Only then did Zhou Buzhang look up at Shen Zhian, but there was very little emotion in his eyes. He merely shifted his position and went back to lying over his storybook, as though he intended to enter that world completely.
This only made Shen Zhian even angrier. But she had always prided herself on being a virtuous wife and loving mother; she was not someone who only knew how to scold. She also knew how to offer comfort and encouragement.
“Buzhang, you really aren’t doing well these days.”
“Just look at yourself. You used to be a mighty naval commander. Even Zhou Mengyan had to lower his head by three points in front of you. But what about now?”
“Zhou Mengyan is in charge of the navy, while you’re merely an idle man at home, accomplishing nothing… an old man.”
“Your friends and former colleagues are all thriving. Some have joined the Tongxin Alliance, some wield considerable influence over in Yunjing, and some are working with the Tongxin Alliance on business and making mountains of money. But you? You sit around at home doing nothing, utterly useless.”
“Back then, so many people wanted to marry me, yet I chose you. Buzhang, don’t ever make me regret marrying you. All right?”
“You need to stand up and make something of yourself!”
Those words seemed to strike Zhou Buzhang right in the heart. He opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue, but in the end… he merely moved his lips and let out a helpless sigh, neither heavy nor light, before saying nothing more.
Seeing him like this only made Shen Zhian even more disappointed in him. Yet deep within her, a powerful impulse suddenly surged forth.
A woman who had married badly but still managed to live well—that was true ability!
She had to shoulder this family, become the idol of all the women along the Yangtze’s natural defenses, and even of the women throughout Yunjing.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, her hands never stopped moving. She quickly walked behind the desk, pulled open a drawer, and saw the thick stack of banknotes inside. She took them out and immediately tucked them into her bosom.
She turned to leave, but Zhou Buzhang, who had remained motionless until then, could no longer sit still. He blocked her path.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you need the money for?”
“And why are you taking so much at once?”
Shen Zhian replied calmly, “Someone needs to borrow money. It’s that little lover of Zhou Mengyan’s—the one who wants to borrow a million taels. If I remember correctly, there should be exactly one million taels of silver in here, right?”
“I’ll give it to her to help her through this emergency!”
Shen Zhian finished speaking and tried to leave, but Zhou Buzhang stubbornly blocked her way.
“Zhian, have you gone mad?”
“That’s banknotes worth one million taels of silver, not a mere hundred taels! How can you just lend it to someone so casually?”
“And besides…”
“You know perfectly well what condition our family is in. The martial arts school just went under, and we still owe a huge amount of money. As for all those businesses of yours, you’ve only been pouring money into them without seeing a single coin in return…”
“Our family is on the verge of ruin!”
“That million taels in banknotes was borrowed by me at the cost of throwing away what little face I had left. I borrowed it from my former brothers—brothers who once shared life and death with me. They’re practically refusing to speak to me now.”
“And you’re just going to take it and give it away…”
“What are we supposed to do about the debts?”
“Do you want me to become a shameless deadbeat who refuses to repay what he owes?”
“I may no longer be the man I once was, but I still have my old reputation. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with people pointing at my back and calling me a disgrace!”
Zhou Buzhang spoke until his voice turned hoarse. More precisely, the more he talked, the more violently his emotions fluctuated.
Shen Zhian, however, paid it no mind.
“Buzhang, this is where you don’t understand. I once studied commercial strategy under a renowned master. Do you really think I don’t understand the predicament we’re in?”
“Investments naturally involve both success and failure.”
“Although all our previous investments failed, they gave me countless experiences and lessons. I’m no longer the novice who first entered the field. Besides…”
“The two ventures I’m optimistic about now both promise extremely generous returns.”
“One is investing in the all-women’s army. That venture alone will be enough to restore our family to its former heights—and perhaps even surpass them!”
“The second is supporting Miss Ruan Fei. If we help Ruan Fei drive out Zhou Mengyan’s wife, then Ruan Fei will become the Naval Grand Commander’s wife. That return will be just as extraordinary!”
“Right now, Ruan Fei is still at the very bottom. This is precisely the best time to invest in her. Heaven will not give us an opportunity like this a second time, so we must seize it properly!”
“We’ll make a fortune in one stroke and become the most powerful merchants in all of Yunjing!”
After once again explaining her grand vision and lofty ambitions to Zhou Buzhang, Shen Zhian did not waste any more words. She shoved past him and strode out of the study.
When she reached the main hall, Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei were waiting there. Their faces still carried traces of anxiety, clearly indicating that they found it difficult to believe she had managed to raise one million taels of silver for them.
The moment Shen Zhian thought about what was about to happen, she could not help feeling exhilarated. Naturally, she maintained a calm expression on the surface.
She entered with an air of complete composure.
Ruan Fei and Ning Wanqin immediately hurried over to her.
“Sister Zhian, did you manage to get the money?”
“Sister Zhian, was it… difficult?”
…
Shen Zhian raised her eyes slightly and looked at them both. Her gaze was as calm as ever, but she did not answer right away. Instead, she sat down leisurely, lifted her teacup, and took a sip.
Only when Ruan Fei and Ning Wanqin were nearly frantic with impatience did Shen Zhian finally speak.
“It’s done!”
As she spoke, she took the banknotes worth one million taels of silver from her bosom and placed them on the table with an effortless, almost casual motion.
At that moment…
Ning Wanqin and Ruan Fei were stunned.
At that moment…
Shen Zhian was utterly delighted.
“Sister Zhian, you’re truly amazing! No wonder everyone recognizes you as a strong woman. I think even Lord Gu Qingyue falls short of you by three points!”
“Sister Zhian, you’re incredible. One million taels of silver—I wouldn’t even dare imagine whether I could earn that much in my entire lifetime. Yet you brought it out just like that… There isn’t a more generous person in all of Yunjing!”
…
Shen Zhian leisurely sipped her tea as she listened to their sincere praise. A faint smile touched the corners of her lips.
“Don’t worry about the money anymore. There’s enough here to prepare a proper gift for General Zhang Shi when we meet him.”
“However…”
“Next, we still need someone to take this money and pay General Zhang Shi a visit.”
“The sum is enormous, so we must choose someone we can trust completely!”
Ruan Fei immediately said, “Sister Zhian, rest assured. I know how important this matter is, and I would never handle it carelessly. I’ll definitely arrange a suitable candidate!”
Shen Zhian asked, “Good. But… I’m curious—who exactly are you planning to choose?”
Ruan Fei was instantly rendered speechless.
Arranging a suitable candidate had been a wonderful idea, but when it came down to reality, the matter became difficult. Although most of the soldiers in the military camp treated her with courtesy and appeared willing to obey her every command, she had very few people with whom she truly shared a bond.
And none of those few were suitable.
“Don’t you have anyone?” Shen Zhian asked. “That won’t do. This person is extremely important, so we must be cautious and think it through carefully.”
As she spoke, Shen Zhian glanced at Ning Wanqin.
“Actually, I think we already have the perfect candidate right here!”
…
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
