Princess Zhi Ning could also be considered a body long deprived. Originally, she had not been affected much, but now she was ignited all at once, like wildfire on the wasteland, burning boundlessly and endlessly.
The two of them tossed and turned for nearly two full hours.
Who knew how many times they convulsed, how many times they nearly fainted, before the flames within their bodies were finally extinguished.
In the end, Zhi Ning lay limp on the bed, not even wanting to move her toes.
As for Suo Lun, he was still all right. As long as he did not encounter a heaven-defying seductress like Zhi Yan, as long as it was not dragon power absorption and spirit techniques, handling one Zhi Ning was more than enough for him.
Two hours later, knocking sounded from outside, along with the baby’s crying.
“You go. I can’t move.” Zhi Ning said lazily. Her jade hand lifted halfway then fell back down powerlessly.
Suo Lun got up wrapped in a sheet and walked over to open the door.
Immediately, he saw Fang Qing Zhuo with a flushed face.
She smelled a familiar post-coital scent, so strong it made her somewhat dizzy.
“I, I did not intentionally come to disrupt. It is really that the baby is crying.” Fang Qing Zhuo trembled: “I somewhat cannot coax him. He has been stubbornly refusing to sleep.”
The baby was indeed crying fiercely, his little face crying until it turned red. Upon seeing his father, his little mouth flattened, grievously about to cry again.
He had never been away from his mother for this long. He was together with his mother every moment of every day.
“Thank you, sister-in-law.” Suo Lun said, then took the baby.
Fang Qing Zhuo secretly peeked into the room. Zhi Ning lay there without a stitch of clothing, her entire person as if her soul had flown to the heavens.
Instantly, her face flushed even redder, and she immediately turned and fled.
Suo Lun smiled and closed the door.
Returning to the room, Suo Lun lay back on the bed, placing the baby in Zhi Ning’s embrace.
The baby found his favourite with practiced ease, his little mouth suckling gently a few times, then falling sweetly asleep.
Normally, he would have gone to sleep long ago by this time. Only today, not being by his mother’s side, he stubbornly refused to sleep. Now, he was already exhausted, falling asleep immediately upon returning to his mother’s side.
Suo Lun got up, fetched hot water, used a towel to lightly wipe Zhi Ning’s body, washed his own body, then returned to the bed, embracing Zhi Ning and their son to sleep peacefully.
At this moment, Zhi Ning truly felt boundless happiness flowing all around her body.
From childhood to adulthood, she had never relied on anyone, including Zhi Li.
After returning to the royal city Zhi Du, the vast majority of the time, it was she who helped Zhi Li, not relying on Zhi Li.
Now, she had set down the heavy burden in her heart, and there was someone by her side she could rely on. This feeling was truly too warm, too secure.
She was very sleepy, wanting to sleep, but also reluctant to sleep, wanting to enjoy this taste of happiness and security.
In her embrace was an adorable baby, currently suckling on her nipple in sweet sleep. Beside her was a beloved man embracing her, gently caressing her smooth and tender waist and hips.
In this wonderful happiness, Zhi Ning also finally fell into sweet sleep.
…
Early the next morning, Suo Lun and Zhi Ning were still sleeping soundly when suddenly, a series of low knocks sounded from outside.
This kind of knocking could wake Suo Lun without waking the baby.
Suo Lun opened his eyes. There must be an urgent matter, otherwise Zhuang Zhi Xuan absolutely would not disturb him at this hour.
Instantly, he carefully withdrew his arm from beneath Zhi Ning’s body.
Zhi Ning opened her beautiful eyes hazily, saying in a cloying voice: “What is it?”
“There are some matters that require my attention.” Suo Lun said.
“Mm.” Zhi Ning hazily closed her eyes again, continuing to sleep.
Suo Lun kissed her forehead, then kissed the baby’s forehead, then got up and went to open the door.
Zhuang Zhi Xuan saw Suo Lun completely naked, her face reddening, secretly spitting in her heart.
“What is the matter?” Suo Lun asked, walking outside as he spoke.
The maids had long prepared the bath, and many of the maids here were old people from the original Suo residence.
At that time, after Suo Lun was forced to leave the royal city, he dismissed the servants and maids of the earl’s residence, entrusting them to Duke Zhi Ting.
After the king bestowed this residence upon Zhi Yan as a princess residence, Duke Zhi Ting re-settled these servants and maids within the princess residence. So at this time, half the people in the residence were old people of the Suo clan.
The maids vied with each other to bathe Suo Lun, taking the opportunity to cop a feel.
“Alright, there are matters to discuss. You all go out first.” Suo Lun said comfortably, lying in the bath barrel with a smile.
