Chaotic World Book
Chapter 390 - 381 Learning

Chapter 390: Chapter 381 Learning

Governor Mansion.

Tang Wanju sat in the hall issuing orders, methodically distributing and handling everything that Great Zhou and Zhao Changhe had discussed earlier.

Zhao Changhe squatted on the side, hugging a basin, only eating his meal.

Subconsciously, his mind was also learning...

There were indeed things he didn’t understand and couldn’t make ignorant comments about.

For example, the matter of whether or not to continue plowing... As a modern college student, he thought he knew a bit about everything, but when it came down to it, Zhao Changhe didn’t even know how to specifically talk about the timing of cultivation. It was February now, and having missed the right time, was there still a point in starting to plow at this moment? If it was possible to rectify the situation, would government help be needed? This was a lack of knowledge.

There was also the issue of reducing military forces and whether it was appropriate given the current situation. It wasn’t a matter of difficulty, but rather that he had never made such decisions about the trend of a city’s leadership position and did not dare to arbitrarily decide. This was about not having the right mindset in place.

He could only squat on the side, eating his meal, watching how Tang Wanju arranged things.

It turned out that it was indeed not too late to start plowing, and Tang Wanju dismissed half of Xiangyang’s soldiers in one breath. At the same time, the traitors from the Demon Suppression Department that Li Si’an had rooted out, along with the confidants of Lv Shiheng from the army, were all dragged away by the fierce and vicious Blood God Sect followers and had their heads chopped off.

She was ruthlessly decisive, nothing like the Tang Wanju he had seen in ordinary times.

Those clear and spring-like eyes seemed in an instant to turn as red as blood.

"In troubled times, one must be decisive; it’s not a time for indecision," Tang Wanju walked up to him, looking at him squatting to one side, shoveling rice into his mouth like a big cat, and found it kind of cute for some reason. But she said, "Do I see a change in your eyes? You don’t like that I kill people?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head, "No... Of course, it had to be done, but it just doesn’t seem like you."

Tang Wanju chuckled, "How well do you know me? You always think..."

She pouted and didn’t continue, then turned to say, "The one tael City Entrance Tax obviously has to be canceled, restored to normal. But the problem we’re facing now is that Xiangyang truly has no money."

Zhao Changhe "slurp slurp" continued eating: "How about some central funding?"

Tang Wanju seemed to find it somewhat hard to say, speaking in a low voice, "The various regions are excusing themselves by saying that bandits are rampant and transportation is inconvenient, so they have not submitted their taxes. The Imperial court is also out of money."

Zhao Changhe grimaced, and after what seemed like a long time, he said, "Is Qinghe also using this excuse?"

"They’re a bit better," Tang Wanju sighed, "And they’re better because they’re nearby."

Zhao Changhe glanced at her again.

Actually, it wasn’t because they were nearby, but because Old Cui didn’t want to become independent. For people like Old Cui, if he thought someone was worth supporting, he would supply them with money, grain, and troops, and then the new support for the dragon would come.

So far, there wasn’t anyone who impressed Old Cui too much; the Wang Family’s involvement in the struggle for power was a backup option. If the Wang Family really raised the banner of rebellion in full force, from Langya to Qinghe was actually quite near. When that time came, things could change, especially as family ties had already been formed...

The end-of-dynasty scramble for power had already begun.

Zhao Changhe did not continue on this subject, just lowered his head to eat: "I’ll borrow some money, to provide emergency funds for Xiangyang first, and later on, we can pay some interest back."

Tang Wanju said, "Xiangyang is not producing well, and Lv Shiheng’s forced conscription has created a large financial hole, otherwise they wouldn’t have come up with the rotten idea of a one-tael City Entrance Tax. And we can’t operate like Lv Shiheng; we still need to subsidize production... Si’an doesn’t have the strength to support such a large sum of money, so I can only ask him for part of it. Who are you borrowing so much money from?"

Zhao Changhe said, "You don’t need to worry about that, there will be a way. Look at you, not even half an hour into the meeting and your complexion is turning pale again. You really can’t be so exhausted, listen to the doctor, alright?"

Tang Wanju wanted to say you’re not learning either, what can I do... but when the words reached her lips, she felt that his squatting here and eating was actually his way of learning, and moreover, he had taken the initiative to help solve the financial issues. This attitude, compared to his previous one of roaming the Worldly Society with sword and blade, flippantly saying, "the Imperial court’s affairs are none of my business," was already a lot more involved in the game.

