Chapter 78: I'm not twisted enough, so I don't fit in with you guys.
The three years' worth of tax revenue from Sibao County, plus the various treasures the county governor presented to Zheng Qiao, amounted to an enormous sum. Anyone with a brain knows that this money is too risky to rob.
When you have something on your mind, you'll naturally be distracted when doing things.
Chu Yao noticed her unusual behavior.
"Is something on your mind, Goro?"
Shen Tang let out a soft "Ah," and subconsciously glanced at Qi Shan, her eyes seeking his opinion. Although Qi Shan had included Chu Yao in the plan, it was, after all, a matter of robbing tax silver and concerning one's life and fortune, so naturally, Qi Shan's permission was needed before it could be told to any third party.
Chu Yao also looked at Qi Shan with a puzzled expression.
What did that fellow say to Goro while I was away?
Qi Shan lowered her head and patiently fed the vegetarian in her arms, smiling as she said, "It's a small matter, Young Master Shen, you can make the decision yourself."
Shen Tang twitched the corner of her mouth.
Robbing tax silver is a serious crime punishable by death by a thousand cuts, yet Qi Yuanliang described it as a trivial matter. This made Shen Tang curious about what he had done with his previous bosses, and how he was so accustomed to courting death.
Since Qi Shan told her to make her own decision, she did.
“Yuanliang wants to rob the tax silver of Sibao County like the Liangshan heroes robbed the birthday tribute.” She pointed at Qishan and said directly that it was Qishan’s idea. She paused and complained, “The birthday tribute is just a batch of birthday gifts. Its security level is not comparable to that of tax silver.”
Qi Shan is stubborn and determined, and he starts with the most difficult level right away.
She thought Chu Yao would also be startled and would advise them not to court death, but to her surprise, his attitude was completely nonchalant, as if Shen Tang wasn't talking about robbing tax silver but simply going out to buy groceries. She then turned her gaze to Qi Shan, who happened to look up and meet her eyes.
The two exchanged a silent glance.
Chu Yao lowered his eyelids and said in a low voice, "So that's what it is."
Shen Tang choked: "What do you mean 'So that's what it is'?"
So Chu Yao was also in the know?
Shen Tang's true feelings were written all over her face. Chu Yao shook his head: "This is the first time I've heard this news either. I didn't know about it before."
Shen Tang choked again and complained, "Is this the first time you've heard of this? But Wu Hui's reaction is too calm and hard to be convincing."
Chu Yao said, "I just think that this is something Qi Yuanliang would do, and it is indeed a good idea."
I was mentally prepared, so there was no need to be surprised.
Shen Tang: "..."
For a moment, she began to doubt her life—was she out of place with Qi Shan and the others because she wasn't perverted or anti-corruption enough?
Watching Shen Tang practically float back to her room, Qi Shan revealed a smile that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, which made Chu Yao feel very annoyed.
He asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Qi Shan didn't pretend to be stupid.
He laid down the incantation "The law must not be passed on to six ears" to prevent anyone from eavesdropping: "Chu Wuhui, Shen Youli has the imperial seal but no foundation or strength. She is nothing but a fish on a chopping board to be slaughtered! Not to mention a foundation, she doesn't even have any ambition. Shouldn't I give her a push?"
He emphasized, "Therefore, this tax is very important."
Chu Yao did not stop him; he only asked one question.
How confident are you?
Qi Shan said, "Fifty percent."
This proportion is already quite high.
only--
Chu Yao: "What if I accidentally make a mistake..."
Qi Shan poked Su Shang's pink paw pads with her finger, saying nonchalantly, "Then it's a failure. Whether the tax money arrives or not is not important. With Shen Youli's way of dealing with feudal lords, he is destined to never lack food or rice in the future. The least valuable thing in this world is manpower. Taking in refugees to help with farming will eventually lead to success. And having this tax money is just saving that effort."
Chu Yao, however, understood the refined meaning behind the music.
They guessed the true purpose of Qi Shanlai'er's actions.
