Chapter 874
Duchess Dipas stared at Shen Lang in shock and disbelief. She immediately got out of bed, looked Shen Lang up and down for a long moment, then closed her eyes in thought. When she opened them again shortly after, her expression was still one of utter bewilderment.
“You don't seem like the type to lie. But… if you are a descendant of His Highness Jiang Li, shouldn't you be more like the Great Emperor Solon? You're petty, couldn't wring a chicken's neck, and so wicked and shameless. How could you possibly be the son of His Highness Jiang Li? Ah, my apologies, Lord Shen Lang. I'm a rather direct person.”
The words Dipas had just spoken sounded vaguely familiar. It seemed someone had said something similar just a moment ago. What goes around comes around, and so quickly. Shen Lang shrugged as if to say he didn't know either. He was used to this kind of reaction anyway. In the past, he might have added something like this:
‘Do you think I wanted to be Jiang Li's son? You have no idea how much more satisfying it would have been without this identity. I could have stirred up storms in the State of Yue, and I could have raised an even greater tempest in the Great Yan Empire.’
Now, Shen Lang couldn't be bothered to say such things. However, from Dipas's words, it seemed she had also heard of Jiang Li.
“You know of Jiang Li?”
Dipas immediately went to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. It was a Latin version of *The Eastern Exile*. Then she pulled out another. Ha, it was even *The Lustful History of the Eastern Exile*. Seeing that it was also in Latin, it seemed Eastern culture had been exported to the West quite successfully.
“Were these two books popular in the Sauron Dynasty?”
“Every noble has read them at least once. Although His Highness Jiang Li failed and died suddenly, his great achievements brought him glory.”
“What glory?”
“The right to be the Emperor of the East. We all believe that if he hadn't died so suddenly, the Emperor of the East today would be a Jiang, not His Majesty of the Ji clan. Moreover, if His Highness Jiang Li were to rule the world, that would be…”
Dipas racked her brain but couldn't think of the right word.
“A restoration to his rightful place.”
“That's right. He would be the most legitimate master of the imperial throne. Besides, the nobles of the Sauron Dynasty all believe that if His Highness Jiang Li had reigned over the East, he would not have severed ties with the Western world so completely. The East and West might have gone to war in the future, but for the next few hundred years, there would surely have been more time for cooperation than confrontation.”
That was quite close to the truth. It was His Majesty of the Ji clan who had thoroughly shut the nation's gates and sealed it off; His Majesty Jiang Li had held the world in his heart.
Shen Lang had never imagined that His Highness Jiang Li held such a high reputation even in the hearts of the high nobility of the Sauron Dynasty.
“In fact, the Great Qian Empire once sent a delegation to the Sauron Dynasty. But by then, our old empire had already collapsed. So, your escape to the Western world was likely…”
“I was chased here by the Great Yan Empire. I am a fugitive in the Eastern world. Do you have the courage to marry me?”
“Great Yan is Great Yan, and Sauron is Sauron. No matter how powerful the Great Yan Empire is, it cannot interfere with the Sauron Dynasty. Then why, when we married before, did you not explain your identity? If you had, I would not have offered you to the emperor. No matter how mad I am, I would not offer a future emperor to the current one. Good heavens, a future emperor….
Even in our Sauron Dynasty, there are only a few people destined to be emperor. Even our Rousseau family has striven for hundreds of years, but we could not make our bloodline nobler. I even had to resort to underhanded methods just to secure a king's title for my son. And now, to succeed like this without even knowing… My child will have the title of king as soon as he is born? By the way, your Eastern world has no tradition of enfeoffing foreigners as kings. You must learn from our Sauron Dynasty and change that.”
Dipas was so excited she could barely put it into words, fidgeting restlessly. Shen Lang simply couldn't understand why she was so excited. People weren't dogs, so why did they have to care so much about bloodlines? Even dogs didn't need to be so concerned with lineage. Weren't the common dogs in the countryside perfectly lovable without any pedigree?
“If I had told you then, would you have believed me?”
Dipas said, startled.
“To be honest, I still can't believe it. A future emperor acting so crassly?”
“You act like such a bitch, so why can't I?”
“Bitch? What does that mean?”
“I mean ‘bicche’.”
Dipas, of course, did not understand, because the English language had not yet appeared in this world. Shen Lang had originally intended to ask her why she was acting like Janus, but the word wasn't quite right and lacked flair.
After a long while, Dipas finally calmed her excitement and looked at Shen Lang.
“So, everything you're doing now isn't to gain a foothold in the Western world, but to charge back into the Eastern world and reclaim your throne?”
