stand back, let me come

Chapter 1542 Extra: Lord Wei, Save Me! (Part 2)

Although this wasn't the first time Wei Lou and his nephew had visited Huangting, it was the one with the most complex emotions. He remembered that the year they left, the city was rather quiet; upon their return, it was bustling with crowds of tourists. What Wei Lou noticed first wasn't the clothes Li Shu was wearing.

First, pay attention to Li Shu's expression and eyes.

If you were to ask Wei Lou what he is most familiar with in his life...
It was nothing more than pairs of eyes so numb they had no spark of light left, and bodies so thin you could see every rib. The owners of these bodies felt no shame whatsoever, even when their filthy flesh beneath their tattered clothes was seen.

For people in chaotic times, a sense of shame is a precious thing.

The Phoenix Court he sees now—

Although not everyone wore new clothes, their clothes were very clean, and even those with patches were neat and tidy.

You can truly feel their vibrant and upward-looking vitality.

Just then, the carriage stopped at a residence in the east of the city.

The main gate of the courtyard was wide open, and the stone steps were swept clean.

Wei Lou looked at the scholar: "You prepared this?"

Rarely seen, so considerate and thoughtful.

The scholar shook his head: "No."

Wei Lou: "..."

He was too early.

The nearby residents soon discovered that a new neighbor had moved in next door.

The new neighbors' surname was Wei. One of them looked young, around twenty-six or twenty-seven, while the other was tall and burly, but seemed to suffer from some strange photophobia and was always wrapped up tightly in a black robe from head to toe. Besides the two of them, the Wei family also had a two- or three-year-old girl.

"Why did Marquis Wei dress like this?"

The day after moving into their new home, Wei Cheng was directing his skeleton warriors in the yard to clear away rubble and rebuild the children's play area. A new swing was being erected under a tree in the yard, with hemp rope wrapped around the railings. In addition to providing space for Wei Sheng, he also planned to enlarge the pond around the house, introduce fresh water, and raise more river fish.

Yes, so that his uncle can fish in his spare time.

While I was busy, a familiar female voice came from the courtyard wall.

Wei Cheng looked in the direction of the sound.

Before he could answer, his uncle's mocking words echoed from the corridor: "Shen Jun, as the ruler of a country, also engages in the behavior of a thief?"

Why do you have to climb over someone else's wall instead of using the main entrance?
The young woman in the red and gold round-necked robe sat astride the courtyard wall in a rather unseemly posture. She was unashamed: "Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king. As the ruler of a nation, isn't it normal for me to come and go as I please on my own territory?"

Wei Lou said, "That's just sophistry."

Shen Tang jumped down from the wall.

Their gaze fell upon Wei Sheng, who stood at the foot of Wei Lou, his features exquisitely handsome.

"Tsk tsk tsk, so this must be Miss Wei?"

Wei Lou covered the child's head with his wide sleeves, turned sideways to hide the child behind him, and said unhappily, "What are you sucking for? Do you think you're teasing a dog?"

Shen Tang ignored him and waved to Wei Sheng, who was staring at her. The little girl also stood on tiptoe and stretched out her hands to Shen Tang: "I want a hug."

"Pfft, looks like she still kisses me."

Shen Tang bent down and picked up the child.

Wei Sheng naturally wrapped his arms around Shen Tang's neck, pressing his chubby cheeks against her neck, a naive smile spreading across his face. Wei Lou, seeing this, looked away unhappily, while Shen Tang preemptively retorted, "Mr. Wei, are you so stingy with even a cup of tea for your guest?"

Wei Lou: "..."

Shen Tang sat down and sipped her tea.

Sitting in her lap, Wei Sheng looked up at her blankly for a long time before asking in a clear voice, "Have we met before?"

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow: "Do I look familiar to you?"

Wei Sheng nodded: "Mm."

Shen Tang stroked her delicate double buns: "Ugly people in the world are ugly in their own way, but beautiful people in the world mostly have similarities. So, do you understand why I look familiar?"

Wei Sheng didn't quite understand.

Wei Lou retorted sarcastically, "You say you're so beautiful that people flock to you?"

Shen Tang: "Does Lord Wei read storybooks even while living in seclusion in a small town?"

Wei Lou remained noncommittal.

He naturally didn't like watching these things, but entertainment was scarce in the world, and the biggest expectation of the elderly in the small town each month was the traveling opera troupe. These troupes would perform some popular plays from outside, and each time they would attract spectators from far and wide. Wei Lou would occasionally be invited by those elderly young men to watch the show, and although he found it noisy, he didn't chase them away.

Looking at Wei Sheng's rosy complexion, Shen Tang sighed, "I didn't expect Wei Junzhen to be able to raise this child, and take such good care of him."

