Chapter 95
Chapter 95
“Lang’er, leave the rest to me.”
What was the rest? Shen Lang’s great victory tonight was only the beginning. Following this, the battlefield of politics would officially open.
Many would be implicated and die in the great storm of Prince Gong’s rebellion. The Count had to use this opportunity to contend with the King. If he failed to act at a time like this, it would be no exaggeration to say he was unworthy of his title as Count. But while Count Jin Zhuo was no genius, he was a seasoned veteran who had already considered how to leverage the current situation.
On the surface, Shen Lang and the Count of Xuanwu had rendered immense service by rescuing Princess Ning Luo and exposing Prince Gong’s true nature. In reality, however, the King would likely feel anger or shame. From his perspective, their actions could be seen as a slight to his dignity. Thus, they had no choice but to engage in a political war.
“Lang’er, you’ve been through a lot tonight. Get some rest.”
“Yes, Father.”
Shen Lang bowed, then turned to Mulan and said.
“My lady, let’s go to bed as well.”
The next day, at noon.
Wang Lian, the Prefectural Registrar of Xuanwu City, finally awoke. His head was splitting. As his mind gradually cleared, three questions surfaced.
*Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?*
Then, another question occurred to him.
*Why am I not wearing anything?*
Moreover, a burning pain emanated from his private parts, as if they were injured. Wang Lian instinctively reached down to his rear.
*Thank goodness, thank goodness. It doesn't hurt or sting. The most dreadful thing didn't happen.*
He looked around and found himself in a grand and opulent room that felt very familiar. This was his secret residence, purchased entirely for his use by his maternal uncle, Xu Wensu. Wang Lian would often bring different women here for his amusement.
*Did I drink that much last night? Why can't I remember anything? Well, that's normal. I was so overjoyed I drank myself into a stupor. Shen Lang will soon be finished, and the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will be implicated. How could I not feel triumphant after framing Shen Lang for plagiarism with no way for him to defend himself?*
Wang Lian’s memory was stuck at the moment he had utterly humiliated Shen Lang. Oblivious, he began to plan his future. The New Government Faction would surely accept him now. He could then resign from this damnable registrar position and prepare for the next metropolitan examination. With the faction’s support, passing the highest imperial examination would be no problem. (In this world, a scholar could take the metropolitan examination as long as they resigned from their official post. This was different from ancient China.) Once he passed, Wang Lian would reach the pinnacle of his life.
The final blow dealt by Zhang Jin’s group last night must have been fatal; Shen Lang surely couldn't have escaped it. Shen Lang was finished, and so was the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. When that happened, Jin Mulan, who was once so high above him, would become a phoenix fallen to earth, a widow stripped of her noble status.
But I, Wang Lian, will have passed the highest imperial examination and reached the pinnacle of my life. Then, I will be the one looking down on Jin Mulan… When that time comes, I will use every means possible to sleep with that peerless beauty. And I will bring her into my home and make her my plaything for the rest of her life!
*Creak!*
The door suddenly opened, and a man so handsome it was blinding slowly walked in. It was Shen Lang. Wang Lian asked in a cold voice.
“What is it, Shen Lang? How are you here… you’re not dead yet?”
Shen Lang put on a most pitiful act and said in a trembling voice.
“Wang Lian, how cruel of you. To conspire with Zhang Jin to bring me to such ruin!”
“Hahaha. You still don’t know your place. What fortune does a base person like you have to marry Jin Mulan? That was the root of your misfortune. So, if an ignorant fool like you doesn’t die, who will? Besides, Shen Lang, for someone of your lowly status to even attempt to become the live-in son-in-law of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was to court death itself, was it not?”
Then, Wang Lian narrowed his eyes, looking down on Shen Lang as if he were a king.
“A man about to die, why have you come here?”
“I’ve brought four beauties for Lord Wang Lian’s enjoyment.”
“Trying to win my favor now? It’s too late!”
Shen Lang clapped his hands, and four beauties entered the room. They were women of seductive figures. More than their faces, their mature and voluptuous bodies were their main appeal.
“Lord Wang Lian, please enjoy yourself.”
“Useless wretch! Trying to curry favor with me now is pointless. You’re already a dead man!”
At that moment, the four beauties pounced on Wang Lian.
“D-don’t do this. I am a scholar, a gentleman. D-don’t… ah…”
Wang Lian fell into a den of beauties and was conquered.
***
Five minutes later.
Don’t mock him for lasting only five minutes, foreplay and afterglow included. Wang Lian lay lazily in the embrace of a beauty and said.
“Shen Lang, you should know your place. What gives an insignificant ant like you the right to marry Jin Mulan? You’re a dead man now. But since you’ve given me such a gift… hmm, no one can save you, but if you act sensibly, I might find a way for your parents and brother to live.”
“And how would I act sensibly?”
“Help me accomplish my grand affair with Mulan and fulfill my wish. Then I might consider saving your parents and brother. If not, they are dead. A most miserable death, at that.”
Shen Lang’s smile vanished.
“That’s enough. Let’s stop this little game.”
In an instant, Shen Lang’s gaze turned as cold as ice.
“Wang Lian, no one who has ever crossed me has lived well. Accusing me of plagiarism is a small matter, but daring to insult my wife’s purity and brand me a cuckold is unforgivable.”
Shen Lang smiled.
“For that, I will grant you the most miserable, unique, humiliating, and painful death imaginable.”
“Shen Lang, have you gone mad? How can a dead man walking speak such words?”
