RWNEFE -Chapter 107 Are You the Father, or Is She the Father?

“Mother, I want to see Lanxi too, but I just can’t get to her,” Shen Congwen explained helplessly to his mother.

Old Madam Shen didn’t believe him. “Then go ask around! Don’t they all listen to Lanxi?”

Shen Congwen explained in frustration, “I did ask. They won’t even pay attention to me!”

Furious, Old Madam Shen punched her son twice and scolded him angrily, “Are you the father here, or is she the father? You can’t even control your own daughter—you’re infuriating me to death!”

The more Shen Congwen listened, the worse he felt.

Over the next few days, Shen Lanxi led the Black Eagle sea slaves and captured several pirate-infested islands—South Slope Island, Liuxian Island, Nameless Island, and others.

Returning once again drenched in blood, she didn’t even stop to wash up before urgently summoning her subordinates for a council.

Liu Yanhui, Wei Dongzhu, Liu Laohu, and the others looked around—but saw no pirates.

“Now we’re only one step away from what I said—wiping out the pirates of the Jiaozhou Archipelago!” Shen Lanxi said, gripping a long staff as she stood before the long table.

Liu Yanhui frowned. “There’s not enough time!”

Shen Lanxi glanced at him. He had misunderstood.

She tapped the ground with the staff and said forcefully, “I’m talking about the Black Eagle sea slaves!”

The people seated on both sides widened their eyes.

Shen Lanxi’s gaze was icy. “I’ve built the Black Eagle sea slaves into the largest pirate force in the Jiaozhou Archipelago. You don’t actually think I intend to seize islands and rule as a pirate queen, do you?”

Their eyes shifted away. No one spoke.

Silence was consent.

Shen Lanxi looked at them. “I have no interest in associating with pirates.”

Cheng Zheng’s eyes lit up. He quickly wrote a few characters and unfolded the paper for Shen Lanxi to see.

“Use barbarians to control barbarians.”

Writing too much wasted time—Cheng Zheng always tried to express his meaning as simply as possible.

Sang Guo’s eyes lit up too, and he began writing. Halfway through, Liu Yanhui said, “Support the Black Eagle to counter the Liu family?”

Sang Guo’s eyes dimmed. Cheng Zheng tilted his head, glanced at him, and elbowed him.

Sang Guo slowly raised his paper. On it were the words: “Check or borrow…”—borrow the Liu family to wipe out the pirates!

Shen Lanxi nodded in satisfaction and reminded them, “Don’t forget—everything we’ve done from start to finish has been under Zhou Qiwou’s banner!”

Liu Laohu suddenly understood. “No wonder earlier Tian Laosan was sucking up, asking you to put in a good word for him before the Third Princess—so that’s what it was about!”

“I’ve already had people quietly load supplies onto the ships over the past two days. Go back and inform our people to pack their personal belongings and board the ships to await orders. Don’t touch anything in the treasury, so as not to alert the enemy!”

“Yes!”

The treasury only had a few items piled near the entrance; inside, it had long since been emptied. Each time she captured an island, she would go to the hidden cache and take two-thirds of the valuables, leaving just enough behind to deceive others.

Tian Laosan and his band of pirates were outwardly respectful but had always been thinking about the treasury.

Seeing that they only took their own belongings and didn’t touch the treasury at all, their smiles became much more genuine.

When it was time to leave, they clung to them, calling each other brothers, almost acting out a tearful farewell of “Eighteen Farewells.”

Once they entered the open sea and the island was out of sight, the ships turned their bows and headed straight for Xiguan!

Which ship people had stayed on before, they boarded again this time—everyone found their own vessel.

Once aboard, the convicts pretended to handle fishing nets and tackle. Not a single one went down into the bottom hold.

Liu Yanhui and the others noticed but said nothing. After days of killing, their wrists ached—they needed a good rest.

If the convicts weren’t tired, they could enjoy the sea breeze and fish.

The convicts waited and waited. When night fell and still no one came to manage them, they had no choice but to pinch their noses, grab rags, and go down into the hold to clean.

“Lord Shen, we really saw it this time—your family’s noble patron is number one among everyone!” a convict said, giving a thumbs-up with a flattering grin.

“Even the yamen runners listen to him. Since your family has ties to him, why don’t you go say a few good words? If he’s pleased, maybe he’ll let you live in the upper cabins. Then we can benefit too!”

“I saw it—there are plenty of empty rooms up there, enough for all of us!”

“Hey, I’m talking to you—did you hear me? Don’t tell me you were just boasting, and that Young Master Lan isn’t actually related to you at all?”

A nearby convict kicked Shen Yuanzhan. He couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Don’t talk nonsense! That’s my—mmph!”

Shen Yuanjing reacted quickly and clamped a hand over Shen Yuanzhan’s mouth.

“Shut up. If you want to get beaten, keep talking!” Shen Yuanjing’s hands had seen plenty of blood these days; his murderous aura made Shen Yuanzhan tremble.

“Whether we’re related to Young Master Lan is none of your business. If you dare stir up trouble, we’ll beat you!” Shen Yuanjing shot them a sharp glare.

That convict had seen Shen Yuanjing kill before. He immediately curled his lips, turned away, and lay down to count his money.

Although they’d been sent to the lower hold, the money they’d earned hadn’t been confiscated.

Suddenly, a convict muttered softly, “Food can be bought with money… but can living quarters be bought too?”

After a moment of silence, the convicts hugged their bundles and bolted upward.

The Shen family was half a beat slower and got shoved to the very back!

~

Watching people line up one after another, holding up silver to book rooms, Liu Yanhui’s mouth twitched. No wonder she was so generous—so this is where she was waiting.

First she handed out rewards lavishly, and now she was earning the money back. And yet everyone did it willingly—no one called her heartless. She truly understood human nature.

If she ever went into business, she’d definitely be a ruthless merchant.

The moon hung high; the night was deep and quiet.

Two small, dark figures clumsily climbed out of a crate.

“Brother, we escaped!”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Sister, wait here—I’ll go find something to eat!”

“No, brother, I’m scared alone. I want to go with you!”

The little boy hesitated, then softened and took his sister’s hand. The two slipped away quietly.

~

“Why does it feel like there are fewer steamed buns?” the cook muttered in confusion.

“Could someone have stolen some?”

“Who would steal buns when there’s meat around?”

“Could we have rats? The ship is full of grain—we can’t let rats have it!”

“Maybe you remembered wrong. We’re at sea—where would rats come from?”

“That’s possible.”

At noon, just as Shen Lanxi was about to eat, Chunxue came to report, “Young Master, a message came from the ship behind us. They caught two children who snuck aboard and are asking how to deal with them.”

Shen Lanxi happened to be heading to that ship anyway. She said, “I’ll handle it personally.”

When she arrived, she saw two children, about eight or nine years old, clinging to each other in fear, surrounded by the ship’s crew.

Feng Wu said, “They’re children born to women who were seized by pirates and taken to the islands. They probably hid in crates while supplies were being transported and followed the shipment aboard.”

Shen Lanxi approached expressionlessly. The people around quickly made way.

She looked down at the two children and asked coldly, “You two—did you come to seek revenge on us?”