Chapter 467
Chapter 467
“Shen Lang, what exactly is the Fifth Prince relying on to join the struggle for the throne? Surely he isn't relying on you?”
To this question, Shen Lang answered seriously.
“That's right. He is relying on me.”
At that moment, everyone burst into loud laughter once again.
“Shen Lang, are you some kind of madman?”
“Shen Lang, was the person who went as an envoy to the State of Qiang and successfully completed the mission, and the one who annihilated the Su Clan's main army, actually someone else?”
“Are you a madman, or just a fool?”
Even if the world were to end or the State of Yue were to fall, Ning Zheng would never ascend the throne. In an instant, Shen Lang and the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, became the laughingstock of the entire capital. The number of people mocking Shen Lang and Ning Zheng grew, and with each taunt, the halo Shen Lang had gained from his past victories faded day by day. As time passed, everyone forgot the miracles Shen Lang had wrought; they forgot that he had gone to the State of Qiang as an envoy and completed his mission, and that he had annihilated Su Nan's main army.
This world judges heroes by their successes and failures. No matter how many successes you achieve, one final failure turns you into a complete joke. Take Shi Yuzhu, for example. He ran his company into bankruptcy, yet still performed a miracle to remain a tycoon, only to later end up in handcuffs and facing prison. And now, Shen Lang had become just such a joke. He had become a frog in a well, a toad lusting after swan meat. After hearing Shen Lang's ridiculous claims until they were sick of them, the Imperial Academy kicked him out and forbade him from recruiting there any longer. And the Grand Academy also hung up a plaque.
Eventually, several martial academies in the capital also hung up plaques that read . Furthermore, the Grand Academy disavowed Shen Lang as a student—a status previously granted to him by Ning Yuanxian himself. Left with no choice, Shen Lang began recruiting on Xuanwu Avenue, Zhuque Avenue, and even on the bustling main streets.
“Recruiting ministers to follow the dragon! Recruiting officials for the prince's residence! Three Registrars wanted, must be a Juren! One Chiliarch wanted, must be a Wu Jinshi! Three Centurions wanted, must be a Wu Juren!”
Every day, Shen Lang would set up a stall on the street, and Big Dummy would shout at the top of his lungs. While others might find such a task shameful, Big Dummy felt no embarrassment and actually found it quite amusing. Thus, Shen Lang became incredibly famous within the capital. Of course, his fame stemmed from his disgraceful and bizarre behavior, earning him the ridicule of countless people.
This reputation of Shen Lang's spread as if on wings, beyond the capital to the entire State of Yue, and eventually throughout the entire Eastern world. Soon, the surrounding kingdoms also learned that the State of Yue had produced an eccentric named Shen Lang, who was setting up a stall every day to recruit talent for Ning Zheng's bid for the throne. Before long, someone asked.
“Is that Shen Lang? Surely not the same Shen Lang who won all those battles before?”
“That's right, they say it's him.”
“How is that possible? Is the man insane?”
“That's what I'm saying. He must be!”
* * *
More than twenty long days passed, yet Shen Lang still hadn't recruited a single person. The Fifth Prince's marquis estate remained an empty shell. Not even a ghost would pledge allegiance to Ning Zheng. To be frank, if Ning Zheng were only recruiting ordinary people, some Juren in extremely dire straits with no backing might have come to him, unwilling to admit their incompetence and hoping to live an idle life. But Shen Lang's declaration of joining the struggle for the throne was enough to scare the wits out of everyone. Under these circumstances, joining his household wasn't about getting free meals; it could very well cost them their lives.
‘You might talk a big game about joining the struggle for the throne, but when the Crown Prince or the Third Prince eventually ascends, they'll surely kill you. And when that time comes, everyone who follows Ning Zheng will die with you. Besides, what's most laughable is, who in the world goes around shouting, "I'm joining the struggle for the throne"? Isn't the Third Prince, Ning Qi, a formidable figure? He has the support of the Xue and Zhong Clans, putting him on par with the Crown Prince. Yet even someone as powerful as Ning Qi doesn't openly declare his intention to fight for the throne; he only speaks of sharing his royal father's burdens. Shen Lang, are you as capable as the Third Prince? The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, doesn't have a single decent person under him, yet you have the audacity to boast about joining the fight for the throne. Do you even know how to write the character for "ugly"? What about the one for "idiot"?’
Every day, when Shen Lang set up his stall on the main street to recruit talent, he was surrounded by a sea of onlookers, mostly rogues and scoundrels.
“Shen Lang, when does the Fifth Prince plan to join the struggle for the throne?”
Shen Lang replied immediately.
“Today.”
“Shen Lang, when will the Fifth Prince become the Crown Prince?”
“Tomorrow, tomorrow!”
Upon hearing this, everyone burst out laughing, looking at Shen Lang as if he were a clown.
* * *
Inside the royal palace.
The King was on the verge of exploding with rage.
‘Have you no shame? Do you not care about losing face? Shen Lang, even if you and Ning Zheng aren't afraid of embarrassment, I, the King, certainly am! And to go around spouting "struggle for the throne" at every turn—are you trying to get yourself killed? Are those words you can just shout carelessly? Can't you just not say it? Well, you've got your wish now. You've shouted it so much that the whole world knows. Are you afraid people don't know we have a succession struggle here in the State of Yue?’