Thinking of this, she felt a bit gratified and tried to discuss other topics: "Regarding the military, you mean to trust Xue Canghai?"

"Hmm, Sect Hierarch Xue’s vision is a lot higher than what most people think... The Blood God Sect’s fondness for killing is a factor of their Cultivation Technique; they kill to level up... You have never played games; as long as there are experience points, you can squeeze oil even out of a rock when killing for gamers. But this doesn’t mean they have an inherent love for killing. As long as there’s a higher goal to pursue, he knows what to do."

Tang Wanju didn’t care about the doctrine of the Blood God Sect, nor did she understand anything about leveling up in games. She simply asked, "So you’re saying that for the moment, Xiangyang’s defense and military reorganization can be entrusted to Xue Canghai, is that correct?"

"Yes," Zhao Changhe looked at her somewhat strangely, "if you don’t trust Xue Canghai, or don’t want the Cultists to control the city defenses and gain a foothold... then you could completely use someone you trust to be the Chief, right? It’s not an issue of offending me, am I that fragile..."

Tang Wanju smiled without saying a word.

Where is it about worrying about your loss of face, huh...

Even if Xue Canghai wasn’t entirely suitable, she would still prefer to have Xue Canghai take charge of this mess, as it was the Crown Prince’s command. Even if there were some issues, his subordinates would still help him cover up any messes.

By the time this fellow realizes he’s getting more and more involved in the management of all aspects of the realm, he might even become addicted to it himself. Even if he doesn’t get addicted, there would be a group of people tied to his interests, dressing him in layers.

Afraid that the Cultists might have a foothold? She wanted them to have a foothold.

Tang Wanju’s mood improved a lot. She said with a smile, "Nothing much, the main tasks have already been delegated, everyone is responsible for their own. You can handle the most troublesome money issues for me, so I really don’t need to be personally involved in everything. I can indeed rest."

Zhao Changhe didn’t understand what she was thinking at the moment and wordlessly moved aside to rinse his mouth: "You should eat first."

Just as he finished rinsing and turned back, he heard violent coughing. Zhao Changhe quickly ran over, only to see Tang Wanju sitting at the table, covering her mouth and coughing violently, looking like she was almost gasping for breath.

Zhao Changhe hurried over to support her and, looking down, saw his palm was covered in specks of blood.

She had seemed so lively before, capable of hitting people, and even throwing them into the water. But at this moment, she was so weak that a breath of wind could knock her down. Leaning against him, she was limp in his arms, breathing faintly.

Zhao Changhe had no heart to experience the pleasure of holding a warm and fragrant beauty in his arms. His True Qi checked her condition briefly, and it was actually the same old problem, leaving Zhao Changhe rather speechless.

Last night’s treatment had fixed her internal injuries, and the leakage of the Third Secret Treasure’s energy could only be said to have been barely suppressed. So, her spirits and complexion were quite good today. It was only now that the condition had flared up again.

It shouldn’t have recurred so quickly... It was only now that Zhao Changhe realized that this woman had let him sleep, but she herself hadn’t. She had been working tirelessly all along.

The so-called shopping... she wasn’t shopping at all. She was inspecting the societal conditions.

Her illness was closely related to overexertion in the first place. Continuing like this, of course, it would only get worse.

Zhao Changhe refrained from scolding her anymore and just looked down at the blood on her lips, reaching out to gently wipe it away.

Tang Wanju looked up at him in surprise.

Their gazes met and held for a long moment. Zhao Changhe said softly, "I’m going to treat you now, Master... even if you throw me into the water."

Tang Wanju subconsciously wanted to struggle, but found herself without the strength to do so.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she finally closed her eyes.

The next moment, familiar lips pressed against hers, sealing them in a solid kiss.

No longer was it like yesterday’s ambush. This time, both of them knew what was coming next. Yet, she still closed her eyes and leaned in his embrace without uttering a word of refusal.

She told herself that this was treatment... why think too much about it...

The Dual Cultivation Method combined with the Rejuvenation Technique nourished her depleted spirit and body again. Amidst their blended essence, landscapes reappeared.

The brave man with scars on his face was striding toward her through the landscapes.

She watched him with a smile, and as they drew closer, they embraced each other warmly.

The man bowed his head to kiss her lips, she closed her eyes, responding in kind.

A tongue prodded against her teeth, seeking entry.

With a moment’s hesitation, she compliantly parted her lips, allowing it to plunder within.