Chapter 819: Because he is Zhao Dayi [Seeking monthly votes]
Yun Ce is meticulous.
Seeing Shen Tang hesitate and look troubled, he guessed what she was worried about: "Is my lord worried about how to tell General Zhao?"
Shen Tang sighed, "How am I supposed to explain this?"
For the first time, this usually thick-skinned woman felt awkward and embarrassed. She regretted not being more hard-hearted, otherwise she wouldn't be in this predicament. She looked at Yun Ce, intending to push the task onto him, but then changed her mind. This matter was more important than anyone else saying it herself. Thinking of this, Chen Tang irritably grabbed a handful of her hair: "Forget it, let's eat first!"
Even if the sky falls, we must first have enough to eat!
Yun Ce: "..."
Shen Tang found the meal utterly unpalatable.
This is the first time I've ever wanted to give the kitchen and logistics a bad review.
Yun Ce returned just in time, so Shen Tang assigned him to the left wing of the army, letting him quickly familiarize himself with the soldiers to avoid messing things up in battle. Yun Ce was grateful that Shen Tang allowed him to lead troops so soon after his surrender, and his usually icy face showed a bit of youthful enthusiasm and energy.
Shen Tang detested wasting food. Even though she had neither the mood nor the appetite, and eating felt like torture, she still swept every last grain of food off the table, not wasting a single drop. Just as she was rehearsing her plan, Cui Xiao brought over the food and shared a table with Shen Tang.
"I just saw Yun Yuanmou return."
Cui Xiao naturally knew where Yun Ce had gone.
However, he wasn't familiar with Yun Ce, and the latter's mission had been personally entrusted to him by the lord. Cui Xiao couldn't directly ask about the results, so he could only indirectly inquire through the lord. Shen Tang was easily distracted and was startled when she heard his voice, her almond-shaped eyes widening even more.
A flicker of fear crossed her eyes, and for a fleeting moment, her gaze resembled that of a deer—clear, innocent, and harmless. But Cui Xiao knew very well that this lord's outward appearance could deceive; in reality, she could slap someone so hard that their skull would burst open.
Shen Tang mumbled an "Mm".
Cui Xiao then tried to inquire, "Was his trip successful?"
Suddenly, an eerie silence fell over the air.
Shen Tang's almond-shaped eyes were filled with complex emotions: "Let's discuss this after we meet Dayi and Gongsu. Be prepared."
Cui Xiao's outstretched chopsticks paused in mid-air.
He kept his eyelids open for a long time, until his eyeballs began to ache, trying to read the answer on Shen Tang's face. But alas, he was neither Jiang Sheng, who couldn't predict good or bad fortune, nor Gu Chi, who couldn't hear people's hearts. He only knew that the answer was bad news.
As for just how bad the news is...
He couldn't have guessed!
Shen Tang sat and waited for Cui Xiao to finish his meal. The two of them remained silent as they put their tableware into the designated recycling bin one after the other.
Cui Xiao gripped the handle of the knife-fan tightly in his hand.
When will our lord go to see Dayi and the others?
“Tonight, but I won’t go to see them. I’ll have to trouble Shanxiao to make the trip himself and bring Gongsu and Dayi over.” It wasn’t that Shentang didn’t want to go, but he was worried that they would be shocked by the bad news, especially Zhao Feng—as a martial arts master, if he lost control of his emotions and his martial energy erupted, the commotion would be considerable and would inevitably attract Wu Xian’s attention.
At this critical juncture, it would be fine if the conflict between the two sides only escalated, but the real fear is that she might be dragged into it as well. Her break with Wu Xian would make Huang Lie and Zhang He laugh in their sleep most nights.
To be on the safe side, arrange to meet in a secluded place.
Cui Xiao had no objection to Shen Tang's arrangements.
Zhao Feng, on the other hand, was a roughneck who kept asking all sorts of questions.
