Chapter 111
Chapter 111
“My lady, I'm not slacking off. I have to keep drinking water. It's the only way to quench the fire in my heart. I can't help it. You're just too beautiful—beautiful with your face revealed, and beautiful with it veiled. Every time I see you from behind, I feel like I'm bursting into flames. My treasure, how did I come to love you so much? Every time I see you from the front, my heart feels like it's about to leap out of my chest. And when I see you from behind, it feels like it's about to explode.”
Hearing Shen Lang’s declarations of love, Mulan’s face flushed red to her ears, and she soon found herself gritting her teeth. They said any man who spoke of love so carelessly was a philanderer. She shouldn't believe a single word, not a single letter or punctuation mark, that came from the mouth of the handsome man behind her. And yet, Mulan found his words so very pleasant to hear.
A moment later, she sensed something amiss and turned her head. That scoundrel's face was right next to hers. She shot Shen Lang a murderous glare, and he laughed awkwardly before quickly pulling away.
“My lady, I saw a mosquito land on you just now. I was just about to bite it to death.”
Shen Lang gave Mulan’s bottom a smack with his palm. The sensation was so exquisite that he felt intoxicated for a moment. Mulan could bear it no longer and shot to her feet, glaring coldly at Shen Lang.
“My lady, be careful. White phosphorus is very, very dangerous. The slightest bump can make it burst into flames, so don't move. Don't move. This stuff ignites at just forty degrees; it's no laughing matter.”
Shen Lang said with a serious expression, and Mulan froze in place.
“My lady, get to work. Surely you don't intend to leave all thousand of these cocoons to me? The very lives of the hundred thousand people in our fief are at stake, as is the hundred-year legacy of our Jin Clan.”
Helpless, Mulan, though fuming, returned to her seat and diligently continued her work. Shen Lang moved forward to wrap his arms around her slender waist, pressing his face against hers and rubbing it gently. He kissed her earlobe and whispered in a soft voice.
“Alright. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you. Don’t be angry, my love.”
Mulan’s body stiffened, but she didn’t try to break free. Shen Lang then kissed the corner of her lips.
“I hate you…”
“My lady, you’re doing so well. I’ll leave everything here to you, then. I’m a little tired, so I’m going to go rest.”
With that, Shen Lang immediately turned to leave. Seeing this, Mulan gritted her teeth so hard they audibly ground together.
*He’s a man I truly want to beat to death.*
Just as Shen Lang was about to quickly exit the secret room, he heard Mulan’s voice from behind.
“Go and get some rest then, husband. But if you're planning to tumble with Xiao Bing, you can just imagine the consequences.”
Shen Lang paused for a moment. His heart sank.
*The good days are over. My wife's mind-reading skills are evolving. They say women are fickle creatures. You were the one who gave Xiao Bing to me to sleep with, and now you're telling me not to. What am I supposed to do?*
That rake, Shen Lang, really did leave Mulan to inject the white phosphorus into over a thousand cocoons all by herself. She then personally placed the thousand cocoons filled with white phosphorus into the several hundred baskets containing the other cocoons. Each basket received two or three of the doctored cocoons. The cocoons were sorted into three grades: high, medium, and low. Shen Lang had tampered with all three grades, ensuring that every basket contained cocoons filled with white phosphorus.
* * *
The next day.
The number of commoners surrounding the Count of Xuanwu's Estate had swelled to seven or eight thousand. Shen Lang walked out, his face haggard and his spirit seemingly drained. Seeing him emerge, the seven or eight thousand people outside knelt in unison.
“Young Master, please save us.”
“If we don’t sell the cocoons now, they’ll really turn into moths.”
“We need to buy grain for our homes. We're almost out of food!”
Shen Lang spoke with a pained expression.
“Everyone, I will go and plead with the Xu Clan. If it means you can eat, if it means you can earn money, I will agree to any condition they set, no matter how they humiliate me.”
At that moment, the seven or eight thousand commoners all touched their foreheads to the ground, looking at Shen Lang with eyes full of immense gratitude.
“Thank you, Young Master. When we get home, we will set up a memorial tablet for you and pay our respects.”
“Thank you for your great benevolence!”
Atop the castle wall, Jin Mucong witnessed the scene and asked the Count of Xuanwu.