“Oh.” Several pretty maids left unwillingly. Before leaving, they still had to grope Suo Lun’s chest. Truly, one did not know who was playing the scoundrel.
These maids of the Suo clan had grown up with Suo Lun without any sense of propriety, like family. Moreover, the previous wastrel Suo Lun was also quite a bastard. Every beautiful maid had been slept with by him.
So now Suo Lun was also quite worried about these maids’ marriage prospects.
“What is the matter?” Suo Lun asked.
“The Shadow Pavilion sent word. They have already captured Fu Qi.” Zhuang Zhi Xuan said: “He was extremely cunning, actually not fleeing towards the Fire Worship City, but hiding in the countryside and mountains several hundred li away. So it took these many days to capture him.”
Why did Suo Lun want to capture Fu Qi? To force Count Fu E to speak?
He wanted to obtain a secret from Fu E’s mouth, the secret of why he had gone mad with Zhi Li to the very end.
Zhi Li assassinated the king and forcibly ascended the throne. It was completely a nine-deaths-one-life situation. And with Fu E’s detached status, he had no need to follow along in this madness. Why did he do this? There must be a reason, and it involved an earth-shaking secret.
But even when Count Fu E had his four limbs broken and his meridians crippled, he was unwilling to speak.
So Suo Lun sent people to capture Fu Qi. Count Fu E might not care about his own life, but he would always protect his grandson, right?
Fu E did not like his son Fu Xian, feeling he was too cowardly and useless. But he liked his grandson Fu Qi very much.
Fu Qi was extremely arrogant and fierce, but Count Fu E felt this showed great sharpness and vigour.
So Count Fu E had even decided that when he grew old and passed away, he would directly pass the position of Fire Worship City Lord to his grandson Fu Qi.
Once Fu Qi was captured and his life used to threaten Fu E, then he should compromise, right?
Of course, whether the secret from Fu E’s mouth would be useful was still unknown. But Suo Lun could sense that this secret would be extremely significant, even shocking.
“How long until Fu Qi can be brought back?” Suo Lun asked.
“By evening, he should be able to be brought back to the royal city.” Zhuang Zhi Xuan said.
Suo Lun nodded, then leaned back against the bath barrel, closing his eyes and enjoying Zhuang Zhi Xuan’s service.
“Felling trees day after day, be careful of premature decline.” Zhuang Zhi Xuan suddenly said.
“I won’t.” Suo Lun said: “As long as it’s not that demoness Zhi Yan, then it’s nothing. A female leopard like you, I can handle three at once.”
“Boasting.” Zhuang Zhi Xuan said.
As she spoke, her breathing gradually became rapid, and the towel with which she washed Suo Lun frequently probed downwards.
Suo Lun reached behind him, touching her robust, round and perky buttocks.
“You, you really want to give it to me?” Zhuang Zhi Xuan said: “Th, then hurry. I have to go to the palace for duty soon.”
As she spoke, Zhuang Zhi Xuan peeled off the tight leather outfit on her body, but did not completely remove it, only peeling it down to her thighs, then her upper body leaning over the edge of the bath barrel.
Suo Lun was startled and said: “Didn’t you just advise me not to fell trees day after day?”
Zhuang Zhi Xuan said: “Hateful. You said you would give it, so you must give it. Hurry, someone is coming soon.”
…
When returning to the palace for duty, Suo Lun occasionally tapped his lower back, making Zhuang Zhi Xuan flush red.
That flush of red on her gorgeous face never faded.
Zhi Yan felt incomparably happy, because she had a man to rely on, and could be together with the baby, watching him grow day by day.
At this moment, Zhuang Zhi Xuan also felt incomparably happy.
She did not like to use her brain. She had only one skill, and that was high martial arts, being formidable in a fight.
Suo Lun protected the Furious Wave Kingdom at every moment, while she, Zhuang Zhi Xuan, protected Suo Lun at every moment. This made her feel very fulfilled, filled with a sense of value.
Moreover, the one she was protecting was her most beloved man.
Although she was not his wife, the time Zhuang Zhi Xuan spent with Suo Lun far exceeded that of Suo Lun’s wives, even exceeding Princess Zhi Yan.
This also made Zhuang Zhi Xuan feel especially satisfied.
Suo Lun’s wives, she basically did not interact with, except for Yan Nai Er.
In her view, Yan Nai Er was the most adorable woman among Suo Lun’s wives, straightforward, daring to love and hate, and brave in sacrifice.
Moreover, both of them were martial arts fanatics, often exchanging martial arts together.
When in the royal city, Zhuang Zhi Xuan also occasionally had some contact with Princess Zhi Yan. But more often, it was Zhuang Zhi Xuan seeking advice on martial arts from Zhi Yan.
