Chapter 1161: Building High Walls (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Cui Mi looked at Shen Tang, whose anger was not concealed, and smiled as before: "Mother has been mingling in the wilderness for a long time, so it is understandable that she is unaware of the situation within Qi Kingdom. Not every country in a chaotic world is like Kang Kingdom in the Northwest, do you understand?"
When he mentioned the name Kangguo, Cui Mi clearly saw his future begin to shake violently again, with scenes of bloodshed switching back and forth. This meant that his life or death had changed, and the person responsible for this change was right in front of him.
Cui Mi said, "Survival is the most important thing."
Whether they are commoners or nobles.
In chaotic times, it is not uncommon for the positions of both sides to be overturned overnight.
Wang Ting's actions may seem cold and ruthless, but they are the best solution at present. This is a lesson and experience learned from the subversion of a country. Cui Mi uttered this heavy statement, which was beyond his years.
"Faced with a continent on the verge of collapse, everyone wants to board the ship and escape. Who cares if the fighting damages the ship, or even sinks it? No one cares about the ship's fate, where it's headed; everyone only cares about getting on board, being the captain, and grasping at this straw!" Cui Mi's analogy made Shen Tang's heart skip a beat. She wondered if he knew something or was simply using a metaphor. "Sister Shen, only by boarding first can there be a chance to repair the ship. It's just a pity—"
"Unfortunately, repairing a ship requires taking things from one place to patch it up," Shen Tang interrupted him, adding, "The people whose parts are being torn up are unhappy about it."
Naturally, they were not happy about it.
If their positions are removed, seawater will flood in, the waves will sweep them away, and they will eventually perish at sea, their bodies torn to pieces.
Ship repairmen had no choice but to settle for the lesser of two evils. This method of taxation was a good thing for prosperous areas with large populations and abundant land, as it would actually lighten the burden and ensure that the royal court could collect the full amount of taxes every year, thus guaranteeing the operation of the royal court.
But for areas with many mountains, abundant water, and little farmland, it would be a disaster.
The common people under the king's rule had no choice but to endure it or leave their homes to seek a living in wealthier places. This move by the royal court sacrificed the most vulnerable members of the nation—the very bottom of the social ladder, the elderly and weak, barely able to survive, huddled in the poorest of places. Their deaths had no impact on the stability of the royal court, and their voices went unheard.
Shen Tang cut straight to the point without any politeness.
"Your father, the head of the Cui family, wouldn't be happy about this either, would he?"
Cui Mi shook her head and said, "Sister Chen, you don't need to have so much prejudice against Father. As a husband and Mother's man, Father may not be so satisfactory, but as the clan leader whom the clan relies on, he did his best. On that basis, he maintained some conscience. If he didn't still have a conscience, how do you think the taxes owed for three years were paid? Of course, someone paid for them."
Mei Jinghe and others saw the drawbacks and wanted to remedy the situation.
Yet they dared not, nor were they able to, administer a strong remedy.
Mei Jinghe and the others were not sure whether this strong dose of medicine could bring the dead back to life, cure the disease instantly, or kill them instantly!
Nobody can afford to gamble.
The lesions can only be removed little by little.
Cui Mi hinted to Shen Tang that she could take up her post elsewhere: "It's fine that this debt has been left unresolved, but if Sister Shen were to take over... we'd need to be able to explain things to Father when the clan elders review the accounts..."
Shen Tang pointed to himself.
"Do you see the words 'sucker' written all over my face?"
Paying off Xun Zhen's loan is one thing, at least Xun Zhen's money is spent on Kangguo, and Shen Tang can see a return on her investment. But what about the three-year debt that Cui Shi paid on her behalf right after taking office? Does Cui Zhi think she's easy to bully, a fat sheep?
Cui Mi said, "Of course not."
He could only suggest explicitly, "Sister Chen, how about we go somewhere else?"
Shen Tang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where should we change to?"
Cui Mi said, "Anywhere is better than here."
Shen Tang crossed her arms and laughed in exasperation.
The next instant, Shen Tang's face loomed large in front of Cui Mi, closing to within two fists' width. This was an intimately intimate distance, yet Cui Mi harbored no other thoughts. Because a cold hand was gently gripping his neck.
With his vital organs in the hands of others, Cui Mi felt goosebumps erupt all over his body, and his scalp tingled. He heard Shen Tang's amused teasing voice in his ear: "I have a question. Has Cui Erlang ever been kidnapped and extorted? How much did the kidnappers demand for your father's ransom?"
Cui Mi's wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.
He replied honestly, "Sister Chen, you yourself said that I am the second son of the Cui family. I am always surrounded by servants and guards, and my protection is impeccable. If there is any ruthless bandit who has the ability to kidnap me and extort ransom from my father, then, if I may be so bold, he probably hasn't even been born yet."
Shen Tang said, "It's as far away as the horizon as it is right before my eyes!"
Nobody dared to do it before, but now nobody does?
Cui Mi: "..."
Not long after, a letter appeared in Cui Zhi's study.