After all, Wei Sheng had some background in his previous life.

Shen Tang's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to that year.

When Wei Lou approached her, she assumed he wanted to leave and continue his reclusive life in prison. Little did she know, this was only one of Wei Lou's purposes; his other goal was to obtain a clue from Shen Tang: "I've heard that after the Gongxi clan dies, their physical bodies perish, but their souls transcend and return to the embrace of the gods. Is this true or not?"

Shen Tang said, "Let's say it's fifty-fifty."

There's definitely no such thing as a "soul paradise".

But humans can reside in plants and trees, taking root in the earth, existing in another special form. Compared to mayflies, humans are long-lived, but compared to most plants, they are standard short-lived. Some special plants can live for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, not to mention the seeds transformed from the remains of the Gongxi clan. Plants and trees also have their own pleasures, quietly watching the stars shift and the seasons change.

Wei Lou then asked: "May I ask, does Ji Mo Cong have reincarnation?"

He specified by name.

Before Shen Tang could react, Gong Xi Chou became displeased.

"What do you want?" Gong Xi Chou's alarm bells rang loudly. If you traced Gong Xi Chou's lineage back to Ji Mo Cong, he was his direct ancestor. Was this Wei Lou still holding a grudge about the sealing deception from back then?
Wei Lou said: [Please ask her to return to the mortal world.]

Gong Xichou: 【...Huh?】

Shen Tang, who understood: [???]

Wei Lou: [She must repay all the hardships of this mortal world.]

【…Should I remind Lord Wei how the King of Wu died?】 Shen Tang raised his hand to signal Gong Xi Chou to be quiet first.

Wei Lou sneered: "Does this old man need to remind Lord Shen that my nephew was also innocent back then? I certainly deserve death, but according to the laws of both Kang and Wu, there's no reason for an uncle's crime to implicate his nephew! What about the decades he was deceived and sealed away? Ultimately, this matter boils down to our feud with Ji Mo Cong."

The trouble should end it.

Shen Tang: [...]

Every time she thought she understood the human race, they would pull off another baffling move. Did Wei Lou hate his enemies by hoping to bring them into the world so they would suffer terribly to appease his hatred? No, did Lao Deng think giving birth was like taking a dump?

Shen Tang asked: "Does Marquis Wei also mean this?"

His meaning is unimportant.

Shen Tang: [...]

She realized she still didn't fully understand the complex emotional entanglements of humanity. Immediately, Mo Cong's soul was awakened, and without knowing what she said to Wei Lou, she voluntarily entered the cycle of human reincarnation. Following the clues, Wei Lou took a newborn girl from a remote farmhouse.

Wei Lou arrived relatively promptly.

If he had arrived any later, the child would have been thrown into the deep ravine.

Wei Lou also spoke sarcastically to Shen Tang.

[Even after ruling for so many years, such horrific tragedies still occur under Shen Jun's rule. I truly don't know if these unruly people are inherently wicked or if Shen Jun's abilities are limited and his education is inadequate.] After saying this, Wei Lou took the child back and soon left the Phoenix Court with Wei Sheng.

Wei Cheng always believed that Wei Sheng was born to his uncle.

Wei Lou: [...]

For reasons unknown, he did not correct this misconception, but instead suggested that the uncle and nephew raise her together.

Wei Cheng was practically ready to slap his chest and issue a pledge.

As for the three men's seniority, they each followed their own rules. The children called them "Big Uncle" and "Second Uncle," while Wei Cheng still had to call him "Uncle."

The baby girl was named Wei Sheng, but a courtesy name has not yet been chosen.

The uncle and nephew returned to their small town and lived in seclusion for more than two years.

“Asheng is extremely fond of Shen Jun.” Wei Sheng had never met Shen Tang before, but the moment he sensed her presence, he felt an intense attachment, which amazed Wei Cheng. His son was rather aloof and reserved, and didn't particularly enjoy playing with his peers. Even when he acted normally, Wei Cheng could still see a hint of tolerance in his eyes when Wei Sheng played with the children from the small town.

Shen Tang said, "Perhaps it's a predestined connection."

She was happy to see Wei Lou and his nephew return to Huangting.

The more powerful the literary scholars and martial artists, the more like two ticking time bombs they become; no one knows when their minds will turn irrevocably dark. Wei Lou is a ruthless character capable of independently compiling the doctrines of the Eternal Life Cult, and Wei Cheng is the Marquis of Che.

It's impossible to guard against these two getting together and causing trouble.

It's more reassuring to keep an eye on it.

Wei Lou asked Shen Tang for a nominal title.

