Chapter 1111: One Room at a Time [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Noticing the hand tighten around his waist, He Xin patted his wife's back reassuringly: "Don't worry, although Shen Jun is in a position of power, he is also a reasonable one. My brother and I are relatively safe."
The lady said, "Will she always be reasonable?"
He Xin shook his head: "Probably not."
"You don't need anyone to worry about you, but—" the lady sighed, leaning against He Xin, her beautiful eyes gazing in He Shu's direction, "it's hard to say if he doesn't act that way. I know his temperament... but I never expected him to be so daring!"
When she heard what He Shu had done in Shangnan, her legs went weak.
My heart was filled with trepidation and extreme fear.
This ever-present fear wasn't just the fear of arriving only to find his corpse, but also the fear that He Shu would kill Qi Yuanliang as well. Because Qi Shan was even more ruthless than her husband!
The lady had no doubt that if Qi Shan were to die in battle, the guards who had been threatening her family on Qi Shan's orders would tear them to pieces. They might even piece their bodies back together and send them to He Shu. If Qi Shan lost his life, He Shu would also suffer the same fate—his family would be destroyed!
This worry always hung over her head.
She only breathed a sigh of relief when she was taken to the main camp.
I never expected that not only He Shu was there, but He Xin was also there.
He Xin said, "Brother, you were indeed reckless this time."
Just as the lady was about to agree, He Xin said, "As the saying goes, when a person dies, the debt is wiped out. My elder brother failed to eliminate the root of the problem and left some loose ends, which will surely be a hidden danger in the future. If we are going to do something, we should do it thoroughly to eliminate any potential problems. As long as everyone in the family is wiped out and the main family is gone, no matter how unwilling the married-out daughters are, they can do nothing about it."
But they kept a few members of their own clan.
These people will remember this hatred and use the connections of married women to rebuild their family. Given time, if any outstanding person emerges among their descendants, the He family will be in trouble. He Xin lowered his eyes to hide the light in them: "Never mind, there's plenty of time in the future."
The lady pretended not to hear.
With things on their minds, the couple couldn't sleep and chatted until dawn. A soldier brought them water to wash up. He Xin quickly tidied up his clothes and groomed his short beard when he heard familiar footsteps. Without even looking, he knew who it was and said naturally, "Brother, you're awake? Did you sleep well last night? Breakfast has just been brought; have some first."
He Shu covered his forehead wearily.
The aftereffects of the scholarly way have not yet been alleviated.
He looked around but didn't see anyone familiar.
"Where is Madam?"
He Xin casually set out his chopsticks: "I'm going to see the children."
Even adults feel uneasy in unfamiliar environments, let alone several children? Without familiar faces around, they must be terrified. The camp where the children are settled isn't far from here; Madam, go and check on them first. In this respect, Lord Shen is indeed lenient. In other factions, would they consider a mother's worries about her children and allow her to move freely within the military camp?
"I didn't even have time to ask how the child was yesterday."
"I suffered a bit on the way and lost some weight."
The children have been pampered since birth.
Because of their own physical abnormalities, He Shu and He Xin deeply understood how precious a healthy body was, and therefore didn't have high expectations for their children. If they weren't good at academics, they could learn gradually; as long as they knew how to conduct themselves and protect themselves, that was enough. If they weren't naturally gifted, they could simply relax and relax; the He family wasn't so poor that they would starve. Both He Shu and He Xin's parenting style was rather relaxed, while their wife was more attentive.
That's not bad either.
One parent always has to play the good cop/bad cop role.
One should be charitable, the other should be stricter.
He Shu's expression softened slightly at the thought of the children. But the thought of how they had ended up here filled him with a murderous rage. How many risks would there be on the journey from the Gao Kingdom's He clan territory to the battlefield of Nanjun? Even adults could fall ill from the change in environment, let alone children. His murderous intent intensified.
Seeing the murderous aura emanating from He Shu, He Xin seemed not to notice: "Reply to Shen Jun today, and ask Qi Yuanliang again."
"Why would you want to see him?"
"We can't delay with the bear."
The "Pi'er" mentioned in He Xin's letter is his eldest daughter. The two brothers only have two daughters in total; the younger daughter is an ordinary person, while the eldest has the potential for cultivation. Pi'er was born prematurely in August. There's a saying that babies born on the seventh month live, but those born on the eighth don't, so he worried about her life and carefully cared for her, giving her the nickname "Pi'er" in the hope that she would be as strong as a bear. She's nine years old this year, and with some basic knowledge, it's not too late for her to start cultivating. However, he doesn't know the secrets of cultivation for women in Kangguo, so naturally he wants to find someone knowledgeable to consult, to avoid taking unnecessary detours.
He Xin said calmly, "Qi Yuanliang has a daughter."
Mentioning the bear, He Shu suppressed his hostility towards Qi Shan, but when he heard that Qi Shan had a daughter, he said with a strange expression, "His primordial yang is still intact, who will give him a daughter? Himself?"
That's not impossible.
