Chapter 803: If you refuse to kill your father and usurp the throne, you're as good as dead! [Seeking monthly votes]
"My darling, why are you suddenly mentioning him?"
The lady was lost in her own thoughts when a faint scent of tobacco wafted into her nostrils. She looked up and met a beautiful face with a languid expression. The latter's lips were painted a deep red, outlining a full shape that made her skin appear even whiter.
"Your Highness, could you please tell me about this person's life?"
"Then please prepare some cigarettes for me, and let me think about it slowly."
Because of the abundance of miasma, people of all social classes in this area had the habit of burning fragrant herbs to dispel the miasma. Over time, this evolved into the hobby of smoking. The sons of noble families, princes and nobles especially loved this practice, and the practice spread from the top down to the bottom, with people of all ages and genders taking a puff.
The prince in front of me also likes him.
The lady resigned herself to making her something milder.
As His Highness skillfully exhaled smoke, the blurred features behind the cloud of mist grew increasingly languid as he tried to recall relevant memories: "It's been over ten years since I've heard anyone mention the name 'Qi Cang.' I don't know much about him either. After all, he became famous shortly after I came of age. Thanks to him, I wasn't forced into a political marriage. The thought of sharing a blanket with an old man old enough to be my grandfather, and engaging in sexual acts, is so disgusting it makes me want to vomit my dinner from the night before."
The lady was unaware of this old almanac.
As far as she knew, His Highness's consort was neither a ruler of another country nor a nobleman from another nation; he was said to be a highly sought-after man in the capital at the time. Normally, such a promising young man would be betrothed to a woman of equal social standing almost immediately after birth.
How it ended up in His Highness's hands is unknown.
"Because of Qi Cang, they were spared the marriage alliance?"
His Highness sneered: "Which royal princess would be chosen for a marriage alliance? Even if she is a daughter, she is still a princess. Usually, a member of the royal family or a minister's daughter would be chosen as an adopted daughter. At that time, I was the best choice because of my age and status. It's just that my father was so capable that he successfully usurped the throne from his brother, my uncle. So, someone else was chosen for the marriage alliance."
She continued, "This Qi Cang was once a capable general under Wang Bo, but he came from a poor family. Because of his good physique, he was chosen by nobles to serve as an attendant to their children. Coincidentally, the political situation was turbulent, so he joined the army and rose step by step to a high position. It's just a pity that because of his humble origins, he could only be an ordinary general and could never become a commander. Hehehe, his disadvantage was his birth..."
The lady frowned upon hearing this: "Your background?"
His Highness said, "A person of such humble origins who climbed too high, coupled with an arrogant personality, how could he not offend people? And who would clean up his messes after he offended them? It's said that he blocked someone's path and didn't apologize in time, thus incurring their wrath. Once, while on a campaign, his wife, daughters, and elderly mother somehow fell into the hands of the enemy, who forced him to retreat thirty miles. Tsk tsk, and the result was—"
The lady hurriedly asked, "Have the troops withdrawn?"
But deep down, I know it's impossible.
As expected—
His Highness tapped the table with his pipe, smiling seductively, "How could that be? How many people die in a battle? Which of his subordinates, brothers, and comrades didn't pay a heavy price? Some of them not only lost their wives, daughters, and elderly mothers, but were also crippled or even killed. The army paved a path to the enemy lines with heads and blood. Why should everyone back down and retreat just because his wife, daughters, and elderly mothers were captured? So, he took matters into his own hands..."
I can't save my wife, daughters, and elderly mother.
They would only suffer a more painful death if they fell into the hands of the enemy.
Even if the enemy doesn't make a move on the front lines, his own people behind the scenes will. Everyone is waiting for Qi Cang's choice.
Qi Cang said, "Women are like clothes; once the old clothes are gone, new ones can be worn. A great man who has achieved great things should not worry about fine clothes. With fine clothes, why worry about children? As for my old mother, she has been ill for a long time. If she can be relieved of her suffering, it would be a filial act."
Do you think saying this will make them live?
Qi Cang acted as if he didn't care, but the enemy didn't believe him.
He continued to use his wife, daughters, and elderly mother as threats.
On the battlefield, Qi Cang provided the answer.
Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of soldiers from both armies, he conjured a longbow and feathered arrows. The enemy was still threatening a countdown when the bowstring was instantly drawn to its full extent. The arrows left the bow, several volleys firing simultaneously, each piercing a heart: [Think you can fool the world with a few fakes?]
The lady's heart skipped a beat: "The hostages are fake?"
His Highness exhaled a puff of smoke: "Of course it's true."
It is said that after he murdered his own family member, he felt no pain or sorrow. At the victory banquet, he even had the leisure to have the defeated general's wife and daughters dance for his amusement. The defeated general's head, severed and displayed, stared wide-eyed, like a pair of copper bells: "Dance! Why aren't you dancing? Is it because you can't jump out in front of this bloody head? Is that it?"
His boots pressed against the head as he turned to look at the several pale-faced women: "How pathetic, what are you trembling about?"
In his drunken state, he proudly boasted.
In the realm of martial arts, there are no weaknesses.
