Chapter 19: 019: Disgrace (Part 2)

Shen Tang was nearly choked by the mouthful of tea she hadn't yet swallowed.

"Cough, cough—So, so this is the truth behind the extermination of the Gong clan?" Judging by the contents of Qi Shan's words, Shen Tang felt that the Gong clan truly couldn't be considered righteous or innocent. "Knowing Zheng Qiao was a treacherous villain yet letting the tiger back into the mountains... did they never think there would come a day when he would seek revenge?"

Not everyone in this world repays kindness with gratitude.

What Zheng Qiao experienced in the State of Xin could be described as an absolute humiliation. At the time, he was weak and had to compromise to survive; now, as the sovereign of the State of Geng, having gained power through sudden prosperity, the resentment buried deep in his heart had erupted like a volcano, turning his dark history into something that urgently needed to be annihilated.

Qi Shan said, "As for that, I wouldn't know."

Shen Tang teased, "And here I thought you knew everything, sir."

Although this was a transmigration with a "Hell Mode" difficulty setting, Qi Shan, as the "Guide NPC," was extremely dutiful. Five stars!

Qi Shan feigned surprise, saying insincerely, "To be held in such high regard by Young Master Shen is an honor beyond words."

Shen Tang: "..."

In terms of thick-skinnedness, she couldn't even compete with Qi Yuanliang, so she lowered her head and tactically sipped her tea. Meanwhile, Qi Shan sipped his tea while secretly observing Shen Tang's reaction—he had always been curious: what exactly was the relationship between Young Master Shen and the Gong clan? Just now, upon hearing that the source of the Gong clan's massacre was Zheng Qiao's revenge, Young Master Shen had shown neither indignation nor hatred, but remained indifferent, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

But how could this matter possibly be unrelated?

If one were to call Young Master Shen cold and heartless, why would he run through the rain last night for the sake of a girl he had only met once?

This person's reaction completely defied common logic.

Since the Geng soldiers had not yet left, and Shen Tang did not want to draw attention by going out now, she asked the teahouse owner to refill their pot. The two continued to linger in the teahouse to pass the time, while also trying to inquire about the identity of the prisoners in the cage carriage.

The shopkeeper looked back timidly, stealing glances at the soldiers outside, and whispered in a pinched voice, "They say he's some kind of Censor-in-Chief..."

Confused, Shen Tang murmured as she looked at Qi Shan, "Censor-in-Chief?"

Don't blame her for being illiterate; as someone with amnesia, she truly didn't know.

Qi Shan asked, "Did the Censor-in-Chief mentioned by the shopkeeper have the surname 'Tian'?"

"It seemed to be 'Tian'? Those soldiers were cursing something about 'that old man surnamed Tian' and 'so what if he's the Censor-in-Chief'..." The shopkeeper didn't understand these matters either. Forget high officials; even an old soldier guarding the city gates could easily kill commoners like them. He refilled Shen Tang's tea and sighed, "You two young masters should stop being curious, lest you lose your lives!"

When the States of Xin and Geng went to war, the people of both nations suffered the most. The people of Geng fared slightly better; aside from taxes being doubled, which oppressed them to the point of breathlessness, they at least didn't starve. The people of Xin, however, had it miserable.

The main battlefield was in Xin.

The people of Xin not only had to be bled dry to provide military supplies for the war, but they also had to face the pillaging, killing, and looting by Geng soldiers.

One would have thought things would settle down after the war, but who knew that the ruler of Geng, adhering to the principle of "not letting his brothers suffer a loss," would allow his subordinates—those who helped him win the empire—to run amok.

The commoners trembled at the sight of Geng soldiers.

Seeing that the two young masters were handsome and refined, the shopkeeper couldn't help but offer a warning, lest these two youths act recklessly and lose their lives.

"Don't worry, shopkeeper, we know our limits." Qi Shan smiled and accepted the shopkeeper's kindness. Once the shopkeeper went off to attend to other business, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a grim expression. "A Censor-in-Chief is a high official of the Censorate, responsible for receiving memorials from high officials and inspecting the bureaucracy."

Shen Tang had a sudden realization: "In that case, did that Censor-in-Chief impeach Zheng Qiao quite often? He must have offended him terribly..."