“Father, isn't brother-in-law using these good people?”
The Count of Xuanwu hesitated for a moment before answering.
“One must cherish the people as one's own children, but the human heart is like water, and so the hearts of the people are ever-shifting. A ruler must know how to hold their hearts fast.”
Hearing his father's words, Jin Mucong wore a blank expression and remained silent, clearly not understanding. The Count of Xuanwu sighed inwardly but couldn't explain further. Of course, if Shen Lang had been there, he would have offered a more practical explanation for Jin Mucong to understand. "You should love the people like your own children, but at the same time, you must think of them as idiots."
Jin Mucong asked timidly.
“Isn’t brother-in-law being heartless to these people?”
“Only a heartless person can be truly affectionate, and those who appear affectionate are often the most heartless of all.”
The Count of Xuanwu said this and let out a soft sigh. His foolish son would likely never grasp the profound truth within those words in his entire life.
* * *
Looking utterly wretched and as if his soul had left his body, Shen Lang entered the Xu Clan’s residence. His eyes were lifeless, and his hands and feet trembled. Shen Lang handed them three sheets of paper.
“I’ve lost. Here are three sheets with the dye formulas. The first is for a superior golden-yellow dye, the second is for a purple dye, and the third is for a rainbow-colored dye.”
Xu Qianqian reached out, took the three sheets of paper, read them carefully, and committed them to memory.
“Are you satisfied now? Will you buy the cocoons produced by the people of our fief?”
Xu Qianqian was inwardly delighted.
“Shen Lang, if you were going to regret it like this, why did you do it back then?”
“I’ve already admitted defeat, what more do you want from me? Eight thousand people are surrounding the Count’s Estate, and I’ve given you the formulas, what more do you want! What more do you want!”
Towards the end, his voice grew hoarse.
“This isn’t enough.”
Shen Lang trembled as if overcome with rage.
“Xu Qianqian, don't be endlessly greedy.”
“Shen Lang, I learned it from you.”
“I have nothing but this body of over a hundred pounds. You can have my life, but I have nothing else.”
“Apologize to us. Apologize for what you did to us in the past!”
Shen Lang bent at the waist.
“Qianqian, I was wrong. I was truly wrong! I beg you, for old times’ sake, please forgive me just this once. Spare me!”
Huh? The words sounded familiar. But this was the first time Xu Qianqian had heard them.
*How gratifying! What a wonderful feeling.*
The once-mighty Shen Lang was now pathetically admitting his fault to her. This feeling was akin to entering a new world after reading his *Boundless Wind and Moon*. Ah! Humans are truly complex. So many new worlds to discover.
“Shen Lang, weren't you thrilled when you forced Zhu Wenhua to burn his *A Mandarin Duck’s Dream*? Forcing him to burn thousands of copies of his own painstaking work in one go. You must have been thrilled, right?”
Yes. It would be even more gratifying to destroy everything one had painstakingly created in a single stroke.
Shen Lang trembled with fear and asked.
“Xu Qianqian, what are you planning to do?”
“Didn’t you write a book to insult me? I don’t know how many copies of *Boundless Wind and Moon* are left, but bring them all, pile them up, and burn them publicly.”
“No, no! That’s my life’s work. I can’t burn it, I can’t!”
“Then go back. We won’t be accepting the cocoons. Let a hundred thousand people starve, and let them besiege your Count’s Estate.”
Shen Lang staggered back a step. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and said with a look of despair.
“I can publicly burn my *Boundless Wind and Moon*. But in return, you must pay a fair price for the cocoons.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then let’s forget it. Our Count’s Estate will buy these cocoons with our own money, boil them in hot water, draw out the silk, and make our own brocade.”
Shen Lang immediately made to leave, but Xu Qianqian’s cold sneer came from behind him.
“Do you have the workers? The workshop? The money? I’ll give you sixty percent of the original price. If you don’t want to sell, then don’t!”
Shen Lang gritted his teeth so hard it seemed they would bleed.
“I’ll sell, I’ll sell, I’ll sell!”
* * *
Next, Shen Lang piled several thousand copies of *Boundless Wind and Moon* in front of the Xu Clan’s main courtyard and personally set them on fire. In the flames, Xu Qianqian’s face was contorted with extreme excitement.