He was testing Shen Tang.
Chu Yao: "Does Wulang seem like an ambitious person to you?"
Qi Shan said, “Indeed, he doesn’t seem to have any ambition, but does he look like a law-abiding person? Ordinary people would be terrified to death at the mere mention of robbing tax silver, let alone getting involved. What Shen Youli is most worried about is the ‘low success rate’ and ‘insufficient manpower’ rather than the inability to do it. ‘Wine makes people blush and money moves people’s hearts’ is no exaggeration. Once you take this step, it will be impossible to stop or turn back.”
Chu Yao: "Even if he has ambition, it's not great."
"It's not big yet, so let's raise it slowly."
"What if Goro is unwilling?"
Qi Shan smiled mockingly, his thin lips uttering a chilling truth: "Chu Wuhui, do you think I've changed so many lords? Did you really think they were all acting out of suspicion?"
He understood the principles and rules of the scholar's way better than anyone.
One cannot betray one's lord voluntarily, but it does not say that one cannot mislead one's lord into becoming suspicious or even harboring murderous intent towards him.
This is a true case of "killing one's master".
Chu Wuhui's eyes darkened.
He said, "Seeing is believing, indeed."
There's a reason why Qi Yuanliang has so many enemies.
"Having the imperial seal but lacking any power to protect oneself is like a child carrying a thousand pieces of gold in a bustling marketplace. Some things are beyond Young Master Shen's control. Just like that princess—surrendering naked, what a disgrace! An ordinary person would have committed suicide to avoid such humiliation, but could the princess die? She doesn't even have the right to die."
Similarly, Young Master Shen had no other choice.
It's better to let him do it than to let Chu Yao do it.
At least he would be gentler, but Chu Yao—one of the three heroes of Chu back then—was anything but "upright and honorable."
Chu Yao nodded, which was his way of agreeing to the plan.
Suddenly, he asked, "Are you going to persuade Gong Shuwu?"
Qi Shan was a scholar with literary talent, as was Wu Lang, but his literary talent was stripped away, and Gong Shu Wu was the most important part of this plan.
Qi Shan refused and shifted the blame back to her: "You go."
Chu Yao smiled and calmly stood up: "Alright, I'll go."
Qi Shan: "..."
He disliked Chu Yao referring to himself as "old man" in front of him, even though he was ten years older than him and acted arrogantly because of his age.
Meow~~~
The woman in his arms used her claws to pry at his hand.
It's clearly unhappy that its owner suddenly stopped feeding it.
Shen Tang had no idea what Qi Shan and the other two had done last night. The next day, when she saw Gong Shuwu, who had come to the "meeting" with injuries, she imagined a notification sound saying, "Gong Shuwu has joined your team."
Flipping the table (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Chen, the only law-abiding citizen, said he was under a lot of pressure and even doubted that his own values were completely distorted.
Chu Yao made the first move: "This is the defense map of Xiaocheng."
Qi Shan also produced a map: "The actual troop strength stationed near Xiaocheng shouldn't differ much. To protect this tax silver, the prefectural government has spread several false rumors to muddy the waters, and there will likely be fake tax silver convoys as well. The transport and handover routes for the tax silver are here; after leaving the city, it will most likely take this route... The convoy will leave from the east city, go through the canyon, turn onto the official road, and then take the waterway..."
Gong Shuwu glanced at the troop numbers: "Heavily guarded."
Qi Shan Yu Guang noticed that Chen Tang was distracted.
He said, "It's alright. If we can't take it, we have a backup plan."
"The worst possible solution?"
Qi Shan nodded: "Mm."
For example, a bowl of wine.
It's unclear how Chu Yao persuaded him, but Gong Shuwu trusted Qi Shan and the other man completely. He said, "How can we be sure that tax silver convoy is real? If we come up empty-handed, we'll be walking into a trap."
|ω｀) I need to take a day off today.
I've been using air conditioning all summer and finally caught a cold. Now my head is throbbing terribly.
The missing chapter will be added tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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