The eldest son, Cui Xiong, held a letter in his hand. Though his heart was burning with anxiety, his hurried steps causing the hem of his clothes to rustle, he suppressed his urge to run. He rushed to the study door like a gust of wind: "Father, Father, something terrible has happened—"
"Ermi has gone missing, and their son has been kidnapped—"
Cui Zhi glanced at him, and Cui Xiong immediately fell silent.
"I already know."
No sooner had Shen Zhongli taken office with his official credentials than Cui Mi packed his bags and followed him, now right under Shen's nose. Fortunately, the rascal Cui Mi at least knew to let him know he was safe and wrote him a letter home. Cui Zhi took the "kidnapper's letter" from Cui Xiong, quickly skimmed through it, and understood: "No need to worry about Er Mi anymore."
Cui Xiong, however, was not so carefree.
"But Ermi was tied up..."
The man surnamed Zhongli, who had fled and changed his name to Shen Zhongli, had escorted his mother safely to Qi State, but his origins were still questionable. It was worrying to have his second brother associate with this man. There were still many unresolved issues there, and Cui Xiongzhen worried that Shen Zhongli might think their father was playing a trick on her, and then, in her anger, implicate the poor Ermi. Thinking of this, he sighed deeply.
Cui Zhi said, "Er Mi is smarter than you."
In chaotic times, while strength is important for survival, intelligence is equally crucial.
Big Bear is much more straightforward than Little Deer.
"No matter how clever you are, you can't stop swords, spears, and clubs, can you?"
Cui Zhi sighed and asked, "So what do you plan to do?"
Cui Xiong volunteered: "Let my son take some men over there and forcibly take Er Mi back! Only then can we rest easy."
Cui Zhi retorted, "Weren't you tied up too?"
We can't let both of our sons be captured by the man surnamed Shen, can we?
Cui Xiong said, "It shouldn't be that bad."
He could see clearly that this wasn't a kidnapping, but more likely Er Mi was deliberately staying there, unwilling to be pressured into marriage. Cui Xiong's men weren't actually there to abduct him, but rather to find an opportunity to persuade his brother to return. No matter what Cui Xiong said, Cui Zhi wouldn't budge, only ordering that all of Cui Mi's usual daily necessities and servants be packed up and mailed over.
Let Shen Zhongli detain his son if he wants.
Just remember to pay back the three years' worth of bad debts that Mr. Cui advanced.
Cui Xiong: "..."
Unable to reason with Cui Zhi, he had no choice but to go to his mother.
These past few days, Mother seems to have returned to her usual routine as the mistress of the Cui family, except that she no longer has to deal with those trivial matters, arrange the household's food, clothing and daily necessities, manage relationships with various families, or care about those women from the collateral branches who come to complain about being poor and beg for money.
Pruning flowers and plants, wielding weapons.
Do whatever you like.
As soon as Cui Xiong arrived, he heard the whooshing sound of spears being wielded. Before he could even greet them, he saw the woman wielding the spear in the courtyard use a skillful technique to extend the force along the shaft of the spear to the tip. With a flick of the tip, another spear on the weapon rack was lifted off the ground and shot straight at him.
The spear wasn't going very fast.
Cui Xiong was able to grasp it easily: "Mother?"
"Big Bear, let's practice with your mother."
In his memory, Cui Xiong rarely heard his mother's voice so powerful and resonant; just listening to it, he could feel the vibrant life force and passion contained in every word. He obeyed his mother's command and accompanied Cui Hui in practicing. Until a cracking sound rang out, the gun barrel broke, the force so great that they were all jolted back several steps, a tingling sensation spreading through their hands.
"How did it break?"
Cui Hui picked up the broken gun from the ground with some regret.
Cui Xiong bent down to pick them up, recounting how Cui Mi had gone to find Shen Zhongli but was instead kidnapped. He had expected his mother to be worried, but she simply made the same arrangements as his father: to have Er Mi's things packed and sent to him.
Cui Xiong asked, "Isn't Mother worried about Er Mi?"
Cui Hui was naturally not worried.
Cui Mi is safer staying by Shen Jun's side, as long as he doesn't do anything reckless.
“But my son is worried that Ermi will suffer. He has never been this far away from home since he was a child. He can’t take care of her if she is this far away from home.”
"If you're worried, just give him a few more people."
Cui Xiong was puzzled: "Stuff people?"
Since you've already crammed people in, why not just bring them back?
Cui Hui said, "Slipping money is also acceptable."
She was careless; she sent Shen Jun to a remote, impoverished area without understanding the situation, and now he's restricted in many ways. If she could use Er Mi's name to give Shen Jun more money and people... no, more money, she should give him more money. With money, Shen Jun could recruit more people, but if she gave them to others... given Cui Zhishan's personality, he would definitely plant his trusted spies among them.
This action, while not fatal, will certainly cause trouble for others.
Cui Xiong: "..."
Cui Hui asked, "How much money do you have?"
Cui Xiong: "..."
As the eldest son of the Cui family, a secure heir to the main line and already engaged, he began to enjoy the privileges usually reserved for adult males. For example, he no longer received pocket money, had his own private treasury, and could freely manage it. Cui Hui was clearly aware of this.
She swindled all of her eldest son's money.
When Cui Zhi heard about this, he did not stop it.