*This is the most satisfying day of my life. I never knew that humiliating others could be so gratifying. No wonder Shen Lang couldn't stop himself from doing these things.*
She looked at Shen Lang’s figure through the flames, and a single thought came to mind.
*Like a dog defeated in a fight!*
Gazing at the flames soaring high into the sky, Xu Guangyun, despite it being broad daylight, personally set up a drinking table and drank cup after cup with a pleased expression.
*I've regained all the face I lost in the past, all of it. Shen Lang, you dog, you have days like this too! Hahaha!*
At that moment, Shen Lang suddenly shouted.
“People of the Xuanwu fief, look! This is all for you, all for you!”
And with that, Shen Lang fell backward and fainted. It wasn’t that he was overacting, but that only by fainting would Xu Guangyun and Xu Qianqian instinctively let their guard down. If he remained conscious, this wretched father and daughter would surely remain wary and tense.
* * *
Only then did the Xu Clan begin to collect the cocoons from the farmers of the Count of Xuanwu's fief. Although they only received sixty percent of the original price, the farmers had no choice but to sell through their tears. But at this crucial moment, Xu Qianqian pulled another trick. She suddenly announced that she would only take three hundred thousand jin, and they would discuss the rest later. Hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned.
*Only three hundred thousand jin? The fief of Xuanwu produces over three million jin of cocoons. Taking only three hundred thousand is like throwing a cup of water on a blazing cart.*
“Everyone, don’t worry. We will take the rest of the cocoons, but we’ll have to discuss it with Young Master Shen Lang again first.”
Her meaning was exceedingly clear. Shen Lang would have to compromise once more and agree to her even more excessive demands before she would continue to accept the cocoons from the Count of Xuanwu's fief.
*I'll take your life while you're ailing.*
Given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Xu Qianqian would naturally torment Shen Lang until he wished he were dead. Hearing Xu Qianqian’s words, Shen Lang, who was only pretending to be unconscious, laughed inwardly.
*Hah! How delightful. Not only will I bankrupt the Xu Clan this time, but the Count's Estate will also make a fortune. Xu Qianqian, if I don't leave you utterly devastated, then my name isn't Shen Lang.*
* * *
Three hundred thousand jin of cocoons were all collected. And they were acquired for only sixty percent of the original price. Xu Guangyun was immensely pleased. Not only had he viciously trampled on Shen Lang and humiliated the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, but he had also made a huge amount of money. Xu Guangyun planned to buy the remaining three million-plus jin of cocoons from the Count of Xuanwu's fief for thirty percent of the original price.
*I’m going to make a fortune, a real fortune! How satisfying! I’ve recovered everything I lost in the past, and even made a profit! Hahahaha!*
“Inspect every basket of cocoons carefully. That Shen Lang is extremely sinister, he might have some tricks up his sleeve. From every basket, pick ten cocoons and check for any tampering. Be especially careful of poison on the surface of the cocoons.”
Following his order, hundreds of workers began inspecting the cocoons brought from the Count’s Estate. A single basket contained several thousand cocoons, while only two or three were filled with white phosphorus, so the chances of one being picked were very low. Fine, even if by some chance they did pick one, what would they find? The cocoons looked completely normal on the outside, with nothing applied to the surface, let alone poison.
“Randomly pick a hundred cocoons and cut them open for inspection.”
At Xu Guangyun’s command, a hundred cocoons were sliced open. The insides looked perfectly normal, with no poison or anything else, just a single insect inside. A silkworm pupa, soon to become a moth. It wasn’t that they couldn't find the cocoons containing white phosphorus. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have discovered anything. This was because Shen Lang and Mulan had injected the white phosphorus into the pupa’s body.
Xu Guangyun and the others were only thinking of poison; they never imagined something like white phosphorus could exist. Therefore, no matter how clever they were, they would never find anything by inspecting the cocoons.
An artisan reported to him.
“Master, there are no problems with the cocoons.”
“Move all of these to the workshop outside the city, and place them in their respective storage rooms according to their high, medium, and low grades.”
“Yes!”
Several thousand baskets of cocoons were all moved to the Xu Clan’s workshop outside the city and sorted by grade into different storage rooms.