Zhuang Zhi Xuan had not seen the Eastern Departure King Jiang Shang, so in her eyes, the person with the highest martial arts was Princess Zhi Yan!
How high was Zhi Yan’s martial arts? In Zhuang Zhi Xuan’s view, completely unfathomable.
In short, up until now, Zhi Yan had never encountered any opponent.
Princess Zhi Yan was only a few years older than Suo Lun. To have such high martial arts at such a young age, Zhuang Zhi Xuan was truly curious how Zhi Yan’s martial arts were trained?
She had also heard that the person with the most outstanding martial arts talent in the entire Divine Dragon Temple was Ji Meng Bai.
She did not know who had higher martial arts between Zhi Yan and Ji Meng Bai.
Moreover, Princess Zhi Yan also seemed to be extremely obsessed with the martial dao. After entering the royal city, she almost never appeared within the royal palace.
Previously, she had been at the princess residence protecting Fang Qing Zhuo and her daughter. Now that the Furious Wave Kingdom was completely safe, she still had not come to the royal palace, but was meditating and cultivating at the princess residence.
In Princess Zhi Yan’s world, there seemed to be only two things. First, cultivating martial arts. Second, being intimate with Suo Lun.
As for everything else, she paid no attention.
Regarding Princess Zhi Yan, Zhuang Zhi Xuan completely could not see through her, completely not knowing what this fairy-like woman actually wanted.
What kind of relationship did she have with Suo Lun?
The husband-wife relationship between her and Suo Lun seemed more loving than any other couple.
Because Princess Zhi Yan never had any contact with other men, not even speaking a single word. Before others, she was forever an otherworldly fairy, high above.
But before Suo Lun, she was more than a vixen, more than a seductress? She simply surpassed any harlot in the world. Every time in bed, she drove Suo Lun to the brink of death, between life and death.
But she and Suo Lun also seemed extremely distant.
Although the two of them were together every day, they rarely conversed. Only when it came to extremely important matters would the two of them exchange words.
Moreover, Suo Lun had many women by his side, and Princess Zhi Yan showed no jealousy whatsoever.
Even with these women right under Zhi Yan’s nose, she showed no displeasure.
There were no women in this world who were not jealous, including Yan Nai Er. Every time she spoke of Suo Lun’s women, she was extremely bitter, her eye sockets reddening.
Even in her room, she had specially made a leather dummy with Suo Lun’s face drawn on it. Every night, Yan Nai Er had to beat that leather dummy before she could fall asleep.
How could women not be jealous? But Zhi Yan simply was not.
Of course, perhaps Princess Zhi Yan’s realm was too high, and Zhuang Zhi Xuan could not see clearly.
…
“Duke, the confiscation of the homes of Suo Fu and twenty-five other enormous corrupt officials has been largely completed. The confiscated gold coins have also begun to be transported to the royal city treasury.” Gao Yin could not conceal the joy on his face, holding a thick stack of account books in his hand.
Suo Lun said: “How much property was confiscated in total?”
Gao Yin said: “You absolutely would not believe it. The total property confiscated from the twenty-six enormous corrupt officials reached nine million seven hundred and ninety thousand gold coins.”
This number was completely staggering, equal to six years of tax revenue of the Furious Wave Kingdom.
Gao Yin said: “There are still many hidden properties not yet counted. Once counted, this number will increase, possibly even exceeding eleven million gold coins.”
Good heavens? Only a few years!
The enormous corrupt officials of the kingdom had risen to such a scale.
If allowed to develop like this, these enormous corrupt officials would devour the entire Furious Wave Kingdom.
However, among the properties confiscated, many were rare books, antiques, estates, farmland, and immovable property.
“How much cash?” Suo Lun asked.
“Five million nine hundred and twenty thousand gold coins.” Gao Yin said: “The remaining portion of property needs to be auctioned to exchange for gold coins. An even larger portion is immovable property, and converting it to cash will require a longer time.”
Five million nine hundred and twenty thousand gold coins, all cash!
Just over twenty families of enormous corrupt officials, and nearly six million gold coins in cash were confiscated.
Now, the deficit from Zhi Li’s misappropriation of the people’s savings could be filled. Moreover, the gold coins to maintain the Furious Wave Kingdom’s operations were also available now. At least for the next half year, there was no need to worry about money.
“Then temporarily do not convert to cash.” Suo Lun said: “Keep these immovable properties as royal assets. The profits generated will be directly allocated to the inner treasury.”
“Understood.” Gao Yin said.
Suo Lun said: “Next, we must begin rectifying the royal industries. The corrupt internal ghosts within, those who should be arrested, arrest them. Those who should be killed, kill them! These royal household slaves actually colluded with the Hidden Yuan Association, filling their own pockets. They deserve to die!”
