The Demon Lords-Chapter 609 - 101 Ripple_1

"My lord, this is this month's revenue," Siniang said, handing a thick ledger to Zheng Fan. Along with it was a piece of white paper listing a few major items of revenue and some expenditures.

Generally speaking, Zheng Fan was too lazy to look at the thick account books below; he likely wouldn't understand them anyway, so he would just glance at the revenue overview.

As for whether his Demonic Venerables would embezzle his money, Zheng Fan wasn't worried about that at all.

With the eight of them forming what was practically a community of shared destiny, their bond was, to a certain extent, far more solid than any so-called family.

After a cursory glance, Zheng Fan rubbed between his eyebrows.

Compared to the massive expenses, the so-called income seemed truly meager.

The entire Shengle City was like a gold-devouring Warcraft, constantly draining Zheng Fan's treasury.

"My lord, the main issue is that the workshops haven't fully ramped up operations. Once they are running smoothly, our revenue will look much better."

But even Siniang found it hard to predict when they would achieve self-sufficiency.

One could even say that without a major change in circumstances or a war, this financial deficit would persist until Zheng Fan's funds were exhausted.

He was maintaining far too many soldiers.

"Don't worry. We should be going to war soon enough."

If nothing unexpected occurred, the Imperial Envoy from Yan State should already be on his way with the Yan Emperor's Imperial Edict. Once contact with Cheng State was successfully made and a de jure affiliation established, it was almost certain that Yan would dispatch troops to expel the wild people.

The only variable now was likely what choice the Yan Emperor would make: would he leave Cheng State in limbo and instead consolidate strength to prepare for another assault on Qian State, or would he first completely secure the Three Jin lands?

Zheng Fan himself was well aware of this. Giving Qian State too much time to "develop" and "recuperate," considering their human and material resources, would make them exceedingly difficult to handle later.

But from Zheng Fan's own perspective, sending troops to fight the wild people was definitely preferable. If they didn't go to war, his soldiers would just be idly consuming funds and provisions every day.

"My lord, Tian Wujing's child is truly remarkable. He's only a few months old but already as vigorous and lively as other children of seven or eight months."

"His father has strong genes, and his mother is no ordinary person either."

It wasn't surprising that the child was physically robust; many athletes in later generations had parents who were athletes themselves.

"My lord, you're quite clever, having Mo Wan look after the child. Heh heh," Siniang remarked.

"A child looking after a child—isn't that perfectly normal? Don't worry, Mo Wan might get angry enough to..."

Zheng Fan didn't voice the words 'kill me,'

Instead, he said, "But Mo Wan wouldn't harm other infants."

He loathed everything in the world, but precisely because he himself was a child, he naturally felt differently towards "his own kind."

Of course, if it were children with happy, complete families, Mo Wan might attack out of jealousy. However, the young lord's mother had died at birth, and his father had yet to show his face, acting as if this son didn't exist.

Such circumstances could easily evoke Mo Wan's empathy.

The most important, the primary reason, was that the idea of Mo Wan looking after the child... however he thought about it, it just seemed amusing! HA HA HA HA HA!!!

"I shall take my leave first, My lord. I'll have the Blind One come in," Siniang said.

"Alright."

This was a routine bi-weekly briefing.

Siniang was in charge of finances and provisions—that is, economic development work—while the Blind One was responsible for the ideological and political indoctrination of officials and the army.

The Blind One entered and first presented a list.

This was the execution list for the current batch.

"So many people," Zheng Fan said, somewhat helplessly.

The Blind One replied, "It's impossible to kill them all, My lord."

"I know. Hmm? There are two here with the surname Wen?"

Due to Wen Sutong, members of the Wen Family had joined Zheng Fan's faction relatively early and thus held considerable positions within Shengle City's hierarchy.

"Yes."

"Will executing these two affect your marital relations?"

The Blind One shook his head. "How could I establish my authority if I don't execute a couple of my brothers-in-law? To be honest, My lord, I've been watching the Wen Family for a long time. Perhaps it's because Wen Sutong's upbringing was genuinely good that I couldn't find any issues. But now that I've finally caught them, I mustn't let them slip away. The Wen Family's influence in our city has grown a bit too large; we have to prune their branches early."

"Very well, do as you propose."

"Yes, My lord."

After sending the Blind One away, Zheng Fan rose. He picked up some side dishes Siniang had prepared earlier and walked out of the room, heading to the rearmost part of the backyard.

There stood a separate room, which servants were usually forbidden to enter for cleaning.

Zheng Fan pushed open the door and entered. Inside the room, there was a coffin.

Every so often, Zheng Fan would come to have a drink and chat with Shatuo Queshi.

The side dishes were laid out. Zheng Fan sat cross-legged before the coffin and began to pour wine.

He sipped his wine, ate the side dishes, and recounted recent events.

When he finished speaking, Zheng Fan drained the wine in his cup and lamented, "Old Shatuo, don't you think it would have been wonderful if nothing had happened to you, if you were just like everyone else?"

