Chapter 218
Chapter 218
The incense stick was not yet fully burned; about a tenth of the time remained. Qiu Xiao had accomplished a great feat. Using only his teeth, he had crawled a hundred meters to reach Jin Jianniang's feet.
"Benefactor, I did it. I did it! I can live now."
Qiu Xiao wept, tears streaming down his face. He felt as if he had completed the most incredible task. Shen Lang applauded enthusiastically, expressing his admiration.
"Amazing. Brother Qiu Xiao, you truly are a remarkable man. You've created a miracle."
Qiu Xiao said through his tears.
"Thank you, Benefactor."
"No need to thank me. You're the one who created the miracle. You will be a witness to history. I will not kill you. I keep my word."
Qiu Xiao wailed loudly.
"Benefactor, thank you for the grace of sparing my life."
"No need for that. I won't kill you, but I can't stop someone else from doing it. I'm truly sorry."
As soon as those words were spoken, Jin Jianniang drew her sword and thrust it forcefully into Qiu Xiao's heart. A second slash severed his head. The young pirate king died with his eyes wide open. Shen Lang stepped forward, picked up Qiu Xiao's head, and handed it to a man in black. This man was an envoy sent by the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. He was a master originally sent to inform Qiu Xiao to change eighty percent of the negotiation terms with the Count's estate.
Just moments before, he had witnessed the entire scene of Qiu Xiao crawling on the ground like a dog and saw his most humiliating death. Shen Lang placed Qiu Xiao's head in the hands of the pirate king's envoy and said politely.
"Brother, don't be too heartbroken! And though it may be a bother, please take Qiu Xiao's head directly to the Pirate King. Ah, of course, tell the old lord not to be too heartbroken either. While you're at it, would you mind taking the heads of two thousand men with you? Oh, and don't forget to tell the Pirate King that his beloved son did not die peacefully. Safe travels!"
* * *
The pirate king's envoy stood a hundred meters away. He had personally seen Qiu Xiao crawl a hundred meters with his mouth and witnessed his head being cut off. However, he had neither seen nor heard what transpired inside the room. Moreover, throughout the entire process, the three masters—Jin Hui, Thirteen, and Jin Shiying—stood beside him. The slightest move would have meant his death. The moment Shen Lang placed Qiu Xiao's head in his hands, his hands were soaked in blood, the blood still warm as it dripped from the head.
The pirate king's envoy couldn't help but ask.
"W-why?"
He simply couldn't understand.
*Has Shen Lang truly gone mad? Does he not fear the Pirate King's wrath? Is he not afraid of the Jin Clan's annihilation?*
Shen Lang didn't answer, instead asking a question of his own.
"Your ship?"
The envoy glanced at the pier behind him; a small but seaworthy ship was still there.
Shen Lang gave an order.
"Everyone, help move the two thousand heads onto the ship, so this brother can take them back with him."
A thousand new soldiers from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate appeared, loading heads onto wheelbarrows and pushing them onto the pirate ship at the pier. In the blink of an eye, all two thousand heads were loaded. The pirate king's envoy stared at Shen Lang for a long moment, then turned and left. He made no threats. War between the Count of Xuanwu's Estate and Raging Tide City was now inevitable, so threats were unnecessary. Soon, he would return with the Pirate King, leading tens of thousands of troops to land on Misery Isle and slaughter everyone on it.
Everyone else had departed, but Jin Jianniang remained standing in place. Before Shen Lang could even approach her, her face turned bright red. Shen Lang had only glanced at her, yet the formidable woman became flustered, as if she didn't know where to put her hands and feet, pressing her legs tightly together in extreme nervousness.
*Don't do that. When you squirm like that, the curve of your hips becomes even more pronounced. It's almost enough to make me lose control and touch them. But I absolutely can't do that. I can't hurt my wife's feelings anymore. I'm a man who has made mistakes. I may be scum, but even I have lines I must not cross. So please, leave quickly. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself.*
Shen Lang said.
"Thank you, Jianniang."
Jin Jianniang shook her head.
"I should be thanking you, Young Master. You gave me the chance to vent my anger and kill that scoundrel myself."
"Will you stay for a meal?"
"Ah, no. The Young Lady needs my help as well. There's nothing for me to do here, so I'll be on my way."
And with that, Jin Jianniang hastily departed. Not far away, Jin Hui stood even more awkwardly than she had, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.
*Jianniang, I'm your brother. How can you not even notice a big guy like me standing here? You're leaving without a single glance or a word? I wanted to ask how my wife is doing at home.*
Jin Hui sighed inwardly, recalling how he had spent last night squatting in the latrine until midnight.
*Sigh, that pretty boy is a real scoundrel.*
Then he quickly covered his mouth. It was an inner thought, but he worried what would happen if the Young Master could read minds.
* * *
In the house on the mountainside, only Shen Lang and the Count of Xuanwu remained. They gazed at a massive mining pit not far away. Nearly ten thousand people were bustling about inside it. This was no real gold mine, so the people in the pit were neither mining for gold nor panning for placer gold to make ingots. They were putting the finishing touches on a trap that would shock the world.
How long had Shen Lang been preparing the Misery Isle strategy? It had been over half a year since he first mentioned it, and at least four months since its implementation began. At its smallest, it involved several thousand people; at its peak, nearly ten thousand. It was truly a grand scheme. Over half a year, tens of thousands of people in total were mobilized to weave a massive, flawless net that would astonish the world. Now, it was finally time to reap the rewards.
