Chapter 155 – After the System Upgrade (1)
Qi Guanrang’s fingers tapped his knee hidden in his sleeve, leisurely closing his eyes as if taking a small nap.
If Jiang Pengji had felt any dissatisfaction before, Qi Guanrang’s interference made her start to reflect on herself.
Lost in thought, she suddenly recalled the words of her former boss and mentor, the previous commander of the Seventh Legion.
The old commander had said: “You are not my only student. Among all the candidates, you are not even my preferred successor. You have a whole bunch of bad habits, and your temper is beyond help. But I can understand you, know you, and in the end, I chose you. Because I always believe you can become the best heir I envision. I can’t think of anyone else who can do it.”
The old commander trusted her so much, yet Jiang Pengji ultimately did not meet his expectations; she didn’t even know why she couldn’t.
“To control those above, one must understand those below…”
Jiang Pengji murmured quietly, as if she was beginning to grasp something.
Seeing her in this state, Qi Guanrang felt a flicker of emotion but still had to put on an indifferent facade.
“Some things, Lan Ting can choose to conceal, but some things can’t be left unsaid. Otherwise, it will only increase the distance between people. No matter how good the relationship or how firm the loyalty, it can’t withstand such wear and tear. Luckily, Xiaoyu hasn’t caught on yet this time…”
Qi Guanrang couldn’t decide whether to say Xu Ke was too young or too slow to react for making such a rookie mistake.
But who among people is without fault?
Making a mistake is fine; it’s about making amends. What’s scary is being oblivious to one’s faults, stubbornly sticking to their ways.
Fortunately, what Qi Guanrang appreciated was that neither Jiang Pengji nor Xu Ke were those kinds of frustrating personalities.
Xu Ke was sharp and, although he made some taboo blunders, it was understandable since he hadn’t been with Jiang Pengji long enough to get used to her temperament. Plus, he was young and lacked experience, which could be gradually remedied; Qi Guanrang was confident about that.
As for Jiang Pengji’s state, it exceeded his initial expectations.
Jiang Pengji came back to her senses and glanced at the man beside her, “Why are you telling me all this?”
Qi Guanrang replied frankly, “I just feel that Lan Ting really needs a wake-up call.”
If Liu Xi’s ambition were merely to become a crucial asset to the country, he naturally wouldn’t need to learn how to govern others.
But Qi Guanrang felt that this person’s ambitions were starkly opposite to his harmless facade.
Having grand aspirations isn’t enough; without corresponding conditions, it’s hard to accomplish anything substantial in the end.
Liu Xi was smart, and his ability to read people was impressive; in terms of breadth and aura, he seemed the most satisfying person Qi Guanrang had met. However, he fell short in the most crucial aspect, even bordering on incompetence!
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes at this.
Still, she said to Qi Guanrang, “I should thank you for today’s matter; next time, I’ll treat you properly.”
However, Qi Guanrang’s response made her smile stiffen, for he said—
“Even though I haven’t known Lan Ting long, I am clear on a principle: when there’s no reason for kindness, it’s either a trick or a theft. Even if you invite me under the guise of gratitude, the underlying purpose surely isn’t that simple.” Qi Guanrang bluntly unveiled her intentions.
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Wait, has my reputation fallen to such a level?!
Is it really that if I show a bit of goodwill, the other party gets all paranoid and defensive?
Little did she know, after witnessing her throw that poor officer under the bus, Qi Guanrang had already labeled her as a scheming boy.
Yet, while poking fun at her, Qi Guanrang’s sharpness and wariness were commendable since she had indeed been up to no good.
Jiang Pengji retorted, “That’s not it; it’s primarily out of gratitude.”
Qi Guanrang lazily raised an eyebrow, wearing a ‘I knew it’ expression, “Then what’s the secondary purpose?”
Jiang Pengji hesitated for a moment, then spilled her plan, “That little brat Meng Liang over at Liu Residence has suffered a setback from my mother and is now trying to get close to me to stir up my mother’s pity. But he’s always been useless, with no skills whatsoever, yet he’s quite good at corrupting others. Wen Zheng, do you think I should fall for it?”
Qi Guanrang felt a pang of pity for Meng Liang.
“What’s Lan Ting planning to do?”
“Rich kids excel at a few things: eating, drinking, womanizing, and gambling. Meng Liang isn’t particularly fond of gourmet food and has poor alcohol tolerance, but when it comes to women and gambling, he’s quite passionate. If he wants to drag me along, places like the brothel’s south wing aren’t suitable since the perfume will easily give us away and make my mother dislike us. So…”
Qi Guanrang concluded, “So, he’s likely to coax you to the Gambling House?”
“I’d prefer if we go to the Gambling House; it’ll make things easier to maneuver…”
“And then?”
“In a place like the Gambling House where all kinds of people mix, do you think Meng Hunyun might seize the opportunity to kidnap Meng Liang?”
Qi Guanrang was left speechless; could he really say he had already understood Meng Liang’s trap?
If Meng Liang truly pushed Jiang Pengji into the Gambling House, not only would the place be chaotic, but word would spread quickly.
Once Meng Hunyun got wind of this prime opportunity, how could he not find a way to ambush and snatch him away?
More importantly, Meng Hunyun wouldn’t lay a hand on Jiang Pengji because she had done him favors before.
As long as Jiang Pengji returned to Liu Residence as if nothing had happened and then dispatched a maidservant to pose as “Auntie from the maternal family” to leave the residence, Meng Liang’s disappearance or even death would be no concern for Liu Residence and would directly pin the blame on Meng Hunyun and his crew.
Then she could secretly liaise with Meng Hunyun under other pretenses, clarifying the interests and relations to push him into coercing Meng Liang to write for supplies.
Once the large shipment of rice arrived, Jiang Pengji could use the guise of “clearing bandits,” “killing” Meng Hunyun and his crew, switching their identities from open to hidden. On the surface, it seems she was avenging Meng Liang, and wouldn’t the Meng Clan express their gratitude to this benefactor?
Clean up the loose ends, and the Meng Clan would only find out that Meng Liang was simply courting disaster and was captured and killed by Meng Hunyun, absolving Liu Residence from any involvement.
What a kind-hearted white lotus!!!
Eliminating bandits, maintaining peace, and avenging the Meng Clan’s fallen—this grand vision was truly admirable!
Not only that, but Meng Hunyun and his crew would likely be eternally grateful because Jiang Pengji sheltered them in their time of peril.
What a damn masterstroke!
She’d seen shamelessness, but not one that treats shamelessness as a virtue.
Even more helplessly, Qi Guanrang happened to enjoy such shamelessness.
He could already foresee how that poor Meng Liang would be played to his doom.
“Meng Liang dying or not isn’t that important. What matters is that shipment of grain. How much do you think I should charge the Meng Clan?”
Before Qi Guanrang could respond, a crisp “ding” rang out nearby.
【System Upgrade Complete!】