The lady frowned deeply upon hearing this: "The wife and daughter of a defeated general..."
His Highness said, "How do you know? There are only two possible fates for women like this. The lucky ones end up with a long-lived man and their lives return to peace; the unlucky ones are given away as gifts, and the men they marry become lower and lower in status..."
If you survive until the end of the war, you might be spared. But if the war goes on indefinitely, you'll end up as a camp prostitute until you die.
"We've strayed from the topic. Let's get back to Qi Cang... I don't know if it's because he personally killed his wife, daughter, and mother to prove the ruthless path, but his strength has increased rapidly, and his status has risen accordingly."
The lady interrupted her at this moment.
"Was his wife, daughters, and elderly mother betrayed?"
His Highness rolled his eyes: "Heh heh heh, isn't this like a louse on a bald man's head? Which general leading troops into battle doesn't hand over his family members as hostages? It's not only to reassure the monarch, but also to protect the safety of their families. It's illogical for Qi Cang's family to be on the front lines. But where's the evidence? What evidence is there that his wife, daughters, and elderly mother were betrayed to the enemy, and not that his family was preparing to betray them? Let's just let this matter drop. There's no point in pursuing it further."
The lady asked, "Then his relatives died in vain?"
His Highness finished his cigarette, exhaling the last puff of white smoke, and said with a cold laugh, "But—he killed the man himself. How can he seek justice? The witnesses and evidence have long been destroyed. He's just a commoner general; he may have military power, but most of his troops were transferred from elsewhere. Few are truly loyal to him, and even those are just after personal gain..."
"He can't shake those who target him."
"...He can only blame himself for failing to see the times. He underestimated others' importance and overestimated his own abilities, which ultimately brought disaster upon his family. This may sound harsh, but it is the truth. Compromising might have been a way to survive. But it was precisely because of this that my father was able to use it to incite him to rebel and commit regicide. That is how I was spared the fate of being forced into a marriage alliance."
She shoved the ashes from her pipe into the ashtray on the table.
"My darling, this is all I know. Although the details are uncertain, the ending is that he was wanted and hunted down, and finally his head was cut off for the bounty..."
The lady asked, "Is he really dead?"
"Probably..."
His Highness is not entirely certain.
The lady pressed further, "Your Highness, please think about it again."
Was the owner of that severed head really Qi Cang himself?
Your Highness: "..."
She's only been involved in politics for the past two years since arriving in her fiefdom; before that, she lived in the capital and never came to her fiefdom. Why come here? The fiefdom is small, economically poor, and the living conditions are nowhere near as comfortable as in the capital. Wouldn't coming to her fiefdom just be asking for trouble?
Her fiefdom was managed by a specialist, and she was content to receive annual tributes from it. As a female member of the royal family without the right to inherit the throne, she had a real fiefdom, so the court officials were not worried that she would usurp the throne and did not urge her to go to her fiefdom. She was happy to stay in the capital.
but--
She couldn't resist the urge of her beloved to come.
At this moment, the thought of her beloved child reminding her of the unfortunate soul who had his head chopped off more than a decade ago was truly troubling for her.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Why have you suddenly become interested in him, my dear minister?
The lady recounted the events of the day, which enraged His Highness: "How dare he offend you?"
“The situation is beyond our control, and it’s just a verbal threat.”
His Highness slammed his opium pipe onto the table.
"Words won't do either! Besides, you said his name is Qi Cang? There are plenty of people in this world with the same pronunciation! How can you connect that to a dead person? Even if it really is him, wouldn't he go on a killing spree when he comes back? How could he let you escape unscathed?"
A person who would not hesitate to kill his own relatives on the battlefield would not speak kindly to someone whose strength is far inferior to his own.
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
As soon as His Highness finished speaking, the lady in front of him froze, her pupils suddenly contracting as if she had seen something terrifying.
This display of power made His Highness's heart tighten.
Cold sweat had appeared on her forehead without her noticing. She turned her head and looked in the direction the lady's gaze had fallen, where a figure was standing. The man was tall and imposing, and the shadow he cast created a strong sense of oppression. His eyes flashed with a cold light.
She pulled a short blade from her pipe.
"Someone come here!"
The other person said, "Stop shouting, no one can come."
His Highness then realized that the government office had become eerily quiet, and even the most annoying chirping of insects had disappeared.
"How dare you! Who are you? Trespassing on the Princess's residence!"
"You ask about my identity?" The newcomer scrutinized the princess, examining her closely, not missing a single inch of her body. His gaze was direct and intense, yet devoid of any lewdness, making one's hair stand on end. "Your Highness doesn't know?"
"How dare you!"
That gaze made her suspect that she had become prey.
The newcomer said, "My name is Qi Cang, courtesy name Yanqing! I am the unlucky grassroots general that Your Highness spoke of so eloquently."
His Highness was so startled that he released the short blade from his hand.
The short blade pierced the wooden floor beneath his feet with a muffled thud.
"Qi...Yanqing...you're not dead?"
Although she had never met Qi Cang in person, she knew that no one would suddenly impersonate a general who had died more than ten years ago.