“Yes!” Gao Yin said.
Suo Lun said: “Suo Fu’s account books also contain other corrupt nobles and powerful officials, over a hundred in total. Only their scale of corruption is somewhat smaller. Send people to warn them, let these people voluntarily hand over the corrupt money. This way, there is still a path to life. Do not force me to massacre on a large scale.”
Gao Yin said: “Yes, and we can also make them mutually report and expose each other.”
Suo Lun hesitated slightly, then said: “Mutual reporting and exposing is unnecessary. Once this is done, the country will fall into chaos.”
“Yes.” Gao Yin immediately knelt and said: “This old servant spoke out of turn.”
Suo Lun quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying: “Old Gao is my elder. You must never do this.”
Gao Yin stood up, standing respectfully to one side.
Suo Lun said: “In short, this crisis has finally passed. But we need money in many places going forward. Among the four great legions, the Dragon Guard Legion and the Southwest Legion almost both need to be rebuilt. This requires an astronomical number of gold coins. As for the Southeast Legion, it needs to be separated from my Tianshui City army even more, restoring it to a force of two hundred thousand. This similarly requires a large sum of money.”
“For the next few years, there will be large-scale internal struggles within the Divine Dragon Temple, with no time to attend to us. This will be our golden period of development.” Suo Lun said heroically: “Within three years, I will restore the Furious Wave Kingdom to the national power of its peak period. Within five years, I will make the kingdom’s frontline legions exceed one million, establish the Southeast Great Camp, and begin the path of southern expansion!”
Gao Yin was also stirred to boiling blood, saying: “If so, in twenty years the Furious Wave Kingdom will expand its territory by several thousand li, gaining four or five additional provinces. By the time the young lord inherits the throne, our Furious Wave Kingdom will already be the strongest nation within the universe.”
Suo Lun laughed loudly: “Old Gao, I accept your auspicious words.”
…
Evening!
Shadow Pavilion warriors escorted Fu Qi into the royal city.
Having been on the run for over ten days, Fu Qi seemed to have completely changed into another person, degenerating from a noble young master to a beggar, his head filthy and face covered in grime, his hair like weeds, not a single inch clean on his entire body.
Upon seeing Suo Lun, Fu Qi first put on a brave front despite his fear, saying: “Suo Lun, you dare not do anything to me. My aunt is a judge of the Divine Dragon Temple.”
Suo Lun said lightly: “That aunt you speak of is my mother. She has already been arrested. Zhi Li bears demon blood. In his confession, there is the name of Fu Ling Xi. Yesterday, she was already taken to the Yanjing Temple for trial.”
“Impossible, impossible, impossible…” Fu Qi desperately roared, desperately struggling.
The Shadow Pavilion warriors stepped forward, delivering a flurry of slaps that made his nose and mouth bleed.
Soon, Fu Qi quieted down.
Immediately after, he desperately knelt and kowtowed to Suo Lun.
“Suo Lun, let me go, let me go!” Fu Qi wept and begged: “I am still your cousin. My younger sister Fu Yan Er is your woman. I am Qin Qin’s maternal uncle!”
Suo Lun glanced at him disdainfully, waved his hand and said: “Go, take him to the heavenly prison!”
Since Fu Qi had been captured, Suo Lun did not believe that old thief Fu E would not speak!
Now that the Furious Wave Kingdom was safe, the only thing hanging over Suo Lun’s heart was this secret of Count Fu E.
Of course, perhaps some might say they could have Zhi Yan use spirit techniques to dig out this secret.
This was very difficult. Count Fu E was different from Suo Fu. With his intimate relationship with the Divine Dragon Temple, he must have learned spirit defence techniques and spirit deception techniques.
At that time, a whole group of people from the Divine Dragon Temple could not extract the secret of the demon blood from A Shi Luo’s mind.
So Zhi Yan also could not extract anything from Fu E’s mind.
But using Fu Qi’s life should be able to force him to speak, because Fu Qi was all of Fu E’s hope.
Amid Fu Qi’s struggling, crying and begging for mercy, Suo Lun’s group headed towards the Black Dragon Platform heavenly prison to interrogate Fu E!
However…
When still several hundred metres from the Black Dragon Platform heavenly prison!
Suddenly, several Shadow Pavilion warriors rushed over quickly, kneeling on the ground and trembling: “Duke, Fu E has suddenly died of an acute illness!”
Suo Lun trembled violently. Fu E was dead?
This cheap maternal grandfather of his had died at this critical moment?
He died just before he was about to speak! Suicide? Or murder?
Had he been silenced?