This scoundrel always likes to use that lousy scholar's way to disguise himself as a woman and deceive people's feelings, and it never fails. As the saying goes, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Even Qi Yuanliang has his moments of being caught off guard.
"He should be unable to have children."
Even if the way of the scholar were transformed into that of a woman, it wouldn't have that function.
He Xin said, "He adopted her. I heard he snatched a daughter from his maternal cousin Kang Bosui. My elder brother should have some impression of Kang Nian. Qi Yuanliang has a good eye; this daughter is quite talented, but she's the opposite of him."
As dark-skinned as Qi Yuanliang was, his daughter was as fair-skinned as he was.
Haha, what goes around comes around.
He Shu didn't pay attention to these details; however, upon hearing that Qi Shan also had experience in raising children, his resistance lessened considerably. He muttered to himself, "Oh well, let's just consider it for the sake of Pi'er's future..."
The child's future is more important.
The two brothers tacitly agreed not to mention their promise to take up official positions.
Especially He Shu, whose biggest regret was not successfully sacrificing Qi Shan. What was bound to happen would eventually happen. The two had just finished breakfast when the Madam arrived, followed closely by Shen Tang's men. He Xin and He Shu exchanged a glance, the latter nodding slightly and raising his hand to perform a hand seal to dispel the literary aura avatar. This wasn't the first time the Madam had seen this trick, but each time she was amazed by the wonders of the world.
The soldier said, "Madam, please come over as well."
The lady, who was preparing to stay and wait for news, was astonished.
She asked, "Did Shen Jun specifically request me?"
Not knowing what Chen Tang was up to, but having no other choice, the lady nodded and said, "Please wait a moment. May I do my hair and makeup? I've been traveling for days and haven't had time to do my makeup. It would be too impolite to see people looking like this."
The soldiers were not surprised by this requirement.
"Please go ahead, Madam, there's no need to rush."
Even so, the lady dared not delay.
She put on some light makeup and followed He Xin.
On the way, He Xin was still wondering why Shen Tang wanted to see the madam.
He Shudao said: "Perhaps Qi Yuanliang said something."
The lady was just an ordinary matriarch of a noble family. As the ruler of the country, Shen Youli rarely interacted with this group, so it was impossible for her to suddenly become curious about anyone. Apart from Qi Yuanliang whispering slander in her ear, he couldn't think of any other possibility.
He Xin wrote: "Hopefully, this isn't a bad thing."
He Shu knew his friend quite well. It was indeed Qi Shan who had "meddled" the lady's arrival. When Shen Tang saw a strange woman next to He Xin, she paused for a moment, then instantly guessed the woman's identity: "Good heavens, is this your wife?"
"It is indeed my wife."
The lady lowered her eyes and bowed, saying, "This humble woman greets Lord Shen."
“Madam, there’s no need for such formalities,” Shen Tang said, urging her to rise before she could even finish her curtsy. At the same time, he carefully observed the lady’s appearance. Judging from her features and demeanor alone, she was the gentle, refined type, without a trace of arrogance.
What he said was completely different from what Yuanliang had said.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, He Xin finally voiced his doubts.
He thought Shen Tang wanted to hear his answer, but the surrounding environment didn't seem to suggest it—who would recruit a subject by not staying in the camp but instead running to the ruins of the city wall? The area under his feet was the second city wall, from which he could see the ruins inside the city.
Shen Tang said, "Oh, I've come to verify my conjecture."
She raised her hand and pointed to a cluster of ruined houses.
"From this height, you can see the approximate foundation area of the houses."
He was completely confused by the congratulatory message.
I don't understand the connection between the two paragraphs.
Shen Tang leaned half her weight against the ruins of the wall, her right hand gripping a long charcoal stick as she scribbled on a piece of cloth. The lady, unable to contain her curiosity, craned her neck slightly. He Xin noticed her small movement and pointed it out through his sleeve, causing the lady to purse her lips. Shen Tang, noticing their interaction, smiled and said, "It's nothing confidential, Madam, would you like to see?"
"This humble woman is merely curious about what Shen Jun is holding."
"You mean it? It's used for painting."
"painting?"
"Yes, it's easy to use."
Seeing a strange light in the other woman's eyes, Shen Tang beckoned her closer. The lady then noticed the irregular lines drawn on the cloth, one after another, and wondered what they were. Shen Tang explained, "I'm copying the foundations of houses in the city."
lady:"……"
She told herself that the person in front of her was a powerful figure who held her husband's life in his hands, and she couldn't bring herself to praise him or offend him.
Seeing the unusual expression on his wife's face, Shen Tang hadn't expected that her prized painting skills had been criticized: "Madam is skilled in painting?"
The lady replied modestly, "I know a little."
She examined the contents of Shen Tang's painting closely.
She said tactfully, "If you do not abandon me, I am willing to share your burdens."
When Shen Tang heard that someone was willing to take on the work, he grinned with delight and quickly gave up his seat, handing the charcoal stick to the lady: "To tell you the truth, I've been drawing here for a long time, but Zhoukou is never satisfied, saying that the data in the drawings I provided is incorrect."
