57: Chapter 57 I'm Definitely Not Going Anymore

On the "Ship of Sorrow", the Cheng Yus achieved a complete victory against the Aeldari, and this time, most of the craftworld's equipment and the Aeldari population were preserved. The criminal named Feran was also captured.

Given that it was indeed the Cheng Yu Empire that took the initiative to attack the Aeldari craftworld, the Emperor pardoned the death sentences of all Aeldari captives except for Feran.

These Aeldari captives only needed to perform one hundred years of hard labor for the Empire to regain their freedom, and it wouldn't be for free; they would receive basic provisions.

War criminal Feran Lyandil was sacrificed to Slaanesh in front of all the Aeldari captives, which served as a warning to these Aeldari.

"If you dare to escape or resist, the Slaanesh Court will be your final destination."

After the stick, one must offer a carrot; the Cheng Yu Empire had a long-term friendly cooperation agreement with the Slaanesh Court.

As long as these Aeldari continued to work for the Cheng Yu Empire, Slaanesh could temporarily refrain from corrupting their souls—though, of course, this only applied while they were alive, not after death.

Therefore, these Aeldari captives not only had to work diligently for the Cheng Yu Empire but also had to maintain their own bodies at their own expense. If they worked themselves to death or died from debauchery, and their souls were taken by Slaanesh, they could not blame the Emperor for not keeping his word.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Empire, Consort Cheng Yu suffered a crushing defeat in his battle against the Aeldari!

"I can't do it anymore, my dear. I can't take it. Spare me, please; I really can't do it today."

Consort Cheng Yu was in a daze, his lower back aching intensely, his head feeling heavy and muddled. He was in a state of exhaustion where he could neither sleep nor fully wake up.

"You've already done great. Come, drink the medicine; drink it and you'll feel better."

Aria, with a flushed face, handed over a small bottle of liquid. The bottle was brown and had no label, and the liquid inside smelled like a mix of liver and fishiness.

"I won't drink it."

"That's not up to you!"

Aria pressed down on Consort Cheng Yu's head and force-fed him the Aeldari herbal medicine.

Most Cheng Yus Clones either died on the battlefield or in the Hive City factories.

Consort Cheng Yu might become the first clone to die in bed.

...

Consort Cheng Yu and his wife didn't fall asleep until the middle of the night, while Main Body had already been up for an hour reviewing memorials.

Main Body discovered a problem: as the Empire's territory continued to expand, the bureaucracy grew increasingly bloated.

These people were no longer as diligent and reliable as they were in the beginning; the memorials contained more and more praise for him and fewer and fewer practical suggestions.

Did the Emperor think they had become timid because their positions were higher? No. Comparing their memorials with the secret reports from Thirteen Offices, these people were actually quite bold.

Archer Cheng Yu, the clan leader of the "Archer" clan, had set up gambling tables in the Hive City, causing countless new clones who had just saved up a little money to return to poverty through the "Kill, Kill, Flash, Flash" game.

These clones could have originally provided greater value, but now they had become cannon fodder again!

"Do I, the Emperor, lack these few pieces of cannon fodder?!"

However, Main Body could not be too harsh on Archer Cheng Yu.

Currently, within the Empire's military nobility, Archer Cheng Yu was the representative figure among the clones; most of the other nobles were outsiders.

He couldn't favor one over the other and discourage the clones.

Main Body bestowed a "small gift" upon Archer Cheng Yu overnight: a lead ball.

When this lead ball was delivered to Archer Cheng Yu's mansion, the old man was still sleeping in a giant bed with dozens of concubines.

"What does this mean? Why did the Emperor bestow a lead ball upon me?"

Archer Cheng Yu was completely confused, but Second Attendant Cheng Yu, who delivered the item, offered no explanation at all and left after taking the red envelope.

The concubines looked at each other in dismay. Most of them had been seized by Archer Cheng Yu through various means. They only knew that this clone who occupied them held great power and was very capable in a fight, but they didn't know exactly what he did.

"Heh, my dear husband, you are nearing your end. Continue playing; there isn't much time left."

Beside the giant bed, one concubine sneered.

"You... what is your name again?" Archer Cheng Yu had seized so many women; how could he remember all their names?

"Cassandra." The concubine continued to sneer. She wasn't actually seized; rather, she had been rescued from a Genestealer cult by Archer Cheng Yu.

However, before Cassandra could thank him, Archer Cheng Yu had already claimed her—he was a man who believed in doing today's work today.

Archer Cheng Yu thought for a moment, waved his hand to dismiss the other concubines, then got up, stepped off the bed, and bowed, saying, "Please, my lady, instruct me."

"Sigh..." Cassandra didn't want to become a widow after all. "My husband, please weigh this lead ball."

Archer Cheng Yu picked up the lead ball and weighed it in his hands. It was very light for him, and there was a rustling sound when the ball shifted up and down.

"As you can see, my husband, this is a sand-core lead ball. The exterior is a lead-antimony alloy, but the inside is just ordinary iron sand."

"If the weight of this kind of lead ball does not meet the standard, one can use special tools to add or remove the iron sand inside. Do you understand, my husband?"

Archer Cheng Yu used his big muscles to think about it... "I don't understand. Please enlighten me, my lady."

"You, you, you... you are the iron sand inside! You have been too arrogant lately. The Emperor is warning you; if you don't restrain yourself, he will eliminate you!"

Cassandra covered her forehead. She knew her husband was brave and not very smart, but she hadn't realized he was this dense.

"So that's what it means!" Archer Cheng Yu's face turned pale. As he lost his composure, he caught a glimpse of himself in the vanity mirror beside the bed.

His complexion was terrible, and his dark circles were as heavy as smoky makeup, clearly the result of indulging in pleasure all day.

"I have been harmed by wine and lust, becoming so haggard. Alas!"

Archer Cheng Yu hugged Cassandra. "My lady, you have saved my life! You have saved my life!"

"Remove all those card gambling tables, and then take the remaining money and exchange it for gifts, and send them all to the attendants in the palace."

"Why not present them directly to His Majesty?"

"You fool! Wouldn't that make it seem like His Majesty is extorting you?!"

"So that's it, so that's it."

This was the first time Archer Cheng Yu seriously looked at Cassandra, and the more he looked, the more he liked her... though this time, it wasn't the kind of attraction between a man and a woman.

"Having obtained this beloved concubine is truly like Lü Bu obtaining Chen Gong, or Huhai obtaining Zhao Gao!"

"Who?"

Under Cassandra's guidance, Archer Cheng Yu submitted a memorial to the Emperor.

This memorial neither boasted of his military achievements nor confessed his crimes; the Emperor already knew about these things, and saying too much would only irritate His Majesty.

Archer Cheng Yu—or rather, Cassandra—proposed two suggestions.

First, the Hive City management agency usually acted too unscrupulously, which had affected the internal economic circulation. They should be reorganized into a more regulated Hive City Security Force, and Archer Cheng Yu was willing to volunteer to accomplish this task.

Second, a large number of clones could not find wives and yet desired women, which led them to constantly buy Slaanesh products and degenerate. A specialized agency should be established to help them find partners.

"These two points are internal affairs that the Emperor is currently concerned about. You must show that you truly love the Empire and the Emperor so that His Majesty will not eliminate you. Use cruder language; it will make you seem more open and loyal."

What to do when your own man is stupid? You can only teach him word by word. Sigh...