Reclaiming Wasteland and Farming: My Haunted Fields Are Spawning Monsters Infinitely

Chapter 127 Young lady, please have some self-respect

On a clear winter day, the carriage was parked in a sheltered mountain hollow.

Inside the carriage, a charcoal stove was burning, and not a breath of wind could get in.

Shen Ying wore a short purple silk jacket with a white fox fur collar. Her face was powdered, her lips were red, her nose was straight and delicate, and her eyebrows were like distant mountain shadows.

"She's definitely married now; she's becoming more and more of a woman."

Shen Ying raised an eyebrow: "Not married yet."

"How could such a heavy woman be—" Li Qingshan's voice grew softer and softer, and he felt inexplicably guilty.

After thinking for a moment, he began to unbutton his shirt.

Snapped!

Shen Ying reached out and slapped the back of his hand, the sound crisp and clear.

"Please have some self-respect. Don't even think about touching me again."

Shen Ying had her hands tucked into her sleeves, her back straight, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

Since Li Qingshan exposed her last time, she simply stopped pretending.

People are different, and I used to deliberately hide this fact, which made me seem pretentious.

However, Li Qingshan showed no sense of inferiority whatsoever, leaning there casually, his gaze neither warm nor submissive.

"Don't you have anything you want to ask?" Shen Ying asked. "I think there must be."

Li Qingshan did have a question, and after thinking for a moment, he blurted it out: "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Logically speaking, what you did deserves to die a thousand times over. You should be torn to pieces and your entire family wiped out."

"Even if we can't kill him openly, we can kill him covertly," Li Qingshan said. "Does this mean that my kidnapping of the Northern King is the end of it?"

"You deserved to die, but do you remember that the Gu family owes you a favor?"

"So that's how it is." Li Qingshan nodded. He had returned the Gu family's elusive sword to its rightful owner and hadn't mentioned it since. He never expected it to be here.

"One Gu family member alone is certainly not enough," Shen Ying said. "The key is that my father decided to keep you, and the imperial court is willing to give my father face."

Who is your father?

Shen Ying raised her head slightly, looking very proud: "Shen Qingzhou, Governor of the Northern Region."

"As expected." Li Qingshan nodded. This was exactly what he had guessed. Shen Ying's arrogance must be due to a powerful father supporting her.

"Regardless, you have rendered meritorious service, which no one can deny. You slew the barbarians and uncovered their conspiracy. In fact, many in the army secretly admire you," Shen Ying said. "The court originally didn't care whether you were killed or not. It was my father who submitted a memorial to His Majesty, deciding to spare you. If the barbarians invade the border in the future, you might still be able to play a role."

"I see, no wonder." After understanding, Li Qingshan was suddenly startled. Was Shen Ying here to win people over for her father?

Whether what she said is true or false, she now owes the Shen family a favor.

These people in positions of power are calculating in every move they make.

"Actually, I have another question," Li Qingshan said, looking into Shen Ying's eyes, "How much does the imperial court know about the things the Northern King has done?"

"Do you really think Uncle Zhou died because of those things?" Shen Ying asked.

"Otherwise what?"

Shen Ying said, "Uncle Zhou has been stationed in the north for many years, turning this place into an impenetrable fortress. It's impossible for the court not to know that he has been secretly colluding with the barbarians. He has been promoted again and again, even breaking the rule of not granting kingships to those of different surnames in the Great Yan Dynasty. This time, he has driven away the barbarians. If he has rendered meritorious service, what should he be rewarded with?"

"If you can't achieve anything, you can only be guilty."

Shen Ying said with some surprise, "You're actually quite smart. You understand things very quickly, unlike someone who's a farmer."

Li Qingshan leaned back and said, "I was educated once."

He recalled his compulsory education in his previous life, using the keyboard as a pen to write passionately and discuss global events.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, as if he had suddenly realized something.

"In other words, no matter what I do or don't do, he's going to die."

Shen Ying nodded gently: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Actually, you haven't answered my question yet," Li Qingshan said. "Does the imperial court, including Lord Shen, know about these things, and how much do they know?"

Shen Ying shifted her gaze and said softly, "Whether you know or not, what's the point of talking about it now? The world is vast, not just this corner of the North. At your current level, you can't see it, nor can you understand it."

Although Shen Ying did not give a direct answer, it was tantamount to answering everything.

The court at least tacitly approved of what the King of the North had done.

Is killing just one King of the North enough for me?

Can we simply ignore the enormous thing behind it?

Li Qingshan genuinely felt somewhat uncomfortable.

That's terrible.

I really want to kill them all, one by one, until they're all wiped out.

Suddenly, Li Qingshan felt a weight on his chest. He looked down and saw Shen Ying's eyes.

"Well, young lady, please have some self-respect," Li Qingshan said seriously. "I'm not that kind of person."

When the carriage left, Li Qingshan was left alone.

He scratched his head, feeling that Shen Ying was somewhat different this time than before.

But I can't quite explain it.

The carriage left the northern lands, entered Qingniu Pass, and returned to the Shen residence.

"Young Miss, Master wants you to come over after you return."

"Okay, I got it."

Shen Ying returned to the house, removed her heavy makeup, and changed her clothes.

She jogged to the front hall, where a beautiful woman walked out. She was only a few years older than Shen Ying, but she was dignified, gentle, and had a pleasing appearance.

"Third Sister, is Father free now?"

"He's waiting for you inside. Go quickly, don't make him angry."

Shen Ying skipped over the threshold and bowed to the person inside through the screen: "Greetings, Father."

"Ahem, come in and talk. It's windy outside, so I had someone light a stove. You can warm yourself up first."

"Thank you, Father."

Shen Ying stepped forward, circled the charcoal stove, and kept rubbing her hands together.

"You have done a great service here, thwarting the barbarian's surprise attack and saving Qingniu Pass."

"It's all thanks to Father's good teaching that I'm able to—"

"But this credit shouldn't have been yours in the first place," Shen Qingzhou interrupted him directly.

"Uh—" Shen Ying opened her mouth in surprise.

"The person who came to deliver the message was looking for me, and asked you to relay it so that I could dispatch troops. Cough cough—but you acted on your own initiative, without even informing me, and mobilized troops in my name."

"Father, I—"

"Stop pretending, speak properly."

Shen Ying remained silent for a while, then slowly raised her head. Her mischievousness vanished, and her gaze became serious and solemn.

"This great achievement should have belonged to your elder brother. With this achievement, he could have entered the officialdom and represented the next generation of the Shen family."

"Father, I also need this credit."

"You are a girl, and you're about to get married."

"I only want this credit because I don't want to get married."

Even through the screen, one could sense the other's sharp gaze.

Shen Ying's gaze remained unwavering, her expression stubborn and resolute: "What I fought for is mine."

O

"Cough cough cough." Shen Qingzhou, behind the screen, suddenly coughed violently. "You may leave now. You are confined to your quarters for a month and are not allowed to go out."

"Yes."

Shen Ying bowed and left the room. Standing outside the door, she subconsciously scratched her cheek, feeling an itch there.

On her fair skin, a tuft of fine downy hair shimmered in the sunlight.

Like fox fur.