Qi Cang nodded: "It is indeed I."
His Highness had only one thought in his mind—
She's really going to die! It'll probably be only a few days before the capital receives news that her official residence was massacred by a mysterious powerful figure, and that the princess and her officials were all hung up and left to rot at the city gate.
However, Qi Cang did not make a move.
He simply strolled over and sat down in the main seat.
He raised his hand as if he were the host: "Please be seated, ladies."
Sitting was out of the question; she was a princess! Even if Qi Cang were still alive, he was still a subject. How could a subject sit in the main seat while the ruler sat in the subordinate position? She swallowed nervously, "May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
Qi Cang said, "I have a few questions for Your Highness."
His Highness replied, "Ask away."
She thought Qi Cang had come to inquire whether the enemy who massacred her family was still alive and where they lived. Who knew—Qi Cang immediately asked her how many registered households, merchants, farmers, people, taxes, and soldiers were in her fiefdom…
Your Highness: "..."
lady:"……"
Qi Cang stroked his thick beard.
"Isn't this His Highness's fiefdom?"
You don't even know what's in your own home?
His Highness's expression changed several times: "Although it is a fiefdom, I am not a prince of the royal family, and I have little say in the affairs of the fiefdom."
Of course, she could interfere if she really wanted to. As a royal woman, she could cause as much trouble as she wanted without arousing any fear. But if she were a man, interfering in these matters could easily lead to accusations and the execution of her entire family.
She said, "My beloved minister knows."
This is her darling, her right-hand man!
The meager income from her fiefdom was barely enough to support a princess's residence, but since her beloved daughter started managing it, the deficit had been offset by a break-even point, and now there was even a small surplus. She was finally free from the predicament of living paycheck to paycheck, and no longer needed to ask for rewards or borrow money from the royal family every year when celebrating her father's birthday... It's just a pity that her beloved daughter kept a tight rein on her finances, so she wasn't free to spend money.
Qi Cang turned his gaze to another person in the room.
In order to survive, the lady had no choice but to answer. Fortunately, she remembered every number, so it wasn't difficult for her.
Qi Cang listened attentively.
He would sometimes stroke his beard and nod, and sometimes hum in agreement.
Qi Cang: "Then what about the registers of everyone in your household?"
The lady had no choice but to turn around and fetch it for him.
Qi Cang opened the scroll and looked down at it intently.
His Highness was puzzled.
Could it be that Qi Cang's enemies are among this list?
After a short while, Qi Cang put down the roster, realizing that this job wasn't really suitable for him: "Your household... doesn't have many decent people."
His Highness rolled his eyes inwardly: "Who said that? They're all handsome and beautiful, at the very least they're above average!"
Seeing a beautiful woman makes me feel good.
Qi Cang said, "I'll resign!"
Your Highness: "..."
Qi Cang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and his first words left the two princes dumbfounded: "The Princess's residence cannot only have these pretty but useless things. Don't you know how to treat talented people with respect?"
Your Highness: "..."
Why does she have to be so courteous and respectful to scholars?
Princess Wang's shogunate was a powerless and insignificant institution. Young talents would only come here for two reasons: first, to leverage Princess Wang's connections to be introduced to a better employer; second, simply to become Princess Wang's man.
Although she didn't say anything, her eyes said it all.
Qi Cang felt a surge of anger rising within him from the other woman's gaze. With a light, effortless palm strike, he shattered the table, the loud crash sending chills down the princess's spine. But what followed was even more mind-blowing. Qi Cang paced back and forth in the hall, his voice filled with exasperation: "What Shen Youli did, you can do too. She's still a commoner, but you're a princess! If you were ruthless enough to murder your father and usurp the throne, you would definitely ascend the throne before her!"
"...Chen...Chen Youli? Who is that?"
Qi Cang raised his hand and drew the short blade from beneath the princess's feet into his grasp, the blade pressed against her throat: "Who the man surnamed Chen is is unimportant; what matters is your answer, which concerns your life. If you cannot answer, then you can go see the King of Hell! I don't have time to waste on trash like this. Five, four—"
"I'll do it, I'll do it!"
Qi Cang was satisfied and sheathed his short blade.
A cold smile played on his lips.
Revenge? Of course he wants revenge!
Fifteen minutes later—
The prince, forced into the position, stammered, "Even if I were willing to treat scholars with respect, these scholars wouldn't agree."
She struggled to even manage a single fiefdom.
Over the years, I've been borrowing money, food, and people from all over the place...
Qi Cang propped his legs up on the table, crossed his arms and leaned back, and sneered, "If you refuse, I'll come to your door."
His Highness said, "You're a wanted criminal, aren't you afraid of death?"
Qi Cang gave a forced smile: "I am a dignified sixteenth-rank Grand Master, whose head is harder than these two hands?"
Anyone who refuses will be slapped to death!
|ω`)
Qi Cang is playing a very new simulation game.
PS: Actually, princesses also have fiefdoms, but the size and location of their fiefdoms cannot be compared with those of male members, and their real power decreases as they progress in the ranks.
P.S.: The princess is the ruler, and the ruler must not surrender easily.
(End of this chapter)
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