Shame (Part 2)

The tension in Shen Tang's shoulders eased when she realized these soldiers had nothing to do with her. She raised a hand to pull her sun-blocking straw hat lower. Sitting in a corner, pretending to drink tea, she tried to make herself inconspicuous. "Geng Country's soldiers... what are they doing here?"

As soon as she spoke, Qi Shan nearly choked on his tea.

This Young Master Shen never failed to surprise him; every question was beyond his expectations.

"Where else would Geng Country's soldiers be if not here?"

Shen Tang: "..."

Her intuition told her she'd asked a foolish question.

Shen Tang tried to salvage the situation.

"But this shouldn't be Chong Tai, no, Xin Kingdom? How did Geng Country's soldiers get here..."

As she spoke, she trailed off, covering one eye with her hand in exasperation, unable to bear Qi Shan's look of utter bewilderment. She remembered Qi Shan mentioning that Chong Tai, which was Xin Kingdom, had been destroyed, and the National Seal was suspected to be hidden by the Gong Clan. At the time, her attention was solely on the National Seal and the Gong Clan; she hadn't even considered who had destroyed Xin Kingdom.

Now, looking around, it was more than [likely] Geng Country.

This question fully exposed her "naive ignorance." Fortunately, Qi Shan was accustomed to Young Master Shen's "unexpected questions" and didn't probe further.

Shen Tang said awkwardly, "I... don't know much about these things..."

"It's not too late to learn now." Qi Shan said with a half-smile, tapping the table three times with his finger and silently reciting the Word Spirit "Secret Transmission." A faint, almost imperceptible Literary Heart surged and then vanished without a trace. "Young Master Shen is clearly a noble scholar raised in luxury. I can understand. You're doing alright. Other dissolute youths might be even more ignorant and reckless. They only know how to gallop horses in the pleasure districts, cling to beautiful women, live carefree lives, and play in the mortal world, oblivious to national enmity, family hatred, and the suffering of the people?"

Shen Tang: "..."

As long as she didn't take it personally, Qi Shan wasn't talking about her.

Shen Tang shamelessly replied, "Mr. Qi speaks the truth."

Qi Shan found it uninteresting. He had gotten carried away for a moment and couldn't control himself—

That Geng Country had annihilated Xin Kingdom was common knowledge, known even to three-year-olds and farmers in the fields. Yet, this Young Master Shen, who had significant ties to the Gong Clan, was feigning ignorance.

He didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

Shen Tang guiltily lowered her head to drink her tea.

"However, Xin Kingdom and Geng Country are cut from the same cloth. It makes little difference whether one is destroyed or not. For the common people, it's merely a change from a foolish ruler to a tyrannical one sitting atop their heads..."

Shen Tang was surprised by his words.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the Geng Country soldiers outside the tea house. Seeing that they weren't paying attention to their side, she felt relieved. "Listening to you, Mr. Qi, you seem to have strong opinions about the fallen Xin Kingdom, but didn't you say earlier..."

When they first met, Qi Shan had harbored ill will towards her because she was "a member of the Gong Clan," hinting that the Gong Clan was involved in Xin Kingdom's destruction and had hidden the National Seal. Shen Tang had thought Qi Shan was deeply patriotic towards his former country, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

Qi Shan lazily raised an eyelid.

"Those two things don't conflict."

Seeing that he had no intention of elaborating, Shen Tang took the initiative to change the subject, probing indirectly to gather more information about this world. She pointed upwards, "That person in charge of Geng Country... your evaluation of him is quite low?"

Xin Kingdom had been destroyed, and its feudal lord was indeed foolish, deserving of being called a "foolish ruler." However, Geng Country was powerful, and its feudal lord had expanded its territory during his reign. Yet, Qi Shan's evaluation was "tyrant"?

Qi Shan scoffed, "If that's not tyranny, then any feudal lord could be called a 'benevolent ruler.' Just you wait. If the tyrant Zheng Qiao isn't dead within five years, Geng Country will bring about its own destruction."

Shen Tang's curiosity was piqued.

"Specifically, how is he 'tyrannical'?"

Just as Qi Shan was about to explain, the piercing shouts from the prison cart outside the tea house suddenly erupted, soon replaced by the sounds of whipping and desperate screams. Shen Tang peered through the gaps in the tea house's bamboo curtain and could vaguely see blood dripping from a corner of the prison cart.

Another prisoner roared in defiance, "Even if you beat me to death, I will still say it: Zheng Qiao, you money-grubbing sycophant, you bastard, forcing me to wear mourning attire and carry a coffin, to dream of being your ancestor! I'll beat the drums and gongs to celebrate the funeral of a coward like you!"

This fellow had a head of white hair and a body of well-developed muscles. His voice was full of vigor, booming like thunder.