"Old Cui, are you trying to get me into trouble? Are you sure Shen Jun arranged this meeting place? This place is the dead end, a complete wasteland, except for the abundance of mosquitoes. I'm afraid there might be an ambush!" Zhao Feng muttered to himself, so annoying that Cui Xiao wanted to silence him.
Zhao Feng's words were half a joke and half a test.
It's no wonder he suspected his old friend of many years; it was just too unusual—something unusual must be amiss! Cui Xiao suddenly led them to such a remote and desolate valley, and countless ambush scenarios flashed through Zhao Feng's mind, with a hundred or so axemen hiding in the shadows!
Cui Xiao: "If there really was an ambush, could they have stopped you?"
Zhao Feng enjoyed Cui Xiao's indirect praise and laughed, "Old Cui, your words are quite pleasing to the ear. You have a good eye for people!"
Cui Xiao's eyes were practically rolling back to the top of his head.
Under the cover of night, the moonlight shines down.
The three walked to the valley and stopped at a bare boulder. Shen Tang was nowhere to be seen; only the three of them and their shadows on the ground remained. Cui Xiaodao said, "We're early."
Zhao Feng's words were cut off.
He muttered to himself, "There's a trap, there's a trap."
He turned his head, wanting Qin Li to say something fair, but saw that Qin Li had already sat down on the rock, relaxed, left hand on the ground, right leg bent, and right hand holding that somewhat familiar pipe, taking a puff. Zhao Feng was dumbfounded: "What time is it?"
He was about to say something more when he saw the shadows cast by the moonlight obscure the coldness in Qin Li's eyes, revealing a rare murderous intent surging in his jet-black eyes. Zhao Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he became secretly on guard. He knew tonight was strange; was it really a trap?
But who set up this scheme?
Is it Mr. Shen or Mr. Wu?
The former explanation doesn't make sense, since they were both planning to join each other; the latter has a motive, but Shanxiao never goes back to what he started. He wouldn't work for Wu Gong after abandoning him! What role does Shanxiao, who lured them out, play?
Could it be that Shen Jun and Wu Gong conspired to set this up?
Is it all for the purpose of eliminating destabilizing factors?
Zhao Fengyue's heart sank more and more as he thought about it, and he secretly bit his cheek.
In any case, we must ensure public safety today!
In a flash, Zhao Feng, with his active mental activity, conjured up a series of conspiracy theories and pre-planned five possible solutions. Qin Li was puffing away on a cigarette, Zhao Feng was brainstorming, and Cui Xiao was having sex…
There are so many mosquitoes here!
Cui Xiao, unable to bear it any longer, said: "Gong Su, how many years have you been storing this tobacco? The flavor has changed, and it attracts so many mosquitoes!"
Qin Li's eyes darted upwards, glancing at him.
After a long silence, he said, "Something's happened, hasn't it?"
Qin Li had a vague idea of why they were brought here to see Shen Tang.
He didn't believe Shen Tang would intentionally harm them. Even if they weren't that important to Shen Tang now, who would refuse to add to their glory? He also didn't believe Wu Xian had orchestrated it. Given Cui Shanxiao's pride, if he were willing to go back to his old flame, he wouldn't have adopted a "if you have no heart for me, I'll leave" attitude after being neglected by Wu Xian for so many years. The idea of them working together to set something up was even more far-fetched.
How can two tigers share one mountain?
Even if they were a male and a female, it wouldn't be tolerable.
After eliminating many possibilities, only the answer remains.
Cui Xiao sighed, "It's bad news."
Of the three, only Zhao Feng was still oblivious to the situation.
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Shen Jun arrived on moonlight, landing lightly: "Sorry to keep you waiting, the setup took a while."
Zhao Feng was bewildered: "Arrangements? Arrangements for what?"
He looked at Shen Tang, while Shen Tang looked at Qin Li, or more precisely, at the pipe in his hand, her small face seemingly a little bewildered.
Qin Li asked, "Mr. Shen, is there anything amiss?"
Shen Tang smiled awkwardly: "No, there's nothing wrong with it. I just didn't expect Gong Su to like this kind of thing. It's quite a contrast."