“No. I have no interest in the throne. I only want to take revenge, clear my name, and kill all my enemies so I can live in a world without them.”
“Then… perhaps that's even better. After I become pregnant, you can leave immediately. If you succeed in your revenge, my son will be a prince of an Eastern dynasty. And even if you fail, I won't suffer any loss.”
“If I fail, you will lose a husband. Isn't that a loss?”
Duchess Dipas replied seriously.
“Alright. I suppose that counts as a small loss. But rest assured. I will be completely loyal to you and fulfill my wifely duties of chastity.”
Shen Lang was absolutely certain she would. This woman hadn't been with a man for seven or eight years, not because she was chaste, but because she had no interest in that sort of thing. She was a creature that pursued only power.
“Besides, I'll never find a man with a nobler bloodline than you. And this way, even if you take the gold from my secret vault, I can find a reason to console myself. I can think of it as an investment in an Eastern empire, an investment for my future son.”
“Then, until we meet again!”
“Wait. Can't you at least leave after I've fully recovered? At least stay until I've executed all the traitors.”
***
The Black Widow Hila, Shen Lang's lover, had grown very thin. This was because she had fallen ill after being imprisoned for a very long time. Her lungs were quite severely infected, and Shen Lang treated her with penicillin.
“I'm sorry.”
Hila smiled at Shen Lang's words and replied.
“It's alright. Everyone must pay the price for their actions. Lord Shen Lang, congratulations. You've become the co-ruler of Goldbrick Castle and the legal husband of Duchess Dipas.”
For a moment, Shen Lang was at a loss for words. The Black Widow Hila gazed at Shen Lang for a long time before speaking.
“You are a very charming man. I might never meet another like you in my entire life. And you've given me an unforgettable memory. It's a precious memory of my life, and I will call it love. But now, I want to put an end to our relationship. May I?”
Shen Lang was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“You may. Then I will return the two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins to you. Furthermore, I will pay twenty percent annual interest.”
“No, no. Feelings are feelings, and business is business. Surely you haven't found another competitor for your porcelain business?”
Shen Lang shook his head.
“No.”
“Then it's still my exclusive business. I'll send people to your island soon to transport the porcelain. I've made the investment, so I must make a profit. And in the future, I will continue the porcelain business and amass a fortune large enough to rival a nation.”
“That goes without saying.”
“There's something else I need to tell you. My reason for ending our affair is not because I don't love you. I've become frightened. Your games are too high-stakes for me to play along. I am just a humble merchant.”
“I understand.”
“Then, goodbye.”
“Goodbye, beautiful Hila.”
“We may meet again in the future, but I will probably be dealing with your subordinates. Our statuses are not equal, after all. Your Grace.”
“Do as you please in all matters, beautiful Hila.”
Just then, Hila suddenly made a suggestion.
“Before we end this relationship, how about one last time?”
“I would be delighted. Let's end it the way we began, for a perfect conclusion.”
Soon, the two were tumbling together once more. The Black Widow Hila was even more passionate, as if she were going to her death. And when Shen Lang left, she lay quietly on the bed, silently shedding tears.
***
To save Count Baine, Shen Lang truly gave his all. First, he performed three surgeries, and later, two more dangerous situations arose, forcing him to perform two additional operations. Due to the multiple surgeries, more than three feet of Count Baine's intestines were removed, and parts of some of his internal organs were also excised. In truth, Shen Lang thought he would surely die. Even with penicillin, it was clear his body couldn't withstand so many surgeries. Even with the advanced medicine of the modern era, someone with such severe injuries would almost certainly have died. But against all expectations, he survived all those operations. His body was truly exceptionally strong.
The first thing Count Baine saw when he opened his eyes was Shen Lang, and he was instantly filled with confusion.
“Why am I not dead? How could I still be alive after all this?”
“The strength of your body completely exceeded my expectations. I also thought you would surely die.”
His daughter, Cici, was overjoyed, tears streaming down her face as she tightly gripped Lord Baine's hand.
“Lord Shen Lang saved you, Father. He spent dozens of hours saving you. His methods were so miraculous, it was as if a god had descended. Everyone thought you would never survive, and I was no exception. Lord Shen Lang used a great, great deal of medicine on you, a hundred times more precious than gold.”
Count Baine looked at Shen Lang with a complicated expression and said.
“I am not worthy of such efforts.”
“First, I am a physician. Second, while I am no hero, I admire heroes.”
“The Grand Duke?”
“He is safe and will soon recover fully. However, he hasn't come to see you for fear of causing you an infection.”
“Then what of the rebellion?”
“It has been crushed.”