The King wanted to send men to overturn Shen Lang's stall, drag him to the palace, and give him dozens of harsh strokes with a cane. But the King restrained himself. He already owed Shen Lang twice. The first debt was for annihilating the Su Clan's rebel army, and the second was for saving Concubine Bian. So, even Ning Yuanxian had no choice but to pretend he didn't see it.
However, Shen Lang's continued antics were damaging the King's reputation. Now, people from the surrounding kingdoms had begun to mock Ning Yuanxian. It wasn't just Shen Lang who had become a joke; Ning Yuanxian had become one too. Therefore, His Majesty the King was finding it extremely difficult to endure. The phrase the King had repeated most to himself in recent days was this:
‘Thank goodness Shen Lang is not my son. Otherwise, I would have truly beaten him to death.’
The troublemakers of this world were all the same. Their brilliance was matched only by the trouble they caused. People watch the cartoon *Crayon Shin-chan* and think Shin-chan is adorable, but if any parent actually had a son like him, they would probably want to stuff him back in the womb and have another child. In the end, even the Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun could no longer stand by and watch Shen Lang's behavior, so he spoke up.
“Your Majesty, shall this servant send men to overturn Shen Lang's stall and drag him here?”
Even Lü Zhun, who was very fond of Shen Lang, could no longer tolerate his current actions.
‘Isn't it too shameful? Are you trying to recruit talent or tell fortunes on the street? Setting up a stall on the roadside.’
Concubine Bian also found it unbearable to watch. A woman who had never interfered in state affairs in her life, she couldn't help but say something one day.
“Your Majesty, what if you were to assign some people to Ning Zheng? If he can establish the framework for his marquisate, perhaps that rascal Shen Lang will stop his shameful daily antics outside.”
Look at that. Even someone as gentle and virtuous as Concubine Bian couldn't stand it.
“In the past, I would have quietly assigned personnel to Ning Zheng, but I cannot do so now.”
Right now, King Ning Yuanxian truly couldn't. Shen Lang and Ning Zheng had become a complete joke, and the Fifth Prince's estate had turned into a pit of fire. At this point, even if the King issued a royal decree to assign them talent, it would be useless. It was obvious that any assigned talent would feign illness the moment they arrived at the Fifth Prince's estate and flee as far as they could. Because going to the Fifth Prince's estate wouldn't lead to a promotion; it could lead to losing one's life. In the end, the King spat out some harsh words.
“Let him be. That troublemaker had better never appear before me again. If he does, I'll beat him to death.”
Hearing this, Concubine Bian couldn't help but let out a "Pfft!" of laughter. The connection between His Majesty and Shen Lang was truly amusing. His Majesty was not a man known for patience or tolerance, yet here he was, struggling to endure Shen Lang, reduced to venting his frustration with empty threats.
* * *
Shen Lang continued to set up his stall on the street every day, recruiting talent. At first, a sea of people gathered to watch him, but as time went on, the crowd dwindled, and even the rogues and scoundrels stopped paying him any mind. This was because even a spectacle grows tiresome with repetition, and watching Shen Lang's disgraceful behavior day after day had become aesthetically fatiguing. A fool's antics might be amusing for a few days, but they become tedious when seen every day. Exposed to the wind and sun every day, the two banners Shen Lang had put up began to fade slightly.
“Recruiting ministers to follow the dragon! Recruiting officials for the prince's residence!”
Unlike ordinary people, Big Dummy was truly remarkable. He could shout those words tens of thousands of times, even over a hundred thousand times, without getting tired of them. How could he possibly get tired? He was destined to become the greatest under heaven. This was a man who had withstood millions of surprise attacks from two grandmasters, blocking their swords millions of times. The people of the capital, however, had heard those words so many times that they were sick of them, to the point of feeling like they were going insane. Big Dummy's voice was like thunder; a single shout could be heard for two li in every direction.
“Recruiting ministers to follow the dragon! Recruiting officials for the prince's residence!”
Having heard these words countless times every day, the citizens of the capital were truly on the verge of vomiting. Those once-sacred words now sounded like the calls blaring from a megaphone on a modern street corner.
“Buying refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines at high prices!”
Now, whenever Shen Lang and Big Dummy were about to shout their recruitment call, people nearby would even roar in protest.
“Dammit, stop shouting! I'm about to puke from hearing it!”
“Damn it, stop shouting! Hearing that makes it hard to even take a piss.”
“Dammit, stop shouting! I can't even get hard listening to that all day.”
A full month passed like this, yet Shen Lang still hadn't recruited so much as a ghost, let alone a talented person. He and Ning Zheng had gone from being clowns to being clowns that no one even bothered to watch. Ning Zheng's Marquis of Zhangping estate was still an empty shell; besides Shen Lang, there wasn't even a mouse to be seen. On the thirty-first day of his recruitment effort, a person suddenly appeared before Shen Lang's street stall.
“Are you the ones recruiting talent?”
“We are!”
“What kind of people are you looking for?”
“We are seeking future court ministers, officials who will follow the dragon.”
“Excellent. I had originally planned to never descend from my mountain retreat, but seeing your sincerity, I have come down. However, my price is very high.”
“What is your price?”
“To be the future prime minister.”
Damn, this person was even better at bluffing than Shen Lang.