Chapter 3: This Boy Is Too Vicious, Your Majesty, Put Him to Death!

Boom!

As these words fell, the entire grand hall plunged into absolute silence. Everyone, including Shen Xiao, stared at Shen Lang with expressions of utter bewilderment.

Shen Canghai, frantic and burning with anxiety, rebuked him, "You little beast, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Why don't you apologize to Her Majesty at once?"

Faced with his father's urging, Shen Lang feigned confusion. "I haven't said anything wrong. Why should I apologize?"

"You..."

Seeing Shen Lang acting so recklessly at such a critical moment, Shen Canghai broke into a cold sweat. Not daring to argue further, he immediately knelt on the ground and pleaded with Shen Xiao, "This old minister has failed to discipline his son. I take full responsibility for his transgressions; I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

"Why should I punish him? Did he say anything wrong?" Shen Xiao asked calmly.

"Ah?" Shen Canghai was stunned.

Shen Lang had essentially told her to commit suicide, yet she claimed he wasn't wrong. Was her heart truly that broad?

Likewise, the other officials were equally baffled. In the past, anyone who showed disrespect to the monarch of Great Qin would have been executed. Yet, even though Shen Lang had just told Shen Xiao to die, she maintained that he was correct.

Zhao An, unable to comprehend the situation, asked, "Your Majesty, Shen Lang was just being deeply disrespectful to you!"

"Are you unable to distinguish between a metaphor and reality?" Shen Xiao retorted, her voice icy. "Or have you viewed me as a fool who is easily deceived all this time?"

These two chilling sentences sent Zhao An scrambling to his knees in terror. "Your subject would not dare!"

"Hmph!" Shen Xiao gave a cold snort. "Ever since I ascended the throne, I have been too lenient, both internally and externally. Now, every stray dog thinks I am easy to bully! Someone, go tell the envoy of the Haoyue Divine Kingdom that I will not surrender the Tianshan mineral vein. If they are not satisfied, tell them I am prepared to detonate myself—let the Great Emperor of Haoyue come to battle whenever he pleases!"

*Hiss...*

As this order was issued, the officials finally realized the truth. It was never Shen Lang’s intent for Shen Xiao to actually commit suicide; it was a bluff to intimidate the Great Emperor of Haoyue. As long as Shen Xiao maintained this image of madness, the Great Emperor of Haoyue would never dare to risk a life-or-death struggle over a mere mineral vein. In this way, the trouble from the Haoyue Divine Kingdom was effectively resolved.

Furthermore, this clever scheme could be used to force other rulers to think twice about whether they could withstand the retaliation of Emperor Shen Xiao before taking any actions that threatened Great Qin.

Having realized this, even Zhao An had to admire the brilliance of Shen Lang's strategy. However, as the youngest representative scholar of the Wuming Academy, he was not convinced. He believed Shen Lang had simply stumbled upon a solution by pure luck and that his actual talent was far inferior to his own.

Similarly, Shen Xiao felt that while Shen Lang’s answer was clever, it carried the flippancy of a spoiled brat and did not fully meet the requirements of her assessment. She spoke again, "We shall begin the second topic. Anyone who can provide a reasonable solution will be rewarded!"

As she said this, Shen Xiao deliberately glanced at Shen Lang before continuing, "Since I took the throne, I have noticed that the younger generation of Great Qin has fallen far behind those of other nations in terms of cultivation. Do you ministers have any sound strategies to encourage our youth to cultivate diligently and strengthen our Great Qin?"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. This question caused the gathered civil and military officials to furrow their brows. Cultivation was, after all, a dreadfully dull path. Aside from the few driven by deep-seated hatred or national vengeance, most young people preferred to enjoy their lives. Even when forced by their families, they would often do so with half-hearted effort. Getting them to cultivate spontaneously was a daunting task.

After pondering for a dozen seconds, Zhao An tentatively spoke up, "Your Majesty, we could use rewards to entice the youth of Great Qin to cultivate diligently. For instance, those who reach the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of thirty could be awarded ten thousand spirit stones!"

As Zhao An’s proposal was voiced, many officials nodded subconsciously. Surely, a heavy reward would ignite the passion of the youth.

But just then, a laugh rang out from the crowd.

"Pfft~"

Shen Lang once again became the center of attention. Zhao An, as if his tail had been stepped on, angrily demanded, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I’m just curious why someone as brainless as you is standing here!" Shen Lang said with an indifferent expression.

"Impudence! Zhao An is the most talented scholar of the younger generation in our Wuming Academy. How dare you slander him here!"

Facing this rebuke, Shen Lang looked up and recognized the old man speaking: it was Song Changhe, the Dean of Wuming Academy and a political rival of Shen Canghai. Zhao An was his prized disciple.

After mapping out the relationships, Shen Lang sneered with disdain. "Does Dean Song know how many young people there are in Great Qin?"

"No less than ten million. So what?" Song Changhe demanded, his face stiff.

"Then let me ask you a simple question: if ten million people all reached the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of thirty, how many spirit stones would that be in total?"

"This..."

Song Changhe was stunned. Shen Xiao also frowned deeply. Ten thousand spirit stones didn't seem like much, but when multiplied by the population, it became an astronomical figure. The Great Qin Empire simply did not have the resources to cover such a cost.

At this moment, Song Changhe realized the massive flaw in Zhao An’s strategy. Yet, he was too proud to admit that his disciple’s plan was useless. He gritted his teeth and insisted, "If there are no rewards, who would be willing to cultivate?"

"There are plenty of ways, you’re just too stupid to think of them!"

[Ding, resentment from Song Changhe +5]

*Hmm?* Acquiring resentment points was this easy? Then I have no choice but to oblige!

"Your Majesty, this commoner has a strategy that could completely solve the problem of our youth not wanting to cultivate. However, this plan is rather ruthless; I beg for your forgiveness in advance!"

"Oh?" Shen Xiao nodded with curiosity. "Let's hear it! If this plan satisfies me, not only will you be absolved of your offense, but you shall be handsomely rewarded!"

Feeling the eyes of everyone upon him, Shen Lang straightened his clothes and spoke with a grave expression:

"I believe the primary reason the youth of Great Qin do not cultivate is that they lack pressure. If Your Majesty were to issue a decree that every city must conduct an assessment every three months, and the ten people with the lowest scores are executed on the spot, I believe they will never dare to slack off again!"

The hall erupted in an uproar. Song Changhe was the first to step forward, shouting emotionally, "What kind of twisted, evil logic is this? If this plan were implemented, wouldn't those with low aptitude simply be doomed to die?"

Shen Lang remained calm and unyielding. "If the death of ten people per city can ensure the vigorous development of an entire nation, I believe it is worth it! Besides, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak. If you lack the ability, who can you blame for your death?"

"You..."

Shen Lang’s ruthlessness left Song Changhe at a loss for words. He could only prostrate himself on the ground and kowtow to Shen Xiao. "Your Majesty, this youth, Shen Lang, has a wicked heart and threatens to throw Great Qin into chaos. I implore Your Majesty to execute this villain and restore peace to the world!"

"We implore Your Majesty to execute Shen Lang and restore peace to the world!"