Shen Tang needs Bei Qiu's help to clear the ruins in order to carry out the plan.
The Mo family member was working diligently below with an excavator, and to ensure accuracy, blueprints were needed, so she volunteered. After drawing for a long time, Bei Qiu was still not satisfied. Shen Tang, thanks to her status as the head of the Mo family, didn't get scolded, but she could see the disdain in Bei Qiu's eyes.
She was more than happy to have someone do it for her.
Little did they know, they had actually found the right person this time.
The lady had once battled Qi Shan in painting skills, but was slightly inferior. These past years, her life within the inner quarters had been leisurely, allowing her to indulge in her art whenever she had a spare moment, and her skills hadn't deteriorated. For a master like her, any tool could be used; she could wield charcoal with ease in a matter of moments. Shen Tang stood close to her, while the main subject, He Xin, was tossed aside. With a few swift strokes, the approximate layout of the inner city was revealed.
"This humble woman has made a fool of herself."
Shen Tang looked at the cloth and said, "Not bad, not bad."
Their painting skills are on par with mine.
There are many hidden masters among ordinary people; one should never underestimate anyone.
“Good old, I’ve heard Yuanliang say that your elder brother achieved perfection in the way of the scholar many years ago, and his literary palace was fully completed. How does his literary talent compare to yours?” Shen Tang suddenly called out He Xin’s name.
He Xin bowed and said, "I am foolish and dull, and cannot compare to my elder brother."
Shen Tang asked, "Can you use his now?"
Congratulatory message: "..."
He Shu: [...]
What are you planning to do in front of him?
Shen Tang didn't keep her in suspense and said directly, "I have something to do later that requires a lot of literary energy. If I don't have enough, I'll have to borrow some from Hao Gu. If Hao Gu doesn't have enough either, then you can use your elder brother's. Consider it compensation from him to the disaster-stricken people in the city. Even if you're not doing good deeds, you're still on the side of the people. You wouldn't be stingy with this, would you?"
He Xin's smile froze: "Of course not."
As she spoke, Qi Shan led a group of people to carry sacrificial animals up the ruins. Chickens, ducks, fish, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep—there was everything imaginable.
Several pig heads were tied with red butterfly ribbons.
He Xin asked in confusion, "Shen Jun, what's going on?"
"Set up an altar."
Shen Tang rolled up his sleeves, ready to make a big splash today.
She rolled the book into a trumpet shape and shouted towards the direction of Xiao Beiqiu: "Zhoukou, are you ready over there?"
Bei Qiu maneuvered the excavator in the air, indicating that everything was fine, before leading the group of Mo Zhe to evacuate from the cleared ruins.
Gongxi Chou and Jimo Qiu transformed into streaks of light and flew in.
They were all on high alert.
He Xin leaned closer to Qi Shan: "What's all this fuss about?"
Qi Shan said, "Build houses and repair roads."
Congratulatory message: "???"
He Shu: [? ? ?]
The two brothers are completely in agreement; don't lie to them!
Qi Shan wasn't lying this time; he really was going to build houses and repair roads.
Shen Tang took a deep breath and focused her energy in her lower abdomen.
The lesson from back then was too profound; her palms were clenched so tightly they were sweating, and she kept muttering, "I must succeed, I must succeed, I absolutely must succeed! I won't be greedy—"
After some self-suggestion, she successfully calmed down.
He opened his eyes again, regaining his composure.
Under everyone's gaze, she parted her lips slightly.
He enunciated clearly and uttered the familiar incantations smoothly.
"How can I obtain a spacious mansion..."
As the first word was uttered, the literary energy in the Danfu Palace was like a drop of water rolling into hot oil, instantly boiling and splashing out.
Shen Tang's expression changed slightly, and she immediately suppressed her surging literary energy. She was no longer the clueless novice she once was; now she could skillfully control the output required for a single incantation. She didn't intend to immediately shout about "tens of millions of rooms," just as she had joked with Zhai Le back then—since she couldn't afford tens of millions of rooms, couldn't she take them one by one?
At first, the lady did not understand what had happened, but upon hearing the first four words, she, who had been in contact with scholars and writers for many years, guessed part of the truth and automatically filled in the rest in her mind.
[May I have thousands of spacious houses...]
What the ears heard was—
"How I wish I had a small room in a spacious house..."
lady:"???"
Shen Tang smoothly altered the power of words.
He believed himself: "A small shelter for a poor scholar brings him joy!"
He Xin was almost dumbfounded: "Can this really work?"
A tiny, nerve-like space.
The answer was given by the foundation that Shen Tang pointed to.
In the first second, everything was calm and peaceful.
The second second passed without incident.
In the third second, Shen Tang wanted to awkwardly withdraw her finger.
The fourth second—
The earth turned over, literary energy surged, and the four walls rose high.
|ω`)
Shiitake mushroom tidies up the keyboard.
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