Chapter 540 – Storms Over the World (10)
“Today’s the fifth watch, huh?”
“First time witnessing a strategy recruitment like this. Host, if you want to die, at least don’t go full throttle! If news of this gets out, how will you recruit future staff? No employees, who’s gonna work for you? There’s a limit to courting disaster!”
“I wonder, if Liu Bei had treated Zhuge Liang like this in ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’—saying ‘If you don’t join me, you’ll never leave this door,’ do you think there would still be a division of the world later? Hahaha, this is killing me! The host has such a unique style.”
“Is this for real? Although I’m surprised, it really fits the host’s personality; she could totally say something like this. But you know, strategists in ancient times had their pride. Threatening like that might not win them over so easily, right? If his life is in danger, Yang Si might agree to join the host just to save himself, then stab her in the back when she least expects it…”
This viewer may just be the truth-teller; wasn’t Yang Si the one who backstabbed his old lord, Changshou Wang?
“The key point is, Changshou Wang only treated him coldly, calling him and dismissing him at will, showing no respect or dignity. But Jiang Pengji directly threatened Yang Si’s life! In comparison, it seems Jiang Pengji will be the one to earn Yang Si’s resentment.”
The livestream audience was full of gossipers; aside from a few serious comments, others were just messing around.
“Tsk tsk, you all are too young. If the host manages to bring Yang Si under her wing, she’ll definitely dump a mountain of trivial paperwork on him and exploit him until he’s running in circles, without a personal second to breathe, busy until he’s dizzy… At least for six months!”
“Do you guys think a person like the host can’t win over someone’s loyalty in six months?”
The audience stared blankly at those comments, overwhelmed by the sound reasoning that rendered them speechless.
What the host needed most now were workers; as long as the job got done, everything could be negotiated.
“Haha, I haven’t been in the livestream for a long time. The host’s still as familiar as ever! You don’t all need to worry too much; strategists have their own temperaments. Maybe the host’s domineering style is precisely what Yang Si likes? After all, you gotta believe your host is no ordinary person. Besides, Wei Ci and Yang Si are friends; would Wei Ci just stand by and watch him cause trouble?”
Wei Ci indeed couldn’t watch Yang Si plot against Jiang Pengji, but he also didn’t want Jiang Pengji to take action against Yang Si.
If that were the case, who would dare side with her in the future?
“Lord—”
Wei Ci, noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, couldn’t help but voice his concern.
Jiang Pengji ignored Wei Ci and continued, “Sir, please don’t think I’m being willful. This is the administrative hall, and the documents left here are crucial for the county. After the disaster in Fengyi County, I don’t want to attract any unnecessary trouble right now.”
Yang Si could either become one of them, strolling freely in the administrative hall, or for the sake of keeping “secrets,” even if he could leave, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave Cheng’an County.
Yang Si’s expression remained unchanged, his interest piqued, “Is this how you kept Zixiao around?”
He understood Wei Ci; that guy wouldn’t jump into the grand scheme of things so early, let alone assist a hot-headed young pup.
He used to be puzzled, but now, he felt like he grasped the truth.
Jiang Pengji, filled with self-admiration, declared, “Not at all! Zixiao admired my talents and came rushing from a thousand miles to find me.”
Wei Ci’s face flushed with embarrassment, while Yang Si nearly lost his composure.
He had seen self-absorbed people, but never someone so utterly self-satisfied and brimming with confidence like this middle-schooler.
Yang Si bluntly said, “You are not the lord I seek.”
He was already annoyed by Huang Song’s immaturity; Jiang Pengji’s reckless antics only made him look down on her even more.
Jiang Pengji countered, “I never said you have to stay here forever.”
Both Yang Si and Wei Ci gaped at her, confused. What did she mean?
She continued, “You’ve been freeloading and eating here for days. Seeing Zixiao and me busy to the ground, doesn’t your conscience hurt? At the very least, you should lend a hand or pay for your meals, right? Once this rush is over, you can go wherever you want, I won’t keep you.”
Yang Si’s face turned slightly green.
So this person was just annoyed that he was eating without paying, wanting him to work as a temp?
Wei Ci silently facepalmed.
Well, one couldn’t expect the host to recruit talent through ordinary means of respect and courtesy.
Yang Si chuckled with a meaningful smile, “You want me to engage in Cheng’an County’s affairs, help you temporarily? I’m not opposed to that, but… aren’t you afraid that if I leave, I might leak information, posing a threat to you?”
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes, indifferent as she responded, “By the time you leave, not only Fengyi County, but potentially all of Wanzhou will be under my control.”
Her tone was casual, but Yang Si sensed an undeniable authority and confidence hidden beneath it.
“Young Master, quite the ambition,” Yang Si remarked. “Do you think so little of the Eastern Qing royal family?”
At least the Eastern Qing hadn’t completely fallen apart yet.
“I heard, sir, that you originally served Changshou Wang. When he surrounded Chenzhou, under the guise of clearing the usurpers, what was his real scheme? You must know, right?” Jiang Pengji dismissed casually, “As the saying goes, are nobles and ministers born exceptional? I, Liu Xi, can control all four counties of Fengyi while serving as the Deputy of Xiangyang County. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable?”
At first, Wei Ci had worried Jiang Pengji might truly offend Yang Si, but as their conversation unfolded, he calmed down.
Yang Si harbored great ambition, restless, and Jiang Pengji’s arrogant and reckless personality strangely suited him.
Especially that line, “Are nobles and ministers born exceptional?” hit Yang Si right where it hurt.
In this world, without looks, family background, or reputation… even if one were exceptionally talented, moving upward was still impossible.
Yang Si chose this path of serving under Changshou Wang, partly because that guy was “not bound by norms” and valued talent above all.
Too bad Changshou Wang was merely putting on a façade; he didn’t genuinely disregard one’s origins, and it was inevitable that Yang Si and he would drift apart.
Jiang Pengji was quite the bold talker, “Not just Fengyi County, not just Wanzhou, not just Eastern Qing, even beyond the five nations of the world… wherever two feet can stand, that’s where I want to go. What past generations couldn’t achieve, I will accomplish.”
At this moment, Yang Si’s smile seemed a bit forced.
He mockingly replied, “Young Master, you’ve only just grasped Fengyi County, yet there are the Green Garment Army and the Red Lotus Sect watching you closely. Speaking such grand words, you’re not afraid the wind will blow your tongue out?”
Jiang Pengji retorted, “Last year, when the earthquake hit Eastern Qing, the common people suffered immensely, wailing everywhere. I led thousands of troops and twenty thousand civilians to travel all the way to Xiangyang County, where nearly ten thousand of the Green Garment Army occupied. What happened? Xiangyang County is still mine! This year, the Fengyi County held by the Green Garment Army will also belong to me. Next year, the entire North will be under my command.”