Shen Tang feigned a cough: "Is Lord Wei serious?"

She naturally knew why the civil officials were looking for Wei Lou.

He was brought in to be the stabilizing force of the civil service; as long as his scholarly principles remained intact, both the civil and military factions would be stable. Wei Lou retorted, "Otherwise what?"

Shen Tang looked at Wei Cheng: "Does Marquis Wei want one too?"

"You're already calling him Marquis Wei, what else does he need?"

Wei Cheng was already a twentieth-rank Marquis, a title he could easily obtain in the royal court without actively seeking it. The royal court wouldn't spend much money, but these courageous warriors would gain immense emotional value. They would be willing to give him face and refrain from causing trouble should anything happen.

The key is that by attaching a title, one can be listed on the national seal roster.

This thing is very useful.

Wei Lou didn't ask for a high-ranking, honorary position; just enough to attend court and watch the plays would suffice. He wanted to see just how much trouble these oddballs from Kang Kingdom could cause. Shen Tang was very generous, but the uncle and nephew soon realized that Shen Tang's generosity extended beyond this one instance.

They live in a house in a good school district.

The nearby courtyards are also among the top three in Huangting.

The surrounding neighborhood consisted of officials from the capital and their families, and their children were mostly sent to study in the small courtyard. In earlier years, the teaching quality of the private schools of various families was highly sought after, and they would hire famous teachers and scholars to enlighten their children. However, with the implementation of the Three Academies system in recent years, those famous scholars and scholars were recruited by the royal court. As a result, the teaching of the Three Academies gradually became the mainstream.

At first, it was small families who sent their children there, but soon even larger families were willing to send their children to study there.

Children should attend schools near their homes for early education.

The area around the courtyard becomes very lively during the school season.

If Shen Tang hadn't specifically sent someone to inform Wei Lou not to miss the child's school registration, the uncle and nephew would have been completely unaware of this.

Wei Lou's face fell, filled with resentment.

"How could I possibly be worse than some lecturer from a small courtyard?"

Wei Cheng said, "But you and I must go to court."

Even if you have a nominal title, you can't skip work every day, right?

Asheng also needs more peers to play with. He can't keep breaking the skeleton soldiers' bones every day. The Jingguan and skeleton fortress in the yard are being dismantled and rebuilt repeatedly, which is not good for the child's growth.

Wei Lou nearly choked.

I was a little annoyed, but I still went and signed up.

The entrance exam was packed with people.

Wei Lou's nerves were constantly on the verge of exploding.

Fortunately, Wei Sheng was intelligent and promising, ranking first in the entrance exam and possessing cultivation talent, thus gaining direct entry into the best class. Each grade had one or two special classes for students capable of cultivation. These students studied literature and martial arts according to their aptitude, and after solidifying their foundation, they had the opportunity to transfer to a public academy under the Imperial Academy. This academy was specifically designed to cultivate promising talents with cultivation abilities.

While he may not be an exceptional individual in the future, he has a high probability of entering officialdom.

These things were nothing to Wei Lou and his nephew.

On the day the results were released, he was surrounded by many students' parents congratulating him; that joy was genuine. Wei Sheng enrolled in school, and life gradually returned to normal; the uncle and nephew also began to regularly attend court sessions.

On the first day, I witnessed the unique features of the Kang Kingdom's royal court.

Kangguo officials' robes were divided into civil and military styles, and men's and women's styles, mainly in four colors: black, red, blue, and white. The official seal and fish-shaped pouch at the waist and the material of the sash were used to distinguish their ranks. Wei Lou received a robe that was red inside and black outside.

The crimson hue flickered in and out of sight as they moved.

He meticulously tidied himself up and put on the monogrammed fish bag.

Few of the officials in Kangguo knew them.

Looking around, he saw mostly unfamiliar faces, though a few familiar ones were visible in the distance. He held his official tablet in both hands, his eyes slightly lowered, lost in thought—a state commonly known as daydreaming. An official beside him, curious and wanting to exchange pleasantries, was deterred by Wei Lou's icy gaze.

A moment later, someone tugged at his sleeve again.

Wei Lou was getting impatient.

Is this how officials in Kangguo behave when they attend court?
He said calmly, "What?"

The Ministry of Revenue official looked nervous, his gaze fixed on his superior who had stepped forward to reprimand him. Without turning his head, he whispered to Wei Lou, "You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time attending the Grand Court? Be careful later. In my experience, today is going to be bad!"

Wei Lou: "What happened?"

A Ministry of Revenue official said, "There are people selling clouds in the southwest and southeast regions."

Wei Lou: "Selling clouds?"

What kind of word is this?