Although she hadn't had much contact with Qin Li, she had met him many times over the years. Her impression of Qin Li was that he was conservative, stubborn, and bound by conventions... In short, he was the epitome of a gentleman raised by a decadent family.
His personality is as conservative as the layers of clothes he wears, and he uses the lightest incense. How could he possibly be smoky?
Qin Li lowered his eyes to look at the pipe, a forced smile on his face: "Not as good as Qi Yuanliang. He's the one who taught me this back then..."
Shen Tang: "...???"
Qi Yuanliang, you're setting a bad example for children!
Mentioning the words "back then," he remembered that Shen Jun in front of him was much younger than he had been back then, so he turned his pipe upside down, extinguished it, and put it away. It's better for children not to get involved with these things: "Shen Jun, you can tell me now, what bad news is it?"
As he puffed on the cigarette, he kept recalling the things he hated most in his life, preparing himself mentally.
Shen Tang's gaze swept over the three faces one by one.
He sighed, "I sent Yuanmou to Tianhai to rescue that family—alas, the good news is the mission was successful, the bad news is only one person survived. When Yuanmou arrived, he only made it to their seventh-day memorial service; he couldn't save them..."
boom--
Zhao Feng's mind was filled with only the phrase "only one person survives." These four words haunted him like a curse, completely isolating him from the outside world. As expected, the martial energy within his dantian erupted.
A powerful shockwave surged outwards from him, causing the valley walls to tremble and small pebbles to tumble down from above. However, the shockwave was suppressed by another force after it spread a certain distance, preventing even the slightest sound from escaping.
Qin Li almost crushed the pipe.
He asked in a deep voice, "Who assassinated them?"
Shen Tang shook his head: "It wasn't assassination, it was suicide."
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Zhao Feng, whose red eyes had been brought back to consciousness by Qin Li's voice. Even from a distance of ten feet, she could feel the almost tangible killing intent emanating from him: "My righteous cousin died in childbirth. The family couldn't find a doctor or midwife. Another mother and child felt ashamed of the Zhao family and thought that their family had offended powerful people, which led to them being surrounded by a large army. After making their final arrangements, they both committed suicide."
The air was so still it was suffocating.
Zhao Feng asked in a hoarse, tearful voice, "Who was the one who survived?"
Shen Tang said, "She is the only bloodline of that family. According to Yuan Mou, your cousin was frightened and the baby was in breech position. During childbirth, the baby was upside down and could not be delivered. Seeing that both mother and child were going to die, she begged your wife to perform a cesarean section to remove the baby, and the child survived."
Why would a new mother be frightened?
Why can't we get doctors and midwives?
Why did the mother and child commit suicide?
The source all points to the same answer!
Qin Li and Cui Xiao instantly understood the crux of the matter, but they were more rational, suppressing their boundless hatred and using a calm exterior to mask their true feelings. Zhao Feng, however, didn't need to worry about such things and went berserk on the spot.
In the valley, the earth seemed to churn and roar as if wild beasts were howling!
As Zhao Feng's eyes reddened and he struggled to calm himself, the surrounding valley had been leveled, littered with rubble. In the instant of his rage, Shen Tang, with one hand on each arm, pulled Qin Li and the other out of the area to prevent them from being caught in the crossfire.
Shen Tang watched as the sand and yellow mist gradually dissipated.
He said with relief, "The setup came in handy."
If this kind of commotion were in a military camp, the camp would have been completely demolished. It would be difficult for Wu Xian not to know about it.
Qin Li then realized what Shen Tang meant by "arrangements"—it was all to let Zhao Feng vent his anger. His feelings were somewhat complicated, and he explained to Zhao Feng, "Lord Shen, there's no need for this. If we were in the main camp, Da Yi would have been able to restrain himself."
Zhao Feng was not a short-tempered or easily angered person.
Such a person is not fit to be a commander-in-chief.
Those who are generals or commanders must avoid acting impulsively.