"Father-in-law, the Spring Festival is approaching."
"Yes. It's in three days."
This year's Spring Festival was different from those of the past. Count Jin Zhuo continued.
"In past Spring Festivals, it always seemed so lively. Our family always hung lanterns and decorated with colorful fabrics. But in truth, I disliked the Spring Festival, even feared its arrival. During the festival, I was forced to extravagantly decorate the estate and be wasteful. The nobility has its own rules; you must have things you don't even need. Otherwise, people would see the Jin Clan locking its coffers so tightly and would surely whisper that the family was in decline."
Shen Lang understood. Most nations, great noble houses, or large corporations emphasized morale and placed great importance on appearances. Many great companies were actually operating at a loss, but they maintained such a plausible facade that everyone thought they were still in their prime. For them, confidence and morale were indispensable. It must not have been easy for his father-in-law to maintain the family's reputation over the past twenty years.
"Now, we no longer need to struggle to maintain our reputation. We don't have to put on a play of excessive spending either."
"Because we have prepared an even grander, more extravagant performance."
"But this year, our whole family won't be able to gather for the Spring Festival. Why don't you go home now, see your parents, and have the New Year's Eve feast with Mulan and your mother-in-law?"
Shen Lang considered it for a moment but declined the tempting offer.
"No. The work of setting our flawless net is in its final stages. This is the most crucial moment, so we cannot let our guard down and allow even the slightest mistake. If our family cannot gather together this year, then neither will our enemies. The war will begin soon!"
"Yes. The war is about to begin. My son-in-law will avenge the humiliation his father-in-law suffered. After this war, our Count of Xuanwu's Estate will once again be renowned throughout the world."
* * *
"It seems I'm doomed to have a poor year."
In the most splendid garden within Raging River City, a peerless beauty let out a sigh. The weather was bitterly cold. A few snowflakes had just begun to fall, and though the wind howled outside, the room was as warm as spring. The beauty was clad in a fox-fur coat, which further accentuated her bright eyes and pearly teeth.
She raised a hand, holding it up to the light filtering through the window, as if checking to see if her hand was ruined or mottled from the cold. Of course, it wasn't. It remained a pair of delicate, snow-white hands. She sat languidly, attended by four maids and ten eunuchs. The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, didn't even dare to sit, standing beside her with his back bowed.
The woman's name was Zhaoyan. She was the Crown Prince's confidante and mistress. Though she had not been brought into the royal palace, she represented the Crown Prince's will to the outside world. For this reason, even generals guarding the border or prefects could not sit in her presence.
"That's enough. All of you, withdraw."
After all the maids and eunuchs had withdrawn, only an old eunuch, a master of martial arts, remained. Zhaoyan asked.
"Is there really a gold mine?"
Tang Lun replied.
"There really is. The young lord of Raging Tide City, Qiu Xiao, said he saw it clearly. Deep within the mining pit, there was a great deal of placer gold and freshly smelted gold ingots weighing a hundred catties each. He said the gold inside the pit alone amounted to fifty thousand catties."
Zhaoyan's expression didn't change as she lifted her teacup and took a light sip.
"That's not how gold mines work, is it?"
Zhaoyan beckoned him over. The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, immediately stepped forward and unfolded a piece of paper in his hand. It wasn't the original written by Qiu Xiao, but a copy of the one given to the Pirate King.
"Gold mines aren't like that. You can't find large amounts of placer gold in ore, nor would there be so many gold nuggets. Unless..."
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, finished her sentence.
"It was a gold vein from antiquity."
Zhaoyan lay back languidly in her chair and spoke calmly.
"What do you intend to do?"
"I intend to join forces with Qiu Tianwei to attack Misery Isle."
"Go on."
"Qiu Tianwei fears that His Majesty the King might be enraged, so..."
"So what is your proposal?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince handles all manner of state affairs daily, working tirelessly for the nation. As his subjects, we cannot help but look up to him. Therefore, we wish to offer twenty-five percent of the gold mine's annual production from Misery Isle."
"If a vassal's fief is seized by pirates, the King loses face. For now, the war in the Southern Ou Kingdom can be used as an excuse, but once that rebellion is quelled, there will be no reason to stand by. If pirates occupy the territory of the State of Yue for an extended period, would it not damage His Majesty the King's prestige?"
"Your Ladyship's words are wise."
Zhaoyan was not the Crown Princess, so this was merely flattery. The Count of Jinhai continued.
"If we conquer Misery Isle, kill all the troops of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, and kill both Count Jin Zhuo and his wife, and Shen Lang and his wife, leaving only their sole heir, Jin Mucong, he will become the representative of the Jin Clan."
Zhaoyan hesitated, saying nothing.
"At that time, Jin Mucong will become the new Count of Xuanwu. After arranging a marriage with him, we can then openly and legitimately return Gold Mountain Isle and Misery Isle to his possession. That way, at least formally, the two islands will still belong to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate."
"You intend to marry your daughter to Jin Mucong and your son to Qiu Yao'er? That would make Jin Mucong nothing more than a puppet, and all the assets of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate would become the private property of your two families. Am I correct?"