The two were silent for a long while.
Qiguan Rang asked cautiously, “Since that’s the case, what does my lord plan to do?”
Jiang Pengji scoffed and said, “I’ll pretend not to know anything for the time being. I want to see how long that man can endure. I’ve found a clue about his purpose… I’m very curious, what kind of expression will he make when his enthusiastic scheming comes to nothing?”
Qiguan Rang had little knowledge of insider information. He was mystified by her words.
But Jiang Pengji’s words still made him shudder inexplicably.
“So, we just leave it alone? We don’t need to prepare ourselves?” Qiguan Rang asked.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. She said with determination, “That person will not do anything to me before I become the overlord of the world. Not only will he not sabotage me, but he will do his best to help me. By helping me, he will gain advantages for free. It would be a waste if he didn’t grab onto those advantages. He thinks that I’m totally oblivious and has even laid down multiple hindrances to obstruct and mislead me. Little has he imagined that… Sometimes it’s a mistake to act too thoughtfully…”
Qiguan Rang thought that Jiang Pengji had finished speaking, but she tacked on another sentence at the end.
“This matter stays between the two of us. No third party should know about it.”
She never went into war unprepared. The reply from Mr. Wei Yuan seemed to contain nothing, but Jiang Pengji had already figured out his nature.
Haha…
Did he want to scheme?
Did he really think that all the smart men in the world were dead?
Since they wanted to hurt each other, they should see whose tactics were more brilliant.
Jiang Pengji raised her hand and rubbed at the spot between her eyebrows. “Wenzheng, help me write the first draft of a letter.”
Qiguan Rang asked without thinking, “To whom?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “To Father… Say that my brother will be twelve years old this year, it’s not good for him to always stay in Hejian County. He should have an elder to guide and teach him. I’m busy with government affairs, but it just so happens that things are pretty idle on Father’s side. Let Father teach him well… Although my brother is the son of a concubine, his surname is still ‘Liu.’ If his character becomes crooked, won’t that bring shame to our family? By doing this, I can deliver a hit to that person without alerting him to the fact that I’ve caught on.”
Liu She was very formidable.
Liu Huan, also the child of a concubine, was the daughter of Prince Changshou and Wang Huiyun. In the end, she had married into the Dongqing royal family by wedding the son of the emperor and Wang Huiyun.
It was incest between half-siblings from the same mother and different fathers. Liu She was the mastermind behind the scenes, yet even he had earned a wave of sympathy from strangers.
As for her brother… haha, there was an abundance of history behind his identity too.
Who said women were narrow-minded?
When a man held a grudge, his methods of revenge were even more blood-curdling.
Jiang Pengji never thought that so many demons and monsters could have gathered in the little backyard of the Liu family’s home.
Qiguan Rang wore a stupefied expression. He thought that Jiang Pengji had said this because she had received a tremendous blow. But upon closer look, he could that she was very clear-headed.
“Yes,” Qiguang Rang replied.
Jiang Pengji matter-of-factly ended this topic and swept away the cloudy atmosphere bearing down on them. She changed the topic, asking Qiguan Rang’s opinion of Yang Si’s stratagem.
Qiguang Rang had great admiration for Yang Si’s stratagem.
It was seemingly false and true at the same time; it was very stealthy.
War was never a matter in which one could follow any prescribed pattern to the letter. Sly and unusual schemes often brought about unexpected benefits.
They had planted a secret agent in the Red Lotus Group, and if the plant carried out his operation well, taking down Jinmen County would be a done deal.
The only flaw was…
Qiguan Rang’s expression became grave.
“My lord, you have elite troops and excellent generals who are loyal to you, why risk yourself?”
The lords of other houses couldn’t wait to huddle down in their homes. They always kept in mind that “a gentleman should stay far away from danger.”
By contrast, the lord of his house was thinking about how to get out of it every day.
If her eyes missed even the slightest thing, Jiang Pengji would be long gone.
Previously, Qiguan Rang hadn’t said much to persuade her because there were many people around. Now that it was just the two of them, there were many words that he could say without worrying.
Jiang Pengji was also very straightforward. “Wen Zheng, do you remember what I was like when you first met me? I do what I want to do, and if I don’t want to do something, no one can force me to do it. That rich guy from Hejian was talking about me. Ever since I became Xiangyang District’s county magistrate, I’ve felt restricted, like a tiger in a cage. A ferocious tiger’s teeth are for biting their prey, not for viewing or admiration…”
As Qiguan Rang listened, his complexion turned pale, and he quickly explained.
“How did my lord come to have such a notion? None of us have ever thought about restricting our lord…..”
He was really scared witless.
It was scary to be arrested based on such a serious criminal charge.
Jiang Pengji said, “I know that you are worried about me because I am your lord and your backbone. If I die, the power that we’ve won through our battles would collapse. But Wenzheng… when have you ever seen a general hide behind his soldiers because he is afraid of death? Was there ever a time when a general did not take the lead to charge and breakthrough enemy lines? I’m your lord, but I can also be a general who’s good at battles. The two are not in conflict with each other.”
“Trust me, I will lead you all to the most honorable positions in the world.”
Those who didn’t know Jiang Pengji would think that she was insufferably arrogant.
But those who knew her understood that her arrogance notions would eventually become reality.
She said unhurriedly, “If you are really worried about me, it would be better for you to take good care of the rear so that I can fight on the frontlines without worry.
Her unreasonable tactics made Qiguan Rang choke on his words.
When it came to acting like a rascal, who was better at it than his lord?
She played the emotional card, acted pitifully, pretended to be innocent, stirred up emotions, talked evasively…..
Even though he was Qiguan Rang, he could not hold back his sobs.
As a result, the many attempts to dissuade her were fruitless. It was a fact that Jiang Pengji would be leading the Vanguard Battalion.
The soldiers under the chain of command did not know the sadness of these counselors. When they heard that the Supreme Commander for this campaign would be their lord, all of them were energized.
The battle had not yet begun, and morale was already high.
Jiang Pengji was not a typical lord. She could most frequently be found not in the government office, but the carpentry workshop or barracks. She would inspect these places every few days. Occasionally, she would spar with Li Yun or Meng Hun and Luo Yue on the training grounds. There were always soldiers who stealthily stood in a circle around them to watch the fun.
To many soldiers, their ruler was not a deity who was out of touch with their reality, but a man with extraordinary military bearing and agility.
In laymen’s terms, Jiang Pengji was very in-touch with the commoners.
Her actions had imperceptibly shortened the distance between the role of the lord and his soldiers, making the former feel much closer to the people.
In the face of this situation, no matter how worried the few counselors were, they could only swallow this bitter pill.
The soldiers held such high hopes for their lord. If they persuaded Jiang Pengji to retreat from the front lines, the hit to the soldiers’ morale would be unimaginable.
The distance between Fengyi County and Chengde County was not great. The movement of their troops had alarmed the Red Lotus Group.
The Tsingyi Army would soon receive their comeuppance for their wicked actions.
It was not necessary to deploy such a large disposition of troops if they were dealing with the Tsing Yi Army.
It was clear that the troops in Fengyi County were directed at the Red Lotus Group.
When those who occupied high positions in the Red Lotus Group learned about this news, their faces became grave.
Each one of them silently cursed Jiang Pengji.
Was this person crazy?
It was the Lunar New Year. What was the f*ck was he doing, making trouble for them out of the blue instead of spending the new year at home?
The top leaders in the Red Lotus Group were not the only ones cursing her. Even Jiang Pengji’s 007 spy, An Cui, had similar thoughts.