He said calmly, "Let her be."
His trusted advisors, however, were puzzled.
He understood the head of the household's feelings for the mistress, but he also knew that the family came first, and the mistress second. The mistress's return this time was shrouded in mystery, yet the head of the household seemed oblivious to it—this was truly strange. Hadn't the head of the household considered that the mistress might harm the Cui family?
In the years since the mistress and head of the household divorced, she has also had dealings with Qi Yuanliang, the head of the Northwest branch. Could it be that the latter did not get involved here?
And then there's Shen Zhongli.
She, in particular, was clearly Qi Yuanliang's spy.
Even if the matriarch says that Qi Yuanliang has already given this person to her and that he is now her man, it doesn't mean that Shen Zhongli will stop contacting Qi Yuanliang. Keeping this person around is tantamount to raising a tiger to cause future trouble... whether it's at the family level or in terms of the head of the family's personal feelings.
Cui Zhi raised his hand to suppress the words of his trusted advisor.
No need for further explanation.
"Parents, what is most important to you?"
This advisor was not only Cui Zhi's confidant, but also an elder of the Cui family, a mentor to Cui Zhi, and a witness who deeply remembered the hardships the Cui family endured in leaving their homeland and fleeing to this place to settle down. Cui Zhi trusted and respected him, and there were some things he could only confide in him: "Naturally, it's the family. As long as I am the head of the Cui family, nothing can surpass it."
"Really, without any ulterior motives?"
"If there were any selfish motives, they would have been there back then."
The trusted aide sighed deeply: "It's good that the parents remember."
Cui Zhi looked at the other person, but the conversation between father and son before the youngest son left flashed through his mind. This child, Cui Mi, didn't seem to be raised by a noble family. He had no sense of family honor or shame, and he was indifferent to life and death. His temperament was very similar to his mother-in-law, who had been practicing Buddhism for many years.
This child has the utmost disdain for the continuation of the family line.
The shackles binding Cui Zhi were a joke to him.
Cui Zhi asked him why he did this.
Cui Mi replied, "Knowing the predetermined ending beforehand makes it meaningless. In this ending, the Cui family will perish, my father will die, my mother will die, my maternal grandmother will die, my elder brother and I will all die—we won't die of old age. To spend half a lifetime striving only to end up like this, no one would be motivated."
He countered, "Can't Father see that?"
His father didn't possess the same ability to see the future, but as the head of the branch of the Gods' Guild in the southwestern continent, he could see far too many truths that ordinary people couldn't. Seeing these truths, he should have known that the world was heading towards an abyss.
This is a sinking, wrecked ship.
The helmsman doesn't care where the ship is headed or when it will sink; he only cares about being the captain. The crew is oblivious to the storms and the ship's numerous holes; they only care about immediate gains and enjoyment. What will he do standing on the deck?
Even if you don't see that far ahead, you should know that chaotic times are a meat grinder, and the Cui family is just a floating duckweed in front of it!
Cui Zhi looked at his son indifferently.
At least it won't sink right now.
Cui Mi said: "Soon."
Did you see it sink?
[I also saw it not sinking.] It was only for a moment, but it definitely didn't sink. [Ants only care about immediate gains and losses, unaware of the impending catastrophe. If the ship hadn't sunk, the Cui family might have died, but if the ship had sunk, the Cui family would certainly have perished.]
Cui Zhi neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement.
I neither said I believed nor I said I didn't believe.
However, the guards at the mansion were a bit lax that day, and Cui Mi packed a small bundle and escaped by climbing over the wall. No one came looking for him for several days.
When the next news came, he had already become a "hostage".
Cui Zhi looked at the message and muttered to himself, hesitant and undecided.
"Are they ship repairmen?"
Shen Tang used Cui Mi as a "hostage" to extort a large sum of money.
When Shen Tang saw that what was delivered was money instead of knives, guns, and clubs, she was surprised: "Tsk tsk, Cui Zhishan has a good temper."
Cui Mi, pen in mouth, kept sneezing as she looked at the pile of dusty bamboo slips, fanning her nose with her hand: "Sister Chen, don't have too many fantasies about the patriarch of a noble family. Such a person is heartless. He may be good-tempered now, but he can turn on you in a flash."
"For example?"
"For example, if the debts remain unresolved for three years, he will turn against you."
"If we can't break even, we'll sell you by weight."
“I told you, he has no heart, and his son won’t fetch a high price here. If you trick your mother away, you might be able to intimidate her a little.”
|ω`)
I'm taking my driving test (Part 3) tomorrow. Wait for my good news!
Waaah, I'm a little nervous. The route to the exam venue in Yueqing is so complicated.
PS: Cui Zhi didn't fall out with Tang Mei because he knew she had close ties with Qi Shan, or rather, the Northwest branch. The three years of bad debts served as an assessment; if Tang Mei could settle them, the Cui family might be able to cooperate with the branch behind Qi Shan (the inner branch of the Gods Society had been missing for too long, and the branches were scattered; Cui Zhi had also sensed something was wrong). If she couldn't settle them, it showed their strength was limited; continuing to bet on the Qi Kingdom was better.
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