Thinking back to that vigorous, linguistically masterful tirade from earlier, how could Zheng Qiao possibly let that man off?

Qi Shan sighed, "It was more than just offending him..."

"What else did that Censor-in-Chief surnamed Tian do?"

"I heard that the Censor-in-Chief had an upright and explosive personality. He enforced the law and conducted investigations without hesitation. Whether it was a high official or a member of the nobility, if he caught them in a mistake, he would launch an impeachment. Naturally, Zheng Qiao was not spared. Ever since Zheng Qiao became the favored official of the ruler of Xin, this Censor-in-Chief was the one who cursed him most harshly among all the officials. He even once used his imperial horse to block Zheng Qiao's path to the court, cursing him to his face in front of the common people."

Shen Tang asked, "He didn't give him any face at all?"

Qi Shan: "None. After that, from the high officials in the capital to the commoners on the streets, who didn't know how Zheng Qiao had risen to power? When Zheng Qiao sought to return to his home country, the Censor-in-Chief was the most vehement opponent. He asserted that allowing this man to return would be like letting a tiger back into the mountains, bringing endless trouble. He submitted nineteen consecutive memorials pleading with the ruler of Xin to execute Zheng Qiao."

Hearing this, Shen Tang had already guessed the fate of the Censor-in-Chief's family. She said, "Once Zheng Qiao turned the tables, the Censor-in-Chief's family... no, his entire clan must have suffered..."

The Gong clan had at least helped Zheng Qiao, yet they still ended up dead or exiled; it was even worse for the Censor-in-Chief.

However, Qi Shan said, "It wasn't just that."

"There were other grudges?"

"Before Zheng Qiao returned to his country, the Censor-in-Chief called upon his students, disciples, and kinsmen serving in the court to jointly submit a memorial requesting the ruler of Xin to execute Zheng Qiao. The ruler, pressured by the situation and... also having his own grievances against Zheng Qiao, had once harbored the intent to kill him..."

It was said that the imperial decree had already been written and was merely waiting to be issued.

However, Zheng Qiao was one step ahead; he obtained the intelligence and, by a hair's breadth, neutralized the crisis and fled back to the State of Geng overnight.

Had the news arrived any later, he would have been dead.

Shen Tang: "..."

What was she supposed to say?

"This story teaches us that to pull up weeds, one must remove the roots. Strike while the iron is hot and take their lives before they can recover, to avoid long-term troubles."

Listening to Shen Tang's serious attempt to "draw lessons," Qi Shan's mouth twitched slightly, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with her tone.

Just as he took a sip of tea, a blood-curdling wail erupted from outside the teahouse, followed by the prisoner's tearful, angry shouting: "Too much! This is too much! Zheng Qiao, you treacherous, profiteering villain! How dare you—how dare you!"

Shen Tang turned to look outside.

"What happened now?"

Qi Shan stood up and walked to the entrance of the teahouse to inquire quietly. A moment later, he returned with a cold expression, his aura chilling the air: "Zheng Qiao has ordered the ruler of Xin to lead his former officials in a formal surrender..."

Shen Tang was surprised. "I thought they had already surrendered..."

"It requires a ceremony. Zheng Qiao places the highest importance on this."

"But if you lose, you surrender; isn't that normal? The State of Xin is destroyed, the outcome is decided. Why is the prisoner reacting so strongly? That prisoner was half-dead from the beating yet remained defiant and didn't beg for mercy, yet he's crying like this over something so certain..."

There had to be a hidden reason.

Qi Shan clenched his hands at his sides, his throat bobbing, his voice trembling imperceptibly. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, speaking calmly: "The Imperial Seal could not be found for a long time, which enraged Zheng Qiao. He forcibly ordered the ruler of Xin to abdicate the throne to the only royal princess..."

Shen Tang asked with her eyes: "And then?"

First, he humiliated them by renaming the state "Chongtai," and now he was forcing an abdication to a princess. Zheng Qiao was a fox; he had many cunning tricks.

With a complex expression, Qi Shan continued: "...And then, the Princess must perform the ritual of 'face-binding and jade-clutching,' exposing her [body], leading the officials in mourning attire to surrender..."

Shen Tang: "..."

"Face-binding and jade-clutching" referred to a surrender ritual where the hands were tied behind the back and a piece of jade was held in the mouth.