Chapter 560
Chapter 560
Bian Bi held Shen Mi and said the baby was like a little princess. She was both lively and quiet, not a chatterbox like her mother. Xiao Bing was overjoyed to hear this. She wanted her daughter to be completely different from her. After returning home, Xiao Bing constantly said that her precious daughter was surely a princess who had merely borrowed her womb to come into the world, and in fact, didn't resemble her at all.
Shen Lang was utterly speechless upon hearing this. While all parents wished for their daughters to become great people, no one did it quite like Xiao Bing. It seemed Xiao Bing would gladly disown her precious daughter if it meant the child could have a noble status. She acted as if a mother with her status was a source of shame. Truly a pitiable form of motherly love.
“Ah, it's a shame His Highness Ning Zheng has no children. If he had a son, our baby could be his childhood friend, or they could be a match made in heaven.”
Xiao Bing said suddenly.
“Ning Zheng is ugly. Aren't you worried his son would be ugly too?”
“Actually, it's not a big deal if a man is a little ugly. Besides, they say a son takes after his mother, so His Highness Ning Zheng's son might not necessarily be ugly.”
Shen Lang and Xiao Bing, despite living in Ning Zheng's Marquis of Changping's estate, constantly called him ugly. Of course, it wasn't that Ning Zheng didn't hear them; even if he had, he would have likely just laughed it off sheepishly. Even his wife, Lady Zhuo, sometimes jokingly called him "Ugly Husband," but he didn't mind much. Ning Zheng was an incredibly composed man with a truly magnanimous heart.
“Master, what are you looking at?”
Xiao Bing said flirtatiously, her eyes turning sultry. She seemed to be reminding him that it was getting dark and time for bed. Shen Lang was, of course, looking at the list of people with the Blank Bloodline. Last time, he had found over 2,300 individuals with the Blank Bloodline in and around the capital; this time, he had to search the entire State of Yue.
Shen Lang had entrusted this task to two organizations. One was the Heavenly Dao Society, and the other was the Marquis of Changping's estate's intelligence agency, the Black Mirror Division. The current core members of the Black Mirror Division were all former warriors under Gao Duhuan. Each of them was an ideal rogue, handpicked by Gao Duhuan with great care, making them highly suitable for intelligence work. Of course, the organization was still in its nascent stages.
For now, the ultimate head of the Black Mirror Division was Shen Lang, but he never demanded that its core members sever their ties with Gao Duhuan. Their relationship was too close. However, it was Gao Duhuan who voluntarily cut ties with them. Both Shen Lang and Gao Duhuan were selfless, would never do anything to harm the Marquis of Changping's estate, and had no intention of vying for power.
The search for people with the Blank Bloodline within the State of Yue had been underway for over four months, with the Heavenly Dao Society sending over a hundred members and Shen Lang's Black Mirror Division sending another hundred. Those with the Blank Bloodline had very distinct characteristics, not only psychological but also physical ones apparent in their skin and pupils. After a thorough investigation based on these three traits, they could confirm with near certainty whether someone possessed the Blank Bloodline.
Thus, a preliminary list of individuals with the Blank Bloodline from across the entire State of Yue was compiled. The results showed that the number of adults with the Blank Bloodline was far lower than Shen Lang had anticipated. First, Shen Lang had found over 2,300 people with the Blank Bloodline among a population of three million in the capital and its surrounding provinces and counties. The State of Yue had three provinces, one special autonomous region, and the capital's administrative district, with a total population of roughly nineteen million. Based on this population, they should have been able to find eight or nine thousand people with the Blank Bloodline. Shen Lang presumed that the survival rate for those with the Blank Bloodline was slightly higher in the capital due to its greater abundance of resources and higher standard of living, while in remote areas where life was generally harder, their survival rate would be correspondingly lower.
To put it more directly, in a typical family, the Shen Lang from before the transmigration would have starved to death long ago or been left in a mountain valley to die on his own. But because his parents and younger brother cherished and cared for him with love, they had raised that simpleton to adulthood. Originally, Shen Lang had thought his original body also possessed the Blank Bloodline. However, after gaining a more detailed understanding of the Blank Bloodline, he discovered that his original body's bloodline was even stranger. Those with the Blank Bloodline were not simpletons; rather, they were autistic or had mental disorders, were highly sensitive, and possessed intense focus. In contrast, the body Shen Lang transmigrated into was, fundamentally, a simpleton.
To return to the main point. After preliminary statistics, the number of people with the Blank Bloodline in the rest of the State of Yue, excluding the capital, was only 3,700. This was a staggering half of what Shen Lang had expected. There must have been more originally, but they were likely abandoned by their families or had died. Moreover, the living conditions of the survivors who were lucky enough to make it were far worse than Shen Lang had imagined. He had to rescue them all immediately and bring them to the capital. He had to bring them to the capital, change their destinies, and transform them. They would become the second Nirvana Army, a special forces unit with astonishing combat power, the ultimate archery corps.
“Master, you should rest.”
