Chapter 26: A good woman does not contend with men

Silence.

Boundless silence.

After a long while, after a long while, Du Shanü, who was possessing the earth, finally heard a faint sound from above, asking:

"...... But, you're not a woman, are you?"

"A woman, and yet she also wants the world?"

This voice no longer had its previous gloom.

Only a hint of puzzlement, and even a trace of extreme dullness.

But, dull as he may be, this old fox seems to really be coming to his senses!

Du Shanü clicked her tongue inwardly, immediately lifted her head, and said as a matter of course:

"This body was given by my parents; how could it be my fault?!"

"Sir, with such ability, you ought to challenge things others cannot do!"

"If I cannot become emperor merely because I am a woman, then it is not my inadequacy, but your inadequacy, sir!!!"

"What is the most important thing for a wise minister?"

"Besides seeking the Wise Lord, there is also proving oneself!"

"One might ask, if Du Shanü were a man, she herself could be called a jack-of-all-trades; if she proceeds steadily, she might one day achieve the deeds of Emperor Taizong."

"What challenge remains in assisting such a person?"

"What needs to be done are the difficult tasks!"

"Chinu hates having a lowly name."

"But now, having placed my bet on her, if she one day ascends the throne, how could Chinu's name not spread throughout the world?"

"Du Shanü, coaxing gently, wishes she could now lure Chinu onto her pirate ship."

"However, Chinu, though called 'Chinu', has a temperament far from the meaning of 'slave', and utterly unrelated to 'fool'."

"At this moment tonight, myriad things are withered."

"After a certain instant, the flickering light on the tinderbox, about to fall, finally swayed slightly toward Du Shanü's position......"

"Those black eyes hidden behind the tinderbox are deep as a mysterious pool, unfathomable."

"However, Du Shanü understands, he is assessing."

"Because Du Shanü, too, is assessing him——"

"This person's slender fingers, originally covering the wound, are slowly rubbing."

"Or rather, twiddling."

"Thumb, index, middle finger—three fingers slowly measuring......"

"In this night's twilight, it seems to be fully absorbed into his calculations."

"Although it is not the time, Du Shanü still precisely found the eight characters to describe this scene: 【Twisting fingers to scheme, dark and vicious, crafty and evil】."

"This is destined not to be an easy person to get along with or to deceive."

"It will not be like the meetings in storybooks where sovereign and subject meet as if heavenly thunder draws earthly fire, instantly chatting happily, holding elbows while weeping, calling 'lord' and 'beloved minister' without cease."

"One breath, two breaths, three breaths."

"Chinu is pondering, assessing."

"Or rather, judging."

"Judging whether she truly has the qualifications to be his master."

"And his final decision is......"

"Impossible."

"The fingertips stopped twiddling, and the tinderbox that had been slightly tilted toward her slowly returned to its original position."

"Blood still flowed, but this time Chinu grew ever more calm and composed:"

"The 'Explanation of the Trigrams, Upper' says: 'Wealth is called a great undertaking; daily renewal is called splendid virtue. Those who wish to accomplish a great undertaking all serve the public. The public is selfless, is male......'"

"Perhaps recalling something, fearing Du Shanü might not understand, Chinu added:"

"All under heaven serve the Son of Heaven, calling him 'child'."

"All under heaven call the sovereign, mostly as 'lord', 'bright lord', 'king', all bearing a hint of masculinity."

"You, being a woman yet desiring the world, should understand that your path is harder than ordinary people's; unless you leave fame for a thousand ages, you will surely incur infamy for ten thousand ages."

"Although unwilling to admit it, yet it cannot be denied."

"On the road to achieving a great undertaking, compared to women, men are simply more convenient."

"Assisting such a leader of the undertaking, if successful, naturally one's name will spread throughout the world."

"But if a single step is misstep, one will surely be despised by all under heaven."

"Coolant, water wheel, Yuan Chong bow......"

"These are indeed novel things."

