“I could be the ruler of all under Heaven too!” From the little Shen Zhi had let slip, it sounded like a Princess’s authority was considerable, but she still wasn’t the one in charge.
What Zhang Yang wanted was to have the final say in this land!
If she could be king, why settle for being a Princess?
Shen Zhi, who’d thought Zhang Yang might reveal some big secret: “…”
“Shen Shude, what’s with the eye roll?”
“You don’t even know what an eye roll means, and you want to rule all under Heaven?” If anyone else had said that, Shen Zhi would have stayed on guard and cursed them as a “treacherous rebel.” But with Zhang Yang, it was different.
He was convinced she had a serious brain disorder.
Who in their right mind would get into a serious argument with someone with a brain disorder?
Forget ruling all under Heaven, she could climb onto the head of the Heavenly King and Laozi and piss and shit, and nobody would stop her.
Zhang Yang pointed above his head.
“Shen Shude, if you’ve got the guts, show me a red name!”
A yellow name would do too!
But right now, Shen Zhi’s name was a fairly friendly green name.
Shen Zhi looked utterly baffled.
“What red name?”
Zhang Yang: “…”
Hmph.
She’d save that vicious beating for Shen Zhi for later.
Although she looked down on Shen Zhi, he was the only one she had to advise her.
After spending ages drafting a plan, she still couldn’t get her thoughts in order.
“Take a look for me. What do you think of this plan?”
“What plan?” Shen Zhi asked as he took the document Zhang Yang handed him.
He stared at it in silence for a long while, unable to offer a single word of feedback.
At last, he asked, “Can you read?”
Shen Zhi was as astonished by the quality of the paper Zhang Yang had taken out as he was heartbroken to see it so wantonly wasted.
She had actually defiled the purity of the paper with these hasty, indecipherable scrawls.
She was even more extravagant than that Princess!
Then he realized there was another serious problem.
Zhang Yang was illiterate.
Confronted with this sudden question, Zhang Yang froze for a moment.
Seething, she said, “You think I can’t read?”
“…Fine. Let’s say you can read. Which country’s writing is this supposed to be?” Shen Zhi had gotten somewhat used to Zhang Yang’s temper over the past few days.
He knew there was no point in arguing just for the sake of it; he had to lay out the facts and reason with her.
“The languages of the various states under Heaven may differ slightly in accent, but their written scripts are shared. Even rare, obscure characters are mostly variations derived from the official script…”
No matter how things change, their essence remains the same.
You can still make out the bloodline of her ancestors, more or less.
The difference between Zhang Yang’s handwriting and the official script was so vast, it was like comparing sun-dried shit to freshly baked wheat cakes. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Shen Zhi simply couldn’t bring himself to call it writing.
Unless Zhang Yang’s handwriting was so abstractly ugly that it had abandoned all normal structure, and he’d simply misread it.
Zhang Yang: “…Of course I’m writing in the official script.”
It couldn’t be any more official.
Shen Zhi gave a soft “oh.” “Then your handwriting is just ugly.”
Zhang Yang: “…”
Shen Zhi sighed and pushed the plan aside, as if even another glance would torture his eyes.
“I really can’t make out your handwriting. Why don’t you just tell me what it says?”
It seemed that was the only way.
Zhang Yang had barely said a couple of sentences before Shen Zhi interrupted her.
It seemed he hadn’t expected Zhang Yang to be serious.
She really wanted to recruit troops and strive to become “the ruler of all under heaven.” Shen Zhi opened his mouth, trying to explain to Zhang Yang and talk her out of this absurd, unrealistic notion.
But when his eyes met Zhang Yang’s earnest gaze, an inexplicable amusement suddenly welled up in him.
“…You’re taking this little game of make-believe pretty seriously.” Anyone with the mind of someone over six could never pull something like this.
Zhang Yang wasn’t the princess of Dou State, so she had no political connections, no provisions or warhorses, and nowhere to establish herself.
