Chapter 147 – The Correct Posture for Gaining Favor (Part Five)
If the System weren’t still upgrading, it would probably pop out and make a sarcastic comment right about now.
Who would be as narcissistic as her?
Qi Guanrang sighed and spoke frankly, “This warm reception from the Hejian Governor makes me a bit anxious.”
Jiang Pengji teased with a smile, “Why so anxious? My younger sister is only nine years old; there’s no way she’d choose someone as old as you. So just relax a hundred hearts! If he values you, it can only benefit you, so just accept it.”
Qi Guanrang: “…”
That actually makes a lot of sense!
Unlike Feng Jin, who was left speechless by Jiang Pengji’s comments, Qi Guanrang wasn’t fazed at all.
“With that mouth of yours, if one day it gets you into trouble, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.”
When Jiang Pengji teased him about “marriage proposals,” he really wanted to give her a fitting response.
Jiang Pengji blinked innocently, a hint of a smile in her eyes. “Tsk, you really don’t understand the art of making the most of your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses.”
Qi Guanrang, puzzled, asked, “Making the most of strengths?”
“Anyone who can argue with me surely can’t defeat me, and those who can defeat me definitely haven’t been born yet.”
Qi Guanrang: “…”
Suddenly, he wanted to be quiet.
Jiang Pengji furrowed her brows slightly and asked Qi Guanrang, “How does Mr. Wei plan to handle that matter?”
Though she didn’t say it outright, Qi Guanrang understood immediately what she was referring to.
“This is a bit tricky. The Meng Clan clearly wants to protect Meng Liang, and relying solely on Officer Wei probably won’t do much. Unless…” Qi Guanrang’s eyes glinted mischievously, “Going by fair means definitely won’t work; we’ll have to resort to some underhanded tactics.”
Without the Meng Clan’s protection, who would care about Meng Liang?
“Do you have a plan?” Jiang Pengji inquired.
Qi Guanrang thought for a moment and said, “I’ve heard that the lieutenant who set fire to the governor’s residence disappeared after the Meng Family Army quelled the riot; whether he’s alive or dead remains a mystery, and there’s little information circulating. I have a theory: if that lieutenant isn’t dead, what would he do? I’ve inquired in detail about him, and I have some confidence to speculate.”
He paused briefly before continuing, “Knowing that lieutenant’s temperament, he likely wouldn’t just back down. If he could torch the governor’s residence and rebel against the Meng Clan, there’s no way he’d let the culprit Meng Liang off the hook. Perhaps he’s just lying low, waiting to hunt down Meng Liang!”
“In other words, if Meng Liang is in Hejian County, that lieutenant is very likely also in Hejian County!”
Jiang Pengji listened carefully to Qi Guanrang and then chuckled, “So, Mr. Wei plans to use someone else’s blade to kill?”
He openly admitted, “Officer Wei can’t compete with the Meng Clan; if he wants revenge, he certainly can’t expose himself.”
If revealing himself meant facing backlash from the Meng Clan, even if he was burning with rage inside, he’d have to swallow his anger and endure it.
The situation is stronger than any individual—if Wei Yuan didn’t have absolute confidence in extracting himself from this incident, provoking the Meng Clan could lead to a devastating downfall. The cost was too high, so Wei Yuan would definitely have to think it through.
Jiang Pengji said, “Mr. Wei’s thoughts align with mine, but I feel that simply doing so would be somewhat of a loss.”
“A loss? How so?”
She stood up and said to Qi Guanrang, “Mr. Wei, follow me to a place; you’ll understand once you see it.”
Thinking they were heading to the Liu Residence, he was surprised when she ordered a carriage to be prepared that headed straight out of the city.
Jiang Pengji remained silent during the journey, and Qi Guanrang, recognizing the hint, discreetly closed his eyes, pretending to nap.
The carriage rolled smoothly out of the city toward a farm, but the road soon became bumpy.
However, the shock-absorbing system of the carriage held up pretty well, keeping the jostling within acceptable limits.
When the driver came to a stop and set up a sitting stool, Qi Guanrang finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “What does Lan Ting want me to see?”
“You’ll know soon enough. Tsk, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right time, just look over there.”
Jiang Pengji jumped down from the carriage, while Qi Guanrang elegantly stepped down from the stool.
Following Jiang Pengji’s direction, he saw a dozen figures running out from the dense forest.
It was a relatively cool day, but these people looked like they’d just been pulled from the river, their clothes soaked with sweat, clinging to their skin and revealing faint muscle outlines, pale lips, and cheeks glistening with sweat.
On closer inspection, he noticed they all had a layer of cotton padding on their shoulders, each carrying a bamboo basket. The effort they exerted, the sweat dripping from their foreheads, and the depth of their footprints all indicated that the weight in those baskets was likely substantial.
“What’s going on here?” Qi Guanrang asked with a puzzled expression.
“My troops,” Jiang Pengji replied succinctly. The dozen or so individuals ran past without noticing the two, their heavy breathing filling the air. “But Mr. Wei should take a look; do these people seem to be missing something?”
Qi Guanrang squinted, “Why isn’t there a leader…?”
He instinctively paused, suddenly turning to look at Jiang Pengji.
“There’s not a trace of spirit in them; it seems less like training and more like punishment. They’re doing this just to complete the task, not to fight for their lives, because they’re missing a true leader to rally them.”
“Are you suggesting… you actually plan to… are you not afraid of the Meng Clan’s revenge?”
Qi Guanrang gasped, even with his rebellious nature, he was taken aback by her audacity.
Her implication couldn’t be clearer: she wanted to recruit that missing lieutenant.
“And so what?” Jiang Pengji replied indifferently. “Relying on the past glory of our ancestors has brought us to this point, and if we don’t strive for more, we’ll only keep declining, one generation worse than the last. Who knows? Under a collapsing nest, can there be complete eggs? This Dongqing is already in jeopardy; how could a mere Meng family think they can turn things around?”
At this moment, Qi Guanrang was so shocked he had lost his words.
Even though he had thought about similar things a thousand times internally, he would never dare to voice such notions about the dynasty’s downfall.
Jiang Pengji sneered dismissively, “From what I know, the Southern Barbarians are about to break out into war against the Southern Sheng, and a victor will soon emerge. Do you really think Dongqing can remain unaffected and live in peace when it borders Southern Sheng, especially with its internal and external troubles?”
Once the lips go cold, it will be too late; if the Southern Sheng is destroyed by the Southern Barbarians, Dongqing will then face the combined onslaught of the Southern Barbarians and the three tribes of the Northern Frontier.
To avoid that predicament, if the Southern Sheng comes asking for troops, Dongqing will have no choice but to provide them.
Now, here’s the kicker: in this environment where Dongqing emphasizes literature over martial skills, the only military general they can really rely on is the Duke of the Northern Lands, yet currently, the Official Master is eying the Duke of the Northern Lands’ military power like a hawk, considering them a thorn in his side… with the situation as it is, is there even a glimmer of hope for change?
Chaos? Well, that is clearly just a matter of time.
