Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 170 Breaking the Demon
When Shi Shouxin returned home from the Prince of Jin's residence, it was already past noon. The stingy Sima Zhao didn't even offer him lunch, showing no human compassion whatsoever.

After returning, Xigou kept complaining and cursing the stingy Sima Zhao while preparing food in the kitchen.

However, before he could finish cooking, someone came to invite Shi Shouxin to the Shi residence, saying that there was something important to discuss. It turned out to be a personal guard of Shi Bao!

It was Shi Bao who invited them, not Shi Chong; the implications of that are vastly different.

Shi Shouxin had no choice but to call Xigou along as well, and the two of them boarded the carriage together.

They rushed to the Shi residence and entered Shi Bao's study, where they saw the Commandant of the Capital Region packing his belongings.

Several guards were busy inside and out, making it even more lively than ransacking a house.

"Where is Godfather going?"

Shi Shouxin asked curiously, glancing at his personal guards with a face full of question marks.

"I will go to Huainan to serve as the governor of Yangzhou and the military commander of Huainan. I will depart today."

Shi Bao plopped down at the table, sighed, and said, "The imperial edict arrived this morning, urging me to set off today."

Sima Zhao's plan was meticulous, step by step. In order to usurp the throne, he frequently deployed personnel to block key positions.

Shi Bao also had a hard life, while Sima Zhao "made the best use of everyone," using those who were useful to the extreme.

Ye City needed Shi Bao to suppress the rebellion, so he was transferred to Ye City; when he was no longer needed, he was transferred back.

Luoyang no longer needs Shi Bao, so he was immediately transferred to Huainan to suppress the rebellion. It's unknown whether he will be transferred back later.

It's very likely that if I'm transferred back, it will be for retirement.

The fact that Sima Yan had a good relationship with Shi Chong did not mean that he could control Shi Bao, nor did he have any connection with Shi Bao.

In any case, the Shi family only needs one prominent figure; there's no need for both father and son to be on stage.

In that instant, Shi Shouxin seemed to have figured something out.

The intricacies of politics may seem dazzling and confusing at first glance, but upon closer analysis, the underlying logic is quite clear, and everything can be traced back to its source.

"I asked you to come here today because of that piece of land."

This is the money from buying the land. See if it's enough; if not, I'll give you some more.

Shi Bao handed Shi Shouxin a gift list, which listed the money the Shi family paid for the land Shi Shouxin bought on the outskirts of Luoyang.

From copper coins to gold and silver utensils and silk fabrics, the quantity was quite considerable.

Of course, if Shi Bao had known that Shi Chong would build the "Golden Valley Garden" there in the future, he probably would have spent even more money.

"Godfather, this is too much."

Shi Shouxin quickly declined.

"Not much. In the future, every inch of land in Luoyang will be extremely valuable, not to mention that your piece of land is a feng shui treasure with a very good location."

Your location is slightly higher than Luoyang City. If you build a tall building there, you can overlook the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

I'd believe it if you called it a dragon's lair.

Besides, even if you don't eat or drink, do your wives and concubines not eat or drink either?
And what about your hereditary military commanders? Aren't they also starving and thirsty? Aren't you afraid they'll mutiny?

As Shi Bao spoke, he stuffed the gift list into Shi Shouxin's hand, then leaned closer and whispered, "It's all just fleeting wealth. When I was in Huainan, what was the point of holding onto these gifts? Once you're in Qingxu, take more land and raise more retainers. All that fleeting wealth will just pass by."

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin stopped worrying about it.

Shi Bao was so poor that he had to sell iron in the market. Later, the Shi family became very wealthy. Surely, this money didn't come from selling iron?

Huainan has always been wealthy, and Shi Bao was meritorious in suppressing the Huainan rebellion. It is obvious where this wealth came from.

Since the money is of dubious origin, why not take it?

"I won't keep you for dinner. I have to leave soon, so you can go about your business."

Seeing that Shi Shouxin had accepted the gift list, Shi Bao then told the guest to see him out. He had a military style, completely different from Shi Chong's opportunistic personality.

After bidding farewell to Shi Bao, Shi Shouxin left the study and headed towards the main gate of the Shi residence with his greyhound.

Suddenly, he saw an exceptionally beautiful young woman sitting on the grass, chatting with several other women who were equally beautiful, but slightly less so. They were all laughing heartily, and he couldn't tell what they were talking about.

The girls were talking while eating grapes.

Shi Shouxin stopped and walked over with his greyhound. The men quickly stood up, bowed to Shi Shouxin, and said, "Young Master Shi, please take care."

It turns out that these people were the "Seven Fairies" who danced at Sima Yan's banquet that night.

Shi Shouxin had previously assumed that they had already been taken home and kept by powerful and wealthy men, but he never expected that they were still in the Shi residence!
It seems that Shi Chong was a man of principle: you can play freely here, but you can't take the items home.

Shi Shouxin waved to the others, who gave him meaningful looks and then stepped aside, but didn't go far, seemingly watching secretly.

"What's your name?"

Shi Shouxin asked the lead dancer.

"My name is Chuntao. I no longer use my real name, so let's not mention it."

Chun Tao said softly, her heart filled with trepidation.

They were slacking off here and even stole grapes from the Shi family's warehouse. If they got caught, they'd definitely get a beating.

"I'll ask you a few questions. If you answer truthfully, I'll give you some cloth as payment."

Shi Shouxin spoke up.

Chun Tao said with a bitter face, "Even if Master Shi gave me mountains of gold and silver, how would I spend them? Could I possibly leave the Shi family mansion?"

I'd almost forgotten about that.

So Shi Shouxin asked again, "Are your parents still alive? You can give them the silk."

"Hey, of course they're still here. I remember it clearly. Back then, I was sold to the Shi family for twenty bolts of cloth."