But Shen Tang's thought process was not on the same wavelength as his: "Why restrain yourself? If you have pain or anger, just let it out. Keeping it inside is harmful to your health. If you get so angry that you burst your blood vessels in your brain, wouldn't that be a waste of your life? Furthermore, it's too cruel to make people who have lost loved ones suppress their grief."
Qin Li was briefly taken aback upon hearing this.
Question: "What if the greater good requires us to turn against Lord Wu now?"
Without hesitation, Shen Tang said, "Then let's go against it."
Qin Li: "Wouldn't this ruin Shen Jun's overall plan?"
Shen Tang smiled and said, "It's alright."
How could someone destined for greatness not have contingency plans?
Qin Li knew that Shen Tang was not being insincere.
She really didn't intend to use "considering the bigger picture" as an excuse to make Zhao Feng bear with it; her choice was different from Wu Gong's.
"...Qi Yuanliang actually told the truth?"
Qin Li's voice overlapped with the explosion, and Shen Tang didn't hear it clearly.
"What did Gong Su just say?"
"nothing."
At this moment, he seemed to finally understand why Qi Yuanliang had so firmly chosen the person before him, and why he hadn't wanted him to follow in the footsteps of the previous seven lords all these years. Because Shen Tang was truly the saint Qi Shan was looking for, with an instinctive gentleness beneath his unwavering strength, as dazzling as a white horse in the sky, and as gentle as the moon.
Before Qi Shan's true identity was revealed, Qin Li thought he was simple, innocent, and harmless because of his criteria for choosing a master.
For many years afterward, he believed that Qi Shan was lying. Looking back now, it turns out that this was the only truth Qi Shan ever told.
He didn't understand why Qi Shan was so obsessed with it.
The other party should know that in chaotic times, such a personality would make it difficult to even protect oneself, let alone build up a force.
If Shen Tang possessed Gu Chi's scholarly principles, perhaps she could provide him with the answer—mercy is reserved for one's own people, while enemies deserve only to be criticized by her pen! However, under the oppressive power of a chaotic world, too many people are forced to become distorted, ruthless to outsiders and harsh to their own.
After a long while, a figure emerged from the ruins.
Zhao Feng was in a disheveled state, looking like a lone wolf.
He stopped a few steps in front of Shen Tang, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "On behalf of my family, I thank you, my lord, for saving our lives."
Zhao Feng's change of address startled Shen Tang.
She said, "It was nothing, no need to thank me."
Zhao Feng, however, stubbornly insisted on bowing to the very end.
Throughout his life, Zhao Feng was clear about his gratitude and grievances.
Repay kindness with kindness, and avenge wrongs with revenge.
Since Shen Tang was willing to go to such lengths for him, how could he not appreciate it? After thanking him, he looked at Qin Li calmly.
He said, "Let's go back."
Shen Tang asked worriedly, "Are we just going back like this?"
Zhao Feng nodded: "Mm."
Shen Tang: "Don't you need any other help?"
For example, have her confront Wu Xian and seek justice.
Even if they don't want to get the principal back, they should at least collect some interest.
Zhao Feng understood her meaning and calmly said, "Let's wait until this battle is over. Making a scene now might bring temporary satisfaction, but it will affect the overall situation. In the end, it's the innocent common people who will suffer. Let's wait until Huang Xiguang is beheaded before we talk about anything else!"
He muttered something under his breath, as if apologizing to someone.
He felt guilty for not being able to avenge his brother's family immediately.
But if given the chance again, he would still make the same choice.
I feel guilty, but I have no regrets.
|ω`)
I'll try to finish off Zhang He before the end of the month, hehe, his lunchbox is about to burn.
PS: Rather than saying it was Qi Yuanliang's criteria for choosing a master, it would be more accurate to say it was "Qi Shan" (meaning "praying for goodness"). Apart from his lack of humanity, Yuanliang was consciously or unconsciously emulating the true "Qi Shan".
(End of this chapter)
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