must remember the lesson of Lord Wu."
Every chip obtained from them is, in effect, an IOU that must be repaid with interest in the future.
Shen Tang said, "That's natural."
Whether it was Wu Xian or not, he couldn't help but mention this person, and just after he finished, a troop of soldiers approached outside Chaoli Pass.
Shen Tang didn't even frown.
How many people?
Thirty-four people!
Such a small number of people?
Shen Tang asked again, "Which flag is it?"
"The Wu family of Tianhai!"
The city wall's rotating guards were Zhao Wei and Xu Quan. Upon learning of the other's origins, they waved for the arrows from the watchtowers to be lowered. They ordered the man detained and immediately relayed the news to their lord. With Gu Ziyi's demise, only Wu Xian of Tianhai remained on good terms with the lord within the Dragon-Slaying Bureau. He might be their only ally!
Shen Tang summoned the leader of the team.
The leader of the troops was an unfamiliar face.
Upon seeing Shen Tang dressed in women's clothing, the other party paused for a moment, then lowered his head, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Lord Shen."
Shen Tang asked, "How is Brother Zhaode?"
Looking at the messenger's status, you can tell it's not too good.
This group of people broke through the encirclement. They started with more than a hundred men, but by this point, less than forty percent remained.
The messenger took a letter from his pocket and gave it to Shen Tang.
Shen Tang opened the book and read it quickly, skimming through it.
Judging from the letter, Wu Xian's situation isn't too bad. He's like a greedy snake, gradually devouring several smaller forces along the way. He's just unlucky enough to run into Huang Lie, and they could even have a fight.
However, Huang Lie was good at calling in reinforcements.
Upon receiving the battle report from the front lines, Zhang He and Huang Lie have formed an alliance.
Wu Xianruo is in a tough spot, being attacked from both sides.
To increase their chances of survival, forming an alliance was the best option. He sent messages to both Shen Tang and Gu Ziyi, but upon hearing that Gu Ziyi had already been executed, his only hope rested on Shen Tang.
Shen Tang looked at the letter, her eyes lowered in deep thought.
The messenger said mournfully, "Does Lord Shen know that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold?"
She placed the letter face down on the table, her voice righteous and stern: "My brother Zhaode and I share a deep bond, and I have received much help from him, as everyone knows. Now that my brother Zhaode is in trouble, how can I forget his kindness?"
(σ)σ:*☆
The symptoms and duration of the second positive result were milder than the first.
(End of this chapter)
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