Chapter 20: 020: Randomly Registering a Household Residency

Shen Tang gasped.

Only now did she understand why Qi Shan’s face was so dark.

What kind of humiliation could anyone endure?

"A defeated royal family leading their officials to surrender is an honor that a victorious nation should naturally enjoy. Surely the Ruler of Xin would not resist, no matter how unwilling he was. But this Zheng Qiao... has he gone mad?"

Qi Shan sneered, "I think it's that he is unwilling..."

He wanted to repay the humiliation he suffered in Xin ten, a hundred times over, and he wanted to nail Xin to the pillar of historical shame.

Shen Tang said indignantly, "This is too despicable!"

The word "despicable" was insufficient to describe Zheng Qiao's insanity; Shen Tang felt the man was malicious, narrow-minded, and revolting.

What did it mean to be "bound by ropes and holding jade in the mouth"?

Simply put, it meant having one's hands tied behind one's back while holding a piece of jade in the mouth. In funerary customs, it was believed that jade in the mouth prevented decay and signaled the deceased's noble status. To surrender in this manner was to present such an image to the victor.

In practice, one usually had to bare the upper body to show they carried no weapons, symbolizing that they were a "lamb for the slaughter." It was a true entrustment of one's life, leaving oneself entirely at the mercy of others.

And now, Zheng Qiao was forcing the Ruler of Xin to abdicate to the Princess—a woman lacking both literary wisdom and martial courage, and the Ruler's only daughter—forcing her to expose her body and surrender the letter of abdication, the imperial seals, the household registers, and the national treasury in public.

Without a doubt, he was utterly trampling the dignity of the people of Xin under his feet, leaving them no room for dignity.

Qi Shan stared coldly at his teacup, using immense self-control not to crush it. He took several deep breaths to calm the volcanic rage within him. "Growing up in the deep palace, knowing only how to serve others with beauty, what kind of 'gentlemanly' methods or breadth of mind could you expect from him? If he cannot obtain the Imperial Seal of Xin and the spoils of this war are halved, someone with Zheng Qiao's temperament naturally will not let it rest..."

Hearing the words "Imperial Seal" once again, Shen Tang's eyelids flickered slightly. "A man like that will never hold his throne securely."

Qi Shan had previously said that if Zheng Qiao did not die a violent death within five years, the State of Geng would surely perish; that "prediction" was actually conservative.

Given Zheng Qiao's current tyranny and cruelty, whether he could even last three years was a massive question mark.

He had also set a very poor precedent—

Tolerating the lawlessness, killing, and looting of the soldiers under his command.

Military discipline and loyalty are difficult to cultivate but easy to collapse.

Outside the teahouse, a Geng soldier noticed the proprietress was quite pretty and developed impure thoughts. Exchanging glances, they deliberately called her over to refill their tea. During the process, they tried to touch her small hands or grab her waist; the most excessive ones even tried to lean in for a kiss. The proprietress turned pale with fright, crying out in terror, while the soldiers laughed loudly.

"Officer, Officer..."

The teahouse owner tried to step forward to help his wife, but he was slapped hard, his face quickly swelling and reddening.

"Get lost! You're ruining our fun, do you want to die?"

*Crack—*

Following the sound, Qi Shan looked down at Shen Tang's hand.

The teacup in her hand had been crushed by her fingers.

Fortunately, the young Master Shen did not angrily slam the table or rush out to fight; instead, she said with a cold face, "If strict military discipline cannot restrain the troops, these blades that fight and kill for Zheng Qiao will one day, because their desires are unfulfilled, harbor resentment toward him, and eventually—turn around and devour their master."

Hearing this, Qi Shan looked up into Shen Tang's eyes.

This was an entirely instinctive reaction.

Her gaze was too calm.

So calm that it made one suspect she was looking at a group of dying ants. As this thought surfaced, Qi Shan experienced a moment of trance. Using the motion of drinking tea to mask a subtle emotion, he said, "It is just that before that happens, who knows how many innocent civilians and men of talent will lose their lives... Sigh, the situation is such... Young Master Shen, what can you and I do? We can only be spectators."

"Yuanliang."

Qi Shan raised an eyebrow.

Though the young Master Shen always addressed him as "Mr. Qi" or "Sir," which sounded respectful, he could tell whether that respect was heartfelt or merely superficial. In contrast, the "Qi Yuanliang" that had slipped out in her previous anger felt much more genuine.

And now, calling him by his name, "Yuanliang"...

He did not feel offended; instead, he felt a sense of anticipation.

"What is it?"

Shen Tang sat down, controlling herself from paying attention to the commotion outside—those soldiers were only at the stage of groping and taking advantage; since they had prisoners to escort, they likely wouldn't do anything more extreme. If she jumped out to "seek justice," she would only bring trouble upon herself.

Thus, she could only use something else to distract herself and suppress the frustration of being unable to act.

"I am curious, who exactly are you?"

Qi Shan knew too much.

Furthermore, the timing of his appearance was far too coincidental.

How much luck would Shen Tang need to encounter an all-knowing powerhouse right after starting in "hell mode"?

To her surprise, instead of answering, Qi Shan threw the ball back to her.

"Before answering that, shouldn't the young Master Shen also reveal his true identity? To show sincerity."

And why was there an Imperial Seal!

He didn't ask the question aloud, because he believed that with the young Master Shen's cunning, she would surely hear his unspoken words—

Perhaps this was the tacit understanding between the two of them.

Shen Tang: "..."

Asking her wouldn't help.

If she had a "safety net" and possessed the memories of the body's original owner, would she still need to linger around Qi Shan to pry for information?

"Who does Yuanliang think I am?"

Shen Tang used a vague, evasive tactic.

If he wanted to play games and act profound, she could do that too!

To her surprise, after she spoke, Qi Shan fell silent. His gaze was so complex she couldn't see through it. He suddenly sighed, "I thought... right, Shen, your surname is Shen!"

As if he had thought of something, his expression suddenly brightened!

Shen Tang was utterly bewildered, three question marks appearing over her head, but she couldn't let herself lose face: "My surname is Shen, didn't Yuanliang know that already? My literary wisdom doesn't lie, unless I have the ability to disguise it like you do."

However—

So what if her surname was Shen?

The next sentence from Qi Shan left her speechless.

"In that case, is the young master 'Gong Cheng'?"

Shen Tang: "..."

Who the hell was Gong Cheng???

She suddenly really wanted to know what Qi Shan was imagining.

Qi Shan continued on his own, his eyes locked onto Shen Tang as he recounted a scandal: "The Ruler of Xin loves women and treats them very heartlessly. Perhaps it is retribution, for in all these years, he has only one daughter, the Princess, yet his affection for her is far less than his affection for the legitimate son of the Gong clan, Gong Cheng. There was once a busybody who suggested he make Gong Cheng the Princess's husband, but the Ruler rebuked him severely and even demoted him... Thus, rumors have spread in the streets..."

Shen Tang automatically completed the thought: "You mean—the Ruler of Xin grew a field of grass on the head of the head of the Gong clan? No, I mean, he slept with the wife of the head of the Gong clan?"

Gong Cheng was the Ruler of Xin's cub???

The Gong clan patriarch had been a cuckold for years???

Wait—

Shen Tang froze for a moment, taking a long time to react.

Looking at her own literary wisdom and then at Qi Shan, whose eyes were filled with "I have seen through your secret," she nearly coughed up blood.

Trembling slightly, she asked, "The surname of the Xin royal family is..."

Qi Shan said, "Shen."

Qi Yuanliang's imagination was vast, but as for the truth...

(End of Chapter)