Shen Lang clapped his hands, and the four voluptuous and charming women shed their clothes, revealing their terrifying bodies. Truly terrifying. The women had remained clothed even as they writhed with Wang Lian just moments before. Now, their naked bodies were covered in malignant sores, and some had the red rashes characteristic of syphilis. And just moments ago, they had done *that* with Wang Lian. This was Shen Lang’s method of killing him!
Hearing Shen Lang’s words and seeing the women’s sore-covered bodies, Wang Lian was completely stunned. His eyes darted from Shen Lang to the women, then down to his own private parts. Wang Lian recognized venereal diseases as easily as looking at the palm of his hand.
Scholars like him often indulged in promiscuous activities. As a result, a few of his friends had unfortunately contracted such diseases. At the time, his friends would weep in sorrow, crying, “Brother, why weren’t you more careful?” while inwardly rejoicing, *Hahaha, one less competitor for the next examination.*
But now, it was he, Wang Lian, who had contracted a venereal disease. He could imagine the miserable days that awaited him. In this era, without penicillin, syphilis was an incurable disease, a death sentence.
“Ah… Ah… Aaargh…”
Wang Lian let out a wretched scream and began slamming his head against the wall as if his life meant nothing, trying to vent his terror in a crazed frenzy. Then, he suddenly lowered his head and glanced at his manhood. Shen Lang silently offered him a knife and said slowly.
“If you cut it off now, it might not be too late. Cut it. Cut it off… With desire gone, so too will be your troubles.”
Wang Lian stared at Shen Lang with eyes full of bone-deep hatred and roared.
“Shen Lang, don’t you want to live? Death is at your doorstep, so why are you harming me?”
Shen Lang let out a chuckle at his words and took a step back without a word. Jin Hui, who had been waiting outside, entered the room and told Wang Lian everything that had happened last night. Hearing it all, Wang Lian was completely dumbfounded. Soon after, an unbearable pain washed over him.
*Shen Lang won? Even in that situation, he won?*
Wang Lian suddenly recalled his actions from the previous night. A chill ran through his entire body, and he staggered before collapsing to the floor. His scholarly honors would be revoked, and he had also earned the ire of Liu Chengyan. In short, he was finished.
“Why? Why?”
Wang Lian sat on the floor, wailing and muttering to himself in despair.
“Shen Lang, you’re nothing but a lowly ant, so why does everything go your way? Why does someone like you get to have Jin Mulan, enjoy wealth and glory, and even win every fight! I am a scholar, a man of talent, yet what you, a lowly creature, have obtained… why… why can’t I have it!”
Wang Lian desperately poured out the agony in his heart. Shen Lang replied in a sincere voice.
“Brother Wang Lian, I sometimes place a hand on my heart and ask myself those very same questions. I, Shen Lang, often ask the heavens, ‘Why am I so handsome? Why am I so brilliant? Why am I so magnificent?’ But no matter how many times I ask, the heavens never answer. To this day, I still haven’t found the answer.”
Wang Lian choked, unable to cry any longer.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Beside them, Jin Hui showed a strong expression of discomfort.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, Young Master. What you said is right.”
Fearing he might have offended Shen Lang, Jin Hui quickly corrected himself.
“No, what Master said is right.”
“Ah, you’re so easy to talk to, I can’t help but like you!”
“Pfft.”
The four beauties nearby couldn’t help but laugh. They looked at Shen Lang with eyes that seemed to say, *What a charming man,* but their expressions quickly turned somber. The more charming the person beside them seemed, the more tragic their own lives appeared. They had contracted a foul disease and did not have long to live.
“Brother Wang Lian, don’t torture your soul with such profound questions as why I am so handsome and brilliant. Let’s focus on the matter at hand. For example, whether to cut it off or not. I’m sure some of your friends have contracted this disease and died quite miserably. I think if you cut it off now, it might not be too late. Truly.”
Shen Lang wore a very serious expression.
“The poison probably hasn’t spread to your bloodstream yet, so if you cut it off now, you can save your life. Wait another quarter of an hour, and it will be too late. Brother Wang Lian, sometimes a man must be ruthless with himself. Besides, you’ve already had your fun, haven’t you?”
“Act now! If you truly want to save your life, you must act! Any more delay, and it will be too late. Your life is what’s most important. Who knows, after you cut it off, a whole new world might open up for you.”
“I’ll start the countdown. If you don’t cut it quickly and the poison spreads to your blood, it will be too late. You’ll be a dead man. Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
Trembling, Wang Lian made the most agonizing decision of his life. He, too, vaguely thought that if he cut it off now, he might just survive. After all, his life was the most important thing. If he cut it off, he could enter the palace and become a eunuch. With his talent, he would surely rise through the ranks. As a eunuch, he would trade everything he had to rise to the pinnacle of the eunuchs. Then he would avenge himself by annihilating the Count of Xuanwu's Estate and flaying Shen Lang alive.
*If I can have my revenge, I can endure anything, anything at all! Shen Lang, I will become the greatest eunuch, and I will return to kill your entire family, I’ll kill them all! Yes, this is my only chance for revenge. Cut it off, enter the palace, become a eunuch, and get my revenge! I will have my revenge!*
“Aaargh…”
With a heart full of resentment, Wang Lian picked up the dagger on the floor and swung it fiercely toward his groin.
*He’s truly castrating himself to master his desires! It's just as they say—to master the Sunflower Manual, one must first be castrated! How incredible!*
Watching the scene, Shen Lang’s scalp tingled. He cupped his hands and said.
“Brother Wang Lian, you are magnificent. I, Shen Lang, am truly impressed.”