Chapter 250
Chapter 250
Zhang Chong said, his voice laced with self-mockery.
“At least the New Policies will no longer have anything to do with me.”
And would the New Policies merely have nothing to do with Zhang Chong? After the battle of Raging Tide City, the King would have to halt the push for the New Policies in the State of Yue for the time being. Did he need to choose the next sacrifice for the New Policies? Did he need to pick someone else to be the vanguard for its implementation? Setting aside the various reasons, it was common practice after a political defeat to go through a period of seclusion rather than immediately jumping into the next battle.
The secret missive sent by Zhang Chong was dispatched to the capital at the fastest possible speed. Shen Lang couldn't even begin to imagine how astonished the King would be upon reading it, or how the entire royal court would be thrown into an uproar.
Zhang Chong rose from his seat and said.
“Now that we’ve finished our discussion, I must return to my estate and await His Majesty the King’s judgment.”
Shen Lang bowed to him.
“Lord Zhang, you still have a long road ahead. We shall meet again!”
* * *
Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, decided to station his army and defend Raging Tide City. A conservative and upright man like him was best suited for defending a sturdy fortress. Shen Lang and Jin Zheng led a thousand men to attack Gold Mountain Island. The island originally held nearly two thousand prisoners from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. With their cooperation from the inside, it took only about half a day to defeat the thousand pirates stationed on the island and completely secure it. (The details of that process are omitted. -Author's note)
Jin Zheng garrisoned a thousand soldiers on Gold Mountain Island and reorganized half of the captured soldiers from the Count’s estate into the island's defense force. Shen Lang, leading the remaining five hundred, returned to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
* * *
Having been away from home for well over a month, Shen Lang yearned to return.
‘Mulan, my love, I’ve missed you so much. For over a month, I haven't let my eyes wander. I didn't even look directly at Qiu Yao'er. In a golden city like Raging Tide, a place that makes one lose all reason, I didn't seek out a single other woman. A man as uncorrupted and steadfast as me is rare these days. This is what love is!’
Just then, Xu Qianqian walked over sensuously, stood behind Shen Lang, and began to massage his shoulders. She even "accidentally" brushed her chest against the back of his head.
‘H-hey, don't. I'm a righteous man. Besides, we're already divorced. I can't do anything to wrong Mulan. I'm not that kind of person. But...
Ah! So soft!’
Shen Lang leaned his head further into her chest, an expression of pure bliss on his face, his eyes glazed with ecstasy. Huang Feng made a gulping motion. She wasn't swallowing saliva, but suppressing the murderous intent rising within her.
Xu Qianqian said in a voice dripping with charm.
“Shen Lang, now that our relationship has progressed this far, can’t you tell me what poison you used in the dye formula back then? What trick did you use to frame my family and cause the merchants from the Western Regions to suddenly fall ill from poisoning?”
‘Damn it! I knew this woman wasn’t doing this out of the goodness of her heart.’
Shen Lang sat up straight, pulling his head away from Xu Qianqian’s chest.
‘I, Shen Lang, am a man of integrity. Even without my wife here, I would never stray.’
Then, Shen Lang said righteously.
“Miss Xu, please don’t falsely accuse me. I didn't tamper with the formula, nor did I harm your family. As for the merchants from the Western Regions suddenly falling ill after wearing the new silk clothes you made, I know nothing about it.”
Xu Qianqian gritted her teeth, then asked again in a coquettish voice.
“Let me rephrase. New formulas often have problems. Young Master Shen, how would you improve the purple and rainbow dye formulas?”
“Hmm, I can improve them, but there’s a price.”
Xu Qianqian once again pressed her chest against Shen Lang. He comfortably rested his head against her again and said.
“For every bolt of silk dyed using our formula that is sold, I will take five percent of the selling price.”
A shiver ran through Xu Qianqian’s body.
“Young Master Shen, we’re so close now. Talking about money will hurt our feelings.”
Shen Lang rubbed his head against her chest a little harder.
“Ah, but they say even blood brothers should keep clear accounts. And aren't we ex-husband and ex-wife?”
“Get lost!”
Xu Qianqian shoved him away in one swift motion.
* * *
Upon returning to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, before Shen Lang could even exchange a tender greeting with Mulan, his eyes fell upon the bodies laid out on the floor. There were over twenty of them—men, women, old, and young. They were all loyal servants of the Count, and while Shen Lang couldn't remember all their names, he recognized every face. In addition, there were another hundred bodies, all fallen warriors. Some were new recruits, others were veterans. Even his mother-in-law, Su Pepe, had a massive gash on her back, half a foot long and so deep that bone was visible.
An Zaishi said.
“Young Master, my female physician has stopped the bleeding and applied medicine for the madam. I learned the art of suturing from you before, but I dared not perform it myself, fearing it would leave a large scar on her.”
“I’ll do it. Have you prepared the catgut sutures?”
Not long after arriving in this world, Shen Lang had taught the physician An Zaishi how to suture wounds. He had a large quantity of catgut sutures made, but they were rarely used. The advantage of using them was their ease of use in the body; the disadvantage was the high risk of inflammation. However, Shen Lang had processed these sutures with modern techniques. It took several months and over a dozen procedures to produce a single thread, minimizing the inflammatory reaction as much as possible. His mother-in-law, Su Pepe, might be lazy, but she was a powerful martial artist with a naturally strong constitution. With a large dose of anti-inflammatory medicine, there shouldn't be any problems.
