Shang Shaoyan looked at his brother, who was talking without any sense of responsibility, and said, "Do you think this is a 'Five-Year College Entrance Examination, Three-Year Simulation'? One year to train troops, three years to rebel, and five years to unify the north and south? You're really something. If you're so great, why don't you do it yourself? Why do you make me do it? Isn't that annoying?"
Shang Yunlan said seriously, "You've misunderstood me. Look, the Shang family's army was originally a fierce and powerful force, but they've fallen into silence because they're leaderless right now. You are the rightful master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and you also have the Tiger Tally. Giving them a year to bring them back to their peak is already quite generous. Although you haven't studied martial arts, you still have muscle memory for martial arts. Didn't you fight five people at once not long ago? So you do have the strength."
Shang Shaoyan thought about it and agreed: "Okay, let's continue."
Shang Yunlan continued to paint a rosy picture: "As for a three-year rebellion, I think that's too much time. Southern Chen is already teetering on the brink of collapse, and that dog emperor is a complete idiot and coward. He might have already fled before you even reach Shengjing. You just need to train your troops, and I'll be in charge of building up your influence and winning people's hearts in Shengjing. You can ascend the throne as soon as you enter the capital. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Shang Shaoyan frowned, already noticing something was amiss, but she still patiently asked, "And then?"
Shang Yunlan felt that Shang Shaoyan had taken her words to heart, and quickly said, "Unifying the North and South in five years would be even simpler. You just need to keep Qiao Zhuo in your grasp; that's a huge weapon! You..."
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Shang Shaoyan pointed at Shang Yunlan's nose and cursed, "Do you think everyone is as stupid as you? You're really something! Come on, let's have a serious talk today."
As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of paper, picked up a wolf-hair brush, and began to write and draw on it: "First of all, let's talk about the year you rebelled. Putting aside the fact that I am just a woman, how could I possibly command the respect of the masses? Even if I could control this army, were the tens of thousands of imperial guards in Shengjing just sitting around doing nothing? And that's not all. Let me ask you, if I suddenly appeared in the Northwest, shouting that I would lead them in a rebellion, and I had nothing to show for it, wouldn't you think I was crazy if you were them?"
As he spoke, he wrote the character "诚" (sincerity) on the paper.
"Therefore, I want them to see my sincerity."
Shang Shaoyan took a sip of water and continued, "Let's talk about your three years of rebellion. If you wanted to win over the court officials, why would they listen to a sickly man like you? Because you're good-looking? Because you cough every three steps? Dream on. Also, what did my soldiers eat, drink, and wear during those three years? Did you have money? Did you have connections?"
As soon as she said that, she wrote the character "利" (profit) on the paper.
"Therefore, we must let them see the benefits involved."
"Oh, and your five years of unifying the North and South," Shang Shaoyan said sarcastically. "Do you really think Qiao Zhuo is easy to manipulate? Or do you think that a ruthless figure like Emperor Zhou would give up his empire for one of his many sons?"
Just as she was about to pick up her pen to write on the paper, Shang Yunlan pressed her hand down: "Alright, alright, I know, stop scolding me."
Shang Shaoyan rolled his eyes: "Fine, I won't say anything more. Let's see if you'll still talk like that without understanding the situation..."
Shang Yunlan quickly tried to ingratiate herself, saying, "Then I have some good news to tell you, do you want to hear it?"
Shang Shaoyan curled his lip and threw the few sheets of paper he had just written into the charcoal brazier: "Speak. What good thing could it be..."
Shang Yunlan raised an eyebrow and said, "You just said you dreamed of another Shang Shaoyan. Coincidentally, I also dreamed of the original Shang Yunlan."
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once he did, Shang Shaoyan got angry: "Those brother and sister are really shameless. They went to a peaceful and wonderful era, and they even took our huge fortune. And what about us? We were left in this godforsaken place and burdened with a blood feud... No air conditioning, no takeout, no Wi-Fi."
Shang Yunlan said helplessly, "Didn't I just tell you that I can make all of these for you?"
Shang Shaoyan sneered, "No matter how awesome you were back then, you were still just an undergraduate."
Shang Yunlan cleared her throat: "This is the good news I wanted to tell you."
He paused for a moment and then said, "The original Shang Yunlan, in order to apologize, filled my mind with a library, covering everything from astronomy and geography to trivial matters."
Shang Shaoyan: "...Damn it."
She glared at Shang Yunlan resentfully and complained, "That Shang Shaoyan is really something, why doesn't he leave me anything good?"
As she spoke, she kicked the table next to her in anger.
Then the white marble table shattered into pieces.
Shang Shaoyan and Shang Yunlan: "..."
Silence is the moonlit tower at midday.
After a long while, Shang Yunlan managed to subtly distance herself from Shang Shaoyan, cautiously watching his growing elation: "An'an, what's wrong with you...?"
Shang Shaoyan closed his eyes, seemingly searching for something in his mind. After a moment, he opened his eyes and beamed with joy: "This Shang Shaoyan is quite loyal. Although she used my money to buy the house, she actually left me her innate superhuman strength and her ancestral swordsmanship."
Shang Yunlan: "...Damn it."
Shang Shaoyan looked at Shang Yunlan happily: "Now that you have a library, does that mean I don't need to go find the miracle doctor anymore? You can cure yourself by reading the book, saving me the trouble of traveling so far."
Shang Yunlan: "???"
Listen to this, is this even human language?
What does it mean to say "you can cure it yourself by reading a book"? If a doctor in the 21st century who has studied medicine for decades before being able to operate on a patient with congenital heart disease heard this, he would scatter your ashes in a heartbeat.
However, he dared not complain like that, otherwise he would be the one whose ashes were scattered.
Shang Yunlan tried her best to calmly persuade him: "This congenital heart disease cannot be cured by reading books. I'm afraid we still need to go to Shuzhou."
Shang Shaoyan was furious: "In your eyes, am I such a heartless and ungrateful person? I was just joking with you, and you actually took it seriously?"
Shang Yunlan dared not speak out in anger—that sentence was clearly uttered in a state of ecstasy, it would be strange if it wasn't from the bottom of her heart!
...
Next to Mingyue Tower is Zhaixing Pavilion, where Qiao Xiuyu is temporarily staying. The courtyard is neither too big nor too small, with two side rooms and a three-story viewing building. It is unknown how much effort the skilled craftsmen put into it.
At this moment, Bai Lu stared at Qiao Xiuyu with a forced smile: "Where are you planning to go, my lord?"
Qiao Xiuyu smiled gently: "There are some urgent matters at home that require my return. Please trouble Miss Bailu to inform the county princess that I will be back tomorrow morning."
Bai Lu did not stop him upon hearing this. She simply bowed and then said politely, "Young master, you should go and talk to the county princess in person. Otherwise, if the county princess cannot find you, it will be this servant who suffers."
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