This was Shen Tang's first time witnessing the art of cursing in another world.

Amazing!

The Geng Country soldiers naturally wouldn't allow him to continue his tirade.

They immediately swung their whips, each lash leaving a bloody gash. The man gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a sound of pain or plea. The harder they hit him, the more vehemently he cursed.

They beat him until he was on the verge of death. The soldier, panting, spat at the prisoner in the cart. "Disgusting old coot!"

"Young Master Shen just asked 'how is he tyrannical,' and now you see?" Qi Shan gestured vaguely towards the direction of the tea house. Fearing Shen Tang wouldn't understand, he began from the beginning. "Zheng Qiao is the current ruler of Geng Country. He was sent to Xin Kingdom's imperial harem as a hostage with his birth mother at the age of five. It is said that he was intelligent and studious from a young age, and possessed exceptional beauty. By fifteen, he was renowned throughout the capital. The ruler of Xin Kingdom was overjoyed and bestowed upon him the name 'Nü Jiao'."

"Does the ruler of Xin Kingdom have a serious illness?"

Qi Shan replied, "He is indeed ill—incompetent, inept, and lustful. He happened to set his sights on a woman from another country's harem, Zheng Qiao's birth mother. He acquired her through deceit and coercion, along with the hostage, Zheng Qiao."

"This Zheng Qiao is also pitiful..."

Qi Shan mocked her naivety, asking, "Do you think Zheng Qiao was forced by power and had no choice?"

"Wasn't he?"

One would instinctively assume it was a foolish ruler's forceful acquisition, right?

Qi Shan shook his head regretfully. "If that were the case, Zheng Qiao would be pitiable, but it's not. He was extremely skilled at using others to kill. Over the years, he caused the deaths of many loyal and upright officials and eliminated his rivals. Those who offended him, called him a sycophant, or were favored outsiders would soon find themselves imprisoned. Whether they were innocent or not, they would endure the Dantian Destruction Punishment."

What was "Dantian Destruction Punishment"?

It was a cruel method of destroying the Dantian. Once the Dantian, Literary Heart, and Martial Gall were destroyed, they could not be restored. Even if a case was overturned later, it would be irreversible. Zheng Qiao also bullied the weak and feared the strong, only delivering fatal blows to those from humble backgrounds with little backing or weak foundations.

Who knew how many promising scholars and martial artists he had ruined.

Xin Kingdom's early years were relatively stable, and its national strength was not weak. Even with a ruler who didn't attend court for 365 days a year, spent his time in the inner palace, and secretly ordered people to search for beauties everywhere, the common people could still manage to get by.

But after Zheng Qiao appeared, things went from bad to worse.

Later, when the Geng Kingdom's royal family was in turmoil, they remembered Zheng Qiao, who was being held as a hostage in another country. Zheng Qiao was ambitious and unwilling to accept his current situation. He used wealth and promises of a bright future to win over officials in the Xin Kingdom. After much maneuvering, he successfully persuaded the King of Xin to allow him to return home.

In just five years, Geng Kingdom took advantage of Xin Kingdom's years of drought and weak military strength to launch a surprise attack. Their forces advanced like a hot knife through butter, driving straight to the royal capital. Everywhere they conquered, they allowed their soldiers to burn, kill, loot, and abduct women. Zheng Qiao, meanwhile, subjected the former officials of Xin Kingdom to all sorts of humiliation.

"Speaking of which, Zheng Qiao has a connection with the Gong Clan."

Shen Tang's scalp tingled when she heard this.

She really didn't know about this.

Yet, Qi Shan smiled and told her anyway.

"Back then, the Gong Clan was the main force supporting Zheng Qiao's return to Geng Kingdom. What's interesting is that the Gong Clan was then stripped of their property and exterminated. The men were exiled to the border to serve as laborers, and the women were sent to the Xiaocheng Brothel—this was the first order Zheng Qiao issued after conquering the Xin capital."

Xin Kingdom (renamed Chong Tai) was destroyed and is currently the national faction of Tang Mei and Qi Shan.

Of course, it has now been annexed by Geng Kingdom, but its control is not yet stable.

The entire world background is a complete mess, with fierce wars between feudal states.

Tang Mei is only eleven or twelve years old and is still in the stage of understanding the outside world. She needs to develop further before she can truly embark on the path of aspiring to be a ruler, and she also needs a catalyst for her to raise her banner and become a king.

"Secret Transmission" is a Word Spirit that creates soundproof privacy for whispering, and its counterpart is "eavesdropping," which means listening in on others.

Mourning Attire and Coffin: This was an ancient ritual for surrender for scholars and officials, essentially wearing sackcloth and mourning... probably...

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