Su Pepe was lying on the bed, fully dressed, but a large section of her clothing over her back had been cut away to expose the wound. Even though it was her back, she disliked being touched by other male physicians, but Shen Lang was like a son to her, so it didn't matter. Shen Lang painstakingly sutured Su Pepe’s wound, carefully stitching each layer of skin. He performed the procedure with extreme precision, using needles meant for cosmetic surgery. It was a pity he couldn't create cosmetic-grade thread in this world; that would have left an even smaller scar.
Su Pepe said.
“What’s a little scar at my age? It's not like your father will cast me aside for it, will he?”
“I performed the surgery, so I guarantee the scar will be very small. Of course, there’s another way to hide it completely.”
“What is it?”
“We could get a beautiful tattoo on your back. I can start teaching father-in-law the design for the tattoo right now.”
“Isn’t it strange for a mother to get a tattoo at my age?”
Though she said it was better not to, she was already leaning toward the idea.
“No one else will see it, only father-in-law. What does it matter?”
“Tell me... tell me more.”
* * *
The moment Shen Lang returned to his own residence, his expression turned to ice. He had never in his life hated a person so much, nor had he ever held such a grudge against a family.
‘The Su Clan of Marquis Zhenyuan, Su Nan, Su Jianting! I will not let you get away with this!’
Mulan was lying face down on the bed, her upper body bare. Her fair, smooth back was bruised a horrifying shade of black and blue. This was the result of a blow from an expert of the Su Clan, who had wielded an iron mace during the battle with the fake bandits while she was protecting the people of her fief that night. Though she had no external wounds, she had suffered internal injuries. Shen Lang’s heart ached as if it were being torn apart. He dripped a specially prepared oil, infused with various medicinal herbs, drop by drop onto the bruises on Mulan’s back and gently massaged it in.
“Husband, you don’t blame me, do you?”
Mulan asked in a soft voice. She lay in his arms, placing his hand on her exquisitely beautiful breast.
“Why would I blame you? You knew they were deliberately luring you out, yet you still led your soldiers to save the people of your fief. That’s who you are, Jin Mulan.”
Mulan rolled over, climbed on top of him, and lightly kissed his lips, saying nothing more. The Jin Clan had taken Raging Tide City, and Qiu Yao'er had left. They had won a great victory at the Battle of Vain Love Island, annihilating Qiu Tianwei's entire army. Shen Lang didn't mention any of this. Of course, he didn't need to; he had already sent word home. This was a time for soothing each other’s aching hearts.
Shen Lang asked her.
“Didn't we already burn that secret letter from Marquis Zhenyuan? Su Nan believed it was burned too, so why would he send Su Jianting to seize it? And why go to such great lengths to do so?”
Mulan shook her head, indicating she didn't know either. There was clearly some conspiracy hidden within this matter. But it didn't matter. Shen Lang had been undecided on whether to seek revenge against the Xue Clan or the Su Clan first. Now, the answer was clear. He would destroy the Su Clan first!
Shen Lang’s mind raced. Excluding the Duke of Wei Wu and the Marquis of Zhenxi, the Su Clan of Marquis Zhenyuan was the most ancient noble family in the State of Yue. They had the largest fiefdom and the most private soldiers. Moreover, Su Nan currently held the positions of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and Grand General of the Pacification Army. On the surface, he was a colossal figure, incredibly difficult to topple. Zhang Chong was a man of monstrous intellect, but his foundation was extremely weak. In contrast, the Su Clan's foundation was even deeper than that of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. Bringing down the Su Clan was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
‘But... just as they say you can move the Earth with a lever and a fulcrum, if I am given a fulcrum, I can annihilate the entire Su Clan.’
Shen Lang counted on his fingers, calculating. Mulan continued her playful game, teasingly kissing him. She first kissed his eyes, making him close them, and then challenged him to guess where she would kiss next. The next kiss landed behind his ear. It was a silent, intimate game played without a single word. But when she saw him counting on his fingers like a fortune teller, she let out a "pfft" of laughter. Mulan asked in a charming voice.
“What are you doing?”
“Calculating how many days it will take to eliminate the Su Clan.”
“Did you get an answer?”
“It will take approximately one hundred and fifty days.”
Mulan didn't understand.
‘Can he really calculate it that precisely? But I don't want to think about it. I’ll just clap my hands and say, "Husband, you're amazing."'
Now, Mulan didn't need words to cheer him on; a look was all it took.
‘That’s right. It will take about five months. The key is the lever. What can I use as a lever? The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng!’
Shen Lang looked at Mulan. She was incredibly beautiful, but her eyes were bloodshot. He didn't know how long it had been since this woman had a proper night's sleep.
“My love, get some sleep.”
Mulan said in a husky voice.
“Yes, and you sleep next to me, husband.”
“Alright.”
Since her top was already off, Mulan slipped off her skirt as well. Then she had Shen Lang undress before snuggling into his arms and comfortably falling asleep. The air under the covers was filled with her fragrance, and her skin was as smooth as white jade. In a matter of seconds, Mulan was sound asleep. For the past month, she hadn't slept for more than three hours a day.
Shen Lang held Mulan as if she were a precious treasure. On one hand, he felt a wolfish, sinister desire, but on the other, his heart ached beyond measure. Two minutes later, he too fell asleep. For the past month, though Shen Lang had acted as if he had everything under control, he too had not slept properly.