"If Mr. Shi is kind-hearted, he could send them twenty bolts of cloth."

Chuntao said with no small amount of sarcasm.

"How about this, do you have any brothers or sisters? I'll have them work for me. Anyway, I'm going to Qingxu soon, and I need manpower around me."

Shi Shouxin then offered another condition. This time, Chun Tao seemed somewhat tempted. She nodded and said, "I have a younger brother who lives on a farm outside Luoyang."

She boldly tore off a piece of cloth from her skirt, wrote the address on it with an eyebrow pencil, and then handed it to Shi Shouxin.

"Young Master Shi, ask away. I will tell you everything I know."

Chuntao said very generously.

"After I left that night, did Sima Yan, oh, that is, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin, participate in the later program?"
I saw you flirting with him.

Shi Shouxin asked in a deep voice.

"How could that be? He's destined to be the crown prince. What if one of us gets pregnant and goes to him to claim kinship?"
Liu Lang and the Prince of Jin's heir seemed to have something to do and left early, but everyone else attended.

Especially that Sima Lun, so disgusting, his stinky big mouth came right up to me..."

Chun Tao showed a look of disgust on her face.

Shi Shouxin immediately became interested and asked in a low voice, "How did the guests... behave?"

Hearing this, Chun Tao glanced at Shi Shouxin with some surprise, then sighed, "Don't mention Shi Shouxin, they're all all show and no substance, they're done in no time. It's just that this kind of thing is really disgusting, but we can't refuse to do it, sigh."

After she finished speaking, she described in detail which women each guest had slept with that day, what disgraceful things they had done, and the scene when they were "doing business".

The scene was filled with obscene images, which amazed Shi Shouxin.

Shi Shouxin considered himself no gentleman and was quite interested in beautiful women. But compared to his guests, he could only feel inferior.

Sure enough, he was no match for the ancients; in this respect, he was a complete country bumpkin.

"Come with me to my house now, and I'll send someone to mention it to Liu Lang, how about that?"

Shi Shouxin asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Chun Tao's face lit up with joy. She grabbed Shi Shouxin's arm and said coquettishly, "Then you mustn't go back on your word, Mr. Shi! I'll definitely serve you comfortably!"

"Of course, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits afterwards."

Shi Shouxin spoke while revealing a mysterious smile.

He then led Chun Tao to the group of dancers and gave them a few instructions, nothing more than that he would take Chun Tao home for a meal and a chat, and that he would send her back afterward.

Anyway, this kind of thing was commonplace for Shi Chong, not to mention that Shi Shouxin was Shi Bao's adopted son, so it was just a matter of him greeting Shi Chong.

The women all went to inform Shi Chong, laughing and joking.

Once inside the carriage, Xigou glanced at Shi Shouxin, then at Chuntao with her slender waist and full hips. His expression shifted several times, but in the end, he said nothing.

When Fengniang got home, she saw Chuntao and seemed to want to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything.

They all knew what Chuntao did, and they also knew that there were certain things that should be said but couldn't be said.

After entering the study, Shi Shouxin looked at Chuntao and said, "This servant of mine has done many things for me and has been loyal to me, but I have not rewarded him. There is no better time than today, so you should keep him company and make him happy. If you make him happy, I will reward him handsomely."

He pointed to the greyhound path.

Chun Tao's face immediately fell.

She originally thought she was going to sleep with Shi Shouxin, which would be incredibly exciting!

Shi Shouxin is capable, has a high social standing, and is young and strong. If you manage to get close to him, it'll be like a magpie transforming into a phoenix!
I could laugh myself awake from a dream!
But accompanying this servant, Xigou... seems a bit too much of a loss.

"Young Master Shi, wouldn't it be better to ask Sixth Master about this? I never accompany servants."

Chuntao looked troubled and asked.

"I believe that among the dancers you know, there must be some who have disappeared without a trace."

Shi Shouxin said calmly, which was not a threat, but simply stated a well-known fact.

Chun Tao fell silent. She knew that what Shi Shouxin said was true, and she even knew several other dancers who had gone missing.

If she doesn't spend time with Xigou, she could very well be next.

Chuntao remembered that Shi Shouxin was now a general who had participated in the campaign against Shu, and that he might have killed someone.

She knew that the missing dancers had all been tortured to death by so-called "noblemen," and their bodies were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, Chuntao felt that spending time with Xigou wasn't so difficult anymore.

Seeing that Chun Tao was wavering, Shi Shouxin patted her shoulder and said, "When Xi Gou becomes successful in the future, he will take you back as a concubine. Giving him a good memory now will not be a loss for you."

"OK then."

Chuntao nodded slightly and sighed.

The greyhound standing to the side was dumbfounded by this scene.

The woman he could only touch in his dreams, Shi Shouxin delivered to his bed with just a few words.

This...this is the authority of those in power!
Shi Shouxin looked at Xigou and scolded, "What are you still standing there for? Go to the side room and have a good chat with Chuntao about romance and nature."

"Really?"

Xigou was overjoyed. Although Chuntao was just a dancer, her appearance was far superior to that of many noble ladies and young misses, and she was more than enough to keep him company.

"It's not true. Why did you think I was rambling on like that?"

Shi Shouxin slapped the greyhound on the back.

The little dog laughed heartily, holding tightly to Chun Tao's slender waist, as if afraid that the beautiful dancer would run away.

After they pushed and hugged each other as they left the study, Shi Shouxin finally sighed.

The lowly servants lived such humble lives that even a scrap of leftover food from the Celestial Dragons was enough to make them ecstatic for years.

Shi Shouxin took out the zither that Ji Kang had given him and gently plucked the strings.

"Let's learn to meow together, meow meow meow meow."

He played and sang, his face full of smiles.

(End of this chapter)