She’d simply waved a hand and drafted a plan that nobody but herself could understand.
Wasn’t that just playing house?
And he’d almost taken it seriously just now.
Zhang Yang smacked the table in frustration.
“Take this seriously!”
Shen Zhi suppressed his smile and straightened up, lest Zhang Yang fly into a rage and slap him on the crown of the head.
“All right, all right. Let’s say you are serious, and this isn’t just playing house. Then let me ask you: do you have any people?”
“I can recruit them.”
“Recruit them? Can you afford to pay them? Forget official titles. Can you give them grand estates, gold and silver, and jewels?”
Zhang Yang furrowed her brow, troubled.
“That is a problem.”
She’d spent all the Alliance Coins she’d saved up on land deeds.
Now her game inventory had only a few gold bricks left.
Zhang Yang said, “I can’t afford to pay them, but I can use force to kidnap them and see if they’d rather work for me or lose their heads. If they do a good job, I’ll make it up to them later. If I can’t force one melon from the vine, then I’ll force a few more.”
Shen Zhi: “…”
He continued to pour cold water on her: “Besides people, what about land?”
Zhang Yang said proudly, “Take it.”
She added, “If it can be solved by taking it, then it isn’t a problem.”
Shen Zhi stared at Zhang Yang, dumbfounded.
Then he heard someone burst into laughter.
Shen Zhi was startled.
His face darkened as he looked toward the sound, only to see two people standing beside the moon gate in the courtyard wall.
The man in front was broad and imposing, yet possessed a distinctly scholarly air.
He still wore his armor, and Xie Shu stood behind him.
Judging by their appearance, they’d probably been standing there listening for a while.
Shen Zhi secretly signaled Zhang Yang with his eyes, wanting to know if she was aware of the two people’s presence.
Zhang Yang was, of course, aware of them.
They both had green name.
There was no need to be on guard.
“I heard Ruxin say that two interesting young friends had come to visit, but at first I didn’t believe her. Now that I’ve met you, I see you’re even more interesting than she said. Young Boyuan, you have such lofty ambitions, and your youthful courage is admirable. Would you be willing to join us?”
The System Log alerted Zhang Yang.
The rebel leader has invited you to join their party.
Will you join the rebels?
Zhang Yang declined.
“No. I don’t like working for other people.”
The man didn’t seem offended.
Instead, he smiled warmly and affably.
“Ruxin, it seems we’re not fated to have our young friend join us. But if you change your mind, you’re welcome to come by anytime. We’ll treat you as an honored guest.”
Xie Shu’s mouth twitched.
“Mm.”
Her manner was somewhat cool, but the man didn’t mind.
He had another reason for coming this time.
The two sides took their seats as host and guests.
The man suddenly clasped his hands in a formal salute.
Shen Zhi was so flattered that he hurriedly said, “You mustn’t!”
The man’s demeanor was earnest, his words sincere and forthright.
“The soldiers under my command committed this grave error, and the blame lies with me! I failed to govern them strictly and let discipline in the army slacken, which is what brought about this disaster. You two young friends acted with honor: first, you saved the people from peril; second, you kept the soldiers from going further astray. You’ve done good both for the public and in private, and I should thank you both.”
Unlike Shen Zhi, Zhang Yang nodded and accepted his thanks.
“To recognize a mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue.”
Shen Zhi: “…”
The man looked stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Boyuan, your temperament is exactly to my liking! Since I’ve come to apologize, I can hardly show up empty-handed. I didn’t know what you might like before, but now I have an idea. I’ll give you a person who might help with your ‘grand ambitions.'”
“But I can’t afford to pay them.”
“No need. Taking this person in would itself be a kindness to him.”
“My lord,” Xie Shu reminded him quietly, with a hint of warning.
“Ruxin, I know what I’m doing.”
Xie Shu sighed.
“Then we’ll do as you say, my lord.”