Xiao Bing said, almost whining. When Shen Lang turned to look at her, Xiao Bing was wearing nothing but a chest wrap. Her fair, soft body looked like pristine snow, making her all the more alluring. Shen Lang was taken aback by the sight. Even with a fire burning, it was the second month, and the weather was still bitterly cold.
*Xiao Bing, aren't you cold?*
Seeing her mother like that, the baby's eyes widened as she looked from her father to her mother and back again.
*What does this mean?*
“Good baby, go to sleep now...”
Xiao Bing breastfed the baby, trying to lull her to sleep.
*Sleep tight, little one. Don't ruin Mommy's fun.*
Just then, Princess Ning Yan's voice came from outside.
“Lewd Xiao Bing, it's my turn today.”
Trouble. Now Ning Yan also knew Xiao Bing's nickname. Did Lady Zhuo tell her? Lady Zhuo had heard the nickname from Xiao Bing. It seemed there were no secrets among women. The moment she heard that voice, Xiao Bing's beautiful face twisted into an expression of wanting to cry but having no tears.
*You naughty baby, it's all your fault. If you had fallen asleep earlier, Daddy would have slipped into Mommy's covers, and that big-bottomed woman wouldn't have shown up.*
But Shen Mi, oblivious to her mother's inner thoughts, blissfully continued to nurse with great relish.
***
In the days that followed, Ning Zheng was so busy he was about to lose his mind. He had officially assumed the post of Admiral of Tianyue. Madman Lan, Gao Duhuan, the Nirvana Army, and the Ten Lan Brothers all went with him to the Admiralty. Shen Lang, for reasons unknown to him, was appointed as the Admiralty's Adjutant. However, Shen Lang never once set foot in the Admiralty and told them not to bother him with trivial matters.
*I, Shen Lang, will enjoy the power but not fulfill the duties.*
In contrast, Ning Zheng began a grueling life of military administration. Having never handled any government affairs before, he was suddenly promoted to the Admiralty of Tianyue City, responsible for the defense and security of the entire capital. The mountain of work was enough to give him a headache. Furthermore, the Third Prince's and the Crown Prince's people refused to cooperate, instead trying to obstruct him or create difficult problems. Shen Lang even clearly felt that for a while, the capital's security had noticeably deteriorated, and order had become chaotic. But he didn't step in to help, and neither did the King. One must handle one's own affairs.
Ning Zheng never came to the Marquis of Changping's estate to complain about his hardships; instead, he ate and slept at the Admiralty every day. He slept only four hours a day, and for half of his waking hours, he roamed the capital, conducting both public investigations and discreet inquiries. He personally inspected every city gate, granary, and military unit. Because without thoroughly investigating them himself, he would have no grounds to command the uncooperative officials in the Admiralty.
Setting other things aside, in terms of sheer diligence, Ning Zheng far surpassed the King. The King, much like Shen Lang, was lazy whenever he could be, relying solely on his own intelligence to govern and handling state affairs in sporadic bursts. But ruling a large country could not be done with a sharp mind alone; it required constant attention, like grilling a small fish that must be flipped frequently. Intelligent people tended to look for shortcuts rather than working diligently. Look at how badly Ning Yuanxian had squandered the nation's wealth in recent years. The state treasury was so empty that mice could play inside.
***
“Am I this poor?”
The King read and reread the memorial from the Ministry of Revenue before him. Last year's autumn tax revenue was already spent. It would be nice if he could collect the spring tax a few months early. Of course, there was still some money left in the treasury, but it was earmarked for other purposes and couldn't be touched. That money had to be used to pay the officials' salaries and the army's wages. Even after using all that money, they would still be in deficit.
Last year, he had borrowed over two million gold coins from the Hidden Yuan Society, and still had more than 1.6 million left to repay. This year was even worse. Only two months of the year had passed, but according to the Ministry of Revenue's desperate calculations, even if there were no plagues or disasters this year, the biannual spring and autumn taxes would still fall short by over two million gold coins. But could they really expect a year without plagues or disasters? Moreover, two major wars were set to break out in the coming months. One in the south, and one in the west. And these wars would be decisive battles upon which the fate of the State of Yue hinged.
*New Policies, New Policies!*
The words echoed endlessly in Ning Yuanxian's mind. Why had he wanted to implement the New Policies? Wasn't it all because the treasury was empty? Within the State of Yue, there were dozens of old aristocratic families, all possessing fiefs and private armies of varying sizes. Not only that, but these old noble families were also involved in businesses like salt and iron production.
If the New Policies were fully implemented—confiscating all the fiefs of these old aristocratic families, disbanding all their private armies, and nationalizing all the mines they owned—imagine how much farmland would be freed up, and how much tax revenue would increase from the peasants cultivating it. Furthermore, monopolizing salt and iron would also become a major source of revenue. The problem of the empty treasury would be easily solved, and annual tax income would at least double.
The New Policies were clearly a measure to enrich the state and strengthen the military, but it was a pity that now was not the time to implement them. War was imminent, and it was likely to be a large-scale conflict that could topple the entire nation. Therefore, stabilizing the domestic situation was the most urgent task. After Su Nan's fall, the King once again began to survey potential candidates to lead the old aristocracy.