Liang Cheng was skilled in warfare, but Shatuo Queshi, having risen to the position of Left Valley King of the barbarians, was clearly also a man of great strategic acumen.

In some respects, he might not have been much inferior to Tian Wujing.

Imagine, having a Sword Saint guarding the city gates, plus Shatuo Queshi in his prime... Tsk tsk, that scenario is almost too wonderful to bear!

Having finished speaking, Zheng Fan tidied up, patted the coffin lid as a farewell to Old Shatuo, and then walked out of the room.

Slightly intoxicated, Zheng Fan walked back to his courtyard. He pushed open the door and went in, finding the young lord fast asleep in his cradle, snoring softly. When he entered, the cradle was still gently swaying. Beneath it lay a stone.

"Heh."

It seemed that, having seen him arrive, Mo Wan stopped rocking the cradle for his little brother.

Zheng Fan walked to the cradle and looked down at the child. The boy was indeed adorable, and Zheng Fan made time almost every day to play with him, pinching his cheeks or patting his bottom.

Then he would imagine Tian Wujing's face, and his perverse sense of humor would be immensely satisfied.

After watching the child for a while, Zheng Fan walked to the bed, lay down on his side, closed his eyes, and prepared for an afternoon nap.

Everyone else in the city was busy to the point of exhaustion; only the true master of it all could afford such daily leisure.

Just as Zheng Fan had lain down, in three other places, three men were forced to sit up in their beds.

One was Situ Lei, who was bedridden in the imperial palace of Ying Capital City.

Upon hearing the news that the garrison of Shaye City had opened the gates and surrendered to his two older brothers, the Emperor of Cheng State forcefully pushed away his attendants and imperial physicians and sat up.

Shaye City was a crucial barrier protecting Ying Capital City. Now that it was lost, it meant the rebel army led by his two brothers, along with the wild people's forces, had an unobstructed path to the capital.

"Someone, bring me my armor!"

The other was Li Bao in Quhe City. His son had married the previous night, and Li Bao, heavily intoxicated, was forcefully roused from his bed by his subordinates.

Li Bao had always had the temper of a leopard, a trait that had worsened after he lost an arm, making him even more irritable. Awakened with a hangover, he was about to start cursing when he saw a eunuch standing before him, holding a yellow scroll. The fog of alcohol in his brain cleared considerably. After those around him set up an offering table with incense, Li Bao knelt to receive the Imperial Edict.

The Imperial Edict commanded Li Bao to lead his troops to the old capital of Jin State.

The third man roused from bed had been engaged in certain... indiscreet activities.

When the commotion of the decree-bearing eunuch entering the residence reached them, the woman in his arms seemed quite flustered.

"Don't worry," the Eldest Prince said. "Father has long known that I secretly brought you back to the capital."

The woman beneath him was the Barbarian King's youngest daughter, whom the Eldest Prince had long since taken as a concubine.

The woman rose and, while helping the Eldest Prince dress, asked nervously, "Will this bring trouble upon Your Highness?"

"What trouble?" he replied. "You are a princess, after all. A princess who dared to follow me back to the capital without an official title. When my father hears of it, he'll be too busy praising me to blame me."

"But the Yan ancestors decreed that their descendants must not marry with foreign states or clans."

"The prohibition is against marrying our daughters out, not against taking daughters from others in. It is you who has been wronged." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"I do not feel wronged. Being with Your Highness is all I desire."

"Just endure a little longer. Or perhaps we should try harder and see if we can get you pregnant soon. Then I can go to the palace and report the good news to Father, and your official status will be granted."

"If I have a child, then...?"

"Naturally! My father and your father have been rivals their entire lives. Now, his son has not only eloped with his old adversary's daughter but also gotten her pregnant. Think how gratifying that will be for my father! He will surely proclaim it to the world and ensure all betrothal rites and gifts are fulfilled. In a way, I, This Prince, have thereby enhanced our nation's prestige and greatly boosted the morale of the men of the Yan region!"

"Then, can my barbarian tribes and the Yan State cease fighting in the future? Can the desert tribes and the people of Yan live in peace?"

Hope shone on the girl's face.

The Eldest Prince reached out, caressed the side of her face, and, smiling, nodded. "We will. We definitely will."

"That would be wonderful! If our two countries no longer resort to arms, so many lives could be spared each year."

"Yes, everyone could live their lives in peace. How good that would be," he said. "You rest a little longer. I must go to the front to receive the edict. I expect it will order me to lead the army to the Jin land."

The Eldest Prince, now fully dressed, walked out of the room. When he turned around, his expression immediately darkened.

He was genuinely fond of the girl in the room.

The Barbarian King was right; she truly is as pure as a desert spring, utterly captivating.

But there was something the Eldest Prince had not told her: his father, the Yan Emperor, seemed to particularly enjoy eliminating the maternal and marital clans of his sons. This was a lesson his second brother and Ji Chengjue had experienced most profoundly.

The Eldest Prince sighed and shook his head, then began to focus on the immediate matter. Lord Jingnan is clearly in the Jin land, so why must I be the one to lead the campaign?