An official from the Ministry of Revenue said, "As the saying goes, those who live by the mountains live off the mountains, those who live by the water live off the water, and those who live by the heavens live off the heavens. Two years ago, the melon-growing region received new melon seeds. According to those who were lucky enough to taste the experimental melons from the melon fields, the melons were thin-skinned, juicy, and very sweet. They are profitable."

Guaxiang was a prefecture within the territory of Kangguo.

It is indeed very suitable for growing melons.

This year's rainfall has been unusually high, and the Bureau of Astronomy is overwhelmed with resources. In April, the people of Guaxiang petitioned for more rain clouds to help them weather the crisis, but even then, the available cloud resources were insufficient.

I had no choice but to pay for cloud services.

Wei Lou: "..."

The Ministry of Revenue official said, "This is a sham account."

Buying and selling cloud resources is merely a means of self-preservation, and the royal court usually turns a blind eye. However, the problem is that this income was not taxed, and its whereabouts are unclear. Naturally, the Minister of Revenue has to extract all of this money and cannot allow any mistakes.

The seller of the cloud naturally refused to be fleeced.

It's one thing to pluck feathers from a passing goose, but why does Xun Hanzhang, this miserly fellow, even try to squeeze a little out of the income generated by a passing cloud?
These should all remain in their original locations!
After listening for a while, Wei Lou did some mental calculations.

"Is it really worth arguing over such a trivial matter?"

A Ministry of Revenue official said, "How can it be such a trivial matter?"

Xun Zhen was also furious: "This is sophistry, utterly sophistry! Today you acted on your own initiative over a 'petty gain,' without the control and supervision of the Ministry of Revenue. Will you gentlemen also come up with pretexts to create exorbitant taxes and levies to exploit the people in the future?"

The person on the other side was also annoyed by the criticism.

I felt that Xun Zhen was exaggerating the issue.

The Ministry of Revenue is such a tightwad; these past few years, they've been meddling in every little thing, even the smallest business transaction, as if afraid someone might embezzle a single penny of their taxes. If everything has to be like this, how many good opportunities will they miss?

This time, it was merely a matter of selling some extra cloud formations to suit local conditions. Xun Zhen even had to scrutinize the accounts for such a small profit, keeping track of every single transaction. He must have been incredibly idle. Xun Zhen, on the other hand, felt that without proper regulation, there was no guarantee that unscrupulous individuals wouldn't use this gray area for bribery and corruption in the future—Kang State's territory was simply too vast, and the Imperial Observatory couldn't possibly be meticulous and attentive to every detail.

Some scheduling is handled through local negotiations.

Managing things in a lot of detail is also to nip problems in the bud. If the other party suspects that he is withholding money, then they are just being petty and judging others by their own standards!
Wei Lou: "Is it just about this little thing?"

The official said in a low voice, "Six months ago, there were people selling soil."

In their frenzied pursuit of sales, they inadvertently caused the collapse of an unstable geological feature in the vicinity, resulting in the deaths of fifteen people from three commoner households. After this matter was reported to the royal court, the investigation uncovered several previously unheard-of illicit industries, a truly eye-opening discovery.

When a person decides to embezzle or accept bribes, their mind becomes incredibly sharp.

Wei Lou: "..."

These people sell everything, right?
Fortunately, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were not worried about.

The entire imperial court weathered the storm to the very end, each time seemingly on the verge of collapse, only to be forced to hold back. The hearts of the Ministry of Revenue officials rose and fell with each passing moment. Just when he thought the day would pass smoothly, Wei Lou sensed a fluctuation of literary energy.

Someone immediately used a [Silence] spell to mute the person.

Wei Lou: "..."

No, is that right?

After finally enduring the court session, the official from the Ministry of Revenue beside Wei Lou hurriedly pulled him along, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, don't look back."

Wei Lou nearly stumbled as he was being pulled along.

Turning around, the oppressive atmosphere on the palace road felt like it was about to explode at any moment.

Some of them seemed like they'd swallowed a powder keg.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Lord Wei!"

Wei Lou: "..."

How could he possibly participate in such a brawl!

In the evening, I finished my shift and went home.

Wei Sheng, who had already been taken home by the servants, looked at Wei Lou with curiosity.

She lifted her sleeve, revealing a tear she'd accidentally made while playing with her classmates earlier that day: "Grandpa, your clothes are torn too?"

Wei Lou: "..."

He suddenly understood why the Imperial Wardrobe sent seven identical sets of official robes at once.

This thing is a consumable.

　(`)
　　It's finished.

　　Sigh, names are so easy to mix up, my hands move faster than my brain _(:з」∠)_
　　Revise it after you finish writing it.

　　(End of this chapter)