"But it is still far from the point where he would disregard everything, exhaust his mind and effort for her, and remove all obstacles."

"Not enough, still not enough."

"If only these, it truly is not enough!"

"He has wandered in exile for over twenty years; he will not bow his head once, or utter a few words, hastily bow again, and disappoint himself once more."

"This world capable of rivaling the sun and moon—perhaps truly as she said, certainly not limited to Emperor Taizong and her......"

"His black eyes deep, unable to clearly see the thoughts of the person before him."

"Du Shanü pondered a few breaths, then simply sprang up from the ground and once again took up the Yuan Chong bow."

"Chinu still gazed at her, but as soon as she spoke, it was again a sentence that startled heaven and earth——"

Alright then.

But you've already kowtowed to me and yet you won't assist me—couldn't you give me a kowtow, returning the one you just did?

Chinu: "?"

What a tyrant's words!

Just now you were putting on an act, but now that you know he won't help, you're not even bothering to act, are you?!

Gazing at Du Shanü holding the Prime Commander Crossbow, with a faintly expectant look, Chinu clenched her teeth and spoke, word by word:

You—what are you saying?

Du Shanü: "╭(╯^╰)╮"

Hmph.

This person's temper is truly huge!

If it's not allowed, it's not allowed—why be so fierce!

She's a good woman who won't fight with men—isn't that enough!

Du Shanü re-hung the Prime Commander Crossbow at her waist, and her thoughts gradually settled.

Let the fuss be fuss, let the lip service be lip service.

But once the words 'seizing the world' are spoken, like a spark ignited in the wilderness, they cannot be extinguished no matter what.

Grand Ancestor could obtain the world—why can't she?

Men can ascend the throne—why can't she?

The false dynasty's oppressive policies, the iron hooves of foreign tribes breaking through the passes—this world naturally belongs to the capable!

But in this world, who understands and can do more than she, an engineering student from a thousand years later?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Moreover, her guiding principle is not 'not losing to men,' but 'utterly crushing them.'

Du Shanü's thoughts churned; she was about to probe further, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Chinu, who had been leaning against a tree, suddenly shift the fire striker's direction and sneer:

And you—have you heard clearly?

I am naturally cold-hearted, born with a rebellious bone, so it's hard for me to acknowledge a master. Even if I do, I might later turn on them without mercy.

Having heard this, are you still satisfied?

Upon hearing this, Du Shanü's heart turned cold; she instinctively raised the Prime Commander Crossbow and aimed in the direction of the speaker's words.

But in the next instant, a familiar ferocious face slowly emerged from the darkness in her sight.

A Chou appeared from behind a tree not far off, his face a mix of shock and fear.

He kept his head bowed, not daring to meet Chinu's gaze, but Du Shanü could see his body trembling slightly, as if he were terribly afraid.

A Chou seemed to still want to salvage something, muttering:

Originally, originally you were here......

Just now, just now the village head came to our house to give instructions, and then I came out to look for you...... I, I have nothing......

Having heard those two words roll in A Chou's throat several times, he still couldn't get them out.

Chinu let out a cold laugh, holding the fire striker, stepped forward, and slapped him directly across the face with a palm.

A Chou was knocked to the ground, neither struggling nor getting up; only belatedly did he bury his face in the ground and begin to sob, head bowed.

Chinu, Chinu......

Sorry, I, I didn't know before......

Who would have known that the Grand Ancestor has passed and the Yin Dynasty has become a false regime?

They have wandered for over two years, yet not a single loyal subject or capable general has come to them.

Now those who stay by their side are actually the former and later ministers who once eyed the Young Emperor with tiger-like greed, whom everyone thought would rebel?

?? Came, came! Thanks for everyone's support! (*^▽^*) Believe me, I won't let you down!!

? If you babies still don't know where to see the character photos, they're actually in the book details page and the big review section~ Love you all (^o^)/~ For now only the Young Emperor and Chinu are available; the author will update others when suitable photos are found!